Soon all the dishes were rinsed and packed neatly into the dishwasher, and after wiping off the table and counters with a damp towel Ira wandered back out into the living room. He and Staas and Theo had a handful of fun racing cars and trucks and a bulldozer all around the floor, furniture, and each other’s bodies, until Alida’s program ended. Theo abandoned the toy cars to watch The Little Mermaid with his sister, and Ira settled down cross-legged on the couch to peer unashamedly over the kids’ heads at the shark chase ensuing on the screen.
Staas had gone to put the cars away, and returned a moment later to present Ira with a key. Ira smiled as he took it, then fumbled around in various pockets for his key chain to put it on. Aha. As he worked the key into the ring, Ira glanced up at Staas and quoted slowly, pitching his voice low and theatrically grim: “With great power comes great responsibility. I promise to only use my gift for the good of humanity.”
Breaking the moment too quickly with a grin, Ira gave the keys a quick jingle, then tucked them back away. “…I won’t come in while you’re at work and touch all your stuff, that is.” He reached forward very, very slowly with an outstretched finger to gently poke the side of Staas’ arm closest to him. (That move always drove his extremely ticklish sister crazy, she’d scream and bat his hand away, knowing in her heart that she could run but never, ever hide. Bwa ha ha.)