Most of the time there was no other place in the world where Tom Downey would rather be than the Lincoln Park Bike Park. Going there was special because the bike park was only open weather permitting. His parents would only take him there once a month during the school year and twice in the summer. The trip to the bike park not being common, made everything about the place even more special. To Tom, the expert level BMX course was the best in the world. The bike trail must be the longest and widest Tom had ever seen. Even the wooden picnic benches were comfortable.

Today was different. There was one place Tom would rather be other than the bike park, Renee’s birthday party. Tom’s anger at being snubbed made the bike park second place and everyone knew that second place was nothing more than the first loser. How could Renee not invite him along with his closest friends? So what if they do not like Luke. Her friendship with Luke was not going to affect how Tom and his friends treated her. They were still going to invite her and Matt to their parties. They were still going to show up at any party as long as Luke was not there.

To make matters worse, the bitter boy thought that he was being nice when he told Renee he would still show up to her party even if Luke was there. Being able to be around that crybaby was not nice; and how was Tom repaid? Renee flatly told him that she would not invite him. Not taking the compromise, shows that Renee did not want to get along. Life was give and take. Tom was giving his presence at the party to Renee so she should have been happy.

There was another reason for the anger. The BMX course reminded him of losing to Luke. Losing one race would have been bad but he lost both of them. Tom knew he could not beat Luke in a race. He saw Luke lose to Renee. There was no way a girl should beat a boy in a race. There was no way a boy who lost to a girl could be faster on a bike than Tom.

Tom’s pride was hurt by losing to that boy. Luke wore a dress and now Lori told him about how her brother would cry all the time at home. That story should have been seen for what it was, a story. Luke showed he would not cry over anything with how he took the teasing about his mom’s petticoat punishment. Tom choose to believe the story. Anything which made the boy who had beat him in a race look bad made him feel good. The downside of this hurt, since Luke was lesser than Tom in Tom’s eyes, and Renee picked hanging out with Luke over Tom .

Tom was going to spend his entire time at the bike park on the BMX course. He was going to get better and beat Luke. He was not worried about beating Renee. Luke had had to let Renee win so she would hang out with him. That was the only way that loser was friends with her. That was the only way to explain Luke beating him. There was no way that Tom was slower than a girl on a bike.

With each lap on the course, Tom knew it better. The best place to ease up on his speed on the turns was coming to him. The easiest way through the course was coming to Tom. He knew that he was mastering the course. After his last lap, Tom had a smile on his face. He had to be the best 8 year old on the track. Whenever he gets the chance to prove he was better than his lesser, was going to be sweet.

************

Blake Sellars was sitting on the swing set in his backyard. His hands were tightly clenching the chain link hold of the swing as Mike Patton was pushing him. Each push came with the instruction of higher. Blake wanted to set his own height record today.

As Blake was inching closer to reaching heights he never had before, he thought this is how it should be. His words were about the Zahn’s twins; Blake was a leader and should be in charge. Siding with Lori in the War of the Twins was Blake’s way of following an enemy of my enemy is my ally. To him, Lori was nothing more than a useful idiot. One day he would be in charge of that group like it should be. He would be nice enough after his coup to have Lori as second like he currently was to her.

Mike was giving his all in those pushes to Blake. His agreement to what his friend was spewing about Luke, Luke and him was in words only. Mike was relieved that he finally had a friend and did not want to do anything to ruin it. The only reason he was Blake’s best friend was Mike was a yes man. The acceptance of people liking Mike for his actions instead of who he was, came from how he saw himself. Blake’s Sancho Panza had low self-esteem. One day he would learn how to love himself, but today, to feel good about himself, Mike had to agree with what he knew was not true. Luke was one of the good ones.

**********

Tracy was glad she was not invited to the party. She could not face Luke right after he found out the truth. Even with why she did not have Luke at her party being common knowledge, admitting it to her mom made her actions real. Before, not sending Luke an invite felt like a game, nothing more than teasing him. Her actions might have hurt Luke some, but he deserved to feel pain. He made Tracy feel bad by not accepting her apology. Then the sadness in her mom's eyes after Mr. Zahn’s call made Tracy realize she had done wrong.

*************

Even with not wanting to go to Renee’s party, Lori was still fuming about not being invited. No one in the world, even someone who was a poopy head like Renee, should choose spending time with Luke over her. How dare that peasant deny Lori the satisfaction of declining the invite. The Brat Princess, not others, decided where she would and would not be.

