Alex King Quotes

“Scott still stares at Sid, then turns to Alice and hands her the Scotch. “We’re going to go see Joanie today,” he says.

Alice grins. “And Chachi?” she asks.

Sid bursts out laughing and Scott turns back to him, then places a hand on his shoulder, which makes me fear for his life. “You be quiet, son,” Scott says. “I could kill you with this hand. This hand has been places.”

I shake my head and look at both Sid and Alex.

Scott lifts his hand off Sid’s shoulder and turns again to his wife. “No, Alice. Our Joanie. Our daughter. We’re going to give her anything she wants.” He glares at me. “Think about what she would want, Alice. We’re going to get it for her and bring it to her. Bring it right to her bed.”

“Joanie and Chachi,” Alice chants. “Joanie and Chachi!”

“Shut up, Alice!” Scott yells.

Alice looks at Scott as though he just said “Cheese.” She clasps her hands together and smiles, staying in the pose for a few seconds. He looks at her face and squints. “Sorry, old gal,” he says. “You go ahead and say whatever you want.”

“It was funny,” Sid says. “All I was doing was laughing. She has a good sense of humor. That’s all. Maybe she knows she’s being funny. I think she does.”

“I’m going to hit you,” Scott says. His arms hang alongside him, the muscles flexed, veins big like milk-shake straws. I know he’s going to hit Sid because that’s what he does. I’ve seen him hit Barry. I, too, have been hit by Scott after I beat him and his buddies at a game of poker. His hands are in fists, and I can see his knobby old-man knuckles, the many liver spots almost joining to become one big discoloration, like a burn. Then he pops his fist up toward Sid, a movement like a snake rearing its head and lunging forth. I see Sid start to bring his arm up to block his face, but then he brings it down and clutches his thigh. It’s almost as if he decided not to protect himself. The end result is a punch in his right eye, a screaming older daughter, a frightened younger daughter, a father trying to calm many people at once, and a mother-in-law cheering wildly as though we have all done something truly amazing.”
― Kaui Hart Hemmings, The Descendants

“I look in the jewelry box where Joanie found the drugs. She showed me a miniature Ziploc bag filled with a clear, hard rock.

“What is this?” I said. I never did drugs, so I had no idea. Heroin? Cocaine? Crack? Ice? “What is this?” I screamed at Alex, who screamed back, “It’s not like I shoot it!”

A plastic ballerina pops up and slowly twirls to a tinkling song whose sound is discordant and deformed. The pink satin liner is dirty, and other than a black pearl necklace, the box holds only rusty paper clips and rubber bands noosed with Alex’s dark hair. I see a note stuck to the mirror and pick up the jewelry box and move the ballerina aside. She twirls against my finger. The note says, I wouldn’t hide them in the same place twice.

I let out a short breath through my nose. Good one, Alex. I close the jewelry box and shake my head, missing her tremendously. I wish she never went back to boarding school, and I don’t understand her sudden change of plans. What did they fight about? What could have been so bad?”
― Kaui Hart Hemmings, The Descendants

“Do you guys have sunscreen?” I ask.

“No,” Scottie says. “Do we have water?”

“Did you bring any?” Alex asks.

“No,” I say.

Alex pops her head up. “Did you bring snacks for us?”

“We can walk to town.”

How do mothers manage to bring everything a child could need?”
― Kaui Hart Hemmings, The Descendants

“What are we talking about?” Alex says. “This is fucking nonsense.”

The couple ahead of us turns slightly.

“What are you looking at?” Alex says to them.

I don’t bother to reprimand her, because really, what are they looking at? I slow my pace and Alex punches Scottie in the arm.

“Ow!” Scottie screams.

“Alex! Why are we still on this pattern?”

“Hit her back, Dad,” Scottie yells.

Alex grabs Scottie’s neck.

“You’re hurting me,” Scottie says.

“That’s kind of the point,” Alex says.

I grab both children by the arm and pull them down to the sand. Sid covers his mouth with his hand and bends over, laughing silently.

“‘What do you love about Mom?’” Alex says, mimicking her sister. “Shut up, already. And stop babying her.”

I sit down between them and don’t say a word. Sid sits next to Alex. “Easy, tiger,” he says. I look at the waves crashing down on the sand. A few women walk by and give me this knowing look, as though a father with his kids is such a precious sight. It takes so little to be revered as a father. I can tell the girls are waiting for me to say something, but what can I say that hasn’t been said? I’ve shouted, I’ve reasoned, I’ve even spanked. Nothing works.

