Online video chat and Dad when out for the day so I've been enjoying having the web cam video chat to myself."
"Oh." She paused. "Did you want me to leave?"
"No, no. I'd like to have you here. I just didn't want to spend the day being chased around by my nephew," I said. "Do you want some iced tea?"
"Sure. Don't get up, I can get a glass for myself," and she went into the house.
I lay back again and started reading some more. Stella reappeared, but now she looked different. She had taken off the tee shirt that she had arrived in and now was wearing a yellow bikini top. Between the bikini top and the cutoff shorts she was wearing, I could see more of her than I had seen in many years, and the sight of her caused quite a different reaction than I had had years ago when I last saw her dressed in so young.
"Hey, did you go home and change? That was pretty quick."
"No," she said. "I was already wearing this underneath. I thought that if I going to sit in the webcam chat now I might as well tan as much of me as I can, tan, Dan."
"Hah, very funny." She sat down on the grass beside me and poured herself some iced tea.
I went back to reading, but didn't get very far before she asked, "What'ch reading?" I turned the book so that she could see the cover. "'The Idiot'. Is this like a comedy or something?"
"You mean like 'The Jerk'? No, this is Dostoevsky. The 'idiot' is actually a guy who live chat now left a mental institution. He doesn't have the ability to see any negative things in people so he seems kind of simple minded and foolish."
"Simple minded and foolish. Hmm. Yeah, I guess you would have to be that way not to see the bad things online video chat people. Is it good? The book, I mean."
"So far. I haven't gotten very far yet." I went back to reading, and Stella lay back on the grass.
After a few minutes, I felt something light touch my arm. Without pausing my reading, I swiped at it, assuming it was a bug of some sort. After a moment, I felt the same thing in another spot, and I swatted again. When it happened a third time, I sat up and slapped my arm again, only to see Stella with a huge mischievous smile on her face holding a long flower leaf in her hand. She burst out laughing.
"Cut it out, Stella. Jeez, here I tried to get away from my six year old nephew, and you're just as bad."
"Sorry," she laughed. "I couldn't resist."
She continued giggling, but laid back and closed her online video chat again, so I sat back and opened the book. |
