part of the meal and move on to the grossly overpriced entree?
I don’t know how long I thought about this before falling asleep, but I awoke still wondering the same things. I couldn’t have been more baffled by this than if Diane had told me that she’d just beamed back from Alpha Centauri.
“Quack.”
I opened my eyes. The kid stood next to my bed.
“When are we going to see the ducks?” she said.
“You do talk.”
“Quack.”
“And you quack. Where’s your mom?” I leaned backwards to look at the clock. 9:13. “Oh, shit.”
“Shit.”
“I mean…quack.”
“Quack.”
Hearing noises in the kitchen, Spring darted from my bedroom, while I reached for my robe. Having been caught off guard last night, I had decided to wear a T-shirt and sweatpants just in case.
In the kitchen, Diane removed bagels from a bag that hadn’t been there yesterday. “Coffee? We just got back. Last night, I noticed a great-looking little coffee place just down the street so, voila: two hazelnut lattes and bagels. We were kinda getting hungry. I got up at 6:00 and Spring’s been up since 7:30.”
“6:00? We didn’t go to sleep until 3:00.”
“Oh well, that’s just me. Still on Central Time.”
“They’re an hour earlier.”
Diane just smiled.
Spring tugged on her mom’s sleeve. “When will we see ducks?”
“We’ll wait for Dylan.”
I was feeling more pressure than I usually felt in this apartment. “As soon as I drink my coffee and have my bagel, we can go.”
Spring didn’t seem satisfied with this answer.
I tilted my head toward her. “Will half a bagel work for you?”
Spring rolled her eyes and walked away. Her approach to life was fascinating. Running the demographic charts in my head, I knew what kind of cereal they ate, what kind of tennis shoes they wore, what they thought about the Internet, and why they preferred dogs over cats two to one. I couldn’t recall anything regarding temperament.
Diane took a sip of her coffee. “You really don’t have to go today, if you don’t want to.”
“No, it could be fun. I haven’t been to see the ducks in a really long time.”
“Spring loves the ducks. Last year, she even said she wanted to be a duck when she grew up.”
“Huh. I think I wanted to be a media tycoon when I was her age.”
Ten minutes later, I’d eaten half a bagel and changed. As we exited the apartment, Jim stepped off the elevator. He watched Diane walk from my place toward him and held the doors. “D-Man, what’s up?” he said in greeting. After Diane passed and could no longer see him, he raised his eyebrows a couple times.
I was still at the apartment door, waiting for Spring to retrieve her backpack. “Hey, Jimbo. How are the boys?”
“Fine…”
Spring trotted into the elevator and stood next to her mother. Jim’s eyebrows nearly flipped over his forehead.
“Jim, this is Diane and Spring. This is Jim, my neighbor and a good friend of mine except when we’re in a karaoke bar. I pretend I don’t know him then.”
Jim kneeled next to Spring. “I used to have three boys your age. Unfortunately, they aren’t anymore.”
“Nice to meet you Jim,” Diane said. “Dylan talked about you last night. You make the monkey sounds, right?”
“That’s me, Mr. First Impression.” He slapped me on the back. “Thanks, buddy.”
We said goodbye to Jim and the elevator doors closed. I’d been so distracted by Jim that I didn’t notice that we’d gotten on the elevator while it was heading up. When I looked over to the panel, I noticed all the buttons were lit and that Spring was hiding behind her mother. She poked
her head around long enough to catch my expression, then returned to hiding.
“D-Man?” Diane said, shaking her head.
“You know how guys are when they get together.”
“But D-Man?”
“It beats Jimbo the Monkeyman.”
The elevator climbed one floor at a time, opened its doors for no one and then closed again.
At the top floor,
I don’t know how long I thought about this before falling asleep, but I awoke still wondering the same things. I couldn’t have been more baffled by this than if Diane had told me that she’d just beamed back from Alpha Centauri.
“Quack.”
I opened my eyes. The kid stood next to my bed.
“When are we going to see the ducks?” she said.
“You do talk.”
“Quack.”
“And you quack. Where’s your mom?” I leaned backwards to look at the clock. 9:13. “Oh, shit.”
“Shit.”
“I mean…quack.”
“Quack.”
Hearing noises in the kitchen, Spring darted from my bedroom, while I reached for my robe. Having been caught off guard last night, I had decided to wear a T-shirt and sweatpants just in case.
In the kitchen, Diane removed bagels from a bag that hadn’t been there yesterday. “Coffee? We just got back. Last night, I noticed a great-looking little coffee place just down the street so, voila: two hazelnut lattes and bagels. We were kinda getting hungry. I got up at 6:00 and Spring’s been up since 7:30.”
“6:00? We didn’t go to sleep until 3:00.”
“Oh well, that’s just me. Still on Central Time.”
“They’re an hour earlier.”
Diane just smiled.
Spring tugged on her mom’s sleeve. “When will we see ducks?”
“We’ll wait for Dylan.”
I was feeling more pressure than I usually felt in this apartment. “As soon as I drink my coffee and have my bagel, we can go.”
Spring didn’t seem satisfied with this answer.
I tilted my head toward her. “Will half a bagel work for you?”
Spring rolled her eyes and walked away. Her approach to life was fascinating. Running the demographic charts in my head, I knew what kind of cereal they ate, what kind of tennis shoes they wore, what they thought about the Internet, and why they preferred dogs over cats two to one. I couldn’t recall anything regarding temperament.
Diane took a sip of her coffee. “You really don’t have to go today, if you don’t want to.”
“No, it could be fun. I haven’t been to see the ducks in a really long time.”
“Spring loves the ducks. Last year, she even said she wanted to be a duck when she grew up.”
“Huh. I think I wanted to be a media tycoon when I was her age.”
Ten minutes later, I’d eaten half a bagel and changed. As we exited the apartment, Jim stepped off the elevator. He watched Diane walk from my place toward him and held the doors. “D-Man, what’s up?” he said in greeting. After Diane passed and could no longer see him, he raised his eyebrows a couple times.
I was still at the apartment door, waiting for Spring to retrieve her backpack. “Hey, Jimbo. How are the boys?”
“Fine…”
Spring trotted into the elevator and stood next to her mother. Jim’s eyebrows nearly flipped over his forehead.
“Jim, this is Diane and Spring. This is Jim, my neighbor and a good friend of mine except when we’re in a karaoke bar. I pretend I don’t know him then.”
Jim kneeled next to Spring. “I used to have three boys your age. Unfortunately, they aren’t anymore.”
“Nice to meet you Jim,” Diane said. “Dylan talked about you last night. You make the monkey sounds, right?”
“That’s me, Mr. First Impression.” He slapped me on the back. “Thanks, buddy.”
We said goodbye to Jim and the elevator doors closed. I’d been so distracted by Jim that I didn’t notice that we’d gotten on the elevator while it was heading up. When I looked over to the panel, I noticed all the buttons were lit and that Spring was hiding behind her mother. She poked
her head around long enough to catch my expression, then returned to hiding.
“D-Man?” Diane said, shaking her head.
“You know how guys are when they get together.”
“But D-Man?”
“It beats Jimbo the Monkeyman.”
The elevator climbed one floor at a time, opened its doors for no one and then closed again.
At the top floor,
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