âWhat? You knew Susan?â
I stand there for several moments waiting for words to emerge. âI was with her at the beach when she died,â I finally say.
She puts down her book and gets off the stool. âHow old are you?â She touches my hair as if Iâm an alien life-form.
âTwelve,â I say.
âThat would be about right.â She looks into my eyes as if sheâs trying to conjure up that boy from a decade ago. âThat remains the worst day of my life. Susan was my best friend.â
Lauren suddenly makes the connection. âWhat did you doâtrack me down online?â
I tell her I just found the newspaper article about the drowning this year, that my mother told me what she knew but I wanted to know more.
âYou donât have to tell me anything if itâs too painful,â I add. Just because I want to hear more, it might be hard for Laurenâprobably as difficult as Iâve made this for Mom all summer. Thinking of Mom makes me realize I only have a few minutes before they come looking for me. Lauren, hurry!
Lauren plays with the tips of her hair as she talks. âYou have to remember that Susan was a teenager, only a few years older than you are now. She had a crush on this guyâTim Jensen. He didnât even know she existed, but she used to talk about him all the time. She wanted me to meet her at the beach where she knew he was going to be. When I got there, I couldnât believe she had a kid with her!â
I point to myself and Lauren nods.
âShe never mentioned anything about babysitting, and that part of the beach isnât good for little kids, especially after a storm. But when Tim and his friends came by, Susan wasnât watching you, believe me.â Lauren gets up to help a man look for a hair clip for his wife. The anticipation of my parents walking in almost makes my head explode.
âI was playing in the sand with you,â Lauren finally continues. âYou were one fearless little boy.â Laurenâs eyes darken, and she sits back down on the stool. âWhen I turned around, Susan was in the water with Tim and his friends. I mean, she just left you there.â
Just as I think Iâm going to burst if I donât hear the rest of the story, someone behind me coughs. My parents and Bodi are now standing in the booth.
Before they can ask why I lied about losing the book, I introduce them to Lauren Hutchins. âShe was Susanâs best friend,â I say. âShe was with her the day of the accident.â
My mother looks like sheâs just been shot out of a cannon. I know when we leave Iâm in for the biggest portion of MomMad ever.
âYou and I looked for shells on the beach while Susan and Tim went for a walk,â Lauren continues. âAfter he left, Susan was just so happy. She and I tried to make a sand castle with you, but all you wanted to do was run around.â
Sounds familiar.
âEven though the waves were huge, Susan insisted on going for a swim. She loved the water, always did. We were way over on the right, past where the lifeguards sit. She wasnât in the water for a minute before the undertow got a hold of her. Iâm not a strong swimmer, so I ran to get help.â
My mother seems almost as shocked and tongue-tied as I am. âSusan wasnât trying to save Derek?â
Lauren shook her head. âThe only time he was near the water was after the ambulance came. It was so busy, no one saw him wander in.â She reaches over and tousles my hair again. âLucky for you, your dog grabbed your diaper and pulled you back to shore.â
I canât remember one time when my family has ever said anything in unison, but we do now. âBodi?!â
When everyone in the barn looks over to Laurenâs stall, she bursts out laughing, then bends down to Bodi and kisses him all over again. âHe mustâve been only a few years old, but he