"I should send you back to prison, you know." Peter grumbled as they pulled out of his parents' driveway. "I thought I told you to stay out of the office in the barn."
Neal chuckled. "You put me back, you're going to have to explain just how I got stoned, and who I got stoned with."
Peter didn't say a word. In fact, for the next fifty miles, he gave Neal the silent treatment. Elizabeth filled in the gap, and they talked holiday plans for next year. At breakfast this morning, Michael announced that he and Peter's mother were going on a cruise and Pumpkinhead, Elliebits and Cumulonimbus would have to fend for themselves the next Thanksgiving.
El chuckled at Neal's new nickname, which reminded Neal that he recorded Peter's father saying "James, James Bonds". He played it over and over, finally setting it up as a ringtone.
Peter drove and gritted his teeth, listening to his lover and his wife giggle like they were still stoned.
They finally got onto the New York State Thruway. El and Satchmo were dozing in the back and Neal paying more attention to the game of Angry Birds on his smartphone than to Peter. Peter supposed he should enjoy the quiet - Neal wasn't fiddling with the buttons on the nav system, he wasn't changing the radio station, he was behaving.
And Peter was just as aggravated as if Neal was acting out like a five year-old on a sugar high. Bad analogy.
He broke his self-imposed silence. "Can you explain something for me?"
Neal's phone beeped and pinged and it sounded like he was recording a new high score. Neal finally looked up. "What?"
"Cumulonimbus. I don't get it. I can usually follow my father's twists and turns when he creates a nickname."
"Wait - I thought you said there was no rhyme or reason to his nicknaming." Neal was rightfully confused. "What about Isabelle - your father calls her Discoball. You can explain that?"
"Okay - okay. It's seemingly random, but I can figure it out. Isabelle - Is-a-Ball - Dizzy-ball - Discoball. See, it makes perfect sense."
Neal laughed. "Yeah, it does. And I guess I'm not surprised you can parse it out, given your love of crossword puzzles."
"Hmmm, yup. But I can't get from Neal to Cumulonimbus."
"Well - I'm not exactly sure how it happened either, except I may have told your dad about that conversation we had the first time you picked me up at June's."
It was Peter's turn to laugh. "My 'cappuccino in the clouds' comment?"
"Yup, that's the one."
"Knew that was going to come back and bite me in the ass someday."
no subject
"I should send you back to prison, you know." Peter grumbled as they pulled out of his parents' driveway. "I thought I told you to stay out of the office in the barn."
Neal chuckled. "You put me back, you're going to have to explain just how I got stoned, and who I got stoned with."
Peter didn't say a word. In fact, for the next fifty miles, he gave Neal the silent treatment. Elizabeth filled in the gap, and they talked holiday plans for next year. At breakfast this morning, Michael announced that he and Peter's mother were going on a cruise and Pumpkinhead, Elliebits and Cumulonimbus would have to fend for themselves the next Thanksgiving.
El chuckled at Neal's new nickname, which reminded Neal that he recorded Peter's father saying "James, James Bonds". He played it over and over, finally setting it up as a ringtone.
Peter drove and gritted his teeth, listening to his lover and his wife giggle like they were still stoned.
They finally got onto the New York State Thruway. El and Satchmo were dozing in the back and Neal paying more attention to the game of Angry Birds on his smartphone than to Peter. Peter supposed he should enjoy the quiet - Neal wasn't fiddling with the buttons on the nav system, he wasn't changing the radio station, he was behaving.
And Peter was just as aggravated as if Neal was acting out like a five year-old on a sugar high. Bad analogy.
He broke his self-imposed silence. "Can you explain something for me?"
Neal's phone beeped and pinged and it sounded like he was recording a new high score. Neal finally looked up. "What?"
"Cumulonimbus. I don't get it. I can usually follow my father's twists and turns when he creates a nickname."
"Wait - I thought you said there was no rhyme or reason to his nicknaming." Neal was rightfully confused. "What about Isabelle - your father calls her Discoball. You can explain that?"
"Okay - okay. It's seemingly random, but I can figure it out. Isabelle - Is-a-Ball - Dizzy-ball - Discoball. See, it makes perfect sense."
Neal laughed. "Yeah, it does. And I guess I'm not surprised you can parse it out, given your love of crossword puzzles."
"Hmmm, yup. But I can't get from Neal to Cumulonimbus."
"Well - I'm not exactly sure how it happened either, except I may have told your dad about that conversation we had the first time you picked me up at June's."
It was Peter's turn to laugh. "My 'cappuccino in the clouds' comment?"
"Yup, that's the one."
"Knew that was going to come back and bite me in the ass someday."