THE GREAT ESCAPE
I was sitting on the living room couch between my mother and Ben when my father pulled into the driveway and parked. We'd kept the front door open so it would be one less obstacle for him after a hard day's work. Sometimes things went easier if you prepared for his arrival, such as having The Honolulu Star-Bulletin waiting for him on the dining room table and making sure the ice bucket was filled with fresh cubes. My father slammed his car door and footsteps echoes off the asphalt driveway. The front door closed and he entered the living room.
"Who's keeping the god damn door wide open?" he asked.
"Hello, Dear," my mother began, "did you have a nice day at the office?"
My father looked around the room suspiciously. The TV wasn't playing and Ben lowered his eyes.
"What's wrong?" my father asked.
"The boys had a little trouble today."
"Oh? And what kind of 'little trouble' was that?"
"Doctor Seville wants you to phone him first thing in the morning. He suspended both boys."
"Jesus holy mother of christ," my father said. "How the hell did that happen?"
I told my version of the story and then Ben told his. The more we tried to plead our case the redder my father's face got. He took off his glasses and chewed on the stems.