“I’m sure you can use your imagination,” Father said, turning and walking away in a much straighter line than I expected him to.
Andy was still looking at me, dark eyes shining with hope in what little light we had to see by.
I put both hands on his shoulders and gently turned him around so he was facing the right direction, then moved to stand behind him and take his hand, lifting it to point up at the stars we were looking for, pressed cheek to cheek so I was seeing as close to what he was seeing as possible.
“There’s a sort’ve point, there,” I said, moving our joined hands to point at the first star. “And then almost a square under it. There, there, there, and there. Can you see? It’s shaped like a lopsided house.”
“I see it,” Andy said, and I could feel him smiling against my cheek. “Are there more?”
“Many more, although we can’t see so much of the sky tonight. I’ve always been fond of Orion’s belt.”
“Me too,” Andy said. “But because of Men in Black.”
“That’s why I like it, too,” I confessed.
“You had American movies here as a kid?” Andy asked.
“Of course I did,” I laughed. “American cultural imperialism has done what the British empire never could. Conquered the whole world.”
Andy laughed as well. “Didn’t you guys invade everywhere but like... twenty-two places?”
“Twenty-two is quite a lot to miss out on in the quest for total world domination. I bet all of those places have American films.”
“I’m gonna look this up later,” Andy said.
Which was about when I realized how close we still were. I backed off hurriedly, clearing my throat as I started off toward the house again, Father having put some distance between us.
He probably thought he was doing us both a favor, staying out of the way. But when he was gone, Andy had no need to keep up the act.
I shoved both of my hands in my pockets, missing his terribly.
Silence fell between us for a long few moments, the crisp air taking on even more of a chill.
“Hey, uh...” Andy spoke up as the house came into view in the distance, all but a few windows darkened now. “What doesnoblesse obligeor whatever mean?”
“What has my mother been saying to you?” I asked. That was her favorite phrase.
“Umm.” Andy kicked at the ground. “That you’ve got an overdeveloped sense of whatever it is, like your dad.”
I sighed. Of course she did, of course she’d said that.
“Noblesse oblige is the principle that the nobility have the responsibility to help the less fortunate,” I explained. “We have been granted great power and privilege by sheer accident of birth, the only moral thing to do is use that power and privilege to help others wherever we can.”
“Hence the foundation?” Andy asked.
“Hence the foundation,” I agreed.
Andy sighed, kicking a rock loose.
“You really are, like, actual royalty, aren’t you? This isn’t all an elaborate prank.”
“No, it's quite real.”
An unhappy noise sounded in the back of Andy’s throat. I wanted to comfort him somehow, but I knew I was the source of his discomfort in the first place.
“Really wish you’d tell me you were still my best friend with holes in his sneakers who drinks his coffee too hot and has terrible opinions about Lord of the Rings and likes hanging out with me on pizza nights.”
“But thereareholes in my sneakers.” I said. “And I do drink my coffee too hot, and Idothink Aragorn looks like he’d come first, roll over, fall asleep, and not even check to make sure you did. And I love pizza nights more than anything. I am exactly the person I’ve always been, and you must be able to see why I never told you who my father was before.” I hesitated. “Best friend?”
