"So," Alex said when they were settled with their lunches, (not that Luka was especially hungry after the flight simulator and with a bowl of Honey Frosted Sugar Wheaties still sitting like lead in his stomach), "When are you and Mom going to get married?"
"What makes you think we are?" Luka was intrigued. Alex had never had much to say about his relationship with Sam before. Maybe he would find out where the kid's head was at.
Alex shrugged. "I think you should."
"Why's that?"
"Why not? You like each other. You like me." A disarming smile. "And you could have a lot more sex if you were married."
"Alex!" Luka lowered his voice, hoping that it would convince Alex to do the same. People at nearby tables were looking at them.
"Well, it's true, isn't it? You won't have to keep shipping me off to Austin's for sleepovers, or trying to work night shifts so you can snog while I'm at school during the day."
It was true, Luka realized. Sam was still a little uncomfortable with them having sex with Alex just a bedroom wall away. Not that he couldn't usually convince her when he put his mind -- and other body parts to it. But he said, still softly, "What makes you so sure that's what's going on?"
"You're a man. She's a woman. Or at least I assume she is. You'd know that better than me. And there are all those condom wrappers in the trash after you leave."
The people at the other tables were starting to snicker, except for the mother who looked horrified and quickly gathering up her kindergarten-aged twins, hustled them off to another table.
"I think we can talk about this another time, Alex. Like ... in private."
"Are you ashamed of seeing my Mom?"
"No. This just isn't something we should be talking about here." Luka put the remains of his sandwich (it really wasn't very good) on the tray. "Finish up. We've got a lot more to see."
"Can we check out the train next?"
"Sure."
As they headed for the train exhibit, Alex said, "I've never been on a train before."
"You ride the el, don't you?"
"That's not a train. That's just the el! Have you ever been on a train?"
"Yeah. In Europe people travel by train a lot. And my dad was a train conductor. When I was a kid sometimes he'd let me and my brother skip school and ride the train with him, back and forth to Zagreb."
"That must've been cool."
"It was fun," Luka admitted. "Especially since Tata knew the engineers, so we sometimes got to ride up front and pretend to help drive the train."
"Is he still a train conductor?"
"Yeah, but he lives in Zagreb now, and he's a lot older, so he just works on shorter trips. Mostly to Ljubljana and back."
"Maybe you can take me to Croatia some time? And we can ride your dad's train?"
"There are trains right here in America you can ride, Alex."
"Yeah, but I don't know the conductors on those trains, so I couldn't ride up front. Besides, when you and Mom get married we'll go to Croatia anyway, won't we? To meet your family?"
"Maybe," Luka agreed. Why was Alex harping on about marriage? He liked Sam well enough, and Alex well enough, but it was way too soon to be thinking about marriage!
They had reached the train. Three sleek and shiny silver coaches. "A lot prettier than the el trains," Alex commented, and ran inside.
They slowly walked the length of the train, and Alex frowned. "I thought this would be more exciting."
Luka shrugged "It's a train. It takes you places. Or it would if it actually worked. What did you expect it to be like?"
"I dunno."
Luka sat down in one of the seats in the first class coach. "It's comfortable," he said. "Beats Croatian Airlines any day." He shut his eyes for a moment and relaxed back into the seat. And when he opened them, he was alone in the coach. "Alex!" A leash. He needed to put the kid on a leash! "Alex!" he called again. He looked out the window, hoping that Alex had slipped out the door. No sign of him outside. "Alex! Get your ass over here right now!" How could he have vanished that quickly?
Just then a door at the far end of the coach opened, and Alex popped out.
"What were you doing?" Luka asked.
"Just checking out the bathroom. They don't work."
Luka looked at the sign on the door. "The woman's bathroom?" he asked.
"They don't work, Luka. It isn't like I was going to walk in on some lady peeing. How often do I get the chance to see the inside of a girl's bathroom?"
Luka sighed. "I think it's time we were going home. You just can't keep disappearing like that. I don't care where you were wanting to go!"
