“Cool hair.”
Xavier jumped.
“Oh, hi Mum.”
“Who is it?”
“Electra,” he sighed. “She said she figured it wasn’t fair that she knew what I looked like and I didn’t know what she looked like, so she sent me a pic.”
“You really like her, huh?”
“Yep! I’m gonna visit her next time we’re in Kansas.”
“Kansas? That close huh?”
“That far, you mean. Far! It’s so far!”
“It’s the next state.”
“Too far,” Xavier insisted.
Babsie laughed.
“You know Esme, Carmen, Duke, Cosmo, Matt, Rogue, Storm, Tobias, Cyke and Lockie are starting school, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I heard. Man, I feel like everything’s changed since I was last here. We got a butler, and a music wing and all this other stuff,” he shook his head.
“Meanwhile, my sixteen-year-old son gave himself a mohawk, dyed his hair, got his drivers license, got a girlfriend, and I wasn’t around for any of it. I was around for all the dirty work, why can’t I be around for the fun part?”
Xavier laughed and gave her a hug.
“I promise I will endeavour to make sure you’re involved in the fun part.”
“Thank you.”
**********
Isaac hung up the phone and then went looking for Babsie.
“That was Cosmo,” he said when he found her.
“Yeah?”
“He wanted to know if he could go downtown after school with this girl from school.”
“Ooh. How sweet. Oh, dang it Ike, the kids are growing up.”
Isaac laughed.
“Kids do that.”
“Yeah but... all at once?”
“It’s hardly all at once. I don’t think Audrey and Zeke are going to start dating any time soon. They’re only four.”
“Hmm... I suppose. So, what did you tell him?”
“Who?”
“Cosmo. Did you say he could go downtown?”
“Oh, yeah, I did. I figured it would be okay as long as he got back long before dark.”
“Okay.”