Isora kneels beside him. A toddler stands behind her, playing with her hair. Drumgold and Harper wait just inside the door, among the parents who are arriving to collect their children. It’s the Monday after Back River Daze. Isora says, “You missed all the fun.” “I wanted to be there, but I had to spend time with Mom,” says Lully. Isora wrinkles her nose. “You smell of pee.” He grins. “Little Charlie had an accident on me. It’s an occupational hazard, but there are worse things to smell of.” The children climbing on Lully, seeing their parents at the door, abandon him. One returns to hug him before leaving. The friends walk home with Lully. The boys sit behind the trailer, watching George as he races around at the edge of the woods, while Lully and Isora make herbal tea. It’s the three week lull between the end of the school year and the start of their summer jobs, Drumgold with the cleaning company his mother works for, Isora filling in at the daycare, and Harper cutting lawns in the subdivision where he lives.
