Page 78 of The Sky in Summer
“It’s your mother! Of course you’d pick her.”
“That isn’t why.” He grins.
Tyler joins the conversation. “She’s awesome, dude.”
Teddy walks up just as the gauntlet has been thrown down.
“Quit your talkin’, let’s bowl!”
We choose the right sized bowling balls and I take my position. Aargon sits waiting to see how big a bullshitter I am.
“Need a few practice throws?”
I don’t answer. My form is right, I center, and walk three steps forward, releasing the ball. It slides right down the center and knocks down every pin.
“No.”
“Shit,” he says laughing. “We have a ringer here, men.”
“What’s a ringer?” Teddy asks.
“Ha! She’s good, right.” Tyler is not asking a question; he makes an accurate statement.
It’s a good game. Aargon is a decent bowler. Not as good as I am, but he didn’t have a father who was state champion in his twenties. Barbra and I were the recipients of his talent. It’s in our DNA and in the steady exposure to the sport as we grew up under his wing.
There is not too much conversation during the game. Everyone is serious about the competition. In a friendly way, but we all want to win. I was the victor, which was not a surprise to anyone in my family. It was an unexpected conclusion for Teddy and Aargon.
“Let’s go again!” Tyler says.
“You guys go. Layla and I are going to have a beer at the bar.”
It is a statement of fact, leaving no room for my objection. Not that there was one.
“Come on,” he says, getting up.
We walk to the bar, thirty feet away. I take the closest barstool and he climbs on the neighboring one.
“Beer? Or would you like something else?”
“I think I need a beer for this conversation.”
He chuckles. “Two Coors.” His order gets a nod from the old bartender.
With an elbow on the bar, he makes eye contact. “So how are things going?”
“How do you mean? “
His chin dips and his eyes look up. “You know. Are you as miserable as my brother?”
Now he has my attention.
“What? Your brother is miserable? We’re talking about Van?”
“Well, it isn’t Nobel. He and Dove are solid. And I’m not aware of any secret love child of either of my parents. Yes. Van.”
“Did he tell you that?”
I am holding my breath with hope.
