Excerpts from The Lion, the With and The Wardrobe, Pub. 16 October, 1950by C.S. Lewis. Geoffrey Bles, original publisher
Duke managed to get himself into the kitchen with several bags of Grammy's goodies. He set them on the floor and started unloading everything onto the table. Five jars of peaches in syrup, five jars of preserves, three jars of chutney. Duke put aside a jar of each to take back to base. Three pies: one peach, one strawberry, and an apricot. Duke cut himself a slice of the fresh strawberry pie and pulled a fork out of the drawer. He put the rest in the refrigerator, hoping to taste at least one more after dinner. The eggs joined them, although Mamma already had eggs from her own chickens. Two loaves of zucchini bread both wrapped well, one went into the freezer. Duke figured if he froze it, it just might make it back to base.
He was holding up the sweater Grammy had knitted for him when Mamma walked in and set her large bag on the table. He'd always thought of it as her "teacher bag". Since she'd first gotten into the classroom, sometime after he'd returned from Vietnam, she'd used the large canvas beach bag to carry supplies, her planner and student papers back and forth. She could even fit her lunch in there.
"Good, she finished it! Grammy said she was going to send it to your for Christmas, but I suppose when she saw you, she couldn't wait that long. Isn't it nice?" Mamma admired the gray sweater. "It looks like it will fit you well. Try it on."
Duke pulled it on over his head. Grammy always knitted things a bit too big, but she hadn't known about the extra muscle Duke had put on. It fit perfectly. Mamma pulled it a few times and adjusted the shoulders.
"You look rather nice, Conrad. You could wear that out on a winter night."
"A bit warm for summer, though." He looked down at himself. "Nice of her to think of me. A bit restrained from Grammy's usual knitting adventures."
"You're lucky I was there when she started, dear. She was going to put a polar bear on the front."
Duke blinked a few times, imagining himself wandering around base on a cold day wearing a polar bear sweater. He'd never hear the end of it. Shaking his head, he forked up a taste of pie. Vincent slipped through the door, Jennifer and Drew on his heels. All three had run upstairs to fling their bookbags into closets and change into shorts.
"It's over! Summer is here!" Drew crowed and set her lunchbox down on the counter with a smack. "Freedom! Hey, is that pie?" She pointed at Duke's plate.
"Grammy sent me home with a bakery. This one's strawberry, but there's apricot and peach, too. It's in the fridge, Rabbit." Duke smiled as all three of his siblings crowded the refrigerator for a snack.
Jennifer sat down with a plate and a beatific smile. "All that's left is the formal." She sighed. "Robert's picking me up at six." Her eyes widened. "Oh, God, I've only got a few hours to get ready!"
"Can you cover all the ugly by then?" Vincent didn't bother with a fork, holding a slice of peach pie by the crust and taking a whopper of a bite.
"Shut up, Vince."
"Robert's coming here, huh? Good. Bring him inside, I want to meet him." Duke finished his pie and rinsed his plate off, setting it by the sink. He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest.
Jennifer paused, fork midair. Duke could tell she was choosing her next words carefully. She didn't get the chance. Jack came in the back door, wiping oil from his hands onto a rag. "Sounds like a good idea, Jennifer. I'd like to meet him, myself." He went to the sink to wash his hands, then leaned next to Duke, arms crossed. "By the way, the Toyota's fixed. Is that your mother's pie, Jane?"
Jennifer looked back and forth between them, opened her mouth, shut it, then scowled and set her chin in her hand. "Fine." Her voice threw daggers.
"Now, Jennifer, he's coming in, anyways. I wanted to get a few pictures of you both." Mamma took a nibble of her pie.
"Fine, fine! He'll come in and have Pop and Conrad scare the crap out of him, and you can take pictures of us after that. I'm sure we'll look great. If he decides he wants to hang around risking death."
"Your words, not mine, Jenn." Duke chuckled.
"How does Vince get out of this?" Jennifer grumbled.
"A bunch of us are meeting up there." Vincent grinned. "I told my date to meet me then. No way I'm setting foot in front of her father."
Duke raised his brows. "I didn't even know you were going, Kid. Who're you taking?"
Jennifer chortled. "Persephone."
"What' wrong with Persephone?"
"Nothing. She's a sweet little mouse. She has a brain and everything. She doesn't dress like a Solid Gold dancer. Totally not the type of girl you drool after." Jennifer finished her pie and stood. Duke held his hand out for her plate and she handed it to him. He set it in the sink.
"Yeah, well, maybe I wanted to try quiet for a change." Vincent shrugged. "Anyhow, she's meeting me there. I'm not even sure if she really likes me."
Duke thought back to the slumber party and how the girl had blushed and looked away from his little brother. "Oh, I'd say she likes you pretty well. Go easy on her, though, Vince. Girls like that, you gotta handle gently."
"Huh."
Drew laughed. "Yeah, you break her, you can't take her back."
"Well, no, but that's not the kind of person you want to come on strong with." Duke shrugged. "Just a thought."
"Sage advice from the stud." Laura What's Her Name pushed her way through the kitchen door. "Hope you don't mind I let myself in, Mrs. Falcone. Mom dropped me off. She'll be back by five thirty, she said."
"It's not a problem, Laura." Mamma smiled. "Pie?"
"No, thank you. I'm not eating till way after Mitch has seen me in my dress and I've had a good few dances." She held up a hangar covered with something gownish covered in plastic. "I at least want to look perfect for the pictures."
"We're going to take some here." Jennifer sighed. "You know Mamma and her camera."
"Of course we are. I figured by the stairs and maybe on the front porch." Mamma filled the kettle and set it on the stove for tea. "I embarrass all my children by taking thousands of pictures of them all. I'll need them so I can remember what you look like once you're out of the house and I never see you, like your brother, there. If I hadn't photographed him all of his life for reference, I'd call the police on the rare occasions this blond stranger decides to show up."
"Very funny, Mamma."
Laura laughed. "So, you have pictures of the stud and his dates headed off to high school dances? The Summer Formal? Homecoming? Winter Ball? The Prom? Let's see them."
There was an uncomfortable silence. Laura's laughter slowly stumbled to an embarrassed sigh. Jack rubbed his head uncomfortably. Vincent shook his head slowly and leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. Jennifer bit her lip. Mamma suddenly became very involved in making tea.
Drew looked confused. "What?" Drew walked to Duke. "What's wrong? Why is everyone quiet all of a sudden?"
Laura looked at everyone, then at Duke. He tried his best to smile at her. He'd rather they all have not gotten into the discussion to begin with.
"What did I say?"
