Pink Flamingoed by Steve Demaree Page B

never read any of your stuff,” Kenny answered
sheepishly. “But I will,” he quickly added.
     
    +++
     
    “You’d better stop or I’ll tell,” Mallory said to her
teasing brother as he flipped her curls. She tried to get away, but Kenny kept
following her and continued to tease her.
    “James Kensington Armbruster! Leave your sister
alone,” Nancy hollered at her son from across the sanctuary.
    “Mom told,” Mallory stated triumphantly.
    “Mom, you promised not to call me that in public,”
Kenny uttered dejectedly.
    “Well, you shouldn’t have been pestering your sister
in the sanctuary. You know what your father and I have told you about acting
properly in God’s house.”
    Brad noticed Kenny’s embarrassment and took him aside.
    “Kensington, huh?” Brad asked.
    “I’m afraid so,” Kenny answered.
    “Well, it’s better than Rothrock.”
    “Yeah, but who’d name their kid Rothrock?” Kenny
asked.
    “My parents.”
    “Your name’s Rothrock? Brad Rothrock?”
    “Bradford Rothrock Forrester at your service,” Brad
said as he snapped to attention.
    “Bradford? Isn’t that some kind of tree?”
    “I was named for the Bradford pear tree. I was. Not
really. I had bestowed upon me the maiden names of my two grandmothers. So what
do you think of that, Kensington?” Brad asked as he gave Kenny a slight punch
on the bicep.
    “Well, maybe Kensington isn’t so bad after all. At
least, it’s better than Rothrock,” Kenny said, returning the gesture.
    “But let’s look at this positively. Only a man could
have a name bestowed upon him like Kensington or Rothrock. Girls, on the other
hand, are merely given the middle name of Ann.”
    “Or Sue,” Kenny added. “But then some parents give
them names like Carrington,” Kenny continued, as he saw his sister reentering
the church.
    “Carrington. I kind of like that,” Brad said, much to
Kenny’s dismay.
    “Jill Carrington Armbruster, you know better than to
run in the church,” her mother shouted.
    Jill slowed down to a lady-like pace. She walked up to
Brad carrying a couple of books under her arm.
    “Would it be appropriate for me to ask you to sign
your books for me?” Jill asked nervously.
    “I would be delighted to sign your books,” Brad said,
drawing his special signing pen from his pocket.
    The smile froze on Jill’s face as she watched Brad
sign the two books. Her trance-like state continued even after Brad had
finished signing the books and had attempted to hand them back to her. Kenny
snapped his fingers in front of Jill’s face in order to bring her back to
reality, or at least as far back as was possible at that moment.
    “Oh, uh, I’m sorry. Thanks,” Jill muttered.
    “No, thank you. Thank you, mademoiselle, for taking
time to read my books.”
    “The pleasure was all mine,” Jill said, as the
trance-like smile returned to her face.
    “Oh, brother! Gag! I have to get out of here,” Kenny
said, unable to take any more of his sister’s crush-like actions.
    With her brother having left and her sister somewhat
out of it, Mallory seized her chance to talk.
    “You haven’t by any chance written any books for
smaller children, have you?”
    “Sorry,” Brad responded. “I haven’t written any of
them yet.”
    “Just thought I’d check,” Mallory replied. “See, I
talk bigger than I can read.”
     
    +++
     
    “Scott! Children! Come on! Dinner’s ready!” Nancy hollered, as she tried to summon her troops.
    Within a couple of minutes the chairs around the table
began to fill, as her husband and children wandered in from different
directions.
    “Has everyone washed his or her hands?” Nancy asked.
    “Jill only washed one of hers,” Kenny replied, causing
his sister to give him a dirty look.
    “What are you talking about, Kenny?” his mother asked.
    “Well, Jill used her right hand to shake hands with
Brad Forrester, so she vows never to wash it again.”
    “What’s that you’ve brought to the table with