Page 103 of The Plus Ones
She draws a leg with a foot, and I know immediately that it’s: “The LEGO Movie.”
“Yes!”
“There’s a movie about LEGOs?” my father-in-law asks. “People paid to see that?”
Roxy is already erasing the leg and drawing a balloon.
“It’s a balloon!” Joni yells out. “Up!”
Roxy draws a line into the balloon and then draws a squiggly, deflated balloon.
“Mary Poppins,” I say.
“Yes!”
“What? How’d you get that?” Joni stares at me, wide-eyed.
“It’s a popped balloon,” Nina explains for me. “Smart.”
“Oh, is itThe Red Balloon?” Melinda exclaims.
“It wasMary Poppins.” Joe pats her on the knee.
“I love this movie,The Red Balloon,” Graziella leans over to say to Melinda. “They don’t make movies like this anymore.”
Roxy is on to the next one, drawing a face with big eyes and a round, open mouth.
“Monsters, Inc!” Nina and Joni yell at the same time.
I already know what the movie is before Roxy finishes drawing the hands on the boy’s face, but I’ll let someone else guess first. We don’t have to prove to anyone how well we know each other anymore.
“Is it that cartoon car movie?” Joe asks.
“That’s not a car,” his wife elbows him. “Dummy.”
As soon as Roxy starts to draw the outline of a Christmas tree behind the boy, Joni shouts out, “Home Alone!”
“Yes!”
Nina high-fives Joni, and they do a little jig while taunting Vince. “We’re beating you!”
Roxy starts to draw something that is clearly an animal with four legs and might be a dog.
“Is that a dog?Lady and the Tramp!” Melinda says.
“Lady and the Tramp, she’d draw two dogs,” her husband mutters.
“Oh hush, you.”
“Hotel for Dogs!” Joni squeals.
“Beethoven. The Shaggy Dog. The Shaggy D.A,. Bolt, Marley & Me, My Dog Skip,the one with Richard Gere!” Nina knows a lot of dog movies.
Roxy shakes her head while drawing something on the underside of the animal. Possibly a penis. Or an udder.
“Mulan,” I say, grinning.
Vince calls, “Time!”
