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 Okay, I guess. I poured myself a mug of coffee.  You guys are up early.
 Yeah, I promised my mom that we d go to church with her. She s been bitching
that T. J. and I haven t been there with her in a few weeks. I think she just
likes to show us off to her friends. You want to go along with us?
I shook my head.  I don t think so, hon. Church gives me the heebie-jeebies.
 You sure it s not just that you don t want to spend time with your
mother-in-law?
 Well yeah, now that you mention it. Your mom gives me the heebie-jeebies
too.
 Tommy!
Laughing, she smacked my ass with the greasy spatula. I yelped in surprise.
 You take that back, Mr. O Brien.
 What are the heebie-jeebies? T. J. piped up.
 It s a present your grandma gave me, I told him, and Michelle turned away,
snickering.  What ya watching, little man?
 Justice League Adventures. It s my new favorite cartoon on Sundays.
 And who s that big green guy? The Hulk?
 No, Daddy, that s Jonn Jonzz, the Martian Manhunter. He s getting ready to
fight Vandal Savage but . . .
I d known that, of course. I d been raised on Marvel and DC. Successfully
getting him off the subject of his grandmother s effect on me, I tuned him
out, nodding in the appropriate places and expressing dismay over the
character s plight when required. All the while, I searched for the aspirin. I
found them, washed four down with my coffee, and resurfaced for air just as T.
J. was finishing up.
 . . . can outrace Superman because Flash is the fastest man on Earth!
 Cool! I responded.
Michelle was staring at me. The bacon was draining on a paper-towel-covered
plate. The eggs looked just about done.
 What? I asked.
 How many aspirin did you just take?
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I shrugged.
 I don t know. Why?
 How many?
 Four.
 Will you please get that prescription filled today? I mean it, Tommy. This is
getting ridiculous.
 It s Sunday, Michelle. The pharmacy ain t open on Sunday.
 Yes it is, and you know it is too. You look like shit, Tommy. Maybe you need
to get a second opinion while you re at it. Whatever you ve got, it sure as
hell isn t getting any better.
That s because it s growing, I thought. Growing at an alarming rate. In fact,
Michelle babe, I m afraid it s terminal. And soon, it will be later my niggaz
and peace out!
 Okay, okay. I held up my hands in defeated surrender.  I ll go get the
prescription filled today. This morning in fact.
 You promise?
 I promise.
 Good. She kissed me on the cheek, gave my hand a squeeze, and flipped the
eggs onto a plate.  Now come eat.
I looked at the eggs and bacon and wanted to puke again. I felt the bile rise
in my throat, burning me, but I fought the urge down and smiled.
 Looks great. I licked my lips and sat down at the table.
I almost told her the truth then. The words were on the tip of my tongue. I
swallowed them down again, and the taste was bitter.
 We ve got to get ready for church, Michelle said.  Come on, T. J., turn that
thing off and go get dressed.
 Five more minutes, he negotiated.  It s almost over.
 Now, Michelle countered,  or no ice cream after church. Besides, you ve seen
this one already.
 I never get to do anything . . .
Begrudgingly, he stomped down the hall to his bedroom. Michelle followed along
behind him, arguing. As soon as they were gone, I got up, dumped the food into
the garbage can, covered it up with paper towels, then changed bags. By the
time they were finished, I was washing the dishes and Michelle was none the
wiser.
T. J. was wearing his tan Osh Kosh and fraying old sweater, and it reminded me
of my nightmare. I shivered, despite the scalding dishwater, as I recalled
those cancerous tentacles wrapping around him.
 How was breakfast? Michelle asked.
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 Great. I smiled.  Bacon was crispy, just the way I like it. Eggs were great
too. Thanks for making it. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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