SEVENS

BROKEN FOOT AND BIRTHDAY FEAST

The Bissette house was as remarkably eccentric as I remembered it being. The pillars holding up the roof over the porch looking like the birch trees that lined the west side of the house, the grand double doors with styled glass surrounding them showing the double staircases inside the entryway. This time around though I entered the house from the garage, well Pierre's garage. His was one of five. Two other doors were raised showing Jean's lime car in the furthest spot and a sleek SUV with an open trunk in the one closest to the door.

Pierre didn't have time to turn off the car before two little bodies darted out from behind Jean's car. The kids greeted their dad with muddy hands splayed against the window. Elias screeched in glee. Sophia shoved him with her elbow. They didn't look as put together now as they did in the photo but their resemblance to Pierre was undeniable.
I looked away and focused on making a game plan for getting out of the car and into the house. My foot had been wrapped in satan's anus plaster and though there was a layer of padding between the plaster— colored purple and black thanks to Pierre's suggestion to have it match my jersey— my foot felt no more comfortable than before it had been wrapped up. I wasn't sure how adding the weight of the cast onto the injury was supposed to heal it but the nurse had only smiled and said some condescending bullshit about "what a funny kid" and Pierre had been stunned into silence after a brief conversation with Miguel in the hallway.
I gripped the door handle ready to crawl my way out when the lock clicked, locking into place. I looked over at Pierre. He looked frightened, wide eyed and pale lipped. Pierre flinched when Elias slammed his muddy fists on the window by his head, like he had forgotten his children were there waiting for him. Like maybe for a moment he had accepted me as his and forgot everything else.

"Alexei—" He paused. I knew what he would ask. The: "would you keep this a secret, I don't know how to tell them—". The: "I don't know how to accept you—". The: "Please don't tell—" wafting between us. Like the smell of skunk, stuck in the air vents of your car after hitting it ten miles back. I wouldn't force him to ask. I didn't have the courage.

"Thanks for helping me out Mr. Bissette." I flipped the lock on the door over and pulled the handle.

I didn't take the time to find my balance once I was out of the car and instead send the momentum of gravity to get me across the garage to wait for someone to invite me into the house. Because though Pierre had brought me here he hadn't implicitly stated that I was welcome.

Elias and Sophia didn't waste any time in attacking Pierre once he was out of his seat and standing. "Dad! J played wrestle with me in moms flowers and Soph got us wet with the hose."

Pierre seemed to melt. "Did she really?"

"Well father they were ruining mother's garden something dreadful and I thought she might throw a fit. I always do see Mr. Josephine next door spraying Sir. Kibbles when he doesn't behave so I thought I must try it on the two hooligans." Sophia interjected, forcing what must have been her attempt at an English accent onto every other word.
"Your brothers do act an awful lot like Sir. Kibbles don't they?" Pierre was smiling more than I had ever seen him do before. Beaming with every ounce of love and pride I had ever seen from anyone.

"Indeed." Sophia nodded.

"Well lets go find your mom before she—"

"Pierre? Where the fuck did you rush off to? Have you seen Elias? He's a mess!" Selena appeared out of the garage door. Dressed much like her husband—in sweats and a tee shirt— she looked just as expensive as her house. She didn't stop to confront her husband, instead she went past me and straight to the back of the suv. She began slinging bags onto her arms, all reusable and full.

She was so different from my internal version of what a mother should be. She was strong—those bags didn't seem to be bothering her at all— mom was too thin to lift anything more than a cigarette and a liquor bottle. And though Selena was upset with Pierre she still took the time to kiss him on the cheek as she passed him.