After the Climb (River Rain 0.50)

When he said that, she shoved her finger right into his cake, scooping off a load of frosting and pushing it into her mouth.

She smacked her lips before she said, “I see what you mean.”

She then tipped her head to the cake.

An invitation.

He couldn’t.

He couldn’t because he thought of what would happen to him if he did something like that at his house (not that they ever had cake at his house, birthday or other). With his dad watching (something he always did). And his mother frowning (something she always did).

But…

He looked hard at Mrs. Swan’s face.

He…

Did it.

Shoving his own finger in, he scooped off a whole load of frosting and thrust it in his mouth.

Delicious.

Exactly what a birthday should taste like.

Which was what his birthday had not tasted even a little bit like. Not that day’s.

Not ever.

Until now.

Mrs. Swan winked at him.

Then it was a free for all, Corey going back in, Gen and Dun going in, Mrs. Swan going in, and Mr. Swan muttering, “Good Lord. I got a pack of midnight hyenas on my hands.”

That was, he muttered that before he went in.

They ate all the frosting and cake with their fingers.

And when it was decimated, cake crumbles and frosting smears all over the table (and Mrs. Swan didn’t even care), Mrs. Swan said, “Well, would you look at that. No cake to put ice cream on.” She clucked. “Guess I gotta make sundaes.”

“Yesssssss,” Genny hissed, bopping Corey in the arm happily then pumping her own.

He smiled at her.

“Gen, love, help me with the towels,” Mrs. Swan said gently.

Corey felt that tone in a weird place in his stomach, like he always did when Mrs. Swan talked like that to Genny, or any of them.

He loved that for Gen. He knew Duncan did too.

How Mrs. Swan could be gentle, especially when she was telling her daughter what to do.

Mrs. Holloway could be like that when Mr. Holloway wasn’t around.

But Mr. Holloway and Corey’s folks?

Never.

Gen and Mrs. Swan gave them all their own damp kitchen towels so they had plenty of surface area to clean their hands and mouths, and after Mr. Swan had dropped a stack of dry ones on the table for them dry off, Duncan called, “Mr. Swan?”

At the way his voice sounded, Corey looked at him.

Corey’s friend looked…strange.

“Right, right…before sundaes. We have to—” Mr. Swan started.

Mrs. Swan cut him off. “My dearest, darling husband, you know better than that. Nothing comes before sundaes.”

“This does.”

Her eyes danced and her lips twitched.

She then nodded.

With that, both Gen and Dun moved like lightning, jumping off their chairs and coming to Corey.

“C’mon!” Duncan practically yelled, tugging on Corey to get him out of his seat.

Corey went and they guided him through the house, to a place that was off-limits when they were hanging out.

Mr. Swan’s study.

But they went right in.

And there was his desk.

And there was his reading chair.

And there was…

Another desk.

A much smaller one.

With a…

A…

Oh no.

He was going to cry again.

Because what that small desk had on it had a big, blue bow stuck to it.

So he knew it was for him.

“Duncan and Genny told us what you wanted, son,” Mr. Swan said. “And we figure, well…” He cleared his throat. “You can say you’re studying with Genny and you can come over and fiddle with it.”

“It costs too much,” Corey whispered.

And it did.

He knew exactly how much, and it cost a whack.

“Duncan and Genny saved up their allowances for a spell and…we’ll just say me and Mrs. Swan chipped in a bit,” Mr. Swan explained.

Corey stared.

And stared and stared at the thing with the bow.

“Hunh,” Dun grumbled.

“Aren’t you gonna go turn it on!?” Genny cried, all excited.

He looked to them.

“Dude, it’s a personal computer. No one has one of those,” Duncan reminded him. “It’s all you could talk about and…” He pointed. “It’s right there.”

Corey didn’t move.

He stared at his friends.

Genny did chores around the house, a lot of them. Corey was always complaining about how she couldn’t hang out because she had to do the vacuuming or polish her mom’s silver.

But Duncan.

He never complained about Genny doing so many chores.

Also Duncan…

A whole long time ago, he got a paper route.

A whole long time ago.

Corey stared at his friends.

And he stared and stared.

“Aren’t you gonna go turn it on, Corey?” Genny whispered.

He sensed movement and looked up, at Mr. and Mrs. Swan, who were standing together now. Mr. Swan had his arm around Mrs. Swan, and when Corey looked their way, she turned her head into her husband’s shoulder.

But before she did, Corey saw the tears falling.

He turned back to his friends.

“You guys are the best,” he said softly.

Duncan swallowed.

Genny bit her lip.

Then Duncan said, “We don’t have all night. We have to get you home.” He jerked his head at the computer. “Go turn it on, buddy. Give it a dry run.”