Chapter Six Off the Beaten Path

Chapter six

Steel gray of predawn light painted Kate's room with heavy shadows. A garbage trolley rumbling down the close next to her window roused her from sleep. Kate's eyes popped open, the dream from the night before still etched vividly in her mind. She jumped out of bed and ran straight to the few remaining boxes left in the living room. She ripped into one that said 'Kate’s Room,' pulled out a robe and a smaller box full of paint, pushed aside shoes and socks and a small bag of cds, wondering who had cds anymore. Her Dad padded down the hall in his pajamas and stocking feet, hands running through his hair and pushing his glasses onto his face.

“What the heck, Kat?” he whispered. “You don’t even have to be up for another hour.”

She ignored him and kept rummaging around in the box. When she didn’t find what she wanted, she shoved it aside and grabbed another. She ripped that one open and continued to empty its contents onto the floor.

“Kat!” her Dad grabbed her arm, “Hello, you awake?”

She looked at her Dad. “What? Yes, what?”

“What are you looking for?”  He enunciated each word precisely.

“Journal, I need my journal. I know it was in one of these boxes.”

“It's five o’clock in the morning, what could be so important?” he asked, finishing with a yawn. “Hey there's my cds.”

She sat back on her heels and pushed the hair out of her face, “I had another dream.”

“Gotcha.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at her. “I know it was in the box that had all the winter clothes in it,” he said. He looked at the stack and pulled a box from the back and ripped it open, “Here is the winter clothes and well, look here, your journal.” She plucked the journal from his hands, hugged him and started back to her room. She stopped and spun around.

“Winter clothes?”

He pursed his lips and thought about it, “I remember you said you didn’t want to take it through customs because you were afraid your bag would be searched. So I put it in a box that would make the most sense.”

“Uh huh,” she grunted shaking her head no.

“It makes sense. Winter clothes cover us up and when we write down our most personal secrets, we want to make sure we keep them secret.”

Kate nodded her agreement, but walking down the hall to her room she shook her head no again. If it made sense to him, who was she to say differently. She really shouldn’t complain, he had gone straight to it. Must be a chef thing.

She climbed back into bed, opened her journal and set about describing the boys in her dream; their names, what they looked like, what they had done and the names of their parents. She wrote about how they interacted with her like they knew her, really knew her. How one of the boys had looked straight at her, not her in the dream, but her real self, and winked. She wrote and sketched every detail she could remember, the dream fading quickly if she concentrated too hard on a specific detail. At last, it simply faded away.

She turned to a fresh page and began the dream of Josh. The shock and confusion she felt when she found out it was true. Difficult as it was, she recorded the name of the real girl in the car. Somewhere between the Josh dream and concentrating on the little boys, she fell asleep.

“Kate! Kate, you’re going to be late. The way your father talks about you, I thought you were beyond all this. I swear, if someone isn't here to manage you, you'd never get anything done.” Her mom poked her as she walked through her room picking up stray bits of clothing and draping them over her arm. “I thought your father said you were up early?” She yanked the covers off Kate. Kate gasped and grabbed for the covers pulling them back over herself. “You’d better get a move on, school starts soon. If you are late, there will be repercussions.” Meg had reached the door. “He also said to remind you about the kennels again this afternoon. I really wish you'd set your sights higher than a part-time job at a kennel. Get up now. I don't want to have to come back in here.”

“It's not a job,” Kate said to her mother's back as she left the room. “I am doing them a favor.” Then quieter to herself, “You'd know that, if you ever spent any time at all here.”

Sleepily, she wondered what her mother was doing home. Kate sat up, stretched and looked at the clock. She rolled her eyes. Seven forty. Ugh. She hated rushing around, but only slightly less than getting up early. She threw on her uniform, a concept which at first had seemed completely ridiculous to her, but in hindsight, was the most wonderful thing that could happen to someone who was habitually late. For breakfast, she grabbed some leftovers from the night before and raced out of the flat. She was still adjusting her pack when a voice called from behind.

“Where are you going is such a hurry that you donnae say good morning to yer friends?”

