The Laughing Matter by William Saroyan

want to go with Mabel. I didn’t know why Mama changed her mind. I didn’t like the circus with Mabel.” He stopped.
    â€œWhy should you hate Milton Schweitzer because of
that?”
Evan said.
    â€œWell, Papa, don’t you understand?” Red said. “When we got back from the circus he was visiting us.
    â€œThen another time Mama promised to take us for a picnic to the campus. To that place where we had a picnic once, and so much fun. She made all the sandwiches and we were all ready to go, and then again she called Mabel, and Mabel took us to the picnic.”
    â€œWhen was that?”
    â€œWhen you went to make the money for the car,” Red said. “When are we going to
get
the car?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Evan said. He was helpless now. He had to know. “When you got home after the picnic,” he said, “how was Mama?”
    â€œAll right, I guess,” Red said. “But I was mad at her. I was mad at
him
, too. I get mad sometimes, too. When I came into the house and saw him, I didn’t stop. I went straight through to the back yard, because I was so mad. I just said, ‘Why don’t you stay in your own house?’ AndI went out into the back yard. Eva stayed in with Mama and him.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you tell me before, Red?”
    â€œWhy?”
the boy said. “I don’t know. I forgot, I guess. He didn’t come to our house any more after that. Did you want me to tell you I talked that way? I felt ashamed. I didn’t
want
to talk that way. I just couldn’t help it.”
    He drove into the airport parking lot and stopped the car.
    â€œYour uncle Dade’s going to be glad to see you,” he said.

Chapter 19
    Dade looked tired. He looked so tired Red said to his father, “Is it Dade?” They went up to him, leaning against a counter, reading a book. He closed the book to look at the boy.
    â€œHello, Red,” he said. “You look fine. You look fine, boy.” He turned to his brother. “Do you know who he looks like? He looks like the old boy. Your grandfather, Red, Petrus Nazarenus. You look like
him.”
Dade looked at his brother again. “I thought even this would be better than nothing. I’ve got to take the plane back in an hour, though.”
    Dade looked at the boy again, and this time smiled. He spoke in the language Red wished he could speak. The only word he said that Red understood was “Hey.” It was the first word of what Dade said. Hey, something or other in the unknown language, the words lively and hard and angry, but at the same time humorous, too.
    Dade searched his brother’s eyes and very quietly said a few more words in the language. Red heard his father reply in the language.
    They moved to a far bench and sat down. Dade sat close to Red, and put his arm around him. Red’s father sat on the other side of Red.
    The brothers spoke in the language Red didn’t understand. He didn’t need to. He understood their voices. He understood Dade was Evan’s brother.
    â€œSpeak softly,” Dade said. “Speak softly, for your son, who is my own father.”
    â€œI speak softly,” Evan said. “What do I do, brother?”
    Dade spoke in English to Red. “You are my father, Petrus Nazarenus.” He turned the boy’s head toward him, and kissed him on the forehead. “If you get tired, if you want to walk around, if you want to look at the people, or go outside and look at the airplanes, we’ll be here, we’ll be seated here.”
    Red turned and looked at his father. Evan saw the panic in his eyes again.
    â€œI don’t want to go,” he said.
    â€œI
hoped
you wouldn’t,” Dade said, “but I didn’t know.”
    He spoke in the language again.
    â€œWe need a lifetime to understand the very simplest thing,” Dade said. “We need two lifetimes to correct a smallerror. We live an