Page 14 of So Far Gone

Both Leah and Asher shrugged. They had no idea what you called it.

“A throuple?” Joanie made that barking laugh sound again and thedog’s ears rose. “No. Thank. You. That just sounds like twice the cooking and laundry.”

Asher and Leah glanced quickly at each other, Asher mouthing,Throuple?

“I figured they’d need some time apart, but a few months passed, and a few more months and Brian just got angrier and... well... they can both be a little stubborn.”

In the yard, Brian seemed to be winding down, no longer pointing, just leaning forward and lecturing Rhys, who continued to nod. Finally, he seemed to run out of gas. Kinnick said something, and offered his hand, and a second later, Brian took it. They shook. Clapped each other on the back. Then Rhys said something that made Brian laugh.

“About time,” Joanie said. “Peace has come to the valley.” She toasted the window with her coffee cup. “Don’t tell your grandpa, but Brian has missed his friend something fierce.”

The men came inside.

“Coffee?” Joanie asked.

“Thank you, Joanie,” Rhys said. “That would be nice. I wanted to apologize to you, too. I shouldn’t have—”

“No, no, no!” Joanie interrupted. “You do not get to take back what you said, Rhys Kinnick. You are on the record, my friend.” She turned and winked at Leah. “Girl my age doesn’t get too many confessions of love, even drunk ones. You’re not taking that one back, thank you very much. You’re going to have to suffer it.”

“Go on,” Brian said to Rhys, “ask her your other thing.”

“Well,” Rhys said, “Joanie, I wasn’t expecting to be watching my grandkids today, and, as you can see, I’m a bit of a fright. I was wondering if I could use your shower, and after I got cleaned up if... maybe...” He fluffed his bushy graying hair. “Would you cut my hair?”

She put her hand to her chest. “Why, of course I would, Rhys.”

This caused Brian to smile. “Shower’s a good idea,” he said to Rhys. “You’ve gone a few miles past stale, my friend.”

Kinnick smelled his armpit.

“Are you an Indian?” Asher suddenly asked Brian.

“Asher—” Rhys began.

“Native American—” Leah corrected.

“Oh. Right. Sorry,” Asher said. “Are you a Native American?”

“I am,” Brian said to Asher. “Spokane and Colville.”

“Do you have a different name than Brian? Like, a warrior name?”

“Sure,” Brian said. “I am known to my people as Standing Water. My older sister is Flooded Basement. And my younger brother is Ruined Carpet.”

“Brian,” Joanie scolded. “Be nice to the boy.”

Brian winked. “I am known to my people as Brian.” He offered his hand. “And you?”

Asher took his hand. “I am known to my people as Asher,” he said.

***

Rhys ran his hand over his clean-shaven face, then over the short, stubbly hair on the back of his head. It reminded him of being a boy, on bath night, after his father had cut his ratty hair and his younger brother’s ratty hair, with his old US Navy clippers, little Rhys tracing his hand along the soft, stiffening stubble running up from his neck.

He glanced over at his grandchildren. They could never have imagined that he was a kid like them at one time, and that, one day, they would be as old and as brittle as he was now. Of course not. No one could. He hadn’t seen his grandfather or his uncles or his parents as the children they once were. They were another species, dinosaurs. “All of them gone now,” Rhys said.

“What?” Leah asked.

“Nothing,” Kinnick said. He had gotten so used to speaking aloud to himself, he didn’t always realize when the words were coming out.

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