"Nothing, Laura. I just don't think those pictures exist anymore." Duke knew they didn't. He'd watched his mother destroy them. He was mostly drunk at the time, but he remembered. She'd ripped them out of the album, threw them into the barbecue and tossed in a match.
"Wait, what? Destroyed?" Laura looked confused.
"Laura, geez. C'mon, you remember. She was in all of them." Jennifer cracked her knuckles.
Laura's eyes widened as it dawned on her. "Oh, Conrad. I'm sorry. I feel like a moron."
"Don't worry about it. You weren't much more than Rabbit's age when it happened."
"Who? Why were the pictures destroyed? Duke?" Drew grabbed his hands. He picked her up and held her in front of him, nose to nose. He looked into her eyes, growling playfully.
"Don't worry about it, Rabbit."
"But why-"
"Because Maddy Stevenson's a bitch is why." Vincent dropped his fork on his empty plate with a clatter.
"Vincent!"
"She is Mamma. She's a bitch. A cold-hearted, soulless bitch. No one needs to talk about her. She's off in California and she can rot there." He finished his pie, stood up and dropped the plate in the sink, and leaned next to Duke, crossing his arms and sticking his chin out.
"She treated Con bad when he came back from Vietnam, Drew." Jennifer sounded angry. "Like he was beneath her. Turned into a hippie and took off. She could have married him, but she went all stupid. In front of everyone."
"Oh." Drew struggled until Duke set her down. She looked up at Vincent. "Then I don't like her either. The bitch." She leaned on the counter next to Vincent and crossed her arms over her chest, doing her best to look angry. Her eyes almost crossed.
"Drew! Don't let that word into your mouth again." Suddenly, Mamma laughed. "I wish I had my camera, now. Look at you four. Lined up, arms crossed."
Duke looked to either side. She was right. From Jack to Rabbit, it was one heck of a line up. He chuckled. My back-up.
The tension was broken. Duke turned to wash the pie plates off. "It doesn't matter anymore, does it?" He threw over his shoulder. "I found someone better."
"Wait, stud, hang on…" Duke grinned to himself at the eagerness in Laura's voice. "Spill it."
"Ooh, look at the time, Laura. We have to think about getting ready. Let's figure out our hair. C'mon, let's go!" Jennifer and Laura left the kitchen, and Duke heard them pounding up the stairs.
"Ah, I'm going to relax in my room so I can be up later tonight. Can I take the Toyota, Pop? I mean, now that you've fixed it."
Jack slapped Vincent on the back. "You're the one I fixed it for, Sport. Just call me or your brother if you come to find you shouldn't be driving. You know what I mean."
"That better not be a problem, Vincent Reginald." Mamma dunked her tea bag a few times.
"Of course it won't be, dear, you raised your boys right. Why would he ever even consider it?" Jack smiled and then shot his stepson a look.
Duke leaned down to his brother's ear and lowered his voice. "I usually stay up late, Vince. I'll wait up tonight. Just stay out of anything stupid."
"Yeah. Thanks." Vincent nodded and pushed out the door.
"Well," Mamma sighed. "Another year down. I'm not doing summer school this year. Figured I deserved my own break away from tests and grades. I'm going to sit a bit in the den. Dinner will just be us three tonight. They're actually having food at the Formal for the kids this year. How do hamburgers sound?"
"With potato chips?"
"Why not? And a green salad." Mamma smiled. "A few vegetables wouldn't be so bad."
"That's your opinion." Drew pouted.
"No potato chips or pie unless you eat salad." Mamma was firm.
"How about I give you a little shoulder rub, dear?" Jack walked over to her and pulled her to him for a kiss.
"That sounds very nice." She leaned into the kiss.
"Gross." Drew stuck her tongue out. "Seriously, Mamma, Pop. Disgusting."
"That's your opinion." Jack laughed and led Mamma out through the swinging door.
Duke found himself alone in the kitchen with his baby sister. She threw her arms around his waist. He rubbed her head. "Looks like you and me are the only ones without a date tonight, Rabbit."
"Eew. Who wants one?"
Duke put on a sad face. "I thought you were my best girl, Rabbit."
"Well, yeah. I am. But boys are disgusting." She looked up at him, her chin on his stomach. "Not you. You're not like them."
"Gosh, thanks."
"Duke?"
"Yeah?"
"Why are you wearing a sweater in June?"
Duke was in the kitchen helping Jack mold ground beef into balls and flattening them into patties, when the doorbell rang. Mamma and Mrs. What's Her Name were upstairs helping Jennifer, Laura and Vince with finishing touches, so it was left to Drew to answer the door, a duty she eagerly leapt from the table to attend to.
"They're here! Mamma!" Duke heard her holler as stopped setting the table and raced out of the kitchen, slamming through the swinging door and through the den. Jack chuckled and finished forming his patty, then washed his hands in the sink. Duke lingered over his handful of hamburger.
Mamma's voice drifted from the den. "Robert, Mitchell, so very good to see you boys. My, don't you look handsome! The girls are just finishing up. Why don't you sit down, relax and chat a bit until they're ready? Would either of you like a soda?"
The two mumbles must have been affirmative, because Mamma popped into the kitchen, her face all smiles. She filled two glasses with ice, and took a large two-liter bottle of soda from the refrigerator. "Jack, why don't you come out and meet Robert?" She filled both glasses to the brim.
Jack dried his hands on the dishtowel and nodded. "Of course. She's not going out the door with him until I do. That's my job."
"Naturally, dear. He's a nice boy." She picked the glasses up. "Grab my camera while you're at it, will you, dear, I left it on the table there." Mamma stopped as she was backing through the door to the den. "Conrad, are you coming?"
Duke nodded. "Yeah, just let me finish up here." Duke and Jack had molded a burger each for Mamma and Drew, and two for each of them. At the last minute, Duke decided he wanted three. He'd run that evening on top of hauling out the stump with Grampy, and his stomach was rumbling.
"Of course, you want to make an entrance. Stalk in and intimidate him? You could try a little subtlety. How about just a smile?" Mamma nodded encouragingly.
"I could walk in eating this raw, maybe." Duke growled. Mamma and Jack both laughed. Jack grabbed the camera and followed her out the door. Duke took his time forming the last patties, dropping them on the plate next to the already formed burgers awaiting the grill. He washed his hands, drying them on the same towel Jack had used, and pushed his way out into the den, slipping into the swagger he used on base when he wanted to quickly take control of a situation.
