The girl's voice was harsh. "She wants me to marry some stupid, ugly boy. And I won't do it! I love Bass."
Dell's pale eyes were rebuking. "Amanda, how can you expect Kippie to do that?"
She stepped back. "Kippie?" she said harshly. "Dell, that girl standing there is Kathryn, our daughter—not Kippie."
"Don't let such little things upset you, baby. I'll go call Replacements, and we'll all sit down together when Alice and Lester come." He turned.
She seized his arm. "I will not watch Lester," she said. "I will not sit and stare at that big, gray-haired ape and pretend I'm in love with him."
Dell frowned. "You don't really think he looks like an ape, do you, baby? I was—well, thinking of changing my name to Lester."
Kathryn leaped to hug him. "Oh Daddy! It'll be so wonderful. Lester, Lester, Lester! If we had an Alice and a Bass, we'd be almost like a real family."
She stared at them. "I'd hoped to put you in a favorable frame of mind for this, Kathryn," she said. "You'll remember that three years ago the Watsons, next door, had Wall failure and couldn't get service until morning. I invited them to watch our Wall."
Dell nodded. "Haven't seen them since, now that I think of it."
"You haven't. But tonight Mrs. Watson is lending me her son Gerald. He's coming at seven."