almost inaudible; Louise couldn’t identify from where.
She went on. “Here is my bag—maybe she’s in there?”
A small voice came from behind her, “Cold!”
Louise turned and played along, still unable to locate the source. “Silly me, much too small. But she must be here somewhere . . .” The rustling became more distinct; it came impossibly from the couch. She stepped forward. Could it be the backrest cushion? She pulled the cushion forward, two child legs showed, and she removed the rest of the backrest to stare into the wide black eyes of Dana.
“Found you!” Louise said and touched Dana’s nose with a stretched finger.
She sat beside Dana, who made no attempt to get up from the uncomfortable hiding place. “What’s going on? Why did you run away?”
“I got a melon. There was a scary monster. The monster stood between Dad and me. And Dad was sleeping,” Dana explained.
“And then you came here and hid?”
“Monster didn’t find me here.”
“Well, I found you.”
“But you are no monster.”
“That is true.” Isn’t that so sweet.
Dana thought for a second. “And I made it easy.”
“Yes, thank you for that. I think this was a brilliant hiding place. I needed all the help I could get.” Louise tussled Dana’s hair. “What kind of monster chased you off?”
“A big hairy one.”
“A gorilla?”
“A Wookiee.”
“Your knowledge about alien species is admirable. Are you sure?”
“I know Wookiees.” Dana sat up and made a splendid impersonation of a Chewbacca growl.
Louise had to laugh. “That’s a Wookiee, all right.”
The door to the dressing room opened, and Emile popped his head in. “Everything okay here? I heard a strange noise.”
“It was this junior Wookiee here,” Louise said and tussled Dana’s hair.
Emile’s face lit up. “Oh, fantastic! I’ll call off the search!”
“And find her father, will ya?”
A minute later the whole gang poured into the dressing room, which suddenly became very crowded. The Flints gave Dana a group squeeze, and Dana had to explain the Wookiee incident again. Louise made some signs to Emile, who got the meaning. Everyone laughed at Dana’s explanation and impersonation. Suddenly a Wookiee growl echoed from the door. There stood a seven-foot-tall full-grown Wookiee. Dana’s eyes grew wide and then suspicious. She looked at the grown-ups—no one appeared to fear the furry monster. Then the Wookiee took off his head, revealing a black man with short, sweaty hair and a beard. He came forward and kneeled in front of Dana.
“Sorry to have scared you. I wanted to grab a drink in the lounge, saw your stare and then you were gone in a flash,” the actor explained. “I am Dan.” He offered Dana a furry hand.
Dana looked at him quizzically and then took the hand. “You are Dan, I am Dana. But Charlie calls me Dieter.” Laughs again from everyone.
“Good to meet you. Both are very nice names.”
“You are not scary.”
“Well, you can ask my kids about that. No, I am an actor like Louise and Josh here. I play a Wookiee in a Star Wars computer game production. Tonight I’ll be home again, eating pizza and watching TV.”
“Now I know what a Wookiee eats!” Dana stated wisely and brought down the house again.
seven
Ship Positions
Rick
Rick’s Sunday night date with Debbie Flack, the mother of Dana’s day-care friend Cheyenne could not be filed under success. Debbie was all right to look at but talked excessively about her two kids and issues and problems, and had an inherent negativity that somehow shadowed every minute. Hal, who pointedly kept score on an old whiteboard behind his desk, made one mark in the thumbs-down column on Monday. “Zero thumbs up, five thumbs down. Rick, my longtime friend, I worry about you.”
“Hal, you kill me. Thank you for your consideration, but feel free to organize the next date if you think your interpretation of my taste in women is surpassing my
She went on. “Here is my bag—maybe she’s in there?”
A small voice came from behind her, “Cold!”
Louise turned and played along, still unable to locate the source. “Silly me, much too small. But she must be here somewhere . . .” The rustling became more distinct; it came impossibly from the couch. She stepped forward. Could it be the backrest cushion? She pulled the cushion forward, two child legs showed, and she removed the rest of the backrest to stare into the wide black eyes of Dana.
“Found you!” Louise said and touched Dana’s nose with a stretched finger.
She sat beside Dana, who made no attempt to get up from the uncomfortable hiding place. “What’s going on? Why did you run away?”
“I got a melon. There was a scary monster. The monster stood between Dad and me. And Dad was sleeping,” Dana explained.
“And then you came here and hid?”
“Monster didn’t find me here.”
“Well, I found you.”
“But you are no monster.”
“That is true.” Isn’t that so sweet.
Dana thought for a second. “And I made it easy.”
“Yes, thank you for that. I think this was a brilliant hiding place. I needed all the help I could get.” Louise tussled Dana’s hair. “What kind of monster chased you off?”
“A big hairy one.”
“A gorilla?”
“A Wookiee.”
“Your knowledge about alien species is admirable. Are you sure?”
“I know Wookiees.” Dana sat up and made a splendid impersonation of a Chewbacca growl.
Louise had to laugh. “That’s a Wookiee, all right.”
The door to the dressing room opened, and Emile popped his head in. “Everything okay here? I heard a strange noise.”
“It was this junior Wookiee here,” Louise said and tussled Dana’s hair.
Emile’s face lit up. “Oh, fantastic! I’ll call off the search!”
“And find her father, will ya?”
A minute later the whole gang poured into the dressing room, which suddenly became very crowded. The Flints gave Dana a group squeeze, and Dana had to explain the Wookiee incident again. Louise made some signs to Emile, who got the meaning. Everyone laughed at Dana’s explanation and impersonation. Suddenly a Wookiee growl echoed from the door. There stood a seven-foot-tall full-grown Wookiee. Dana’s eyes grew wide and then suspicious. She looked at the grown-ups—no one appeared to fear the furry monster. Then the Wookiee took off his head, revealing a black man with short, sweaty hair and a beard. He came forward and kneeled in front of Dana.
“Sorry to have scared you. I wanted to grab a drink in the lounge, saw your stare and then you were gone in a flash,” the actor explained. “I am Dan.” He offered Dana a furry hand.
Dana looked at him quizzically and then took the hand. “You are Dan, I am Dana. But Charlie calls me Dieter.” Laughs again from everyone.
“Good to meet you. Both are very nice names.”
“You are not scary.”
“Well, you can ask my kids about that. No, I am an actor like Louise and Josh here. I play a Wookiee in a Star Wars computer game production. Tonight I’ll be home again, eating pizza and watching TV.”
“Now I know what a Wookiee eats!” Dana stated wisely and brought down the house again.
seven
Ship Positions
Rick
Rick’s Sunday night date with Debbie Flack, the mother of Dana’s day-care friend Cheyenne could not be filed under success. Debbie was all right to look at but talked excessively about her two kids and issues and problems, and had an inherent negativity that somehow shadowed every minute. Hal, who pointedly kept score on an old whiteboard behind his desk, made one mark in the thumbs-down column on Monday. “Zero thumbs up, five thumbs down. Rick, my longtime friend, I worry about you.”
“Hal, you kill me. Thank you for your consideration, but feel free to organize the next date if you think your interpretation of my taste in women is surpassing my
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