Chapter 10: Romance

A week after my birthday I got new casts. That took me most of a day, because they had to do a bunch of X-rays first, and then cut the old casts off and fiddle with everything. My foot cast wasn’t all that much different, but I was fitted with a walking cast, a boot that strapped around it and fastened with Velcro. That made it bulky, and I needed to put it on after I got dressed. Still, anything was better than the wheelchair! That got sent back to the rental company, along with the crutch, and I began to hobble around with a cane. Mom told me that meant I could take the school bus again.

The pants situation also improved. Grandpa took one look at my flapping pants leg early on and the next day brought over something he called a grommet punch. He took a pair of my pants and punched a line of metal rings down both sides of the opened seam, and then told me to run some shoelaces through them. It sounded a little wacky, but then I tried it and it worked pretty good, so we repeated the process on the other pair of pants. At home I mostly wore sweatpants, but that didn’t work so well at school. When I was out of my casts entirely, I was also going to be out two pair of pants, but I would outgrow them anyway.

My arm cast was removed, and I got a new one, along with some changes to the splints on my fingers. My progress was considered good, but would still take some time, at least another month. Doctor Tolliver told me I could start taking driver’s ed the end of March, and that was my first call that night, to my Uncle Bob.

I also told Kelly, since once I got my license, I had promised her that I would take her out on a date. We had already gone out on a date, a double date with some friends, one where a parent didn’t have to drive us and pick us up. Tony Vancuso was in the tenth grade like I was, and although he didn’t have his license yet, his girlfriend, Sherry Vlacic, did, and she borrowed her mom’s Caravan, and we all went to McDonald’s and the movies over at the Matucket Town Square Cineplex. It was informal, but Kelly wore a denim miniskirt and a nice top and some high heels, and she just looked amazing! She was walking with me through the mall, and you could see guys turning to watch her walk.

Not a whole lot happened on that date, because it was a double date. Well, we did go parking up behind the reservoir, but I was stuck in the middle because of my casts, and Sherry and Tony were in the front seat with a console separating them, and after five minutes a Matucket Police Department cruiser pulled up and sent us all packing. On Monday, Tony told me that double dates were out in the future. He and Sherry would be finding a different spot, and they planned to get in the back. I wished him well and told Kelly we had to figure something else out. Over the next few weeks, we scrounged up rides with another couple of friends.

In the back of my head, I was still a bit worried that I was taking advantage of Kelly. She assured me, however, I wasn’t. Back after I got out of the hospital, she said, “Grim, if Randy hadn’t been around, and none of this had ever happened, and I came back to school, would you have asked me out on a date?”

I blinked at that. Tilly had been in the picture, but she dumped me as soon as I said hello to Kelly. “Uh, yeah, I guess so.”

“And do you think I would have said yes?”

“Uh ... I guess so,” What if that was the wrong answer? What if it was the right answer? I could be screwed either way!

“Grim! You’re hopeless! You’re one of my oldest friends in Matucket! Of course, I would have said yes!” she protested.

I had to grin at that. “I may be hopeless, but the one thing I know is that there is no ’of course’ about girls!”

“Well, if I was going to date you before Randy messed things up, don’t you think I would date you after? You are thick!”

I shut up after that, partly because Kelly started kissing me and I was returning the favor. Later, though, I was in the kitchen with Mom, watching her load the dishwasher. “Mom, back when you and Dad were dating, did he chase you or did you chase him?”

She laughed loudly at that. “Oh, Grim, you ask the craziest questions! Why?”

“Just curious.”

“It’s Kelly, isn’t it?” She ignored my protest and answered, “A little bit of both, I guess. Let’s just say that your father was chasing me, but I wasn’t trying too hard to escape. Kelly the one doing the chasing?”

“I think so.”

She gave me a hopeless look and rolled her eyes. “Are you trying to escape?”

“Uh, actually I think I might just surrender!”

That earned another laugh. “Oh, Grim, you are too much!”

By the end of March Uncle Bob was able to begin teaching me to drive. I had already gotten an instructional permit before, so I could read the books he had given me and take the written test. Now I could get him to give me the actual driving lessons in a car and get the number of hours behind the wheel to get my license. I had to have an adult with me while I was driving, but Mom and Dad said they would do that. Uncle Bob had this neat old junker he had rigged up so that he could sit on the passenger side and drive. He had a couple of pedals that were linked to the accelerator and brake pedals on the driver side, and it had a second steering wheel on the right side that could be removed and had a chain link to the regular steering wheel.

