“Adrian, we didn’t raise you to speak of your elders in that manner,” Mom scolded.

“Sorry, Mom. Only I don’t like guys who think they’re God’s greatest gift to women since Adam, that’s all.”

Dad opened his mouth to speak, then caught sight of Averill and closed it again. Averill was looking at each of us in turn much like someone watching the ball bounce at a tennis game.

“Why’d you say that? What d’you mean? Is God like Santa Claus? Can you truly make people into gifts?” he asked with great interest. We all looked at our parents.

“We’ll tell you about it ten years later,” Dad promised, taking an extra large bite of meat so he wouldn’t have to say any more. Averill scratched his head.

“Aw, just when we were getting to the good part,” he said.

It wasn’t until Averill had run off to his room to play family computer and we were washing the dishes that Dad said quietly, “Tell me about Guiller’s son.”

“He’s tall, not too dark,” I said, handing Ian a plate to be rinsed. “He’s cute and he plays basketball.”

“Yeah, and he’s full of hot air enough to inflate the ball and then some,” Ian snorted, passing the plate to Allain to be wiped and returned to the rack. I made a face at him.

“He’s got light brown eyes, which is weird cause he’s dark,” Allain said quietly.

“Then he must look like his father,” Mom said, stirring a cup of coffee and putting it on the table in front of Dad. “Guiller was dark, too, but he had these light brown eyes that never failed to charm any girl he chose to focus them on.”

“Luckily your mom was immune,” said Dad.

“Uuyy!” we all teased.

“It was more like I was too young to notice,” Mom retorted. “Anyway, your Dad threatened to punch out any boy I looked at aside from him, so I didn’t dare look at anyone else. I felt sorry for the poor guys.”

“Tell the truth, Arianna, you had no eyes for anyone but me,” Dad teased.

“Well, I married you when I turned eighteen, didn’t I?”

The three of us looked at one another. We also had the distinction of having parents that seemed like they came out of a storybook or a TV show like “7th Heaven”. Both of them look young enough to be our older brother and sister, and they act that way sometimes as well. They’re really comfortable with each other because they’re best friends and childhood sweethearts.

Ian keeps wishing for that sort of relationship but so far he’s had no luck. I can’t even aspire to that kind of relationship. It happens only once in a blue moon!