A short toot of a horn signaled Mal's arrival, so she put all that away for now and left the house in anticipation of having a good time.
And a good time was had by all. The predawn air was quite chilly, so Rocky had coffee on hand for the adults and hot chocolate for the children.
“Can you believe all these people?” she asked Mal, keeping her voice low. All around them people were engaged in hushed conversations, as if not wanting to disturb the darkness.
“This is something,” he replied, glancing around.
Everywhere one looked, flashlights and small lanterns spotlighted people seated on blankets, air mattresses, and lawn chairs. There were couples both old and young, families with little kids, off to the side a whole section of the Dog's college-age waitstaff with their friends.
Mal cracked, “I hope they know Tamar won't be letting them use her bathroom.”
She chuckled and quieted along with everyone else as Jack stood in the glow of a flashlight and began an explanation of what they'd all be seeing.
When he was done, the lights were doused, and all eyes were trained on the sky.
The shower began rather slowly, but soon the gathering began seeing ten and fifteen streaks of light every few minutes, and as the spectacle gained speed and oohs and ahhs could be heard, she wondered how many wishes were being made on all the falling stars. She offered up a few wish-filled prayers of her own for those she loved, and for all the children around the world eking out lives under the boot of poverty, wars, and abuse.
As the day moved closer to dawn, there were fewer and fewer sightings, the signal for everyone to pack up and head home. They could now all say they'd witnessed a meteor shower, particularly the one known as Eta Aquarid.
W
hile everyone out at Tamar's drifted off to work, the Dog, and in some cases back to bed, Riley Curry was up making breakfast for himself and Cletus. He was so happy to have his hog back home where he belonged, he'd let Cletus sleep inside on the floor beside Riley's bed. That privilege lasted only long enough for Riley to get out of bed one morning a few days later and step barefooted into one of Cletus's surprises, so from that night forward the hog slept outside in the hog house Eustasia had commissioned for Cletus and Chocolate to occupy. It was equipped with a sleeping area, a large sunken tub filled with mud for wallowing, and a wall-size high-def television that showed the Animal Planet twenty-four hours a day, every day.
And that's was what Cletus was watching when Riley entered, carrying a huge dog bowl filled with rice cereal and milk. While Cletus ate noisily, Riley reflected on all the good things that had come out of the trial. For one, the media requests had gone through the roof in the days following Cletus's release. Major newspapers and weekly magazines of all kinds and from all over the world competed to be the first to show Cletus on their cover. Thanks to a tip from one of the people in Heather Quinn's office, he knew what to charge for the privilege and had amassed a sizable amount of money as a result. Then there were the letters from the schoolchildren, both national and international, asking for autographed pictures of Cletus in his camouflage gear and Ray-Bans. With the aid of the money paid to him by the media outlets, he'd brought in a professional photographer to take pics of his hog in various outfits. He also found an ink stamp featuring a hog's hoofprint on the Internet and used it to “sign” the pictures before sending them out.
Cletus was quite the sensation, and in Riley's opinion well worthy of all the fuss and acclaim. The only place Cletus wasn't a celebrity was in his hometown of Henry Adams. No one had come by to congratulate Riley on the court victory. He'd tried to call Eustasia down in Texas to let her know how proud Cletus looked, strutting out of the county pen when Riley came to take him home again, but the maid said Eustasia wasn't taking any calls. A man of lesser confidence might have been upset by the lack of charity, but not Riley; the phone call he'd received yesterday was going to make him and his hog the envy of everyone around. Just as soon as Cletus was done eating, he was going to put him in the bed of the new red truck he'd purchased and drive to the Dog for some breakfast of his own. While there, he planned to make the announcement that would make them all wish they'd treated him better, especially old hateful Genevieve.
Upon entering the Dog, Riley heard the loud music and saw Mal July behind the counter at the cash register. July looked up suspiciously. “What can I do for you, Riley?”
“I came for breakfast.”
“Sure. Follow me.”
As Riley was taken to one of the empty center tables, the other diners gave him the eye. He saw Bernadine Brown sitting with Lily July, the laughing junior felons in a booth in the back, and Trent July seated with the teacher and the loser Gary Clark. He also noticed Genevieve seated with Marie Jefferson at a booth on the far side of the room. She glowered at him as always, but even though he ignored her, he was glad she was there to hear his grand announcement straight from the horse's mouth.
As he looked over the menu, he hoped someone would come over and chitchat or ask how Cletus was enjoying being back home, but no one did, so he gave the waitress his order and waited for his food to come.
