august 6th: chocolate mouse cake

I arrive at Dad’s house, and he asks me, “you’re all dressed, right?” Odd question. “Yes, Dad.” I answer. “I didn’t want anyone to get shocked,” he explains. We’re the only ones there.

We sit down for dinner, quesadillas, and Dad says, “this has long strings.” “That’s the cheese,” I explain. After dinner, Dad eaches out, takes hold of two of my fingers and shakes hands with them, as though he’s congratulating me on making it through another meal.

I hand Dad a small rainbow flag I got at yesterday’s vigil for the LGBT youth killed and wounded in Tel Aviv. He examines it all over, and then blows on it to make it flutter. “Is today Gay Pride?” he asks. I explain about the shootings, and he says, about the shooter, “they really ought to shoot him. Probably, they won’t.” Then his mind wanders a bit; “I wonder why they called it gay?” he muses. “It seems to me they could have gotten a better thing than that. It is short and sweet.”

Dad’s on the phone with Kate S., and she says something about me, “Little Kate”. “Where’s Little Kate?” Dad asks her, even though I’m sitting next to him on the couch. “With me?” he says into the phone. Kate tries to explain. “You mean, I’m Little Kate?” he asks her. I poke him. “I AM little Kate,” I tell him. After he gets off the phone, he says to me, “what’s the relation between us?” “I’m your daughter,” I tell him. “That’s actually true, then,” he says, applauding. “I’d heard it before but I thought it was just kidding.”

Dad and I are reviewing tomorrow’s plans. “We’re having dinner with Big Kate and Brianna,” I tell him. “Am I invited?” he asks. “of course, Dad, it’s your house,” I tell him. “That’s right,” he says, “I live here.” “I’m going to make a chocolate mousse cake,” I say. “A chocolate m-o-u-s-e cake?” he asks. “Not mouse, mousse!” I explain.

As I’m leaving, Dad’s sitting on the couch, and he pulls me down to say good-bye. I’m off-balance but I don’t fall. Then I pretend to fall on Dad, and he laughs and laughs. His sense of humor is very slapstick these days.