Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Neil didn't think it his imagination that Luther stared longer at Andrew than he did his own son. It made him wonder if Luther suspected Andrew's involvement in his sister's death, and whether or not some part of Luther blamed him either way. Nicky said Andrew's release from juvie drove Tilda deeper into her depression and drugs. Maybe Luther regretted ever finding out Andrew existed.
Neil distracted himself by looking around the room, from the small crosses and biblical quotes hanging on the walls to the catalogue-perfect kitchen. The square table only had two chairs by it, but the back door was open. The screen door was closed, but Neil could see through it to a deck. A larger table was back there and already set to accommodate all of them.
"Nicky," Luther finally said. "Aaron, Andrew."
Nicky had gone mute, but Aaron said, "Hey, Uncle Luther."
Luther smiled, but it was faint. He looked at Neil and Kevin again. "I am Nicky's father. You may call me Luther. Welcome to my home."
"Thank you for having us," Kevin said.
"You can set that down in here," Luther said with a look at Neil's racquet. He waited until Neil propped it against the wall, then motioned to the back door. "Please get comfortable. Dinner will only be another minute."
Nicky took them to the back porch. It was enclosed with half walls and a thin mesh. Heat lamps were set at every corner. The mesh let some of the heat escape but also kept most of the November breeze out, so it was more comfortable out back than it was in the house.
The table had eight seats, three to each side and a seat at either end. Judging by the lacy handkerchief at one end, the Hemmicks would take the end seats and spread their guests out between them. Nicky took a middle seat on one side, keeping a chair between himself and either of his parents. Aaron sat between Nicky and Maria's chair. Kevin and Neil stuck Andrew between them on the other side where they could keep an eye on him, Neil closer to Luther and Kevin by Maria.
It took Luther and Maria three trips to bring out all the food. As soon as they were seated, they bowed their heads. Neil didn't realize what was happening until Luther started to pray. He tipped his head a little belatedly and sent Andrew a sideways glance. Andrew wasn't even pretending to pray, even if on his other side Kevin was politely playing along. Andrew had an arm hooked around the back of his chair and drummed the tines of his fork against the tabletop in awful counterpoint to Luther's words.
Luther had to be offended, but maybe he'd learned long ago not to beg respect from Andrew. When he finished, he straightened and began serving food from the closest platter. The others took that as a cue, but Neil had to wait on either Andrew or Luther to finish before he could get any food. Luther noticed his idleness and looked at him.
"Are you religious?"
"No," Neil said.
Luther gave him a minute to elaborate, but Neil gazed back in silence. Finally Luther frowned in disapproval and pressed, "Why not?"
"I'd rather not get into it," Neil said. "I don't want to start a fight."
"That's a first," Andrew said with a laugh. "You're usually so opinionated, too."
"I don't see how such a question constitutes as a fight," Luther said to Neil.
"Is that really the question you want to start with, Dad?" Nicky asked. "You don't want to ask how we've been or how we're doing at school or how the season is going? We had a game in Florida yesterday. We won, you know."
"Congratulations," Luther said automatically.
"Yeah, you sound like you mean it," Nicky said, but he sounded more sad than annoyed. An uncomfortable silence followed, but Nicky broke it with a half-hearted, "When did you repaint the kitchen?"
"Two years ago," Maria said. "The contractor goes to our church. It looks nice, doesn't it?" She waited for Nicky's quiet agreement, looked to Luther for inspiration, then said, "So what are you studying, Nicholas?"
Some small part of Neil had assumed Nicky was exaggerating how estranged his family was, but Nicky was in his sophomore year and his parents still didn't know what he was majoring in. Neil didn't know if Maria was asking now because she was interested in getting to know her son again or if she was just trying to fill the silence. He hoped it was the former; the latter was too much to stomach. Neil's mother might have been awful and violent at times, but she was fiercely devoted to him. They were two halves of a miserable whole, inseparable co-conspirators.
"Marketing," Nicky said. "Erik's cousin works for a PR firm in Stuttgart. She thinks she can get me in after graduation if I make the right grades."
"You're going back to Germany?" Maria shot her husband a startled look.
Nicky's jaw tightened, but he looked his mother in the eye when he said, "Yes. Erik's career is there. I wouldn't ask him to leave it just for me, and I wouldn't want him to, anyway. I loved living in Germany. It's an amazing place. You should visit us sometime."
"Us," Maria said faintly. "You're still…"
She couldn't finish, so Nicky said, "Yes, we're still together. I came back to take care of Andrew and Aaron, not because things went sour with Erik. I love him, okay? I always have and I always will. When are you going to get that?"
"When will you accept that it is wrong?" Luther asked. "Homosexuality is—"
"Luther," Andrew said. That was all he said, but Luther sent him a wary glance.
"I love him," Nicky insisted. "Doesn't that mean anything to you? Why can't you be happy for us? Why can't you give him a chance?"
"We cannot condone sin," Maria said.
"You don't have to love the sin," Nicky said, "but you're supposed to forgive and love the sinner. Isn't that what faith is about?"
"Faith is following our Lord's creed," Luther said.