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"You married our Helen?" Ricky asked.
"Yep," Mustang said, staring him in the eye.
The standoff lasted a minute. Mustang didn't break his stare and Ricky finally blinked. "You saved the turkey, so I will forgive you."
"Good to know," Mustang replied, as everyone came to the table for dinner.
Bad Apple blessed the meal. Food passed left. Food passed right, and Mustang was pleasingly surprised at how good the meal actually tasted. He told Stephen well done and even helped with the cleanup after dinner.
From the vantage point of standing away from the group, he was able to observe the woman he planned to marry. Each time one kid left her side, another popped up. When it wasn't a kid, the odd woman with the wild hair took a seat. The woman moved and Ricky sat with Helen, followed by Apple, and finally Oscar who popped in between chats for hugs and cuddles. Mustang, sitting alone at the table enjoying an after-dinner coffee, noticed the boy watching him.
"This should be interesting," Mustang said under his breath as the boy approached.
Oscar asked, "You liked that dinner?"
"It was well done," Mustang replied.
"Yeah, sometimes Stephen tries things that don't go together and we end up with tummy aches," Oscar commented. "This was okay."
Mustang added no words, allowing the air between them to settle down, so the boy could say what was on his mind. Whatever it was, he'd already decided he wasn't taking any kids, not this one, or any other ones. However, he was fair, and he'd listen.
"Mister Jay, you got any kids?"
"No."
"You want any?'
"You offering?"
"Don't know. It would be cool to have a dad," Oscar said. "The kids at school are always talking about their weekend plans. It would be cool you know, to say, yeah, me and my dad, took out the...what do you call the boat, you know, for two people, with the sticks, which go like this."
He pretended to use oars as an example of what he was trying to show Mustang.
"A canoe?"
"Yeah, canoe," Oscar repeated. "What is the verb for using a canoe?"
"Canoeing."
"Yeah, I would be like, me and my Dad did some canoeing this weekend at the lake," Oscar said. "You canoe? Or do you go...canoeing?"
"Yes, I have a couple of canoes," Mustang said.
"You got any kids?"
"My answer hasn't changed since you asked two minutes ago," Mustang replied.
"Yeah, I know, but hey. Mr. Milton says a man has to state his intentions and be honest," Oscar explained.
The boy intrigued him, as well as did his thought processes. He was engaged and wanted to see where he was leading him in the conversation. Mustang asked, "What are your intentions and what are you being honest about?"
"Chaos," Oscar said. "Every day here is chaos. Jeffrey is driving and has a girlfriend. Stephen, well, is Stephen, but they are older and will be leaving soon."
"You worried about that?"
"I'm worried about who will come in to replace them," Oscar said. "Last week, a new kid showed up. He had crazy eyes. Mr. Milton couldn't let him stay. He was too far gone. The streets damaged him, and he made me feel unsafe. I want to feel safe."
"You're not safe here?"