To Love and to Perish - By Lisa Bork Page 0,56
long way since then.
But now, we were back to square one.
TWENTY-ONE
MONDAY MORNING I ROLLED off the edge of the bed, where I’d spent the night trying to keep as far away from Ray as possible and wondering how to proceed from here. Ray had come home last night and lectured Danny for an hour, first about how running away from problems never solved anything, then about how crime cannot go unpunished. Danny sat through the whole talk in silence, only asking if he could go to bed when Ray finished.
I had turned on my heel and gone to bed as well, irritated Ray couldn’t sense Danny’s despair over his father’s arrest. Ray would not be open to a little constructive criticism, especially when he undoubtedly was feeling plenty guilty already, even though he’d never admit it.
A steaming hot shower didn’t ease the tension in my shoulders. Before the alarm clock woke Ray, I managed to dress in jeans and a long-sleeved lime T-shirt and head into the kitchen, where I fried bacon and scrambled eggs to serve Danny his favorite breakfast. I made enough for Ray, too.
When our bathroom shower water turned on again, I went in to wake Danny, who moaned when I shook his shoulder. “I don’t feel good.”
My hand flew to his forehead, automatically checking for a fever. “In what way?”
“My stomach hurts.”
“You didn’t eat last night. Your stomach’s empty. I made you bacon and eggs. Food will make you feel better. Get up and get dressed now.” I didn’t wait for an answer, walking out of his room but leaving the door open. A few minutes later, I heard his bureau drawers sliding open and closed.
Danny and Ray converged on the kitchen table at the same time. They exchanged grunts. The food was on their plates. Ray dug in. Danny pushed his eggs around his plate.
I sat down with them, sipping my orange juice and not feeling all that hungry myself. Most mornings the two of them talked and joked. This morning the silence was oppressive. “Eat your breakfast, Danny. The bus will be here in ten minutes.”
He obliged me by sticking a whole slice of bacon in his mouth, making his cheeks bulge.
Ray finished and carried his dishes to the sink. “I’ll pick you up from practice today, Danny, and take you to see your dad.”
Danny kept his face lowered to his plate, gnawing another piece of bacon. “I’m not going to practice.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to play football anymore. I’m quitting the team.” He spoke around a mouthful of food, spitting tiny pieces.
Ray grimaced but chose to ignore Danny’s lack of table manners to pursue the bigger issue. “You can’t quit. You’re committed to finish the season.”
“I don’t want to.”
Ray laid his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “We all have to do things we don’t want to do. It’s part of life. You made a commitment to the team. I’ll pick you up after practice.”
I knew that statement was the closest Ray would come to an apology for arresting his dad. I just didn’t know if Danny had the maturity to grasp it.
Ray bent to kiss me. I let him peck me on the cheek, planning to call him later to ask what we were going to do to help Danny’s father, who wasn’t likely to have money for a lawyer.
When the front door closed behind Ray, Danny shoved the last of his eggs into his mouth and washed them down with juice. Then he let out a tremendous burp.
I half-gasped, half-giggled. “Does your tummy feel better now?”
“I guess so.”
“Go brush your teeth. The bus will be here in a minute.”
Danny remained seated, shoulders slumped, eyes downcast. “I don’t want to go to school today. Can you take me to see my dad?”
I stood and gathered up his dishes. “You have to go to school. Ray said he’d take you after practice. I’ll call and see about getting your dad an attorney today.”
“Can you ask Catherine Thomas?”
Shocked, I almost dropped his plate on the floor. “How do you know about her?”
“Ray talks about her. He says she’s a great attorney.”
Once again, I tried not to let the little green monster eat at me. And once again, I failed. “She is a great attorney. I will call her. I promise. Now go brush your teeth.”
I loaded the dishwasher and met Danny at the front door. He had his backpack in hand. I leaned in to kiss his cheek. Then I opened the door as the school