Until Again Read Online Free PDF Page A

huh?”
    “Are you saying you don’t think I can kick your butt at Dance Dance Revolution?”
    “Just saying I don’t want you to hurt yourself, Dad.”
    “Now this is personal.”
    Chris acquitted himself moderately well at Dance Dance Revolution (though Becky was overwhelmingly better at it) and managed to win one of three air hockey games against her.
    A few years back, Chris celebrated the fact that Becky could compete with him at games without his holding back. At this point, though, he needed to push to be competitive with her. He assumed she would understand the concept of “go easy on the old man” by the time she was sixteen.
    The movie would start at 7:05 so they decided to forego ice cream until after the show, grabbing a quick meal at a Mexican restaurant beforehand. As they ate, Chris considered that he was going to need to start cooking again, at least when Becky was around. He’d done quite a bit of cooking when he was going to graduate school, and Polly and he took turns making dinner when they were first married. After Becky was born and Polly stayed home with her, she assumed responsibility for preparing dinner every night, and admittedly she was a much better cook than Chris. However, he was determined to get back into the game. He wasn’t going to be one of those divorced dads who took his kids out to eat for every meal. That wasn’t his idea of home.
    “Over the Hedge” was relatively entertaining. The animation was good, the storyline clever, and the voice talent, including Bruce Willis, Steve Carell, William Shatner, and Allison Janney was impressive. The best part, though, was the Ben Folds soundtrack, all of which was G-rated, including Folds's rewrite of his obscenity-laced “Rockin’ the Suburbs.”
    Afterward, on the drive over to Superpremium, Becky put the Ben Folds Five album The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner in the CD player, and they sang along to “Narcolepsy” and “Don’t Change Your Plans.” Chris loved that they shared a deep interest in music. He imagined them going on long weekend drives with CDs blasting. Polly wasn’t fond of long drives or loud music, so this hadn’t been part of the repertoire up until now.
    They sat on a bench outside the ice cream shop, watching cars moving in and out of the parking lot. Licking his dulce de leche scoop and occasionally coming upon a buried treasure of a chocolate-covered caramel, Chris felt as relaxed as he had in weeks. For the first time since Polly had ambushed him he allowed himself to consider that not everything about the impending divorce was terrible. Yes, Becky still had to go through it from the beginning, and that was something he wished she wouldn’t have to experience. Yes, he was going to see his time with his daughter slashed dramatically, and the everyday-ness of their relationship would be gone. However, there would be times like this. Times when they were simply together, doing things they loved to do, and Chris would never have to worry during these times if Polly was going to do something to change his mood and ruin the moment.
    “Good ice cream?” he said, bumping shoulders with Becky.
    “Yum.”
    “I was a little surprised you went with the Oreo. A little down-the-middle, don’t you think?”
    “Down-the-middle delicious, Dad.”
    “Can’t argue with that.” Chris dug out another caramel and let it melt on his tongue. They sat there quietly, breathing in the late spring air.
    “Would it make you angry if I asked you again what’s going on with you and Mom?”
    Becky hadn’t brought up the subject all day, which Chris had considered a blessing.
    “It doesn’t make me angry, babe. You know what, though? I’d really love it if we could just enjoy tonight without any serious stuff. Would that be okay?”
    Becky didn’t answer immediately. It was probably fifteen seconds before she said, “I guess that would be okay.”
    Again Chris leaned into her. This time she leaned back, and