“What do you love about Mom, Scottie?” I ask, glaring at Alex.

She takes a moment to think. “Lots of stuff. She’s not old and ugly, like most moms.”

“What about you, Alex?”

“Why are we doing this?” she asks. “How did we get here in the first place?”

“Swimming with the sharks,” I say. “Scottie wanted to swim with sharks.”

“You can do that,” Sid says. “I read about it in the hotel.”

“She’s not afraid of anything,” Alex says.

She’s wrong, and besides, I think this is a statement and not something that Alex truly loves.

“Let’s get back,” I say.

I stand up and wipe the sand off of me. I look at our hotel on the cliff, pink from the sunset. The girls’ expressions when I told them about their mom made me feel so alone. They won’t ever understand me the way Joanie does. They won’t know her the way I do. I miss her despite the fact that she envisioned the rest of her life without me. I look at my daughters, utter mysteries, and for a brief moment I have a sick feeling that I don’t want to be alone in the world with these two girls. I’m relieved they haven’t asked me what it is I love about them.”
― Kaui Hart Hemmings, The Descendants

“There’s something different about her. I realize it’s her breasts—they’re huge. I see that she’s stuffed her bikini top with wet balls of sand.

“What is that?” I say. “Scottie. Your suit.”

She shields her eyes with her hand and looks down at her chest. “Beach boobs,” she says.

“Take that out of there,” I say. “Alex. Why’d you let her do that?”

Alex is on her stomach, with the straps of her top untied. She lifts her head toward Scottie. “I didn’t know. Take them out, stupid.”

Sid lifts his head. “Honestly,” he says, “big boobs look kind of fatty.”

“As Bebe says, boobs suck,” Alex says, “and Sid’s full of shit. He loves big boobs.”

“Who’s Bebe?” Scottie lets the sand fall out of her top.

“Character from South Park,” Sid says. “And I love small boobs, too, Alex. I’m an equal-opportunity employer.”
― Kaui Hart Hemmings, The Descendants

“Reina sounds awesome,” Sid says. “I’m digging her more and more.”

“Were you there?” I ask. “Have you seen one of these movies?”

“No,” Scottie says.

“Scottie,” Alex says, kicking Sid in the ribs. “Reina is a fuckedup ho bag, and you need to stay away from her. I’ve already told you that. Do you want to end up like me?”

“Yes,” Scottie says.

“I mean the earlier me, when I was yelling at Mom.”

“No,” Scottie says.

“Well, Reina is going to be a crackhead, and she’s going to get used. She’s a twat. Say it.”

“Twat,” Scottie says. She gets up and runs across the room, saying, “Twat twat twat twat twat.”

“Holy shit,” Sid says. “This is some messed-up parenting. Isn’t it?”

Alex shrugs. “Maybe. I guess we’ll see.”

“I don’t get it,” I say. “I don’t know what to do. These things she does, they keep happening.”

“It will go away,” Alex says.

“Will it? I mean, look at how you kids talk. In front of me, especially. It’s like you don’t respect authority.”

The kids stare at the television. I tell them to get out. I’m going to bed.”
― Kaui Hart Hemmings, The Descendants

“Your phone’s vibrating,” Scottie says. She takes my cell phone out of her pocket, the phone she has stolen from me to text her friend. She doesn’t even care that she has disobeyed. She doesn’t care that she said “finger-fucked” in front of me. It’s as though I’m not a father.

I don’t recognize the number, so I don’t answer. I like to let people leave messages, and then I’ll call back after I rehearse what to say.

“You never answer your phone,” Scottie says. “What if someone needs help?”

“Then they can leave a message and I’ll call right back.”

Alex takes the phone out of my hands. “Hello?” she says.

“What the—? Do I not exist, girls? Do you realize I’m in charge here?”

Scottie whispers, “Who is it?”

“Oh, no,” Alex says. “This is the right number. This is his assistant…Sharon.”

Scottie opens her mouth, delighted. I’ve always been impressed by Alex’s effortless ability to lie.

“That sounds nice,” Alex says, then punches me lightly on the arm. “Where? Great. And for how long? Okay. Well, thanks. Maybe we’ll peek in on Sunday. Thanks so much. Okay.”