She turned around and found Mr. Monkey sitting on the side of the water fountain in the courtyard. She forced a smile and said. “Good morning, sir. I didn’t see you sitting there. How are you this morning?” She checked her watch, she really didn’t have time for this, but she also didn’t want to be on the bad side of this strange little man.

“Aye, I have been better an' I have been worse. But I never have seen anyone in more of a hurry on such a fine day. Where you be off to?”

She continued to adjust her pack, “I am on my way to school and I’m afraid I’m going to be late.”

He smiled, “School, school is it? Well donnae let ol' Monkey keep you. I’m sure the teachers there are as strict as they were when I was a lad. Just thinking of it ooh! Makes my backside hurt.” He rubbed his seat.

She smiled as she turned and said, “Have a good day, Mr. Monkey.”

He shouted out to her, “Aye! I will! And you have a good day too, Ms. Kate.”

Smiling to herself about the odd encounter she just experienced but still feeling good, she was half way up the close when that good feeling slipped a little as she realized that he had called her by name. She couldn't recall ever giving him her name. And where was her dad this morning? He was usually the first one up, but not the first one out. That was her mom’s gift. But she was home this morning. Mom never stayed home, even when she was sick and from the looks of it she wasn't going in to work today. This morning was getting weirder and weirder and she was getting more confused as she hastened up the close.

She managed to make it to school by the first bell and didn’t have time to wonder about her father or mother or Monkey during her classes, but mulled it over during passing time. What on earth would force her mom to stay home past seven in the morning? It would have to be something cataclysmic.

Lunch was no better. No sooner had she sat down, then Lanie sat down next to her.

“I knew you were in this lunch period. I’ve seen you from across the room,” she pointed and Kate followed her finger. In the corner were some of the roughest kids she had seen. “Wanna come sit with us, or are you into being alone?” Lanie smiled.

Kate still wasn’t sure about Lanie, she looked tough and a little bit scary. She pushed the whole uniform thing to the extreme with the platform shoes, loosened tie and shirt unbuttoned way too far, but she seemed to have another side to her and although she never thought they would be great friends, she didn’t want to blow her off either.

“I would love to sit with you,” she managed with a smile.

Kate picked up her tray and pack and headed across the lunch room. Lanie's people dressed similar to her, using the dress code as merely a suggestion. The girls' hairstyles mostly involved the hair being caught on top of the head in whatever fashion they rolled out of bed with. Pre-tied ties thrown over the head, the tails stashed in blazer pockets and shirts that had Kate wanting to reach over to do up a couple more buttons for her own comfort. The boys all had 5 o'clock shadows and she wondered if they stayed up to shave at three in the morning to get this look by noon. The hair and the school ties done up more like a hangman's noose, and their shoes were all the boys really had to work with, she guessed, but the effect was the same. A group that basically flew the bird at the establishment and their stuffy rules. She smiled and nodded as Lanie rattled off the names of the individuals in the group. Kate didn’t really think she could, or would, need to remember them. The group resumed their conversation after the introductions and Kate did her best to follow.

“So how is that American boyfriend of yours? Is he still in hospital?” Lanie asked at the first lull in the conversation.

Kate had her fork full of peaches half way to her mouth and stopped. What should she say?  Should she lie? 'He’s great can’t wait to see him?' Or tell the truth, 'What a jerk! He was seeing another girl when it happened,' or be completely honest, 'it’s a good thing I’m not there; I’d have pulled the plug.' She opted for all of the above.

“Former boyfriend, and he is fine, which is good for him. He had a date with him that night, which would have been bad for me, if we were still together. But at the time of the accident, our split hadn't been formally announced.”

Lanie put up her hand to stop Kate, “He was out on you?” Out sounding like “oot.”

Kate put her peach in her mouth and nodded.

“Technically, if that’s what you call it when your 'boyfriend' is not faithful, then yeah, he was out on me.” Kate wiped her mouth with her napkin and added, “I found out last night that he has been 'out on me' for the past three weeks. Basically, as soon as my side of the car was cold. He was with her when the accident happened. She didn’t get hurt, but he did. Ah, Karma. I guess that means I have been single a lot longer than I thought. So, you know any nice, single guys?”  She meant it to come out sarcastically but it arrived more desperately.

