“Liha’s party was out of control. It wasn’t at all the same.”
“Probably looked the same when Saber came rolling in drunk and stupid.”
“Who’s the parent here?”
Creed grins. “So when does Deacon fly in?”
Subtle topic change. But welcome. I’m done thinking about that woman. “Tonight. Bishop is on the way to his base medical center to take him home as soon as they release him.”
“You know, I thought of enlisting when Deacon went off to basic. Then again when he got into special forces. It seemed cool to be a super warrior.”
No way is Creed joining the Army. No way am I having my kid come back in a body bag…or having to worry about him being disabled for the rest of his life. I made it through. And learned a lot from the experience, but it’s not something I want for my child. There’s enough evil in the world without him having to experience it that way. “And did Deacon’s injury change your mind?”
“Nah. I realized I wanted to grow up to be like you, and not Bishop. Though I wouldn’t mind getting a dog like him.”
That woman was so wrong about my kid. “You figure out how to become un-allergic, we’ll get you any dog you want.”
“Even a Malinois?”
“Even a Maligator. But that dog needs care, training, and exercise. Think about how much time it would take before you start planning.” I love that kid. She is so wrong.
Morning Paper
Greer
How am I going to handle living next to such a rude man? I pull my robe tighter and slide my feet into my slippers. His insufferable, overbearing attitude might drive me out of my mind. Maybe yesterday was it. He’ll stay on his side of the fence, and I’ll stay on mine.
That’s all there is to it. I didn’t even know half of my neighbors back in Urbium, let alone have a single conversation with them. Having a private elevator helped with that.
Hopefully, reading the paper and eating breakfast will distract me from thinking about that man. I open the front door to collect the paper that every morning gets dropped off, even in the middle of nowhere. How Rothswyler managed to find a delivery service, I have no idea, but Mother won’t be able to say I’ve become a heathen living out in the sticks, not keeping up with current events. There hasn’t been a day since I was eight that I didn’t start my morning with the paper, even from bed when I was mourning the loss of my marriage.
It’s colder here than in the city. There’s definitely snow in the air again. Soon…very soon I’ll sit in my house next to a bay window watching the snow fall down with my son growing inside of me.
That picture alone is worth a million grumpy neighbors.
“Morning.”
I turn to the neighbor boy who’s walking towards me with a friendly smile on his face. “Good morning.” This feels like a trap, but the boy didn’t seem to be as nutty as his father.
“Thought I’d come by and introduce myself and apologize about the other night.”
What?
“I’m Creed.” He holds out a hand for me to shake.
“It’s nice to meet you, Creed. Call me Greer.” His hand is a bit smaller than his father’s, but Creed gives a nice, firm shake. My father would be impressed.
“About the other night. No one was supposed to get drunk. But my friend…Saber…he isn’t handling our friend’s death well…and I know that’s no excuse to drive drunk and run around making a nuisance of himself. But I just wanted to let you know he really isn’t a bad guy. We’ll try to be more considerate the next time we get together.”
Wow. Impressive. Especially for a boy with such a rude father. “Thank you. I appreciate you coming over to explain what happened to me. And I’m very sorry about your friend. Did it happen recently?”
Creed's smile fades. “Yeah. He died of a drug overdose. No one knew that he was using. If I had known, I would have said something. I should have known.”
Oh, the poor boy. “Sometimes people hide things even from their best friends.”
“Why hide something that important?”
“There are so many reasons. You probably won’t ever know what the actual one was. But it wasn’t your fault.”
