“Okay. I gotta go now. My friends are here.”
“Yeah, okay, Mackenzie.” He sucked in his breath, his chest tight. “Thanks for calling.”
“Sure.”
The line disconnected, and Drew sat there a long while, parked at mile marker 9 out on Timberline Highway.
Large white clouds drifted overhead, fast enough for him to absently watch them move across the sky while he replayed the conversation in his head.
Stuffed buffalo heads hung on the rustic pine walls of Woolly Burgers, famous for their half-pound hamburgers. The smell of grilled onions filled the air, making a person’s mouth water, along with a pungent scent of hops from draft beer. White restaurant dishes clattered in the kitchen, sounding as if someone had dropped a load of them onto a metal countertop. The booths were timbered by cross-cut sections of pines painted with clear enamel to a glossy shine. Country music played from a jukebox.
A waitress came to the Carpenters’ dinner table to collect the empty cups leftover from the previous patrons, and to clear the rest of the mess before snagging her tip.
“I’m sorry,” she said, half-breathless. “We lost our busboy tonight and we’re shorthanded. Can I get you something to drink to start?”
The boys ordered soft drinks and Lucy ordered an iced tea.
It was Friday night and the place was packed. Cheerful chaos abounded from the staff, and each time one of them moved into the pass-through door, Lucy caught a glimpse of the cooks. They stood over sizzling grills, wiping their foreheads with the back of a hand as their chef hats drooped on their heads.
“So what are you boys hungry for?” Lucy asked, smiling at the two of them. They sat next to one another across the table from her, their noses buried in their menus.
She’d taken them out to dinner as a celebration for making the Little League teams they’d tried out for. It was a positive note in the aftermath of a dark discovery. She’d yet to talk to Jason about what she’d found in his uniform pocket, instead taking several days so she could act reasonably rather than emotionally.
Lucy had told herself she’d been down this road before, and she knew how it could wind its way into unforeseen turns. She also knew that there had to be an end to the tunnel, a way out.
And a plan had come to her yesterday. She hadn’t told Jason about it yet, but she was going to after their dinner. It might not be the perfect solution, but she was tackling this in a different manner this time. Rather than “take” something away from Jason as a form of punishment, she was going to “give” to him.
“I want the plain cheeseburger.” Matt closed his menu and folded his hands on top of it. His chin was mere inches from the massive tabletop. He’d yet to hit any kind of growth spurt, while Jason sat a good five inches taller.
Jason scanned the food selections, and she observed him with an ache in her heart. Right now, at this moment, he seemed so normal. Happy. A regular boy. Just like he used to be.
“I’m going to have the bacon cheeseburger with fries.”
“Mom, does mine come with fries?” Matt asked.
“I’m sure it does.”
“Can I have coleslaw instead?”
The corners of Lucy’s mouth turned upward, and she smiled fondly at her twelve-year-old. “I’m sure they can do that.”
The young waitress returned with their beverages, then got out her order pad. “Have you decided?”
The boys ordered, then Lucy made the correct modifications to Matt’s before requesting her own cheeseburger. She was starving and a burger sounded good. The waitress hurried off to post their orders in the kitchen.
“You think Coach Drew is going to show us some pitching, too?” Matt asked Jason. “You’re the lucky duck for getting on his team.”
Jason shrugged. “He probably won’t.”
Matt gave a disappointed frown, but it was quickly replaced by a toothy smile. “Hey, ’member that time we had Coach Steve for baseball camp and Bolthouse said shit so Coach said real loud, ‘Bolty, what word did you just say?’ But Bolthouse said nuttin’ back and Coach said, ‘Does your mother know you talk like that, Bolty?’ And Coach said it loud enough for Bolty’s mom to hear and she yelled at him?” Matt giggled, then looked at Lucy. “Mom, that wasn’t me saying shit for real. I was just telling a story.”
She laughed. “I got that part.”
Jason laughed, too, then playfully socked his brother on the arm. “You’re such a kid sometimes.”
“Yeah. Takes one to know one.” Matt took a sip of his soda, his large tennis shoes kicking the bench he sat on. Then he drew himself taller. “Hey, Mom. I made ten bucks walking Ada’s dogs.”
“He gave me three bucks of it,” Jason said, his expression one of gratitude.
Lucy briefly wondered what he was going to do with the money, but she didn’t want to ruin the moment. This was like old times, and it felt good. Both boys were horsing around like they used to, getting along, cracking jokes.
“I’m saving up to buy lots of candy, and I’m going to see if I can find a Drew Tolman baseball card and have him autograph it for me. You think he would?” Matt asked.
Shrugging, Lucy made no comment. She didn’t want Drew as her son’s role model. Now that she knew about the man’s sordid past, she’d rethought her judgment of him—and it wasn’t favorable. It was one thing when she thought him a flirt, a man about town who could get away with anything on looks and charm. Quite another when she knew he’d used drugs and ruined a baseball career because of it.
“He would,” Jason stated. “I saw a new kid ask him to sign his glove and he did.”
“Bang-o-rang!” Matt’s face lit up. “I hope Ada’s got lots and lots of dogs for me to walk all
