t h e p e a r s o n ' s c l o n e s
Emo put his finger right on his nose and nodded, "The outfit you bought me Joan."
Joan nodded silently.
Now it was Alex's turn to flip the page, directing my attention to a picture of Joan as a teenager, "Care to comment Bruce?"
"Okay," I shrugged. "It bares a strikingly and purely coincidental resemblance to the polka-dot dress I bought you last year for your birthday."
Alex frowned. "The dress I‘m wearing now." She pinched the fabric and pulled it away from her sleeve towards me to emphasize this point.
My brow scrunched at it, "Yeah. That one."
"Do you two see us as dolls?" this was Emo, who raised one eyebrow accusingly.
Joan made to speak, but I interrupted her, "Of course not. There‘s nothing wrong with wanting the things that made you happy for your children."
"Really?" Emo challenged, "What about this--?"
I reached out and flipped the album shut before he could turn to the next incriminating photograph. Emo‘s mouth dropped open in shock. Alex, on the other hand, was outraged.
"Ow!" I yelped as she slapped my hand.
Joan‘s eyes about popped out of their sockets, "What has gotten into you young lady?"
"You will let us finish Joan," Emo stated.
I started at this, "Why do you keep calling your mother tha—?"
"All will be revealed in time Bruce," Alex cut me off.
"But—But—But—―" I protested feebly, but Emo was reaching below the tabletop again.
"Witness Exhibit B," he announced, placing an old, yellowed greeting card on the table and sliding it over.
I could see Joan‘s hand trembling as she picked it up and opened, letting out a little gasp of shock, "Bruce, you said you burned all of these."
Crap, I thought and went on the offensive. "You know you're in big trouble young man. You went through my personal--!"
"Some interesting reading, Dad," Emo kept his eyes locked with mine, "or should I say 'Honey Bear Pooky Pie?'"
-5-