"That's ok. My feet hurt anyway. Can we hit the gift shop first?"
"I don't think so."
"You promised!"
"I did not promise anything."
"Maybe they'll have pajamas."
Another sigh. "Ok. We'll look at the gift shop. But nothing too expensive."
---------
No pajamas. Luka once again kept a firm grip on Alex's collar as they made their way through the crowded aisles of the gift shop. Alex was uninterested in the books and the tee shirts and the model kits, and made a disgusted noise when Luka suggested a stuffed animal.
Then ... "Oh cool! Can I get one of these?"
"An ant farm?"
"Sure. I love bugs."
'You would,' thought Luka. But he said, "I don't think your building allows pets, Alex."
"Ants aren't pets. They're ... bugs ..."
"Which I think your landlord would like even less."
"They stay inside the plastic, Luka. They won't get out. Please? It's not very expensive. And I won't ask for a single other thing the whole time you're here."
"Ok," Luka agreed wearily. He was too tired to argue with Alex any more. Amazing that he could work a 12 hour shift and feel fresh and alert when it was over, but a few hours with Alex left him bone tired.
After paying for the purchase, Luka shepherded Alex out to the car. When they were headed home, he said, "So, did you have a good time?"
"It was ok. I still would have rather gone to Six Flags. Tomorrow can I come to work with you?"
"Tomorrow you have to go to school." Luka was about to say something more, when he suddenly heard a strange noise. A sort of squeak. Or a chirp. Damn, the car was practically new. It shouldn't be making odd noises already. He turned down the radio and listened more closely. The sound came again. It seemed to be coming from the back seat.
Luka looked in the rear view mirror. "Is that you, Alex?" he asked.
"Nope." Alex was squirming a little in his seat, and he had a hand in his jacket pocket.
"It's coming from back there."
"Maybe you have mice," Alex said.
"I don't think so. What's in your pocket?"
"Nothing. Just my hand." Alex took his hand out of his pocket. "I'm cold. The a/c is turned up too high."
Luka shook his head and concentrated on his driving. He knew Alex stole sometimes, but he'd had him in sight every minute they were in the gift shop. What could he have stolen?
"What makes you think we are?" Luka was intrigued. Alex had never had much to say about his relationship with Sam before. Maybe he would find out where the kid's head was at.
Alex shrugged. "I think you should."
"Why's that?"
"Why not? You like each other. You like me." A disarming smile. "And you could have a lot more sex if you were married."
"Alex!" Luka lowered his voice, hoping that it would convince Alex to do the same. People at nearby tables were looking at them.
"Well, it's true, isn't it? You won't have to keep shipping me off to Austin's for sleepovers, or trying to work night shifts so you can snog while I'm at school during the day."
It was true, Luka realized. Sam was still a little uncomfortable with them having sex with Alex just a bedroom wall away. Not that he couldn't usually convince her when he put his mind -- and other body parts to it. But he said, still softly, "What makes you so sure that's what's going on?"
"You're a man. She's a woman. Or at least I assume she is. You'd know that better than me. And there are all those condom wrappers in the trash after you leave."
The people at the other tables were starting to snicker, except for the mother who looked horrified and quickly gathering up her kindergarten-aged twins, hustled them off to another table.
"I think we can talk about this another time, Alex. Like ... in private."
"Are you ashamed of seeing my Mom?"
"No. This just isn't something we should be talking about here." Luka put the remains of his sandwich (it really wasn't very good) on the tray. "Finish up. We've got a lot more to see."
"Can we check out the train next?"
"Sure."
As they headed for the train exhibit, Alex said, "I've never been on a train before."
"You ride the el, don't you?"
"That's not a train. That's just the el! Have you ever been on a train?"
"Yeah. In Europe people travel by train a lot. And my dad was a train conductor. When I was a kid sometimes he'd let me and my brother skip school and ride the train with him, back and forth to Zagreb."
"That must've been cool."
"It was fun," Luka admitted. "Especially since Tata knew the engineers, so we sometimes got to ride up front and pretend to help drive the train."
