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.“I don’t dislike him.I mean, I was mad about what he said, but I don’t dislike him.And he said he was sorry.”“He said he was sorry,” Mike repeated dully.“Yeah.And Darcy and I talked about it.She explained about the way guys think, so his acting so stupid made sense—well, it made sense for a guy.”“Darcy explained… Then why don’t you explain it to me so I can understand? You didn’t like this boy, but now you do?”“I didn’t like him because I thought he didn’t like me.But Darcy explained he probably really did like me and he was only trying to get my attention.She said guys do dumb things like that because they aren’t always good at saying what they really feel.”Mike could concede that a fifth-grader might do something dumb like call a girl a name to get her attention, but grown men didn’t act that way.He certainly didn’t act that way.And as far as not being able to express his feelings, he’d told Darcy he loved her and he meant it—how much clearer could he be?“Can I go to the party, Dad? Please?”“When?”“Saturday night, from seven to ten.”“At night?” Weren’t kids’ parties supposed to be in the daytime?“Yes.His mom and dad are taking us to the ice-skating rink and for pizza.”Ice-skating sounded safe enough.As long as Taylor didn’t fall and break something.“You promise me you’ll be careful.”She rolled her eyes.“Of course I’ll be careful.Please, Dad.”He sighed.What happened to slumber parties with girlfriends, or cake and ice cream with a clown in the afternoon? He supposed Taylor was getting too old for such things, though he hated to admit it.“I’ll call and speak with Nathan’s parents.”“Don’t embarrass me by giving them a bunch of rules and telling them about my heart.Please.”“They need to know.”“They don’t need to know.I’ll tell them if anything important comes up, but you’ll just freak them out.They’ll tell Nathan and he’ll look at me different.He’ll think I’m some kind of weirdo.”“Taylor, having a heart transplant does not make you a weirdo.”“It makes me different.In fifth grade, that’s enough.”She wanted so much to be like everyone else, but he could never see her that way—she was special simply because she was his daughter.But he wanted her to be happy as much as he wanted her to be safe.“I won’t say anything.But I will call and introduce myself.That’s only right.”She stood and came to hug him.“Thank you.”He held her longer than was absolutely necessary, reluctant to let her go.She was getting so independent, growing up so much faster than he wanted.He’d known the day was coming, but he wasn’t ready yet.DAVE’S INVITATION to have dinner on Saturday caught Darcy by surprise.Of course, it was delivered in her brother’s usual offhand manner.“I’m making ribs Saturday night if you don’t have anything better to do.”She tried not to dwell on the fact that she didn’t have other plans.Her brother was alone for the first time in five years.“I’d love to have dinner with you,” she said.Maybe she could convince him to let go of his pride and ask Carrie back.But the morose, heartbroken man she’d expected to find was nowhere to be seen.Dave greeted her with a bear hug and a kiss.“Come on back to the kitchen with me,” he said.“I was just getting ready to baste the ribs.”The old-fashioned kitchen was clean but cluttered, the Formica countertop crowded with jars of spices and bottles of ketchup, molasses, vinegar and half a dozen other ingredients.“I’m experimenting with a new sauce,” Dave said as he lifted the lid on a pot and stirred the contents.The sharp aroma of spices and vinegar made Darcy’s eyes water.“It smells wonderful,” she said.She settled onto a stool at the end of the counter.“I’m thinking of entering the barbecue competition the Lions Club sponsors in June,” he said.He pulled a pan out of the oven and peeled back the foil to reveal a rack of smoky ribs.“You’d get my vote,” Darcy said.“When do we eat?”“These need to cook another half hour or so.” He began to baste the ribs, coating each one in sauce with all the meticulousness of a painter.Darcy looked around the room.The red teakettle no longer sat at the back of the stove, waiting for Carrie to brew a pot of the tea she preferred over coffee.The puppy dog calendar had been replaced with muscle cars.The lace curtains she’d made were still at the windows.Had she left them to remind Dave of what he was missing?“Have you heard from Carrie?” she asked.“She posted on Facebook that she was settled into her new place.”“So you checked her page?”“She’s still on my friends list.” He shoved the pan back in the oven.“Carrie and I don’t hate each other,” he said.“We’re both better off now.”“How can you say that? You loved each other.You were together for five years.”“I loved her, but not the way she wanted.We were only together so long because I didn’t want to hurt her.But I wasn’t the man she needed—I didn’t even want to be that guy.”“Didn’t you want a home and family?”He shook his head [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.