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working on it, certain that his mother would see it as a higher priority than talking to a girl. After about 15 minutes that argument was about to be tested.
“What are you still doing up here?” she asked in that whispered scream she used when she didn’t want someone else to hear her yell at her kids.
“I was just working on homework that was due yesterday. It was due yesterday,” he repeated in hopes of supporting his case.
“You know better. You do not ignore a guest, even for overdue homework. Let’s go.”
“Okay,” he said, “I’ll be down in a minute.”
“One minute,” she said, with that mom look that can burn flesh, and turned and went back to her meeting.
Tommy went back downstairs as quietly as he could. He could hear the two women talking in the kitchen and hoped that Anne was in there with them, but things were worse than he had imagined. His sister Julie was in the family room with Anne. At the exact moment he entered they were giggling about something, and he was sure it had to be about him. Anne was sitting on the end of the couch, which faced the TV, while Julie sat next to her in her Dad’s big leather chair. The chair was a little forward and turned at a forty-five-degree angle to the couch so its occupant could watch TV, but easily turn toward the couch to carry on a conversation. Julie, who was three years older than Tommy, sat cross legged leaning toward Anne with her chin on her fist. Tommy sat down in the swivel easy chair opposite Julie as quietly as possible.
“Finally, he arrives,” Julie said gleefully, “where have you been? You knew your friend was coming over.” Friend was emphasized to inflict as much embarrassment on her little brother as possible.
“Hi Tommy,” Anne said, with an enthusiasm Tommy found a little surprising.
“I was doing homework,” he said, as he swiveled gently toward the black face of the TV.