24
Reyes
We ate outside on the front patio since it was such a nice evening. Jake had taken the seat next to me on the porch swing, but Harrison had wedged himself between us soon after. It was a snug fit, and I half expected Jake to ask him to move, but he let it go.
Katheryn sat in a camping chair on the other side of the porch, facing us. “How old are you, Harrison?”
“Seven.”
“Seven. So you’re in second grade then, right?”
“Yup.”
“Second is a fun grade. I bet you’re learning about dinosaurs and plants this year, right?”
He nodded enthusiastically. “Mr. Price said we’ll be planting some flowers after Christmas break, and they’ll go in the garden by the school’s door when they’re ready.”
“Really? That’s nice,” she said.
“Uh-huh. And he said we get to choose what kind, too.”
“What kind will you pick?” Jake’s question surprised me. I’d expected him to more or less ignore Harrison all evening.
“The dragon kind.”
“Dragon?” he asked, confused. “Oh, do you mean snapdragons?”
He nodded. “Yes! I like those. They look like they have little mouths.”
“Too bad they don’t spit fire, right?” Jake said with a grin.
Harrison giggled, bouncing a little in his seat. “That would be fun.”
“You know,” Katheryn said, “when Jake was in second grade, they did a talent show at the end of the year.”
“What’s that?” Harrison asked after taking a bite of his hamburger.
“It’s a performance where kids get to go on stage and show off any skills or talents they have. Sing songs, dance, that kind of thing.”
His eyes went wide. “Oh! Maybe I could show them some soccer moves! I could, couldn’t I, Coach? I could do that kick you taught me! The one where I jump and twist.” He twisted in the swing and kicked a leg out, as if showing us. Jake laughed.
I ruffled his hair. “It might be hard to do that on stage, but I’m sure you could figure it out. You’ve definitely got skill, Harris.”
He turned to Jake. “What did you do?” he asked.
“For the show?”
Harrison nodded.
“Oh. Um.” He tilted his head as he thought about it. “I don’t remember.”
“He attempted to sing a song,” Katheryn said, covering her mouth with her hand as she laughed. “What was it… oh! That one by John Denver. The one you and your dad loved.”
“Thank God I’m A Country Boy?” Jake asked.
“Yes! That one!”
Jake groaned. “Oh no. Please don’t tell me you have that on video somewhere.”