It arrived a short while later, and with Genevieve's hostile eyes watching his every move, he ate his breakfast. When he was done, he stood up and tapped his knife on his water glass to get everyone's attention. Because of the music, it took a second or two for them to look his way. Luckily, the song on the jukebox ended just at that moment, so he said, “I'd like to make an announcement.”
He saw Mal July watching him with narrowed eyes, so Riley asked, “Can you stop the music for just a moment, Mal?”
A few boos were heard, and it was obvious that July didn't want to comply with the request, but he did and the diner was silent. Glad to see that everyone was now focused on him, especially Genevieve, he said, “This town won't have me and Cletus to kick around for a while. Weâ”
Cheers and applause filled the room before he could complete what he planned to say. “Would you let me finish!” he yelled.
Laughter followed his outburst, and the room went quiet again until someone shouted, “Hurry up, Riley. We don't have all day!”
He gathered himself again. “I got a call yesterday from a major Hollywood producer who wants to put Cletus in films.”
Mal asked, “Is that it?”
A voice yelled, “Turn the box back on, Mal!”
This was not going the way Riley envisioned. He'd been expecting awe and envy, not disinterest, and certainly not disdain. In an attempt to regain his momentum, he added, “And Cletus is going to make me the richest man in Kansas!”
Genevieve countered drily, “And when that happens, make sure you use some of that money to hire you a top-notch lawyer, because I'm suing you for embezzlement, mental anguish, destruction of property, and anything else I can think of.”
More cheers erupted. The music came back on, and an angry Riley snatched up his bill and went to the cash register to pay it. Storming back to where he'd parked his truck, he started it up and drove away. He got the last word, he figured; he hadn't left a tip.
A
fter breakfast, Preston, Leah, and Amari left the Dog and walked down Main to spend the day at the rec. Because they were on school break, they were going to shoot some hoops, play chess, and maybe watch a Mummy marathon on the big screen in the auditorium. On the way, they talked about the awesome meteor shower and then Mr. Curry's announcement.
“Who would be stupid enough to put that dumb pig in a movie?” Amari asked.
Preston certainly didn't know. “Especially since Mr. Curry acts like he's a few fries short of a Happy Meal.”
“I sort of feel sorry for him, though,” Leah confessed.
“Why?” Preston asked, surprised.
“He doesn't have anybody but Cletus.”
Amari asked, “Do you know what he let that pig do to Ms. Genevieve's house? I don't feel sorry for him one bit.”
“I don't either,” Preston added. “The first summer we moved here, he kept calling us members of the FFA.”
“What's the FFA?” Leah asked.
“Future Felons of America.”
“Oh.”
“Man's a nut job, and so is his killer hog,” Amari said, summing things up.
When they reached the rec, they checked in with Tamar and Marie and then went down to the gym.
“Got something I need to talk to you two about,” Preston said once they were inside.
Amari asked, “The colonel acting dumb again?”
They took seats on the bleachers.
“No, it's my birth mom.”
For the next few minutes, he told them the story of how he learned her name and what he found out about her on the Net.
“And she's a NASA astrophysicist? Wow, that's sweet,” Leah gushed.
“I really want to contact her.”
Amari shook his head. “You can't, man. No contact means no contact.”
Preston had prepared himself to hear that, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear. “I have her office phone number, too,” he revealed for the first time.
“Brain, you're just going to get your feelings hurt. Just leave it alone, okay?” Amari pleaded.
In his mind, Preston knew that, but in his heart . . . “Okay. I just wanted to get your opinions.”
Amari said, “Which means, you're going to get in touch with her anyway, aren't you?”
Surprised by how well Amari knew him, he confessed quietly, “Yes.”
The serious concern on Leah's face made the feelings he had for her fill his chest. She looked as if she didn't want him to be hurt either.
Amari gazed out over the empty gym for a moment and then looked into Preston's eyes. “Then go for it, and I hope it works out for you. I really do.”
Preston sensed Amari was thinking about his own situation, and the no-contact message his birth mom had sent to him via Griffin July last fall. Although Amari was a master at hiding his true feelings, Preston knew he was still hurting inside. “I'll let you know how it turns out. Let's go get the balls.”
That night around 1:00
A.M.
, Preston picked up his phone. Punching in the numbers to Dr. Winthrop's office, he waited for the call to go through. He'd chosen this particular time because he was sure to get her answering machine. He didn't want to bother her, but he did want to leave a message, and once he finished saying what he wanted to say, he'd never contact her again.