Alice was enjoying the scenery as she was horseback riding with Lori. This Mother-Daughter day was just what she needed. Instead of having to deal with the hectic day to day life, Lori’s mom was able to relax. There was no worry about Luke and Lori not getting along. Alice tried to not think about dealing with her kids but her mind went there. Being a mom is a 24/7 job. She saw how nice Lori was being. This was how her daughter should always be and Luke should quit bringing the fallen angels out of his sister.

As Lori was horseback riding with her mom, she was deep in thought. Her mom took it as her daughter also soaking up the beauty of nature. Lori was thinking of how to get Luke good for not following how life should be. Her brother could have and should have turned down the invite to the party without her being invited. Luke had no right to go somewhere she was not welcomed. The worse for Lori was, that some people liked her brother more than her. People wanting to see an extra over the little girl in the spotlight was a mystery to her.

To Lori, her stating that she would not go to any party with Luke, did not mean being passed over to attend the party. Saying no to Renee was not just a royal privilege; it was her right. She should be the one in control of where she went and who she associated with, not some kid in her class.

Lori did not come up with any definite plans on getting what she deemed was justice, but others would see as revenge. There were just too many good ways to get back at Luke to come to a final decision. She did know that making Luke pay will involve him being in a dress again. Lori saw how much that hurt her brother. She wanted to inflict that pain on him.

**********

Luke felt a little out of place at Renee’s party. This was the first time this summer he saw most of his classmates. They were acting differently around him. Whenever he joined a group, one or two would leave and the rest would become more tense. The partygoers got a little anxious around Luke. They did not want to make Luke cry. Even with no proof, they did believe Lori’s lie about Luke being a crybaby. There was no reason a sister would lie about her brother. Luke’s classmates also did not want to be seen as too friendly to him. They did not want to take the chance of being on the no invite list.

Luke did not let being treated like an outsider affect his enjoyment of the party. This was Renee’s day and there was no way Luke was going to lessen the spotlight on his friend. Luke also felt good, seeing Renee smile made him happy. A part of true friendship was getting happiness out of the happiness of others. Renee feeling good lifted Luke’s spirits.

***********

Lori finally was able to figure out how to get Luke back in a dress. Cry at the right moment and blame him for causing the tears. All Lori had to do, was to say Luke was rubbing in the fact that she was not invited to Renee’s party. Those tears showing how upset her little princess was would make Alice do anything to soothe away the pain.

Lori’s plan to get back at Luke was simple. It did not need to be complex. Her mom always sided with her. Alice wanting Lori’s childhood to be a carbon copy of hers helped so much. Lori waiting until her mom was under stress also helped. Alice just wanted to relieve some of the pressure she was under. This led to her doing what was easy instead of what was right. The stopgap solution also exacerbated the issue. Lori would not stop causing the stress just because she got her way.

The Monday morning after Renee’s party was when this latest offense in the War of the Twins occured. The timing was perfect for Lori. Her mom was strong armed into doing some overtime that day. Alice was feeling stressed with trying to do too much. When Lori came down to have breakfast her mom was showing signs of being under pressure. Alice was fidgety, trying to do two things at once, had to ask her daughter to repeat any questions from being distracted and gave short answers.

Lori started to cry when Alice called Luke down for breakfast. Having to get her son to join her for breakfast added to Alice feeling overwhelmed. She asked herself why could not her son just come down like Lori. Alice did not know how much her son was dreading being around his mom. Luke started to feel pressure being with his mom when Lori was around. There was always a chance he would get in trouble for doing nothing.

By the time Luke got to the kitchen table, Alice was upset at him. Lori told the lie of him teasing her about not being invited to the party. Big brothers should not tease their little sisters. Her mom was strong armed into doing some overtime that day. To Alice, her son being invited to the party instead of her daughter was also upside down. Lori was the popular one out of her children. Everyone knew that the youngest daughter was the golden child in any family.

Alice just wanted Luke to say he was sorry and would never make his little sister cry again. Luke not giving a false confession added to Alice’s frustration. Lori suggested that her mom put Luke in a dress. Alice thought that the strong armed tactic was a great idea. This would cause Luke to give in. Alice gave the ultimatum “Luke either say you are sorry to your sister or you will be in a dress again.”

A person’s word was their bond. Alice once again went back on her word to her son. Luke’s feeling of dread was justified by the threat. He now felt disdain for his mom. Luke stood his ground. Lying to his mom would have been wrong. If she found out he lied he might be in more trouble. Alice did raise her son well. He much rather do the right thing and be punished than do the wrong thing. He said “No, you are a meany.”

