“Fuck you, Angie.”
“Ohhh! Daddy said a bad word,” Jeremiah shrieked.
“Dammit,” Sean mumbled under his breath, but it was too loud.
“Another one! That’s two dollars for the swear jar.”
I covered my mouth, laughing. Sean’s been trying to do a better job of not cursing when he wasn’t at work. Having a son who looked up to him and copied just about everything he did, he wanted to set a good example. The swear jar was something Sean came up with to hold himself accountable.
“I’m gonna go broke messing around with you two. Let’s go eat.”
“Wait, why me? I didn’t do anything.”
“You got me in here cursing around my son.”
I shook my head at my older brother. We sat down to eat, and Sean cut up the garlic bread and handed the bread basket to Jeremiah for him to dig in. Within minutes the only thing that could be heard around the small room was the smacking of both Jeremiah and Sean’s lips as they ate. I ate much slower, savoring the flavors of the Italian seasoning, garlic, and tomatoes in the sauce, along with the delicious bread I’d picked up from the farmer’s market the previous day.
“Can I have more, please?”
“Dang, boy, can you swallow what you have in your mouth before speaking?” Sean scolded.
I felt lighthearted watching my precocious nephew gobble down my food. I loved moments like this?serving others either at the bar or home, and watching them delight in what I’d made for them.
“I’ll tell you what, sport, how about I give you and your dad the leftovers so you can take them home. That is unless you don’t want the lemon pound cake I made for dessert?”
I almost fell over at how wide Jeremiah’s eyes grew when he heard what I made for dessert.
“You’re gonna have to roll the both of us outta here,” Sean groaned.
“Don’t act like you don’t want any cake either. It’s on the counter by the sink, covered in the tin foil. Bring out just two plates, though. I don’t want any,” I told him as he headed to the kitchen.
“You sure? You know me and this boy can finish a whole cake in one sitting.”
My lips turned downward at the sound of that. “I hope you aren’t letting my nephew eat all that sugar in one sitting.”
“Nah, I said wecouldfinish a whole cake in one sitting, not that wewould.We’ll leave some for you.”
“No, you all can take that home with you, too. I had some of it earlier.”
Sean shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Minutes later, Jeremiah and Sean ate their cake while I got up to retrieve some more of the fresh squeezed lemonade I made for lunch.
“Are you excited for school to start next month?” I asked Jeremiah.
He nodded, thankfully swallowing his cake before answering. “I’ll be in first grade.”
“That’s right. My boy’s in the gifted and talented program, too!” Sean cheered, holding up his hand. Jeremiah slapped it, and the two broke out into the personalized handshake they created for just the two of them. I adored the relationship between them. It reminded me of Sean and my father. Sean had emulated just about everything my father had done, right down to his career choice.
“You two remind me so much of you and dad,” I stated a later on, as we sat out on the porch, watching Jeremiah tossing a football with another little boy from the neighborhood.
Sean let out a chuckle. “Dad always said, I wouldn’t understand pure love until I had a kid of my own. I get it now.”
“I bet,” I sighed. Talk of my father made my heart heavy. I missed both my parents so much sometimes it felt like they just died.
“You okay?”
I nodded. “Fine.” I stood from the step I was sitting on. “What are you two doing the rest of the day?”
