didn’t want to die, refused to hurt something that had already suffered so much. It just wanted to eat and be left alone.
The bear went back on all fours, trying to make up its mind as to which direction to go. It began to lick the soda off the van. The smell of the fried American food won out and with the doors open, the bear gleefully jumped inside. Danny breathed out slowly. It crossed his mind to pick up the Coke can but the way the bear was tearing up the van, he thought it was safer to get away from there.
The RCMP had thanked him for distracting the bear then he was free to leave. They had no reason to suspect anything out of the ordinary when the truth was so far from the ordinary as to be unbelievable. The bear had run off with its prize, leaving the van a ruined mess. No people or animals had been hurt so everything worked out okay for everyone involved. Danny got home fairly quickly and although he was exhausted, he also felt a sense of physical elation unlike anything he’d experienced before. It was contentment, the sense of finally knowing his place in the world. He found Ray reading a book on animals in his bed, stretched out sideways with his head resting on his wrist. Ray had dirty blonde hair that was always dishevelled, just like Danny and Danny’s mother. The red hair Morgan had come from Helen and her side of the family, the Boyle’s were almost all blonde. In every other way he was clearly Danny’s boy; they were built almost identical with lean muscular swimmer’s legs and broad shoulders. Only the eyes were Helen’s and as he got older, more and more of his expressions began to resemble those of his mother.
“ Where’s Mom?” Danny asked.
“ In the bath. Morgan’s in bed, she’s sick.”
“ Is it bad? How sick is she?” Danny asked.
“ It’s just a cold Dad. She’s all snotty and sounds funny though.”
Ray flipped the page, his eyes still in the book. Danny sat down on the edge of his bed and pushed his son’s stinky feet aside.
“ You can do some pretty cool stuff, huh?” Ray asked, finally looking up.
“ I think so, yeah. Can I ask you a grown-up question Ray?”
Ray shifted and sat up on the bed, drawing his legs up to his chest. Sometimes you could see in Ray’s face the man he was going to become, while other times the small, curious child was still there peeking out.
“ Sure, I guess,” Ray answered, “What is it?”
“ Does it bother you that I don’t have a job or that sometimes we don’t have extra money for things?”
Ray shook his head back and forth after a moment of reflection.
“Nah Dad, it’s cool. I mean I have everything I need.”
Danny said nothing, letting Raymond finish when he was ready.
“I do wish there was a car for me, you know, when I turn sixteen. But I could always get a job too, I guess.”
“ You could.” Danny said kindly.
“ Maybe I can do what you do. This superhero stuff.”
“ I don’t know, Ray I don’t think it works that way. Anyway I am no superhero.”
“ How did you get home, Dad, after we dropped you off?”
“ What do you mean?”
“ I mean did you call a cab, run, or what?”
Danny knew where his son was headed with the conversation and he smiled.
“I flew.” Danny said.
“ See? Superhero!”
Ray flopped back on his bed, grinning. Danny hugge d him, said goodnight and left. The smile on his face went from ear to ear.
Helen had a job lined up Saturday morning so Danny got up and made breakfast. This time he avoided bacon, instead making eggs and toast. He fried the eggs sunny side up and served them on a bagel. The kids loved the yolk of the egg bursting in the middle of the warm bagel so much they didn’t even notice he’d used whole grain bagels. Helen stood by the door, finishing off her breakfast by cramming it in her mouth.
“ I’m going to talk to Dr. Rue today.” Danny said, sitting at the table with Morgan and Ray.
Helen slung her tool belt around
The bear went back on all fours, trying to make up its mind as to which direction to go. It began to lick the soda off the van. The smell of the fried American food won out and with the doors open, the bear gleefully jumped inside. Danny breathed out slowly. It crossed his mind to pick up the Coke can but the way the bear was tearing up the van, he thought it was safer to get away from there.
The RCMP had thanked him for distracting the bear then he was free to leave. They had no reason to suspect anything out of the ordinary when the truth was so far from the ordinary as to be unbelievable. The bear had run off with its prize, leaving the van a ruined mess. No people or animals had been hurt so everything worked out okay for everyone involved. Danny got home fairly quickly and although he was exhausted, he also felt a sense of physical elation unlike anything he’d experienced before. It was contentment, the sense of finally knowing his place in the world. He found Ray reading a book on animals in his bed, stretched out sideways with his head resting on his wrist. Ray had dirty blonde hair that was always dishevelled, just like Danny and Danny’s mother. The red hair Morgan had come from Helen and her side of the family, the Boyle’s were almost all blonde. In every other way he was clearly Danny’s boy; they were built almost identical with lean muscular swimmer’s legs and broad shoulders. Only the eyes were Helen’s and as he got older, more and more of his expressions began to resemble those of his mother.
“ Where’s Mom?” Danny asked.
“ In the bath. Morgan’s in bed, she’s sick.”
“ Is it bad? How sick is she?” Danny asked.
“ It’s just a cold Dad. She’s all snotty and sounds funny though.”
Ray flipped the page, his eyes still in the book. Danny sat down on the edge of his bed and pushed his son’s stinky feet aside.
“ You can do some pretty cool stuff, huh?” Ray asked, finally looking up.
“ I think so, yeah. Can I ask you a grown-up question Ray?”
Ray shifted and sat up on the bed, drawing his legs up to his chest. Sometimes you could see in Ray’s face the man he was going to become, while other times the small, curious child was still there peeking out.
“ Sure, I guess,” Ray answered, “What is it?”
“ Does it bother you that I don’t have a job or that sometimes we don’t have extra money for things?”
Ray shook his head back and forth after a moment of reflection.
“Nah Dad, it’s cool. I mean I have everything I need.”
Danny said nothing, letting Raymond finish when he was ready.
“I do wish there was a car for me, you know, when I turn sixteen. But I could always get a job too, I guess.”
“ You could.” Danny said kindly.
“ Maybe I can do what you do. This superhero stuff.”
“ I don’t know, Ray I don’t think it works that way. Anyway I am no superhero.”
“ How did you get home, Dad, after we dropped you off?”
“ What do you mean?”
“ I mean did you call a cab, run, or what?”
Danny knew where his son was headed with the conversation and he smiled.
“I flew.” Danny said.
“ See? Superhero!”
Ray flopped back on his bed, grinning. Danny hugge d him, said goodnight and left. The smile on his face went from ear to ear.
Helen had a job lined up Saturday morning so Danny got up and made breakfast. This time he avoided bacon, instead making eggs and toast. He fried the eggs sunny side up and served them on a bagel. The kids loved the yolk of the egg bursting in the middle of the warm bagel so much they didn’t even notice he’d used whole grain bagels. Helen stood by the door, finishing off her breakfast by cramming it in her mouth.
“ I’m going to talk to Dr. Rue today.” Danny said, sitting at the table with Morgan and Ray.
Helen slung her tool belt around
Similar Books
