Page 9 of When We Were More (Aron Falls #1)

H enry

“Daddy?” I glance in the rearview mirror at Layla, buckled safely in the back seat with her sleeping sister next to her.

“Yes?”

“Do boys pee different than girls? Leah at school said her daddy and brother pee standing up.”

Shit. Shit. Shit. I thought I had more time before I had to explain this.

“Um… Yes. Sort of. You remember how we talked about how everyone has private parts?”

“Uh huh. And no one who isn’t allowed can see or touch mine. Only to help me wipe, or for a bath, or if my privates are sick. The doctor can check them, too. It’s my body.”

Phew, I’m happy at least that lesson stuck.

“Okay, so we all pee from a place in our private area. Boys usually stand up to pee.”

She’s quiet for a second, and when I glance in the mirror, her head is tilted with one brow lifted. Uh oh.

“Sometimes when I sit on the toilet seat, it makes my butt cold. I’m gonna try standing up.”

I nearly choke on the sip of my to-go coffee I just took.

“No, baby. Girls have to pee sitting down. Only boys can stand up.”

“Why? You said anything boys can do, girls can do.”

Of course, I said that. Only I never, in a million years, would have guessed that the activity in question would be peeing standing up.

“Well, this doesn’t count. If girls peed standing up, the pee wouldn’t go in the toilet. It would make a mess and get on your clothes. That doesn’t happen to boys because they have different privates that…”

Oh my God, I’m going to have to discuss penises with my five-year-old. I pause to gain my composure, looking to buy time to get this right.

“Boys’ privates can move to help them aim for the toilet.”

“What? That’s not fair!” She’s clearly appalled at the injustice.

“I’m sorry, sweetie.” It’s all I can come up with to say. She’s quiet for a few minutes, and it appears I’m in the clear. I’m kind of proud I didn’t screw this one up. Damn, it’s tough to be a dad to girls. Yet I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

We’re only three minutes from the restaurant, where we’re meeting my mom and brothers. We get together for breakfast every month at Smiley’s, a small, locally owned family restaurant in town.

When most of us moved from Meadow Creek to Aron Falls a year ago, we decided to move our breakfasts here as well.

It was a good choice. Louann, who owns Smiley’s with her husband, is the main cook, and she’s beyond good.

I like supporting local small businesses.

We started these breakfasts when Heath graduated from college because Mom wanted them.

She still lives in Meadow Creek. Over the several years we’ve been doing these meet-ups, our group has grown as we’ve added my kids and Hayden’s wife, Charlie.

“Do boys’ privates look different than mine?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“Uh… yes. They… they stick out a little, and where their pee comes out can move. That’s how they aim.”

“Ew. Gross. I wouldn’t want my privates to stick out. How’s it look? The part that sticks out…”

I’m pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant now. I find a spot to park, shut the car off, and turn to face her. I guess we’re doing this.

“Their parts are called penises.” I try to swallow, but my mouth is bone dry.

“Penis. Peeeenis. Penis,” she practices saying it. When she’s happy she has the pronunciation down pat, she nods. “Are they like the hose I use when I help Grandma water her garden?”

“Sort of. They’re straighter, though. Like—” I pause while I wrack my brain for a benign word to use, then it comes to me “—like a pencil. They’re straight like a pencil.”

She stares at me for a second, then nods.

“I’m hungry, can we go in now?”

I laugh and take the next couple of minutes to get the girls out of the car, into the restaurant, and set up in their spots.

Dennis, Louann’s husband, always saves the booth right next to where we sit so Layla can spread out her coloring books to entertain herself while we wait for our meal.

I can also put Lena’s high chair there next to me.

Not that she’ll stay in it. She’ll use her cuteness to cajole my mom or one of my brothers into freeing her from the seat.

My family will probably pass her around the entire time we’re here.

Well, that’s unless she’s in the mood to have one of my brothers—usually Holden—chase her around the diner.

On those days, she escapes someone’s arms, and the game begins.

Everyone is saying their hellos when Layla hops down from her seat.

“I forgot to give everyone kisses!”

She immediately runs over to Harrison, who has pulled his chair out some because he’s expecting her.

Her tiny arms wrap around his neck, and her head rests against his chest. Harrison’s face lights up, and he folds his arms around her.

He looks like a giant next to her. We all do. Mom and Dad made some big kids.

“Hi, Uncle Harry. I missed you.” Layla tilts her head up and kisses Harrison on the cheek. He kisses her on the forehead in return. No one—even Mom—is allowed to call Harrison “Harry.” Except for Layla.

“Hey, ladybug, I missed you, too.” His face, his entire composure, seems to relax with her presence, and it’s nice to see. Harrison is too serious for his own good sometimes.

After Layla makes her rounds, we all settle and place our orders. Layla’s favorite server, Kimmie, is here today and, like always, while we’re waiting for our food, she takes Layla over to the vintage jukebox to pick songs to play.

I take the opportunity to tell my family about the discussion on the way here. My brothers, even Harrison, are all smirking. My mother gives no indication by her expression that she’s shocked by any of this. I suppose that raising five boys, there’s probably not much that surprises her anymore.

“When she asked you what it was, if it wasn’t like a hose, what did you say?” Holden asks.

