I sunk to the couch, overwhelmed at Mike’s words.
I, too, remembered Willie as a weirdo. He didn’t have friends or girlfriends. Instead, Willie hung by the bathroom at Lovetown High. I don’t know what he was doing in the toilet stall, but the second stall on the second floor should’ve had his name on it. At graduation, I remembered how shocked we were to learn Willie had achieved a perfect score on the SAT.
“He should’ve taken that scholarship to Yale or Harvard,” I said, voicing my last train of thought, knowing Mike would follow.
“Yep. He sure was smart. But no matter how smart he is, nothing negates the fact that something is wrong with Willie.” Mike slapped his leg.
“I agree…” My stomach clenched.
Now Willie was sniffing around my son. I didn’t want my son to be the bait trap. But I didn’t want anybody else’s son used to lure him into the open either.
“This is my fault,” I said. “If I hadn’t…” I trailed off, unable to voice the guilt rising like lava in a mountain.
“It is your fault,” Mike replied, which didn’t make me feel better. “So, if I were you, I’d figure out a way to fix it.”
I dropped to my knees. “I think it’s time I prayed.” I looked at Mike. “Will you join me?”
He nodded and slid to the floor beside me. “I’m willing to try anything to snag a pedo. Even prayer.”
