Eric woke up late. He walked into the kitchen. Everyone was getting ready for the day. He didn’t want to see anyone. His stomach growled. What could he grab fast? He didn’t want to go to school on an empty stomach.
His dad sat at the table. He wore casual clothes, which meant he was working from home. A tablet was in front of him. “I read something online about the county tournament,” he said.
“Oh?” Eric said. He went to the pantry. Granola bars would be quick. He could flee as soon as he grabbed some.
Then Maddie came into the kitchen.
“Daddy, where’d Mommy put my lunch?” she asked.
“In the refrigerator.”
“Okeydokey.”
Eric looked at Maddie. Her life was so simple. Why couldn’t his life be like that? It probably wouldn’t ever be like that again.
“Did you read the article?” his dad asked. They made eye contact.
There was more than one article. But he didn’t want to tell his dad. Eric hadn’t read any of them. Why should he care?
“Why did the Bonums move back? Why do they feel the need to share this?”
Maddie got her lunch. Then she turned around, like she wanted to listen.
“You wrestle at 135. You could compete against Danielle. Then you’ll be in the news too. Well, it’s not going to happen. You’re not competing. End of story.”
“Dad,” Eric protested. “I have to—”
“You don’t have to, Eric. I’m not letting my son be a part of a freak show. You could seriously hurt Danielle. She’s a girl. You’re a man. There’s no way—”
“We’ve rolled before,” Eric said. “It’ll be fine. Dan knows what he’s doing.”
“Stop referring to her as Dan! You sound stupid, Eric.”
They stared at each other.
Eric’s mom walked into the kitchen. “You ready to go, Maddie?” she asked.
“Daddy and Eric are fighting. Why are you fighting?” she asked Eric.
“Dad doesn’t want me to compete in the tournament,” Eric said. “Because I might have to face Dan. He probably won’t even get that far.”
“All right,” his dad said. He stood up suddenly. “I’ve said everything I’m going to say about this. You’re not competing in that tournament. I’ve got to sign off on it. Well, I won’t. Your mother won’t either.”
Eric looked at his mom.
“Maddie,” she said. “Let’s go.”
“No! Maddie needs to hear this,” his dad said. “It’s about time she learned it’s okay to stay away from certain people. Everybody is walking on eggshells. Political correctness has gone too far. What about acting correctly? Setting a good example? Are people like Danielle doing that?”
Maddie and her mom left without a word. Eric wanted to argue more. But it was a lost cause. It would make his dad angrier. His mom knew it. That’s why she’d left in silence.
Eric wanted things to be normal again. Even if that meant Dan was out of his life for good. At that moment he didn’t want Danielle back.