“That’s my father’s car,” he said again.
        “You’re crazy,” Skip said.
        Conner wasn’t sure what to think. Skip insisted this wasn’t his father’s car, and he should know, but on the other hand, Conner was positive it was the same car that was parked in the driveway in front of their house every night.  
        They walked to the front door and Skip let everyone in. The house was quiet and dark, smelled like cigarettes, and the TV was on but the sound muted. It hummed and hissed each time the picture changed, the shifting shadows casting wild images all over the room.
        “C’mon,” Skip said, leading the group into the hallway toward the back of the house. As they passed an open bedroom door, they heard a commotion inside and realized there were people in there. Then a figure crawled out of bed and stood up. In the darkness Conner was able to make out a woman’s form, then as his eyes adjusted, realized she was completely nude. He was stunned. He’d never seen a woman’s big breasts before.
        “Skipper!” she screamed.
        “What,” he barked.
        As Conner looked on, she snatched a bathrobe and draped herself in it, then stepped into the hallway and addressed the little group.
        “I told you boys to stay outside!”
        “We came to get my sling shot.”
        “I don’t want you playing with the slingshot,” she scolded. “It’s too dangerous. Now you boys go back outside.”
        As she spoke, a lamp in the room flicked on. A man climbed out of the bed and stood. When the light cast onto his face, Conner recognized him immediately. It was his father Donald.
        Donald didn’t see Conner. He was busy getting dressed and the hallway where Conner stood was dark. When Skip’s mother said, “You boys go outside now,” Conner quickly moved to the front door.
        When the boys were outside, Conner’s legs were shaky. He didn’t grasp the full significance of this, but knew something wasn’t right. The air went out of him as if he’d been slugged in the stomach and couldn’t catch his breath.
        “What should we do now?” David said.
        Skip had an idea. “Let’s go down to that big ditch and throw rocks in the water.”
        David looked uneasy. “My mom said I can’t go far because we’re going to have dinner