Read Online London Calling by Edward Bloor - Free Book Online

trying to figure out a way to never put it on again.
    Inside, I was feeling even worse. I was trembling at the thought of sitting in a room with Hank Lowery. Three months’ time had not healed the shock or the shame I felt for being slapped in the face by him.
    I walked outside at noon to wait for Mom. I was surprised when she pulled up with Margaret in the front seat. I climbed into the back and asked Margaret, “What are you doing here?”
    “I’m going with you.”
    “Why?”
    Margaret inclined her head toward Mom. “Because Mom asked me to.”
    “Oh? What’s this about?”
    Mom answered simply, “Father Thomas wants her to be there.”
    The drive to All Souls was predictably tense. I told Mom right off, “I want this to be my last trip to All Souls. Ever. I want you to enroll me at Garden State.”
    She answered matter-of-factly. “You know that is not an option, Martin. I’ve worked very hard so you and Margaret could go to All Souls. The only thing you have to do is listen in class and do your work. Is that really so terrible an ordeal?”
    I wanted to respond,
Yes. It is.
But I didn’t bother. I spent the rest of the ride staring at the passing countryside. Occasionally I saw my own reflection appear in the window. I was surprised to see that I looked a little like Dad. I looked depressed like him, anyway.
    As we walked from the parking lot to the Administration Building, my sense of dread rose to the point where I actually thought I might throw up in the hedges. Mom led the way into Father Thomas’s office, followed by Margaret. I looked for Lowery right away, but I didn’t see him. I even leaned in to look at the corners of the room. Then I assumed he would be coming in behind us, but Father Thomas announced, “Excellent. Everyone is here now.”
    “Everyone,” apparently, did not include Hank Lowery and his parents, or Joey Mayer and Tim Connelly and their parents. Ben Livingstone’s father, however, was there. He was a tall, balding man dressed in a blue blazer and gray pants; he wore a bulky Rolex.
    Pinak and his father and Manetti and his father were there, too, sitting in a row of chairs along the left wall. Dr. Chander was dressed impeccably, as always, in a dark blue suit. Manetti’s father had a suit on, too, a black one, but it was too small, and he looked uncomfortable in it.
    Mom, Margaret, and I sat in three chairs across from them. Father Thomas looked at all the adults in turn and introduced them for the benefit of the others. When he got to Livingstone’s father, he said, “Cal Livingstone is the attorney representing the Lowery family and the estate of the late General Lowery. He is also a member of the board of directors of All Souls Preparatory School.”
    I watched the adults glance at each other and then quickly look away. Mom’s face showed surprise, even confusion. She leaned toward Father Thomas and asked him quietly, “Aren’t the others coming?”
    Father Thomas thought for a moment. “The others? Oh, the other students? No, they have already been here. Some of the families had scheduling conflicts, so I decided to meet with you in shifts. Mr. Connelly brought Timothy, and Mr. Livingstone brought Ben, Joseph Mayer, and Hank Lowery in at noon.” He turned to Mr. Livingstone. “Did the boys all get a ride home?”
    Cal Livingstone answered, “Yes, with Russ Mayer. I think he was dropping them at the mall.”
    Mom sat back, blinking, clearly not satisfied with the answer.
    Then Father Thomas began to, as he put it, “run down the facts and the repair costs.”
    Cal Livingstone immediately raised his hand. “The Lowery family is willing to absorb the repair costs. The family is more concerned about the dedication timeline. They have been waiting a long time for the General to be acknowledged by his school, and by his country.”
    Father Thomas assured him, “We’re still on schedule for New Year’s Day. The major construction phase of the Heroes’ Walk is now