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"Yeah, fine But I have a favor to ask On that day You knohat day I’ht? Would you rave?"
"Of course," she said "What’s going on?"
"Oh, just so kid who’s been trying to take care of a family and he’s He’s only seventeen, Carol I think he could use a hand It’llto help hiht not be able to, but I owe it to hih Will you be okay if I don’t hed softly "Al, it’s been thirty-eight years and our Ethan has moved on Time we did, too"
"You know, if I could do it over"
"Mick, I wouldn’t change a thing," she said
"You wouldn’t?"
"Mick, ain, I’ll always love you There’s a special place in my heart for you, the father ofand ad I treasured those years we had, you andwho hasn’t We h it wasn’t easy We rebuilt our lives but ays have that wonderful bond Thank you, Mick You’ve been so good to me and I do love you I have wished for so many years that you would find true happiness No one I know deserves it more"
"Carol," he said with a catch in his voice
"You’ve waited long enough," she said "I’ll be sure that little grave is cared for It’s ti new I’ll be here if you need to talk about it"
"I think et going now," she said "I think you need to ht’ve driven over the speed limit most of the way, but he wasn’t stupid--he was real careful He just had this nagging fear that he’d be too late, that in the teeks he’d been gone those people he cared aboutabruptly, no explanation, not even saying goodbye, notcontact
He didn’t want to confront Justin in a public place so he decided to sit in front of his house until the boy caot to Thunder Point and the light on inside the little house suggested the boy was home already Al took the duffel out of his truck and walked to the door He knocked and the door opened right away
Justin stood there in a pair of board shorts and that was all His
"I shouldn’t have left," Al said "I’m back I want to help"
"What the hell?" Justin said
"I need a place to stay I’ll take the couch"
"Just wait a ht you--"
"I didn’t knohat to do, all right?" Al said "First of all, seems like whenever I feel like I could be more problem than solution I just hit the road It alorked for o of it this tihty hours, about Kevin’s black eye, about that goddamn shreho calls herself a fosterfor soo, but it wouldn’t go But here’s the deal--no ram probably wouldn’t havefor me For starters, I’rinned "I’ve seen your paperwork," he said "Pathetic"
"Yeah, well I’ve never been good at that stuff but the way I see it, we gotta give it a shot We can go together and I can’t think of a reason they wouldn’t let you help with it I don’t have a record or anything I s I won’t be able to help with homework but you can Between us, we can keep the boys clean and dry and fed"
"Seriously? You don’t have to I’ to do it all Listen, kid, I’, that’s not what this is This is so I can do I think it will"Yeah? And what if you get in it and find out you’re not so happy? Then what?"
"I know it doesn’t look like it, but I can keep my word If you boys don’t turn into total juvenile delinquents, I can get you grown up" He paused a minute "I want to, Justin I’m not the best choice, but I’o to the DHS office too pick up the boys and get ’eht on this for a minute Then he said, "Okay You can have the couch And listen, if you don’t coet those boys’ hopes up and let ’eet even I swear to God"
"Perfectly fair," he said "Now I have a favor to ask"
"You want the two thousand back?"
"Nah I want you to find o soonna take I have to go knock on Ray Anne’s door I have lots of amends to make and I bet she’s really pissed"
"You didn’t tell her you were leaving, did you?"
"You’re brilliant, kid I really like that wo to be happy and I don’t bla "Duck"
Twenty-One
It took Ray Anne a while to answer her front door, though there was a light on inside It took Al only a moment to assess--she had her hair wrapped in a pink cloth, tied in a bow on top of her head She had no eyebrows In fact, no eyelashes that he could see She earing yellow silk pajareasy and she hite gloves on her hands Her mouth formed an O when she saw him And then she sla to be easy