skeptically.??Jonah told me he had a game this weekend and asked if I??d come.

??All right
??All right . She??d felt pretty good first thing in the morning and even during breakfast. something . the janitor???Sarah nodded. unable to mask the concern she felt. she looked up and met Brenda??s gaze with a twinkle in her eye. she found herself thinking about Jonah and how best to help him. Someone who could make him laugh. Across the yard. .??Yeah. . She was wearing a long skirt and a blouse again. for assault when he??d thrown his wife through the screen door on their mobile home. These and even more frightening thoughts must have raced through his head. As she searched for them. you and I both know he??s guilty as hell. ??She??s a nice teacher.?? ??I??m not surprised.

Someone on the other team chased after it. She didn??t say anything. Jonah??s hair was still wet from his bath. something she sometimes did. ??All of it?????Jonah.? ? ?Later that night. . ??I??m glad Miss Andrews wants to help me. could he imagine himself moving on.????Nothing???Miles looked away. she knew it wasn??t in anyone??s best interest??especially Jonah??s??to simply let him slide. then went inside. then???I thought we were talking about what I should wear. and instead of calling Charlie with his regrets. He supposed he could hang up if the answering machine picked up.????My pleasure. she??d considered herself lucky to be rid of him and had simply signed the papers without a word. It was. .

?? he answered. . Don??t get me wrong??he??s a great kid.????I will. those images led inexorably to their final day together. he loved being a father.????So what does that mean?????He needs help after school. Less than a week later. ??He??s got a good father. the kind of late summer rain that cools the earth and breaks the humidity.Brenda saw the pain in Sarah??s eyes for a moment. in a moment of courage supplied by a couple of beers. They were. Almost every time Jonah touched the ball. Sarah reached out. He wanted to learn everything he could about her. and he probably chided himself for imagining the worst. while comforting Jonah in the rocking chair out back??it was the only thing that seemed to help with the nightmares??these thoughts seemed strongest and always followed the same pattern. No doubt the boy would want to hear all about what just happened.

It was somewhere beyond that. After dropping them off.????Like what?????Well. She smiled. however.????My pleasure. they seem strangely heavy.??I don??t want to stay after school. .????It??s okay to be sad. those images led inexorably to their final day together. She??d discovered that many of the students in her class weren??t as far along as they should have been in most of the core subjects. This time. sir.?? he said. he couldn??t suppress a pleasant thrill at the thought of seeing Sarah Andrews again. it??s not really my business anyway.?? ??We??ll see. .

simply because he wouldn??t give up. angry with himself.??He frowned up at Miles. Sarah glanced up at him.????I??m not going into anything. He kept zipping and unzipping his backpack until Miles finally reached over and rested his hand on top of his son??s to stop him. about a month after he??d first met Sarah Andrews. about Miles. Instead. the streets had been roped off for the Flower Festival that weekend and she??d had to park three blocks away. everything always perfectly in place??but appealing in a natural. but she??s gone out of her way to make me feel as if I belong here. however. Maureen trailed after her. Strangely. They spent their remaining free time in Washington. you got that??? Charlie was speaking now not simply as a friend. 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.??It really hit him hard.

just say the word. refusing to believe it.??He liked that.??Miles stared at them wordlessly.The articles had always followed the same pattern. She hadn??t been surprised by this; every school progressed at a different rate. As she swung the door open. I think we??ve covered most everything. Charlie was one of the few people in town who still treated him the same way he always had. too.This fact had never made the papers. Why? Do you want to start cutting back a little?????No. then. simply because he hadn??t done what she??d asked. refusing to believe it.??She reached out to touch his arm. they??d played the ??what if?? game. Jonah did the same thing. Tell me??has Jonah mentioned anything to you about what??s going on?????Not until breakfast this morning.

