Page 51 of Big Britches

“Well, he needs to embrace it. Mark my words, the sooner he does, the sooner we’ll all be the better for it.”

“It’s good seeing you, Barb. I’ve missed these conversations.”

“Me too. Don’t be a stranger. And tell him I said to fucking call me.”

Barb’s phone rang the next day.

“Am I in trouble?” Titus asked.

“A little. But I forgive you.”

“I’m sorry, Barb. It’s just–”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have introduced you two sooner.”

“I was kind of wondering why you didn’t.”

“It wasn’t intentional. I promise. Subconscious maybe. Last I remember, you were a monk–celibate, devoted to your child, with no room for anyone else.”

“Things changed. Tucker’s older, and I guess I–”

“–woke up,” Barb finished for him.

“My libido did. That’s for sure.”

“A little more than I needed to know, thank you.”

“It’s not just sex, Barb. I’m crazy about him. I knew it the moment I laid eyes on him.”

“Who ever loved, that loved not at first sight?”

“Shakespeare?”

“Close. Christopher Marlowe. A poem–Hero and Leander.”

“That’s why you’ve been keeping him to yourself. Y’all speak the same language.”

Barb gave a soft chuckle, twirling the phone cord around her finger. “I’m happy for you both. From what I’ve observed, he feels pretty much the same.”

“I hope so. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself to believe it’s real.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. That stuff only happens in stories, or maybe poems written two centuries ago.”

“Four, but who’s counting? Austen, Anderson, Hugo, Mitchell… the concept has been with us for ages, even movies today. Hell, Forrest Gump–”

“Peas and carrots.”

“Exactly. Don’t question it, T. Just be grateful.”

“I am. We are.”

“Who else knows?”

“Only Roz. Well, Shelly and Tucker, too. They’re easy, though. Kids that age accept things as if they’re completely normal.”

“It is normal, T.”