exclaimed. "Terry's a hurdler!" She positioned the dolls legs into a semi-jumping position and tossed it over the black dog that came with the doll. "Watch out, Suey!" giggled Danielle as Terry nearly kicked the dog onto its side. My mom laughed and asked my sister for the doll, which Danielle threw at her.
Mom took the doll in her hand and reached across the table for this guy doll lying face down on the cold fake-marble. She placed him on her knee. "You're not George, you're Steve. Not George, Steve." Terry was put on the other knee, watching 'Steve' curiously.
"Crikey!" Steve the Crocodile Hunter exclaimed.  "What we 'ave 'ere is an alligator, or a BIG CROC, as I like to call 'em. I'm gonna wrestle 'er! Ain't she a beaut?" Steve laid flat out on my mother's knee as she tossed him around and made struggling noises.
On the other knee, Terry stood pensively. "'He's so cute...'
"'Right. Now that I've got that alligator all tied up...'" He looked over toward Terry and hopped knees. "'Now what 'ave we 'ere? What's your name, pretty American girl?'
"'I'm Terry. I like leopards.'
"'I'm Steve. I like you.'
"'I like you, too.'
"'Wanna help me shovel out an armadillo bush?'
"'Sure Steve!'"
The two dolls hopped away together to the cushion just beyond my mother's right thigh. Steve just stood there, watching Terry run around wildly. "'Put your back into it!'
"And then they fell in love..."
"On that note," I laughed, jumping off the arm of the ugly pink couch.
Up the stairs I went, listening to my family still talking in the living room, still playing with the unfortunate Terry doll. I sat down in my chair again, wiped off the computer screen with my sweater sleeve and turned on the dim light on the side of the computer. Occasionally I would hear something distinct, like "It means 'to fart!" come up from downstairs, but other than that, my house was quiet. I don't like it when it's quiet. That means they're up to something...