Page 37 of His White Moonlight
“Let’s go to an arcade.”
Everything about his curious demeanor changed.He completely shut down.
“No.”
“Oh, come on.It’ll be a fun way to unwind.”I pinched the loose material on the side of his shirt and tugged on it like a kid.“Please.You’ll have fun.I promise.”
He slowly turned to look at me.His pupils started to expand, and I scrambled to find something flattering to say to defuse his annoyance, like Grandma had suggested.
“Do you know how many women would kill for eyelashes like yours?It’s just not fair that you look so pretty.”
His pupils calmed, and he frowned slightly.“Pretty?”
“It’s a compliment,” I said quickly.“And you’re right.We need to ease you into fun.Too much too quickly could shock the system.You might actually get funstroke.You need introductory-level amusement.”I thought about it for a second, then smiled widely.“You like dessert, right?Let’s walk around downtown and find this dessert place I heard about.”
Dessert to sweeten his mood, a big dinner to appease him and stall for time, and then lure him into the arcade to loosen him up.And once he was suitably relaxed, I could begin my interrogation to determine what Bennett wanted so we could make a deal that benefited both of us.
“Okay,” he said finally.“I’ll go change.But you have to promise you’ll be with me the entire time.”
I held up three fingers and promised.He didn’t quite look convinced but eventually left with his partially eaten sandwich.I quickly pulled out my phone to call Mom.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?”Mom asked, her voice laced with real concern.The level of her love for me was both a blessing and a curse.
“I’m fine.I just got frustrated and emotional while driving and wanted to come back home.”
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Yep.I made Bennett a sandwich to apologize, and since he doesn’t have anything else to do, he said we can go have some fun at an arcade.”
“Bennett said that?”
“He did.You can call him yourself and ask.”
The beat of silence that followed made me nervous until she said, “I don’t know, Wrenly.Those types of places are usually really crowded.”
“Which isn’t a problem.I’m not allergic to people, and I already promised Bennett that I’d stick to him like glue.It’s not like an arcade is that much different from shopping, and he was willing to do that, right?Besides, I’ve been locked away for seven years, Mom.Why can’t I do normal people things?”
She didn’t immediately say anything, which I knew meant she was seriously debating the matter.
“And it’s not just for me, Mom.It’s for Bennett, too.He needs to stop making people cry at work.Maybe a little bit of fun time on the weekends will help with that.”
“It’s Bennett I’m worried about, Wrenly.You know how he is.Are you going to be able to smooth things over at the first sign that he’s about to lose his temper?”
“Yes,” I said confidently.
“Oh?How?”
She had me there.I’d never witnessed him losing his cool, only the aftermath.
“Different situations require different responses,” I said smoothly.“I won’t know the right one until I know the situation.I promise it’ll be fine.”
She said something under her breath that I didn’t catch, then said, “If he looks like he’s going to lose his temper, hug him, Wrenly.Okay?”
Weird and a little awkward, but doable.He couldn’t exactly throw things or people if his arms were full.Well, he could throw me, but…nah, he wouldn’t throw me too hard.Mom would get mad.
“Deal,” I said.
“All right.You two have fun.I think Dad and I will stay in the city tonight.”
