Theo swallows like maybe him and Josh haven’t had this conversation, so I’m nervous on Theo’s behalf. “Why are you being weird? What kind of parade is it? A pride parade?” “It’s a parade.” He says it quietly, but also like it’s a warning. Theo’s eyes flash briefly to mine, and then back to Josh. Theo is pulling on his shoes when he hesitates. “I can’t tonight my parents are taking me to a thing in the morning.” He starts to shake his head as he pushes himself off the floor. “Oh.Oh.Because when life gets them down, they keep swimming, so Atlas was saying life will no longer…okay.” His mind is still going a mile a minute behind those eyes. The confusion in Theo’s eyes flips like a light switch.

I’m sure I’ll have to get used to a lot of things now that I live with Atlas, but knowing he talks to this kid about our relationship is probably not one of the things I’ll ever get used to. I waited for someone to say it through the entire movie.” He told me he said it because ofFinding Nemo. I don’t get why Atlas said that to you about finally reaching the shore. Theo looks between me and the television.

I’m still stuck on Josh’s description of the beginning of the movie… “It was pretty funny, considering it startedwith the brutal slaughter of all that caviar.” He takes his empty bag of popcorn toward the kitchen, but Theo is still staring at the television. Josh stands when the credits begin to roll. They’re less prone to peer pressure and more supportive of individuality. The more time I spend with these two, the more I think they’re unlike any generation that came before them. But I’m learning that Gen Z is a different breed. I honestly didn’t think they would sit through it because they’re at the age when preteens tend to want to separate themselves from Disney cartoons. The three of us have been watchingFinding Nemo, but it’s almost over. But tonight is a Friday, and tomorrow is a Saturday, Atlas’s busiest days, so I’m entertaining Josh and Theo until my mother returns with Emerson.

Heat Stroked by Sylvie Haas