Page 99 of My Life with the Walter Boys
“Oh right,” Alex said. “Well, we do it all the time.”
“Enjoying the weather?” Nathan asked when we reached the house. Alex gave him the finger, and everyone burst out laughing as we trudged up the steps.
“Jackie, you cold?” Isaac asked. “Your headlights are on.”
Resisting the urge to cross my arms, I answered him. “Actually, I am. Maybe a hug would warm me up?” I took a step toward him with my arms wide open. Isaac backed away quickly, not wanting to get wet, but Alex ambushed him from the side.
“Dude, really?” Isaac complained. “Now I’m soaking.”
“That’s what she said,” Lee said, making all the boys laugh.
“Notsoaking,” Alex answered Isaac, shaking his head in disagreement. Isaac had splotches of damp on his clothes, but it was nothing compared to us. “Let me fix that for you.” With one quick push, Isaac was out in the rain. Danny gave Alex a high five as Jack and Jordan stepped out onto the porch.
“What’s he doing out there?” Jack asked as he wiped his already foggy glasses on his shirt.
“We don’t like him anymore,” Danny said. “He was voted off our island.”
“Really?” Isaac demanded from out in the rain. “Who’s going to read lines with you then?”
“Definitely not you,” Danny said, rolling his eyes. “You’re terrible.”
Isaac smirked as he climbed up the steps. “‘O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?’” he called, descending upon his cousin.
“Stay back,” Danny said, jumping up out of his seat. “I don’t want to get all wet.”
“Too bad,” Isaac laughed and pushed him off the porch.
Lee burst out laughing. “Hey, look! Romeo’s all washed up,” he said, pointing a finger at his cousin. In response, Danny yanked him out into the rain. “What the fudge?” Lee demanded.
Benny, who had been standing next to me quietly, tugged on my hand. “Jackie, can I go out in the rain too, or does someone have to push me?”
I broke into a grin. “If you want to play in the rain,” I told him, “go for it. I’ll even play with you. First one to jump in a puddle wins?” I asked.
Benny’s eyes lit up, and he bounded off the porch in his yellow rain boots.
“Care to join me?” I asked, grabbing Alex’s hand.
“It would be a pleasure,” he said, grinning at me, and we both stepped back out into the rain.
The cool water felt relaxing as it ran down my back, and I ran my fingers through my soaking hair, lifting the new weight off my neck.
“Jackie! I beat you!” Benny called.
“Did you, now?” I responded, splashing toward him. “Well, guess what? You’re it,” I said and tapped him on the shoulder. It only took Benny a moment before he was chasing after one of his older brothers in a game of tag.
“You know what this weather reminds me of?” Jack asked his twin. “That pirate movie we watched last night, where there was a sword fight in the middle of the storm.”
“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Jordan asked, picking up a broom. He swung it at his brother’s face. “En garde!”
Jack grinned and swiped a stick out of the flower bed. The two started to sword fight across the slippery wooden porch, pretending it was the deck of a pirate ship.
“I get to be the captain,” Jack called.
“You have glasses,” his double said. “That makes you a loser. Captains are never losers.” With that, he pushed his brother off the steps with a quick jab of his sword. Jack fell back into a puddle of water and sprayed mud everywhere. When he stood up, his pants were covered.
“Looks like you shit your pants,” Lee teased.
“Well, it looks like you shit your face,” Jack shot back. He scooped up a handful of mud and threw it at his cousin, splattering brown muck on Lee’s face.
