“Yes, please sit!” Annie urged him.
Charlie watched Ellis warily. “Hi Charlie,” Ellis said. “You looked great in your hundred back.” He was obviously making an effort. I could give him points for that.
“Thanks,” Charlie answered when I poked him.
“How’s the meet going for you, Ellis?” Annie asked.
The kid shrugged. “He’s doing well,” Neil answered for him. “He dropped a second in his hundred butterfly.”
“That’s great,” I commented. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. Or against our nephews. “Good luck on the rest of your events, Ellis.” I smiled at him in the most non-threatening way I knew. “Charlie, you about ready to go do your hundred IM? Do you have to hit the bathroom first?” The answer, as always, was yes. “Don’t go barefoot! Wear your flip flops!”
Charlie stood behind the blocks, waiting for his race to begin. He looked over at me and I gave him a thumbs-up. “You have this, pal,” I said under my breath. The 100-yard individual medley had four parts: a lap of butterfly, a lap of backstroke, a lap of breaststroke, and finally a lap of free. As always, Charlie flew through the butterfly and backstroke legs, even with the fastest boy in the pool in lane four. Then came the breaststroke. I waited for him to come almost to a halt as he usually did when the breaststroke lap reared its ugly head, but suddenly he started to move! His shoulders came up and pushed forward as he drove his hands through the water, and his kicks snapped. What was happening? He was flying! The last lap was 25 yards of freestyle, and he looked a little tired to me, but he still moved like greased lightning. I looked at his time and almost fell into the pool. Mother Mary, he had been seeded eighth, but had just dropped almost five seconds and came in second. Second as a seven-year-old!
“Dude, you killed it!” I said as he came out from behind the blocks.
He gave me a weary high five and we walked back to the chairs, Macdara, Luke, and Annie trailing behind us. “I have to get ready for the relay,” he told me.
“Sweet pea, you’re not going to do the relay today.”
“Why not?” Macdara demanded. “I’m doing the girls’ relay.”
“We have to get going,” I explained. “We can’t stay for the finals.”
“But he made the finals in all his events, didn’t he?” Annie asked.
“I have to get back,” I said shortly.
“Whatever you have to do, I’m sure it isn’t as important as Charlie’s swimming! He made the finals!” Annie admonished me. Uh, taking care of my sister with an incurable disease? Keeping a job so that we didn’t starve? For a woman whose main responsibility seemed to be organizing the coffee orders after spin class, it probably was hard to comprehend.
Luke turned to her. “Anaïs, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said sharply. “Be quiet. She said we have to go, and we’re leaving.” He started picking up the lawn chairs and folding them shut.
I turned to see the tears in Charlie’s eyes. “Pal, we talked about this, remember? I have to get back to your mom—”
“You have to go work in your stupid whore bar!” he yelled.
Dead silence fell around our chairs.
“Charlie, get your bag,” I said quietly. “We’re going now.”
I stuffed our things back in the tote bag, not really seeing what I was grabbing. I could hear Charlie sniffing behind me. I hadn’t made eye contact with anyone yet.
Charlie had put on a sweatshirt and his flip flops, and the three of us walked out without saying a word. Luke loaded up the back of the car as I handed him the gear. I couldn’t look at him either.
We got into the car and shut the doors. I stared straight ahead, willing myself not to cry the tears of humiliation welling in my eyes. “Why would you say that?” I asked. My voice was shaking.
“That’s what Rivers said! That’s what his mom told him!”
“Do you know what you called me?” I asked.
“It’s someone bad,” he answered.
“Don’t you ever talk to me like that again,” I told him. “Not ever again. Do you know why I work there? It’s just a bar, Charlie, and I’m doing my best—” my voice broke. “I’m doing my best for you and your mom, Charlie. Don’t you talk to me like that.”
“I’m sorry,” he muttered.
“He didn’t mean it,” Luke said softly. “He didn’t know what he was saying.” I could feel him looking at me but I turned my head to the side and closed my eyes—Cassie’s trick.
Chapter 5
