Page 95 of The Same Flesh
“Dad,” Tean said.“What’s going on?Is everything okay?”
His dad twisted around.“Hello, Teancum.I was just having a chat with Daniel.Great talking to you, Daniel.Say hi to your folks for me.Remember that your dad loves you!”
“Move,” Daniel growled at Tean.
Tean slid aside, and Daniel stomped past him into the garage.
Jem let him pass.He shot his eyebrows at Tean.“What’s up?”
“I’m not sure.Can you take him home?My dad is here.”
“Uh, yeah.Okay.Danny boy, you ready?”
Daniel gave Jem a look that Jem had once told Tean was called Death Ray Thirteen, and then he got into the front seat and slammed the door.
Jem rolled his eyes.“This is going to be fun.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Nah, we’re good.We’ll get cones at McDonald’s.I mean, Daniel’s going to get a cone at McDonald’s, and I’m not going to get anything, because—uh, diabetes?”
Tean was actually too tired to respond to that.
“Babe, don’t look so sad.We’ll be extra good.Scout’s promise.”
“Can we go?”Daniel shouted from inside the car.
“So much fun,” Jem said under his breath, and he ruffled Scipio’s ears before he left.
His dad was still on the sofa.He had one leg stretched out and an ice pack on his ankle.
“What happened?”Tean asked.“Are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine.I tripped over one of your grandfather’s boxes.The one with the rope maker, if you can believe that.Twisted my ankle.”
“Do you need to see a doctor?”
“I’m fine.But I couldn’t do the stairs to my place,” his dad said, “so Amos thought I should stay here.”
“Amos thought you should stay here?”
“Daniel’s really grown up, hasn’t he?It’s hard to see someone so young feeling so lost.”
“What exactly did Amos say?”
“I’ve got all those stairs, Teancum.And I busted my ankle.We had a nice talk.I think it helped him.He has a lot weighing on him.”
It took Tean a moment to follow the conversational shift from Amos to Daniel.Rather than engage with the comment, Tean took out his phone and texted Amos:What’s going on?
“He’s got a lot of anger,” Tean’s dad said.“A lot of teenagers do because they’re lost today.They don’t have the spiritual guidance they need.It’s a very different world.”
Amos texted back:He tripped over a box.
Tean responded:I know he tripped over a box.What’s he doing in my house?
“I counseled him,” Tean’s dad said.“I told him what the prophets have been telling us for generations.The hearts of the children must turn to the fathers.That’s the only way for us to build the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.”
Amos still hadn’t replied, so Tean texted again:He can’t stay here.
