Page 87 of Truck Me
Rayne frowns. “Grandpa, why is that funny? He just strangled Bart.”
Her obvious dislike of how Homer treats Bart only makes Dad laugh harder. “It’s their dynamic. It’s funny.”
She stares at the TV for a minute before she shakes her head. “I guess this show is too old for me.”
Dad scoffs. “Honey, this show is still on.”
“I thought these were reruns?”
“They are. But this show has been on for over thirty years.”
“Really?” She wrinkles her nose in disgust. “It’s not that good.”
“Girl!” I say as I step into the room. “Might wanna hold your tongue. This is one of our favorite shows. Isn’t it, Dad?”
I fall down on the couch next to him and rest my head on his shoulder. He squeezes my leg and drops a kiss on my forehead. “Sure is. We used to watch this all the time with Carol. It was the one thing we always did together. Just the three of us.”
“My mom loved this show?” Rayne asks, sitting up straighter.
“She did.” I smile. “This was her favorite show. She wouldn’t miss it. Especially the Halloween episodes. She lived for those.”
“I’ve seen a few of those.” She stares at the TV as if she’s seeing the cartoon through a new light. “I didn’t know she liked this. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
She’s looking at Dad when she asks that question.
He glances at me like I’m going to have the answer she seeks. When I don’t say anything, he looks at her and shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess it never came up.”
Rayne glances between the TV and Dad a few times before she asks, “Will you tell me more shows she liked?”
Dad gives her a smile. “Sure.” Then he pats the other side of the couch, calling her to come over. “We can watch them together.”
I lean over and kiss Dad on the cheek before I push to my feet. Then I pull Rayne in for a hug. “I’m going out. You’ll be in bed by the time I get home, so enjoy your evening.”
“You too,” she says as she curls up next to my dad. I smile at them and give them another wave before I head into the kitchen to grab the chocolate pie I made and say goodbye to Mom.
Mom is at the stove, finishing up dinner. I walk up behind her and rest my chin on her shoulder. “Smells good. Sorry I’m gonna miss it.”
She’s making breaded pork chops, stuffing from a box, and green beans. It’s a simple meal but was always a staple growing up.
She looks over her shoulder at me and smiles. “I’m sure whatever that boy feeds you tonight will be just as good, if not better.”
I jerk my head back and frown. “What boy?”
Mom chuckles. “Oh, sweetheart. You’re not fooling anyone. I know you’re going to see Garret.”
My mouth falls open and I blink several times, unable to formulate thoughts, let alone words.
My stunned expression only makes her laugh harder.
“You didn’t really think I didn’t know you’ve been sneaking over to his house, did you?”
My eyes shift around the kitchen before they settle back on her. “Um. Yeah.”
It’s been almost a week since he took us tubing over at Divide Hill, and I’ve snuck over to his house every night since then. I waited until everyone was in bed and made sure I came home long before anyone was up.
“You’re not as sneaky as you think you are.” She grins and bops me on the nose like I’m a child.
“Well, damn.” I sigh. “Does Rayne know?”