"Is he still a train conductor?"
"Yeah, but he lives in Zagreb now, and he's a lot older, so he just works on shorter trips. Mostly to Ljubljana and back."
"Maybe you can take me to Croatia some time? And we can ride your dad's train?"
"There are trains right here in America you can ride, Alex."
"Yeah, but I don't know the conductors on those trains, so I couldn't ride up front. Besides, when you and Mom get married we'll go to Croatia anyway, won't we? To meet your family?"
"Maybe," Luka agreed. Why was Alex harping on about marriage? He liked Sam well enough, and Alex well enough, but it was way too soon to be thinking about marriage!
They had reached the train. Three sleek and shiny silver coaches. "A lot prettier than the el trains," Alex commented, and ran inside.
They slowly walked the length of the train, and Alex frowned. "I thought this would be more exciting."
Luka shrugged "It's a train. It takes you places. Or it would if it actually worked. What did you expect it to be like?"
"I dunno."
Luka sat down in one of the seats in the first class coach. "It's comfortable," he said. "Beats Croatian Airlines any day." He shut his eyes for a moment and relaxed back into the seat. And when he opened them, he was alone in the coach. "Alex!" A leash. He needed to put the kid on a leash! "Alex!" he called again. He looked out the window, hoping that Alex had slipped out the door. No sign of him outside. "Alex! Get your ass over here right now!" How could he have vanished that quickly?
Just then a door at the far end of the coach opened, and Alex popped out.
"What were you doing?" Luka asked.
"Just checking out the bathroom. They don't work."
Luka looked at the sign on the door. "The woman's bathroom?" he asked.
"They don't work, Luka. It isn't like I was going to walk in on some lady peeing. How often do I get the chance to see the inside of a girl's bathroom?"
Luka sighed. "I think it's time we were going home. You just can't keep disappearing like that. I don't care where you were wanting to go!"
"That's ok. My feet hurt anyway. Can we hit the gift shop first?"
"I don't think so."
"You promised!"
"I did not promise anything."
"Maybe they'll have pajamas."
Another sigh. "Ok. We'll look at the gift shop. But nothing too expensive."
---------
No pajamas. Luka once again kept a firm grip on Alex's collar as they made their way through the crowded aisles of the gift shop. Alex was uninterested in the books and the tee shirts and the model kits, and made a disgusted noise when Luka suggested a stuffed animal.
Then ... "Oh cool! Can I get one of these?"
"An ant farm?"
"Sure. I love bugs."
'You would,' thought Luka. But he said, "I don't think your building allows pets, Alex."
"Ants aren't pets. They're ... bugs ..."
"Which I think your landlord would like even less."
"They stay inside the plastic, Luka. They won't get out. Please? It's not very expensive. And I won't ask for a single other thing the whole time you're here."
"Ok," Luka agreed wearily. He was too tired to argue with Alex any more. Amazing that he could work a 12 hour shift and feel fresh and alert when it was over, but a few hours with Alex left him bone tired.
After paying for the purchase, Luka shepherded Alex out to the car. When they were headed home, he said, "So, did you have a good time?"
"It was ok. I still would have rather gone to Six Flags. Tomorrow can I come to work with you?"
"Tomorrow you have to go to school." Luka was about to say something more, when he suddenly heard a strange noise. A sort of squeak. Or a chirp. Damn, the car was practically new. It shouldn't be making odd noises already. He turned down the radio and listened more closely. The sound came again. It seemed to be coming from the back seat.
Luka looked in the rear view mirror. "Is that you, Alex?" he asked.
"Nope." Alex was squirming a little in his seat, and he had a hand in his jacket pocket.
"It's coming from back there."
"Maybe you have mice," Alex said.
"I don't think so. What's in your pocket?"
"Nothing. Just my hand." Alex took his hand out of his pocket. "I'm cold. The a/c is turned up too high."
Luka shook his head and concentrated on his driving. He knew Alex stole sometimes, but he'd had him in sight every minute they were in the gift shop. What could he have stolen?