Ryan took a while to write that down. “Got three more pages, but they’re mostly about the same subject.”
“Shoot.”
“In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, who’s the teacher that Harry thinks is working with Voldemort?”
Ian Kipling said, “I’m sorry to admit it, but I haven’t read the book.”
Ryan frowned and folded up his papers. “Well, that’s not negotiable. So I guess I don’t have any more questions.”
That night Ryan went into his mom’s bedroom. She was sitting up in bed, reading some dentistry manual.
“Okay,” said Ryan. “Ian Kipling. His letters of reference are okay. Interview, okay. I don’t think he reads as much as we do. He likes spicy food. And, guess what? He never read Harry Potter.”
Halley said, “Do you think he can handle the job?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
The wedding was held in the city municipal building with Judge Hemens officiating. Halley and Ian were there, of course. So was Ryan. Ian’s sister, her husband, and their kids were there. So were Chuck Schusterman and his family.
When they got to the judge’s chambers, Ryan said, “I have to speak to the judge in private.”
“Whatever for?” said Halley.
“Something important.”
She looked at Ian, who just smiled and lifted a shoulder.
Ryan went up to the judge. “I’m my mom’s son. She’s the one getting married. Can I speak to you in private for a moment?”
“Are you going to object to the marriage?”
“Just want to ask you to do something.”
“Step over here.”
Whispering, the two conferred in private.
After the brief conference, the judge came forward. “Let us begin,” he said to the wedding party.
The words were spoken, the rings exchanged, and as the ceremony was completed, the judge said, “And by the authority vested in me by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Ryan Bennett, I proclaim you Mom and Dad.”
Ryan grinned.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2016 by Avi Wortis
Cover illustration copyright © 2016 by CSA Images/Getty Images
“Kitchen Table” is a revised version of a story published in the anthology The Color of Absence (Simon and Schuster, 2001).
“Beat Up” appeared in another form in the anthology From One Experience to Another (Forge, 1997).
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
First electronic edition 2016
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2015941423
Candlewick Press
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Avi, The Most Important Thing
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