Alice was not planning on putting him in a dress until she heard her son call her a meany,. That punishment was drastic. The threat was about getting peace and calm in her household. Luke was the oldest and he needed to help out more around the house.

Alice’s plan changed with those words. The stress of the start of the week was getting to Luke’s mom and now her feelings were hurt. How could her son really think that she would once again put him in a dress? Alice would not admit this to herself, but she felt if her son thought she was a meany, she would then become one. “Get upstairs right now Luke.”

Luke marched upstairs. He was going to take the petticoat punishment like a boy. Luke wanted to show he was strong and could handle what his mom was doing to him. Weakness only meant what she did was right. If he cried, then his mom could say he deserved to be in a dress. Boys don’t cry.

Alice should have known something was wrong when she went into Lori’s room. That blue and white dress along with the unicorn panties, lacy shoes and girl t-shirt was already laid out on her daughter’s bed. There was no reason for the instrument of Luke’s torture to be out and ready to use. Alice was too wrapped up in her hurt feelings and being overwhelmed to notice.

Alice did not like the vibe she felt as she was walking into Luke’s room. A chill went down her spine seeing her son standing tall waiting for her. The cold look in Luke eye were eerie. An 8-year old eyes being so cold was unnatural. Luke’s eyes should have flickers of emotions in them Then Luke asking his mom for the dress made Alice’s chill become a shiver. An 8 year-old’s voice should never sound as serious as Luke’s. Her son’s voice should have more life in it.

Alice’s second thoughts were growing and she was about to act upon them when a screech came from downstairs. Lori amped up her crying so she could see Luke in a dress. With the Luke situation not being chaotic, Alice left the outfit in Luke’s room as she went downstairs to handle her daughter. The youngest daughter needed to be dotted over by her parents. Once the calm was restored, she would tell Luke about the reprieve.

Luke’s mom did not think that Luke was going to put on the dress until he was told once again. Alice could not have been more wrong if she had tried. Luke put on the dress and stood there waiting for his mom to come back. That boy was not only going to show how strong he was to his mom, but that he listened to her. Putting on that dress was going to be proof that Lori lied about her brother misbehaving.

The hassle of dealing with Lori’s drama took too much time. Alice only had 15 minutes to get her work space ready. This short period of time put Alice in a mad rush to the kitchen. She poured her coffee not paying attention to her surroundings. The last thing Alice wanted to see was the dirty dishes which would be waiting for her after work. Her turning a blind eye made Alice walk right past Luke’s uneaten bowl of cereal.

Not paying attention to everything she was doing made Alice forget about Luke. There was no crying in the house so her parenting duties were done for the moment. Then after two hours she got up to get another cup of java. Being more at peace made Alice actually see the kitchen when she was there. She saw the bowl of cereal and remembered about Luke. Her poor son must be still in his room waiting for her.

Alice went upstairs to get Luke. Yelling to tell him to come down would bring discord to the harmony her home had. Keeping the house this peaceful was a delicate balancing act with two 8 year olds. When she went into the room that shiver up her spine returned. Luke was still standing where she left him. Her son standing at attention because she forgot about him would have been disturbing enough, but there was more, Luke was in the outfit she brought into the room.

Alice knew why, but could not take responsibility. Doing so would mean she was a bad parent. That going with the easy solution to her problem was wrong. She tried to shift the blame to her son ”Luke, I did not tell you to wear that dress.”

Luke was not going to lie. He would rather stay in that dress all day than to get out of it by lying. His mom might also have been setting a trap. She seemed to be getting pleasure out of making Luke out as the bad child and Lori as the good child. Luke saw Alice getting pleasure from how she saw her kids. The youngest daughter should be the good one, the one people liked and the one which got the breaks, the benefit of the doubt and was lucky. That was her childhood. “You did Mom.”

The response was abrupt and made that shiver up Alice’s spine spread to her entire back. An 8 year old boy should not sound as serious as a police officer writing a traffic warning. “I did not.”

Luke started to feel resentment to his mom. Why was she trying to force him to lie? Could it be his mom was just trying to make Lori feel better by getting him in more trouble? The hurt little boy looked at his mom and said “You are a meany.”

Alice knew she deserved what Luke said. Once again, she went too far. The mom just wanted to put this episode behind her. To put this bad decision in the past, Luke’s mom was also going to make this up to him. Alice was not going to acknowledge any wrongdoing. That would mean she would have to deal with her actions. Her actions were not that bad. How could bringing order to her house come from a bad action? “Luke just change and go out to play. We will get ice cream after your dad comes home. Just me and you.”

