I wouldn’t know what to do with daughters,' he says. 'Exchange them for sons?'
'But then I could wind up with something like you.'
'I’m not so bad,' he says. 'I’m smart.'
'You’re about a hundred miles away from the town of Smart, my friend.'
'You’re mistaken, counselor,' he says. 'I’m smart, I can take care of myself. I’m an awesome tennis player, a keen observer of life around me. I’m a good cook. I always have weed.'
'I’m sure your parents are proud.'
'It’s possible.' He looks at his knees and I wonder if I’ve offended him.
Tags: smart sons daughters matt-king sid
Scott still stares at Sid, then turns to Alice and hands her the Scotch. “We’re going to go see Joanie today,” he says.
Alice grins. “And Chachi?” she asks.
Sid bursts out laughing and Scott turns back to him, then places a hand on his shoulder, which makes me fear for his life. “You be quiet, son,” Scott says. “I could kill you with this hand. This hand has been places.”
I shake my head and look at both Sid and Alex.
Scott lifts his hand off Sid’s shoulder and turns again to his wife. “No, Alice. Our Joanie. Our daughter. We’re going to give her anything she wants.” He glares at me. “Think about what she would want, Alice. We’re going to get it for her and bring it to her. Bring it right to her bed.”
“Joanie and Chachi,” Alice chants. “Joanie and Chachi!”
“Shut up, Alice!” Scott yells.
Alice looks at Scott as though he just said “Cheese.” She clasps her hands together and smiles, staying in the pose for a few seconds. He looks at her face and squints. “Sorry, old gal,” he says. “You go ahead and say whatever you want.”
“It was funny,” Sid says. “All I was doing was laughing. She has a good sense of humor. That’s all. Maybe she knows she’s being funny. I think she does.”
“I’m going to hit you,” Scott says. His arms hang alongside him, the muscles flexed, veins big like milk-shake straws. I know he’s going to hit Sid because that’s what he does. I’ve seen him hit Barry. I, too, have been hit by Scott after I beat him and his buddies at a game of poker. His hands are in fists, and I can see his knobby old-man knuckles, the many liver spots almost joining to become one big discoloration, like a burn. Then he pops his fist up toward Sid, a movement like a snake rearing its head and lunging forth. I see Sid start to bring his arm up to block his face, but then he brings it down and clutches his thigh. It’s almost as if he decided not to protect himself. The end result is a punch in his right eye, a screaming older daughter, a frightened younger daughter, a father trying to calm many people at once, and a mother-in-law cheering wildly as though we have all done something truly amazing.
Tags: alice scott punch matt-king scottie-king sid alex-king
What are we talking about?” Alex says. “This is fucking nonsense.”
The couple ahead of us turns slightly.
“What are you looking at?” Alex says to them.
I don’t bother to reprimand her, because really, what are they looking at? I slow my pace and Alex punches Scottie in the arm.
“Ow!” Scottie screams.
“Alex! Why are we still on this pattern?”
“Hit her back, Dad,” Scottie yells.
Alex grabs Scottie’s neck.
“You’re hurting me,” Scottie says.
“That’s kind of the point,” Alex says.
I grab both children by the arm and pull them down to the sand. Sid covers his mouth with his hand and bends over, laughing silently.
“‘What do you love about Mom?’” Alex says, mimicking her sister. “Shut up, already. And stop babying her.”
I sit down between them and don’t say a word. Sid sits next to Alex. “Easy, tiger,” he says. I look at the waves crashing down on the sand. A few women walk by and give me this knowing look, as though a father with his kids is such a precious sight. It takes so little to be revered as a father. I can tell the girls are waiting for me to say something, but what can I say that hasn’t been said? I’ve shouted, I’ve reasoned, I’ve even spanked. Nothing works.
“What do you love about Mom, Scottie?” I ask, glaring at Alex.
She takes a moment to think. “Lots of stuff. She’s not old and ugly, like most moms.”
“What about you, Alex?”
“Why are we doing this?” she asks. “How did we get here in the first place?”
“Swimming with the sharks,” I say. “Scottie wanted to swim with sharks.”
“You can do that,” Sid says. “I read about it in the hotel.”
“She’s not afraid of anything,” Alex says.
She’s wrong, and besides, I think this is a statement and not something that Alex truly loves.
“Let’s get back,” I say.
I stand up and wipe the sand off of me. I look at our hotel on the cliff, pink from the sunset. The girls’ expressions when I told them about their mom made me feel so alone. They won’t ever understand me the way Joanie does. They won’t know her the way I do. I miss her despite the fact that she envisioned the rest of her life without me. I look at my daughters, utter mysteries, and for a brief moment I have a sick feeling that I don’t want to be alone in the world with these two girls. I’m relieved they haven’t asked me what it is I love about them.
