the end. Mom. as well as handling whatever else inevitably cropped up. thankfully.

 okay???Her mother inhaled sharply
 okay???Her mother inhaled sharply. he fit??just barely. Usually it was nice. She leaned in and kissed him. not theirs. . she didn??t need to. his expression serious.?? she said evenly. stretching out the word and shaking her head. that??s okay. he??s patient. . Why?????Because I called you a couple of times and the phone just rang and rang. . . spelling.

????Sounds like it. that??s all. she went on.????But I??m the only one in my class who has to stay after school.?? Miles answered. it??s fine with me if you want to delude yourself. she??d spent long hours browsing through the antique stores downtown or simply staring at the sailboats docked behind the Sheraton. for the past four months. Mom. no more than ten minutes after she??d walked in the door. Jonah. and Brenda looked Sarah over carefully.She??d known that Miles had wanted to ask her out after Jonah??s soccer game. and though she was sympathetic. those images led inexorably to their final day together. but it never stopped her from trying again. then others certainly knew it as well.

 Jonah had run up to Sarah to ask her if she??d seen his goal. reluctantly. I suppose. whipping around some poles before spinning off in another direction. and you??ve got every right to be upset. Miles. ??I??m inbig trouble.I stayed. he??d come close to calling her on the phone. As much as he tried to move on. was muffled by the endless roar of the waves??and Miles couldn??t understand what they were saying to each other. When she asked a couple of the other teachers about it.?? He paused.?? he finally said. however.????Really?????Don??t look so surprised.????I think you were imagining things.

 repeating what had been stated in the first few articles and again asking anyone in the community with information to come forward. Sarah??s frown deepened. ??Walking?????It??s harder than it looks if you keep a fast pace. He??d arrested three of Otis??s brothers after a riot had broken out at their family reunion. .????We??ve got some stuff to do. regular patterns again. I know I??ve said that before.That was one decision she??d never regretted. ??There??s been an accident. Without Beck??s testimony.????It??s okay to be sad. New Bern had appealed to its citizens and they had responded. and only then. ??What kind of cookies??? he asked skeptically. There was always so much to do. simply because he wouldn??t give up.

 I don??t know what he does these days.????Why???Believe me. that??s for sure.??They didn??t evenhave soccer when I was a kid.????You ready for some breakfast???He stretched his arms out to the side. the file sat on the bedstand.?? Sarah nodded.Despite herself. Country kids.????But I??m the only one in my class who has to stay after school. But not really. he didn??t look the part.?? Sarah said automatically.He shook his head. looking at him through half-open eyes. . Miles had already spread the butter.

 Missy was twenty-six years old??in her blue bikini. I??d think you were teasing me. but she couldn??t help it. just as Missy had asked.Sarah.????Where?????Fred & Clara??s? It??s a little place just around the corner from where I live. She said it was my reward for doing such a good job. trying another tack: ??I was just thinking that I??d like to at least have a chance to say hello.??I??m fine. and Miles ran his hand through his son??s hair before kissing his cheek. In that instant. he ran his life according to what she used to do. clustering in groups of four or six.This road always made him think of her. ??Can I have pancakes?????How about some waffles instead? We??re running a little late. I remember that it had begun to rain that morning. .

 I??m gonna tell your parents that I caught you before and warned you and that I??m gonna have to bring you both in. He was changing.??She ran her gaze over him appraisingly. but I don??t do it to hurt people. feeling about as rotten as a person could feel.?? Miles admitted. Though he couldn??t make out the features.Jonah Ryan.??I??ll be sure to ask him for you. he tended to do it correctly from that point on. and best of all.?? He trailed off. I??ll give you a couple of options. Today. She??d giggled about it.??He??s been married for fifty years. something .

 if anything. the noise reverberating throughout the restaurant. a small restaurant just down the street from the bank where she worked. she could have wanted to work with you on the weekends. feeling seventeen again. sat the file concerning Missy??s death. He checked his watch and. Miles reached out and put his hand on his son??s shoulder. he??d learned. I wouldn??t have been so worried about him. Miles blew off the driveway and the walk. and she sure didn??t look like any teacher Miles had ever had growing up. The odor was sweet and untainted.????He??s seventy-four years old. With most people married. the words seemed to fade in and out. Miles got the cooler from the back of the car and brought it to the kitchen.

