Chapter 8

I managed to take Brad's advice by avoiding Joyie the rest of the week. She called the house a couple of times, but Mom, who knew what was going on, conveyed my wishes not to speak with her; thus, when she and Michael left for Orlando on Thursday evening, Brad and I were at ChuckECheese's eating pizza and playing games, rather seeing her off at the airport, which I would have done had she not been doing something that I felt was wrong. We were shooting basketball when Doug's four-year-old brother Jason ran around on the other side of me to hide from his big brother.

"Have ya'll seen Jason?" he asked, making a show of looking all around and then purposely not seeing his brother, who was giggling. "I can't see him anywhere."

"What does he look like?" Brad asked as he shot the basketball toward the hoop.

"Oh, he's green with purple spots and his nose is nine feet long."

"I've only seen a purple little boy with red stripes," I said. "Can he change colors?"

"Only on Mondays."

Jason's giggles got louder and Doug dropped to his knees and crawled toward him. He squealed and ran toward the table where his mother was sitting with Doug's sister and brother who were in kindergarten and second grade. We had been in third grade when Doug's father died from cancer. Three years later, his mom fell in love with Greg Nelson, one of four fifth grade teachers at our school. Doug adored his younger siblings and spent as much time with them as Brad did with the twins.

When he stood up, I could see the puzzled look in his brown eyes. "I thought you and Joyie were going to Orlando. I guess I misunderstood."

I smiled at him. "She got a chance to go at the last minute and told me about it on Monday."

"Is that why you've been upset with her?"

"Not really. We've had a disagreement about something else. And I decided the best way to keep from saying things that can't be taken back, was to avoid her."

To my relief, Jason, Luke and Stacy came running over wanting to play. We divided up into teams -- the boys against the girls -- and spent the next couple of hours collecting tickets. Stacy and I won and then we divided all of the tickets up evenly between the three kids and helped them choose their prizes.

When we got to my side of the car, Brad took me in his arms and kissed my forehead. "You handled that well."

"I hate what she's doing." Tears filled my eyes. "I don't understand why she's being this way. I've never seen her be so selfish and she's gonna' get hurt and I'm on Doug's side and I won't know what to do."

"You'll be there for her, like you've always been there for her."

"I will?"

He nodded and kissed my wet cheeks. "Because that's who you are."

"Is wanting to kick her butt okay?"

Chuckling, he opened the car door. "Yeah."

We had a beautiful full moon and when we got back to the house, we spread out a blanket in the back yard. Stretched out together, with my head on his shoulder, we started a game of naming songs having to do with the moon. I went first.

"Blue Moon."

"If Moon Was Cookie," he said in a Cookie Monster voice.

I giggled. "Blue Moon of Kentucky."

"By the Light of the Silvery Moon."

"It's Only a Paper Moon."

"Good one," he said. "Uhm... I Don't Want to Live on the Moon."

"Moon Light Bay."

"Moon River."

"Uhm..."

"Five seconds."

"Uhm... Moon..."

"Four."

I was drawing a complete blank and rapped the side of my head with my knuckles.

"Give up?"

"No!"

He laughed. "Three."

"Moon... moon... moon..."

"Two."

"Tubas in the Moonlight!"

"You're too smart for me." He kissed the top of my head. "Would you like to hear the story about The Man in the Moon that Granny Brown used to tell us?"