After a week driving me around, he dumped me on Mom and Dad to work on. “My nerves are completely shot. It’s your turn now,” was how he announced it. At least my right foot could operate the gas and brake pedals. Dad commented that it was a good thing we didn’t have a stick shift, which I didn’t understand, but I kept quiet. I kept the speed down and drove using my left hand. After that, whenever he or Mom had to drive around doing errands, I was grabbed to chauffeur them around.

The first time I drove Dad over to the Walmart and back. When we got home, Mom asked, “How’d it go?”

“I don’t drink anywhere near enough,” he replied, causing Mom to laugh. She told me she needed to go over to the Home Depot to get some fertilizer, so I needed to keep my jacket on. When we got back, she told Dad I wasn’t all that bad. He just shivered and rolled his eyes.

The plan was that I would keep driving them around until I got all my casts off. Only then would I be allowed to take my driving test down at DMV. Finally, the day arrived, a Monday, and I was way overdue by then! You hear stories about how everything itches under a cast, but until it happens to you, you just don’t believe it. I think I scratched everything for a full ten minutes until Doctor Friedell laughed and told me to knock it off. After that he had me walk around his office and run a few dexterity tests. He was quite worried that I couldn’t catch a ball, right up until Mom laughed and told him I couldn’t catch one before the fight. My other nickname around the football team, besides ‘The Grim Reaper’, was ‘Stonehands.’

That night Dad asked how I was feeling when he got home, and then tossed me the keys to Mom’s Sienna. “We need to run some errands. Let’s go,” he announced.

I looked at Mom, but she just shrugged. I put my socks and shoes on (plural, which was long overdue) and followed Dad outside. He took the shotgun position, and I slid behind the wheel. It felt kind of weird driving with both hands. “Where we going?” I asked.

“Get on I-20, head towards Atlanta.”

He still hadn’t told me where we were going, but it wasn’t like I didn’t know how to get to the entrance ramp from Matucket onto the Interstate. Matucket had three exits off I-20, one for East Matucket, one for Matucket, and one on the west side of town, near West Springs. I got on at the main Matucket ramp and headed east.

Just then Dad’s cell phone beeped. He pulled it out, looked at the display, and smiled. “Hi, Dad. What’s up...” I kept an eye on the road, but I listened to the conversation between Dad and Grandpa. “No ... not doing anything, but I can’t come over. I’ve got Junior Johnson with me and we’re running moonshine over to Atlanta and back ... Yeah, I know I’m taking my life in my hands, but it’s my life ... Okay, I’ll let Maureen know that you’ll see that she gets the inheritance ... I’m feeling the love, Dad. Talk soon.” He hung up and put the phone in his pocket.

“Very funny, Dad.”

“Your grandfather told me not to let the revenooers get you.”

“Ha ... ha ... ha.”

“Head to Atlanta.”

We drove into Atlanta and then Dad had me get off the highway. We drove by the Georgia Dome, went up by Georgia Tech, and then down to Georgia State. After that we went over to Peachtree and from there back to the highway. “Take it home, Grim.”

All the way back home, Dad talked to me about driving and girls. Specifically, he made two very definite points. “Grim, you get caught driving drunk, don’t even bother calling home. You’ll be safer in jail.” That was the first thing he told me, along with a few frills and extras. The second point was, “Whatever you have going on with Kelly, you behave yourself. She’s a nice girl. Don’t you ever - ever! - do something with her that you would be ashamed to tell your mother. Is that understood?”

I had to laugh at that. “Dad, I think it’s more likely that Kelly has plans like that than I do!”

“That’s your problem, sonny, not mine! Just don’t get caught!”

We stopped at a barbecue place in Lithia Springs for dinner. Dad had a beer, but I got a Coke. Then it was back on I-20 to go home. Once inside the house, Mom asked, “You survive?”

“You talking to me or Dad?” I asked.

She snorted and wandered back to the kitchen. Dad simply said, “Smart ass!” He tossed me a set of keys. “Keep ‘em. Fuck up and you lose ‘em. Got it?”

“Got it!” I stared at the keys for a moment and then put them in my pocket.

