• • • • •
I’m telling Seth about the adventure with Grandma today. I’m on my bed without my shirt, slowly cooking in the heat that is trapped in my room. The fan is on and the windows are open, since it has cooled off outside.
Oh, and I’m not taking any more chances today, so Tickles is stuck at Geoffrey’s house. But I left a light on for him, with the TV on, and the window’s open. He’ll be good.
“Yeah, and I managed to get her back to the nursing home in one piece.”
“Well, that’s good. You did a crazy thing today, Charlie. It’s pretty awesome, actually.”
“I’m pretty sure the whole escape was pointless. I don’t even think she knew a parade was happening. And she probably watched five seconds of it.”
“Hey, at least she got out and experienced some life—which is what you wanted her to do.”
“That’s true.”
The back door bangs open and closed. Some rustling of bags, and my dad yells up, “Charlie?”
“Shoot. My dad’s home. I better go.”
“Good luck!”
“For what?” I ask.
“Didn’t you say he called?”
“Damn. I forgot to call him back, didn’t I?”
Seth chuckles. “Sounds like it. Let me know how it goes.”
I take a deep breath and yell down to my dad, “Yeah?”
“Get down here, young man.”
I hope he hasn’t heard anything. I really hope, because it’s such a small town that when weird things happen, word travels at the speed of a UFO.
* * *
I remember this one time in sixth grade. I was watching TV when my dad burst into the house, pulling my mom by her shirt collar. “What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded.
She just smiled.
“Huh? The entire town heard you. The entire town!”
She closed her eyes with the smile still on her lips. It was like she was in some zone that she didn’t want to leave. I was riveted by what was happening but stayed glued to the couch. I thought that once they realized I was right there, my dad would tell me to go to my room.
At school the next day, kids stared at me like I was some alien. Some laughed. Joey started that. He saw me, pointed, and laughed. “Hey, Charlie Dickens. Heard your crazy-ass mom yesterday yelling about aliens. That explains soooo much.”
I didn’t know exactly what she had yelled, but it was something about all of us needing to get our affairs in order. Aliens were coming to save us.
Aliens had only come to save her.
* * *
My dad’s face is sunburned. He wears a tank top and shorts—this is an outfit I rarely see him in. A small red cooler sits on the table.
“How was fishing?”
“What were you doing today?” He drops a knife into the sink and takes a bag of fish from the cooler.
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t answer my call or call me back.”
“I was at the parade and didn’t want to bug you.”
My dad gives me a Come on look. “You need to call me back when I call you. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now, did you have dinner?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Not yet.”
“Perfect, ’cause we’re having trout. You can help me cook.” He hands me the bag of freshly caught fish. Holding the heavy bag, I’m momentarily stunned. I can’t remember the last time my dad and I cooked dinner together.
He turns back to the cooler. “Oh, and if you had called, I would’ve told you that I thought about it some more, and I’m fine with having that dog stay at our house.”
“Wait. Really?”
He nods and turns back to face me. “But a few ground rules. You need to clean up after him. And feed him. And if he’s loud or eats my shoes or clothes or anything that doesn’t belong in his mouth, then he’s back over there. Got it?”
This is great news.
“Maybe it’ll get your mind off of aliens,” he says.
My dad knows exactly how to kill any elation.