Point of Retreat

is that I have to go back to school tomorrow,” he says. “My sweet is that Layken’s finally home.”
     
    She smiles. “Awe, thanks Caulder. That is a sweet,” she says.
     
    “My turn,” Kel says. “My suck is that I have to go back to school tomorrow. My sweet is that Layken’s finally home.”
     
    She scrunches her nose up at Kel. “Copycat.”
     
    I laugh. “Well, my suck today is that my girlfriend made me rent six different Johnny Depp movies. My sweet is right now.” I lean over and kiss her on the forehead. Kel and Caulder have no objection to my sweet tonight. I guess they’re getting used to it.
     
    “Well, my suck is obvious. I’ve got staples in my head,” Lake says. She looks at me and smiles, then her eyes drift to Kel and Caulder as she watches them eat.
     
    “What’s your sweet?” Caulder says with a mouthful of food.
     
    Lake stares at him for a moment. “You guys,” she says. “All three of you.”
     
    It’s quiet for a minute, then Kel picks up a french fry and throws it at her. “Quit being cheesy,” he says.
     
    Lake grabs the french fry and throws it back at him.
     
    “Hey,” Kiersten says as she walks through the door. “Sorry I’m late.” She heads to the kitchen and starts making herself a plate of food. She’s about to be pissed again because I didn’t know she was coming over. Looks like she’ll have to eat bread again.
     
    "You need some help?" I ask her. She's only got one good arm, but she seems to be adjusting pretty well.
     
    "Nope. I got it." She brings her plate into the living room and sits down in the floor. We all stare at her when she takes a huge bite of a chicken strip.
     
    “Oh my god it’s so gooood,” she says. She shoves the rest of it in her mouth.
     
    “Kiersten, that’s meat. You’re eating meat,” I say.
     
    She nods. “I know. It’s the weirdest thing. I’ve been dying to come over here since you guys got home so I could try some.” She takes another bite. “It’s heaven,” she says with a mouthful. She hops up and walks to the kitchen. “Is it good in ketchup?” She grabs the ketchup and brings it back to the living room and squirts some on her plate.
     
    “Why the sudden change of heart?” Lake asks her.
     
    She finishes chewing and swallows her food. “Right when we were about to be hit by that truck….all I could think about was how I was about to die and I’ve never tasted meat before. That was my only regret in life.”
     
    We all laugh. She grabs the chicken off of my plate and throws it on her own.
     
    “Will, are you still coming to dad day Thursday?” Caulder asks.
     
    Lake looks at me. “Dad day?”
     
    “I don’t know, Caulder. I don’t know if I feel comfortable leaving Lake alone yet,” I say.
     
    “Dad day? What’s dad day?” Lake asks again.
     
    “It’s father appreciation day at our school,” Kiersten says. “They’re having a luncheon. Kids get to eat lunch with their dad’s in the gymnasium. Mom day isn’t until next month."
     
    “But what about the kids who don’t have dads? What are they supposed to do? That’s not very fair.”
     
    “The kids that don’t have dads just go with Will,” Kel says.
     
    Lake looks at me again. She doesn’t like being out of the loop.
     
    “I asked Kel if I could eat with him, too,” I say.
     
    “Will you eat with me, too?” Kiersten asks. “My dad won’t be back until Saturday.”
     
    I nod. “If I go,” I say. “I don’t know if I need to go, though.”
     
    “Go,” Lake says. “I’ll be fine. You need to quit babying me so much.”
     
    I lean forward and kiss her. “But you are my baby,” I say.
     
    I’m not sure which direction it comes from, maybe all three, but I’m hit in the head with french fries.
     
    ***
     
    I help Lake into the bed and pull the covers over her. “You want something to drink?”
     
    “I’m fine,” she says.
     
    I turn off the light and walk around to the other side of the bed and crawl in. I scoot closer to her and put my head on her pillow and wrap my arm around her. Her bandages come off at her next doctor’s visit. She’s so worried about how much hair they had to cut. I keep telling her not to worry about it. I’m sure they didn’t cut much, and the incision is on the back of her head so it won’t be that noticeable.
     
    It hurts if she’s not lying on her side, so she’s facing me. Her lips are in close proximity to mine, so of course I have to