42. Joshua’s Whoopee Cushion

Mim and I did bring off the birthday party for Sidney and Ephraim with as much joy as we could muster under the circumstances. Sidney invited a young man to join us—Robert was his name—and Robert helped to liven up the conversation by regaling us with antics from his hometown in Ohio.

“Sidney took a brave step by having Robert come here,” I told Mim later. I was tucking her into bed early, after she announced she had a horrible headache and left Sidney to get dessert for everyone. I knew she k...