by Zuko, Joseph
“I’m not your first?” Andrew’s heart broke a little.
“Please, I’ve had my skin in this game since first grade.” Hayden gave him a wink and blew him a kiss.
Ben walked through the falling snow. The kids flanked him on each side. Hayden applied a fresh coat of ChapStick to his tender lips as MaKelle playfully jumped from one foot print to another. Her game was not to leave any of her own prints in the snow.
“I don’t think Bill and Tad would appreciate you turning their office into a petting zoo. So, maybe don’t drag other boys in there to play tonsil hockey.”
“Dad, you’re so funny. Petting zoo. Tonsil hockey. Where do you get this stuff?” Hayden patted his father on his back.
MaKelle moved as nimble as a gazelle. She left no trace of her existence in the snow. “It’s a small town, Hayden. At the pace you’re going you’re going to run out of boys by your junior year.” She leaped over a fallen tree limb and landed dead center in someone’s size thirteen snow print.
“Jealousy’s not your style, Sis.” Hayden nudged her, throwing off MaKelle’s balance.
Damn it! She left a mark in the snow.
“Getting any old boy to kiss me is easy. Getting the right one takes skill.” MaKelle gave up and walked normally now that she had lost the game.
“And who is the ‘right one’?” Hayden inquired.
“Please change the subject.” Ben pleaded.
“Why are we walking? Where’s Mom? Where’s the car?” MaKelle asked.
“She took it to go get groceries.”
Hayden’s eyebrows dropped, “She got groceries last night.”
They walked in silence as Ben pondered where his wife might have really gone.
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