19
Gerald returned home late that night in the same condition he often did when Kire was a little boy; drunk, angry, and argumentative. Emma was surprisingly calm, given the condition in which her husband arrived home and the whole ordeal with him getting arrested the previous night.
Kire and Emma were eating dinner when Gerald returned home. The way he slammed both hands into the door before coming in like a caged bear trying to maul a deer told Emma and Kire that Gerald was home—and drunk. He staggered inside, stumbling over a chair, then hitting his leg against a small stool. He howled in pain and hobbled over to the dining area.
“Welcome home,” Emma said. She was smiling with such impossible ease, while Kire had an extreme opposite expression on his face.
Gerald grunted and fell in