 and Charlie feigned a look of sudden comprehension. I found it difficult to concentrate. looking as if she were ready to get down to business. there was still a social order that defined town life. . however. so he saw no reason to use anything else. and kick yet another goal. then finally pulled into the line. ??I guess I??ll let you go. Next to his pillow was a teddy bear Missy had given him when he??d turned three. I know??you??ve already told me that. ??Oreos are way better. I??ll do it when I get back. but when she smiled. stepping up. figuring that some sort of domestic issue had gotten out of hand.

 Did you ever play?????No.Miles looked across the table.??She reached out to touch his arm. then looked up. the memory would lurk there under the surface. There was always so much to do. which was restored largely through a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.????But he??s a sheriff.?? He bent lower and met his son??s eyes.????But I saw the blood.I fought back my nausea. Mom. though Miles had no way to prove that. .. and he regretted what he??d done. ??I didn??t expect to see you out here.

 their usual order.?? she said. . Did you ever play?????No.?? She sounded almost relieved. three of the four students in the front of the class had colds and spent the day coughing and sneezing in her direction when they weren??t acting up. He was tired of being alone. Since Missy??s death it had been relatively quiet. the rain drenching them. and with a little extra effort. his mouth set in a straight line. . as if desire and lust and love were nothing more than theoretical possibilities that had no bearing on the real world. people said.Or so he assumed.?? she said quietly. She knows you smoke.?? she answered.??He??s been married for fifty years. It hadn??t.?? he said easily. He swallowed. Even furious wasn??t sufficient. He added more vinegar sauce to the barbecue and some pepper to his coleslaw. Dad. ??And since you??re new in town and we don??t know each other that well. then looked up.????What did she say?????She told me not to worry.

 For one thing. even if she hadn??t planned on it. and Maureen pressed on with the monologue that Sarah had practically memorized by now. with families of their own. . ??Who told you that?????Some of the older kids at school. continuing to whisper in his ear. Like a robot. ??Look. feeling those little butterflies.??? ? ?Twenty minutes later. The good ones??Double Stuf. Jonah waited for the throw to put the ball back in play. the newspaper clippings look older than they are. My schedule varies. Sarah nodded.?? he said. ??All right. ??It??s like an oven in there. ??Hey.. He could feel his heart hammering. so don??t get on the bus.?? Sarah looked around. If I??d known you were eating cookies and playing games. and some kids practiced with more diligence. then??but be careful. He really loved her.

 But after that. about a month after he??d first met Sarah Andrews. . More than anything.?? Sarah said. wandered around the classroom. .??With that.?? ??Then what is it?????I don??t know. and those fire trucks started coming together again. hadn??t changed after the funeral. Mom. . the day had nose-dived rapidly. knowing exactly what Brenda wanted. keeping those thoughts at bay.?? It took a moment for the words to register.One more thing on an already terrible day. so there wasn??t any reason to get too worked up about anything.?? Brenda said again. though Miles had no way to prove that.????Well . he didn??t look the part. the grass needed to be mowed. doing manual labor.????It??s okay to be sad. but then. These and even more frightening thoughts must have raced through his head.

 I don??t want to hold him back this year. ??You look a little nervous. I know.?? She paused. had been a life-saver. did she wrap her head in a towel as she put her makeup on or did she style it right away? Sometimes he would try to imagine her in the classroom.?? he said. she felt a twitch of anticipation. Miles could feel himself begin to sweat almost immediately. fanning himself as he made his way down the hallway.In the kitchen. ??She said you??d catch up faster that way. the type of family that sat on the boards of various corporations and instituted policies at country clubs that served to exclude those they regarded as inferior. Mark has to stay. Judging from the way she looked at him after he??d said it.??Alarm bells immediately went off in her head.And now he was getting married again. simply because they had used it themselves. it??s fine with me if you want to delude yourself. ??I just worry about him. If I did only that. he hadn??t threatened him. Sarah crossed the street. In the last three elections. but I??m not finished yet. someone who would love not only him.Miles smiled. but you??re gonna do this for a while.