Lanie didn’t say anything, which was unnerving because Lanie always had something to say. She just tapped her ring laden fingers on her lip rings and smiled, making Kate more than a little alarmed.

“What?” Kate asked.

Lanie continued to tap in silence.

“Lanie, you are making me more than a bit uncomfortable.”

Lanie smiled and said, “Never you mind. Just never you mind.”

Kate shook her head and looked down at her peaches, wishing she had stayed at her own little table, as the tapping continued.

“Lanie, please stop with the tapping. What's that supposed to mean anyway?”

“Not a thing. It annoys you though, doesn't it.”

“Yes,” Kate said. Lanie smiled and continued tapping.

Kate managed to gulp down the rest of her meal before the bell rang. Lanie never did say anything more and Kate was more than puzzled by her reaction, adding one more mystery on her 'to do' list. As Kate walked through the hall to her next class, she wished that she had just stayed home to hang out with Mr. Monkey.

After school let out, Kenzie found Kate at her locker. “I heard about Josh.” Kate slammed her locker. “I guess that answers my next question.” Kenzie took a step away. “Want to talk?”

“Not really.” She started walking down the hall and Kenzie fell into step beside her.

They walked in silence. “How can you be so calm?” Kenzie blurted out after a few steps.

“I'm not calm.” She looked at the girl walking beside her. “Really, not calm.”

“Sorry, it's just if I had found out last night that me boyfriend had been out on me, I probably would be furious. I would have been out for blood.”

“Well that's the difference I guess, your boyfriend would be here but mine is four thousand and eighty-two miles,” she spun around to get her bearings, “that way.” She pointed vaguely west. “I'm really dense Kenzie, you probably shouldn't hang out with me. I mean, what was I thinking? Four thousand miles...deep down, I knew it couldn't last,” they walked in silence for a moment. “It’s been about three weeks since his last phone call or email,” she confessed quietly.

“How did you find out about it?” Kenzie asked.

“A friend from home Mug Chatted me last night and told me everything.”

“If she knew, how come she din’t tell you sooner?”

“She said she couldn’t and I was here and he was there...she said she felt really bad. What would you have done if you had really bad news to give your best friend?”

“That's a toughie. I guess it would be hard but only for the few minutes that I was telling her. I don't do well lying to people. What about you? How would you have handled it?”

“I don't know. It's the whole out of sight, out of mind thing. Maybe she was hoping I would call her someday and tell her I had a new guy and then she wouldn't have to ever say anything. And she would be right, I am making friends here,” she looked hopefully at Kenzie, who smiled and nodded her head. “And thinking about Josh with another girl, it doesn’t hurt as much as I imagined it would. Don't get me wrong, I'm still pissed, but not that deep down hurt.”

Kenzie shook her head, “I din’t get that last part?  Oh and pissed, or pished, means you're drunk.”

“That's good to know.” Kate stopped and looked down at the floor. “I guess I didn’t really love him. I mean, like you said, you’d be furious and I wasn’t. I just moved here and moved on without even realizing it.”

Kenzie rolled her eyes and said, exasperated, “Americans.”

Kate leaned closer to her, “Pardon me?”

Kenzie looked at her, “Even if I had moved on, as you say, I still would be angry that he played me for a fool. Doesn’t that make you a wee bit irate?” Kenzie asked, gesturing with her finger and thumb an inch or so apart. Kate shrugged her shoulders. “You Americans always seem so level headed and the ‘let's think things through’ to make you seem calmer. Or are you just scheming?”

“No I am really pis...angry,” she corrected herself, “I just don't see the point. Like you said yesterday, what am I supposed to do from here?”

“I couldn'ae tell you. You could hit something or someone, I suppose.”

“I’m not gonna hit ya. At least not on school property,” Kate said.

Kenzie nodded. “See what I mean? A Scot would have pummeled me. And we both would feel better, you for getting it out of your system, and me for helping you.” They laughed again as they continued to walk.

“So why aren’t you angrier?” Kenzie asked.

“I really don’t know,” Kate sighed.

“Is there someone who’s caught your eye? Distracted you a bit?” Kenzie pried.