The machine came on, and for a moment he was so nervous and tongue-tied, he hung up. It was like the mess he'd made out of trying to talk to Leah about being his girl all over again. Taking in a deep breath to calm himself, he gathered his courage and dialed the number again. When the machine kicked in, he waited for the beep and said, “Hi, Dr. Winthrop, my name's Preston Mays. I know you don't want to hear from me, but I just wanted to leave you a message, and I promise I'll never bother you again. I'm not mad at you for not keeping me. I'm having a real good life. My parents love me a lot, and I love them.” He could feel emotions starting to rise inside, so he kept talking. “I love physics too, and one day when I'm older I'm going to make you and my parents very proud.”
He cleared his throat around the tears. “I'm going to be officially adopted soon, but I'm not changing my name. Even though I never met my birth dad, I plan to be Preston Mays Payne out of respect.” Plowing on, he whispered, “And thanks for having meâotherwise, I wouldn't be here.”
He ended the call, dragged his hands over his wet eyes, and burrowed into the bedding to go to sleep.
Miles away in Florida, Dr. Winthrop was working late. When she walked into her office and saw the light flashing on the answering machine, she hit the button and sat down at her desk to go over the notes she'd made for the briefing tomorrow. But as the caller introduced himself, she froze. Staring at the machine, she listened in shock. When the voice of her son faded away and the office was once again still, she realized there were tears running down her cheeks. With a shaking hand she replayed the message, and this time, when it ended, she put her head in her hands and wept from both pain and joy.
A few days later, a large package arrived at the Payne household via FedEx. It was addressed to Preston. While his parents looked on curiously, an equally curious Preston opened it. The hardware packaged inside left him stunned. “It's a telescope!”
There was also an envelope with his name on it. “Did you buy me this?” he asked, opening the note, but when he saw the NASA letterhead, he started to shake.
His pops asked, “You okay?”
He showed them the letterhead, and his mom's hand flew to her mouth.
“I know I wasn't supposed to call her, but I left a message on her answering machine. I didn't think she'd do this.”
“What's the note say?”
He read it aloud, “Dear Preston. Every budding astrophysicist needs good equipment. Dr. M. Winthrop.” It was short and sweet and way more than he ever dreamed he'd get as a response to his call. “Is it okay if I keep it?”
“Of course,” the colonel told him. “It was sent in good faith and should be accepted in the same way. Do you agree, Sheila?”
“Yes.” She walked over and peered down at the pieces. “Are you going to be able to put it together?”
“I'm going to call Leah to help me. She has a telescope at home.”
The colonel nodded. “Then go ahead. You're probably going to want to use it as soon as it gets dark.”
The elated Preston looked at his parents. “Are you mad at me for calling her?”
“Water under the bridge, son, and it turned out well. Can't be upset with that.”
He was thankful for their understanding. “I told her I had a family that I loved a lot.”
His mom said, “And we love you a lot.”
“I told her that, too.”
His dad grinned and said, “Call Leah.”
L
eah's dad dropped her off a short while later, and the colonel promised to bring her home after dark.
As they moved the box out onto the deck and viewed all the pieces, Leah said excitedly, “This piece is top-of-the-line, boyfriend.”
Preston's head shot up in response to that last word.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You sure?”
He nodded. “Let me go get my laptop so we can download the manual and the registration form.”
Upstairs in his room, he picked up the laptop and prayed his feelings for Leah didn't make him say something stupid.
Even with Leah's knowledgeable help, it took them almost two hours to put the scope together and get it properly mounted on the tripod that came with it. He was impressed by Leah's mechanical knowledge and the ease with which she handled the screwdrivers and ratchet set. When it was finally done, they both stood back and looked at it with pride.
“We have ignition, Houston,” she said, smiling.
Preston was so happy he felt like he might burst. He had his first, very own telescope, and it had been sent by his famous scientist birth mom. How awesome was that! Equally as awesome was the fact that Leah'd helped him put it together, and every time he used it, he'd think of her. He was going to name the telescope after her, too, but planned to keep that to himself. He didn't want her to think he was dumb. “Thanks, Leah. I'd be still trying to put it together if you hadn't helped.”
“You're welcome. We make a pretty good team.”
“Yeah, we do. The best.”
She was looking at him, and he was looking at her. He could feel the words he'd been wanting to say to her for weeks start to bubble up.