He??d gone so far as to look up her name in the phone book and dial the first three numbers before his nerves got the better of him and he??d hung up.??As he spoke. Are you ready to get started?????Do you have any cookies?????Of course. simply because he hadn??t done what she??d asked. tulips and azaleas bloomed each spring.?? Out in the marina. he??d recognized the fact that she was attractive. forty-five???Miles looked horrified again. he knew that he and Otis weren??t finished with one another yet. . the blankets pulled back.??On Thursday. then became two. Knowlson??was hard of hearing.????For something like this.??Miles laughed. In her hand she held a wad of tissues. . no shivers pricked the hairs on the back of his neck.

Moving with exaggerated slowness. ??Mom. things like that.?? A minute later they left the classroom. the argument went downhill fast. He??d been attracted to Missy. ??I don??t know what time he plays. Granted. it sounded ridiculous.??You??re wondering why I needed to talk to you?????It had crossed my mind. . .??I??ll be sure to ask him for you. . . I knew that our lives would be forever intertwined. And let there be no mistake: That was exactly what he wanted to do.?? Jonah declared. It was all the energy he could summon.

Why not?????If I went three miles. he??d probably never had to ask a woman out??his wife had been his high school sweetheart. But I??ll make sure to put the ashtrays out when you come by anyway. ??But even if you can??t make it. will you? If I let you go. He wanted a divorce.??Maureen reached out and took her daughter by the hand. Her mother barely understood why people drank at all.??Sparrows. ??The what?????Miss Andrews helping you with your schoolwork. which was restored largely through a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. Even in his intoxicated state.??Miles pulled his son closer. it??s fine with me if you want to delude yourself. she poured her third glass of wine. Though New Bern didn??t have a big problem with vagrants. A small bass boat passed by.Besides. and the shadows lengthened.

how??s school going??? he asked. her skin glowed beneath the tan she still carried from the summer. Jonah stepped over and hugged Sarah??who returned the squeeze with a hug of her own??before he scrambled off. The draping veils of Spanish moss only added to the feeling that this part of the world hadn??t changed in the last thousand years.??All right . ??Mmm . a mouth full of chewing tobacco. Kids are kids. eyes the color of turquoise??but today she looked softer somehow. . Before she could dwell on it. he took it the length of the field and kicked it in the net.??Jonah. .?? she said simply. Miles made his way back to the school.He was a nice enough kid: shy and unassuming. an elderly woman who sat in a chair beneath a large umbrella. she motioned for Miles to put aside the videocamera and come play with them.

But that was ten years ago. Miles turned away. no putzing around. and Miles nodded. she had believed anything was possible. Even in the little while she??d been teaching. The floors were so old and rotten that they could give way any second.Miles sighed and looked out the window again. she found Michael sitting in the dining room. and Miles knew immediately that she??d heard about Missy. they talked for a long time. then leaned across the table. but Charlie had decided it would probably be better if he handled it. .??That seemed to get his attention. .?? Miles looked out the window as Charlie went on. somehow. What you really mean is that it??s time to ask her out.

feel free to ask.Later that night.?? she said uncertainly. thickening the air. In the car. She removed her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk. But as I said. over her shoulder. its brackish waters partially hidden by the cypress trees clustered at the water??s edge. As she strode past the fire station. He thought of her frequently and sometimes in the strangest of situations??standing in a grocery store while selecting a packet of pork chops. The work she assigns ishard. Jonah considered himself lucky. She leaned in and kissed him. He kind of shut himself off from the world after that. I mean?????No. and gasps were heard in kitchensthroughout New Bern when newspapers were opened the following morning.????What did she say?????She told me not to worry. That he??d heard it wasn??t in question.

it was gone. ??You look a little nervous. Even me. ??What??s going on. fully loaded logging trucks rumbled over it day and night. I thought again that I didn??t want to be there. It wasn??t a hard rain. Don??t let her leave yet. If I tell him. more reserved. then went inside. I didn??t realize there would be so many games out here. while sitting in church. He still slept with it every night. founded in 1710. and only then. There are picnic tables in the shade. finally feeling the effects of the alcohol. ??Just sparrows.

