Two Under Par by Kevin Henkes

Author:Kevin Henkes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

* * *

9. No!

* * *

Early afternoon. Wedge, feeling pleasantly full, found himself following King around the miniature golf course. There were no customers at the time. And King, donning his crown, was still in a happy state from lunch.

“. . . so I had been dreaming of this course for years,” King explained proudly, opening his arms and spreading them wide. “Ever since I learned about my namesake, King Arthur, and read about him, I wanted to be King Arthur. I wanted to have my own kingdom. And this is it. All those years of working two jobs paid off. I must have drawn the first sketches of this course when I was in grade school. . . .”

Wedge, nodded, half listening, faking enthusiasm. He was less than interested in King’s story, but he figured that King would be more sympathetic to him later when he pretended to be sick again if he acted as if he was caught up in King’s rambling.

King and Wedge both carried putters as they walked. When he was speaking, King used his as a pointer for extra emphasis; Wedge swished his back and forth in the grass. “The castle is my favorite,” King said dreamily. “I could look at it forever. Sometimes, if I stare at it long enough, it’s as if I’m in another time and place.” He paused, facing the castle. Wedge thought that King was in a trance. His face was like a blank piece of paper. A blank piece of paper dotted with pink splotches.

“As you can see, this place makes me very happy,” King went on. “But not as happy as being married to Sally and having you for a son makes me.” King put his arm around Wedge’s shoulders. Wedge bristled. “Things have really been going well today, haven’t they?” King said.

Wedge shrugged.

“I think this is a sign of all the good things ahead for us. And speaking of good things—you know, there’s something incredible that’s coming soon. I’m so excited. We were going to wait until we were all together again to announce it, but Sally said I could tell you if I wanted to. . . .”

Oh, no, Wedge thought, a flicker of fear shooting through him.

King was nearly jumping up and down now, his hands rippling with his voice. “Wedge, Sally’s going to have a baby! I’m going to be a new father again! And you’re going to get a new brother or sister!”

No! Wedge thought. No! He took his putter and ran up to the castle. He started beating the putter against the castle walls. No! No! No! Knocking off the smallest tower. Chipping the gold paint. Smashing the plaster into tiny pieces that fell to the ground.

Wedge dropped the putter at his feet and began to cry. And then, without warning, he threw up. And this time he wasn’t faking.

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