Page 30 of Until Landon
Kim is ignoring whatever he throws at her.
“My friends and I would do that when we wanted to get into our bikinis. We would start in April with a goal for the summer. And we’d give ourselves rewards for every five pounds lost. It was fun.”
Dad’s face wears disgust proudly. As in he doesn’t try to hide how he feels. It is there for anyone to see.
“Doesn’t sound fun at all to me. I don’t give a shit about looking good in my trunks.”
It is the first thing my dad has said in the voice he speaks to me with. It doesn’t faze her.
“Okay. But what about all the work you have to do around here? That requires a strong, vital man. Wouldn’t it be easier if you were a little lighter? Less junk under the hood? I know I have too much junk in the trunk.”
That makes him laugh. It is punctuated by the jiggling belly. As for me, it only makes a naked image of her ass appear in my mind. There’s nothing at all wrong with its size or shape.
“Alright. We can give it a shot. Just don’t start lecturing me. Either one of you. I’ll lean in. Cut out a few things to start with. Like crème on berries. Shit.”
When I look at her face there is not a satisfied look. She goes about her business. Clever girl. She did it without making him feel worse than he does.
Dad’s cell sounds.
“Hand me the iPad. Your sister is FaceTiming us.” His fingers wiggle, impatiently calling his personal butler to the job.
“I’ll get the meal going. Don’t mind me,” Kim says.
Passing the iPad, I take a seat in the chair next to the couch. When he touches the screen, Stacy’s smiling face appears, along with my niece and two nephews. Three under seven-year-olds, squirming to stay in frame. One year old William takes center stage atop her lap. He’s red faced and fussing. He looks like he’s taking a shit.
“Hi, Dad! Oh!”
The voice breaks with emotion. She starts to tear up and her kids haven’t missed the reaction. The two stare at their mother with that look kids get when a grown-up shows fear or sadness. It scares them.
“Hello everybody!” Dad says.
“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Kendra asks.
“Your mommy is a crybaby. Nothing’s wrong! I’m fine. See.”
Dad flexes one bicep and pretends he is as strong as he was five years ago. It works on the children who think of my father as a larger-than-life character.
“Hello, brother! You look good, Landon!”
“Thanks, sis. You too.”
“What have you been taking? Give me some. I look like hell.” She chuckles.
“Hey, guys! Good to see you all. And Stacy, you look beautiful.”
“The spit up on my clothes is a nice touch, don’t you think? Rick, hand me that.”
Another face appears in frame and a hand passes a Kleenex. Stacy takes it and wipes the snotty nose of her youngest child, who must have just passed a turd. Now he looks spent.
“Hey, brother,” I say to my brother-in-law.
He hands Stacy a bottle and she angles baby Will for the meal.
“How you doin, Dad?” Rick says. “Bet you’re glad to be back home.”
“Yeah. I never want to be back in that place again. Made me feel like I was a hundred years old.”
Stacy jumps back in. “It was important! Are you doing your exercises?”
