Page 4

Wolf Byrne was going to die. Slowly. Painfully. Agonizingly. It was back to school shopping time. Not only did Wolf need to get all of the items on his first grade shopping list, he also needed new clothes and shoes. There weren’t a lot of things Wolf hated more than clothes shopping. Brussel sprouts and his father, Jude’s, singing were two of them.

“Why can’t we buy clothes online like all of my friends?” Wolf asked, in a last ditch effort to avoid walking into Old Navy. Wolf didn’t know if his friends shopped online, but it was worth a shot.

His father, Cope, frowned. “We need to see what size you are. Look at your shirt. I can see your belly at the hemline.” Cope poked his son, making him giggle. “The last time you wore pants was in May and you’ll need them for the fall.”

Wolf knew his clothes were getting too small, but he’d been content to live with them, if it meant avoiding a trip to the store. His friends, Aurora and Everly, loved to shop and were always talking about fashion. Wolf would be happy to wear the same shirt and pants every day for a month, but knew his parents would never let him get away with that. Again.

“Besides, we have to get your school supplies and then there’s lunch at your favorite place.” Cope grinned widely.

“Green Dragon Buffet?” Wolf asked, sort of hating that his father knew the way to get him to do anything he didn’t want was by involving food. His father, Jude, always said he was food motivated. Wolf figured it was a case of like father, like son.

“Yup! I can hear the coconut shrimp calling your name.” Cope put a hand to his ear, as if he could really hear them shouting out to Wolf. “No back to school clothes, no Green Dragon. It’s up to you.” Cope wore a look on his face that said he knew which option his son would choose.

“Uggghh! Fine. We’ll buy stupid clothes.” Wolf folded his arms over his chest in a perfect imitation of Jude. “Do we have to buy clothes for Lizzy B too?”

“Nope! Today is just for you. She loves Green Dragon as much as you do, so she’s just here for the grub.”

Wolf smiled at the mention of his little sister coming to the buffet. She loved chicken lo mein. Only she ate it with her fingers like a caveman, while Wolf, who was much more soap-fist-a-strated, ate his with a fork, twirling the noodles around the tines like spaghetti.

“Lizzy B is ready to go and reporting for duty,” Jude said, coming up from behind them, pushing Wolf’s sixteen month old sister in her stroller. The little girl was dressed in blue shorts and a t-shirt featuring sharks, which had belonged to Wolf when he was little. He would never say it out loud, but his sister was badass for liking sharks.

“Okay, everyone, let’s go!” Cope opened the door to the store and ushered his family inside.

The store was huge with a high ceiling. Wolf bet if he yelled, he’d be able to hear his echo. He trudged alongside his fathers as they walked toward the kids’ section. The closer they got to their destination, the smaller the clothes got.

Cope walked around the clothes racks picking out shirts and pants. Wolf wasn’t particularly excited about any of the selections his father was making.

“Hey?” Jude nudged his son.

“Yeah?”

“Your Dad got made fun of by bullies at school when he was your age. He’s trying to pick clothes out that will keep the same thing from happening to you.”

“Daddy was bullied?” Wolf asked, feeling as offended as he sounded. His father was super cool. He loved to bake cookies and sing along with the radio. Cope even let Wolf pick out as many books as he wanted at the library and had even gotten Wolf a second bookbag for him to fill up.

“He was. Do you think maybe you could go help him find clothes for you?”

Wolf nodded. “I can do that.” His mood instantly brightened, Wolf took off in search of his father, who was comparing two shirts to each other. “I like the blue one,” Wolf said, standing by Cope’s side.

“You do?” Cope shot his son a questioning glance.

“Yeah, blue’s my favorite color.”

“Do you want to try it on?” Cope asked.

“Sure!” Wolf took the shirt and ran toward the fitting room. He could see Cope following along behind him. Last year, his father insisted on being in the changing room with him, but this year, Wolf was big enough to do it by himself. He was going to be a first grader in a few months, after all.

After he shouldered into the shirt, Wolf stood back and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He looked good. More importantly, he felt good. His parents were always telling Wolf that he needed to be a team player and to cooperate more with activities he wasn’t fond of doing.

Wolf felt like he’d take a major step forward today. He felt grown up, which made him proud of himself. They were good feelings to have. Taking a last look in the mirror, Wolf popped out of his dressing room. Not seeing his fathers, he ran back into the store, where they were waiting for him. “What do you think?” Wolf spun around like he’d seen Everly and Aurora do a hundred times.

“You look great!” Cope knelt in front of his son, smoothing down the sleeves and checking to see where the hem fell. “And now we know your size. All we have to do now is find colors you like. Simple, huh?”

Wolf nodded and wrapped his arms around his father’s neck. “I’m sorry I was uncooperative, Daddy.”

Cope held his son tight. “It’s okay, buddy. I know how hard it is to go shopping. I got bullied a lot when I was a kid and I don’t want you to go through the same thing. I just want to make sure you look good so that you’ll feel good about yourself.”

“I already do, Daddy,” Wolf said, grinning at his father.

“You do?”

“Yup! I’ve got the best Dads and little sister in the whole wide world. Spending time with you guys always makes me feel good. Now, let’s find me some pants. I’m starving.” Wolf still hated clothes shopping, but he’d do it for his fathers.

Cope laughed and followed behind his son.

Wolf loved the happy look in his father’s eyes and knew he was the one who put it there. It felt good to make his parents happy. Wolf promised himself that he would try to do more to help his Dads. His deal made him feel older, more grown up.

Wolf would do anything to make sure his parents were happy. It was a promise he knew he could keep.