Free Steel Breeze by Douglas Wynne Page B

more at the road behind than at the
road ahead.
    Lucas
soon tired of the music and started complaining that he wanted to skip ahead to
the next track or to a favorite number. Just a few weeks ago, Desmond had
thought it was cute that Lucas already had favorite songs and clever that he
had memorized the track numbers. Now he regretted letting the kid boss him
around like a personal DJ. He had his attention on the stereo controls more than
the road, and when he had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a pickup truck
that had pulled out of a donut shop, he jabbed the power button and announced
that they were done with music. He tried to remember if the dark red metallic
sedan two cars behind them had been there on Ocean Road, but he didn’t know. What
he did know was that even grocery shopping with a four-year-old was nearly
impossible for him, so why should avoiding a tail be any easier?
    Before
long they were cruising through tree-lined suburban streets like the one they
used to live on. Lucas craned his head around to look for kids, and covered his
ears when they passed a loud lawnmower. When the sound faded behind them, he
asked, “Is this where Carl lives?”
    “Yes,
in one of these houses. I just have to figure out which one.” He looked at the
Post-it note on the steering wheel. He had worked with Laurie Fisher at the
school for three years and considered her a friend but had never visited her
home. He was just grateful that she’d made him feel welcome, even when the
first call he made to her since losing his job six months ago was to ask her
for a favor.
    “Does
Carl have trains?” Lucas asked.
    “I
don’t know, buddy. We’ll see.”
    “ Why we’ll see?”
    “I
don’t know if he has trains. He might. Carl is a little older than you. He
might have other cool toys. He might have trains…I think this is the place,
buddy.”
    Laurie invited Desmond in for a cup of coffee and
a look around. “I trust you completely,” he said, trying to brush it
off and get back in the car. It was obvious that the house was well kept. It
sure was nicer than their apartment. The manicured lawn, polished floors, and
antique furnishings reminded him of their old neighborhood and awakened an
unexpected dissonance in him that made him anxious.
    “ You do,” she said, “but Lucas has never
been here before. He doesn’t know me. Just come in for a few minutes while he
gets comfortable.”
    Desmond
settled on the couch and waited as she got the coffee. Lucas scanned the room
with wide eyes but stayed close to his father’s knee. Laurie called up the
stairs for Carl, who came down with a gadget in his hand. In a whisper, Lucas asked
Desmond what it was. “I don’t know. Go ask him .”
    And
that was all it took to break the ice. Carl started asking Lucas what
characters he liked and then pulled them up on his handheld video screen. Lucas
followed Carl upstairs without so much as a backward glance. Laurie handed
Desmond a mug and sat down beside him. “Well, that was easy,” she said. “Carl
likes younger kids.”
    “Yeah.
It’s nice to see Lucas with another boy. Thanks again for watching him.”
    “Happy
to. And don’t worry; I’ll get them out in the yard too. It’s too nice of a day
to stay in and watch videos.”
    “You
aren’t planning on taking them anywhere…out and about, right?”
    “No.
Why?”
    “Desmond
sighed. “I’ve just become a little overprotective around playgrounds, that’s
all.”
    “That’s
understandable.”
    He
realized that she would think it was because of what had happened to Sandy, and
in a way it was, but she had no idea.
    Laurie
took a sip, set her mug down on a coaster, and said, “So…read any good books
lately? Write any?”
    Desmond
smiled and felt gossamer webs that had been constricting his breathing let go
and float away. She wasn’t going to ask him about the hard stuff. She knew
better, and he felt a disproportionate gratitude welling up in response to this
small