“Then they both died of lung cancer and that was the end of that.” Randall sighed and shook his head.
“Awe. Sad,” Abby said.
“It was on little river. It didn’t have much else going for it, but it didn’t matter.”
She nodded.
“But it was a different time,” he said.
“Sure,” said Abby.
“None of us knew what the hell was going on. We were totally oblivious. Fishing and singing Kum Ba Yah around the fire at night. It makes me so fucking mad to think back on it. He had us fooled! We were in la la land.”
Abby was pretty sure he meant his father, but she decided it was better not to ask. She nodded.
“We thought we were one happy family. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t perfect. What I remember is how much space there was in the woods. It was a different world from that apartment we lived in. And it brought out a better side of both my parents.”
She didn’t know what to say so she patted his shoulder a couple of times.
“No, it wasn’t perfect. But those summers were damn close.”
“It sounds really nice,” she said.
He focused on her again. “Sugartitties, if we go out to the woods, we’re going to stay someplace nice. I’m not opposed to doing something like that. I think it’s cute that you’re learning all these things.”
She felt a heavy, sick thud in her gut when he said that. “Oh, Randall,” she said. She’d rather if he were never kind.
“What about that Chateau Marquez Lodge that won all those hospitality awards? They’re always sending us vouchers. I’ll take you there, Sugartitties. They’ve got mooseheads on the wall, or whatever it is you’re looking for.”
“I want our own little place, Randall. Somewhere around here, so we can go there all the time. A little getaway place.”
“Where would you want it to be?”
“Not far away. Maybe within an hour or so? Someplace we could go to on the weekends. I don’t know. Is there any place like that around here?”
“We live in Florida, not the Poconos,” he said.
“I know, I know. I guess I want a cute little place to decorate. Maybe what I mean isn’t cabin. Maybe it’s cottage.” She then laid her trump card: “Like Hal and Marla Bergman’s little place we visited a couple of summers ago.”
“Ohhh. A place like that. A little place.”
“Yeah. Just a little place.”
Randall scratched his armpit. “Yeah. A little place like Hal’s got.”
“We could have a garden and flowers, and a Smeg refrigerator.”
“A what?”
“Never mind.” She realized she was actually getting caught up in this and forgetting the true point of it.
“A what refrigerator?”
“And antiques! Would you let me decorate it with antiques?”
“I don’t know about any of this.”
“Danna-Dee mentioned that she and Clark have been thinking of getting a little place, too,” Abby lied. “Or, wait. On second thought, please don’t repeat that to Clark; I think I wasn’t supposed to know about it until they decide if they can afford it.” Trump card two.