” Marie asked. “I mean, a really good, really well prepared aged sirloin? ”
“I might have.”
“No, no, if you had one, you’d know.” She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip.
“Then I guess I haven’t.”
“It’s been a while for me. What if I cooked one? ”
“Now? ”
“Not now. For dinner.”
I could feel my face get hotter. “Well . . . sure. That would be awesome.”
“There’s a great butcher in Yarmouth.” She used her napkin to wipe the ketchup from around Roy’s mouth.
“That seems like a lot of trouble.”
“We could all go? ”
“What do you think, Roy? You have any plans for the day? ”
Marie tried to wipe his face again, but he wasn’t into it. “I think the ketchup’s giving him a little contact rash.” She touched the corresponding area around her own mouth. “See? Right here? ”
MARIE SAID ROY and I should play in Sidney’s room while she got dressed.
“This is where I work when I’m not taking care of you. Pretty cool, huh? ” Roy was momentarily paralyzed by the sheer number of things before him. When he got his bearings, he went straight for the movie camera. I intercepted him. “Sorry, kid. This is the one thing you can’t touch. This is Marie’s movie camera.” He looked at me like a puzzled dog. “Cam-er-a,” I repeated loud and clear. “Can you say cam-er-a? ”
Marie called from her bedroom. “Why don’t you shoot a little of him? ”
“For what? ”
“I don’t know. He might find it interesting.”
“Would you like that, Roy? You want me to take your picture? ” It was the first time since I’d started taking care of him that I thought he knew exactly what the fuck I was talking about. He started giggling and shaking like a crazy motherfucker. It was pretty great to see. “Okay. Okay.” I was laughing. “Just give me two seconds.”
I fired up the camera and looked through the viewfinder. Marie’s empty chair came into sharp focus. I collected Roy and sat him in it. I got back behind the camera. Roy looked like a tiny black-and-white photocopy of himself. I started recording.
“Okay, Roy, here’s your big break. What would you like to say to the people? ” I stuck an invisible microphone in front of his face. Roy kicked his legs and shrieked with delight. It was hilarious.
Marie appeared in the doorway. “What are you two clowns up to in here? ”
“I HONESTLY DIDN’T THINK I’d ever be doing this again,” Marie said as we installed Sidney’s old car seat in her Subaru.
I pulled on one of the fastening straps until it was taut. “You think this is tight enough? ” She jerked on it and nodded. I hoisted Roy and we strapped him in.
“You feel like driving? ” Marie asked, wearing the key ring on her index finger.
“Really? ” My voice cracked.
“Are you old enough? ” She handed off the keys to me as we passed each other around the back of the car. I got in. Marie settled into the passenger seat. “Feel free to adjust anything if you’re cramped.” I fixed my grip at ten and two. The worn leather cover around the steering wheel was sticky.
“Actually, it all feels pretty good.”
The last time Marie had driven, she killed the engine without first turning off the tape player. When I started the car, the song “Rolling Moon” by the Chills played mid-song. “Oh, fantastic choice,” I said. “I love the Chills.”
Marie turned the music off, then said, “Me, too, but do you mind if we don’t listen to this right now? They can be a little depressing.”
“No problem. Quiet’s good. So where are we going exactly.”
“Well, it’s basically a straight shot once you get back onto Twenty-eight. When we get into Yarmouth—right around the center of town—I’ll tell you which way to go.” I was a slightly less nervous driver than I was a passenger. I needed to hear the simplest of directions—even to places I’d been before—four or five times. I knew it didn’t make any sense, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Back up a second,” I said. “Which direction do I go on Twenty-eight? ”
Marie had some fun with me. “Is this your first trip to Cape Cod? ”
“I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer.”
“Okay. Let me rephrase the question. Is Yarmouth anywhere between East Falmouth and Boston? ”
I smiled without looking at her. “No, I do not believe it is.”
“So, Professor, seeing as Boston is east of where we are