You’re my brother Paul,” I said quietly, “and I’m glad you are.” I said I had felt a tingling. You’ve made first base so if you expect to…” and I took a deep breath, still thinking I was in that teasing mode, “get to home plate you have to take the bases in order. xxx You seemed to know your way around Brittany as well as you know your way around second base. Keeping the baseball motif alive, I asked “what if our manager – Mom – heard what one of her star players was up to? But then my mind rebounded to that tape and resumed its playback. Parents gone, for once Paul and I didn’t argue over the TV. This time I leaned into his kiss and for the first time let myself feel and savor the softness of his lips.
