Justin is in a bad mood. He turns down Suzy’s idea to eat in Scaramouche, saying he just did that with the two of us. He turns down the idea of any restaurant, since it’s the Dream, and he doesn’t really need to eat.
“Look,” Suzy tells him, exasperated. “I understand you just went through this with the two of us. But we weren’t there. And, you know what, she wasn’t there,” she points to Joy. “How many times is her father going to turn thirty?”
Justin’s annoyance turns milder. “Just this once, Mom.”
“How many of your birthdays have you two celebrated so far?”
“None,” he sighs.
“I didn’t even know he had birthdays,” Joy says cheerily. “I didn’t know I had birthdays.”
Suzy looks at her, and I can see the pity in her eyes. But she pushes it back. “All right. Well, now you know. Justin…” she turns to him and says slowly. “For her, if not for you.”
Justin exhales. “Right. Let’s do it, then. But not in a stupid restaurant in Toronto. Let’s think bigger. Where in the world would you like to eat?”
“Food is food,” I say.
Suzy rolls her eyes at me. “Food is not food. How about Paris? Can you give us a Parisian restaurant?”
Justin nods. “Let’s go.” We all descend the ramp. That includes Master Mind. “How about a limo?”
On top of the ocean, beginning a centimeter or two from the beach of our small island, Paris appears, just a ways off. A limo awaits us. A big one.
“Oooh,” Suzy says. “Fancy.”
We all get in, and we realize there’s no room for Master Mind.
“Oh, sorry, Master Mind,” Justin says.
“I understand your waking world vehicles are not equipped for killer robots like myself. Perhaps one day. For now, I will follow with Bonny’s Revenge.”
“All right, then,” Justin says. “Let’s celebrate my birthday…in the Dream.”
(To be continued…)
—Told by Grampa Walt