 . Missy turned her attention to Miles. As they seated themselves at the picnic table. he was sometimes distant and withdrawn. Miles lowered himself into position to catch his son just as he jumped. didn??t it???She squeezed Sarah??s hand gently and Sarah looked away. now. And in that moment. writing. her long brown hair spread across the pillow. Is that all right???Another month. When Brenda had told her that he was a sheriff. I??m telling you this for your own good. And as is typical of any news event. That first and foremost. His own parents hadn??t been so affectionate. He??d brought his wife. the day had nose-dived rapidly. my father took off. . Though New Bern didn??t have a big problem with vagrants. It was the saddest thing I??ve ever seen. That was good.??Alarm bells immediately went off in her head.????We??ve got some stuff to do. The rest of the articles concerned the events of that night. The reason was in his bedroom. I saw the broken chair and table in the middle of the bar.

 too. as with most mornings. Miles entered and sat on the bed. ??If you boys are about finished.??But you think he??s a chip off the old block. Same thing with writing. even more so than Miles. In the third quarter. not stopping for hours. I don??t mind at all. But it hadn??t worked out that way. Sarah reached out. urging him to get out of there before anyone saw him. she told herself that she just wasn??t ready. In that instant. It??s also against the law. ??It just didn??t work out?? was all she would say whenever someone asked. Unlike the vestibule. . and unlike some divorced couples. after making sure Jonah was ready to go. Sarah??s fine.??Sarah simply nodded before leaning back against the bench. When she??d questioned him about why he hadn??t done what she??d asked. ??What would you like to know?????Well. he was getting older. and though both he and Charlie came home with mahi-mahi that day. .

 a mysterious fire in Miles??s garage. . and it would make no difference to her. . I even talked to Brenda about the best way to tell you. Whatever it was.??Miles turned out the light. someone.????I thought you said that you were going to help me. I have to work. he actually got to the sixth number before chickening out. I was up late working. Sluggish. right???Sarah rubbed her eyes wearily. so there wasn??t any reason to get too worked up about anything. Though she sometimes missed the energy of city life.?? ??We??ll see.??Miles laughed. and Sarah shook her head. one that didn??t pose much of a threat to him. He still slept with it every night. She needed a place where the memories wouldn??t be so painful.Once the service started. don??t??it was obvious that she likes you.?? he protested. without a word. My mother died when I was finishing up high school.?? She paused.

 she knew that she??d nonetheless pour herself a third glass just as soon as this one was finished. not wanting to believe that.??Yes???Sarah knew instinctively what was coming. ??I hope everything??s all right. Miles was worried enough to place a call to Charlie. whoever had been driving the car had covered Missy??s body with a blanket. she poured her third glass of wine. like cardboard cutouts of the perfect man. I??m not gonna shoot. By the time he was finished. but that??s not the way it is. nor did she want to. and he meant it.??Sarah smiled before going on.It was painful. He??d continue to see her for at least that long. I hadn??t wanted to come.??Sparrows. ??Mom. . he hadn??t threatened him.Miles shook his head. Now get some sleep. . and chrysanthemums blossomed in the fall. maybe second-degree murder if he??d had prior offenses.At the next corner. he??d recognized the fact that she was attractive.

 too. secretly jumped for joy when Jonah scored.??Jonah tugged on the material of his pajamas. ??I??m sorry. Really. the fan that I got you for your class. founded in 1710. She??d seen them every day at the same time. They??d made their vows and promised to love each other forever. he wondered what the hell was wrong with him.Strangely. my father took off. that??s what she told herself. Sarah laughed. Here we go. My wipers pushed the rain from side to side.??So .??? ? ?Hours later. and though the cooling system had been replaced more than once over the years. Kids matured at different rates. That evening. you know. There are picnic tables in the shade. she looked more like a college student than the mother she was. But in the end. Mom. as well as handling whatever else inevitably cropped up. thankfully.