"Whoa," Frank ordered him. "Just heel," he said. "There's no need for that."
"Frank, I'm a werewolf!" Joe reminded him harshly. "I can't ask her to put up with a monster for a boyfriend."
"Maybe she'll think you're cute and cuddly," Frank couldn't resist teasing.
"It's not fair to her," Joe said, ignoring his brother's remark.
"You can't quit living because of this," Frank told him, seeing how serious Joe was. "It's only for one night a month."
"I'm not trying to quit living, as you put it," Joe stated. "But I can't let Vanessa tie herself down to me when I can never have a permanent relationship with her."
"Why not?" demanded Frank. "If you're serious about her, and I know you are, you need to let her make that decision for herself."
"I should go ahead and tell her?" Joe asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Not until you are ready to make a commitment," Frank answered. "And if she loves you then she will be able to deal with it."
"You really think so?" Joe asked pleadingly.
"I know so," Frank declared. After all, he thought, he was dealing with it. "Now, get a move on or you will still be in your pjs when they get here."
"With some of the fashions today, who would know?" Joe retorted as Frank left the room.
"So, where are we going?" asked Joe, leaning back in the rear seat of the car and wrapping an arm around Vanessa as Callie started the ignition.
"On a picnic," Vanessa answered. "We want you all to ourselves."
"Sounds good to me," replied Frank from the front passenger seat.
"Mmm-hmm," agreed Joe, closing his eyes and enjoying the fresh citrusy scent Vanessa emitted. He knew better than to comment because he had the feeling he was the only one who could smell it.
"Oh, look!" exclaimed Callie after they had been driving awhile.
Joe opened his eyes and gazed lazily out of the window. "Marlowe's Traveling Sideshow," Joe read, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "Yuck."
"Oh, come on," Callie begged, pulling the car to a stop. "It will be fun."
"It's a crock!" Joe protested.
"Which is why it won't hurt to look around," Frank said, agreeing with Callie that it would be a fun diversion.
"We can stay here and wait for them if you want?" Vanessa offered, reaching up and touching Joe's cheek so he would look at her.
"Nah," Joe rejected her offer. "Who knows?" he asked. "One thing might be real and that would be worth seeing."
The four teens exited the blue Nova and approached the ticket booth. "It's on me," Frank said, looking back at Joe. If the show took Joe's mind off his own troubles for awhile then Frank felt it would be worth every penny. He pulled out two twenties and paid their fee.
"Welcome to the wonderful world of teratology," declared their guide.
"The wonderful world of what?" Joe asked.
"Teratology," repeated the muscular man in his late twenties. "The study of monstrosities," he explained, smiling at the four teens. His blue eyes twinkled when he saw the skepticism mirrored on their faces. "Ah, you doubt such things exist but before your tour has ended you will be believers," he assured them. "My name is Sully," he continued. "If you have any questions, any at all, please do not hesitate to ask."
The first exhibit was of a mermaid. She was quite winsome with flowing platinum hair but the boys could tell, even though she was partially hidden by the foliage in her glass tank, that she had an oxygen tank near her with the mouthpiece cleverly disguised as a large anemone.
Joe winked at Vanessa who was trying hard not to laugh out loud at the scene. "Meet the lovely Delilah," Sully invited them. "She was caught in a fisherman's net off the coast of Belize."
"She looks Irish," Joe commented, taking in the young woman's fair skin and green eyes.
Sully's mouth tightened a fraction for a brief second before relaxing again. "Next, we have a fearsome griffin," he continued, leading them further into the tent.
Each living exhibit grew more preposterous and by the time they reached the exit, all of the teens were laughing. Sully had given up trying to convince the youths that the exhibits were real after he realized they were enjoying themselves and weren't going to demand a refund.
"That's it, folks," Sully told them about an hour later. "Marlowe has souvenirs for sale if you are interested?"
"Sure, why not?" Frank agreed.
Sully led them to another tent closer to the exit. "Marlowe!" he called out. "We have guests!"
"Wonderful," enthused a man pushing sixty from behind a large desk. His hair was thick but graying and his green eyes were sharp as they accessed the spending power of the youths. "Step this way," he instructed. "We have..." he broke off as Callie screamed in fright.
Everyone followed Callie's gaze to the large gray wolf that had boldly trotted into the tent. Vanessa moved behind Joe as the wolf approached.
"Heel!" commanded Marlowe to the creature but it kept moving toward Joe until, less than three feet away, it fell to the floor and rolled over on it's back with all four paws in the air.
Joe breathed a sigh of relief. "It's tame," he stated as he bent down and rubbed the animal's midsection. "He's adorable," Joe said, standing back up and looking at Marlowe who was watching him with a dumbstruck expression.
