At school the next day, DJ sat at the same table he always sat at during lunch. Like always, Xavier joined him. Xavier was the only friend that shared a lunch shift with DJ.
"So you guys are back in your house?" Xavier asked just to make conversation.
"Yeah, my dad bought a big screen TV." DJ said, proudly.
"Sweet. Hey is your dad still mad about St. Louis?"
DJ looked up from his tray at his friend. He wondered that himself, it seemed like his dad was cutting him slack but he would not dare say that. "I'm not sure. Why?"
Xavier smiled. "I was thinking that we could hook up my new PlayStation to your TV."
DJ also smiled, that sounded like a fun idea. But of course he didn't know how the idea would fare with his dad. "Sounds cool, but my dad might get mad."
Xavier shook his head. "You're right. But did you ask him about playing our coach?"
"Yeah. He said he'd try."
"Cool."
When the class of the day ended DJ rode home with Xavier and Xavier's older brother who was a senior. DJ immediately felt envious of their house, it was a big house and a new one. They had such cool stuff. DJ helped Xavier unhook all the cords to the PlayStation from the TV in his room. DJ was even more jealous that Xavier had a TV in his room.
"Why don't you have a TV in your room?" Xavier asked, just curious.
DJ thought about it a minute. "I don't know. I just never thought about it before. My dad doesn't even have a TV in his room."
Xavier looked up at DJ from behind his TV. "Did he before the house was robbed?"
"No. I heard him and my mom fighting about it before. Mom shouted, "If we put a TV in our room I'd have to kill you so you'll finally go to sleep!" My dad shouted, "Can you do that tonight so I don't have to listen to you snore?" Then they fought about snoring." DJ started to feel sick to his stomach. He missed his mom.
Xavier noticed this, "You're mom and dad fight a lot?"
DJ stiffened up. "Yeah, but then they made up a lot too."
DJ and Xavier rode their bikes to 714 Delaware Street. There they found Darlene holding a sleeping Jerry in her arms with her feet on the new coffee table and watching TV.
Darlene took one look at her brother and spoke seriously. "Thought you were grounded, DJ."
DJ glared at his sister and took off his coat and put in on the pegs on the wall. "I am, but I don't think dad will care. Darlene this is Xavier."
Xavier looked at DJ and then Darlene. "Hi." He said, shyly to Darlene.
Darlene looked at her brother, "Hey DJ get me and your friend a soda."
DJ stood defiantly in front his sister, "I don't have to listen to you."
Darlene glared at her brother, "I'm pregnant."
DJ exclaimed with his hands. Xavier watched this show down and thought it was cool. DJ said, "And that's my fault?"
This infuriated Darlene. She took a crayon from the coffee table and launched it at her brother. DJ dodged the crayon and shot into the kitchen, taking three sodas from the fridge.
"Here!" DJ handed his sister a soda.
"Why thanks Deej."
DJ and Darlene locked eyes. Without blinking DJ asked, "Can me and Xavier please use the TV?"
Darlene said without blinking. "I'm not moving."
DJ looked at Xavier. "It's okay."
Xavier nodded and gently swung his back pack in front of him and carefully pulled out the PlayStation console and laid it gently down on the floor in front of the big screen TV and then DJ pulled out the AV cables and stuck them into the appropriate jacks. After some adjustments and an input change, the boys were playing Grand Theft Auto on the first PlayStation.
Darlene still sat on the couch with the boys on the floor. Darlene eventually grew tired of watching the game play and stood up and walked the sleeping Jerry over to his play pen, and then went to the bathroom. With her gone the boys moved to the new couch, sitting in front of the Afghan that was laid on the old couch all those years.
The game went to a load screen and the boys took the opportunity to relax their hands. Xavier looked at DJ. "DJ I need to tell you something."
DJ sat back in a normal relaxed way. "Yeah what?"
"I love you." DJ stared at Xavier. An amount of shyness, uncomfortableness, panic, and awkwardness flooded DJ. There was a period of silence and Xavier's demeanor changed. Now the look on his face was a solemn and bashful. DJ had seen a look like that on his dads face many times, when his dad told his mom that he loved her.
DJ's mind raced with a hundred responses. He blurted out, "Want another soda?"
Xavier looked away from DJ, and spoke softly. "It's okay if you don't love me. I just really needed to tell you that…"
DJ didn't look at Xavier as he said. "I uh understand. I think my dad will be home soon."
Xavier nodded his head, got up off the couch slowly and started to unhook the PlayStation. DJ quickly joined him and Xavier was gone before Dan got home.
"Hi Deej." Dan said after coming through the back door into the kitchen.
DJ said nothing nor looked at his dad. Instead he absent mindedly went up the stairs and into his room. Dan watched this curiously, but brushed it off. He walked through the living and room and put his palm on Jerry's forehead. The small child was asleep and Dan wished he would wake up so that he wouldn't spend all night trying to put his son to sleep.
Darlene walked out of the bathroom. "Hi, dad."
Dan looked behind his back to Darlene, "Hey, Kiddo." Darlene gave her dad a look that said 'really?' and Dan shook his head. "Old habits die hard. You'll always be my daughter."
Darlene nodded once, and sat back down on the couch. Dan walked into the kitchen and then turned around quickly. "Oh yeah, you're not still a vegetarian are you?"
Darlene gave him the same look again and Dan snapped his fingers. "Right."
Up in his room, DJ's mind reeled. A few times in his life he questioned his own sexuality, but he always ended up being sure that he was straight. Now he seriously questioned it. He started to think about how he felt when he was around Xavier and all other guys. I never felt like I was attracted to other guys, but maybe I was and he just didn't realize it. What if I am now? What will my sisters think, and Aunt Jackie? Or what will dad think? I like guy things though, could I still be gay? What if I'm not? How can I still make the movie with Xavier? Are other guys attracted to me like Xavier...? DJ's mind stopped enough that DJ became aware there was a knock on his door.