I hesitantly lift my eyes and glance at them. “I told her it was like a pencil.” I cringe inside because I’m aware of what’s coming.

Holden busts out with the most obnoxious laugh, and it’s Harrison, my more serious brother, who says something next. “To recap, you basically told her that all boys have pencil dicks?”

My brothers are dying with laughter, but my mom scolds Harrison.

“I swear, I can’t take you boys anywhere,” she says. Still, there’s a hint of a smile on her face.

It takes us a few minutes to quit laughing about my debacle, trying to explain penises to my sweet little angel, but we finally do.

When our food comes, we enjoy small talk, catching up on what’s been happening in everybody’s lives over the last couple of weeks.

Honestly, though, I’m close to my brothers, and I talk with them all the time.

Because of that, we’re pretty connected.

Even though Mom stayed back in Meadow Creek when we all moved, we see her regularly.

When everyone is done eating, right before we fight over the check, which is what we always do, Mom clears her throat.

“There’s something I would like to talk to you boys about.”

From her tone and the serious expression on her face, I’m suddenly preparing for the worst-case scenario—that she’s going to tell us she’s sick and there’s nothing they can do. I try to tamp those thoughts down. It’s not gonna help anybody, and she hasn’t told us anything yet.

“Your dad’s been gone for twelve years.” Everyone’s face turns stoic, even Holden isn’t smiling. “It’s no secret that you all saw how difficult a time I had when he died.” She glances up at me.

We all knew she was struggling, but I had intimate knowledge of the deeper stuff, the stuff that makes you realize that kind of love isn’t worth it.

I was the one who held her and let her cry when I found her on the floor in Dad’s closet, his clothes pulled off hangers and surrounding her.

I went over every morning for a month to practically force her to get out of bed and eat something.

It was me who found— no, don’t go there. Stop. I don’t want to remember that.

“I’m seeing someone.” Suddenly, we’re all silent. No one is talking, silverware stills, and Mom has all of our attention. “I have been for a few months now. I care about him, so I wanted to make sure you boys heard it from me. When I’m ready to tell you more, I will.”

I get lost in my thoughts, I hear the background noise of my brothers talking to my mom about her revelation, but I can’t focus on the words.

I’m shocked. After what my mom went through with my dad, I can’t believe she would let herself get into another relationship.

Let alone one serious enough that she decided to tell us about it.

“Well, I’m happy for you, Mom,” Holden says. Hayden doesn’t say anything, but nods in agreement.

“Make sure he’s aware that you have five sons who will kick his ass if he hurts you,” Harrison says. “And make sure he doesn’t try to take advantage of…” Harrison rubs a hand through his hair, then sighs, probably only now realizing he shouldn’t have started to speak his mind.

“What?” Mom asks. “If it’s okay for you to think it, it should be okay for you to say it.”

Harrison looks up at her, and discomfort oozes off him. “Make sure he isn’t trying to take advantage of you because of your financial security.”

Mom frowns. “Sweetheart, I wish you wouldn’t look at everything good that we come across in life with such cynicism. There are people out there with ill intent, yes, but it’s not most people.”

Layla chooses that moment to squeeze herself between Holden and Hayden, her coloring book in one hand and her colored pencil in the other. She looks at them both and then turns to Hayden.

“Uncle Hayden, do you pee standing up like some boys?” Hayden smiles at her, not phased at all.

“I do,” he says.

Layla then glances across the table at my mom and says, “It’s ‘cause they have a penis that can move, Grandma.”

“Yes, they do.” My mom handles it smoothly, but Holden starts laughing, unable to control himself.

Layla turns to him, places her hand on her hip with the sass of a grown ass woman in a little body. It reminds me of Tillie.

“What’s so funny? You have a penis, too.”

Holden tries to hold in his laughter, but he fails. Miserably.

“You do, silly. It looks like this.” She holds up her colored pencil, waving it around, and Holden’s bellowing stops, but the rest of us, including Mom, can barely contain ourselves.

Now Hayden, whose mood has been a bit somber the last few times I’ve seen him, has perked up.

“That’s right, ladybug. Uncle Holden’s penis is exactly like your pencil there. Probably even smaller.”

Mariah, one of the twenty-something servers working today, is walking past our table and adds, “Yep, I’d say that’s about right.” She keeps on walking.

“Hey, you know that’s not true,” Holden calls to her, looking over his shoulder at her retreating form.

“Holden Aron, how does that young lady have any idea what your penis looks like?” Mom whisper-yells at him.

“Okay. That’s enough talking about pencils around my daughters. I’ve got to get these two home so Lena can nap before she turns into a little monster.”

Ten minutes later, bill paid and coats on, we’re outside and I’ve got the girls into their spots in the car.

Everyone gathers around to hold court while Layla doles out goodbye hugs and kisses.

Of course, Harrison gets the biggest hug.

I smile watching my brother with her. It’s one of the few times he seems relaxed.

Once Layla is in the car and my family is walking away, I hear Holden, still focused on our conversation from the restaurant.

“C’mon, Hay, we’re twins. Tell them I don’t have a pencil dick.”

“Hey, we’re fraternal twins. I don’t know what you’re packing down there.”

“We should probably go back in and ask that server for more details. What do you say, Hayden?” Harrison teases.

As their voices fade, I pull my car door closed and smile. Thank God I have girls…