AllFreeNovel
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Damon came in next, and I pretty much figured I was done working. I spun in my chair and he handed me a book. I didn’t look at it right off, smiling up at him. “It’s time to read, is it?”
“Smart ass, no. I went up to the attic to gather clothes to wash, being my load wasn’t big enough to waste the water. We need a new washer, by the way, that one doesn’t adjust for levels and I?”
“Focus, Damon,” I told him, finally looking at the book. Applied Physics . “What the hell is this?”
“Look in the front cover.”
I did. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw Joel’s name scribbled at the top corner. “What the fuck?”
“It’s his. It was in the middle of the floor, so it’s not like it was for, fucking high school? Do they even teach that in high school?”
“This is a college level course, Damon.”
“He’s never been to college.”
“I don’t think he wants to go. We’ve mentioned school a few times and he doesn’t have interest in it, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to learn things. I think, now I could be wrong, but maybe he doesn’t want to go because he thinks he’d have to leave here. We were just talking, and he’d leave for us, but otherwise, he loves it here. It’s home to him, so…maybe we look up some college courses he could take online. There are many now, especially after the pandemic.”
Damon took back the book and looked inside. “Well, we figured it, but I didn’t think it was to this extent. I don’t even know this stuff, Burke!”
“I got low Cs in my physics courses. Jesus, well, add that to our list. It’s a soft limit. He’s going to fucking school. A couple hours a day, in here, at the computer.”
“I’ll add it. Can we, uh…hobble him? Make him sit here hobbled?”
I laughed and fell back on my chair, exhausted with him. “Damon, sex? Really?”
“Why not?”
We brought it up at dinner and Xen bounced in the seat clapping silently. Joel blushed and mumbled but didn’t disagree. I felt encouraged with that. “Joel, you don’t have to, but we think it would be good for you, if you’re interested in learning.”
“I guess. What if I’m no damn good at it?”
Xen laid his head on Joel’s shoulder, and made with the puppy dog eyes, which got Joel to laugh. “Yer a damned ol’ manip’lator, ya know it?”
Xen nodded and grabbed his glass, then threw me a wink.
“Well, alrighty, I guess I kin try. Don’t blame me iffin I waste muh money.”
“Our money, Joel. It’s something we want you to do, so it’s only right we pay for it,” Damon insisted.
“I ain’t a-wastin’ y’all’s money, no sirree.”
“You’ll do what you’re told, boy,” I said, and Xen sat up straight and smacked Joel’s arm gently.
“Dammit all ta hell! I ain’t got a snowball’s chance in the oven with y’all!”
“Nope,” I confirmed. “You don’t. Now, eat and get up to the attic with your friend so you guys can…I’d say talk, but…”
Xen giggled silently and forked his last bite of chicken.
Bragging, finally, Joel told us, “He likes when I talk. Likes the accent.”
“I’m sure he does. It likely reminds him of Memphis,” Damon said, and we watched as Xen fluttered his lashes and sighed.
“You miss him,” I whispered to Xen.
“Yes,” he said in a rare moment of using his actually voice. That told a tale in itself.
“Well, how soon will you be finished? We’re dying to see it.”
