Josie & Duncan

Honestly, Josie didn't know what her mother wanted to hear, but then again, maybe she knew what her mother wanted to know.

"It was a sleep over." Plain and simple. If only, it could be that. However, she might as well be sitting on the bottom of the ocean right now as she played around with the granola on top of her vanilla yogurt. She wasn't hungry. It was all she could think to say about Henry. "So please, it was nothing." She frowned then as if she need'n say more.

"I see." Josie wasn't sure if her mother bought it or not. She cleaned Carrie's messy breakfast face, but Carrie reached for slices of banana to push in her mouth. Duncan peeked over the newspaper as if he really didn't want to be a part of this odd conversation, and yet Josie knew he was curious.

Her head, was heavy with sleep. But she couldn't. She'd tried, but only thrashed around like she might be possessed. What had came over Henry?

What had she done?

She knew it was a fluke of some kind. It wasn't real. She kept rolling those words over and over in her head and only one word came to mind. And she knew she couldn't say it at the breakfast table.

They would never ever speak of it. She nor Henry. After all, she'd driven him home before her mother even started breakfast. And he'd waved bye, ever so hurried. Not even a quick kiss on the cheek.

Things were normal now.

Yet, it didn't feel quite that way. Not even now.

"Well, had he ever slept over, before?" Duncan wanted to know after Josie went upstairs, back to bed. She had a headache. Or so she said. He didn't like the looks of this. After all, he was suppose to be on top of this. He was the acting father, wasn't he?

"Not that I know of." Camille gave him a look that it was possible.

"I just didn't want to scare the poor boy." Duncan wasn't sure how to handle it. "Maybe, maybe you should call his mom."

"I dunno." Camille winced.

Duncan slightly scowled. "Look, we can't just do this NO PARENTING thing. Remember, how..how ..you said..it used to be with you and ..your ex..and what happened to Josie?"

She sighed as if she didn't have time to relive the whole thing.

"She's graduating. He's graduating. And for a fact..I know Henry would not..ever...." She looked at him as if there was no need to explain. "He's very gay."

Duncan slightly gritted. "I never liked having Sky here, you know." He crossed his arms.

"But..that's different. Nothing was really going on between Josie and him." She pressed her lips tight.

"She is your daughter, but you have to really talk to her ..before its too late." He informed her. "I never ..ever had a girl over when I was in high school. My old man would have kicked me out with a screaming match and maybe even a beating, too."

She swelled a frown.

"You, never talk about them." Camille then said.

"I pissed them off." He closed his eyes as if it was best not to dwell on it. "And we haven't talked since. I think it was Dad's way of saying he was done with me, and I wasn't to be a bother. And I wasn't."

Now Camille was sentimental. Naturally, he comforted her, right there in the kitchen. With a hug and a kiss.

"Its OK. Everything, turned out, OK. Didn't it?" He hugged her close, but she sobbed more. He guessed he was making a big deal out of nothing. After all, Henry was nothing like he was. Duncan had slept on every friend's couch he knew, back then. It was highly unlikely he'd ever succeed at anything, other than being somebody's drinking buddy. Sometimes, he did wonder how he ever got here, in all his warped thinking. Still, he'd never looked back. He'd never called home. And he wondered now if any of his family was even around. He wouldn't dare let himself go there. After all, Camille was the only family he needed.