Danilo
"Você poderia ter se matado," Pai looked down at Pa with an unimpressed face even though he was wrapped around him like a snake. (Portuguese: You could have gotten yourself killed.)
Pa rolled his eyes then pressed a firm kiss to Pai's bearded cheek. "Haven't you heard? My cousin be Usain Bolt. I'll be perfectly fine." Daniele, Benecio and I all gagged when he gave Pai a kiss which none of us needed to see that left him with a happy grin. "Boys tell your mama that I was a responsible man teaching you great life lessons."
"You were running like an anime. Your arms were so stretched out and your legs were jumping hoops. I don't know what's responsible about that," Daniele snickered and it took everything in us for Benecio and I not to burst out laughing.
"Did I not warn you to keep your big mouth shut!" Pa snapped, "let me give you some advice. People like y'all, y'all don't live long because you be yapping everyone's business."
"Barbie," Pai chuckled as he picked him up like he was a toddler and Pa was quick to wrap his legs around his waist and Pai balanced him on his hip. "They're saving your life from your stupidity."
Pa let out a gasp and pressed his hand to his chest. "So this is how it is," he let out a chuckle as he shook his head, "boys say goodbye to your mama because today is the last time you see him breathing."
Pa had always referred to Pai as our 'Mama' . I was not sure why but I knew it had to do with the fact that his hair reached his hips and his nickname amongst Pa, Uncle Rob and Uncle JB was 'pretty lady'. We had gotten so used to it that for the first few years of Benecios life he only ever called him 'Mama'.
"Vá levar aquele seu porco para passear. O jantar está quase pronto," Pai looked back at us as he climbed the porch stairs. (Go take that pig of yours for a walk. Dinner is almost done.)
"Bacon. Você não deveria chamá-lo de porco. Ele tem sentimentos e um coração. Ele é muito mais do que isso e é errado usar uma palavra tão depreciativa para descrevê-lo," I stressed as we followed suite. (Bacon. You shouldn't be calling him a pig. He has feelings and a heart. He's so much more than that and it's wrong to use such a degrading word to describe him.)
"Meu maior arrespendimento na vida foi ter ensinado a vocês três como falar. Basta levar a maldita coisa para passear," Pai rolled his eyes and let Pa down on his feet when we entered the kitchen. Pa was quick to go to the fridge to grab a beer then chugged it down in record time. (My biggest regret in life was teaching you three how to talk. Just take the damn thing for a walk.)
"Benecio go get him," I instructed as I went to get the leash.
"Why is it always me?" He fumed as he folded his arms over his chest.
"You're the youngest one that can take instruction. Go get Bacon," Daniele hissed.
Benecio twisted his lips before stomping away. I headed to the indoor pool room and found Bobby and Benny swimming in the pool. By Bobby and Benny I did not mean my parents but the two ducks I had named in their honor. One had white feathers with an orange nose, Bobby, and the second had black feathers with an orange nose, Benny.
It was fascinating that they were always together. A yin and yang just like my parents.
"Quack, quack, quacky, quack," I pinched my nose to make sure my voice came out more nasally as I squatted down and did what I described to be my duck dance.
Bobby and Benny looked at me then with excited flutters of their wings practically ran on water towards me.
I bet you be surprised that they understood me. I had been crafting how to speak to ducks since the first day I had seen one back in Germany. Pa had introduced me to a few of the babies he had helped raise and from there I was one with the ducks. I was a brother to them. I believed my spirit animal was one and in my past life I had been one.
They both flew into my arms and I caught them gracefully before dancing around the pool with them. They told me about their day. Apparently Pai had given them both a great fish and they hoped tomorrow he would hook them up again. I reassured them he would and we were walking into the house with our asses in the air as we waddled to the front door.
I put on their body leashes and finally Daniele and Benecio came out with Bacon. Bacon was Danieles pet pig. He was the biggest around. In fact we had won a ribbon at the fun fair a summer ago for having the biggest pig in Bloom. Grandpa Clyde was so proud he cried the entire time and Pa had treated us to some great grilled ribs...
At the time it seemed great until we realized we had betrayed Bacon but he understood that it was the circle of life and there was nothing we could do about it. The pig was probably someone he hated therefore there was no harm done.
"Oink, oink, oinky, oink," I squared down to greet him and he placed his snout against my chest in the form of a greeting.
"You don't speak pig," Benecio rolled his eyes.
"What crawled up your ass and died today?" I snapped, "you always used to love doing this with me. Since you've become a teenager you a pain in the ass."
Benecio twisted his lips then folded his arms over his chest, "Molly likes mature men and hanging around you two dumbs me by two years."
"Then you must have already had the brain of an idiot to want to blame us for your shortcomings," Daniele scoffed, "All we hear is Molly this, Molly that. Ya'll should get married."
Benecios grin spread across his face that he looked like he could shit the sun at any given moment. "Maybe if she sees how committed I am to her she'll take me more seriously."
"You see what you did!" I laughed loudly as I pushed against Danieles chest. "You gon give Pai a heart attack."