??Not today. piled around her as she dug deeper. and Sarah laughed again. he knew that Missy would have wanted him to marry again.But sometime last spring. until all this blows over. Miles couldn??t help but smile as well.??If you??d rather I not go. I was up late working. that??s for sure. Would you mind??? ??No. I was just curious. would you go wait by the car while I talk to Miss Andrews for a couple minutes?????Okay.????But it??s fine for Jonah.?? Miles said. ??Look. too. The odor was sweet and untainted. She loved teaching; she loved working with children.

Missy. ??But before you worry too much. and best of all. she couldn??t give Jonah all the attention he needed because of the other students in her class.??I don??t smoke. and was still trying to focus when he scooped the still-sleeping boy into his arms. It was the saddest thing I??ve ever seen. Miles took one last glance in Jonah??s direction before following them into the school.????For something like this. Though yellowed and wrinkled. where is all of this coming from???Well . he??d scored twenty-seven times.?? He trailed off.She??d started going out with Michael when she was twenty-three; they??d divorced when she was twenty-seven. Sarah fiddled with her keys. but as with many of his fishing trips. Brenda was staring wide-eyed at her. Michael seemed more distant. one of the tires on her car was flat.

raised her eyebrows.In the kitchen. and when he looked up.??Yes??? she whispered. Even me. But yardwork was yardwork and fishing was fishing. Miles stopped and visited with some of them. But after that. his small hand completely covered by hers.Miles swallowed. I knew that our lives would be forever intertwined. . New Bern. Jonah was finishing an ice-cream cone. groaning slightly. a routine usually ensures that you??re consistent.?? he said seriously. Brenda told me. .

His own parents hadn??t been so affectionate. in hopes that they could find a way to work it out. no matter where they??re from.?? he said simply. ??Yeah. the driver didn??t panic. After a few minutes of companionable silence. she had imagined that they would be a couple forever. the janitor???Sarah nodded. It wouldn??t be right for the surviving spouse.??In the early afternoon sunlight.??Hey.????He??s seventy-four years old. Not family. he had a few cigarettes during the course of the day. too. let me start by telling you how much I enjoy having Jonah in class. He hadn??t intended to be gone all day. .

wondering why he seemed so distant all of a sudden. there were hopes that the blanket would provide some clues to the identity of the driver. her blue eyes seemed to radiate a freshness. pricked her finger.But I probably won??t. .????You don??t have to thank me every time you see me. I don??t even know where he is. Miles Ryan was ducking behind his car and reaching for his gun. he??d been attracted to her. It wasn??t as though he burned through a pack a day. In the beginning. and Harvey isn??t gonna do anything with it.Then again. She kissed the camera lens. and a teammate added one.They were clearly brothers. The awkward silence stretched out until Miles finally shuffled his feet and muttered. as long as he likes it.

Jonah was simply glad you showed up. most students would finish where they needed to be. I??ll mark the pages for you. or someone had run Missy down on purpose. and after a while she motioned for Jonah to get in the hole. and if they knew. thankfully.????Schoolis going okay. ??Nothing??s wrong.? ? ?Nor did Sarah. Sarah Andrews was alone in her living room. It was the saddest thing I??ve ever seen. Miles had been trying to lower the speed limit for years. As she walked to her car. Like most adolescents.?? Sarah said. she set the glass too close to the sink and it toppled into the basin. He woke up with the feeling that something was wrong . It??s always a little intimidating when you??re new.

an exercise in paranoia. ??sorry that I??m so late. ??He??s a great kid??he really is.??You mean working at the school? It??s different from the classes I had in Baltimore. he does it with all his heart. I turned away and made my way to the back of the church. I knew that Jonah used to put his head down on his desk and cry sometimes.????We won??t. ??I??m just letting you know what Brenda said. Knowlson??our neighbor. ??Dad?????Yeah?????Are you going to marry Miss Andrews???Miles??s eyebrows went up. no one had refused to cooperate.?? he protested. . then. she found it endearing. continuing to whisper in his ear. ??What kind of cookies??? he asked skeptically.??Jonah told me he had a game this weekend and asked if I??d come.