find a familiar face grinning at him from under that hateful Yankees cap.
“I really need to start locking my doors,” Ollie said, a little miffed. “Where were you? You tell me to do this thing, and you don’t even show up?”
“What am I, your babysitter? You did just fine. Besides, Lynn has everything under control. Anything I could have said would’ve been less insightful than what she knows.”
“Whatever. Marie’s pretty simple-minded. I bet you can read her like a book.”
“Yes and no, but that’s not the point either way. You were better off listening to Lynn.”
“Anyway, Joy seemed pretty interested in my new job even though she didn’t want to quit at the bookstore. I was thinking that the circus could be a good chance to invite her to something fun.”
“That’s a great idea.”
“I was thinking I could stop by her work before she gets off.”
“Great idea.”
“If I hurry right now, I could get there just before she gets off.”
“Great idea.”
“Is that all you’re going to say? Aren’t you going to give me some kind of trick for getting her attention? Shouldn’t you tell me her favorite candy or favorite flower or something like that so I can surprise her with it?”
“You’re making this too complicated. Just go meet her there when she gets off work and walk her home. Sometime along the way the opportunity will present itself and you can invite her to come along to the circus.”
He still needed some sort of excuse, so he grabbed a cream soda and made his way through the bookstore to Joy’s register. He was nervous. As the line got short enough for her to be able to see his face, he was rewarded with a radiant smile.
“Well, you’re a fun surprise,” Joy said.
“I was thinking, maybe you were just about to get off from work and that you could use some company walking home,” Ollie said.
“Maybe I’m not walking home.”
“Is that a rejection? Because I can take a hint. I can take my soda pop and drink it alone if that’s the case.”
“Joking,” she said. “No, I still need a few minutes after closing time to count my till. If you’re willing to wait, it could be fun to have some company on my way home.”
“I’ll just be out on the benches on the west side of the store, then,” Ollie said, and made his way back up the stairs.
Chapter 11
Ollie and Sparks sat on a bench, people-watching. During the day, the part of campus near the bookstore teemed with students, all of them hunched under backpacks, inching like ants down the sidewalks following the backpack in front of them. Every day as the sun sank slowly behind the mountains, though, foot traffic thinned out and their numbers dwindled significantly. Those left on the sidewalks were free to walk whichever way they wished without worrying about wandering into another person. Ollie and Sparks watched them all.
“Have you ever just sat and watched ants?” Sparks asked. “Just sat there and really watched them? It’s like they’re on autopilot, following after the ant right in front, not thinking about anything but their destination.”
“I’ve noticed it, yeah, but I can’t say I’ve ever really sat there and watched them for a long time.”
“That’s the difference between ants and people. Between classes, people are like ants, worrying about nothing but where they’re going. If something happens right in front of them, they just go around, zeroing in on nothing but their destination. People know how to turn that part of their brain off, though, always finding something new to worry about once they get there.”
“Is there a point to all of this, Bomber?”
“Not really, no. It’s just interesting.”
“You’re interesting, ya know that? Sometimes I try to get inside your head to figure out what’s going on, but you’re so out there. I don’t really even know where to start.”
“We’re not really that different… you and me.”
“Aren’t we? I mean, I spend my day working toward a career, or at least trying to figure out what I want to do with myself. Then there’s girls, sports, music, ya know. Whatever.”
“I like music, too.”
“Sports and girls— not so much, though? Why not? I can understand the sports thing. You probably know who’s gonna win long before the game is even over. But why not… I mean, have you ever had a girl? Someone special?”
Sparks was quiet.
“Surely you would have been able to calculate the probabilities, predict who might be your best fit.”
“I think I’m gonna take