Page 33 of Everything We Give

“What about you? Won’t you go?”

“I love being here.” She glanced back at the house. “It’s safe and peaceful. Besides”—she turned back to him—“I travel every day.”

“No, you don’t.”

“It’s a special kind of travel.”

Ian gave her a sidelong glance. “Really?”

She leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Armchair travel.”

“Pfft,”Ian scoffed. “That’s not traveling.”

“It is for me. I go where my characters go in the books I read.”

“But that’s notrealtraveling.”

She just smiled. “Promise me something, Ian.”

“What?” He snapped a photo of a red leaf.

“Promise that when you fall in love you’re as good to your wife as you are to me.”

Ian’s face screwed up at the mention of a wife. He liked a girl at school. Lisa was quiet and cute, but he hadn’t had the nerve to say anything other than “Hi.” He was eleven. He hadn’t yet kissed a girl so why was his mom talking about marriage? Yuck.

Unless ...

“Is Dad good to you?”

His mom broke the twig in two. “I remember the first time I saw your dad. I was working in the concession stands at the Padres ballpark. The line for drinks was huge, and we were filling sodas as fast as we could during the seventh-inning stretch. The Padres were losing and some of the fans were getting unruly. They were loud and rude and impatient.

“There was this guy and he was big, much bigger than your father. He ordered two sodas and started barking at me to hurry before I could grab the cups to fill them. It was pandemonium behind the counter. We constantly ran into one another, which is exactly what happened. I carried the sodas back to the order counter and someone bumped my arm. The drinks flew out of my hands and drenched the man who ordered them. He got so mad at me.” She whistled at the memory. “Then there was your dad. He appeared from nowhere. He calmed the man down by sweet-talking him or something. Your dad even paid for his drinks.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing. I froze. I couldn’t move. Your dad had to ask for the drinks several times before I realized he was talking to me. He must have noticed how shaken up I was because he came back after the game to check on me. He walked me to my car and asked for my phone number.”

“Did you give it to him?”

“I sure did. Your dad was the first man who was nice to me. He assured me he’d always love me and would take care of me. He wanted to keep me safe.”

Just as Ian wanted to do for his mom. He liked how he and his dad were the same in that way. “Did Dad—” He stopped abruptly and looked at his hands. He rolled the lens cap between his fingers.

His mom crooked her finger and lifted his chin. She smiled gently. “Did Dad what?”

“Did Dad know about you ... I mean ... did he know about Jackie before you got married?”

A crow cawed loudly as it flew over them. His mom glanced up and looked around. They’d arrived at the pond. “We’re here.”

Ian’s mom sat on a tree stump and Ian cased the edge of the pond, seeking his next Kodak moment. Spotting a toad, he sank on his heels and positioned the camera.

His mom crashed through the brush and landed on her knees beside him. “Whoa! Look at the toad. He’s huge.”

The toad splashed into the water before Ian could take a picture.

“Oops.” She laughed. “I think I scared him off.”

No kidding. Ian groaned in irritation. “Be quiet. He might come back.”

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