She closes the phone.

“Well?”

“That was a Realtor, Dad, from Brian’s office. She says she’d be happy to show you the house you called about. Well done, Dad. Very clever.”

“Good one, King,” Sid says.

“What about Brian?” I ask. I feel strange talking about this with Joanie in the room. I position myself so that I face away from her.”
― Kaui Hart Hemmings, The Descendants

“She looks at the Dictaphone in my hand.

“Are you recording this?”

“No, Alex, I was summarizing a deposition.”

“How can you work?”

“How can you see a movie? How can you have a friend over?”

She looks away. Half of the room is bright from my lamp. The other side is dark, the sharp silhouette of the mountain framed by the window running across the room. The image always reminds me of a panoramic picture.”
― Kaui Hart Hemmings, The Descendants

“I’d like you to come to Kauai with me,” I say. “And Scottie. I think it would be good to get her away from the hospital for a day. We can leave in the morning, find him, and be home tomorrow night. If it takes us a day longer, that’s fine, but we won’t stay more than two nights. That’s our deadline. If we don’t find him, then at least we know we tried.”

“And this will make you feel better somehow?”

“It’s for her,” I say. “Not for him or me.”

“What if he’s a wreck? What if he loses his shit?”

“Then I’ll take care of him.” I imagine Brian Speer wailing on my shoulder. I imagine him and my daughters by Joanie’s bed, her lover and his loud sobs shaming us. “Just so you know, I am angry. I’m not this pure and noble guy. I want to do this for her, but I also want to see who he is. I want to ask him a few things.”

“Just call him. Tell his office it’s an emergency. They’ll have him call you.”

“I want to tell him in person. I haven’t told anyone over the phone, and I don’t want to start now.”

“You told Troy.”

“Troy doesn’t count. I just need to do this. On the phone he can escape. If I see him in person, he’ll have nowhere to go.”

We both look away when our eyes meet. She hasn’t crossed the border into my room. She never does during her nighttime doorway chats.

“Were you guys having trouble?” Alex asks. “Is that why she cheated?”

“I didn’t think we were having trouble,” I say. “I mean, it was the same as always.”

This was the problem, that our marriage was the same as always. Joanie needed bumps. She needed rough terrain. It’s funny that I can get lost in thoughts about her, but when she was right in front of me, I didn’t think much about her at all.

“I wasn’t the best husband,” I say.

Alex looks out the window to avoid my confession. “If we go on this trip, what will we tell Scottie?”

“She’ll think we’re going on a trip of some sort. I want to get her away from here.”
― Kaui Hart Hemmings, The Descendants

“You’ve already said that,” Alex says. “Why should I go?”

“You’re the only person I have,” I say. “And I want us all to be together. It will be good for us.”

“Oh, so now I’m back in the picture again.”

“Alex. Something bigger than you is occurring right now. I’m sorry about your unhappy childhood.”

She glares at me in that special way of hers and Joanie’s that makes me feel worthless and foul-smelling.

“So we’ll tell Scottie we’re going on a vacation while Mom is in the hospital?”

“It’s for a day or two,” I say. “Scottie’s been in the hospital every day for almost a month now. She needs a break. It’s not good for her. I’d like you to be in charge of answering any questions she may have. She looks up to you. She’ll hang on whatever you say.”

I’m hoping a leadership role, a specific chore, will make Alex act like an adult and treat Scottie well.

“Can you do that?”

She shrugs.

“If you can’t handle things, let me know. I’ll help. I’m here for you.”

Alex laughs. I wonder if there are parents who can say things to their kids like “I love you” or “I’m here for you” without being laughed at. I have to admit it’s a bit uncomfortable. Affection, in general, is unpleasant to me.

“What if Mom doesn’t make it for two days?”

“She will,” I say. “I’ll tell her what we’re doing.”

Alex looks uncomfortable with this idea, that what I’ll say will make her mother want to live. “I’m bringing Sid,” she says. “If he doesn’t come, then I’m not going.”

I’m about to protest, but I see the look in her eyes and know this is yet another battle that I’m bound to lose. Something about this guy is helping her. And Scottie seems to like him. He can keep her distracted. He can work for me.

“Okay,” I say. “Deal.”
― Kaui Hart Hemmings, The Descendants