Grin Read Online Free

at his age, and a clever daughter who's just started college. I never went to college, I didn’t have the privilege, and I'm so proud that you did. I also have a beautiful wife, the woman who gave me two of the finest children in the world. For everything, I'm truly grateful."
    Dennis held his glass in the air, silently. Carla handed a Coke to Dani and Teddy, who raised their cans in unison. "Cheers."
    Dennis smiled. "Let's eat."
    Carla started dishing out the dinner. Dani passed a plate of creamy mashed potatoes to her father. Teddy took a huge swig of his Coke. Dennis eyed him as he scooped the potatoes onto his plate. "You go easy on that stuff; I don’t want you bouncing off the ceilings."
    "I won't, Dad."
    "You won't what?"
    "Bounce off the ceilings. They're too high anyway."
    Dennis grinned and ruffled his son's hair.
    Dani poured some gravy onto her chicken, circling her plate. "Mom, can you pass the broccoli?"
    "Sure, hon."
    After a few moments, the family had their choice of food. Carla looked around the table. "Enjoy everyone. There's plenty more to go around."
    The family tucked into their dinner.
     
     
    "That was a wonderful dinner, Mum. Thank you."
    "My pleasure, honey." Carla was washing up the plates, dipping them into a bowl of soapy water, scrubbing them with a cloth, and passing them to Dani - who was on drying duty. The youngest woman was piling the crockery on the side, ready to put away.
    "How was college today?"
    "It was okay, nothing special. Theory in Media is a little boring. Besides, the teacher has no control over the students. Half don’t turn up and when they do, they completely disrespect him. It's a little sad. Sometimes…well, you don’t need to hear this."
    "No, go on. I like hearing about my daughter, the student. It's so glamourous ."
    Dani smiled. "Well, I feel sorry for the guy. Sometimes he teaches three or four people only. The other students are too busy at the pub or dossing in the games room. It's no way to earn a living."
    "Yeah, but think of it his way. You're still learning. One kid, twelve kids, it doesn’t matter. You're a good student, you pay attention and you'll come out of this smelling like roses. Fuck the other kids."
    " Mum !"
    "Well…if they can't respect their education, then fuck them indeed."
    Dani chuckled. "I suppose you're right…fuck them."
    "Ah, ah, ah, money in the swear jar, now."
    "But Mum, you just …"
    "I'm a grown up." Carla held her daughters gaze for a second and laughed. "Just kidding. Not a word of this to your father or brother."
    "Deal." Dani picked up a stack of plates and slid them into a cupboard below the worktop. She closed the door, clipping her finger. "Ow, fuck ."
    "You okay, honey?"
    "Yeah, just clipped my…"
    " Swear jar! "
    Both women spun around and saw Teddy standing in the doorway. Dani sucked her finger and Carla placed her hands on her hips, exasperated. He ran away, bouncing across the carpet to the stairs. They could hear him as he went. "Swear jar, swear jar, Mom and Dani dropped a swear! "
    Dani smiled. "No more Coke for him then." Carla nodded, turned and emptied the sink. "Little shit," she muttered, under her breath.
    Dani chuckled.
     
    Two hours later, Teddy's rasping snores resonated through the crack in his bedroom door. Dennis smiled, closing his son's door slowly. He snapped the upstairs hallway light off and walked to this daughter's room, knocking gently on the pink door. "Yes," came a muted voice. Dennis pushed the door open with a scarred knuckle by instinct – no fingerprints - and walked into the room.
    Dani was sitting on her bed, legs crossed, typing away on her pink laptop. The blue glow illuminated her face as her brown eyes, full of concentration and guile, stared at the screen. Dennis gazed around the room and grinned.
    Over the years, the room has gone from a kid's domain with pictures of ponies and cartoons, to posters of the latest pop stars, X Factor rejects, or whatever movie hunk was popular