Read Online Pass It On by J. Minter - Free Book Online Page A

David said. “But we got out of there. Where were you?”
    â€œSame place I am now. Behaving myself, with my girl.”
    â€œGawd,” David said. “Listen, something weird is happening with Jonathan.”
    â€œYeah, his dad’s getting married, right?” Mickey was stroking Philippa’s hair. So long and brown. He kissed her cheek. In the background, the Beatles’
Abbey Road
played softly.
    â€œThat’s part of it. What else do you know?”
    â€œWell, he called because he wanted to know what clothes to buy for hiking or hang gliding.” Mickey looked at Philippa, who was picking at her cuticle. “I’m going with him on some sailing trip to the jungle or something.”
    â€œYou are?” David asked. “But I am, too.”
    Philippa went to change the music. She was wearing a long red dress, and it flowed behind her. The room was so big that it took time to get to the wall with the stereo controls, and she seemed to glide, like a ghost. Mickey watched her.
    â€œGreat. I’m sure we all are. What’s the problem?” Mickey frowned. If David was about to confirm thestuff Philippa had been saying the night before, then maybe the trip would be off after all.
    â€œWell, Jonathan told me only one of us could come. And that it’s me,” David said.
    Mickey could hear David breathing heavily into the phone.
    â€œOh. Well, that’s kind of lame of him to invite me, too, then,” Mickey said, and started picking at his cuticle, like Philippa.
    â€œYeah, and he invited Arno.”
    â€œHuh.”
    â€œBut wait—there’s this other thing that my dad said Jonathan’s mom told him about his dad that’s even worse—”
    â€œIsn’t your dad not supposed to talk about things he’s learned from patients?” Mickey asked. He’d visited many therapists and counselors over the years, so he knew the rules.
    â€œYeah,” David said. “I guess he feels like he’s beyond that rule. But forget it, I think.”
    â€œI already have and he’s not.”
    â€œWhatever, Mickey, the point is I’m telling you this thing about Jonathan, but now I’m actually kind of wondering why Jonathan is lying to all of us, or playing favorites, or whatever he’s doing.” David paused. “I think he feels guilty about some stuff.” David couldhear that he was channeling his dad. He shuddered.
    â€œWhat kind of stuff?”
    â€œUm, I don’t know. Nothing.” As annoyed as David was at Jonathan for being sketchy about the whole sailing-trip-thing and whom he had invited, he couldn’t bring himself to tell Mickey about Jonathan’s dad being a thief. That just seemed too huge.
    â€œWell, let’s not say anything to him if he doesn’t say anything to us,” Mickey said. “We’ll see how long it takes for him to straighten this out.” Mickey chuckled, but he was actually sort of bummed. He’d gotten excited about rafting in the Amazon, which he’d imagined doing on this trip. He wondered if David was wrong and maybe Jonathan did still plan on taking him, rather than David or Arno.
    â€œOkay,” David spoke quickly. “And I’ll keep the other thing completely to myself. Deal?”
    â€œYeah, it’s a deal,” Mickey said with authority.
    Philippa came back, having switched the music to a Dvoák symphony she loved because she’d played the piano when she was younger. The classical music started quietly and then began to thunder through the big room.
    â€œOkay,” Mickey said. “I’m holed up with Philippa but I’m sure I’ll talk to you later.”
    Mickey got off the phone. He looked over to theother side of the couch, where Philippa was stroking one of the family dogs, an old white greyhound called Blue. With her other hand, she covered her mouth and nose with a cloth napkin.
    â€œWhat