There it was. Both Andi and George stared at the phone.
“Yes, Mr. Norris?” George was politeness personified.
There was a heavy sigh at the other side. “I got your number from Tyler. He said you gave it to him, saying he could call you anytime?”
“Yes. I said that.” Andi thought he knew where this was going. “And I stand by my word.”
“Ah, yes, so very kind of you.” Aloys Norris sounded unsure. “Did Tyler, by chance, tell you why he went to that bunker?”
Andi shared a look with George, who shrugged. His partner took over again. “Tyler told us he wanted to have an adventure, like the heroes in his books.”
“Yes, yes. The heroes. He didn’t mention anything else? Like imaginary friends?” Norris’s tone suggested he was poking at an open nerve, waiting for the pain to set in. George opened his mouth to answer, but Andi shook his head.
“He did mention his friends, who thought it was a great idea to go on this trip. Reminded me of myself when I was his age.”
“You had imaginary friends as well?” Hope blossomed in Norris’s voice.
Andi forced himself to stay calm. At least this was a father who was trying. “Yes. Several in fact. They made my childhood special.”
He saw George rolling his eyes. His partner could appreciate the—sad—reference to hisgeschenk.
“So you understand what phase he’s going through?”
“Absolutely. It’s one of the reasons I told him to call me whenever he wants. Talking to him brings back fond memories.” That was a blatant lie, but Norris wasn’t here, and even if he had been, Andi’s face gave nothing away.
The sigh coming through the phone was pure relief. “I keep telling his mother it will go away when he gets older, but she doesn’t believe me. She’s very strict with Tyler, forbidding him to talk about it. I don’t think that’s healthy, but he doesn’t like talking to me either.”
Because he knows you’re just humoring him.
“I thought, if it’s really okay with you, maybe he could call you now and then, talk about it? I know you’re both very busy, and if it’s too much—”
“It’s fine. As I said, Tyler can call whenever he wants. If I don’t have time, I’ll just tell him to call later. And I also have no problem talking with him about his imaginary friends. I think it’s good he has them.” Andi wasn’t so sure about the pros of talking to ghosts, but there had to be some, right? And they took Tyler seriously, which was a major bonus point. That his mother lacked the patience to deal with a child who didn’t fit the norm came as no surprise. It just made Andi despise her even more.
“You think? Yes, yes, it could be good. He’s not very popular in school….” Another sigh. “Anyway, thank you very much. Both for finding Tyler and for talking to him. If there’s anything I can do for you, tell me. I’d be more than willing to help.”
“Thank you so much, Mr. Norris. We’ll keep that in mind. Have a nice evening, and say hello to Tyler from us.” George was gently bringing the call to an end.
“Ah yes, I will do that. A good evening to you, Detectives.” Aloys Norris ended the call.
Over the phone, Andi and George stared at each other.
“Wow. Didn’t see that coming.” George went back to the stove, where he’d been mixing the veggies with the rice and the cheese.
“No. At least Tyler has one parent who’s trying to understand.” Andi couldn’t help the bitterness that crept into his tone.
George brought the pot with the food over to the breakfast counter, where he started filling the two plates. “I thought your mother knew about thegeschenk?”
“Didn’t mean she liked it or had any patience for it. She enjoyed the status she got within the family for birthing myOma’ssuccessor, but dealing with it all? She couldn’t be bothered too often.”
“I’m so sorry you had to endure that shit, Andi.” George put one of the plates in front of Andi, briefly touching his wrist. The warmth of his skin seeped into Andi, made the spot almost hot.
“It’s in the past. Not a place I like to visit. Not something I can completely forget about.”
“I hear you. Let’s dig in.” George started eating with a healthy appetite, taking the time to chew, because according to one of his books, chewing was the most important part when consuming food. Andi loved watching him, could almost see him counting the bites before swallowing. He looked down at his own plate. The food smelled great, an enticing mixture of garlic and cheese and dried tomatoes interwoven with the flavors from the roasted veggies. He took the first bite, savoring the textures: grainy rice, soft potatoes, the tomatoes a little chewy, the cheese soft. His stomach seemed to be on board with eating because there was no protest after he swallowed. When he had half his plate eaten, Andi took a break. George was on his second helping, watching him intently.
“You’re not eating well.”
Such a seemingly innocent comment, loaded with so much context. Andi held George’s gaze, not to challenge him, to convey without words the chaos inside his mind and body. When he was younger, he had been better with words, with getting meaning across. The deeper his connection with the arthropods became, the more he lost his ability to communicate in the way of the blobs, instead trying to use the pheromones he couldn’t emit, or rubbing the hind legs he didn’t have, or waving his butt while buzzing his wings, or tapping the ground in a rhythm no human understood. Luckily for him, George had gotten good at reading him.
