“Food is not fun,” Karen said. “Food is food. Why should food be fun? Isn’t it enough that we need it? That without it we would die? Does it also have to be fun?”

Perley asked, “Do we fight?” and stopped them.

“Who?” Lily asked.

“You and Mama K,” Perley said. Then he added, “And the Mean Aunt. And me.”

“Do we fight?” Lily repeated, setting down her spoon.

“Bexley said his parents fought all the time and that’s why his mom took off,” Perley said.

“Bexley?” asked Karen.

“Bexley Epps?” asked Lily. “His dad grew up just down the road. I thought he had a boy your age. Oh, Piglet, I’m so glad that you’ve made a friend.” Perley stabbed a finger into his acorn mush. Karen looked at him.

“Is that right? Bexley’s a friend?” she asked. Perley didn’t answer, just gave a laugh like someone had clapped their hand over his mouth.

Karen put down her spoon. “Perley, I asked you a question.”

Perley raised his eyes to the ceiling, put his acorn mush finger into his mouth. In the bowels of the sofa, the black snake squirmed. I could hear the industrious wasps building their homes in our walls. Karen and Lily leaned forward.

“Yes,” Perley said. “Yes, that’s right. Bexley’s my friend.”

Lily leaned back, exhaled. “There, you see?” she said. But Karen frowned, rapped her spoon once and twice against her knee.

I could see that, as usual, they needed my help. “Perley’s only asking if we fight because he doesn’t know what a fight is,” I said.

“I know what a fight is,” Perley said.

“And obviously he doesn’t know what a fight is because he’s surrounded by fighting all the time,” I said. “It’s like asking a fish what water is.”

Lily said, “Perley, in this family, we all have a lot of important discussions. It’s not really fighting.”

“Yes, it is,” Karen said.

“It is,” I said.

“Okay, but even if we fight,” Lily said, “we’re not going anywhere.”

“That’s the point,” Karen said. “That’s what family is. The people who stick around to fight with you.”

“Don’t worry, Perley,” Lily said.

“I’m not worried,” Perley said, and he sat there looking at us. Even Karen couldn’t think of any more useful life lessons. Perley said, “I’m going to miss the bus.” He slid off his stool, stuffed his comic book into his backpack, and left the house.

“Do Karen and me really fight that much?” Lily asked, after he’d gone.

“Not much,” I said. “It’s just that you’re in a lifelong disagreement.”

“But we’re close,” Lily said. “Some people aren’t close.”