“I don’t dislike him.I mean, I was mad about what he said, but I don’t dislike him.And he said he was sorry.”“He said he was sorry,” Mike repeated dully.“Yeah.And Darcy and I talked about it.She explained about the way guys think, so his acting so stupid made sense—well, it made sense for a guy.”“Darcy explained… Then why don’t you explain it to me so I can understand? You didn’t like this boy, but now you do?”“I didn’t like him because I thought he didn’t like me.But Darcy explained he probably really did like me and he was only trying to get my attention.She said guys do dumb things like that because they aren’t always good at saying what they really feel.”Mike could concede that a fifth-grader might do something dumb like call a girl a name to get her attention, but grown men didn’t act that way.He certainly didn’t act that way.And as far as not being able to express his feelings, he’d told Darcy he loved her and he meant it—how much clearer could he be?“Can I go to the party, Dad? Please?”“When?”“Saturday night, from seven to ten.”“At night?” Weren’t kids’ parties supposed to be in the daytime?“Yes.His mom and dad are taking us to the ice-skating rink and for pizza.”Ice-skating sounded safe enough.As long as Taylor didn’t fall and break something.“You promise me you’ll be careful.”She rolled her eyes.“Of course I’ll be careful.Please, Dad.”He sighed.What happened to slumber parties with girlfriends, or cake and ice cream with a clown in the afternoon? He supposed Taylor was getting too old for such things, though he hated to admit it.“I’ll call and speak with Nathan’s parents.”“Don’t embarrass me by giving them a bunch of rules and telling them about my heart.Please.”“They need to know.”“They don’t need to know.I’ll tell them if anything important comes up, but you’ll just freak them out.They’ll tell Nathan and he’ll look at me different.He’ll think I’m some kind of weirdo.”“Taylor, having a heart transplant does not make you a weirdo.”“It makes me different.In fifth grade, that’s enough.”She wanted so much to be like everyone else, but he could never see her that way—she was special simply because she was his daughter.But he wanted her to be happy as much as he wanted her to be safe.“I won’t say anything.But I will call and introduce myself.That’s only right.”She stood and came to hug him.“Thank you.”He held her longer than was absolutely necessary, reluctant to let her go.She was getting so independent, growing up so much faster than he wanted.He’d known the day was coming, but he wasn’t ready yet.DAVE’S INVITATION to have dinner on Saturday caught Darcy by surprise.Of course, it was delivered in her brother’s usual offhand manner.“I’m making ribs Saturday night if you don’t have anything better to do.”She tried not to dwell on the fact that she didn’t have other plans.Her brother was alone for the first time in five years.“I’d love to have dinner with you,” she said.Maybe she could convince him to let go of his pride and ask Carrie back.But the morose, heartbroken man she’d expected to find was nowhere to be seen.Dave greeted her with a bear hug and a kiss.“Come on back to the kitchen with me,” he said.“I was just getting ready to baste the ribs.”The old-fashioned kitchen was clean but cluttered, the Formica countertop crowded with jars of spices and bottles of ketchup, molasses, vinegar and half a dozen other ingredients.“I’m experimenting with a new sauce,” Dave said as he lifted the lid on a pot and stirred the contents.The sharp aroma of spices and vinegar made Darcy’s eyes water.“It smells wonderful,” she said.She settled onto a stool at the end of the counter.“I’m thinking of entering the barbecue competition the Lions Club sponsors in June,” he said.He pulled a pan out of the oven and peeled back the foil to reveal a rack of smoky ribs.“You’d get my vote,” Darcy said.“When do we eat?”“These need to cook another half hour or so.” He began to baste the ribs, coating each one in sauce with all the meticulousness of a painter.Darcy looked around the room.The red teakettle no longer sat at the back of the stove, waiting for Carrie to brew a pot of the tea she preferred over coffee.The puppy dog calendar had been replaced with muscle cars.The lace curtains she’d made were still at the windows.Had she left them to remind Dave of what he was missing?“Have you heard from Carrie?” she asked.“She posted on Facebook that she was settled into her new place.”“So you checked her page?”“She’s still on my friends list.” He shoved the pan back in the oven.“Carrie and I don’t hate each other,” he said.“We’re both better off now.”“How can you say that? You loved each other.You were together for five years.”“I loved her, but not the way she wanted.We were only together so long because I didn’t want to hurt her.But I wasn’t the man she needed—I didn’t even want to be that guy.”“Didn’t you want a home and family?”He shook his head [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]