73 Memories

The Sixty-Sixth Memory

"Guess what, Dad?" Laura came running through the halls, looking for you, me trailing slowly behind her.

"What's up, baby?" We found you in the kitchen, making lasagna.

"I got a boyfriend!"

"What?" We said at the same time.

"Yep! His name is Payton."

"You aren't allowed to have one of those."

Laura's eyebrows turned down in confusion. "Why not?" She jumped up onto one of the barstools across the counter from you, and I sat on the end so I could watch this. It was going to be hilarious.

"Because boys are gross. Unless they're family, they have..." you struggled for an excuse. "Diseases."

Laura rolled her eyes. "I'm not five. Boys don't have diseases."

"Maybe that's true, but you still have to break up with Payton," you told her, sneering the boy's name.

"What if I don't want to?"

You turned away from the stove to face Laura. "Then I'll have to beat him up."

I watched her mouth pop open, and I did my best to keep from laughing.

"Whatever. You wouldn't punch him."

You gave her an I-wouldn't-be-too-sure look. "What makes you think that?"

"Because I love him," she answered.

I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing.

"Babe?" you asked me, "A little help?"

I shook my head. "No way. This one is all you." You glared and threw a piece of cheese at my face, and then turned back to Laura.

"Why do you love him?" You asked, and I remember wishing for a bucket of popcorn and for someone to dim the lights because this was about to become a comedy special.

"Um, because he's hot," she replied in a duh tone.

You sucked in a large breath and turned around, trying to hide your smile. "What if I told you something about fourth-grade boys that would make you never want to talk to Ryan again?"

She scoffed, flipping her hair. "His name is Payton. And what, exactly, would this information be?"

You turned back around now that you had your serious face back on. "Every single boy in that class, in that school, picks their nose."

I watched her little nose shrivel up in disgust, but she quickly tried to smooth it out. "Liar."

"Honey, they all do it, don't they?"

I nodded, deciding I would help. "They sure do babe. I was all for Payton until your dad pointed that out. Good catch, I forgot all about that." I turned to her. "Did you know they eat it, too?"

"Ew!" She said, getting out of her seat. "I'm going to go call him and tell him that it's over! She grabbed my phone from the counter and took off with her things.

"Thank God," you sighed.

I snorted. "You're a lunatic."