Vincent had already come downstairs and stood by the fireplace, looking sharp in his rental tux. Duke had to hand it to his little brother; he knew how to dress himself well. His tuxedo fit him far better than the suits hanging off the gangly boys shaking his stepfather's hand. Mamma and Mrs. What's Her Name sat on the couch. Drew took everything in from Duke's favorite chair. Both boys finished introducing themselves to Jack and started to lower themselves onto the far end of the couch.
Mrs. What's Her Name looked up at Duke and smiled. "And here's Conrad! I swear, he gets brawnier by the minute. I think you're bigger now than last week." She laughed. Both boys shot right back out of the couch.
The shorter one held out a hand. "I'm Mitch. I play fullback, like you did." He grinned conspiratorially. "Your team's Championship trophy and pictures are still in the case."
Duke took his hand. "Are they?" He damn well knew they were. It had been an amazing year on the field. "Good to know, I guess." Duke kept his hand firm. "That was near seventeen years ago."
"Are you ready to meet the boy who's going to steal your beloved sister away for the night, Conrad?" The taller, skinnier boy pulled at his collar nervously.
Duke's grin was predatorial. "Sure am. Is this the famous Robert Schwartzman?" Duke strode up till he was toe to toe with the kid and looked down on him. "Are you?"
"Uhhh, yessir. Yes, y,yes that's me." The kit stuttered nervously then offered his hand. Duke raised an eyebrow.
"Don't call him 'sir', he's not an officer." Drew pulled herself to her knees. "Pop was an officer. Duke's a first sergeant. He doesn't like 'sir'."
Robert paled, pulled back his hand, thought better of it, and held it out again. "Um, sorry, si-, um Con- ahhh…"
Drew stood and came between them. "He likes Duke." She looked mildly surprised. "Are you really scared of him? I think he was only joking when he told Jenn he'd rip your lungs out."
Well done Rabbit. Do my job for me.
"Rip my…" Robert looked nervously around the room. He stopped at Vince. "My lungs?"
Vincent smiled. "That was the version Drew could hear."
Mrs. What's Her Face laughed again. "Relax, Robert. Conrad may be big, but he's an absolute pussycat. Aren't you Conrad?"
"Of course!" Duke reached over and took the kid's hand and shook it. "I don't go around randomly ripping people's lungs out." He applied a little extra pressure. "They have to go and do something to piss me off." To his credit, although his eyes showed he felt the bone crush, Robert kept right on shaking.
"Jennifer!" Mamma called up the stairs. "Are you girls ready?"
Duke let go of Robert's hand and lowered himself into his chair. Drew climbed onto his lap.
"One minute more!" Jennifer hollered back. "We're almost perfect."
Mamma sighed. "Vincent, why don't you let me get a picture of you? I do wish you'd met your date at her house. Her parents could have taken pictures of the two of you and sent me copies. Then you could have, I don't know, stopped by here."
"Right. She's shy. So she's going to want to pose for tons of pictures." Vince posed leaning against the banister. "How's this?"
Mamma lifted her camera. "Turn just a little more, let me see that dimple." Vincent rolled his eyes, but complied. The shutter clicked a few times. "Good. One more." Mamma let the camera drop. "Hang on, I want to get a few shots of you with your sister."
"Speaking of Jennifer." Jack sounded pleased. Duke looked to the top of the stairs to see Jennifer and Laura just starting down. Both had shy smiles on their faces. Duke glanced at Robert. The boy had a stupid grin on his face. Jennifer took the lead, slowly making her way down step by step. Mamma and Mrs. What's Her Face gasped and oohed, then Mamma took aim with her camera and started firing away.
"Where did my little girl go?" Jack met her at the bottom of the stairs and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Pop!" Jennifer smiled and giggled. "You'll mess up my make-up. Mamma, honestly."
Duke looked at his little sister. She looked, in a word, lovely. There was none of the little girl he had tossed in the trough a few nights back to be seen in the begowned creature that had descended the stairs.
Crap. The last time I was finishing up a leave, she was wearing my old fatigue shirt and popping gum. Still kept a few dolls on her dresser. Now look at her. Making the boys drool.
Duke stood, picked Drew up and let her climb to his back. He stepped closer to Robert, who was, indeed, close to drooling, and leaned down to his ear. "Touch her with your dick and I'll hang you by your balls from the rafters in the barn." He gave the kid a few cheerful pats on the back. He was rewarded with a wide-eyed stare of terror.
Drew giggled. "Hey Mamma, Duke said-"
Duke cut her off with a tickle. She dropped off his back. Duke went to kiss his sister. "Jenn, really, am I going to have to come out there and keep an eye on you?" He gave her a light kiss on the cheek. Mamma's camera clicked. "Look at you…you're beautiful."
"Con…" Jennifer turned red and smiled at her shoes. "Thank you." She stood on her tip toes to kiss his cheek in return, and hugged him around the neck. Duke caught Robert's eye over her shoulder and glared.
"Are you having fun, Conrad?" Mamma put a hand on Duke's back and leaned into his ear.
"Oh yeah."
Jennifer went to Robert, who tried with shaking hands to pin a corsage on her. He first reached to pin it over her heart, but hesitated. It was too close to her breast. He settled on the left shoulder strap. Mamma's camera snapped.
"Ok." Mrs. What's Her Name clapped her hands. "Everybody on the front porch. Let's get a few different poses."
"Oh, good idea, Mary Ann!" Mamma opened the front door. Mrs. What's Her Name followed her outside on the porch. "We can get shots of all five of them, then just the girls and their dates, then the girls, then…" Duke heard her voice trail off as she went down the stairs.
"Better get after her, or she's going to think of a dozen more poses. You'll be here all night." Duke laughed.
"She did this to you, Con?" Jennifer sighed.
"Oh yeah. Every dance. I was lucky there was any dance left by the time she finished." Duke was caught between pleasant and unpleasant memories.
Jennifer put a hand on his arm. "And she burned every one. I wish your memories were happier, Con." She followed everyone else outside.
They aren't all bad.
That time was golden; high school, the power of being young and ready to rule the world. More than one of those dances ended up as sweaty sessions in the back of his car, once or twice on a blanket in one of the side pastures, far away from prying eyes. Football, classes, parties, dances and sex.
Good lord, what trouble we got into. Thank God for rubbers. Not for Jennifer, though. I don't care if it's hypocritical. She's my sister. That's not good enough for her.
