Dream A Little Dream

back in place: bleak, harsh, unfeeling.

'I don't want you here when I'm not around.'

All her good intentions to be respectful and compliant fled. 'Relax, Bonner. Everything you own that's worth stealing is too big for me to carry.'

'You heard me.'

'And here I thought you were only cranky in the afternoon.'

'It's pretty much a round-the-clock affair.' His reply should have been humorous, but those emotionless silver eyes spoiled the effect. 'Where did you stay last night?'

'With a friend. I do have a few left,' she lied. In fact, Dwayne had forbidden any but the most superficial contacts with the people of Salvation.

He pulled a pair of yellow work gloves from his back pocket and tossed them at her. 'Use these.'

'Gosh, I'm touched.' She clasped the gloves to her breast like beauty-queen roses and told herself not to say another word. Before the day was over, she had to ask him for an advance on her paycheck, and she couldn't afford to antagonize him. But he looked so remote as he slid back behind the wheel of his truck that she couldn't resist a small jab.

'Hey, Bonner. In lieu of Prozac, maybe some coffee would help your disposition. I'll be glad to make a pot for both of us.'

'I'll make my own.'

'Great. Bring me a cup when it's ready.'

He slammed the door and left her standing in a cloud of dust as he drove toward the snack shop. Butthead. She shoved her sore hands into the gloves and bent to return to her task even though every muscle protested.

She couldn't remember ever being so tired. All she wanted to do was lie in the shade and sleep for a hundred years. It wasn't hard to figure out why she was exhausted: not enough sleep and too much worry. She thought longingly of the jolt of energy she got from a morning cup of coffee.

Coffee… It had been weeks since she'd had any. She loved everything about it: the taste, the smell, those beautiful pinwheels of beige and mocha when she stirred in the cream. She closed her eyes and, just for a moment, let herself feel it sliding over her tongue.

A blast of acid rock coming from the snack shop shattered her fantasy. She glanced toward the playground where Edward had emerged from beneath the concrete turtle. If Bonner was this upset because she'd come to work early, what would he do when he spotted Edward?

The moment she'd arrived that morning, she'd cleared the playground of broken glass and rusty can lids, anything that could harm a child, then set Edward to work throwing trash into a plastic garbage bag. She'd stowed away a supply of food and water, along with a beach towel for him to nap on, in the shrubbery that grew at the base of the giant screen. Then she'd suggested he play a game of 'Where's Edward?'

'I'll bet you can't go all morning without letting Mr. Bonner see you.'

'I can, too.'

'Betcha can't.'

'Bet I can.'

She'd given him a kiss and left it at that. Sooner or later Bonner would spot him, and there'd be hell to pay. The idea that she had to hide her precious child away, as if he were something repellent, left her with another big black mark of resentment chalked up against Gabe Bonner. She wondered if he were this hostile to all children, or if he'd reserved his antipathy for hers.

An hour later Gabe threw a garbage bag at her and told her to pick up the trash out by the entrance so the place didn't look so bad from the highway. It was easier work than weeding, although she couldn't imagine he'd taken that into consideration, and she welcomed the change. After Gabe disappeared, Edward slipped around to join her, and the two of them were done in no time.

She returned to her weeding, but she'd barely started before a pair of paint-splattered work boots appeared in her peripheral vision. 'I thought I told you to get that trash picked up out front.'

She intended to respond politely, but her tongue had a will of its own. 'Already done, Kommandant. Your slightest wish is my command.'

His eyes narrowed. 'Go inside and start cleaning out the ladies' room so I can paint in there.'

'A promotion! And it's only my first day on the job.'

He stared at her for a long, uncomfortable moment, during which she wished she could slap a gag in her mouth.

'Watch yourself, Rachel. Remember that I don't want you here.'

Before she could reply, he walked away.

With a sideways glance to make certain Edward saw where she was going, she set off for the snack shop. A storage closet held the cleaning supplies she needed, but she was more interested in the pot of coffee sitting nearby. Unless Bonner was a big drinker, he seemed to have made enough for two, and she filled a styrofoam cup to the brim. She couldn't find any milk, and the coffee was strong enough to qualify for Super Fund cleanup, but she savored every sip as she carried it with her into the ladies' room.

The plumbing was old and filthy, but still usable. She decided to get the worst over with first and began cleaning the stalls, scraping up crusted muck whose origins didn't bear thinking about.

Before long, she heard the soft pat of sneakered feet coming up behind her. 'Gross.'

'You said it.'

'I remember when we was rich.'

'You were only two. You couldn't remember.'

'Uh-huh. There was trains on the walls in my bedroom.'

Rachel had put up the blue-and-white striped wallpaper herself, along with its border of colorful trains. The nursery and her bedroom were the only rooms in that awful house she'd been able to decorate herself, and she'd spent as much time in both of them as she could.

'I'm going back outside,' Edward said.

'I don't blame you.'

'He hasn't seen me yet.'

'You're a slick one, buddy.'

'Knock. Knock.'

'Who's there.'

'Madam.'

She shot him a warning look. 'Edddward…'

'Ma darned foot's stuck in the door.' He giggled, stuck his head out to make certain Butthead wasn't around, and disappeared.

She smiled and returned to her work. It had been a long time since she'd heard her son laugh. He was enjoying his game of hide-and-seek, and being outside like this was good for him.

By one o'clock, she'd cleaned out the six stalls, as well as checked on Edward at least a dozen times, and she was so tired her head was spinning. A rough voice spoke from behind her.

'You're not going to do me a damned bit of good if you pass out again. Take a break.'

She steadied herself on the metal partition as she straightened, then turned to see Bonner silhouetted in the doorway. 'I will when I get tired. So far it hasn't happened.'

'Yeah, right. There's a burger and some fries waiting for you in the snack shop. If you know what's good for you, you'll eat it.' He strode out, and a moment later she heard the sound of his boots on the metal stairs that led to the projection room above the snack shop.

With a sense of anticipation, she quickly washed her hands and made her way to the snack shop where a McDonald's bag lay on the counter. For a moment she simply stood there and savored the tantalizing smells of All- American ambrosia. She'd been working since six that morning on an empty stomach, and she had to eat something, but not this. This was too precious.

Keeping an eye out for Bonner, she carried her valuable cargo toward the hiding place on the playground where Edward was waiting. 'Surprise, pug. It's your lucky day.'

'McDonald's!'