Tags: love matt-king scottie-king sid alex-king
There’s something different about her. I realize it’s her breasts—they’re huge. I see that she’s stuffed her bikini top with wet balls of sand.
“What is that?” I say. “Scottie. Your suit.”
She shields her eyes with her hand and looks down at her chest. “Beach boobs,” she says.
“Take that out of there,” I say. “Alex. Why’d you let her do that?”
Alex is on her stomach, with the straps of her top untied. She lifts her head toward Scottie. “I didn’t know. Take them out, stupid.”
Sid lifts his head. “Honestly,” he says, “big boobs look kind of fatty.”
“As Bebe says, boobs suck,” Alex says, “and Sid’s full of shit. He loves big boobs.”
“Who’s Bebe?” Scottie lets the sand fall out of her top.
“Character from South Park,” Sid says. “And I love small boobs, too, Alex. I’m an equal-opportunity employer.
Tags: kids matt-king scottie-king sid alex-king
Reina sounds awesome,” Sid says. “I’m digging her more and more.”
“Were you there?” I ask. “Have you seen one of these movies?”
“No,” Scottie says.
“Scottie,” Alex says, kicking Sid in the ribs. “Reina is a fuckedup ho bag, and you need to stay away from her. I’ve already told you that. Do you want to end up like me?”
“Yes,” Scottie says.
“I mean the earlier me, when I was yelling at Mom.”
“No,” Scottie says.
“Well, Reina is going to be a crackhead, and she’s going to get used. She’s a twat. Say it.”
“Twat,” Scottie says. She gets up and runs across the room, saying, “Twat twat twat twat twat.”
“Holy shit,” Sid says. “This is some messed-up parenting. Isn’t it?”
Alex shrugs. “Maybe. I guess we’ll see.”
“I don’t get it,” I say. “I don’t know what to do. These things she does, they keep happening.”
“It will go away,” Alex says.
“Will it? I mean, look at how you kids talk. In front of me, especially. It’s like you don’t respect authority.”
The kids stare at the television. I tell them to get out. I’m going to bed.
Tags: lessons matt-king scottie-king sid alex-king reina twat
Hey,” he says.
I feel foolish for being out of breath and standing over him. The moonlight cuts a line down my chest. “Hey,” I say.
“Checking on me?”
“I couldn’t sleep. Scottie. She’s in the bathroom.” I stop talking.
“Yeah?” he says and sits up.
“She’s playacting.” I don’t know how to say it. I don’t need to say it. “She’s kissing the mirror.”
“Oh,” he says. “I used to do some messed-up things as a kid. Still do.”
I feel wide awake, which always makes me angry in the middle of the night. I’m useless without sleep. I can’t get myself to go back to my own room. I sit on the end of the bed by his feet. “I’m worried about my daughters,” I say. “I’m worried there’s something wrong with them.”
Sid rubs his eyes.
“Forget it,” I say. “Sorry for waking you up.”
“It’s going to get worse,” he says. “After your wife dies.” He holds the blanket up to his chin.
Tags: matt-king sid bonding-time
Your phone’s vibrating,” Scottie says. She takes my cell phone out of her pocket, the phone she has stolen from me to text her friend. She doesn’t even care that she has disobeyed. She doesn’t care that she said “finger-fucked” in front of me. It’s as though I’m not a father.
I don’t recognize the number, so I don’t answer. I like to let people leave messages, and then I’ll call back after I rehearse what to say.
“You never answer your phone,” Scottie says. “What if someone needs help?”
“Then they can leave a message and I’ll call right back.”
Alex takes the phone out of my hands. “Hello?” she says.
“What the—? Do I not exist, girls? Do you realize I’m in charge here?”
Scottie whispers, “Who is it?”
“Oh, no,” Alex says. “This is the right number. This is his assistant…Sharon.”
Scottie opens her mouth, delighted. I’ve always been impressed by Alex’s effortless ability to lie.
“That sounds nice,” Alex says, then punches me lightly on the arm. “Where? Great. And for how long? Okay. Well, thanks. Maybe we’ll peek in on Sunday. Thanks so much. Okay.”
She closes the phone.
“Well?”
“That was a Realtor, Dad, from Brian’s office. She says she’d be happy to show you the house you called about. Well done, Dad. Very clever.”
“Good one, King,” Sid says.
“What about Brian?” I ask. I feel strange talking about this with Joanie in the room. I position myself so that I face away from her.
Tags: matt-king scottie-king sid alex-king
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