6
“Daddy got BUST-ED!”
The voice came from behind a walking Lego’s box. Davey weaved about drunkenly under the weight of the package, but his voice was positively joyful.
“Daddy got BUST-ED!”
Jeff followed him out of the mall, his face very red and brow severely knit. Brian came last, his nose buried deep in his new book.
“I did not get ‘busted,’ Davey,” Jeff fumed. “I explained the situation to the store manager – ”
“Daddy stole my toy for me!” Davey announced to an approaching couple in their late fifties.
“I did not steal anything,” Jeff tried to assure them.
It didn’t help. The couple steered clear of the entire family.
Davey stopped and turned around to inform them of more of the evening’s events.
“An’ I saw some butt-nekkid people!”
“DAVEY!”
The fiftysomethings quickened their pace.
“I’m gonna make a livin’ drawin’ ‘em!” Davey called after them. “Butt-nekkid people!”
They fairly sprinted the rest of the way to the mall.
“Davey, cut that out and get over here!”
Davey turned to follow Jeff and Brian, and suddenly noticed the skinny Salvation Army Santa standing out by the street corner, ringing his bell by his brass donations pot.
Davey stopped, squatted, and screamed, “I WANNA BUBBLE BABY!” then ran to join Brian and Jeff, leaving the Salvation Army Santa to stare in baffled wonder after the talking, walking Lego box.
***
By the time they were all inside the family car, Jeff had relaxed a little. Brian sat beside him in the front passenger seat, nose buried in the MONSTERS book. Jeff just looked at him, sighed, and pulled out into traffic.
Davey was slightly more active. He stood in the back seat, chin perched on Brian’s headrest, and thumped his brother on the head with a flick of his forefinger. Brian didn’t respond, so Davey flicked him again. Brian didn’t respond – he never responded, which Davey knew would happen. That’s what always happened. Maybe it was a somewhat passive-aggressive version of “so-and-so’s on my side of the car!” Maybe it was some sort of bizarre brotherly bonding ritual. Jeff didn’t know, but whatever it was, it was silent, so he just ignored it. He knew that diverting Davey’s attention from annoying but relatively harmless pastimes could be dangerous. Weeping and gnashing of teeth could follow, much as it had earlier tonight.
So Davey just flicked Brian’s head absentmindedly. He was still flicking now, long after he’d lost interest. But he was thinking.
<< previous page | next page >>
Copyright © 2008 Darren Pillsbury. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment