Page 48 of Charlie
“Every parent loves their child, but not every parent is fit to care for one.”
Kit had told me that Nathan’s mom had committed suicide, and my heart ached with sadness from the closed-off expression on the boy’s face.
The blond girl looked to be the youngest of the five. She raised her hand like I was a teacher and I nodded to her.
“I’m Sun River Devine, but I only go by River. In two months, I’ll be twelve years old. And that is Lumi. She’s the oldest. She’s seventeen but Conor says she has the maturity of someone in their thirties. Maximum is Conor’s and Ciara’s other son and he just turned thirteen last week.
Conor spoke up. “You’re all my children, River. We talked about that. We’re a family here.”
“Yeah, but I meant blood-related.”
“The word is biologically,” Atlas corrected her. “Blood-related is a less refined word.”
“Fine.” River leaned back in her seat and looked down with a small pout on her face.
“Blood-related described it just fine,” I said to comfort the girl.
“Actually…” Conor moved around the table at a slow pace and as he passed each teen, he touched their shoulders. “We take great care to develop the children’s vocabulary. Words have power and we want them to communicate in a concise and refined manner. Using precise words, as well as the correct tone, will make people respect you, and once you have their respect, doors open up to you.”
“Are there more children in your family?”
“Not at the moment.” He was coming my way, and I didn’t like that I was sitting while he was standing, so I got up. “I noticed that your wife has that wonderful Irish accent, but you don’t seem to have one. Where are you from?”
“I don’t have a wife.”
“Oh, I meant the boys’ mother. We met her downstairs.”
“I have to correct your misconception. I’m not married to Ciara or anyone else for that matter.” He gave me a smile that I would categorize as mildly flirtatious. “Ciara and I have a history and I’m bound to her in spirit, but that’s the same with everyone else in my tribe. As for your question of where I come from, the answer is London, but I’ve lived in many places and I’ve acquired what some would say is a clean or neutral accent.”
I tilted my head. “I don’t know. It’s clear to hear that you’re from this side of the Atlantic. You sound like a newsreader on the BBC. Proper and well-articulated.”
“Thank you, but I’ve lived in Ireland long enough that I tend to use some of the local lingo. Where in the US are you from?”
“Chicago.”
“Oh, I see. Same as Charles. Are you old friends?”
“Yes, actually, Charles and I go back five years. We didn’t meet in Chicago though. We met at Harvard and it’s a funny story really, because we were both called Charlie and so I accidentally took his coffee order, thinking it was mine.”
River smiled at me, but Lumi sighed. “You shouldn’t use words such as actually, really, and so. An over-reliance on adverbs is a sign of weak communication. In writing it would be considered a sign of insufficient revision.”
“Really?” My tone was lighthearted. “Well, I guess my degree from Harvard was a complete waste of money if I can’t even communicate on the level of you smart teenagers.”
River laughed and moved in her seat. “You did it again, you used really and well. You can’t do that.”
I liked her because of all the people in this house she was the youngest and most innocent. Placing a hand in front of my mouth, I made big eyes and then she and I laughed together. Charles pulled me against his side and laughed too.
“Charles, there is something I’d like to discuss with you. I’m sure the children can entertain Liv for a moment until we’re back.”
I nodded to Charles and returned to my seat when the men left. As soon as the door closed, I leaned in and whispered in a conspiratorial tone of voice. “Okay, so who wants to tell me the best pranks you’ve played on your teachers?”
None of them spoke, and I sensed tension around the table.
“Argh, don’t tell me you never prank the adults. Then what about each other at least? I love a good prank.”
Maximum, a quiet boy with blond hair and soulful brown eyes, looked over his shoulder to check that the door was closed. “One time, I pranked my parents. I told my mom that my dad needed to speak with her, but then when she went to his bedroom, he was with Sara.”
I frowned. “Did they laugh about it?”
