Page 38 of Sleeper: The Palisades Edition

“You started it by being a poopie doopie head!”

They both scrunch up their faces and stick their tongues out at each other.

Shane and I signal to each other that we’re going to separate them for a bit.

“Come with me, little lady.” I take Summer’s hand and drag her away. “We do not hit people with churros or shove them when we’re angry,” I say to her firmly but quietly. “Got that?”

“He’sso dumb!”

“I don’t think he is, but why don’t you tell me why you’re mad at him.”

She stops in her tracks, throws her churro on the ground, balls her little hands up into fists, and growls just like Lucky did.

“Okay, you know what?” I pick up the big stick of deep-fried dough, take her hand again, toss the churro into the nearest trash bin, and pull her over to a nearby bench. “Sometimes when we’re really mad at someone, we can’t find the words to talk about it right away, and that’s fine. But we have to find other ways to get rid of the anger that don’t hurt anyone or anything. Do you feel mad?”

“Yes!”

“You feel it all over your body?”

“Yes! And it’s his fault!”

“Well, let’s figure out a way to get that mad feeling out of your body.”

I hop up from the bench. “When I feel angry, I do this.” Fortunately, I’m not wearing tight jeans for once, so I jump around on the pavement in front of her and kick and punch the air with absolutely no regard as to whether or not any other zoo patrons are watching me, because fuck ’em. This is an important life lesson. And then I just fling my arms around while jumping up and down. “This feels really good!”

Soon, Summer is jumping up and down and kicking and punching the air next to me.

“Good! Don’t you feel better?”

She’s smiling now.

“Now fling your arms around like this to get rid of the rest of that energy!”

She does just that.

I stop jumping. “Better?”

She stops jumping and nods her head. “You’re weird.”

“Yes, I am. But you aren’t mad anymore, are you?”

She shrugs her shoulders and then shakes her head.

“Good. I feel great. And you know what I feel like doing?”

“What?”

I look around quickly to make sure I’ve got room, and then I do a cartwheel. I’m fucking awesome at doing cartwheels, and I’ve got so much pent-up sexual energy that I will do literally anything to work it off so I don’t start dry humping their dad’s leg in the reptile house. I execute a perfect cartwheel, except that my blouse drops to my neck while I’m upside-down. Fortunately, I’m wearing a bra. Unfortunately, it’s not a family friendly bra. I pull my shirt down as soon as I’m right side up.

“I saw your undies!”

I swing around to see if anyone else saw and find Shane standing about twenty feet away, with an expression on his face that is caught somewhere betweenwhat the fuck is wrong with you?andshow me that fucking bra again right now.

I regret nothing.

“You know how to do a cartwheel?” I turn to ask Summer, but Summer’s eyes have lit up and she gasps when she sees something that is not me.

“Abby, Abby, Abby!” She runs over to a little girl who’s walking next to a woman who is blatantly eye-fucking Shane.