Luke said “Yes, Mother.” How formal her son was made that shiver in Alice’s back become more intense. Her 8 year old boy should not be responding to her like they were in Victorian times when she brought up a nice treat.

Luke knew the ice cream was a lie. His mom’s word was becoming no good to him. There had been so many broken promises in the past few months by Alice. Alice had made the promise to Luke of going for ice cream before and they did not go. Alice had made the promise that he would never be in a dress again and he just was. Luke’s mom had made the promise that they would have cake together and she ended up doing so with Lori.

Luke left the house hungry. He did not care about his stomach growling. Dealing with wanting something to eat was better than being around his mom. Luke saw a path to the woods on his way to the playground to be with Renee and Matt. At that moment he would much rather take the path than see people. Once he was out of sight in the woods, Luke got off his bike and sat on a log. As soon as he knew he was by himself, the little boy broke down and cried. They might say boys don’t cry, but those boys do not have a meany for a mom.

******************

After supper that night Luke asked his mom if they were going to get ice cream. He thought that maybe, just maybe, his mom had not kept her word before because she forgot. That would not be uncommon, people forget important things all the time. Luke would sometimes forget to brush his teeth. He knew that was important because of how much his mom and dad stressed good oral care.

Internally Alice moaned when she was reminded about her word. She did tell Luke about them getting ice cream, but she was so tired from her day. Putting off the ice cream by a day would not be that bad. Luke handled being in a dress again so well. Alice was proud that her son did not add chaos to her life by overreacting to a little punishment. She would reward him tomorrow.

Hearing the no, put Luke into his boys don’t cry mode. If there was any sign of disappointment by Luke, he had no idea what his mom might do. Today she had him in a dress for over 2 hours. Not wanting to show emotions led to Luke having the same expression as when Alice saw him in his room. Him saying “Fine, mother.” was a reminder of his opinion of her. That she was a meany.

Fred knew for some reason his son wanted ice cream. Luke’s father offered to take the entire family. Alice turned him down. She was just tired and wanted to stay at home. Luke’s mom would also not have enjoyed the treat. That was supposed to be only her and her son. To make up for doing what she could not admit was wrong. Lori also turned down the outing. There was no way the Brat Princess was going to be with her dad and brother without her queen. Those two had the nerves to act like Luke was her equal.

Luke’s eyes brighten up when his dad told him they were going. The brightness of his eyes deemed for a moment when Alice made eye contact with her son. She saw a cold glaring stare. The smile on his face momentary went away. Alice knew why. Her son was looking at someone he considered a meany.

After her husband and son left Alice shed a tear. Lori saw how sad her mom was and knew it was because of the look Luke gave their mother. Seeing her mom in pain felt so wrong. Her queen was strong. Lori wanted to prop up her mom’s wounded feelings. Lori went over and gave the most important person in her world a hug and told her “Everything was going to be alright.”

Alice’s sadness went away. Those assuring words from Lori strengthen her conviction putting Luke in a dress was not bad. After feeling vindicated about the punishment, Alice also felt she was in the right in not keeping her word to Luke. Taking him for ice cream was not about righting a wrong. The extra treat was about not feeling guilty about being a bad parent. Sometimes being a parent meant doing things your child would not like. Lori’s mom responded with “I know.”

Lori knew the work of making everything alright was only halfway done. She needed to make sure her brother was punished for hurting her queen’s feelings. She knew full retribution would have to wait until the start of the school year. The family’s beach vacation was coming up. Luke would have his protector and Lori did not want to chance her or her mom being caught. Her dad would not understand that Luke needed to be put in his place.

Lori was able to give Luke a little of his just deserts the next day by getting a desert with her mom. After dinner the Brat Princess declared she was getting ice cream with her mom. Fred thought it would be a good idea for the entire family to get some. Him and Luke had a treat yesterday but with how hot and humid the day was, everyone deserved ice cream.

Lori started to protest. Her dad had no right to barge on the outing. Lori was not giving an invite for the entire family, but a request to her mom. Today was her turn to get a treat. The fact that she could had ice cream yesterday was not relevant because she chose not to. To her Luke having ice cream two days straight was so unfair. To tell the truth, Luke ever having ice cream was unfair, but two days would have been a true travesty.

Alice was tired from another long day at work. She so just wanted to stay at home. The fact that the request came from Lori made Alice decide to honor it. Any good parent would make a small sacrifice to put a smile on the face of their youngest. Alice tried to be diplomatic in denying her husband’s idea. “Honey, only me and Lori are going. You and Luke got ice cream yesterday. It is our turn today.”

