Free Between the Roots by A. N. McDermott

AnLillie?"
    "I told him to do it, and he liked the idea. Besides, I think I can reason with her. She must know if there ever was a play rehearsal. She'll tell us; she's just a kid for God's sake!"
    "Sounds like a good excuse."
    "Excuse for what?"
    John laughed. "For you to see AnLillie."
    Presidents' Day meant no school, no office work, and the sweet feeling of sleeping in late. "The Date," as John called it, was today. With John as moral support, Sammy agreed to join Walt and AnLillie at the Ice Cream Shop.
    Shortly after lunch John was waiting on the store porch, never needing to be called twice to dessert. Sammy parked his bike in the rack beside the building. A fairly new dirt bike was locked in the rack's second cage. John craned his neck to watch Sammy eye the bike, run his hand over the bars, and finally pat the seat.
    "Cool! Is this your new purchase?"
    John smirked and said, "Yeah, pretty sweet, isn't it?"
    "So where did you get it?"
    "A guy at Dad's work wanted to upgrade, so he sold it for a song." John beamed as he helped Sammy check it out, spitting on the frame and polishing it with his jacket sleeve. "Do you want to hear what I sang?" At that moment a horn sounded and a brake squealed.
    "Guess Walt's here."
    Both boys rounded the building just as the car hopped into a large parking place in front of the store. Walt was out of the vehicle before AnLillie had her seat belt unfastened. The old man was on a mission. He hobbled around the front of the car, grabbed John's elbow, and hauled him toward the store. His mischievousness showed on his wrinkled face. Sammy was left to help AnLillie out of the car. As agile as she was, she really didn't need help. John and Walt were now watching side by side in front of the store, both of them grinning and up to no good.
    Sammy knew it was a setup, but he decided to make the most of it. There were questions he needed to ask AnLillie. Walt and John's silliness was making that possible. As he watched her, he detected a subtle change.
    "Hi, AnLillie. It's me, Sammy." What a stupid thing to say. She knows who I am.
    "Good to see you, Sammy. It's been a long time."
    Sammy realized he hadn't seen her since November, when she handed him the coupons.
    "Say, weren't you wearing glasses the last time I saw you?"
    "I finally outgrew them. I don't even need them for reading. It's amazing!"
    "Yeah, guess they can be a nuisance." She must have been one of those four-eyed toddlers, practically born wearing glasses.
    They continued into the store. Fortunately, one of the two booths was available. Walt and John slipped in together on one side, leaving AnLillie and Sammy to share the other bench. A waiter came by and got their orders: three sundaes, and one coffee milkshake for AnLillie. John suddenly remembered he wanted to show off his bike to Walt, who was eager to go. Sammy suspected it was an excuse to leave him alone with AnLillie. So this was their romantic setup. The old coot and the frisky doughboy, getting their laughs , Sammy thought. Well, he would make the most of it. This was his chance to find out more about the mysterious Walt.
    As soon as John and Walt slipped out the door, the conversation between AnLillie and Sammy became richly confusing. AnLillie began, "You look so familiar." She stared at him. Sammy sat nervously on the edge of the bench. This is silly. Why am I so nervous around a little kid?
    "Yeah, I've got a pretty ordinary face." Sammy didn't know what else to say.
    "Walt told me you were interested in returning to the Colony. How was your outside experience?" AnLillie asked.
    What was she talking about? He enjoyed riding his bike and skiing; was that what she meant? Not wanting to appear dumb, he guarded his answer. "Fine, how was yours?" That's not what he wanted to ask her. There were other questions: Who is Walt? Why is it that she and Walt seem to talk in circles around him?
    The floodgate burst. Her response puzzled him. "I loved Severee. There were so many