Duke remembered hitting puberty. After he lost his virginity, he spent a large amount of free time thinking about, planning how to, and trying his best to get laid. He had been Maddy's first, but she hadn't been his. He'd lost his virginity at sixteen to a nineteen year old girl he'd met on a family trip to Germany. Elsa. He'd come home hungry for more. He and Maddy started going steady and he'd eventually managed to convince her to let him take her after the homecoming game. They'd absolutely slammed the visiting team, and she "rewarded" him that night. And several times after. After the Summer Formal. After Prom. Then before he left for college. When she visited him in college. Before he left for basic. Before he left for Vietnam. Many times in between. He'd long since fallen head over heels for her.
And she promised to wait for me. So much for that.
Duke mused that sex wasn't necessarily all that good back then, in retrospect. Probably less so for her. But he knew he'd had more than his fair share. Since then, as well, although he'd never loved a woman since. He loved women, but he didn't love a woman since her. He didn't dare.
Still, I wouldn't want Jennifer to end up with a guy like me. I'm keeping her a virgin as long as I damn well can.
Duke was brought back to the present when Drew jumped on him from the couch. He grabbed both her ankles and let her hang upside down in front of him, giggling.
This one, too.
Drew tried to twist around and grab his ankles. Duke managed to crouch and sweep her back up into his arms, bringing her stomach up for a raspberry. She screamed happily and tried to wriggle away.
"Conrad! Drew! Come see your sister and brother off!"
Duke carried Drew out to the porch. Vincent was holding a box with a corsage for his date. Jennifer, Laura and their dates were straining towards a giant Cadillac.
"No more pictures!" Laura wailed.
"No, wait, we need to get one of the boys helping you both in!" Mrs. What's her name jogged down the front steps, followed by Mamma. Jack was sitting on the porch swing, taking it all in with a happy grin.
The girls rebelled and let themselves into the back seats as fast as they could, while both mothers hovered. Mamma started trying to take pictures through the window. She turned on Vincent as he tried to sneak to the Toyota.
"No, Mamma! I'm already late. I don't want to piss off my date before the dance even starts!" Vincent jumped into the car and gunned the engine. Defeated, Mamma turned back to the sedan, just in time to hear it start up and see it start down the drive. She stood, camera aimed, snapping shots of the departing cars. When they were too far away for a good shot, she and Mrs. What's Her Name embraced, and turned to walk back to the porch.
"Mamma's nuts, Duke."
"You'll get the same thing, Rabbit." He looked down to the child in his arms. Not for years, yet. "We've got a few hours to kill before dinner, you and me. What do you want to do?"
"Can we go for a ride?"
"I don't see why not. A ride sounds like a good idea. Where should we go?" Duke carried her inside, and through the den.
"Can we ride through the woods?"
"Sure." He walked through the kitchen and to the back door.
"Can we jump some logs?"
"Of course!" Duke crossed the back porch and walked over the lawn.
"Can you show me the quarry?"
Duke reached the stables and set her on the ground. "You know I can't Rabbit." He looked down into her eyes. She looked at first like she wanted to argue, but, like a small storm passing, the obstinacy flowed away and the pout slipped into a happy smile.
"Ok. As long as we can jump logs."
Duke pulled open the door and they both went to get their horses. He and Jack had brought them in a few hours ago. Duke heard Drew talking to her pony.
"Hey, Sparkle, let's go! We're going to the woods, you n' me n' Wally n' Duke." She led the small horse out on her halter.
Duke grabbed Wally's halter from the peg by his stable door and went in to get his own horse. The big Friesian whickered at him and eagerly bowed his head. He probably would have walked out to be saddled without it, but Duke didn't want to take chances. There was a mare in season over in the Big Stable. If he caught a whiff, he just might be unruly.
Drew continued to chat as she got out her tack. "We're gonna do some jumps, but we can't go to the quarry 'cause Vince Mamma and Pop aren't coming and Duke doesn't like it there, 'cause his daddy died there."
Duke ignored the twinge in his gut, fastened Wally's harness to the leads on the wall and went for his own tack. He slung his blanket and pad over the stallion, then his saddle. He loosely fastened the girth, gave Wally a chance to blow his belly and relax, the tightened it and slipped the bridle over his ears and the bit into his mouth. Wally stood quietly. If he smelled the mare, he wasn't letting on.
Duke wandered over to assure himself Sparkle's girth was tight enough, double checking both that and her bridle. "Need a knee up, Rabbit?"
"That's okay, I can use the corral."
They both lead their mounts outside into the late afternoon sun. Duke was happy for the light lasting into the evening. It gave him longer days to enjoy while he was home. He watched as Drew stepped up onto the lower rail of the corral fence, set a toe in the stirrup and pulled herself onto Sparkle's back. He slung himself up into his own saddle and aimed Wally towards the woods between the pastureland and the river. They broke into a light trot up the trail, following it to the tree break and into the dappled shadows between the maple, birch and buckeyes. It was cool, but not uncomfortably so.
"How was school this year, Rabbit?"
"It was fine. I liked Mr. Billing. I wish I could be in his class next year." They slowed to a walk. Drew tried to reach up and grab a low tree branch, but she was too short. Next to each other, Duke and Wally towered over Drew and her pony. "Parts were fun. But parts were hard. Next year's going to be even harder."
"You'll rise to the challenge, Rabbit."
"You'll help me, right?" She looked up at him.
"As much as I can." Duke shrugged.
"Can you take me on your bike the first day?" He blue eyes drilled into him.
Duke sighed. "Rabbit, I won't be here." Her face fell. She turned to look at the trail ahead of them. "Rabbit, you know that."
She didn't look back to him. "I thought that this time, maybe, that you were staying." Her voice sounded tight. "No one actually said you were going back."
"Of course I'm going back. Rabbit, I have to go back. It's my job."
"Is it more fun than being home?" She glanced at him, and quickly looked away.
"I wouldn't call it fun, really. I guess parts of it are fun. There's a lot of work, and I'm responsible for a lot of people. Sometimes, it gets very dangerous."
"Yeah, but you're never scared."
Duke was quiet for a while. "Of course I get scared, Rabbit. There are some frightening things out there. Sometimes it's scary. Sometimes it's funny. Sometimes it's very sad. Sometimes I get lonely. There are days I really just want to be home. There are days I really feel great. I have a lot of good people around me, and they're hard working and bright, and sometimes really funny. They make me laugh sometimes. But, you know, sometimes I get hurt, or scared, or worse."
Drew turned, somewhat surprised. "They why do it? You can stay here with me. You don't have to ever be hurt or scared."
"I like what I do. Someone has to do it, Rabbit, and I'm not good at everything, but I'm really good at this. The Joes are my soldiers, but they're also my friends." He thought. "They're almost like family."
"We're your family." She pouted. "We want you here."
"I'm sorry, Rabbit. I am. I have to go. It's my job. It's my responsibility. The Joes are my responsibility."
