Lee had a slice and a half and then wandered off to the dining room to
resume a battle of Ninja Turtles and GI Joes. Henry had three slices and was
biting into a fourth when his father came back. He had removed his tie and
put something in his hair. He smelled like aftershave. Henry watched him
pick up keys and his wallet from the corner of the counter.
“Your cousin Corey should be here in a minute. You’re in charge of watching
Lee until he gets here, Hank. No video games tonight. Uh uh, no interrupting.
You played enough last night. And no friends over. You can be outside until
it starts to get dark and then I want you both inside and your homework done
before bed. Nine-thirty. Nine for Lee. No staying up with Corey to watch
movies again. I don’t want to hear about any more nightmares.”
Henry’s father gathered up his stuff from the counter as he spoke and walked
to the front door. “Come give me a hug. Then I gotta go.”
Henry hugged him and heard Lee shout, “Bye, Dad.” Then his father walked
out to the Buick at the curb and drove off. Henry could hear Lee making
shooting noises and then karate noises and then more shooting noises. The GI
Joes seemed to have the upper hand.
Corey arrived as Henry was throwing a football to himself in the front yard.
Corey was an eighth grader and rode a mountain bike, not a BMX like Henry
and his friends did. Corey leaned the bike against a tree and said, “How’s it
going, Hank?”
“Pretty good.”
“Your dad still here?”
“No, he had to leave. Lee’s inside.”
Corey put his hands out for a pass and Henry threw him the ball.
“Nice spiral,” Corey said. “Try throwing it lower, like a laser beam.” Corey
tossed Henry the ball, and Henry wound up for a harder throw. He lost