Alice was being tactful, but not honest. Everyone was included yesterday, and today Fred and Luke were excluded. “Dear, you and Lori could have gone with us yesterday, but you didn’t. If Luke and I want to go, we will go.”

Alice thought that Fred was being unreasonable. Lori did not want him or her brother so they should honor what the youngest wanted. The mom who wanted a fairy tale childhood for her daughter was going to find a way to give Lori what she wanted. She remembered all those times her parents took her for a special treat without any of her siblings. She forgot the reason was that some of them were already out of the house and Dom, the closest to her age, did not have a sweet tooth. The Nostalgia Queen was going to put pressure on Luke to say no. “You really do not want ice cream two days straight, do you Luke.”

Luke started to feel resentment towards his mom. That question was absurd. His mom was talking like she lived in Wonderland. What 8 year old kid does not want a cold sweet treat on a hot day. Luke was taking his time answering. He wanted to make sure he did not upset his mom and at the same time correct her ridiculous assertion.

Luke finally figured out saying he wanted to go to spend time with his mom would set the record straight in a good manner. This was the truth even with the bad feelings towards his mom, Luke loved her. The little boy wanted them to have a great relationship.

Before Luke could tell his mom the sweet reason he wanted something sweet Lori started to cry. His mom started to turn up the pressure by asking the question again. Fred told his wife to quit asking Luke that question. Luke knew right then it was useless to say yes. His sister would keep on causing a scene until she got her way. His parents would fight if he said yes. His learned helplessness about Lori got the better of him and looking downwards said no.

Luke could not look his mom in her eyes and tell that huge lie. Even if he could lie to his mom’s face Luke would have still been looking down. He was mad at his mom. She did not keep her word to him. Then to make the situation worse, his mom was taking Lori for ice cream. That should be him. Luke should have some special time with his mom. His anger came from Luke not understanding why his mom treated Lori so much better than him. He resented that his mom only had time for him when she was punishing him for nothing.

The Brat Princess wanted out of there before Luke’s protector overrode the decision. She was getting her way and was not going to let anyone mess it. Lori gleefully ran to the door. This was a double win for her. She got to spend time with her mom and Luke was put in his place.

Alice used her daughter being out of the house to get out of the discussion with her husband. As she was closing the door, Fred’s wife said “We will talk about it when I get home.”

Fred did not like that his wife just talked at him and not with him. Alice was as open as the front door she just closed to a real discussion. He knew that this incident was something small and Alice used that fact to get her way. Fred did not want a fight over something as minor as Alice taking Lori on her own for ice cream. Fred wanted to calm down before he saw his wife so they would not even talk about the ice cream incident. He knew the best way to get into a good mindset was to do something special for Luke. He saw how hurt his son was about not getting ice cream. It worried him a little that his wife was blinded to Luke wants.

If Fred knew the entire reason behind Luke’s hurt feelings, Alice would not have made it out of the door. There was no way for Fred to know about how Alice was putting Luke in a dress behind his back. Fred was under the assumption that Alice would never do that again and did not know Luke was scared of telling his father.

Before Luke could start mopping Fred said “Get your helmet and knee pads.”

Nothing more needed to be said, Luke perk up faster than a meerkat. He knew he was going to the bike park. As Luke did what he was told, Fred called Lori and Matt’s parents to see if Luke’s friends could join him. Luke’s friends were able to go because it was only 6:30. They knew that Fred would get their children home around 9:00. This might only be two hours at the park, but that was two hours of fun.

Alice and Lori came home from getting ice cream. Lori was so happy. The Brat Princess could not wait to rub she got ice cream and Luke got none. One of the few times in her life, Lori was disappointed in not seeing Luke. What good was getting something if she could not let her brother know what he missed out on.

Alice was in disbelief about the fact her husband was not home. Fred knew to stay home. She told him about wanting to talk with him when she got back. The talk was going to be about making sure they treated the kids fairly in giving them treats. Luke getting ice cream on both days would have been unfair to Lori.

The note on the fridge made Alice livid. They went to the bike park. Her husband should have cleared this unexpected outing with her. She was going to have a nice talk about how they needed to be a united front with their children. That just because Lori got something, did not mean Luke should also. Alice would not admit this, but in her mind her daughter getting everything which Luke did plus what the Brat Princess wanted was fair. Lori deserved more because she was the youngest. Giving Lori more would make the Nostalgia Queen heir’s childhood exactly how she remembered her own.