Kate hugged her books and sighed again. Then she punched Kenzie in the arm.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kenzie rubbed her arm. “What are you hitting me for? I just asked the question; which I might add, you din’t answer.”

“But didn't it make you feel better for helping me blow off some steam?” Kate teased.

“Ah ha, knew it! You do have your eye on someone don’t you? Oh, don’t tell me let me guess. It’s a guy.”

Kate gave her a sideways glance.

Kenzie didn’t miss a beat. “Of course, sure, it’s a guy,” She started taking big steps, moving in front of Kate as they walked. Then she turned back to Kate and continued to walk backward. “A guy in this school?”

Kate made another mock surprised look and said, “Where else am I supposed to meet guys?  Now you're two for two.”

Kenzie turned and started taking big steps again. “A guy at school. Oh, oh!  I know! Tavey.” She swung around to see Kate’s reaction. “No. Okay. It’s not Tavey.”

“Strike one. You know, in American baseball, you only get three,” Kate reminded her.

Kenzie didn’t react. She continued naming the boys Kate knew. Kate tried to keep her face neutral when Kenzie got to Gavin.

“Well now. I have no idea who it is, unless it is someone I have already mentioned,” Kenzie said. “But give me a moment, I’ll be figuring it out. Are you coming for tea?” Kenzie asked as they reached the end of the hall.

“I’m sorry, Kenzie. Mr. Shaw is still in the hospital and I have to go clean out the kennels again tonight and I don’t want to be as late as I was last night, so I am going to skip tea today. Then Mr. Corkin asked me to put together some ideas for the defense class, so I should work on that and there is homework, yada, yada, yada.” Kate lamented.

“All right, all right I get it. Too busy for tonight,” Kenzie agreed as they walked out the school doors. She started rummaging through her bag and pulled out a piece of paper and pen and began writing. “Here is my number if you need or want someone to talk to.” She handed her the paper, smiled, and headed over to a group of kids that were gathering by the corner of the building, ready to set off.

Kate noticed some of the kids waving her over and then their attention diverted to Kenzie telling them something. They all waved at her and set off down the street the opposite way they had headed yesterday. She wondered where tea would be today. She waved back and headed up the street, glancing back to watch them turn a corner and then they were gone. She felt lonely knowing that yesterday at this time she was part of that group. She had felt included, something she hadn’t felt in a while. It was nice having them take notice of her. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Maybe, they would miss her.

Chili raced out of the flat at break neck speed, Kate in tow, for the first tree he could see. She wondered if anyone had been home all day to take him out. Heading toward the park cutting through side streets, Chili made frequent stops. Finding many new flowers and trees to inspect, confirming the fact that no one had been home all day to care for him. Where had her dad been this morning and where had her mom disappeared to this afternoon?

They reached the kennels quickly, found the key and went inside. The picture of the little boy on the wall caught her attention again. The inkling in her brain moved to full on nagging. The background of the picture was familiar, but she just couldn’t place it. Thinking if she put it aside it would come to her when she wasn't trying, she moved on to listening to the phone messages, playing them twice to make sure she wrote them down accurately. One message was for her.

“Hi Kat,” her dad's voice whispered from the small box. “I am at the hospital with Mrs. Shaw. I couldn't go back to sleep this morning so I came here to keep her company while Mr. Shaw was having tests.” Kate wondered if he had a dream. “I hope I will have some good news when I come home this evening. Until then, which I hope will be by 6:30-ish, have a good day and do your homework.” Typical father ‘be good and do your work.’ She felt bad for Mr. Shaw. Having medical tests was no way to spend a day. She said another quick prayer for him then headed back to the kennels.

After letting Chili and the other dogs out into the play yard, she went looking for the broom. Not finding it in the back she went looking in the front but was irritated to find the door wide open instead. She was dismayed to see dust and leaves had blown across the recently clean floor. She heard another breeze blowing the leaves outside and managed to catch the door before it allowed anymore leaves in. She closed it and locked it this time. She checked the closet for the broom. It wasn’t there. She looked behind the counter but it wasn't there either. She knew she had put it in the closet last night. Maybe Mrs. Shaw had done something with it before she left for the hospital this morning. She could have left it by the dog food. She pushed the kennel door open to find the back door wide open. What was going on? She was positive she had closed it when she let the dogs out.