Wednesday morning, Dad took the Sienna and drove me down to the DMV office. I spent the morning in various lines, taking the written test, taking an eye test, and driving around a course. Dad read a paperback the entire time. Finally, I was placed against a wall and had a photo taken. “Now, get back in line and you can get your temporary license. The real one comes in the mail. Congratulations! Drive carefully.”

That was it! I had my kiddie license! I wouldn’t get my full license until I turned eighteen, but as long as I didn’t fuck up before then I was golden! Date night Friday!

“Mom! Can I borrow the car Friday?” I called out.

“Will the lawn be mowed by Friday?”

My eyes popped out at that. Shit! “Jack, I need a favor!” I ran up to our room to do some trading.

I told Kelly that I had passed my driving test and got my license, and she gave me a big hug. I was right when I said that she was the one chasing me. She asked, “So we’re going to the movies Friday night?”

“Whatever you want, babe.”

She gave me another hug and scampered off to class, giggling with her friends as she did so. Bo Effner looked at me and said, “Man, you are the definition of pussy-whipped!”

I smiled and flipped him the bird. “Tell me she couldn’t whip you?”

“It might be worth it at that,” he agreed. “Let me know when she dumps your sorry ass and I’ll find out.” Bo changed girlfriends about as often as Randy Holden did, but he had nowhere near the reputation of Candy Pants. He just didn’t want to settle down. I had always been in longer relationships. They might have lasted only a few months, but that still beat Bo.

“Thanks. I’ll let Kelly know.”

Friday night was only a day away, but I couldn’t really concentrate on anything else. Mom chewed me out that evening for daydreaming while I did my homework. “Football isn’t the only sport that will get cut if you don’t keep your grades up!” I blushed at that and finished my Algebra Two assignment.

Friday after school I rode the bus home, and then immediately took a shower and changed clothing. It was an informal date in that it was just going to be fast food and a movie at the mall. I was supposed to pick her up at six, and I was in the living room checking my watch every thirty seconds by half past five. Mom simply rolled her eyes.

“I want a full tank of gas in it when you get home,” she told me before I left. I opened my mouth to protest but she overrode me. “Get over it! We aren’t charging you for insurance, so you can at least cover some gas money. Figure that into your budget for the future.” She also chewed on me for a few minutes about making sure I kept the Sienna clean, and not picking up hitchhikers, and driving carefully, and not drinking, and every other thing under the sun. Finally, at about ten of, she smiled and told me to go. “You be nice to Kelly, Grim. She’s a nice girl.”

I was out of there in a shot! I was headed out the door just as Dad pulled up and climbed out of his truck. “Hi, Dad! Bye, Dad!” I got in the Sienna and headed over towards East Matucket.

When I got to Kelly’s, I parked and got out. When I knocked on the door, Mrs. O’Connor opened it. “Come on in, Graham.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you. Is Kelly ... Oh!” I stopped asking if Kelly was ready, because I saw her standing behind her mother in the living room.

“Hi, Grim,” she said. Now that she was older, she had this amazing husky low voice that just made you want to melt.

“Hi, Kelly. You look really pretty tonight.” That sounded kind of lame, but it was all I could think of to say. She did look pretty, too, with skintight jeans that looked like she had been poured into them, a creamy silk blouse, and black high-heeled sandals. She even had a spritz of some perfume that was doing very strange things to my brain. I felt underdressed. I had worn jeans and a sports shirt, and sneakers. I think I would have felt underdressed in a tuxedo. I was going to have to upgrade my image!

“Where are you kids going tonight?” quizzed Mrs. O’Connor.

“We’re going over to the East Village Mall,” answered Kelly. “We’ll eat there and then go to the movies.”

“Well, have fun and stay safe.”

“Yes, ma’am, we will,” I answered.

I opened the door and Kelly went out, and then I walked her to my mom’s minivan. “I didn’t know you’d dress up. I feel grungy next to you. Should I go home and change?” I asked, apologizing.

Kelly laughed. “Grim, get in the car! You’re fine! We’re only going to the mall!”

I scurried around and got behind the wheel. “You’re just so beautiful that I don’t want you to be embarrassed being with me.”

She reached over and took my hand. “That could never happen. Next time, I’ll just let you know what to wear ahead of time.”