"You love them more than you love me."
Duke pulled Wally up and grabbed her reins, stopping Sparkle. "That's not true, Rabbit." She refused to look at him. "That's not true. I love you, more than you know. I loved you as soon as I laid eyes on you, and that was five minutes after you were born. I've loved you ever since, and I'll never stop loving you. You're my only Rabbit."
"Then…" She stopped, thinking. "I know! I know!" She turned to him, her face shining with excitement. "I can go with you! I don't take up much room, and you'll hardly notice me there. I can go to school and then help you out. Then we don't have to ever be apart."
Duke's heart plummeted. "Rabbit…"
"I'll help. I can do both our laundry, Mamma taught me how. I'll keep my stuff neat, neater than I do now. Then you won't be lonely, and when you get sad, I can help you not be. I can make you laugh. I do it all the time." She almost bounced in her saddle.
"Rabbit…"
"I'll stay out of the way until you need me. I can be really quiet."
"Stop, Rabbit. You can't come with me." Duke watched her joy crumble.
"Why? I won't be a bother." Tears started to roll down her cheeks from under her spectacles. "I'll get good grades, I'll…"
"You belong here, Rabbit. You belong in a place where you're safe. Where you can come home from school and run outside wherever you want. My base is not a place for kids. I won't put you in danger, and, well, Rabbit I hardly have time for myself, let alone you. Plus, if you were there, I'd be worried about you; I'd never be able to do my job. My head has to be clear. You're not allowed."
"But…I can help."
"No. Rabbit, I won't have you there. It isn't safe." He looked at her sadly. "Besides, I couldn't take you from Mamma and Jack. You're their baby."
"But…"
"That's the way it is Rabbit. I'm sorry. I wish I could, but I can't. You'll understand when you're older." He let her reins go, and reached to stroke her hair. She sat hunched in her saddle, fuming.
"Why does everyone always say that? Why does being a kid mean I never get to understand anything? Mamma says you and Vince and Jennifer were on bases all over."
"Those were different."
"How?"
"Those weren't filled with a strikeforce. Those never got attacked. Those weren't troops active on front lines. The base is like a family, Rabbit, but there's no families on the base." He ran his hand through his hair. This was harder than he'd imagined, reasoning with a little girl. He kicked Wally back into a trot, and Sparkle followed without Drew's command. "I need you to be here so I have someone to come home to, Rabbit. I love your letters. I love it when we can talk on the phone."
"But I can't be there."
"No."
"And you can't stay here?"
"You know I can't."
She lifted her glasses and wiped at her eyes.
"Rabbit, thinking of you all back here is what keeps me going, you know. When I get scared. I think of you, and Jenn and Vince, Mamma and Jack. You're what I'm fighting to protect, Rabbit." He tapped at his chest over his heart. "I carry you with me, right here." Duke caught her eye. "And I'm there for you. I'll always be. I might not be home, but I'm with you, all the time."
"Right."
"I am, Rabbit. I do love you." He looked up the trail. "I see a the first log coming up. You know there are more after it. C'mon. Let's jump the Hell out of them. Yeah?"
At the forbidden word, Drew smiled. "Goddamn yeah, Duke!"
Duke put his heels to Wally's flank. Drew whooped and did the same to Sparkle. They galloped down the path together. Wally easily cleared the first log, and Drew's pony held her own. The trail wound through the woods, with a log blocking their way every so often. They'd been deliberately placed there for jumping by Duke's Father and uncles. Lovingly dragged across the trail to provide fun for the coming generations of mounted Hausers and now Falcones. Duke and Drew jumped them all. By the time they reached the river, she was once again in high spirits.
"Let's go back the same way and do it again!" Sparkle's flanks heaved, but Duke knew she could handle the return trip. Wally was ready to keep going. He wheeled his stallion and took off, knowing his baby sister could keep up pretty well.
They each jumped the last log and made it to the treeline just as the sun was beginning to set. Duke pulled Wally back to a trot. Drew matched his pace.
"Let's get them back in the stable. I'm famished, Rabbit."
"Me too. How many hamburgers are you going to eat, Duke?"
"Oh, two or three." He felt his stomach growl hungrily at the thought.
"Me too!"
Duke laughed. He knew she would. He'd deliberately made her three small patties and set out little dinner rolls for each. Her burgers were more sliders than anything else. But Duke liked it when his little Rabbit copied him.
They got the saddles, blankets and tack off of both horses, groomed them and put them back in their stalls by the time Jack had the grill ready for the meat. Duke caught Drew from behind as she ran up the back steps and tossed her over his shoulder. She laughed and dangled down his back.
"Turn on the back light for me, Champ." Jack called as they passed. "I can barely see out here."
"Right." Duke flicked the switch by the door and found Mamma tossing salad in a large wooden bowl.
"There you both are. I was beginning to wonder. Did you have a good ride?"
"Mamma! I jumped every log twice!" Drew crowed from Duke's back. He flopped her back over and held her to his chest. She wrapped her legs around him and leaned to look at their mother upside-down.
"I'm pretty sure Sparkle did the jumping, Rabbit. Next time you're doing it alone." Duke let her lean over backwards as far as she could go
Mamma smiled and leaned over to kiss her. "Did you hold on the whole time?"
"All the way there and all the way back." Drew pulled herself upright and tried her best to climb to Duke's shoulders.
"Well, done. Why don't you help me set the table, Spider Monkey, while your brother takes the meat and buns out to Pop?"
"OK. Down, Duke." She pointed at the floor.
"Yes ma'am." Duke reached up for her hands, giving her a little toss with his shoulders and swinging her to the floor. She ran to the drawer to get out cutlery.
"The meat's over there, Kleiner." Mamma pointed to the plate of meat. It had been stacked atop a clean plate to receive the cooked burgers. A packaged of sliced cheese had joined them. Two bags of buns and Drew's little rolls were next to them. Duke reached into the refrigerator and grabbed two bottles of beer. He managed to grab the plate and bags in one hand and both bottles in the other and used his foot to get through the screen door to the porch. Jack was knocking down the tower of ashy grey coals. He tossed the rack back over the fire and turned to take the plate from Duke.
"Perfect. Right when I needed it." Jack put the plates on the patio rail and Duke dropped the bags on the nearby table. He popped the caps off both bottles against the table edge and handed one to Jack. They tapped bottlenecks and then took long pulls.
"Ahhhhh, yeah. Good stuff." The meat sizzled at Jack tossed the patties on the grill. "You want yours pretty much raw, right?"
"Yeah. The rarer the better." Duke took a second pull of beer.