“Looking for this?” Startled, Kate swung around and backhanded the speaker, connecting with something soft. Gavin stood there, broom in one hand and a small dog bed in the other, grinning at her.

“What?” She was so startled her heart had jumped into her throat and she couldn’t speak.

“What am I doing here?” he finished for her.

“Yes, what are you doing here?” she recovered.

“I watched you walk up the street all by yourself and you looked so lonely. I figured this is where you were heading and thought you'd might like some help again,” he said, with an impish grin.

Kate smiled and shook her head. She was so surprised. Her heart started beating faster, in a good way. Had Kenzie sent him? She closed the back door. It gave her something to do while she regained her composure. She turned around and found him hard at work changing the bedding in the kennels.

“Where is Kenzie?” she finally asked.

“Oh, I asked her to come with me, but she said she couldn’t get the smell out of her hair last night and she was going to have to wash it again tonight.”

Kate rolled her eyes. The old 'I have to wash my hair' routine. Kenzie was smart, but had she figured out which boy or did she take a stab in the dark? Kate thought she had kept her face calm when Gavin’s name came up. She had to admire how Kenzie came across so clueless but underneath it all, she was cool and calculating. It's always the quiet ones.

Then there was himself. She didn’t know any boys at home that would have given up free time to help her do any sort of chores and here he was up to his elbows in puppy doggy poopy. He turned around to look at her.

“Are you going to just stand there and watch or are you going to help?”

“I will get the water bowls and the dog food,” she recovered quickly.

They worked side by side in silence for a while and then he said, “I heard about yer boyfriend, former boyfriend,” he corrected himself. “He was wrong to do that. I don’t care how far away you are or when you talked last, you should always be honest.”

Kate froze, her arm elbow deep in the dog food bag, tears springing to her eyes. What was this? Why would she cry now?

“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn'ae said anything. That was really thoughtless of me.” Kate started to cry in earnest. He put the broom down and walked toward her. He took her hand in his. “Kate I am so sorry. I guess I don’t have great timing, but I am sorry that you are hurt.” Kate shook her head no.

“It’s not that. I just realized he was selfish and self-centered, I am better done with him,” she searched her feelings for the right words. Her heart started pounding again. “You,” she sniffed, “You didn’t have to come here to help me and yet here you are. I never asked you to come last night but there you were. You have been so kind to me and I hardly know you. I moved here and felt so alone. Now I'm blubbering and I don't know why it's coming out now. I guess it's been a while since someone has been kind to me.”

She started sobbing again. He put his arms around her. He felt unexpectedly soft and strong. He held her tight and said, “I hope we can fix that.” He held her until she quit crying and then he let go and walked across the room. She wished he hadn't let go, he had made her feel so safe and protected. He walked back with a tissue. “Here now, dry those pretty eyes and let’s get this finished so we can do something fun tonight.” She started to protest about all the homework she had, but he held up his hand. “At least let me walk you home.”

They completed their task in short order and put the animals back into their cages. Gavin grabbed Chili’s leash and took him to the front door. Kate turned the lights out in the kennel room and came to the front room. She found Gavin with Chili looking at the picture of the small boy on the wall.

“I finally figured out where that photo was taken. It’s in front of the Tron Kirk. I was walking by there last night and I saw the strange round windows over the doorway. See, right there.”

Kate leaned over him and looked. After all the puppy poopy, he was still smelling good. “I see.” She stared hard at the boy, a tickling at the edge of her memory returning, “You know that boy looks really familiar, but I just can’t figure out from where.”

“I thought you said it may be Mr. Shaw?” he said. Kate squinted her eyes trying to see Mr. Shaw in the small boy that looked back at her.

“I don’t know. Could be, but I just can’t imagine Mr. Shaw was ever that young,” she said. They laughed. Kate turned the lights out and reached for Chili’s leash.

“I got him,” Gavin said. Kate smiled. Something’s got to give. Her dad always said if something seemed too good to be true, it usually was.

