“I am practicing for the Paralympics today,” Madelyn tells us. She just appeared on the deck of Bonny’s Revenge and came down to our small home on the island, where Joy is sitting with Charlie and Justin and eating breakfast. “Do you want to come? Justin? Zhoy? Charlie? Suzy? Walt?”
Madelyn is going to participate in the Beijing 2008 Paralympics with her team, and she’s been practicing every day.
“I would like to see that,” I raise my hand.
“I want to–” Joy says with her mouth full, then clams up, looking guilty of something.
“Joy?” Justin leans in. “Is everything okay?”
She nods, her mouth closed.
“Whaaaat’s happening?” he tries again.
“Nooofin!” she says with a full mouth.
“We were planning a really awesome dream today,” Charlie says about Joy and himself.
“Joyyyy?” Justin is not taking his eyes off her. “Are you going to swallow?”
Joy shakes her head. She takes a napkin and spits the food into it.
“Sweetie,” Suzy immediately says. “The bin is right next to you.”
Joy looks at Suzy, then at Justin, and shakes her head.
“Joyyyyy?”
“Charlie and I were planning something. You all leave and we’ll be fine on our own with Master Mind.”
“Joy?”
She looks around, as if in distress.
“What’s in the napkin?” Justin says.
She shakes her head.
Justin shrugs. “Okay. Keep your secrets. Who’s going to see Madelyn practice?” He heads for the door and then stops. I think he just realized what Joy is hiding.
He looks at the napkin. Then at Joy. “Leeet’s go,” Suzy taps him on the back. “Let a girl keep her secrets. A girl needs some privacy.”
“Mom, but why would she hide that? She always–”
“Leeeet’s go,” she pushes him forcefully outside. “Keep your mouth shuuu-ut.”
Justin and Suzy leave and I’m confused.
Madelyn looks at me. “Are you coming?”
“I’m coming,” I say.
(To be continued…)
—Told by Grampa Walt