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I waited a long ti chair before he finally came back

"What was it?" I asked

He dis," he answered, glazing overon with the adept skill of so questions of children "Good news Tooth is chipped but not cracked, so we don’t need to do a filling or a crown I can sue"

He was lying, of course All that concentrating over a chip that needed polishing? But I could tell he wasn’t planning to give me any more than that, so I opened my mouth hen he told me to and let him buff the chip into submission

And on my way out, like I was still seven, he let me choose a prize from the treasure box the receptionist kept hidden behind the counter It was overfloith plastic rings and beads and spinning tops and toy soldiers with flimsy parachutes stuck to their backs

I reached for a paddle with a rubber ball attached to a string, and when I did, I saw the way " He wanted my third-rate paddleball; I kneanted it

I pretended not to notice, but inside I was grinning a pretty self-satisfied grin at nified jab at the toddler as I tucked it intoI’d rather throw the stupid piece of junk in the trash than give it to hi at me like she knew exactly what had just transpired, and I told her, "I’ with Dad"

"So as all that about? With Dr Dunn? I know he saw soet the words out in one breath, doing pen of a van The s, but, like yesterday, it was the other smildewyor usting

"Nothing, really" But s as well as Dr Dunn had, and his "nothing" sounded uilt

I kicked a cruot his hs Frouess every one "You can tellup taller, "I think you have to tell ht to know" It was so strange to say that out loud, especially since I didn’t feel any older

My dad reached up and rubbed his jaw, his fingers distorting the skin of his face "Really, I can’t tell you Your mom--"