The sun was setting the sky on fire as it slowly sank behind the buildings. They walked in silence as the city was closing for the evening. It was one of the things that Kate found so strange. At five o’clock sharp, all of the merchant shops closed their doors for the night leaving only pubs and restaurants remaining open. Upon entering the garden, Gavin stopped and turned to her.

“Actually, I have to leave you here. I just remembered there is something I need to take care of.” He handed Chili's leash to her. “You going to be all right?” he asked. She nodded she would. He turned and walked away.

“Just you and me now,” she said to Chili as they started up the close.

A wonderful smell hit her as soon as she opened the door.

“Dad?”  She called.

He answered from the kitchen. “I’m in here.”  She released Chili and followed her nose to the kitchen.

“Dad, when did you have time to do all this? I thought you were at the hospital with Mr. and Mrs. Shaw?” she asked. Before her was a steaming golden turkey dinner with stuffing, green rice, green beans and cranberry sauce.

“What’s the occasion?” she asked.

Her Dad bobbed his head, “You caught me. I was getting home sick and I thought some nice comfort food would do the trick. I put the turkey in before I left for the hospital and I made it home sooner than I thought I would.” She noted the two place settings on the table.

“Mom’s not coming home for dinner,” she said it more as a fact than a question.

“Nope, it’s just the two of us.”

The phone rang in the other room and her dad went to answer it.

“Hello,” he paused and then, “Kat,” he called to her. She took the receiver and was startled to hear Josh’s voice on the other end.

“Kate?”

“Josh, what on earth? I thought you were in a coma?”

Bruce slowly walked into the kitchen. She heard him getting out the cutting board and sharpening the knife. She supposed it made him feel better to be sharpening a weapon while his little girl was on the phone with the boy who hurt her. She knew it made her feel better. Strengthened by his action, she turned her attention back to the phone.

“That was a bit blown out of proportion, I lost consciousness, but was never in a coma.”  He sounded weak. “I have been awake for a while. I just called to tell you how sorry and stupid I have been.” Kate had to agree with him but she didn’t say anything. “Kate are you still there?”

“Yes, Josh, I am still here.” In Edinburgh, thousands of miles away. “I don’t know what to say.” After a long pause she continued, “I’m glad you are all right.” But I hope your injuries are life altering, is what she wanted to say.

“I hope you can forgive me for not telling you about Lilly.”

“Josh, I don’t think we need to get into this. I’m sure you need your rest. Let’s just let it pass. I am not angry at you.” In fact I don’t feel anything for you. Oh, she wished she could be mean just this once.

“Kate, I don’t want Lilly anymore, I want you,” he said.

Kate was dumbfounded. How on earth could he say that? It was probably the drugs he was taking.

“That's very interesting.” She felt uncomfortable saying anything more with her dad just in the next room.

“Kate, I love you and I always will.” Kate’s jaw dropped and she couldn’t help but snigger.

“Yes, and you proved that by not calling or writing and going out with Lilly.” Dead silence. She felt a small pang of guilt that she was calling him out, so soon in his recovery.

“I said I was sorry.” There was silence on the other end of the line. Then a girl's voice broke the silence.

“How's my Joshie poo today?” Her guilt evaporated. Josh cover the receiver and a short, muffled couple of words were said, then he was back

“This is never going to work is it?” he asked.

“Josh, the more I think about it, I don’t believe it ever could. I think we were kidding ourselves. We are too young and there is way too much distance.” She knew he didn't know she meant distance in her feelings for him, “I really don’t want to talk right now. Dinner's on the table and it sounds like you've got company. Take care of yourself Josh, and get better.”

“I guess this goodbye then,” he said.

“It hurts, I know, because I feel it too, but it’s the right thing to do.” She paused, “Goodbye Josh.”

She hung up the phone and stared at it, feeling the gravity of what just happened. She was surprised at the crushing hurt she felt and then again at the sense of lightness that followed closely after. She took a deep breath and looked up to see her dad peeking around the corner.

“So, how is Josh?”

“I really don’t want to talk about it right now. I need to get it straight in my own head first.”

