Radically Happy

Continued from Hello, Officer.

Dinner… wasn’t bad. I mean, things usually go well at the house of the Resilience and Dialogue, but I was still nervous whether the stodgy Officer would approve of them as a foster family for Stranger until he (or I?) matured enough.

Stranger immediately hit it off with Affection (formerly Trauma), and — after a tense moment — with Tick the puppy of Modernity. They immediately went outside to play, and had to be dragged back in for dinner.

Friendship (aka Keeper) stared at Officer Joe Friday with undisguised hero worship, and kept peppering him with questions while she sat next to him. He seemed to appreciate the interest in his work, though with his matter-of-fact monotone it was hard to be sure.

For my part, I kept my mouth shut (after a few discreet kicks in the shin from Dialogue) and tried to act like a responsible adult. Which worked pretty well until…

Terms of Debate

[The doorbell rings. Friday frowns and quirks an eyebrow.]

Friday: Were you expecting someone else?

Dialogue: [smiling and standing] Yes, that must be my sister Debate. I invited her to join us for dessert. You might know her, she works in the prosecutor’s office.

F. I meet lots of lawyers, I doubt I would remember…

[The door bursts open, and a statuesque blonde struts — there’s no other word for it — into the room. Friday’s jaw drops. Mine probably does too. The resemblance to Dialogue is obvious, but while Di could be the cute girl next door, De looks like a supermodel. Make that a superhero, because her personality blazes even stronger than her beauty. There’s no way any male over the age of two would forget meeting her. Ever. ]

Debate: Affection! Friendship! Come give Aunty a hug.

[They immediately jump up and obey. De looks at me and mouths a silent “Thank You,” presumably to thank me for helping restore their true names. Friday notices and glances over with what might be newfound respect, but I could swear felt like jealousy.]

Resilience: Kids, come help me get dessert ready while Aunt De meets our guests. [He grins at Friday and me, sensing our fascination and discomfort, as the three of them troop out. Dialogue, as usual, smooths things out after warmly greeting her sister.]

Di: De, this our longtime friend Earnest.

Earnest: Er, hello.

[I hold out my hand tentatively. She grabs it with two of hers and shakes vigorously.]

De: Earnest, so wonderful to finally meet you! Res and Di have told me so much about you.

E. [blushing] Don’t believe a word of it — it’s all true [I joke lamely. Fortunately she doesn’t notice, as she’s turned her attention to Friday]

De. Why, Hello Officer! [she purrs]

[I must confess it is gratifying to see the normally unflappable cop at a loss for words]

F. Ma’am [he awkwardly reaches out a hand. She grabs it and leads him to a chair. Like a lamb to the slaughter…]

De: I am so glad you’ve taken such an interest in little Stranger. Tell me [eyes twinkling] are you a family man? [she clasps her hands on her knee, making it obvious she lacks a ring]

F. No, ma’am. I’m, er, married to my work.

[De grins mischievously]

De. Well, then let’s work on that, shall we?

F. How’s that? [startled]

De: [flutters her eyelids] Why, I meant let’s help you finish your work here. [stares at him directly] That’s what you want, right?

F. [recovering his composure, and his monotone] Right. Of course. Have you been briefed on the situation?

De. [smiling] Just the facts. That you saw Earnest and Stranger coming out of a disreputable locale without any clear identity, and you want to ensure the safety of the child. [leans in] But what I want to know is: What did you feel?

F. [nervously] Feelings?

[De sighs, and somehow seems to shrink. She seems… tired, rather than intimidating.]

De. What’s your interest in this, really? I mean, I love my sister, and she truly is a saint, but I’m worried she may be taking on too much. [looks at him directly, but vulnerably] What are you really worried about? Might there be a different way to address it?

[Friday stares at her. He is clearly uncomfortable with the question, but can’t tear his eyes away.]

F. [almost involuntarily, like he’s talking to himself] Stranger… reminds me of myself. When I was his age [looks down] adults weren’t safe. Not cruel, exactly; just… unpredictable. Unreliable. [looks up] I had to protect myself. Learn the rules. Follow them. No matter how hard it was.

[De looks at him softly, and takes his hand]

De. And that’s why you became a cop. To protect others. So they wouldn’t [pausing] have to become like you.

[I draw a sharp breath, worried Friday might take that the wrong way. But when I look at him, his heart seems to be melting through his eyes.]

F. [staring at her] Yes. [he whispers]

[Debate stands up. Friday does too. She offers him her hand. He stares at it for a long moment, then reaches out to take it in both of his. She actually blushes]

De. Officer… Joe. Will you trust me?

F. Yes [without hesitation]

De. Then do you believe me when I say Stranger will be safe here?

F. [Nodding] Of course. [still gazing into her eyes]

[Debate smiles, and it is like a thermonuclear explosion going off in the desert]

De. [almost shyly] Then how about you and I go for a walk, and we can have a long talk about what it would to ensure Stranger — and you — are safe with Earnest.

F. [mesmerized] I would like that very much. [They exit]

True Names

E. Whew! [letting out a deep breath I hadn’t realized I was holding] I didn’t see that coming.

Di. [grinning] You don’t think she’s a good match for him?

E. What? [spluttering] No, nothing like that. It’s just, with a name like Debate, I expected her to be more, y’know, confrontational.

Resilience: [chuckling as he enters] That’s just her professional name, like Defender here [puts an arm around Dialogue]

E. [turning to her] And her true name is?

Di. Haven’t you guessed? Romance. The dangerous but irresistible mystery at the heart of every family.

E. [shudders] I’m not sure I’m ready for that.

R. [nodding] I know. That’s why Stranger is here.

E. [looking at Resilience] Do you know who Stranger really is?

[Resilience seems about to speak, but Dialogue interrupts him]

Di. Omigosh, we totally forgot about dessert. Let’s make sure the kids haven’t eaten all of it.

[Then she bustles us out, leaving the question hanging in the air behind us]

To be continued