"Frank, I'm a werewolf!" Joe reminded him harshly. "I can't ask her to put up with a monster for a boyfriend."
"Maybe she'll think you're cute and cuddly," Frank couldn't resist teasing.
"It's not fair to her," Joe said, ignoring his brother's remark.
"You can't quit living because of this," Frank told him, seeing how serious Joe was. "It's only for one night a month."
"I'm not trying to quit living, as you put it," Joe stated. "But I can't let Vanessa tie herself down to me when I can never have a permanent relationship with her."
"Why not?" demanded Frank. "If you're serious about her, and I know you are, you need to let her make that decision for herself."
"I should go ahead and tell her?" Joe asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Not until you are ready to make a commitment," Frank answered. "And if she loves you then she will be able to deal with it."
"You really think so?" Joe asked pleadingly.
"I know so," Frank declared. After all, he thought, he was dealing with it. "Now, get a move on or you will still be in your pjs when they get here."
"With some of the fashions today, who would know?" Joe retorted as Frank left the room.
"So, where are we going?" asked Joe, leaning back in the rear seat of the car and wrapping an arm around Vanessa as Callie started the ignition.
"On a picnic," Vanessa answered. "We want you all to ourselves."
"Sounds good to me," replied Frank from the front passenger seat.
"Mmm-hmm," agreed Joe, closing his eyes and enjoying the fresh citrusy scent Vanessa emitted. He knew better than to comment because he had the feeling he was the only one who could smell it.
"Oh, look!" exclaimed Callie after they had been driving awhile.
Joe opened his eyes and gazed lazily out of the window. "Marlowe's Traveling Sideshow," Joe read, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "Yuck."
"Oh, come on," Callie begged, pulling the car to a stop. "It will be fun."
"It's a crock!" Joe protested.
"Which is why it won't hurt to look around," Frank said, agreeing with Callie that it would be a fun diversion.
"We can stay here and wait for them if you want?" Vanessa offered, reaching up and touching Joe's cheek so he would look at her.
"Nah," Joe rejected her offer. "Who knows?" he asked. "One thing might be real and that would be worth seeing."
The four teens exited the blue Nova and approached the ticket booth. "It's on me," Frank said, looking back at Joe. If the show took Joe's mind off his own troubles for awhile then Frank felt it would be worth every penny. He pulled out two twenties and paid their fee.
"Welcome to the wonderful world of teratology," declared their guide.
"The wonderful world of what?" Joe asked.
"Teratology," repeated the muscular man in his late twenties. "The study of monstrosities," he explained, smiling at the four teens. His blue eyes twinkled when he saw the skepticism mirrored on their faces. "Ah, you doubt such things exist but before your tour has ended you will be believers," he assured them. "My name is Sully," he continued. "If you have any questions, any at all, please do not hesitate to ask."
The first exhibit was of a mermaid. She was quite winsome with flowing platinum hair but the boys could tell, even though she was partially hidden by the foliage in her glass tank, that she had an oxygen tank near her with the mouthpiece cleverly disguised as a large anemone.
Joe winked at Vanessa who was trying hard not to laugh out loud at the scene. "Meet the lovely Delilah," Sully invited them. "She was caught in a fisherman's net off the coast of Belize."
"She looks Irish," Joe commented, taking in the young woman's fair skin and green eyes.
Sully's mouth tightened a fraction for a brief second before relaxing again. "Next, we have a fearsome griffin," he continued, leading them further into the tent.
Each living exhibit grew more preposterous and by the time they reached the exit, all of the teens were laughing. Sully had given up trying to convince the youths that the exhibits were real after he realized they were enjoying themselves and weren't going to demand a refund.
"That's it, folks," Sully told them about an hour later. "Marlowe has souvenirs for sale if you are interested?"
"Sure, why not?" Frank agreed.
Sully led them to another tent closer to the exit. "Marlowe!" he called out. "We have guests!"
"Wonderful," enthused a man pushing sixty from behind a large desk. His hair was thick but graying and his green eyes were sharp as they accessed the spending power of the youths. "Step this way," he instructed. "We have..." he broke off as Callie screamed in fright.
Everyone followed Callie's gaze to the large gray wolf that had boldly trotted into the tent. Vanessa moved behind Joe as the wolf approached.
"Heel!" commanded Marlowe to the creature but it kept moving toward Joe until, less than three feet away, it fell to the floor and rolled over on it's back with all four paws in the air.
Joe breathed a sigh of relief. "It's tame," he stated as he bent down and rubbed the animal's midsection. "He's adorable," Joe said, standing back up and looking at Marlowe who was watching him with a dumbstruck expression.