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As
usual, Zachy sat on the retaining wall around the flowerbeds,
dangling his legs.
"Hi."
Eliza climbed up and took a seat next to him
Zachy
made a face. He knew he was going to get teased in class again
for playing with a girl. Ugh. Bah! he
thought.
"What's up with
you, Zach?" she inquired. "You're so quiet, it's
strange." And you're usually gone by now, so I can sit
here.
"Hrmpf." He
spat his chewing gum out between the geraniums. "We had this
homework assignment," he grumbled, and banged his heels
against the stones.
"And?"
"About
the names in our families."
"Did
you get in trouble because you didn't do it?" she
asked.
"No... I did it."
His heels banged against the wall again. And again. And
again.
"Come on, Zachy.
Tell me." Eliza's elbow hit his side.
"Don't
call me Zachy!" he
snapped and sighed. "I was named after my grandfather. And
when I searched through the old family papers and letters and all
that stuff for my homework I found out why he was
named Zachary." He spat again and managed to hit the huge
yellow geranium flower in front of them. Then it broke out of
him: "It was because his dad was a fan of a cartoon series!
Zachary's the name of one of its heroes!"
"And
what's the matter with that?" Eliza asked and searched in
her pockets for a new stick of chewing gum. "I mean,"
she grinned as she found a last piece at the bottom of her
pocket, "The name Zachary isn't that
bad."
"But what if
he'd been a fan of Disney cartoons?" Zachary shuddered. "Did
you ever see Mickey Mouse? Or Donald Duck?"
Eliza
grew silent. After a moment, she broke her chewing gum in half
and offered him one of the pieces. "Ouch. You're right. That
was a close shave!"
END
And
now think of a certain Galaxy Rangers captain named Goofy Fox. ;)
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