Page 130 of Give & Take

It’s Nova. I remember what I told her before I left. That she can call me any time.

“Hi sweetheart. What’s up?”

“What’s the name of the guy in the Goonies who’s stuck in the basement? You know the brother they all forgot about.”

I’d convinced Lana that the four of us needed to watch all the best kid movies of the past forty years together. The Goonies was the one we’d seen before I left.

“Sloth!” I say.

“But you said he had a real name.”

“Oh yeah. Uh…” I pinch my fingers at the bridge of my nose, thinking. Then it comes to me. “Lotney! But they never say it in the movie. That’s just trivia.”

“Lotney! Yesss. That’s what we’re going to name this turtle.”

I laugh. “A turtle, huh?”

In the background, Lana says, “We’renotgetting a turtle, young lady!”

“That’s what she thinks!” Nova whispers.

I laugh. Then the sharp sound of a throat clearing behind me has me glancing back. “Hey, do you think you can tell me about it when I’m back?”

“Sure. Oh, Mom wants to talk to you.”

I hold up a finger. The professors are still clutching their collective pearls. Oh well. I’m notnotgoing to talk to Lana. I’ll never give up the chance to hear her voice.

“Hey, Raph,” Lana’s voice comes on the line.

Yup,thatvoice. I love that voice so fucking much. It’s rich and raspy and?—

Murmurs sound behind me. Not the time.

“You busy?” she asks.

“Just a little. You okay?”

“Of course. I just…” Lana clears her throat. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

My whole chest blows up like its filled with helium. She wanted to hearme.I manage to throw a lasso up and reign myself in. “Is that right, Sunshine?”

“Sunshine?” Chan sputters. “Mister LaForest. It seems we’re interrupting something!”

“Raph, where are you?” Lana asks, her voice halting.

“I’m sorry Sunshine, I have to go. I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.”

When I hang up, I apologize. “Professors, I know I might have blown this whole thing. But…well, I guess I just showed you I’m living what I wrote. When love calls, you answer it. If I sacrifice this defense because I answered the phone for my family—well, I think I still come out on top.”

There are a few more minutes of silence, while the group looks at each other, then confers amongst themselves. My advisor looks like she’s going to be sick.

But after a moment, Chan sighs wearily. “All right. Continue. But we implore you that no further demonstration of your absorption of the material is required.”

Chapter 36

Raphael

“Okay, Doctor Dooknuckle!” Mikey says.

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