The hospital will have ointments and ice,” she says.

Damn straight.” My heart feels like one of Scottie’s clogs clomping down the hall. I don’t know why I became so angry.

Oh, yeah. That’s Scottie. She’s a riot.

She’ll think we’re going on a trip of some sort. I want to get her away from here.

We can walk to town.”How do mothers manage to bring everything a child could need?

Deal.

Thank you very much,” Scottie said, and for some reason, the fact that I didn’t get this made me feel completely besieged. It’s crazy how much fathers are supposed to know these days. I come...

And I love small boobs, too, Alex. I’m an equal-opportunity employer.

Will it? I mean, look at how you kids talk. In front of me, especially. It’s like you don’t respect authority.”The kids stare at the television. I tell them to get out. I’m going to...

We don’t treat each other very well, I suppose. Even from the start. It was as though we had the seven-year itch the day we met. The day she went into a coma, I heard...

Bye!” she yells.I grab her arm. I could yell at her for wanting to leave, but I don’t. She pulls her arm out of my grasp. I look up to see if anyone is watching...

It’s not like I shoot it!”A plastic ballerina pops up and slowly twirls to a tinkling song whose sound is discordant and deformed. The pink satin liner is dirty, and other than a black pearl...

I lean down so that my face is right in front of hers and whisper, ‘He doesn’t love you. I love you.

This could give me bird flu,” and then she forms a circle around her mouth with her hand and makes trumpet noises. She’s nuts. Who knows what’s going on in that head of hers, and...