ended just before they reached home again
with two forty pound bags of planting soil.
"One more thing Dad," said Harriet, who only
called Mike 'Dad' when she was angry or serious. "Try to be nicer
to Jack. Don't talk to him like he's a moron."
“ Well he is
a...”
“ It's his house,
Dad."
"Yeah, alright," conceded Mike.
Mike tossed the two bags of soil over his
shoulder, ignoring the short stabbing pain from his stomach, and
followed Harriet through the gate and around the house to the back
yard. He tossed the bags down beside the flower bed and dusted the
dirt off of his shirt.
"Why don't you go see if Patience needs any
help," said Harriet. "I want to get these last two Verbena in the
ground before dinner."
“ Okay."
Mike walked in and found Patience standing by
the stove and Jack leaning on the counter nearby. Patience gave him
the kind of smile most people reserve for someone they thought lost
at sea or perhaps for Hunter Tylo when she was carrying an
oversized novelty check for ten million dollars from Digital
Clearinghouse. There was something shifty in Jack's expression
though. Mike asked what was going on. They both spoke at once.
"Nothing,"
"Jack fondled me."
The look of shock had not even completely
registered on Jack's face, when Mike grabbed him by the shirt
collar and dragged him through the kitchen and out the door into
the garage. Calling for Patience to stay and finish dinner, he shut
the door after him. Jack was beginning to square his shoulders.
Mike shoved him back against the wall of the garage.
"Hey, don't get all jealous," Jack began.
"She's just a sexbot."
Mike grabbed Jack's face in his right hand
and slammed it once again into the wall, this time making a large,
round dent in the unfinished wallboard. He squeezed his fingers
together until Jack looked as though he were doing an imitation of
a fish.
"You don't get it!" hissed Mike. "This isn't
about Patience! This is about Harriet! This is about my
daughter."
Jack's eyes got rounder.
"If you ever hurt my little girl, if you ever
cheat on her, I will kill you."
Once more, Jack's head slammed against the
wall.
"If you want to leave. Tell her. Get a
divorce. Now is a good time. There aren't any kids yet. But if you
stick around and then cheat on her, I will kill you.
"I... will... kill... you." said Mike. "It
won't be quick. It won't be painless. And you know what? I'll even
get away with it. Look me in the eye. See if you can tell if I'm
serious or not."
Jack's round eyes rolled over in his head to
focus on Mike's close, way too close, face. A look of recognition
crossed those eyes. Mike crinkled his nose, and then looked down at
the spreading wet spot in Jack's pants and the widening puddle of
urine forming on the floor around Jack's shoes. Mike let go.
"Get cleaned up," he said, heading back into
the house.
Harriet was in the kitchen with Patience,
washing her hands in the sink.
"What were you two talking about in the
garage?" she asked.
"I was just apologizing for being such an ass
before," said Mike, as he heard Jack enter behind him. "But, uh,
Jack spilled his drink. So he needs to go change his pants."
"That's fine," said Harriet. "Patience and I
are just getting ready to set the table.”
Mike thought that it was the best quiche that
he had ever eaten. Sautéed green beans and fresh fruit completed
the meal. Harriet was a little concerned that Patience wasn't
eating anything, but Mike assured her that this was completely
normal. He also pointed out that Jack wasn’t eating much either.
Jack apparently didn’t feel well and everyone agreed that he looked
a little green around the gills.
“ I heard you speaking to
Jack in the garage,” said Patience on their way home.
“ You could hear
everything?” asked Mike.
“ Yes.”
“ Are you upset with
me?”
“ No, Mike. I could never be
upset with you.”
“ I just thought that you
might be disappointed that I wasn’t more jealous over
you.”
“ No,
with two forty pound bags of planting soil.
"One more thing Dad," said Harriet, who only
called Mike 'Dad' when she was angry or serious. "Try to be nicer
to Jack. Don't talk to him like he's a moron."
“ Well he is
a...”
“ It's his house,
Dad."
"Yeah, alright," conceded Mike.
Mike tossed the two bags of soil over his
shoulder, ignoring the short stabbing pain from his stomach, and
followed Harriet through the gate and around the house to the back
yard. He tossed the bags down beside the flower bed and dusted the
dirt off of his shirt.
"Why don't you go see if Patience needs any
help," said Harriet. "I want to get these last two Verbena in the
ground before dinner."
“ Okay."
Mike walked in and found Patience standing by
the stove and Jack leaning on the counter nearby. Patience gave him
the kind of smile most people reserve for someone they thought lost
at sea or perhaps for Hunter Tylo when she was carrying an
oversized novelty check for ten million dollars from Digital
Clearinghouse. There was something shifty in Jack's expression
though. Mike asked what was going on. They both spoke at once.
"Nothing,"
"Jack fondled me."
The look of shock had not even completely
registered on Jack's face, when Mike grabbed him by the shirt
collar and dragged him through the kitchen and out the door into
the garage. Calling for Patience to stay and finish dinner, he shut
the door after him. Jack was beginning to square his shoulders.
Mike shoved him back against the wall of the garage.
"Hey, don't get all jealous," Jack began.
"She's just a sexbot."
Mike grabbed Jack's face in his right hand
and slammed it once again into the wall, this time making a large,
round dent in the unfinished wallboard. He squeezed his fingers
together until Jack looked as though he were doing an imitation of
a fish.
"You don't get it!" hissed Mike. "This isn't
about Patience! This is about Harriet! This is about my
daughter."
Jack's eyes got rounder.
"If you ever hurt my little girl, if you ever
cheat on her, I will kill you."
Once more, Jack's head slammed against the
wall.
"If you want to leave. Tell her. Get a
divorce. Now is a good time. There aren't any kids yet. But if you
stick around and then cheat on her, I will kill you.
"I... will... kill... you." said Mike. "It
won't be quick. It won't be painless. And you know what? I'll even
get away with it. Look me in the eye. See if you can tell if I'm
serious or not."
Jack's round eyes rolled over in his head to
focus on Mike's close, way too close, face. A look of recognition
crossed those eyes. Mike crinkled his nose, and then looked down at
the spreading wet spot in Jack's pants and the widening puddle of
urine forming on the floor around Jack's shoes. Mike let go.
"Get cleaned up," he said, heading back into
the house.
Harriet was in the kitchen with Patience,
washing her hands in the sink.
"What were you two talking about in the
garage?" she asked.
"I was just apologizing for being such an ass
before," said Mike, as he heard Jack enter behind him. "But, uh,
Jack spilled his drink. So he needs to go change his pants."
"That's fine," said Harriet. "Patience and I
are just getting ready to set the table.”
Mike thought that it was the best quiche that
he had ever eaten. Sautéed green beans and fresh fruit completed
the meal. Harriet was a little concerned that Patience wasn't
eating anything, but Mike assured her that this was completely
normal. He also pointed out that Jack wasn’t eating much either.
Jack apparently didn’t feel well and everyone agreed that he looked
a little green around the gills.
“ I heard you speaking to
Jack in the garage,” said Patience on their way home.
“ You could hear
everything?” asked Mike.
“ Yes.”
“ Are you upset with
me?”
“ No, Mike. I could never be
upset with you.”
“ I just thought that you
might be disappointed that I wasn’t more jealous over
you.”
“ No,
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