I smiled at that. I might be pussy-whipped, but I wasn’t stupid, either. “Mom says I think better when I have somebody else doing my thinking.”

Kelly laughed. “Oh, I am so going to have to talk to her about you!”

“God help me!”

We ate at a Chinese buffet at the north end of the mall and then walked through the mall holding hands. It was only when we got to the movieplex that we had a problem. Nothing new was out that we hadn’t already seen already. “Next time we need to look at the newspaper and see what’s playing,” I said. “What do you want to do?”

Kelly gave me a coy look and said, “I know a place we can go that we won’t be bothered.”

Suddenly my lips got dry, and my breathing got harsh. I barely squeaked out, “Uh, yeah, sure.”

Kelly laughed. “Oh my God, Grim! We’re not going to do that! Well, not all of that, just some of that. I just want to be alone with you, so we can talk without my parents or yours being around.”

I breathed easier, a touch anyway. “Whatever you want, Kelly.”

“I like that about you, Grim. You’re going to be easy to train,” she giggled.

“Very funny.” I led her back to the parking lot, and we got into the minivan. It was still early enough that I didn’t need the headlights, but it wouldn’t be long before it got dark.

Kelly directed me up to the east side of Lake Matucket, and then through a small maze of back roads. Eventually she had me going down a short dirt road. I had to stop when I came across a chain across the road, along with some NO TRESPASSING signs. I grimaced and was about to say something when Kelly opened her door. “I’ll get the chain.”

“You’ll get the...” I was going to ask her what was up, but she was already out and working on a padlock on the side of the road.

Kelly pulled the chain down and across, and then motioned me forward. After I had pulled up, she hung the chain up behind us. Then she climbed back into the Sienna. “It’s just a little way further.” She pointed down the dirt road.

“What’s a little way further?”

“You’ll see.”

I pulled ahead slowly, and after another couple of hundred yards, the trees surrounding us suddenly opened into a wide glade. Ahead of us was a gentle bank leading down to what I could only assume was Lake Matucket. Off to the right was a small shed. I parked and Kelly climbed out of the minivan. “Come on. I’ll show you around.”

I turned off the ignition and climbed out, pocketing the keys. Kelly was over at the shed, and she was unlocking it. Inside was a riding mower and some yard working tools, along with some picnic type stuff. “Where are we?” I asked.

“I’ll explain in a moment. Quick, grab those blankets while it’s still light enough to see.”

I grabbed an armful of blankets and followed Kelly over towards the water. We spread the blankets out and then kicked off our shoes and sat down. The view was simply spectacular. We were on the east side of the lake and looking due west; we could see the orange glow as the sun set over Mount Matucket and the far bank. Across the lake we could see lights beginning to show in the lakefront homes. The crickets and bullfrogs began to serenade us, as well.

“So, where are we and how long can we stay until the owners have us arrested?” I asked.

“Silly! My parents are the owners. They might throw you in jail, but I’ll be safe.”

“Very funny.”

“Seriously, we own this piece of property, we have for years.” She lay back on the blanket and looked up at the darkening sky. I lay down and rolled towards her, propping myself up on an elbow. “You see, back before we moved, Daddy bought this piece of property off the bank. He said that they had to foreclose on somebody, and the bank got the land. He bought it from the bank because he worked at the bank. We come up here for picnics and to go swimming. He hires a maintenance crew to come up here every few weeks in the summer and mow and whack the weeds. He and Mom always said they would build a house and retire here someday.” She looked sad when she said that. “I guess that won’t be happening now.”

“I’m sorry, babe. I don’t know what to say.”

Kelly twisted her head to look at me. “It’s alright. Maybe they’ll sort things out some day. It’s not like they’re divorced. They talk all the time on the phone, and Dad comes back for a long weekend every two or three weeks. I don’t know as I understand it, not really.”

I didn’t know what to say. “How many places have you lived?”

“A bunch! I was born in Savannah, according to my birth certificate, anyway. I don’t remember it at all. Before we moved to Matucket, we lived in Atlanta for a bit. You know about Charlotte and New York. Mom turned down London, but Dad promised to bring us over for a long vacation this summer.”

“That sounds like fun.”

Kelly nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. It’s funny though. Of all the places we’ve lived, Matucket is what I think of as home. I don’t think I’ll ever want to live someplace else.”