It was his dad. "DJ? Dinner's been done for ten minutes…" DJ quickly got off his bed and opened the door. His dad must have sensed his panic because he said, "DJ are you okay?"
DJ stood a foot away from Dan and shook his head trying to change the look on his face. "I'm fine I just read a sad part of Tom Sawyer." DJ didn't expect his dad to ask,
"Oh yeah? What part is that?"
DJ squinted but answered quickly. "His dad was the body that was in the house on the river…" DJ lied. (In actuality it was Huckleberry Finn's dad who was the dead body in the house that was floating on the river, and that was a totally different book. Huckleberry Finn's dad is the part that John Goodman played in the Broadway adaption of Big River.)
Dan looked at DJ, but he had never read either Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer so he believed DJ. The two ventured downstairs and into the kitchen, where Dan had a plate made for himself and DJ.
Dan sat at the head of the table and Dj sat next to him. Becky was also at the table, but DJ had no idea when she got home from work. "So how's your job at the Hardware store going dad?" Becky asked, scooping a clump of fettuccine on her plate.
Dan reached over for a napkin. "Great. If you like teen agers that don't listen to you."
Darlene flashed a smile. "Gee dad you think you'd be used to that by now."
Dan looked at Darlene. "Yeah, but even when they don't listen I still have to pay them."
Becky smiled too. "This fettuccine is actually pretty good." She said before taking a bite.
Dan gave his oldest daughter a strange look. "What you expected it to be bad?"
Becky responded brightly after swallowing. "Well yeah."
Dan looked at DJ who was remaining quiet as he was still thinking about his Xavier situation. Then Dan looked at Darlene. "Are you saying that you don't think I can't cook?"
Both girls nodded at the same time. Darlene quipped, "Face it dad. We never expected you to be a good cook after tasting your chili."
Dan's mouth opened wide, and he leaned back in his chair. He put his hand on his heart and faked a heart attack. "Clean shot right in the heart."
Becky looked at the fettuccine. "Where'd you get this recipe anyway?"
Dan thought about his secret cookbook. "The Italians." He said and then took a bite.
Darlene looked at Becky. "You walked right in to that one…" As they talked, Dan looked at DJ who seemed to be acting rather strange.
"You've been really quiet."
DJ looked up at his dad. "I'm just tired."
Dinner finished and DJ cleared the table and did the table, like he was told to by his dad. When he was finished, he went upstairs and was not seen again the rest of the night.
Darlene called David and talked to him for about ten minutes. Unexpectedly, Jackie showed up with Andy.
"Hey Beck what did I tell you about leaving the door unlocked?" Dan asked, as Becky sat in the chair in front of the living room door. Jackie stuck her tongue out at Dan and Dan returned the favor. "What brings you here at this time of night?" Dan asked, Becky rolled her eyes and went downstairs.
Jackie put Andy down and fell backwards on to the couch. "You're mother in law."
Dan folded up his newspaper dramatically. "You rushed all the way over here to tell me that she's retiring to Boca, and we won't ever see her again in Lanford?" Dan said this with extreme sarcasm and total hopefulness.
Jackie stared at Dan seriously. "No. I talked to her today."
Dan gave Jackie a strange look. "Well I hope so considering she watched Andy all day."
Jackie ignored this and continued, "The subject of day care came up."
Dan sat in his chair yet readjusted how he was sitting. "Had that same talk with her. And I quote, 'Have you considered day care for Jerry?' I tried to tell you but you had a date with Booker."
Jackie smiled guiltily. "Well I did need to call him back…"
Dan smiled devilishly. "Believe me I will remember that…"
Jackie looked at her feet quickly. "I'm sure you will. I wonder why she's pushing for the boys to be in day care."
Dan gave Jackie a seriously? look. "She probably can't handle the boys by herself and doesn't want to admit it…"
Jackie pointed to the fridge and Dan nodded. She stood up and went to the fridge and grabbed two soda's handing one to Dan. She sat back down. "Well do you want to put Jerry in day care?"
Dan popped his tab and took a drink. "Do you want to put Andy in day care?"
Jackie cocked her head. "It's a different question with me. Andy is two and a half."
Dan looked at Jerry who was still asleep in his play pen. "Do they even have day care for babies his age?"
"Yes. They have day care for babies who are only six weeks old."
Dan stretched out looking up. "It'd be a lot of money…"
"I know. But if mom can't handle it then we should consider. Or at least I should because Darlene can watch Jerry."
Dan tapped his foot. "Yeah, but I don't like her watching Jerry by herself."
"Roseanne watched Becky when she was pregnant with Darlene…" Dan shot Jackie a mean look.
"That's exactly what Darlene said."
Andy walked up to Jackie and held his hands up so Jackie picked him up and pulled him onto her lap. "There's a good day care right down the street from the diner. That would take Andy and Jerry."
Dan ran his hand across his hair. "I'll put Jerry in if you put Andy in."
Jackie reached over and she and Dan shook hands. "Deal." They said in unison while Dan yawned.
"Hard day at work?"
Dan nodded still yawning. "Not hard. Mind-numbing. Dealing with those stupid kids today I found myself wishing I was doing dry wall again."
"That bad huh? Where's everyone sleeping?"
"DJ's sleeping in his room. Jerry is sleeping in his room. Becky is sleeping downstairs, and Darlene is sleeping in my room."
Jackie eyed Dan suspiciously. "Where are you sleeping?"
Dan said, coldly. "My Harley."
"Oh is that why you got the nice big comfy couch?"
Dan glared at Jackie. "Darlene doesn't need to be doing the stairs constantly. That's the only reason."
