Daron's Guitar Chronicles Volume 12

942 ENTER SANDMAN

ENTER SANDMAN

That night, to avoid tantrums on the part of any of the adults or children in the house, the compromise was that Landon would build a pillow fort in the living room and sleep in there, and I'd tell him a bedtime story.

I lay down on the floor partly under the coffee table with him and read him a Dr. Seuss book. I don't remember which one. (Not the one that Bart's stage name comes from–that I would've remembered.)

When we were done, Landon whispered in my ear. "This is silly."

"Is it? I think pillow forts are awesome."

"Not that, silly." He poked his head out of the blanket roof and checked that neither of our mothers were listening. "My room is a much better place for indoor camping than the living room, but mommy insisted on here."

I, of course, agreed completely, but somehow I didn't want to foment outright rebellion. "Well, moms aren't always right, but you know, it made her feel better if you went out here. So be proud you made your mom feel good, okay?"

His eyes went wide like little lightbulbs going on. "Oh. Okay. Night night, Uncle Daron."

"Night night, Landon."

I crawled out and found Ziggy sitting in the kitchen, paging through a magazine. I wanted to ask him if I'd done the right thing. I mean, think about it, the way Claire controlled us was by insisting that everything we do make her happy, so was I just fucking up this kid by telling him that choosing to do something to make his mom happy was a valid choice? Had Remo or someone told me that when I was impressionable and was that what gave Claire the ability to yank my chain so hard when I was growing up?

I didn't think so. I think the main person who told me making your mother happy should be a priority was my mother herself. And I didn't feel like Janine controlled Landon through emotional blackmail. Okay, sometimes it's not as blatant as someone saying "do this or I'll be sad, and if you love me you don't want me to be sad, do you?" I know sometimes it could be subtler, or even an unspoken message, but I didn't get that vibe from Janine with her kid.

Janine came into the kitchen. "He's out like a light." She glared at me like I'd done something wrong.

"That's good, right?"

She sighed. "Yeah. He's just so into you, so fast, it's weird, though."

"He's a kid."

"He's starved for male role models is what he is." Her tone was oddly resentful. "He didn't take to Remo that fast. Just you."

Ziggy closed the magazine. "Remo's not his uncle. And kids always love Daron."

"It's true," came Remo's voice from the stairs down to the rec room. It had once been a garage but had been converted at some point in the past. "Kids take to him. Maybe because he's closer to their size."

Janine snorted at that like it was a joke or a dig at my height, but Remo didn't actually mean it that way. "Speaking of which, how's Ford?" I asked.

"I talked to Melissa earlier today. He's fine. Growing up fast." He said that last bit rather deadpan and I wondered if he regretted choosing between being with Claire at the end of her life instead of being with his son at the beginning of his. "You boys want to go get some coffee?"

"They're going to start charging you rent at that Denny's," Ziggy joked. "But sure, if Daron wants to come along."

"Sure."

So the three of us went out and got in Remo's rental car, and off we went to the Denny's. Ziggy snickered lightly when the hostess greeted him by name. She put us in the back corner booth where we couldn't be seen from the door.