forget?” Ethan said. “I thought you were dying and it was my fault.”
“Your fault?” Drew poked him with his elbow. “Why would you think that? I was the one clowning around.”
“I don’t know. I always felt responsible to protect you after the baby died. I didn’t want to see your parents cry like that again.”
“I hardly remember it,” Drew said. “Mom and Dad never talk about her. Most of my memories of being a kid are good ones, especially of the two of us.”
“Yeah, too bad we couldn’t bottle our spirit of adventure. We could’ve made a fortune.”
“Our poor mothers. Between the cuts and the sprains and the trips to the emergency room, it was never dull.” Drew laughed. “Do you remember the time I got an ice cube stuck to my tongue? You were cool as a cucumber and I about freaked. I was sure it would never come off.”
“Well, I wasn’t that calm when I got a pair of scissors stuck in my wrist. I nearly passed out from the sight of all that blood. I couldn’t believe you had the guts to pull them out.”
“Only because I was too young and stupid to know that if they’d been stuck in an artery, you could’ve bled to death. Our guardian angels were definitely working overtime.”
Ethan looked over at Drew. “Do you remember taking money out of our piggy banks and buying bread and cheese for that sweet old lady who lived on the corner?”
“Oh yeah, Mrs. Dawson … we overheard our parents say she didn’t have money for groceries and was eating dog food. The thought of it made me gag. I remember how good it felt to help her.”
“You want to bet our folks slipped her money but didn’t want to diminish our act of kindness by telling us?”
“Probably. You know, Ethan, when I think back, it seems like the two of us have been joined at the hip for as long as I can remember.”
“Yeah”—Ethan nudged Drew’s shoulder with his own—“I never felt like an only child. Still don’t.”
“Me, either.”
A comfortable silence wrapped itself around them.
Finally Ethan said, “How are you feeling tonight—about the shooting?”
“Numb mostly. Studying helps. The most difficult part is closing my eyes. I still see Tal’s face.”
“I imagine you will for a while. Maybe we should take my mom and dad up on their offer and go stay with them for a few days.”
Drew shook his head. “I appreciate their concern, but I want to stay home.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Well, before this happened, they’d already planned to come see me this weekend. They’re driving in tomorrow morning and staying at Uncle Ralph’s.”
The expression left Drew’s face. “You know I think the world of Uncle T and Aunt Lisa, and I wouldn’t hurt them for the world. But I don’t think I can handle talking about this again.”
“All right. I’ll explain it to them, but they’re going to insist on coming by to check on you. Are you sure you don’t want to call your parents?”
“Positive,” Drew said. “They’ve planned this anniversary cruise for an entire year. Why ruin it for them? Would you call if it were your mom and dad?”
“Probably not. You hungry? Maybe we should order a pizza or something.”
“Sounds good,” Drew said. “But why don’t we wait for Vanessa? She ought to be here soon.”
Ethan got up and stretched, the western sky now fiery orange. He could hardly wait to see her.
Vanessa went up the back steps at Drew Langley’s house and knocked on the door. Through the screen she saw Ethan get up from the kitchen table and walk over to her.
“Come in.” He held open the door. “I talked Drew into turning off the air conditioner for a while and letting in some fresh air. What’ve you got in the Tupperware?”
“Leftover roast beef, potatoes and carrots, rolls, and a salad. And vanilla pudding—compliments of Emily.”
“Wow, does that sound good. We were just going to order a pizza, but a home-cooked meal is so much better. Hey,
“Your fault?” Drew poked him with his elbow. “Why would you think that? I was the one clowning around.”
“I don’t know. I always felt responsible to protect you after the baby died. I didn’t want to see your parents cry like that again.”
“I hardly remember it,” Drew said. “Mom and Dad never talk about her. Most of my memories of being a kid are good ones, especially of the two of us.”
“Yeah, too bad we couldn’t bottle our spirit of adventure. We could’ve made a fortune.”
“Our poor mothers. Between the cuts and the sprains and the trips to the emergency room, it was never dull.” Drew laughed. “Do you remember the time I got an ice cube stuck to my tongue? You were cool as a cucumber and I about freaked. I was sure it would never come off.”
“Well, I wasn’t that calm when I got a pair of scissors stuck in my wrist. I nearly passed out from the sight of all that blood. I couldn’t believe you had the guts to pull them out.”
“Only because I was too young and stupid to know that if they’d been stuck in an artery, you could’ve bled to death. Our guardian angels were definitely working overtime.”
Ethan looked over at Drew. “Do you remember taking money out of our piggy banks and buying bread and cheese for that sweet old lady who lived on the corner?”
“Oh yeah, Mrs. Dawson … we overheard our parents say she didn’t have money for groceries and was eating dog food. The thought of it made me gag. I remember how good it felt to help her.”
“You want to bet our folks slipped her money but didn’t want to diminish our act of kindness by telling us?”
“Probably. You know, Ethan, when I think back, it seems like the two of us have been joined at the hip for as long as I can remember.”
“Yeah”—Ethan nudged Drew’s shoulder with his own—“I never felt like an only child. Still don’t.”
“Me, either.”
A comfortable silence wrapped itself around them.
Finally Ethan said, “How are you feeling tonight—about the shooting?”
“Numb mostly. Studying helps. The most difficult part is closing my eyes. I still see Tal’s face.”
“I imagine you will for a while. Maybe we should take my mom and dad up on their offer and go stay with them for a few days.”
Drew shook his head. “I appreciate their concern, but I want to stay home.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Well, before this happened, they’d already planned to come see me this weekend. They’re driving in tomorrow morning and staying at Uncle Ralph’s.”
The expression left Drew’s face. “You know I think the world of Uncle T and Aunt Lisa, and I wouldn’t hurt them for the world. But I don’t think I can handle talking about this again.”
“All right. I’ll explain it to them, but they’re going to insist on coming by to check on you. Are you sure you don’t want to call your parents?”
“Positive,” Drew said. “They’ve planned this anniversary cruise for an entire year. Why ruin it for them? Would you call if it were your mom and dad?”
“Probably not. You hungry? Maybe we should order a pizza or something.”
“Sounds good,” Drew said. “But why don’t we wait for Vanessa? She ought to be here soon.”
Ethan got up and stretched, the western sky now fiery orange. He could hardly wait to see her.
Vanessa went up the back steps at Drew Langley’s house and knocked on the door. Through the screen she saw Ethan get up from the kitchen table and walk over to her.
“Come in.” He held open the door. “I talked Drew into turning off the air conditioner for a while and letting in some fresh air. What’ve you got in the Tupperware?”
“Leftover roast beef, potatoes and carrots, rolls, and a salad. And vanilla pudding—compliments of Emily.”
“Wow, does that sound good. We were just going to order a pizza, but a home-cooked meal is so much better. Hey,
Similar Books
