older-wiser type.” He was speaking slowly now, and Silky had the feeling that he was no longer looking at her, but backward into his past, at the face of another woman. But not one he loved, not anymore anyway.
His features were cast in a harsh mask, his low recital no less sharp-edged as he explained, “She jerks my heart around and I marry her.” Lifting his hands in a gesture of helplessness, he exhaled heavily. “Next minute, I’m daddy to this big-eyed twelve-year-old kid.” He stopped, and Silky watched as his pent-up anger throbbed visibly in his temples.
Dropping his head, he began to toy with a sprig of grass as he took up the thread of his story. “Then, Belle wants us to be a
proper
family, you know—same last names and all? So I go the whole route and adopt the little anchor.” With a sharp yank that made Silky jump, heuprooted a blade of grass. Raising his face back to hers, he snarled under his breath. “The ink wasn’t dry on those damn adoption papers before Belle runs out on us! And
me?
I’m left with the kid.” He lifted a hand to his hair and jerked his fingers through it. Silky noticed that his hand was trembling badly. “
Dammit!
I’m not
old
enough to have a thirteen-year-old kid! I was only fifteen when he was born!” Ice’s voice broke in anguish as he poured out his painful, frightened admission.
“Your wife ran out on Randy!” Silky shook her head sadly. What was the matter with people these days—always running out on each other? Knowing that there was really little that she could do to console Ice, she patted his hand, offering hopefully, “Maybe she’ll come back.”
He snorted, his whispered answer rasping sharply against her face. “Yeah! No way. She’s gone for good and I’m stuck with Randy. Why’d she pick me to dump the kid on? I’m too young to take on a half-grown boy!”
Silky clutched her hands together in her lap. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m taking him on this trip to—well—he likes riding his bike and camping, and I want to make the news as easy on him as I can. And the news is …” He cleared his throat with some difficulty. “I found out that Belle’s got a second cousin living near Whitehorse. So, I figured I’d use this trip to sort of break it to the kid that I can’t keep him, and then drop him off with her.”
Silky heard a low, disbelieving sound andrealized with a start that it had come from deep in her own throat. She bit her lip as Ice hurried on.
“Even though Randy doesn’t know this woman, he’s not dumb. He’ll see it’s better this way.”
Remembering those big sad eyes, Silky wondered how it must have hurt him, at his age, to have been tossed out like yesterday’s garbage by his mother. Her question was low and unsteady. “You’re leaving Randy with someone he doesn’t even know? You’re running out on him, too?”
Ice’s face drained of color, his mouth hardening in a line of unshakable resolve. “It’s all I can do; don’t you see that? Besides, he’ll be with blood kin.”
She turned away, blinking out into the distance, trying not to think of Randy’s unsmiling little face. A marsh hawk dipped into her line of vision and she followed its flight skyward. Though the bird soared with lofty, spirited freedom, its solitary celebration in the sky did nothing to lift Silky’s forlorn spirit. She now understood what Ice wanted her to tell Randy. Shaking her head, she whispered, “You want
me
to tell Randy you’re deserting him.” It came out in a resigned sigh.
“Lord!” He groaned miserably. “Don’t say it like that.”
Silky spun to face him, her narrowed eyes sparking, critical. “I’ve never heard of anything so cowardly in my life! How could you ask this ofme? The
least
you owe him is to tell him yourself!”
He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, sure. But, what you
should
do, and what you
can
do—it ain’t always the same thing!” He lifted his glasses and rubbed roughly at his eyes,
His features were cast in a harsh mask, his low recital no less sharp-edged as he explained, “She jerks my heart around and I marry her.” Lifting his hands in a gesture of helplessness, he exhaled heavily. “Next minute, I’m daddy to this big-eyed twelve-year-old kid.” He stopped, and Silky watched as his pent-up anger throbbed visibly in his temples.
Dropping his head, he began to toy with a sprig of grass as he took up the thread of his story. “Then, Belle wants us to be a
proper
family, you know—same last names and all? So I go the whole route and adopt the little anchor.” With a sharp yank that made Silky jump, heuprooted a blade of grass. Raising his face back to hers, he snarled under his breath. “The ink wasn’t dry on those damn adoption papers before Belle runs out on us! And
me?
I’m left with the kid.” He lifted a hand to his hair and jerked his fingers through it. Silky noticed that his hand was trembling badly. “
Dammit!
I’m not
old
enough to have a thirteen-year-old kid! I was only fifteen when he was born!” Ice’s voice broke in anguish as he poured out his painful, frightened admission.
“Your wife ran out on Randy!” Silky shook her head sadly. What was the matter with people these days—always running out on each other? Knowing that there was really little that she could do to console Ice, she patted his hand, offering hopefully, “Maybe she’ll come back.”
He snorted, his whispered answer rasping sharply against her face. “Yeah! No way. She’s gone for good and I’m stuck with Randy. Why’d she pick me to dump the kid on? I’m too young to take on a half-grown boy!”
Silky clutched her hands together in her lap. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m taking him on this trip to—well—he likes riding his bike and camping, and I want to make the news as easy on him as I can. And the news is …” He cleared his throat with some difficulty. “I found out that Belle’s got a second cousin living near Whitehorse. So, I figured I’d use this trip to sort of break it to the kid that I can’t keep him, and then drop him off with her.”
Silky heard a low, disbelieving sound andrealized with a start that it had come from deep in her own throat. She bit her lip as Ice hurried on.
“Even though Randy doesn’t know this woman, he’s not dumb. He’ll see it’s better this way.”
Remembering those big sad eyes, Silky wondered how it must have hurt him, at his age, to have been tossed out like yesterday’s garbage by his mother. Her question was low and unsteady. “You’re leaving Randy with someone he doesn’t even know? You’re running out on him, too?”
Ice’s face drained of color, his mouth hardening in a line of unshakable resolve. “It’s all I can do; don’t you see that? Besides, he’ll be with blood kin.”
She turned away, blinking out into the distance, trying not to think of Randy’s unsmiling little face. A marsh hawk dipped into her line of vision and she followed its flight skyward. Though the bird soared with lofty, spirited freedom, its solitary celebration in the sky did nothing to lift Silky’s forlorn spirit. She now understood what Ice wanted her to tell Randy. Shaking her head, she whispered, “You want
me
to tell Randy you’re deserting him.” It came out in a resigned sigh.
“Lord!” He groaned miserably. “Don’t say it like that.”
Silky spun to face him, her narrowed eyes sparking, critical. “I’ve never heard of anything so cowardly in my life! How could you ask this ofme? The
least
you owe him is to tell him yourself!”
He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, sure. But, what you
should
do, and what you
can
do—it ain’t always the same thing!” He lifted his glasses and rubbed roughly at his eyes,
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