Before the Old Man Comes Home

Grab that piece, from the floor

Fix it up, like before

Take the knee
Wait
Lift it higher

He'll forget that it broke

There we go

Is that smoke?

Oh my gosh

It smells like fire
Ah!

Here, take the heel of the shoe

We're out of luck without glue

So, try again

Nothing fits

This might work

Call it quits
What's the point?

Just do the best we can
Before the old man comes home

There oughta be something we can do to make mom feel better

Like what?

Well, for one thing, you could start eating your food without all that little piggy stuff

She'll come back, see your plate
Won't believe that you ate
Try to swallow just one carrot

I don't know if I can

Open up, be a man

It's too much

Then fine, we'll share it
Hey, if you just take a bite, they won't remember their fight

Alright

Or sit down really quick

I think I'm getting sick

This could work

We need a better plan

Before the old man comes home

If he sees that the lamp is on
If she sees that the food is gone
Maybe then, that's when
Everything will be okay again

The old man returned later with five bottles of extra strength glue
He worked furiously, but futility, for at least an hour
At last he gave into the inevitability that the precious leg was lost
Not long afterward, mother returned
Randy and I were in total fear of what might happen next

Look, I just

If I was

What I meant

It's because

How on earth it got this way? (got this way?)

When I said

I was so

And I tried

Yeah, I know

Listen, Frank, what I mean to say
I'm sorry

The white flag had been waved
The war was over
Peace had once again returned to the land
With as much dignity as he could muster
The old man took what was left of his Major Award out into the backyard
And buried it next to the garage
I could never be sure, but I thought I could hear