Doctor Harris stood with his arms folded across his chest. Marie dropped her cigarette on the floor and snuffed it with her heel. She looked at him, smoke still furling from her nostrils. She spoke through clenched teeth, her lips drawn back so Harris could see her gums and discolored teeth. "The next day I just marched into that class with Albert and dressed down that bitch so bad in front of her whole class that it's gonna be years before she even thinks of sending another kid to Doctor Who-zing-a."

"Mrs. De Coco." Harris sighed. "That was a regret—"

"Oh, cut the shit with me. Doctor Harris." Her voice was so loud people in the hall turned to look. "You wanna know what's regrettable? You wanna know what's really sick? An eight-year-old normal kid seein' a shrink." Marie stalked down the corridor, her clicking heels sounding like the opening of a long row of switchblades.

Tommy had taken Albert to the car while Marie stayed behind to talk to Doctor Harris. They sat silently in the front seat. About every six months Tommy would take a good long look at Albert, and it would hit him like a long-forgotten dream, jolting in its sudden remembrance, that this kid was his. Tommy studied Albert out of the corner of his eye. He had put on a couple of pounds while he was in the hospital, but he still looked like something from a UNICEF poster.

"How's it goin'?" Tommy ran his hand around the rim of the steering wheel and forced a smile. He wished Marie would hurry the fuck up. Of all the goddamn days for Stony to have a dentist appointment.

"What?" Albert smiled, tickled that Tommy said anything to him.

"I'm kinda tired, you wanna drive home?" Tommy affected a yawn.

"Daddy," Albert giggled. "I can't drive." His voice half-whine, half-delight.

"No sweat, c'mere." Tommy lifted Albert onto his lap. He was as light as a shopping bag filled with dry leaves. Tommy realized that Albert had never sat on his lap. For some reason this thought made him dizzy. He reached around Albert and started the engine. Albert squealed. Scared shit and beside himself with excitement. Keeping the car in park, Tommy placed Albert's hands on the wheel. "Move 'em out!"

Albert pulled back his hands as if the steering wheel were red hot. He twisted around in Tommy's lap, throwing his arms around his father's neck. "Daddy, I'm scared!"

Tommy strained slightly against the embrace. Didn't know what to do with his hands. Patted his kid halfheartedly. Albert held on for dear life. Giggling and tipsy with neediness. Finally, Tommy gently disengaged himself and lifted Albert back to the passenger's side. "Hey, how ya gonna be a truck driver if ya get scared so easy?"

Albert leaned toward Tommy like a sex-starved date. He couldn't think of anything to say. Just quivered in his seat like a 100-yard dasher at the starting block.

"Hey!" Tommy smiled. "Let's go get a hamburger!"