He picked up the carving knife pointing it at her, “Fine, but I want details. It gets to be so boring around here with you at school and your AWOL mom. I need some spice in my life.”

Kate kissed him and said, “Don’t worry, I will give you all the details.”

A traditional turkey dinner in the middle of Scotland with her dad and her favorite dog, was a treat Kate didn’t even know she needed. After dinner was over, she cleared the table and then cleared a spot in the living room.

She had just started to work on some self-defense tactics when the phone rang. Kate reached it first.

“Hello. Hi Grandma! No I wasn't busy, I was just. What? When? Tuesday? Four o’clock our time? Did you want to talk to Dad? Yes, he’s right here. Just a sec.” Kate handed the phone to her dad. He took the phone and started writing down times and numbers on the pad next to the phone.

“I love you too, Mom. Bye.”

He hung up the phone and started whistling the tune from the “Twilight Zone.”

Kate was smiling, “First Thanksgiving, followed shortly by the Fourth of July. Let the fireworks begin.” He looked at her uncertainly. “You hid the fact that Mom and Grandmother don't like each other when I was younger, but I'm older now. I deduce, you know, stuff.”

“You mean like your Grandmother’s temper? Or your Mom’s?” he asked.

“Both,” she said.

“Ya, it's true they don't get along well.” She gave him a look. “At all. And five points for 'deduce,' good word. Don't worry about your mom. It's all good.” He mutilated, good, into sounding like, “guuud.”

 She worked for a while going over Mr. Corkin's syllabus, removing the obsolete moves and reworking some of the more basic and intermediate self-defense moves, taking notes on her computer. As she printed off the pages of her notes, the front door opened and her mom walked in. Kate looked at her dad who gave her the run for the hills nod. She collected the pages from the printer, stuck them in her backpack, kissed her mom on the cheek, and retreated to her room. Spying her journal, she opened it slowly, flipping through the colorful pages in the front of the book. A part of her life she had begun to think of as the Blue Springs years, pondering all the things that happened last night and today. She found a blank page and began to write.

Staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, Kate's eyes slowly drifted toward the open door, as her father and mother’s voices sliced down the hallway. She had been writing about the last of her dreams, of the little boy she was getting to know as Andrew and of Gavin, the older boy she was hoping to know better, when her concentration had been broken by her mother's shriek.

“I can’t believe you just let that woman dictate to you! She didn’t even give you time to talk it over with me!” her mother said.

“She isn't some woman, she's my mother. Honestly, I don’t see any reason that they can’t stay with us for one night. Then we can find them a hotel,” her father said.

“One night, two nights why not a whole week?” her mother's voice rose an octave and stayed there.

“They are my parents, coming to see us. Why shouldn’t they stay with us?  Or is there something else you'd like to be discussing? Meg, what is the real problem?” her father said.

“What real problem, exactly?” she said. Kate had eased off the bed and tiptoed to the door tilting her head against the door jamb straining to hear what was said.

“Like the fact that when we decided to move here, you said things would be different. That you would make our marriage a priority. That there would be no more late nights at the office.” Her dad's voice took on a hard and unyielding tone. “But things aren't different, they're exactly the same. Exactly.” He over-enunciated “exactly.”

There was a pause and then her mother said, “I’m going to bed.”

“Walk away Meg, just walk away. I guess Mom was right about you after all.”

Kate quickly swung her door shut as her mother's heels clicked down the hall on the hardwood floor. The slam of her parents' bedroom door caused her to jump and she stood there a moment, her heart pounding in her chest, listening to the dishes clink in the kitchen. She opened the door and walked down the hall to find her father finishing the last of the pots and pans.

“So you finally got around to telling Mom that Grandmother and Grandpa are coming,” Kate said.

“I am sorry you heard that,” he said. “Sometimes I let my anger get the best of me.”

“Why does Mom hate Grandmother so much?” Kate asked.

“I don’t know. Well I do know, but I really don’t want to talk about it right now. How about we get some sleep and then soon we will get together and I will tell you the whole, sordid story. And you can tell me your sordid story.”

