Dukey watched with an amused air, and was silenced by the sight of his Mom with a gravy stain around her nipple. It reminded him of when he had been breast-fed for the first few years of his life, back when they didn't have much, before he managed to get a good job and save up enough money to help with his share, to bring home the bacon, so to speak. And it was good bacon, fresh from the turkey, being raised to respect all religious faiths. Good thing no one knew that he was underage, as he'd always seemed mature, and wise beyond his years. Perhaps that was why he had trouble fitting in with others his own age. That, and he had a caring family, who looked after one another, and he got paid in cash, so he never had to pay taxes, and he couldn't be traced and get in trouble for starting work the day after his 8th birthday.<br/><br/>He also thought of other women he'd known...like Michelle, the one-eyed little person, with the big personality...and Katie, the hard-drinkin' trucker's daughter who'd shown him about the special dealings between a man and a woman. Ahh, those were the days, but he'd never had the true pleasure to meet someone the likes of Clara Klutz. Such innocence and charm he had yet to see. She was someone special. He snapped out of his reverie as he was asked to pour the drinks, which he respectfully did, starting with Mr. Klutz's, then Sukey's, serving them the first of the wine, which he had heard was the best, being freshest, and the most intoxicating. Then he poured some in Clara's glass and his own, finally.<br/><br/>He sat while everything around him was seemingly going in fast-forward, still somehow hearing all that was said, and when Clara made her impromptu speech about the two of them having children, and the children having Sukey and Mr. Klutz as grandparents, followed by her abrupt apology, he put up a hand and shushed her, stating gently and matter-of-factly, "It's alright...I'm single...and thank you for your kind words about my appearance." He raised his glass in his other hand, and immediately proposed a toast.<br/><br/>"To family, and everything that makes it a family, in every sense of the word...Cheers!" He clinked his glass with everyone else, sipped his wine, and no sooner did Sukey and Mr. Klutz have their glasses away from their lips, than he was ready with the bottle again, and topped them off. He stifled the immature smirk, and instead smiled a very smooth grin, knowing that they were both famished, as well as what alcohol did on an empty stomach. He sipped his wine again slowly, careful to let it sit in his mouth and get a good taste of it, before swallowing.<br/><br/>He made small talk throughout the meal, about the decorations and furniture, saying the chairs were worthy of the finest antiques, and asking about the pictures on the wall, the whole time distracting his Mom and Clara's Daddy from the fact that their glasses never got any closer to empty. He chuckled and winked at Clara, unnoticed by the rest, as they both regaled all of them with stories of the past, and of what led them to their present situations.<br/><br/>It was starting to get dark outside, and Dukey knew that the animals would need tending in the barn at some point, and so he listened politely as he finished his dinner, barely taking more than two more swigs of his beverage.<br/><br/>He also finally got up the courage to ask Mr. Klutz what his first name was.