Chapter 9

But Dad was getting his serious face on again already. His ruddy complexion got a little redder; you’d have to know him well to notice it, but believe me, I did. “So, what were you doing in the basement?” he asked, as if it didn’t matter one little bit. But why should it?

I blurted out, “Sulking,” which made Dad at least smile if not laugh outright.

His eyes narrowed though. “You got your suit dirty. It’s a mess down there. Better not spend much time down there, all righty?”

Why? What did he care if I got my clothes dirty or not?

“You don’t want the girls down there. I pay too much for their, at least, Chris’s clothes. All right? Set a standard for them. Keep it up. Yeah. We men have to keep our standards up. Hey, did you fill out those apps for football yet? They’ll be starting practice soon.”