Late that night, she awoke to the sound of a woman crying. She left her warm bed, careful not to make a sound, and stood outside her parent's door. She put her hand on the door, wanting to give comfort to the woman, wanting to be part of that private moment, when, to her horror, it clicked and opened ever so slightly. Through the crack she saw her father holding his wife, her head buried in his shoulder and her body shaking as she wept. Glancing toward the door, his eyes found Kate's and he gave her a sad smile. Kate felt her heart drop as the rest of her body went cold. She closed the door and returned to her room. She lay on her bed, her body curled around her most trusted friend, tears mingled with fur, angst mingled with fear; fear for her family. Sleep claimed her as the image of her dad holding her mother faded from her mind.

A crowd surrounded Kate as she moved down a narrow lane; a few women and children peppered the mostly male group. She felt almost as if she were caught up in a party or a carnival, yet there was a restrained undercurrent to the gathering. Something was happening, or going to. She followed Billy’s father and Andrew’s father to the other side of the street in front of the grocers.

“All right you three,” started Billy's father, “I don’t want t' regret the decision t' bring you, and I figure that since you three seem t' be inseparable, then that’s the way it’s going t' be. I don’t want t' look at Billy and not see you other two,” he finished as he pointed to Kate and Andrew.

“Exactly,” chimed in Andrew's father, “I want you all to stick to each other like glue. There are a lot of people out here and I am going to insist you walk within sight of Mr. Stewart or myself. If you see someone you would like to walk with, get permission from one of us. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

“Yes sir,” they answered.

“Good,” Andrew’s father said.

They left the grocers and crossed the narrow road to the crowd who stood listening to the group of men standing on the steps of the school entrance. Kate looked around the crowd. Faces faded in and out, some that she recognized from the shipyards, others she did not.

Kate was not able to hear the details of the discussion, the words were just a buzz of sounds, and as the men on the steps continued to speak, the mood of the crowd shifted from jovial to very somber.

“Da, I see our teacher, Mrs. Snodgrass, up front, can I go say hi?” Andrew asked.

“Sure, go on, but make sure you are by my side before we leave.”

They made their way through the crowd to where Mrs. Snodgrass and her husband were standing. After a brief hello and the announcement of what they were about, they reached that uncomfortable realization they had nothing to talk about. They made their goodbyes and headed back to the spot where they left Andrew's father, only to find it empty. The men on the steps had finished their speeches and the trio climbed up near them to get a better view. Immediately they heard Andrew’s father calling out his name. Another voice joined in and soon several men’s' voices echoed out his name. They searched the crowd for his father's face. Kate looked at Andrew; he winked at her as he raced off toward the sound of his father’s voice.

“Where did you go?” Andrew interjected before his father could speak. “I looked and looked for you. As soon as we finished talking to Mrs. Snodgrass we came right back here and you were gone.”

“I am sorry Andrew, I just saw Ol' Rob over there and went to talk. That was my fault. From now on when you leave me, you’ll find me in the same spot. I promise. Now pick up your things, it looks like the group is getting ready to go.”

As the group began to loosely assemble and move in, more or less, the same direction, they found themselves falling in next to an older man accompanied by two young men.

Andrew's father quickly introduced them, “Rob, this is my son Andrew.”

Andrew shook Ol' Rob’s hand.

Ol' Rob introduced his sons, “An' these younglings are my Sean and Christopher. They're not that bright, but it's all I've got.”

Christopher, the older one, leaned over Ol' Rob's shoulder. “Apple doesn't fall far from the tree.” The group laughed.

Kate guessed that Sean and Christopher were around 16 to 18 years old. She learned they had left school to start working as soon as their father lost his job at the shipyard a few weeks ago.

The crowd moved down the street, the sound of feet tramping on the cobblestones slowly became a marching beat. Smiles passed from one to another and soon the first songs lifted into the air. They sang different songs at first, but soon, one song, a local festival favorite, gained singers and strength as it worked its way through the crowd until a single, cheerful tune sang out. The song reverberated off the buildings along the street. People poked their heads out of windows and leaned out into the street to wave hankies and cheer them on.

Kate tried to take in as much of it as she could, committing as many details to memory as possible. It would make a great story to tell her Dad and she wanted to get the feeling and emotions just right.