"Good boy. Shame to ruin good meat. Your mother insists on medium well." He pointed the spatula at Drew's tiny patties. "Cute."
Duke nodded. "She wanted three. Only way to do it."
"You spoil her."
"Yup." Duke looked out over the back lawn.
Jack flipped all but one patty. "Won't be long till she's the only one we've got left." He stood next to Duke and took a deep swallow. "You're brother's probably off in a year or so. Jennifer a year after that. You've been a grown man on your own a long time now."
Duke glanced sidelong at his stepfather. "You've got a long time left with Rabbit."
Jack nodded. "True. Still. The house will seem empty. Now it's dances and games, tournaments, practices. Feet pounding up and down stairs all hours. Homework. Other people's kids trooping through the kitchen and splayed over the furniture. It's changing. It changes so fast. Even my baby'll grow up. Then…I don't know." He sighed and turned to toss the buns on to toast. "You want cheese on all three?"
"Yeah, please."
Jack peeled slices out of their cellophane wrappers and dropped them on a few patties. "Jane? You want cheese?" He hollered through the door.
"Yes please, dear, one slice."
"Me too, Pop! Cheese on all of them!"
"How do we ask for things?" Jack shook his head.
"Please? Please may I have cheese? Cheesy please? By threes?" Drew came to peer out through the screen.
"Good girl." Jack covered all the meat in cheese, pulled off the buns and put the lid on the grill to help it melt. He looked over at Duke. "It changes so fast, Champ. Seems like just last week you were a little tow headed kid glaring at up me from behind your mother right on that front porch. Didn't I take you on your first deer hunt yesterday? I swear I taught you to shave an hour ago. Seems like it. Look at you now." He tipped his bottle back.
Duke wasn't sure what to say. Jack wasn't normally an emotional man. He wasn't cold, but he wasn't overly demonstrative, either.
"A grown man and a fine soldier." Jack took the lid back off and scooped the burgers back off the grill. "Friend off mine down at Bragg once asked me why I got into it. Why I married your mother. If I wouldn't prefer starting off with a woman who didn't have her own kid. Not take one some other man's son, just having my own. 'Starting from the ground up', he called it. He wasn't the only one. You were a handful, sure. You had things to work out your own way. When your brother was born, a few people asked me if I wasn't happy to finally have a son of my own. If I'd do it again with you if I got a second chance." Jack stood, holding the plate of burgers and buns on one hand, his beer in the other. He stared off into the past. "Told them all I'd do it a second time and a third. And more. Never wanted to do different." He turned to Duke and smiled. "Look at you now. Wonder what those idiots are thinking. If I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing." He snorted. "Son of my own. As if you were anything but."
"Jack…"
"Don't have regrets, Champ. The one thing I can tell you is, well, don't miss out on something because someone tells you different. You know what's right."
"Pop! I'm starving! I want to eat now! Are they done yet?"
"Listen to her. She's a handful. When your mother got pregnant with her, people told me she was a mistake, too." Jack shook his head. "Thought maybe she was an accident. But when your sister and brother are gone, I'll have my baby left. No regrets." Jack nodded at the bun bag and cheese wrappers. "Grab the trash, Champ. Let's go eat."
It seemed odd, sitting around a table with only three other people. Duke preferred to eat in a large group. On base, he tried his best to have every meal in the commissary, although sometimes circumstance decreed he eat at his desk. On missions, he tried to eat with whatever soldiers were with him. He disliked eating in the solitude of his quarters, although he was lucky enough to have a kitchen. He'd sometimes been forced to eat alone in the solitude of a Cobra cell, if they bothered to feed him. At home, he was used to family meals. He looked forward to family meals; the bigger the better. Christmas and Thanksgiving at home meant at least five people at the table, and usually more.
Vincent and Jennifer's chairs looked very empty. Duke suddenly wondered if they looked at his chair the same way. He knew Mamma kept it out for the same reason she lit a candle in the window every night he wasn't home.
Do they look at it, and miss me? I'm more often away than home.
"What are they doing at the dance?" Drew asked no one in particular, as she poured a huge helping of potato chips on her plate.
"Dancing." Jack took half of her pile and dropped it on his own plate.
"Just that?"
"What's wrong with that, Rabbit?" Duke took a bite of his burger. The juice ran down his fingers.
"Have you seen Vince dance?"
Mamma laughed. "The slow dancing kids do hasn't changed in decades. I think he can at least manage that."
"Eew."
"They're getting a little food, too. They always have the boosters pass trays of finger foods at the Summer Formal. Little hot dogs on toothpicks. Quiches. Little mini chicken drummettes. Cupcakes." Mamma had been part of the organizing committee for years.
"Cupcakes? Do we have cupcakes?"
"We have Grammy's pies, Rabbit. How bout we heat one up and put some ice cream on it?" Duke liked the sound of that, himself. He polished of his first burger and helped himself to a few bites of salad.
"I've heard they do a lot of kissing at dances." Drew made a face.
"Not beyond pecks if the chaperones have anything to say." Mamma shrugged.
"After's when all that goes on. Kissing and beyond. The car windows get pretty steamed up. Shocks are tested." Duke instantly regretted opening his mouth.
"Why?" Drew looked right at him.
"Yes, Conrad. Why? Do tell." Mamma put her fork down and rested her chin on her knuckles, her elbow on the table. He turned to Jack.
"Don't look at me, Champ. That was your tactical error."
"Duke, what do you mean beyond 'kissing'. Is that why you told Robert not to touch Jennifer with his dick?"
"Drew Falcone!"
"Sorry, Mamma. With his penis?"
"Conrad, what are you teaching your sister?"
"It's OK, Mamma, Jennifer's safe. He said if it happened, he'd hang Robert up in the barn rafters by his balls."
Jack laughed, and then tried to cover it with coughing.
"Conrad Sebastian Hauser, what on Earth did you mean by saying that to that poor boy?" Mamma crossed her arms over her chest and glared.
"I meant that I'd sling him up by his testicles if there was any contact of his genitals to my little sister tonight. I thought it was pretty clear, myself." Duke met her glare. "I'm gonna guarantee you I got the message across."
Drew laughed. "He'd look pretty funny up there."
Mamma pointed at Drew. "What images are you putting in her head?"
"Pretty funny ones, it seems."
"Conrad."
"Look, I was merely pointing out that there were to be no sexual relations of any sort tonight or I would take his scrotum and use it to fasten him to an outbuilding."
"Conrad."
"He won't even think about it now without wincing. It's a very vivid image."
"Conrad."
