Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“I’ll take Kola and Harper with me, and we’ll walk around and yell his name.”
“I’ll have Hannah and Coretta ask people who come by.”
Since there was a freeze warning, I got a throw off the couch, even though under his costume, like all of the kids who came by, he was wearing a sweater and pants, socks and shoes. He was bundled up pretty well, but there was a bit of an icy breeze. The lobster hat I put back on him came down over his ears, which was good.
Standing outside with Hannah and Coretta, I took the candy from them so they could rejoin the party in the back, where we had heaters set up.
“You go,” Hannah urged her friend, and then turned to me. “I’ve been asking people, but so far, nothing.”
“Well, I’m giving this maybe another twenty minutes before I call the police.”
“Daddy used to come too,” Tim announced. “But he went to heaven.”
Hannah bit her bottom lip but turned quickly so he wouldn’t see her reaction.
“When did he go?” I asked.
“In the summer. A man hit him with his car.”
“I’m so sorry, buddy.”
“Daddy had yellow hair like me and you.”
I nodded.
“Mommy and Casey have brown.”
I was too choked up to say a word.
“Bruce has brown and black hair both. Plus, he has white hair on his face.”
“Who’s Bruce?” Hannah asked brightly.
“He’s my dog.”
“He sounds pretty,” Hannah told him.
“Jory!” I heard my husband call.
Turning, he pointed at the people running up to me: a woman, a teenager, and three other small children.
“Ohmygod,” Tim’s mom gasped, reaching me.
Tim went immediately to her, and she wrapped him in her arms and hugged him so hard he grunted a bit.
“You have to be more careful,” her teenager scolded her. “What did I tell you? You can’t take your eyes off him. He wanders.”
She was sobbing now, and the other kids looked unsure.
Hannah crouched down in front of the two girls and one boy. “Are you guys hungry? Do you want noodles and cheese?”
They all nodded at her.
“My name’s Hannah, and this is my dad right here, and while Tim stays here, we’re gonna go in my house and get some dinner and have some milk, okay?”
She handed me the candy bowl, two of the kids took each of her hands, and the third took hold of his friend’s. Walking slowly, talking the whole way, my daughter and her friend walked them through our open front gate toward the porch.
Tim’s mother was on her knees on the sidewalk now, bawling, and her teenager was snarling at her.
“You know, you might think about giving Mom a break, huh?” I asked before I passed him the bowl of candy and tipped my head at the kids yelling trick-or-treat at him.
He appeared confused as the kids waited, finally handing out the candy, grabbing handfuls and dropping them into the bags just as I did.
Once they were gone, he scowled at me. “You don’t know what happened.”
“I know you lost your dad recently, and now you’re the man of the house,” I told him. “And I know you were worried, but you can worry without the yelling.”
He just stared at me.
“Did your dad yell?”
He was quiet a moment. “No.”
“Even when he was scared or worried?”
“No.”
I shrugged. “Then maybe you don’t yell either. Maybe you just take care of your mom and Tim and leave that mean, blaming-other-people part out.”
Even though he was still scowling, I got a dismissive shrug. I so didn’t miss angsty, snarly teenagers. I hadn’t had it anywhere near as bad as some of my friends, but especially with Kola, the shrugs, the eye rolls, the headshaking like I was stupid was something I didn’t miss. Hannah had been less judgmental of me but far more so of Sam. There had been rules for him about what he said, who he spoke to whenever they left the house together, and how close to her school she wanted to be dropped off. For me her concerns had been why I had to be so friendly all the time and how loud my voice was. Just looking at Casey, who had to be thirteen or fourteen, made me irritable.
“Mom, I want noodles,” Tim stated when his mother stopped kissing him.
She looked up at me.
“Would that be all right?” I asked her.
Nodding only, she wasn’t ready to speak.
Thankfully, Harper and Kola arrived to give out candy, and I walked Casey, his mother, and Tim into our house. The other three kids were sitting at my kitchen table, all having baked ziti and warm sourdough bread with butter, because my son liked that better than garlic bread. They were having milk as well, except Tyrell, who wasn’t a fan. He was having ice water instead.
Tim took a seat at the table and told Hannah that he ate lasagna at home and he’d rather have that. Hannah cut him a small piece to see if he liked it, and once he was smiling at her, she got him a bigger one and milk.