The discussion between Fred and Alice did not happen until their kids went to bed. The appearance of being on the same side was important to them even when they were fighting. The discussion went to a fight as soon as Fred responded. He made the mistake of not agreeing with his wife.

Alice could not believe that somehow Lori saying no to ice cream yesterday meant that somehow it would make it fine for Luke to have ice cream two days in a row. That would only be fine if Lori also had ice cream two days in a row. She then asserted that it would have been fine for Lori to have ice cream two days straight and Luke only for one day.

Fred did not want this to be the reason behind his wife’s logic. He knew the logic and disagreed with it. Lori was only technically younger than Luke. They shared the same birthday. Alice knew this yet somehow would not recognize the fact. Fred said “Don’t even say it Alice and just drop this. If it is fine for you to take Lori somewhere without me agreeing, then the same is true with me in regards to Luke. I would have told you if you had not run out of the house.”

“Don’t change the subject. This is about treating our kids the same.”

“You don’t.”

“Lori is the youngest and she should be treated special.”

“I told you not to say that.”

“You don’t tell me what to say.”

“I know that. I was not trying to tell you what to do. I told you not to say that because I do not want to hear it. I know you think Lori is younger and that drives me crazy. Somehow you think that our kids, who were born on the same day, are somehow a different age.”

Alice wanted to go back to what she wanted to talk about and reiterated “You should have waited for me to come home.”

Fred was done with the talking. He knew nothing was going to be resolved. A good night sleep by both of them would make them quickly forget the bickering. “Alice, I am going to get ready for bed. I am done with this discussion. We are not talking with each other.”

Even with being mad, Alice was satisfied with the outcome of the talk. Not finding common ground about this subject meant the status quo remained. Alice could treat her children the same as she did before the talk. Having her husband come on board with how she saw her children would have been great. That would have meant no more fighting between those two about how Lori should be treated.

*******************

The week leading up to the family beach vacation, Fred did replay the ice cream incident over and over in his head. Luke not wanting to go get ice cream was off, but something else was. He could not figure out the other part which he did not like. The little detail which he was overlooking was Luke saying Mother.

Fred finally figured out what was bugging him on the second day at the beach. He and Alice each took turns doing this so the other could get to lay in some. The other reason was Lori. Fred’s daughter would do nothing but complain about being bored watching night turn into morning. Luke enjoyed going to the shore to watch the sunrise. Luke loved seeing the dark orange rise up and become yellow in the sky. The tide coming in was a beautiful foreground to seeing the new day greet him. The beach being empty of all the people made Luke feel calm.

The second day Alice was supposed to take Luke to see the sunrise and did not. The reason behind not going was that Lori woke up and said she was hungry. The truth was Lori’s appetite was the same as her love for her brother, non-existent. The Brat Princess did not want her brother to have any time alone with their mom. Only the heir to the throne got to have a one on one audience with the queen.

Alice was actually being a good mother trying to put a perceived need in front of a want. She could have been a good mother if her husband could take Lori to breakfast. Instead she asked Luke “Sweetie, is it fine to skip going to see the sunrise today? You can go tomorrow.”

Hearing Luke’s answer of “Yes, Mother” was when Fred figured out what was bothering him about the ice cream incident. His son sounded to formal, distant and cold. That yes was not meant. His wife should have picked up on how disappointed Luke sounded.

Fred wanted to keep the peace so he offered to get up and take Luke. His son was a little too happy about the solution. Fred was his son’s favorite parent, but Luke also loved his mom. If Fred did not know better he would have sworn Luke did not want to spend time alone with his mom.

Fred did not know that he did not know better. In a way Luke was happy with his mom not taking him. In another way he was hurt. These mixed emotions were so hard on Luke. When Luke gave his mom the answer she wanted he felt rejected by her and also relieved. Even with the little boy dreading spending time alone with his mom, Alice’s son still wanted her to want to spend time with him.

How confused Luke was about his feelings led to him feeling resentment to his mom right then. To the 8 year old boy a mommy should only make their son feel good and happy to be around them. There was no reason for his mommy to be a meany. Luke was a good boy. He did his chores, listened to her and loved her. He did not understand why she always thought Lori was telling the truth about him when his sister was not.

At the beach, Fred admired what was the true beauty of the moment, his son being happy. Other than at the bike park right then was the most relaxed he saw Luke in months. He also thought to himself he needed to pay more attention around his house. That maybe his wife was playing favorites too much and that needed to be put to a stop.