Chapter Six

Minnie didn't get up this morning, I think.

I didn't hear the clomp of her work shoes against the stairs, which usually gets louder as she's heading to the kitchen. I also don't hear the smooth swish of her work skirt, the one with the poodle in the corner. I wake up at seven thirty, as per usual.  I stay in bed, still waiting for those familiar sounds. Half an hour later, I still don't hear them. I finally get up and head to the kitchen myself. I'm surprised to see my dad and Minnie sitting at the kitchen table. Minnie's wearing one of my t-shirts as her pajamas. It comes just barely past her knees. It's one of my favorite ones. It's a light green color, with a giant drawing of a sea turtle on it. A mug of tea is set in front of both of them. Both mugs are steaming. My dad is still in his robe - it's a ratty old plaid thing that belongs in the garbage. They don't notice me right away. So I just stand in the doorway and listen to their quiet conversation. 

"Grandpa, I said that Denny and I are figuring it out. His family is super..you know.." Minnie trailed off. 

"Religious? I know the whole story, Minnie, believe me. But I'm not gonna let some god-fearing Christians coerce you into keepin' a kid you clearly can't keep." My dad was looking her squarely in the eye. 

"Then why did you let me keep Minnie?" I blurted out. They both turn to look at me. Minnie looks like what people call a deer in headlights. My dad just looks tired. But not the sort of tired that people look like when they just wake up. It's a different kind that I can't completely read. 

"Because, Adam," My dad says. His voice is hoarse. "I gave into Christian guilt. Wendy's mother wouldn't take no for an answer, and when I tried to reason with her, she would spit Bible passages at me. But times have changed. Minnie's a smart kid who deserves a future."

I hate getting angry, especially in the morning. Now that I think of it, I've been angry since yesterday afternoon. 

"I was a smart kid, too. I deserved a future. I gave it up to raise her." I look over at Minnie, who looks down at her bare feet. 

"Adam, please." My dad runs his fingers through his hair and mutters something else I can't hear under his breath. "Try to be flexible here."

Flexible? I'm plenty flexible. I let out a little scoff, but it's more like a cough, and I head into the living room, where I left my copy of The Great Gatsby. I just made it halfway through before going to bed. I feel worse for Nick now. Gatsby's getting ready to meet Daisy again after years without seeing her, and he's acting like a total maniac. Nick might be a maniac too, going along with Gatsby's scheme. I don't think I really like him anymore. 

Footsteps follow after me. A throat clears. 

"I'm sorry, Dad." Minnie says. Her voice is shot. It barely goes above a whisper. 

I bristle. I want to turn to tell her to buzz off. This was her problem, and she still has an easy way out. I don't say anything and I don't turn around. Her footsteps fall away. i hear the stairs start to groan, and her door click shut. 

"..Don't you go and see Doctor Eaton today?" I feel my dad's hand settle on my shoulder. I bristle even more. 

"I see her on Tuesdays - or at least I used to." I mutter. 

"What?" My dad sounds incredulous. I don't blame him. I've been seeing Doctor Eaton since I was six years old. 

"She's retiring." I reply. 

"..Shit." My dad grumbles. "You're kidding."

I tuck my book under my arm and shuffle out the front door to the porch. There's a rocking chair in the corner. The seat is made of woven, wooden strips. As I sit down, I catch a glimpse of KE. He's leaning over the railing of his own porch, staring out at the morning sky - it's a mix of light reds and pinks and oranges. He's wearing an expensive looking robe, a velvety-purple one. His hair is perfectly combed in a side part. His glasses are at the tip of his nose. 

I don't really know why I call out to him, but I do. 

"Good morning," My voice is shaky, and it cracks, but I get it back to normal pretty quickly. He turns to face me, and smiles. 

"Morning." KE gives me a little wave, and points. I realize that he's pointing to my book. "Some morning reading, huh?" 

"Yeah. The Great Gatsby." I take it out from under my arm and look at the cover. TJ Eckleburg's eyes stare back at me.

"Classic." KE laughs. "Well, I won't bother you anymore. It was nice talking to you.." He trails off, still looking at me. I fill in the gap. 

"Adam. Adam Roberts." I sound a little like James Bond, and I smile. 

"Knox. Knox Eaton." He replies. "I just moved here from just outside of Boston. I'm taking over my aunt's practice." 

KE - That stands for Knox Eaton. My new therapist. The one who likes to dress formally and wears round glasses, and eats Indian food regularly, once a week. 

"Oh." I say, and turn around to go inside. 

My therapist, my new therapist is my next door neighbor. This has to breech some sort of law. 

I have to go to the library. They're sure to have something about it.