“What about when you go to college?” I asked. “Unless you go to M-Triple-C or Matucket State, you’ll be moving somewhere else.”

“Oh, I know, but I’ll come home afterwards. This is just home to me.”

“Maybe you can buy this from your father. You could build a hell of a house here!”

She laughed at that. “I’ll have to get a really high-paying job! Do you know what lakefront property goes for? Daddy got this place for a steal!” She stretched out sinuously. “Enough talking.” Kelly reached up and pulled my face down to hers.

We didn’t talk for a long while after that. For the first time I was able to wrap both my arms around her. It was fun being able to move without worrying that I was going to smack her or kick her with a cast! We rolled around a bit on the blankets, first with me over her, then side-by-side, and after a bit Kelly was on top of me. She stopped kissing me and laid her head down on my chest and sighed contentedly. My hands roamed slowly along her back. Under her silk blouse I could feel she was wearing a bra, but nothing else. My hands drifted a little lower, to touch her waistband of her jeans, and then grazed across her rear.

Kelly gave a pleasant little moan when I did that. She had to know how I felt, since I had been as stiff as a board for what seemed like hours. I rubbed her butt with a trace more effort, and she moaned again. Then she looked up at me and smiled. “As much as I enjoy that, I think we need to go a bit slower, Grim.”

I tried to look innocent. “Oh?”

“Don’t give me that! You know what I mean.” I reached down and rubbed that perfect rear firmly. She giggled and said, “Yes, that! Behave yourself!”

I brought my hands back up and wrapped them around her back. “Okay, whatever you say.”

That got me another giggle. “You’re very easy to train!” For that I reached down and gave her a spank with both hands, eliciting a squeal. She rolled over and off me, though she stayed in my arms. “Seriously, our first time is not going to be battling mosquitoes by the lake!”

That statement made my eyes pop wide! “There’s going to be a first time?” I asked.

Kelly pulled away and propped herself on an elbow like me. “There’s always a first time, Grim, unless you want to become a priest. I don’t want to become a nun. It would be your first time, too, wouldn’t it?”

Thank God it was now too dark for Kelly to see me blush. “Uh ... uh...” Of course, I was still a virgin, but that didn’t mean I wanted to discuss it!

“I’ve asked a few girls about you, Grim. They told me that you hadn’t done anything with them beyond what we’ve done.”

“Christ! Is there anything you girls don’t talk about?” I protested.

“It’s what we do, Grim,” she said with a laugh. “I even heard from a couple of them that they wished you had been their first.”

I snorted at that. “Tilly and Samantha?”

“No names, Grim. I didn’t think you were the jealous type.”

I sighed. “No, not in my nature, I guess. They made their beds and now they have to sleep in them. That’s a saying that has special meaning, doesn’t it?”

“Well, I know I want my first time to be something other than in the back seat of a Mustang!” she replied. “Anyway, that’s not happening tonight. I’ll let you know when.”

I chuckled at that. “You just do that. I’d hate to miss out because I didn’t know what was happening!”

That got a laugh from her, and then Kelly slapped at something. “Pull that blanket around us. The mosquitoes are getting hungry!”

I pulled the blanket over us and rolled around so that we were wrapped up, and then we got back to making out. I could wait.

I got Kelly home about half past eleven, and then drove home. Mom was waiting up for me in the living room. “Isn’t it a little bit late to have a girl out?” she asked.

“Nothing happened, Mom. We were just talking.”

“Oh? How was the movie? What did you see?”

Great, the third degree! I shrugged and plopped down in an armchair. “Didn’t go to a movie. When we got there, we had either seen it or didn’t want to watch. We took off and drove around a bit and talked.”

“Grim...”

I help up a hand to forestall her. “Mom, it’s like I said, nothing happened. I won’t lie and say we didn’t make out, but that’s it. We mostly just talked.”

She cocked her head to the side. “About what?”

“About everything, I suppose. School. Her family. Her folks. What she plans to do with her life. You know, we talked.”

“And nothing happened?”

I felt a tone of exasperation creep into my voice. “Mom, nothing happened. I’m not saying I would have minded if anything had happened, but Kelly isn’t ready for that, and she told me so. I’m not Candy Pants! I told her I wasn’t going to push.”

“Well...”

“Mom, she said she wasn’t ready, but when she is ready, I won’t say no.” Better to get this out in the open and get Mom to stop prying.