She spoke first. “I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Why do I feel like there's something you've been wanting to ask me?”
He froze, and his brain did the same. “Um.”
She turned away and leaned on the deck rail and gazed out at the open field. “Never mind. I'm probably just imagining it. Sorry.”
“No. You're right,” he hastily replied.
She faced him again. “Am I?”
“Yeah. It's like this. I want to ask you if you'd be my girl, but I've never asked anyone before, so I don't know what I'm supposed to say or how.”
To his surprise, she gave him a smile. “It's not like I've had a whole lot of practice being asked, so that makes us even, I think.”
Emboldened by her confession, he said, “I like you a lot, Leah.”
“I like you a lot, too, Preston.”
He wanted to jump up on the top rail and let the world know how happy he was. “So, can we be boyfriend and girlfriend?”
“Just as soon as you talk to my dad, we can.”
“Your dad?” he croaked.
“Yeah. He told me any boys that want to be more than friends have to come talk to him about it first.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “One of those old-school things, I think. He said, any boy who was serious about me should have enough courage to do that.”
Preston doubted he'd able to spell
courage
, let alone find enough to talk to Mr. Clark about his feelings for Leah. Not that Mr. Clark wasn't a good guy, but this whole thing had become way more complicated than he'd ever envisioned. She was waiting for him to make a decision, though. “Okay. I'll talk to your dad.”
“Good.”
His mom appeared at the screen door. “You two ready for dinner?”
He said they were, but his stomach was suddenly all knotted up at the prospect of talking to Leah's dad and he doubted he'd be able to eat a thing, but he did because she'd made her off-the-hook spaghetti.
After dinner, he and Leah cleaned up the kitchen, and when they were done, he said to her, “I need to talk to my pops for just a minute.”
“That's fine. I'll be out here, looking at the manual.”
His parents were in the living room, watching the evening news. “Pops, can I talk to you about something real quick?”
“Sure. What's up?”
“Um . . . alone. No offense, Mom, but it's guy stuff.”
“No offense taken. How about I go keep Leah company until you two are done?”
“Thanks, Mom. She's out on the deck.”
After her departure, Preston gave his dad a quick rundown on the situation.
The colonel's initial response was, “Good for Gary. I like that.”
“I don't. I'm scared to death.”
“Just be yourself, and answer any questions he has as truthfully as you can.”
“That's all?”
“Yes. Gary knows you're a good kid. I'm sure he'll be pleased that Leah's going to be with someone as levelheaded and smart as she is. I know I would be, were she my daughter.”
“Then do you mind waiting around after we take her home, so I can to talk to him tonight?”
“Not a bit, and I'll be pulling for you.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Preston and Leah had a great evening. Their excitement over the telescope quadrupled as they took close-up looks at the night sky. “The moon looks so close I feel like I could reach out and touch it,” he told her, looking into the eyepiece.
“That's an awesome telescope. The one we have at home, Dad picked up at a flea market. It's in good shape, but it's Jurassic compared to yours.”
For the next hour they took turns peering at the moon and the nearby constellations and being amazed. And then it was time for her to go home. He didn't want her to go, though. He'd really enjoyed having her over and wished she could visit all the time.
“Thanks for letting me come over,” she said as she opened the screen so he could carry the telescope inside.
“Thanks for helping me put it together.” He set the tripod down in the kitchen. Later, he'd take it up to his bedroom. “Well, let's go so I can talk to your dad.”
On the ride, they were so busy being excited about the astronomy books they wanted to get and how tight the telescope was, Preston forgot all about his talk with her father. But as soon as the colonel pulled up into the Clark driveway, the knots took over again.
They got out, and while Leah headed to the door, his pops said, “Good luck, and by the way, the first rule of impressing a girl's father is to escort his daughter to the door.”
Damn!
“Leah, hold up. Thanks!” he said hastily and hurried to catch up to her before she reached the porch.
He was at her side when she opened the door and stepped in.
Her father was up on a ladder, changing a lightbulb in the fixture in the front hall. “You two have a good time?” he asked as he reattached the glass globe by tightening the small screws.
“We did,” Leah said, holding on to the ladder until he finished and climbed down. “His telescope is so sweet. The view is oh my goodness.”
Her dad chuckled. “Thanks for having her over, Preston, and thank Barrett for me for bringing her home.”
“I will. Um, can I talk to you about something before I leave?”
He folded the ladder and set it against the wall. “Sure, what is it?”