Duke sighed. "Sorry, Mamma. Look, Rabbit, what I said wasn't wrong. I will do it if I find out that his boy-bits got near her. But perhaps I should have put it more delicately."
"Conrad?"
"More scientifically."
"Try again."
"Perhaps I should have stopped at ripping his lungs out."
Mamma sighed and put her head in her hands. "You were never a subtle child, Kleiner."
Duke picked up his second hamburger. "I'm pretty sure the big brother handbook specifically states I get to threaten her boyfriends."
"I thought he couldn't touch her with his penis unless they were married and loved each other very much." Drew's voice piped up from Duke's side. Jack laughed again.
"How is this dinner conversation?" Mamma wiped the burger juice from her fingers and lifted a forkful of salad. "Since when is it OK to discuss penises at the dinner table?"
"Good thing we're not having hot dogs." Jack mumbled into his beer with a smile.
Duke looked down at Drew. "He can't, Rabbit. Because, thanks to you, everyone now knows what I'll do to him if he does."
"Oh."
"This stops now, please." Mamma took a large sip of wine.
Duke could tell she'd hit her limit. "Right. What do you want to do after dinner, Rabbit?"
"Could you read to me?" She looked up at him plaintively.
"I thought you liked reading yourself, now."
"I do, but I like it when you read to me, too."
"Well, sure, Rabbit. How about we take turns? I read to you, you read to me. Deal?" He picked up his final burger, noticing that Drew had paced herself so that she ate her three little burgers in time with his. She lifted her final slider and took a bite.
"Sure! I could do that."
Duke sat in his favorite chair, Drew on his lap. Two empty pie dishes had been stacked and forgotten on the side table, their contents long since savored. Drew held a battered copy of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and each read a passage in turn.
" 'Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.' 'Ooh' said Susan. 'I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion'
'That you will, dearie, and no mistake,' said Mrs. Beaver; 'if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly.'
'Safe?' said Mr. Beaver ,'Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.' " Duke pulled Drew close.
"Why isn't Aslan safe if he's good, Duke?"
" 'Safe' and 'good' aren't always the same thing, Rabbit. Sometimes, you have to do unsafe things to do good. Sometimes the one who does the good is also someone who can do a lot of damage. Sometimes they have to do it to make it safe for everyone else. That's courage. Those people may seem scary, at times, but you can trust them. Remember this:
'Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.' "
They took turns all the way for a few hours. Duke saw Drew had tears in her eyes when Aslan sacrificed his life to the sullen Edmund.
"But why?" She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Why would he let himself die for him? Edmund was a traitor!"
"Because he made a mistake. Because what made Edmund betray them wasn't evil. Someone had to pay, but Aslan knew in his heart that Edmund had way more good within him than bad. Aslan was wise and willing to give himself to save that."
"But he's dead."
"Some times, Rabbit, real good can't be killed so easily. Aslan is a force, and forces are hard to stop once they get moving."
They kept taking turns to chapter fifteen. Drew read the whole chapter to him without pause.
" At that moment they heard from behind them a loud noise—a great cracking, deafening noise as if a giant had broken a giant's plate... The Stone Table was broken into two pieces by a great crack that ran down it from end to end; and there was no Aslan.
'Who's done it?' cried Susan. 'What does it mean? Is it more magic?'
'Yes!' said a great voice from behind their backs. 'It is more magic.' They looked round. There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself.
'Oh, Aslan!' cried both the children, staring up at him, almost as much frightened as they were glad...
'But what does it all mean?' asked Susan when they were somewhat calmer.
'It means,' said Aslan, 'that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.' "
Drew beamed as she read. She reached the end of the chapter, and then heaved a great yawn. "So he came back! It really does work." She yawned again.
Mamma, who had been sitting with Jack on the couch listening to them read, stood and came to stand by Duke's chair. "It's way past your bedtime, sweetling."
"Mamma! We aren't finished! There's a battle coming." Drew yawned again.
Duke stood and set her down on her feet. "You go to bed now, Rabbit, and we'll get to the battle tomorrow. He smiled down at her. "Go on, go up and put on your pajamas and I'll come say goodnight."
She gave up without much of a battle. "Ok, I guess. Night-night, Pop."
Drew ran and kissed Jack, who kissed her back and then blew a raspberry on her cheek. "Goodnight, baby."
She let Mamma lead her up to the landing, gave her a big kiss, and then ran up the rest of the way herself.
"Be sure to brush your teeth well!" Mamma called up after her.
She called down fifteen minutes later, and Duke climbed to the top floor and made his way to her room. She lay under the covers, Grumbles tucked in beside her. Duke walked to her bed and sat down. "Goodnight Rabbit. Do you like Narnia?"
"It's not always a nice place, and now everyone is good, but it's full of good magic. And Aslan's going to kick the Witch's butt."
Duke laughed. "He just might, but he won't do it alone, Rabbit. He has all those people behind him."
"Even Edmund now."
"Even him."
"And Lucy!"
"Especially Lucy." Duke smiled. "She may be small, but she's strong. Aslan needs Lucy to believe in him just as much as anyone else. Maybe even more. Lucy's special because she believes so much in him. He gets just as much strength and courage from her as she does from him."
"He'll always come back if she believes in him."
"That just may be." He leaned over and kissed her. "Goodnight, Rabbit."
"Kiss Grumbles."
Duke obeyed. "Goodnight, Grumbles."
He stood and walked to the door, stopping to switch off the light. Drew's voice was quiet, but Duke heard her whisper to her bear. "The good fighters will always come back if you believe they will, Grumbles."
As he pulled the door to, Duke wished that she could be right.
Mamma and Jack made it 'till about eleven and then gave in to the night. Duke found himself alone. It was quiet, but pleasantly so. He found Seven Pillars of Wisdom and lost himself in Lawrence's adventures in Wadi Rum for several hours.
Duke was roused from his reverie by light footsteps on the planking of the front porch. He listened for a few moments, then leaned back to see if he could catch anything out the window from his chair. Unsuccessful thanks to the curtain, he stood, stretching, and walked in his socks over to where he could carefully pull the heavy drapes back a few inches and peered out. Jennifer was in the arms of her date. Duke could only see her back as the boy held her to him. He quickly reached for the door, but changed his mind when his fingers touched the knob.
Who am I to ruin a perfect night?
He went back to his chair and his book. In half an hour, the door slammed, and Jennifer came in to throw herself on the couch with a happy sigh.
"Good dance?" Duke glanced sidelong at her.
"Wonderful…" He voice was dreamy, her smile broad. "Just wonderful."
"Young Master Schwartzman behave himself?"
