Peachy Keen

Chapter 7

"So," Tony said, once the three of them were seated at the table, eating warm Bisquick cobbler,
which surprised Tony by being remarkably edible, even though the flavor was unsophisticated.
"You've got your own business, Harley?" he said, to break the silence.

"Yep!" Harley looked up from his cake. "I appreciate the scholarship, I want you to know that,
Tony, but right now I'm needed here. Mom's job... well, there aren't any benefits and Uncle Sam
takes his thirty percent." Harley made a pinching, grabbing motion with one hand. Then he smiled.
"And I'd miss Charley."

Charley tilted her head and smiled slightly. "We play chess," she said softly.

Tony was pleased to know that Charley could talk. "Maybe we'll play sometimes," he said.

"Yeah," Harley said to fill the silence when it became apparent Charley wasn't going to continue the
conversation. "I guess you think it's funny, Charley's name, but it was really Charlotte, only Dad...
he started calling her Charley to go with Harley." Harley pushed a piece of peach around on his
plate. "Some folks said mean things, that Dad left because... you know... too much trouble. He was
always saying he was going to win big, and then we wouldn't have any worries. I guess he doesn't
have any worries now. Whereever he is."

Charley looked up abruptly, and stared at Tony. He suddenly noticed how very blue her eyes were,
even bluer than Harley's. She dropped her fork and left the table.

"What?" Tony asked.

Harley shrugged and resumed eating.

There were noises from the other room, creaks and thumps. Charley returned with a dusty photo
album in her hands. She pushed her plate aside and thumped the album down on the table. Before
Harley or Tony could say anything she opened the album, and paged through, impatiently flipping
pages and ignoring the photos that fell loose, ancient glue having dried to uselessness. She plucked
one photo out and laid it down on the table, tapping with her fingers. "Dad," she said triumphantly.

Tony peered at the photo. It was a pre-digital snapshot, taken with a fairly decent camera. It was an
outdoors, wildernessy type picture, showing a scruffily bearded man in hunting gear including a red
plaid jacket, standing in front of a canvas tent.

Charley tapped the photo again. "Dad," she said, and then she pointed at Tony. "Tony."

Harley leaned over to look a the photo, and laughed. "She's right, Tony. You do look a lot like him, I
guess. You know, it's been eleven years." He got a thoughtful expression on his face. He picked up
the photo and held it up, looking back and forth between it and Tony. "Dad never had any close
friends."

"Whatever you're thinking," Tony said hastily, "No. I'm just staying for a couple days."

He'd left his phone turned on so Friday could listen in, and she piped up with, "But Boss, where will
you go?"

Harley nodded. "You should stay and be our dad."

"And what happens when he returns? Or something to do with him, anyway." Tony said. "Because,
you know, dads go, but sometimes they come back to haunt you."

Friday added, "I have conducted an intensive search, and there is absolutely no trace of Edward
Keener, anywhere on Earth, and has been none for eleven years."

"Yeah, Dad was no dope," Harley said. "If he wanted to disappear, he wouldn't half-ass it."

"Language," Charley said. She sat back down and went back to eating her cake.

"I think your mother would have something to say about you acquiring her a new husband," Tony
protested. "And even if she didn't mind, I've got... well... it's complicated... but Pepper. I don't want
to even pretend to cheat on her. She would KNOW. I've hurt her enough, you know?"

"We'll ask Mom when she comes home after work," Harley replied. "If you're done eating, we can
go out to the workshop."

"Yes!" Tony said, relieved. Mrs. Keener would certainly shoot down that ridiculous idea.