Read Online Memories of You by Margot Dalton - Free Book Online Page A

little booth and opened his books on the table, getting ready to work on his creative-writing assignment.
    The most beautiful place he’d ever seen…
    Enrique dropped his face into his hands and let himself drift for a moment on a warm tide of memory. He thought of the swimming hole outside the village where he’d grown up, the richness of the green canopy overhead, sunlight that glimmered on the water and the distant echoes of birdsong in the forest.
    A big new car pulled up to the pumps and Enrique rushed outside to wash the windshield. The driver held a can of beer, belching loudly as he searched through his wallet for a credit card.
    Enrique carried the gold card back to his cubicle, marveling at the awesome power this bit of plastic represented. He wondered what it would be like to possess such a card, to hand it over with easy care-lessnessand know that it would pay any expense you wanted.
    Like a key to a magic kingdom, Enrique thought wistfully.
    He rubbed his aching back and watched as the car pulled away and swerved across a couple of lanes, speeding down the street into the darkness.
    Life wasn’t so bad, he told himself firmly.
    This was Friday night, which meant he had no classes tomorrow and no early bus to catch. After his shift, he could go home, lie down on his cot and grab a few precious hours of sleep, then work on his assignments until it was time to head over to the convenience store for his five o’clock shift.
    Enrique lived in the basement of an old apartment building where he had a single room behind the furnace and did some basic maintenance work in exchange for a reduced rent. Even with these primitive living arrangements, as well as two jobs that were virtually full-time, he barely managed to pay his tuition and buy the books he needed for his classes. Food was a luxury, and entertainment was unheard of.
    He sighed and trudged back into the cubicle, trying to concentrate on the most beautiful place he’d ever seen. But the lines of the notebook blurred in front of his eyes, and his hands were shaking so badly that it was difficult to hold the pen.
    O N S ATURDAY MORNING , the Campbell family enjoyed a rare opportunity to eat breakfast togetheraround the big oak table in the kitchen.
    Margaret put a platter of pancakes in the middle of the table and brought a jug of warm syrup from the microwave, then paused to pour orange juice into the glasses at the twins’ plates.
    “Drink your juice,” she said.
    “It’s got stuff in it,” Ari told her. “I hate the squidgy stuff.”
    “That’s pulp, you silly,” Vanessa said. “Margaret just squeezed the oranges a few minutes ago.”
    Ari turned in his chair to glare at his older sister, who returned the look evenly.
    The small boy was the first to look away.
    “Little monster,” Vanessa muttered in triumph, helping herself to a tiny pancake from the edge of the platter.
    Jon reached for the syrup jug and addressed his older son. “Did you have a good time last night, Steve?”
    With a distracted air, Steven glanced up from a book lying open next to his plate. For a moment he gazed blankly at his father.
    “Last night,” Jon repeated, his voice hardening a little. “You didn’t get in until past two o’clock, so I assume you were having fun. What did you do?”
    The other children were suddenly quiet, their squabbles forgotten.
    Steven’s handsome face darkened briefly. “I went out with some friends,” he said. “Okay?”
    “I don’t know if it’s okay. Have I met thesefriends?”
    “For God’s sake, Dad. We just moved here a few weeks ago. Do I have to bring every guy I meet over here for your approval?”
    “That would be nice,” Jon said quietly. “I asked you what you were doing, Steve.”
    “Oh, for…We were driving around. Okay? We went to a movie, then had some burgers and rode around for a while. I would have been home on time but I ran out of gas and had to walk to a service station. Is that what you want to