Page 104 of The Champion
“No problem.” She giggled. “What’s with all the apples?”
“They made me buy them.”
Tommy, who frequently stayed at our house, came into thekitchen and grabbed an apple from the counter. The apples I intended onthrowing away.
He took a seat at the kitchen island and ate the apple.
After a moment, he noticed us staring at him and tryinglike hell to contain our giggles.
Sway leaned into my shoulder. “Should we tell him?”
Tipping my head toward hers, I chuckled. “I don’t thinkit would even make a difference to him.”
“What is your problem?” Tommy asked finishing his apple.
“Nothing.” We both replied snickering.
“You guys are so strange.” He said walking into thefamily room to play a video game with Axel.
Sway got up and headed for the apples. She opened thedoor to the trash bin and I sprung up to stop her.
“Don’t do that. We have to at least make a pie forSpencer with them.”
“Oh, good point.” She grinned and put them into a largebowl away from the rest of the fruit on the counter.
Later that night, I decided to take my family out to eatsince Sway was still recovering and most of my energy was spent on the kidsthat afternoon and neither of us felt like cooking.
So there we were at the local Outback and Arie tossed herjuice cup on the floor. Naturally, Sway bent under the table to get it.
Axel was busy playing with his food and Arie thoughtshe’d help Sway out by saying “There, look there!” at the top of her lungsevery few seconds. As if Sway didn’t know it was under there.
I hated going to restaurants with the kids because it waslike we spent more time making sure they weren’t being annoying to others;begging them to eat; picking up shit they threw and then telling them to stopstaring at people; and then trying to actually eating our own meals.
Tonight wasn’t any different.
While Sway was down there I looked around the room when agroup of frat boys started cheering at what they thought was my wife giving mea little micro polishing under the table.
I would have never allowed this with kids present but Idecided against my better judgment, to pretend a little.
I nodded a little arrogantly provoking them.
“Oh, there it is.” Sway said reaching for the cup thatwas now by my foot.
Trying to keep this up a little longer, I threw my headforward as though I really was enjoying it and kicked the cup away.
“Don’t kick it asshole.”
I grinned again and the group of guys high-fived eachother.
Sway eventually got the cup, got back in her chair andglared at me. “Jerk,”
Axel snorted and looked at me with a smile. “You mademama mad.”
“Nothin’ new little man,” I said taking a big bite of mysteak and then chewing slowly before I winked at Sway.
She shook her head and then excused herself to feedCasten in the bathroom. She returned at the worst time when the group of fratboys came by.
“Man, you are our hero!”
