grabbed Angelo, lifting him upside down.
Angelo reached for the ground, squealing, “Lemme down, lemme down!”
Laughing, Dante turned him around and placed Angelo gently onto his feet.
“Where are my cards?” Angelo hollered. The kid was loud, always talking at top volume. The only time he was quiet was when he was asked a question, then the li’l blighter wouldn’t say a word, usually ignoring the person—like his father often did.
Dante pulled the cards out of his jacket as Tiana rounded the corner. Angelo snatched them from Dante and took off down the passage, pushing past his mother, who snapped at him to say thank you.
“Thank you!” Angelo yelled, disappearing around the corner.
Tiana shook her head. “He’s a li’l ratbag that boy.”
“At least I got a thank you this time,” Dante said. “I usually only get a grunt.”
Tiana smiled. She had flour dusting her caramel-coloured cheeks and some on her apron. Like Beth, she was tall, but other than that, the two looked nothing alike. Instead of being slim, Tiana was voluptuous, and had thick, wavy brown hair and almond-shaped eyes. When Ash had started dating her in high school, his brother had nicknamed her his “Polynesian princess.” And she was a beauty, although she didn’t realise it, unlike Beth, who knew she was hot.
“What do ya want to drink?” Tiana asked. “Juice, coffee or tea?”
“Juice will do,” he said, although he was aching for something stronger. He wanted to get blotto, so he didn’t have to think about Beth—or Chaz. Jesus, what else could go wrong today?
He followed Tiana into the lounge and settled himself on the floral couch, while she went to get his drink. Angelo was sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring at SpongeBob on the telly with his rugby cards spread out in front of him.
“You wanna go outside and play rugby?” Dante asked.
Angelo didn’t answer.
“It doesn’t hafta be rugby, it can be anything you want.”
“Shut up, SpongeBob’s on,” Angelo said, without taking his eyes off the screen.
“Don’t be rude, Angelo,” Tiana growled as she entered the lounge. She placed Dante’s drink on the coffee table, then picked up the remote and switched off the program.
“No!” Angelo scrambled for the TV.
“Your uncle came to visit you, not SpongeBob. And you don’t tell adults to shut up.”
“I needa watch it!” Angelo squealed, turning it back on.
“Don’t worry, T,” Dante said. “It’s alright, I don’t mind.”
Tiana gave the back of Angelo’s head a scowl. “He needs to learn some manners.” She sat down next to Dante, looking like she was aching to turn the TV off again.
Dante patted her leg. “Chill, boys are naturally rude, there’d be sumpthin’ wrong with him if he wuzn’t.”
“My brother wasn’t rude when he was little.”
“Then he sure made up for it as a teenager.”
She smiled, reminding Dante of Ash’s love-struck description of her, ‘Brighter than the sun and lovelier than the moon.’ His brother never said things like that anymore—and definitely not to Beth.
Tiana’s expression saddened, a cloud of emotion smothering her sunny smile. “Why didja go to the hearing?” she said.
“I thought I could handle it. Not one of my brightest ideas. Still, it wuz lucky I did, cos Sledge turned up.”
“Good Lord, does he know what happened to Ash?”
“Yes.”
“How’d he take it?”
“Shocked, angry, disgusted with Chaz.”
“Has he talked to Ash about it?”
“No, they stay well clear of each other now. Remember I told ja Ash kicked Sledge out a few months back?”
“Yeah, you mentioned they had an argument.”
“An argument?” Dante shook his head. “I must’ve been tripping that day, cos that’s the understatement of the century. Sledge and his mate attacked one of Ash’s friends, so Ash took it upon himself to enact justice. I had to pull him offa Sledge, cos he wouldn’t stop bashing him.”
Tiana’s eyes went
Angelo reached for the ground, squealing, “Lemme down, lemme down!”
Laughing, Dante turned him around and placed Angelo gently onto his feet.
“Where are my cards?” Angelo hollered. The kid was loud, always talking at top volume. The only time he was quiet was when he was asked a question, then the li’l blighter wouldn’t say a word, usually ignoring the person—like his father often did.
Dante pulled the cards out of his jacket as Tiana rounded the corner. Angelo snatched them from Dante and took off down the passage, pushing past his mother, who snapped at him to say thank you.
“Thank you!” Angelo yelled, disappearing around the corner.
Tiana shook her head. “He’s a li’l ratbag that boy.”
“At least I got a thank you this time,” Dante said. “I usually only get a grunt.”
Tiana smiled. She had flour dusting her caramel-coloured cheeks and some on her apron. Like Beth, she was tall, but other than that, the two looked nothing alike. Instead of being slim, Tiana was voluptuous, and had thick, wavy brown hair and almond-shaped eyes. When Ash had started dating her in high school, his brother had nicknamed her his “Polynesian princess.” And she was a beauty, although she didn’t realise it, unlike Beth, who knew she was hot.
“What do ya want to drink?” Tiana asked. “Juice, coffee or tea?”
“Juice will do,” he said, although he was aching for something stronger. He wanted to get blotto, so he didn’t have to think about Beth—or Chaz. Jesus, what else could go wrong today?
He followed Tiana into the lounge and settled himself on the floral couch, while she went to get his drink. Angelo was sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring at SpongeBob on the telly with his rugby cards spread out in front of him.
“You wanna go outside and play rugby?” Dante asked.
Angelo didn’t answer.
“It doesn’t hafta be rugby, it can be anything you want.”
“Shut up, SpongeBob’s on,” Angelo said, without taking his eyes off the screen.
“Don’t be rude, Angelo,” Tiana growled as she entered the lounge. She placed Dante’s drink on the coffee table, then picked up the remote and switched off the program.
“No!” Angelo scrambled for the TV.
“Your uncle came to visit you, not SpongeBob. And you don’t tell adults to shut up.”
“I needa watch it!” Angelo squealed, turning it back on.
“Don’t worry, T,” Dante said. “It’s alright, I don’t mind.”
Tiana gave the back of Angelo’s head a scowl. “He needs to learn some manners.” She sat down next to Dante, looking like she was aching to turn the TV off again.
Dante patted her leg. “Chill, boys are naturally rude, there’d be sumpthin’ wrong with him if he wuzn’t.”
“My brother wasn’t rude when he was little.”
“Then he sure made up for it as a teenager.”
She smiled, reminding Dante of Ash’s love-struck description of her, ‘Brighter than the sun and lovelier than the moon.’ His brother never said things like that anymore—and definitely not to Beth.
Tiana’s expression saddened, a cloud of emotion smothering her sunny smile. “Why didja go to the hearing?” she said.
“I thought I could handle it. Not one of my brightest ideas. Still, it wuz lucky I did, cos Sledge turned up.”
“Good Lord, does he know what happened to Ash?”
“Yes.”
“How’d he take it?”
“Shocked, angry, disgusted with Chaz.”
“Has he talked to Ash about it?”
“No, they stay well clear of each other now. Remember I told ja Ash kicked Sledge out a few months back?”
“Yeah, you mentioned they had an argument.”
“An argument?” Dante shook his head. “I must’ve been tripping that day, cos that’s the understatement of the century. Sledge and his mate attacked one of Ash’s friends, so Ash took it upon himself to enact justice. I had to pull him offa Sledge, cos he wouldn’t stop bashing him.”
Tiana’s eyes went
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