'I want a cookie,' Erika said. 'You said I could have one.'
'Well, I guess I was wrong, Erika.'
'You said.'
'I have some V8 juice,' Susan said with a smile that would have beguiled Jesse Helms.
'I hate V8 juice,' Erika said.
'Some mango yogurt?' Susan said.
'I want some cookies. My mother said I could have some cookies.'
Beside me Pearl was still sitting upright. The hair was still up on her back. She growled very low, almost to herself. I draped my left arm over her shoulders and patted her.
'You got that right,' I said to Pearl.
Susan flashed a glance at me almost too quick to be registered. I smiled at her.
'Would you like to watch TV in Susan's bedroom?' Elayna said.
'How come I can't watch out here?'
'Well, this is where the grown-ups will be, sweetheart, and we want to talk without TV.'
'He's watching TV,' Erika said.
I picked up the clicker and turned off the set.
Elayna said, 'Come on into Susan's bedroom, Erika, and watch TV I'll bet we can find a real good movie for you.'
'Can that dog come in and watch with me?'
'No,' I said.
Again Susan gave me the glance.
'Come on, Erika,' Susan said. 'We'll go in and find you a movie.'
'Why can't that dog come?' Erika said.
'She's not really used to children,' Susan said.
'Does he bite?' Erika said.
'No, no. She's just not used to children,' Susan said.
'Mom, is he going to bite me?'
'No, of course not, she's a very nice dog. Come on, we'll go into Susan's bedroom and turn on the TV.'
Susan and Elayna and Erika all headed for the bedroom.
'He looks like he wants to bite me,' Erika said.
'She,' I said.
'Bad dog,' Erika said and stomped into Susan's bedroom.
They spent awhile finding a dandy TV program for Erika to watch. My guess was that their efforts would not be worth the result. When they were gone, Pearl settled back down into her sprawl, but she kept an eye on the bedroom. Finally they came out and half closed the bedroom door.
'Don't close the door,' Erika said from the bedroom.
'No, Erika. We won't,' her mother said. 'We'll leave it just like this.'
'You know I don't like the door closed.'
'I know, Erika.'
'Can I get you some wine or something?' Susan said.
'A little white wine would be nice,' Elayna said.
Susan went to get it.
'How's the game?' Elayna said to me.
'Patriots are getting hosed,' I said.
'Oh.'
'Poor Erika, she loves animals. She wants a dog so bad and I can't have one in the house.'
'You're allergic?' I said.
'Can't be in the same room with one. My eyes water and itch. I begin to sneeze. My throat closes up. It's hideous.'
I glanced at Pearl. Susan came back in with a bottle of white, and a bottle of red, three glasses, and a corkscrew. She set it all down on the table in front of me.
'Man's work,' she said.
I opened the wine. Susan had red. Elayna had white. I declined.