"He was amazing…"
Duke put down his and sat the chair upright. "In what way?"
Jennifer came slightly down from cloud nine. "Conrad. Not like that. I'm not like that. I do have self-respect, you know."
"Oh. Good." Duke nodded.
"He was the perfect gentleman, right to the end." Jennifer unpinned her corsage and stared down at it, turning it this way and that.
"You certainly seemed to be enjoying his manners on the porch just now."
Jennifer blushed deep red. "Con. Were you watching?"
"For about twenty seconds. The rest I'll just have to try not to imagine." He smiled.
"Well, why can't he kiss me goodnight? There's nothing wrong with it." She sighed again. "I've never been kissed like that before."
Duke cringed inside. It wasn't something he really wanted to hear. He still saw her as the little girl doing her best to lug his helmet as she followed him home from a game. "No." He shrugged. "There really isn't, Jenn." He got up and went to sit next to her on the couch. "I just want you to find someone who treats you right. Whoever you end up with better treat you like a queen, or he'll answer to me." Duke brushed her hair away from her face. "Even if I have to come all the way back here from wherever I am to kick his ass."
Jennifer laughed. "Con…I can see that. You landing in the baseball diamond in a Skyhawk and dragging a boy out of class by his collar.."
"Sure. Because I know how great you are. I know you deserve only the best."
Jennifer sat up, and then leaned over to hug him. Duke wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. She relaxed into his chest.
"Thanks. Con…so do you. You deserve the best, too." She pressed herself against his chest, giving him a butterfly kiss followed by an Eskimo kiss. She hadn't done that since she was twelve. Jennifer yawned. "I'm going to get out of all this and go to bed." She stood up.
"Good idea. It's past one." Just then the phone rang. Duke grabbed it before it woke anyone up. "Hello?"
"Heeeeeeyyyyy! Big Brother!"
"Vince? Where are you?"
At the sound of their brother's name, Jennifer grinned and shook her head. "Last I saw him, he was headed out with his friends Marty and Badger. They were driving Persephone home. After that…" She shrugged. "Goodnight, Con." She climbed the stairs.
Duke nodded at her, phone to his ear. "Night Jenn. Vince? I didn't hear where you are."
"Well, I'll tell ya…See, after the dance, Persephone wanted to go home. We wanted to go get a lil' sumthin' to eat, but she was tired. So I drove her home, planted a good one on her, well, a few before her Dad came out. Then Badger wanted a 'lil snack and a nightcap…"
Duke knew where this was going. "Where are you Vince? I'll come get you." Loud beeping over the line interrupted the discussion.
"Hey, was that 'Twinkle, Twinkle'? It was, right? Badger, c'mere…Check this out." The beeping started up again.
"Hey, Kid, stop the fucking messing around and tell me where you are." The beeping continued. "Hey, you ass, tell me where you are!"
"Geez, don' shout, Con. Use your inside voice. Wait, say that again?"
Duke fought to keep his patience. "Where…are…you?"
"Oh, where am I? Good question." Duke could hear him muffle the phone with his hand. "Hey, Marty, we're at the skating rink, right?"
A distant voice answered affirmatively. "Yeah."
"We're at the skating rink, Con."
"Why the Hell are you at the rink?"
"Well, no one's gonna bug us here, right? We grabbed some chicken and drove here with th' flask and a few bottles. I mean, who goes to a skating rink at midnight, right?"
"Sure, Vince. Great thinking." Duke ran his fingers through his hair.
"Can you pick us up? I can't find my keys."
Damn good thing, too. "Yeah, sit tight. I'm on my way."
"Okay, see you then." Before the line disconnected, Duke heard Vincent calling out to his friends. "Might as well drain it, he's coming to get us."
Duke grabbed the keys to the Charger from the hook and went to the garage. It didn't take too long to get down to Florissant's ice rink. The Toyota was the only car in the lot. As Duke drove closer, he could see three well-dressed but somewhat disheveled figures sitting on the hood. They jumped down as his headlights illuminated the area. Duke stopped the engine and got out.
"Right, you idiots, I'm here. Is the Toyota locked, Vince?"
"Oh yeah, locked tight." Vincent nodded a little too earnestly. He nearly fell over. His tie was hanging loose, his shirt open. There was a lipstick impression on his cheek, and another on his neck. "Tight, tight, tight. No one's getting in there. Wait, is it?"
Duke tried the handle. It was locked. He could see through the window the passenger door was also secure. As he tested the hatch, he saw the keys through the back window. He would have grabbed them, but the hatch was locked tight. "Vince, you locked the keys inside the car."
"Oh, I didn't do that. Musta been Marty. Marty, you crazy bastard, how were we gonna get home?"
Marty just laughed like a madman. Badger responded by looking green.
Duke looked all three over. If anything, his brother was the most sober of the bunch. But that wasn't saying much. He tipped the passenger seat forward. "Get in, morons." Badger and Marty managed to wriggle their way into the back. Duke let the seat fall into place. Vincent climbed in and flopped back against the leather. Duke slammed the door and then got back into the driver's side. "Any one of you three spew in here, you'll regret it. Hear me?"
"Oh yeah, gonna lose it sometime soon." Badger gulped.
"You'd better not, or you're licking it clean."
Badger gulped again. Duke decided to take him home first.
He drove both Badger and Marty to their respective houses and watched both stumble through their front doors. By the time he parked the Charger back home, Vincent was out. Duke got out, walked around to the passenger door and flung it open. "Let's go, Vince, we're home."
Vincent didn't budge.
"Hey." Duke shook him a bit. "Get up. We're here."
Vince opened his eyes, looked around, blinking, and then tried to climb out. He slithered to the gravel in the front drive. Duke rolled his eyes.
"C'mon." He grabbed Vincent by the arm and stood him up, then picked him up in a fireman's carry. "Like I said before. Throw up, Kid, and I'll make you pay." He carried his little brother up the porch, through the front door and all the way upstairs to the room they used to share. Duke dropped Vincent on the bed and watched him roll his head and smack his lips.
"Yeah, great. We're home. Yeah. Good for us."
"Have a good time, did you?" Duke pulled the metal trash can to the side of the bed. "You need to express any of that good time, your wastecan's there, Kid."
"Thankya."
"Right. Tomorrow's going to be payback time." He pulled his brother's shoes off and, thinking about it, loosened his clothes. "Sleep on your side, Vince."
Vincent managed to roll to a side. "'Night, Con. Thanks fer getting me."
"Yeah. Told you I would. I got your back, Kid. Goodnight." Duke pulled the door shut after him and went downstairs to turn off the lights and take himself to bed.