Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“Your teacher wanted me to talk to you about moving you to her AP Calc class. She says that you could get college credit and all.”
“We talked about it this morning. I’m not going to college,” he says without looking up from his phone.
“Just because I didn’t go doesn’t mean you should stick around here.”
He casts me an annoyed glare. “You pushing me out?”
“No. Of course not.” The house would be dead empty without him there. I get a particular ache in my chest when I think about it. “I’m only saying that going to college is for stuff other than just learning. It’s experiences.”
“How would you know?”
“Isn’t that the point? I don’t know because I never went. I don’t want you to miss out on anything. Working construction all your life is hard, and there could be an easier, more interesting path out there that you wouldn’t know about if you didn’t go to college.”
“Even if I was going to college, why would I need to study math? Besides, you’re successful and don’t have a degree. I thought the whole plan was for me to work for you and take over the business.”
Our number gets called. I head to the counter and grab the bags. When I return, he’s halfway out the door, so I wait until we’re back in the truck to reply. “Construction can be boom or bust. I wouldn’t mind seeing you in something more stable.”
“Like architecture?” he says sarcastically.
“No.” Then I sigh. “I guess, yes, if that’s what you’re interested in.” I can’t let my unreasonable hatred toward someone stand in the way of Dunc’s dreams.
“I wasn’t interested anyway.”
Speaking of new people in town…my mind swings all the way back to the two students. Is there a connection? “The two kids that showed up. I haven’t seen them before. ” Dunc’s been at the same school for four years. I recognize most of the kids but not these two.
“Yeah.”
“They siblings?” They didn’t look alike. One of them looked, well, like a younger, slimmer me, and the other one had blondish-red hair with hazel eyes.
“I don’t know. Better not be.” Dunc’s voice is terse as if the topic isn’t to his liking.
Better not be? “Wonder where they came from.”
“And whether you can build them a house?”
I grin. “That, too.” He seems to be loosening up.
“Maybe I’ll check around tomorrow. Since I’m supposed to be taking over the business and all.”
“Hey, not so fast. I’m not even close to retirement.”
“I don’t know, old man.” Dunc’s bad mood seems to have evaporated. “You looked slow this morning.”
“Fuck, everyone is slow in the morning, even you, chucklehead.” I park the truck and then rub my knuckles over his head.
He allows this for all of two seconds before ducking out and yelling over his shoulder, “Last one in has to give half his fries to the other.”
When I get inside, he's already at the table, and half his burger is gone.
“I feel like I'm not feeding you enough,” I joke.
“You can go get me more,” he says around a mouthful of food.
“You can drive, too.”
“I got homework. Ms. Cotton loaded a bunch on us today.”
“That’ll take you all of a half hour.”
He shrugs, but the knowledge sits uneasy on my shoulders. He is good at math. Really good. Like maybe engineering good. Maybe I’ll ask Ms. Cotton some advice about bringing Dunc around to these advanced math courses while he still can with it only being the start of the new school year.
“The girl you left to take care of me, how long had you known her?”
Dunc’s question takes me by surprise. I didn’t leave anyone. She left me. The burger gets stuck in my throat, and I start coughing hard enough to make my eyes water. Dunc jumps up and pounds me on the back. Once I’m able to swallow the lump, I take a long drink of my soda. My voice is hoarse when I say, “What brought that about?”
It was more that I never got the chance to track her down. I was young and my older sister had died leaving my nephew for my mom and me to raise until I lost her too. It gutted me when Fischl disappeared. I’ve loved three women in my life: my sister, my mom, and my Fischl. All have been taken from me.
Dunc’s ears turn pink, but he faces me down like a man. “I was wondering whether it was a month or a year or what? Like what kind of woman got a hold on you strong enough that you couldn’t bear to take another one to bed? How does that happen?” He sounds almost angry.
“I don’t know, Dunc. I don’t know anything about the matters of the heart. All I can say is I took one look at her and it was like a bell went off in my head. She’s the one, it rang. That bell was right. I’ve never been interested in another woman since.” That’s the best way I can describe it. I think one has to feel it to truly understand.