The Dad Next Door. Virginia Myers

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СКАЧАТЬ never get warm again.”

      “Raymond, what initiation?”

      “Well, it was three guys.” It seemed the boy was pushing the words out, one at a time. “These three guys can get in this gang if they can prove they’re tough. Really tough. If they can deliver. If they can follow orders. So they had to beat up somebody. Really bad. To prove it, you know.”

      “Three of them had to beat you up to prove they were tough!” Kate sat down suddenly in a chair. She was physically sick. They could have killed him.

      “Now, what’s going to happen is this,” Raymond added. “I’m not—repeat not—goin’ back to that school! Ever!”

      Tommy broke the silence that followed. “Ray, when I get to middle school I’ll help you.”

      “But Tommy, I’m not going back. Ever.”

      Joy spoke softly. “Mommy, the milk is moving.” And Kate returned her gaze to the milk pan, watching the surface of the milk in its preboiling state. Raymond cannot go back to that school, she thought Nor did she want Tommy and Joy continuing in public school after the primary grades. Something was very wrong. She’d have to face it. This was not the way her children were going to grow up. They must not be cheated out of their childhood.

      Kate lunged forward to pull the pan of suddenly-boiling milk from the burner, and poured the hot milk into the big metal pitcher over the sweetened chocolate.

      “Well, you certainly don’t need to go back to school tomorrow anyway,” she said to Raymond. “We’ll talk to your dad about it tonight.” Kate poured chocolate into a mug and handed it to him. “Don’t drink that yet It’s too hot.” She poured two more mugfuls for her children.

      “I wish he wasn’t coming back tonight. I’d like to heal up a little first,” Raymond muttered.

      “Oh, Raymond, I’m so sorry.” She poured another mug for herself. She shouldn’t have. She was getting too rounded again and she had made a resolve not to eat between meals anymore. But she needed this.

      “Your father’s going to be upset. He’ll think I’m not taking care of you.”

      “Not your fault,” Raymond said quickly. “You can’t help what those goons at school do. Dad will just have to understand it. See, Dad’s always been first string. In everything. All his life he’s total success. So he freaks out when I can’t cope, which mostly I can’t. But he’s gotta face it. I’m an inferior kid. He can take it or leave it.”

      “You’re not an inferior kid. You’re a great kid. I wouldn’t want you to be any different than you are. Your father wouldn’t, either!”

      “Don’t sweat it, Mom. It’ll be okay.”

      Kate wondered again how Ian’s former wife, Marsha, could have simply walked out on this boy. He was struggling so hard for some sort of family. Thank heavens Ian was paying Marsha so much alimony that he couldn’t afford to send Raymond to boarding school. That would have stifled the boy completely.

      “Help yourself to seconds,” she told the children, getting up. “I have to make a phone call. But let Raymond pour. It’s hot.”

      She sent up a silent prayer that Pastor Ledbetter would be in and available, not counseling parishioners or doing any of the thousand and one things that filled his days. Recollecting his kindly face, his graying hair and nice blue-gray eyes, Kate felt her tension easing.

      “Congregational Church. How can I help you?” She silently thanked God that the pastor had answered the phone himself. The church secretary must have stepped out for a minute. Words tumbled from Kate as she poured out her story and resumed the talk that had started when Raymond had first realized he was being targeted.

      Kate heard Ian’s car come into the driveway next door just minutes before the dinner hour, and she forced herself not to look out the window.

      “He’s coming!” Tommy shouted. “Finally! I’m starving!”

      “All right, Tommy. He’s a little late,” Kate admonished. “Don’t make a big thing of it. Where are you going, Raymond?” But Raymond had retreated down the hall toward the bedroom the two boys shared. Kate went after him and Raymond turned.

      “You talk to him first, okay? Kind of break it to him that I’m not exactly Mike Tyson in a fight. Then I’ll come in later. When he’s ready to take it.”

      “That’s not a bad idea,” Kate agreed. The moment she did, Raymond ducked into the bedroom and shut the door. “Call me when it’s time,” he said through the crack.

      Joy had opened the front door at Ian’s ring. Both of her children adored Ian, and Kate felt a little breathless herself every time she saw him—tall, a bit over six feet, well-built, with the unusual combination of blond hair and hazel eyes. Kate had met his former wife, who was jaw-droppingly gorgeous. What a stunning couple they must have been.

      “Hi, kids. Boy, am I glad to be back.” He glanced around. “Where’s Ray?”

      Before Kate could answer, Joy said, “He’s hiding, because he—”

      Tommy clasped his hand over her mouth just in time and pulled her over to the big chair by the fireplace and pushed her into it.

      Ian glanced a question at Kate.

      “Actually, I guess he is, in a way,” Kate said. “I need to speak to you about something, Ian. Raymond had some trouble at school.”

      “What kind of trouble?” Ian’s voice was guarded.

      “There was a fight at school,” she admitted weakly, feeling guilty.

      “Three bigger boys jumped him,” Tommy interjected, unable to resist.

      “He’ll be all right,” Kate said quickly. “He’s—”

      But Ian was heading for the boy’s room, and she followed helplessly, with the children close behind her. Ian opened the door and went in. When he saw Raymond lying on the bed he froze. Raymond cast Kate a look of dismay.

      “It’s okay, Dad. It’s no big deal.”

      Kate went sick at the shock on Ian’s face as he sank to his knees beside the bed and reached out to his son.

      “Oh…no,” he whispered, his hands hovering over the boy, as if he were afraid to touch him.

      “Look, it’s okay, Dad.” Raymond struggled to a sitting position. “I’ll heal up…” But as he said it, his voice broke and tears started from his swollen eyes. He went into his father’s arms, muttering, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

      Kate pushed her kids out the door. “Come on, kids,” she said softly, shutting the door behind them.

      “What about dinner?” Tommy wailed. “I’m starving.”

      “We’ll wait a while,” Kate said firmly.

      But they didn’t need to wait long. It was only a matter of minutes before Ian and Raymond came СКАЧАТЬ