“Of course you’re free,” Justin tells Joy. “You’re more free here than any kid I know in the waking world. Isn’t she, Charlie?”
Joy looks at Charlie expectantly.
“Uhhh…” Charlie is taking this question too seriously. “Sure, she’s free. But I got TV in the waking world. I can see cartoons and–”
“Yeah, yeah,” Justin interrupts him. “But you don’t have adventures in the waking world like we do here, right?”
“That’s right.”
“And you have school, and your mother tells you what to do.”
“I have school,” Joy says. “Grandma and Grampa teach me how to read and–”
“It’s not the same,” Charlie says. “You have to sit down in school. And it’s for hours.”
“Here you can eat anything,” Justin says. “Food is always ready.”
“Sure,” Charlie says. “My Mom buys me games when I want them. Usually..”
“And here we can just create any games we want,” Justin says cheerily. “Plus, Joy has a flying pirate ship. Do you have a flying pirate ship?”
Charlie laughs.
“You just have a car, right? And you can’t drive it. Joy can helm the ship.”
Joy beams with happiness. “From when I was this small!” she puts two fingers close together.
Justin laughs.
“I can go to sleep, though.” Charlie says.
“I go to sleep.”
“I have dreams.”
Suddenly everyone is quiet. Joy claims she doesn’t dream. It’s a sore spot.
Justin looks at Joy to see if she’s cracking. He’s furiously trying to think of something to say.
“My dreams are really great,” Charlie says suddenly. “Because you’re in them. No one in school has you in their dreams.”
Justin’s jaw falls open. Suzy squeaks. I know that squeak. She’s trying not to keep her happiness well contained.
Joy looks at Charlie and it seems that all the sadness has vanished. “Wanna play?”
“Yuh-huh!”
Joy takes the helm and Charlie goes with her.
Justin shakes his head and sighs in relief. “Can we not talk about sperm ever again, Dad, Mom?”
“Crisis averted for now,” Suzy says. “You’re going to have to deal with that when she gets to be a teenager. When she gets boy crazy or girl crazy, you’re going to be in trouble.”
Justin stares at Joy. “Yup,” he says. “Yup.”
—Told by Grampa Walt