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Learning to Fall: Phonics lesson.
Dad and Gill came into the kitchen through the back door and the three of us--Terry, Alex and me--we started laughing all over again 'cause Terry was standing with his back to the door doing his impersonation of Gill by turning his lips inside out to make 'em all huge and wet and mocking Mr. Thierry's phony french colony accent.
"Ma name eez Sheeel-bare Chap-steek Lip," Terry said, carrying on and then he laughed and laughed at his own joke.
Soon he noticed that Alex and me weren't laughing 'cause Gill, Gilbert, Sheeel-bare--whatever he calls himself, and my Dad were right behind Terry looking big and angry the way old men who haven't shaved for a day can look even when they're happy, especially Gill.
And then, even though he isn't his dad or his uncle or anything like a relative, Gill bent down and kissed Terry on the lips like movie stars kissed, open mouthed, and when he pulled away he said in a whisper, but loud enough for all three of us to hear:
"It is pro-nounced Sheel-bare Terry, Terry."
Dad and Gill laughed and got beers and headed down to play foosball and we waited to laugh at Terry but when it came time, when they had left the room, we just stared at the floor for a while real quiet like and then watched Alex bandage his tongue again. It was bleeding more than ever. Then Terry threw up Pepsi on Mom's clean floor.
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