Free Tiger Town by Eric Walters Page A

chief?” Nick asked in amazement.
    “Why does that surprise you so much?” she asked. “Lawyers and police officers have a lot in common.”
    “The only thing I can see is that he arrests crooks, and you try to get them off. That hardly seems like a good thing to have in common,” Nick argued.
    “Nick, give it a rest,” I said. “Come on, let’s get to work.” I started to get out of the car, stopped and glanced at Mom. “You’re only going to work for a few hours, right?”
    “Just a half day. I’ll be back to see the animals in a few hours.”
    “That’s great,” I said.
    “Yeah, we’ll see you then, I guess,” Nick said. “Unless you run into somebody else you’ve got so much in common with that you forget we’re here.”
    “Nicky, please don’t be like that,” Mom begged.
    He slammed the car door and walked away without answering her.
    “I’ll talk to him,” I offered. “He’ll be okay.”
    “Thank you, Sarah.” She leaned across and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I can always count on you.”
    “We’ll see you this afternoon, right?” I asked.
    “No question.”
    I was just getting out of the car when I hesitated. “You like him, don’t you?”
    “Of course I like him! He can be a little bit annoying at times, as you well know, but he’s my son —”
    “I didn’t mean Nick.”
    “Oh, you mean Martin.”
    I nodded.
    “He does seem very nice.”
    “Are you going to see him again?” I asked.
    “I hope … but we’ll see. He said he’d call. I hope he does.”
    “If he’s smart, he’ll call, and if he doesn’t, he’s stupid. You don’t want a stupid person to call, anyway,” I said. “So, either way, there’s nothing to worry about.”
    “Sarah, you’re such a sweetheart. I really appreciate all your support and encouragement, although at times it makes me feel a little guilty.”
    “Guilty?”
    “Yes, guilty. Here I am, the mother, and you’re the one offering me words of encouragement. Shouldn’t I be the one helping you deal with insecurities and self-esteem issues around dating and boys and —”
    “That’s okay,” I said, cutting her off before she could say anything else that might be even more embarrassing.
    “You know, if you have any questions about boys, I’d be more than willing to listen —”
    “I don’t have any questions. None. Period.”
    “Sarah, it’s okay to ask questions. You’re a young lady, and it’s quite natural for you to be aware of boys.”
    “I’m aware of them,” I said. “I’m aware that most of them are seriously stupid.”
    My mother let out a big sigh. “Sarah, just because your father made some bad decisions in leaving us, doesn’t mean that most males are stupid.”
    “I didn’t say that!” I protested.
    “It’s okay to be mad at him.”
    “I’m not mad at him!” I snapped. That was at least only half a lie. I wasn’t as mad at him as I had been when he left us — it had been over a year now. Time heals all wounds. I’d read that someplace. Of course, I’d have to live to be around two hundred years old before I was completely free of all that anger.
    “It’s just I’ve noticed that sometimes you treat males like they’re little boys.”
    “What males have you seen me around?” I asked.
    “Well, sometimes you don’t treat Nick very well.”
    “Nick
is
a little boy! My little brother! And he is stupid most of the time, like he’s being now!”
    “It’s just that sometimes you have an attitude around males. Like you think they’re going to show bad judgement.”
    “I don’t act like that!”
    “You often did with your father.”
    “That’s because he was showing bad judgement!”
    “I thought you weren’t mad at him?” my mother said.
    I took a deep breath. There was nothing worse than having a mother who was a lawyer — except having a mother who was a lawyer who was getting ready for a big trial. “I
was
mad at him, back then. Now I’m not. And I don’t want to