coming from corn-kids in the kitchen
and Jackie insisted they stop whatever evil they were up to. Shep
immediately backed her up and silence fell from the other room.
Del caught me smiling over the kids getting into trouble.
“Would you like to have children, Boone?” she asked.
I started laughing, at first because I thought it was a joke,
then morphing into my own nervous giggle when I realized she
was serious. I knew my deodorant was beginning to fail, feeling a
bead of sweat run down my side. “Um.” I turned to Wade, who
was shaking his head at Del.
“Christ woman,” Pete said, laughing. “Start off with the easy
questions, why don’t you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Del was now blushing every bit as much as
I was sure I had to be.
Jackie poked her head into the doorway. “Don’t say anything
good until I’m at the table.” With that her head disappeared back
into the kitchen.
Wade snickered while taking his napkin and placing it in his
lap. “We should all burst out into fake laughter just to drive her
nuts.”
With that the four of us all glanced back and forth at one
another before bursting into real laughter over the orneriness of
Wade’s intent to torture his sister.
“Damn it!” We heard Jackie grumbling from inside the kitchen
80 Ethan Day
before she shot into the dining room. “You can finish with them,
honey,” she called back at her husband.
“Kids suck sometimes,” Jackie huffed, plopping into a chair.
“A ringing endorsement,” I said to Del. “I think I’ll pass, if it’s
all the same to you.”
She insisted everyone go ahead serve themselves as Shep
came striding into the dining room. He gave his wife a none too
pleased grin and she smiled back, as sweet and innocent looking
as the day she was born—a look both she and her brother had
perfected.
“You need to stop saying things like that about your own
children,” Del berated Jackie. “They hear a lot more than you
think and they may not understand you’re just kidding around.”
“Who was kidding?” Jackie asked, oozing sarcasm as she
forked some linguini onto her plate. “I’m not going to be one
of those mothers who pretend her children are little angels while
they terrorize the entire town. And it’s difficult to parent them
when their daddy and uncle give them whatever they want.” She
stared down Del. “I wonder where their uncle got that from.”
Del frowned while Wade smiled, sneering at his sister and
repeating, “I wonder where he got that from,” in a mocking tone.
I choked on my beer once again when a piece of garlic
bread sailed through the air, popping Wade in the chin before
ricocheting off and landing on his plate.
“Jackie, really,” Del said in a disapproving tone as she stared
across the table at her husband.
“Don’t look at me, they’re grown men and women now,” Pete
said, twisting some pasta around his fork.
“Thanks for the bread, sis.” Wade grinned at Jackie as he
delicately patted his chin to remove the butter.
Shep was laughing until Jackie reached over and pinched the
hell out of his arm.
“Damn it, baby,” Shep whined, rubbing his arm. “Got the
pinchers of a lobster, this one.”
Life in fusion 81
Wade sat back in his chair and laughed at Shep. I was beginning
to feel like I’d been transported back to high school, seeing a
whole new side of Wade. He straightened up a bit when he saw
me watching him, which I found even more amusing…like he
was afraid he might be grounded once we got back to his house.
“So Boone,” Del asked, winking at Jackie, who kindly poured
some red wine into her glass. “What do your parents think of
Wade?”
I shrank into my seat. “Well, they haven’t actually met him
yet.”
Del glanced at Wade then back to me. “Oh, I…are you not
close then?”
I shrank down into my seat some more. “No, we’re very
close.” Jackie appeared to be enjoying watching me squirm. “I
just
and Jackie insisted they stop whatever evil they were up to. Shep
immediately backed her up and silence fell from the other room.
Del caught me smiling over the kids getting into trouble.
“Would you like to have children, Boone?” she asked.
I started laughing, at first because I thought it was a joke,
then morphing into my own nervous giggle when I realized she
was serious. I knew my deodorant was beginning to fail, feeling a
bead of sweat run down my side. “Um.” I turned to Wade, who
was shaking his head at Del.
“Christ woman,” Pete said, laughing. “Start off with the easy
questions, why don’t you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Del was now blushing every bit as much as
I was sure I had to be.
Jackie poked her head into the doorway. “Don’t say anything
good until I’m at the table.” With that her head disappeared back
into the kitchen.
Wade snickered while taking his napkin and placing it in his
lap. “We should all burst out into fake laughter just to drive her
nuts.”
With that the four of us all glanced back and forth at one
another before bursting into real laughter over the orneriness of
Wade’s intent to torture his sister.
“Damn it!” We heard Jackie grumbling from inside the kitchen
80 Ethan Day
before she shot into the dining room. “You can finish with them,
honey,” she called back at her husband.
“Kids suck sometimes,” Jackie huffed, plopping into a chair.
“A ringing endorsement,” I said to Del. “I think I’ll pass, if it’s
all the same to you.”
She insisted everyone go ahead serve themselves as Shep
came striding into the dining room. He gave his wife a none too
pleased grin and she smiled back, as sweet and innocent looking
as the day she was born—a look both she and her brother had
perfected.
“You need to stop saying things like that about your own
children,” Del berated Jackie. “They hear a lot more than you
think and they may not understand you’re just kidding around.”
“Who was kidding?” Jackie asked, oozing sarcasm as she
forked some linguini onto her plate. “I’m not going to be one
of those mothers who pretend her children are little angels while
they terrorize the entire town. And it’s difficult to parent them
when their daddy and uncle give them whatever they want.” She
stared down Del. “I wonder where their uncle got that from.”
Del frowned while Wade smiled, sneering at his sister and
repeating, “I wonder where he got that from,” in a mocking tone.
I choked on my beer once again when a piece of garlic
bread sailed through the air, popping Wade in the chin before
ricocheting off and landing on his plate.
“Jackie, really,” Del said in a disapproving tone as she stared
across the table at her husband.
“Don’t look at me, they’re grown men and women now,” Pete
said, twisting some pasta around his fork.
“Thanks for the bread, sis.” Wade grinned at Jackie as he
delicately patted his chin to remove the butter.
Shep was laughing until Jackie reached over and pinched the
hell out of his arm.
“Damn it, baby,” Shep whined, rubbing his arm. “Got the
pinchers of a lobster, this one.”
Life in fusion 81
Wade sat back in his chair and laughed at Shep. I was beginning
to feel like I’d been transported back to high school, seeing a
whole new side of Wade. He straightened up a bit when he saw
me watching him, which I found even more amusing…like he
was afraid he might be grounded once we got back to his house.
“So Boone,” Del asked, winking at Jackie, who kindly poured
some red wine into her glass. “What do your parents think of
Wade?”
I shrank into my seat. “Well, they haven’t actually met him
yet.”
Del glanced at Wade then back to me. “Oh, I…are you not
close then?”
I shrank down into my seat some more. “No, we’re very
close.” Jackie appeared to be enjoying watching me squirm. “I
just
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