Alvin gasps as Victor slows the car down, pulling up to their destination. “I know where we are!” he cries, pressing his hands eagerly to the car door and bringing his face close to the window.
“You do?” Victor asks, frowning at his son in the rear view mirror.
“Yeah!” Alvin replies, nodding eagerly. “The fire station! We’ve been here before, for a birthday party!”
“Oh,” Victor responds mildly, shrugging it off. He shouldn’t be surprised, he supposed – the boys had lived in this neighborhood for a long time, and fire houses were common-enough gathering places. “Are you ready?” he asks.
“Yup!” Alvin replies, taking off his seatbelt and pulling the handle on his door. He frowns at it when it doesn’t open, and then frowns at his dad, who blesses the invention of child safety locks.
“Alv
