MELROSE

CHAPTER 9

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Helen insisted I stayed for dinner and I obliged. Hey if there's food, I'm in. With the embarrassing stories they were very happy to tell me about Ethan, I was having a great time. If you count out Don's occasional glares at me and Ethan poking me under the table.

I hissed at him. "Stop it you asshole."

"I've heard that word once. What's an asshole?" Kyle asked.

His parents glared at me. I flashed them my don't worry about it smile.
"I didn't say asshole I said Casmo. It's the name of my dog."

Well not my best work but I try.

"Oh. I want a dog."

Sasha rolled her eyes. "You can't even take care of yourself BB. How are you going to take care of a dog?"

They made sneering faces at each other until Helen banged the table and ordered them to get back to their food.

"Kyle I promise I'll get you a dog on your next birthday."

I didn't miss the weird looks his parents and brother threw me at my sentence. It's just a dog. What's their problem?

"Really? Thanks! Ha!" He stuck out his tongue at his sister.

The latter sighed dramatically. "What a big baby."

The boy scowled. "What do you know about babies? Wait, Dad how are babies made?"

We all froze. Enoch coughed, struggling to come up with an answer. He opted out. "Well eh ask your mother."

The boy turned to his mother who was too busy glaring at her husband to notice. Ethan coughed and she snapped out of whatever angry trance she was in.

"Kyle honey Don said he has an answer. Don why don't you answer him?"

For the first time that evening Don spoke. I thought Don being Don would give him the answer without any filter but I kid you not when I say the man stood up, his phone that none of us heard ring held to his ear.

"Hello mum. Yes I can hear you." He left.

Don on a phone call with his mum. Big deal? No? Okay. Don hasn't talked to his parents since he was twelve.
Big deal now? Probably.
Wow. What a family of cowards.

Sasha became curious. "Why isn't anyone answering BB Ethan?"

Suddenly Ethan was very interested in the food he had been playing with a minute ago.

"Aura do you know how?" Kyle gray eyes stared deep into mine.

Yeah. They have sex, the woman gets pregnant and a baby is born. Period.
That doesn't sound like something to be said to a kid.

"No it doesn't." Helen hissed under her breath.

What?

"Huh?"

"Aura - " I heard Kyle say. "What is sex?

***

We treat you right
You'll be our guest
We hope you're not so hard to digest
That's
The end of our show ooo

I clapped loudly and Helen bowed. After the whole dinner fiasco, Helen and I both insisted on doing the dishes and ended up doing it together. We went from washing, rinsing and drying to laughing, dancing and singing and l enjoyed every fucking minute.

Don had left an hour ago, but not before dragging me and whispering 'Your friend's a wreck right now. She fucking needs you' harshly in my ear.
And if you're wondering about Kyle's question I told him sex was an ice cream flavour for grown ups. Right now, he can't wait to grow up.