Chapter 2
When Cliff opened the door to Theo's room, Theo was sitting on his bed, reading a car magazine. As usual, his room looked like it was hit by a tornado, with clothes and toys everywhere and an unmade bed.
"Yeah Dad?" Theo said.
Cliff sat on the edge of the bed. "Theo, your mother thinks there is something wrong with you. What is it?" He asked.
"I can't tell you." Theo said uncomfortably.
"If you don't tell me, then your mother's face will change like this." Cliff said. He made a hideous frown. "And," Cliff said with the frown still on his face. "When it's your wedding day, she will still have this frown, and then your wife to be will run away. So you better tell me." He said.
"I... did some homework." Theo said.
"Heh heh heh." Cliff laughed. "My boy, Denise's name starts with the same letter that's on your report cards. Tell me the truth."
"If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone?" Theo asked.
"Okay. Now fire away." Cliff said.
"Okay. After school, my class had to go to this presentation in the hall. It was about drugs and how bad it was to take them. It had lasted an hour. Then after that, my friends and I played some basketball at the park. Then I saw something really disturbing." Theo said.
"And what was that?" Cliff asked.
"My friends went to their bags, and pulled out drugs!" Theo said. "They offered me some, but after that presentation I refused. They called me a wimp and a chicken, but I still said no. Then... then."
"What?" Cliff said, impatient.
"This other guy who I didn't know got enraged at me, and we got into a fight, and I got a bruise on my back." Theo said. He took off his T-shirt and on his back was a big purple bruise the size of a baseball. Cliff touched it.
"OW!" Theo said. "That hurts!"
"That is really nasty." Cliff said. "Theo, I'm proud of you."
"Proud? Why?" Theo said.
"You standed up to all that peer pressure. That is a very hard thing to do. Now maybe, you can try to get higher marks on your report card, like starting with, what my name starts with." Cliff said.
Theo smiled. "Okay. Thanks Dad."
"No problem son." Cliff said, leaving the room.
* * *
At the dinner table that night, as usual, was noisy.
"So, Theo." Claire said. "Are you all right?"
"Oh yeah. I'm fine." Theo said. "I just had trouble with my homework."
"And now." Cliff said, going to the refridgerator and pulling out a bottle of milk. "I am going to have a glass, of milk."
"Oh no you don't!" Claire said, getting some soy milk. "You are on a diet. You are going to have some soy milk."
"Seriously, the cow who gave that milk must have been diseased." Cliff said. But he let Claire pour the milk into the glass.
"Dad can I have a dog?" Vanessa said.
"For the last 2 months, you have been asking for a dog, and each time, I have said no. Taking care of a dog is hard work" Cliff said.
"But I could take care of it!" Vanessa said. "Please?"
"No." Claire said.
Vanessa sighed, but she didn't press the issue anymore.
* * *
"So, what was wrong with Theo?" Claire asked in bed.
"Theo told you before." Cliff said. "It was homework!"
"I don't think so." Claire said. "It is something else."
"How do you know it's something else?" Cliff asked.
"I just have this feeling that's all." Claire said.
"Don't pester yourself over it." Cliff said. "Just get some sleep." He turned off the lamp and went to sleep.
When Cliff opened the door to Theo's room, Theo was sitting on his bed, reading a car magazine. As usual, his room looked like it was hit by a tornado, with clothes and toys everywhere and an unmade bed.
"Yeah Dad?" Theo said.
Cliff sat on the edge of the bed. "Theo, your mother thinks there is something wrong with you. What is it?" He asked.
"I can't tell you." Theo said uncomfortably.
"If you don't tell me, then your mother's face will change like this." Cliff said. He made a hideous frown. "And," Cliff said with the frown still on his face. "When it's your wedding day, she will still have this frown, and then your wife to be will run away. So you better tell me." He said.
"I... did some homework." Theo said.
"Heh heh heh." Cliff laughed. "My boy, Denise's name starts with the same letter that's on your report cards. Tell me the truth."
"If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone?" Theo asked.
"Okay. Now fire away." Cliff said.
"Okay. After school, my class had to go to this presentation in the hall. It was about drugs and how bad it was to take them. It had lasted an hour. Then after that, my friends and I played some basketball at the park. Then I saw something really disturbing." Theo said.
"And what was that?" Cliff asked.
"My friends went to their bags, and pulled out drugs!" Theo said. "They offered me some, but after that presentation I refused. They called me a wimp and a chicken, but I still said no. Then... then."
"What?" Cliff said, impatient.
"This other guy who I didn't know got enraged at me, and we got into a fight, and I got a bruise on my back." Theo said. He took off his T-shirt and on his back was a big purple bruise the size of a baseball. Cliff touched it.
"OW!" Theo said. "That hurts!"
"That is really nasty." Cliff said. "Theo, I'm proud of you."
"Proud? Why?" Theo said.
"You standed up to all that peer pressure. That is a very hard thing to do. Now maybe, you can try to get higher marks on your report card, like starting with, what my name starts with." Cliff said.
Theo smiled. "Okay. Thanks Dad."
"No problem son." Cliff said, leaving the room.
* * *
At the dinner table that night, as usual, was noisy.
"So, Theo." Claire said. "Are you all right?"
"Oh yeah. I'm fine." Theo said. "I just had trouble with my homework."
"And now." Cliff said, going to the refridgerator and pulling out a bottle of milk. "I am going to have a glass, of milk."
"Oh no you don't!" Claire said, getting some soy milk. "You are on a diet. You are going to have some soy milk."
"Seriously, the cow who gave that milk must have been diseased." Cliff said. But he let Claire pour the milk into the glass.
"Dad can I have a dog?" Vanessa said.
"For the last 2 months, you have been asking for a dog, and each time, I have said no. Taking care of a dog is hard work" Cliff said.
"But I could take care of it!" Vanessa said. "Please?"
"No." Claire said.
Vanessa sighed, but she didn't press the issue anymore.
* * *
"So, what was wrong with Theo?" Claire asked in bed.
"Theo told you before." Cliff said. "It was homework!"
"I don't think so." Claire said. "It is something else."
"How do you know it's something else?" Cliff asked.
"I just have this feeling that's all." Claire said.
"Don't pester yourself over it." Cliff said. "Just get some sleep." He turned off the lamp and went to sleep.