“Hmmmph!” Then it was her turn to shrug. “I can’t stop you from growing up. I know you won’t hurt her, Grim. Just don’t get hurt yourself.”

I had to grin at that. “Like when she leaves Matucket to attend the International Academy for Genius Supermodels? I’m still trying to figure out what she sees in me!” I stood up to head up to my room. “Good night, Mom.”

“Good night, Grim.”

The next day, Saturday, got amusing in ways I hadn’t planned. Kelly had told me she planned to ride her bike over to the house in the afternoon. That was certainly cool by me. What wasn’t so cool was that Dad decided that Jack and I were just the sorts of helpful young men he needed to go over to the Home Depot with him and bring back some mulch and grass seed and fertilizer for the back yard and the flower garden. He made this decision on the basis that we were the only two offspring in the family room when he entered. “You two, go get your shoes on.”

“What’s up, Dad?” asked Jack.

“What’s up is you two getting your shoes on! Time to do some work!”

Jack and I looked at each other. Dad was pretty easy going, but every once in a while, he would get a bug up his ass about us goofing off. We scrambled upstairs and slipped on some old sneakers and ran back down. Then it was out the door to his F-150 SuperCab. Dad had all the whistles and bells on his truck, including the heavy towing package and the big V-8. He had been driving F-150s for as long as I could remember and was now talking about trading up to a newer model with a bigger SuperCrew cab. Off we went to the Home Depot, where Dad did the selecting and paying, and Jack and I did the heavy lifting. Meanwhile I was praying for Dad to finish so I could get home before Kelly showed up. The last thing in the world any guy wants is for his girlfriend and his mother to get together to talk, because you know exactly what they are going to talk about.

YOU!

No such luck. As we pulled into the driveway, I spotted Kelly’s ten-speed leaning against the side of the house. I hurried inside on the pretext of going to the bathroom, to find Mom and Kelly in the living room. Duke was lying on his back on the floor next to where Kelly was sitting and rubbing his belly as he squirmed in delirium. “Hi, guys,” I said.

“Hi, Grim,” said a smiling Kelly.

“Welcome home, Grim. Kelly came over and we’ve been having the most delightful chat about you,” added Mom.

Kelly giggled and I rolled my eyes. “Great! Want to come out and help, Kelly?”

“You want these hands covered in muck and stuff? Forget it!” she protested. “I think I’ll stay in here, where it’s nice and cool, and ask your mom all sorts of things about you instead.”

I was on the verge of protesting when we all heard, “Grim, get your ass back out here now!”

I muttered under my breath and headed back outside as Kelly and Mom laughed at me.

Dad put Jack and me to work in the back yard. Bobbie Joe made the rookie mistake of letting Dad notice he was around, and he got dragooned into helping as well. I couldn’t break free for a couple of hours, and then I had to shower before I was civilized again. I came down the stairs in clean shorts and a t-shirt, and Kelly greeted me with a quick kiss. “You clean up nice. Now, go back up to your room and put on a suit.”

“Huh?”

“You told me to let you know what to wear, remember? You also asked me to the Spring Dance, right? I need to see what you’re going to be wearing.”

“What?” That sounded nuts.

“Sounds right to me, too, Grim. You’re still growing. Let’s see what you have and how it looks,” agreed Mom.

I groaned and headed back up the stairs. The Spring Dance was sort of formal, in that you weren’t just supposed to show up in jeans and t-shirts. Mind you, for some of the hicks out in West Springs and beyond, formal meant clean overalls and barn boots. Then again, if you lived out there you were probably dating somebody you met at a family reunion. I dragged my suit out - I only had one - and pulled the pants on and pulled the jacket on over my t-shirt. I wasn’t surprised that the sleeves came a few inches up my wrist, and my ankles were showing. I came back downstairs. “It doesn’t fit. I could have told you that. It’s why I’ve been wearing my sports coat to church lately.”

“Oh dear!” commented Mom. “Put that aside for your brother. Maybe it will fit him.”

“That’s definitely out,” said Kelly. “Well, go put on the sports coat. Pants that fit you, too.”

Back up to my room I went. I threw my suit coat and pants on Jack’s bed. “Here. Try these on and go downstairs. Mom’s playing fashion queen.”

“Ooooh! I’ll get your cooties!” he said with a laugh.