as if your school schedule was so tight you’d hardly ever have time to meet and talk to other students except on the bus. And you don’t take the bus.”
“Sorry you have to drive with me every day. If this stupid state didn’t have a six-month learner’s permit rule, I could just take the car.”
“Hey, I don’t mind. Teaching your kid to drive is a rite of passage for parents.” Except for those long, torturous, silent trips back and forth.
“How was your day, son?”
“Peachy.”
“Learn anything interesting?”
“That the Gestapo sometimes interrogated prisoners for days. They lost the war. Take the hint, will you?”
Then silence. Deadly, nerve-racking silence would fill the car. What was he doing wrong?
“So we’ll go to church tomorrow, but not the one I went to. I’m not sure they’d be ready for either of our wardrobes even in this day and age. How about your aunt Beth’s church? Apparently jeans and tees are more than accepted, they’re expected. Then we could go over to Laurel Glen and see what you think of riding.” For Mark’s sake, he’d even put up with the memories that would evoke.
Mark stood looking agitated, almost…threatened. “We’ll see. I have a report I need to get on. Can I go now?”
“Sure. I didn’t mean to keep you so long. I have to make a call. I had an idea about someone who might be interested in the cleanup-crew job we talked about.”
“You mean a maid or a butler or something.”
“I was thinking of a guy I served with. Sully’s a fair cook and his place on base looked a whole lot better than this place is starting to look.”
“Whatever,” Mark said, and walked out.
Adam watched him go, wondering what had just happened and if there was a way to officially strike whatever from the English language. He felt buoyed and deflated at the same time. For a while there they had really “communicated,” as Ms. Lexington would call it. But now that the conversation had fallen apart, Adam felt once again bereft of the company of hisson. And worse. As if there had been something deep going on in Mark’s head and he’d once again failed to tune in to it, as Ms. Lexington would also point out.
Maybe if Mark found some friends. Maybe at Beth’s church. Maybe he’d be Mark’s hero again for thinking of the idea. Yeah, tomorrow they’d go to church. Mark would meet nice kids and Adam would win points. Alexandra Lexington hadn’t helped Mark find friends. After tomorrow he’d be ahead.
“Wait a minute,” he muttered aloud. “When did this Lexington woman get to be my opponent in a contest for Mark’s affections?”
Chapter Six
“A dam, Mark, welcome to the Tabernacle,” Pastor Jim Dillon said as he offered his hand to both of them in greeting. The pastor was standing on the sidewalk leading to the front door of the barn-church. He was dressed even more informally today in jeans and an open bomber jacket that showed off a shirt with a decidedly Hawaiian twist. It look as if Adam and Mark weren’t underdressed in their jeans and tees. Maybe choosing this church really had been a good idea.
“Do you want to attend services with your father or head on over to the youth hall?” the pastor asked Mark as the two shook hands.
Mark’s “Whatever” reply had Adam cringing.
Jim Dillon, however, chuckled and glanced Adam’s way with a wink before he said, “Definitely the youth group service. Mark, if you follow that path back around the side of the church you’ll see the door toour youth hall. In fact, there’s my son. Hey, Ian,” Dillon shouted to a dark-haired kid walking toward the far end of the barn. “Come here. There’s someone I want you to meet.” Still grinning, the pastor told Mark, “He can show you the way and introduce you to the whole motley crew.”
Mark turned and watched Ian Dillon, his gaze wary and hopeful at the same time. As the kid drew closer, Adam could see that Ian looked a lot like his father. Ian was about
“Sorry you have to drive with me every day. If this stupid state didn’t have a six-month learner’s permit rule, I could just take the car.”
“Hey, I don’t mind. Teaching your kid to drive is a rite of passage for parents.” Except for those long, torturous, silent trips back and forth.
“How was your day, son?”
“Peachy.”
“Learn anything interesting?”
“That the Gestapo sometimes interrogated prisoners for days. They lost the war. Take the hint, will you?”
Then silence. Deadly, nerve-racking silence would fill the car. What was he doing wrong?
“So we’ll go to church tomorrow, but not the one I went to. I’m not sure they’d be ready for either of our wardrobes even in this day and age. How about your aunt Beth’s church? Apparently jeans and tees are more than accepted, they’re expected. Then we could go over to Laurel Glen and see what you think of riding.” For Mark’s sake, he’d even put up with the memories that would evoke.
Mark stood looking agitated, almost…threatened. “We’ll see. I have a report I need to get on. Can I go now?”
“Sure. I didn’t mean to keep you so long. I have to make a call. I had an idea about someone who might be interested in the cleanup-crew job we talked about.”
“You mean a maid or a butler or something.”
“I was thinking of a guy I served with. Sully’s a fair cook and his place on base looked a whole lot better than this place is starting to look.”
“Whatever,” Mark said, and walked out.
Adam watched him go, wondering what had just happened and if there was a way to officially strike whatever from the English language. He felt buoyed and deflated at the same time. For a while there they had really “communicated,” as Ms. Lexington would call it. But now that the conversation had fallen apart, Adam felt once again bereft of the company of hisson. And worse. As if there had been something deep going on in Mark’s head and he’d once again failed to tune in to it, as Ms. Lexington would also point out.
Maybe if Mark found some friends. Maybe at Beth’s church. Maybe he’d be Mark’s hero again for thinking of the idea. Yeah, tomorrow they’d go to church. Mark would meet nice kids and Adam would win points. Alexandra Lexington hadn’t helped Mark find friends. After tomorrow he’d be ahead.
“Wait a minute,” he muttered aloud. “When did this Lexington woman get to be my opponent in a contest for Mark’s affections?”
Chapter Six
“A dam, Mark, welcome to the Tabernacle,” Pastor Jim Dillon said as he offered his hand to both of them in greeting. The pastor was standing on the sidewalk leading to the front door of the barn-church. He was dressed even more informally today in jeans and an open bomber jacket that showed off a shirt with a decidedly Hawaiian twist. It look as if Adam and Mark weren’t underdressed in their jeans and tees. Maybe choosing this church really had been a good idea.
“Do you want to attend services with your father or head on over to the youth hall?” the pastor asked Mark as the two shook hands.
Mark’s “Whatever” reply had Adam cringing.
Jim Dillon, however, chuckled and glanced Adam’s way with a wink before he said, “Definitely the youth group service. Mark, if you follow that path back around the side of the church you’ll see the door toour youth hall. In fact, there’s my son. Hey, Ian,” Dillon shouted to a dark-haired kid walking toward the far end of the barn. “Come here. There’s someone I want you to meet.” Still grinning, the pastor told Mark, “He can show you the way and introduce you to the whole motley crew.”
Mark turned and watched Ian Dillon, his gaze wary and hopeful at the same time. As the kid drew closer, Adam could see that Ian looked a lot like his father. Ian was about
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