Playmate Read Free

Everything is fine. Fine!
Karin has no trouble telling them apart because Danny gouges her in
the shins "accidentally" as he comes out and as he leaves, Denny
gives her one of those sweet smiles of his. She is thinking about
those flickering shadows. "Denny, it's really dark. Don't you want
me to walk you?"
    "Nwm," he says,
shaking his head gravely.
    As the door closes,
Danny astounds her. "I am sick of Denny."
    "Oh no," she says.
"It's Sunday night after all, you guys had a great time today and
you're just tired. You know you love Denny. Now let's go have
supper."
    The next day is Monday
and a work day. Karin goes off without kissing Danny goodbye. He
was, as Dan says at times like these, pissy to her. She gets home
so late that Blanca collides with her in her hurry to get out.
"Blanca!" Oh dear. Better ask . "How was he?"
    "You know, Ms.
Fowler." Blanca sighs with her eyes rolled up for emphasis. "Thank
God the friend came."
    "Denny?"
    "Lenny, maybe.
Benny... Strange today, Ma'am, so strange!"
    Karin groans. "OK,
Blanca, let's hear it."
    "He not want to go
home! First time ever. I push him out. Have to push hard. Feel bad
about it," Blanca says.
    "Oh well," Karin says.
"No harm done, even perfect children have a bad day sooner or
later. He'll be bright and sunny by the time he comes back."
    "He won't be back,"
Blanca murmurs right before she slams the door and the alarm system
kicks in.
    Odd, Karin thinks.
This is a little odd.
    Then Danny comes out
of his room and for the first time ever, he looks absolutely,
completely and totally glad to see her. "Hi Mom, I missed you,
Mom."
    With a minimal flicker
of guilt Karin says carefully, "Denny?"
    And is oddly satisfied
when the child says clear as a bell and right as rain and right on
the button just exactly what she hoped he'd say, "Mommy, don't you
know me?" Smiling, seraphic. "It's me, Mom. Danny."
    For a second. Just a
split second, she considers. Then she wraps her arms around her
child and picks him up. "I know you are," she says, hugging him
close. Closer. Forever. "I know my own sweet Danny when I see
him."

About the
author
    Kit Reed calls
herself "transgenred," as she's never quite figured out where she
belongs in the market, probably because she writes for her readers–
and herself. Her novels include mainstream fiction, psychothrillers
and SF. Enclave is her most recent. P.S. Publishing released What Wolves Know this year, with stories that originally
appeared in Postcripts , the Yale Review , F&SF , Asimov's SF and the Kenyon
Review .

 
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