Page 43 of Second Start: Family
“I have an idea.”
*
Bexley settled back in the passenger seat beside Kiernan for the drive to the Curricks’ Slash-C ranch with a satisfied sigh.
“What’s that about?” he asked, smiling.
She fended off his teasing for a bit. “Don’t you feel good about all the work you did today?”
“I do, I do, indeed. Yet I’ve the feeling you’re not confining yourself to improving their connections to the digital world or keeping themselves warmer in this Wyoming winter coming at us. I saw what you did with Kenzie and Hall and the closet shelf.”
As if changing the subject, she asked, “Do you know that scientists crashed part of a rocket into the moon deliberately to cause basically a huge splash. Except they didn’t know for sure that there’d be an actual splash. It was to test if there was water.”
“And they found a good amount, which has reenergized interest in getting back to the moon,” Kiernan summed up. “I recall my brother talking about that as well. What I don’t know is what it has to do with you maneuvering Kenzie and Hall into that closet.”
“The crash wasn’t the experiment. The scientists learned the most from reading what happened in thereactionto the crash. That’s sort of what I was doing. Crashing the rocket and looking for the splash.”
She paused and he willingly gave her the question to keep going. “Well?”
“There’s definitely water on that planet.”
*
“I’ve gotta stay late at school today. Mr. Kevery said he’d drive me home.”
Hall looked up at the rarity of his son addressing him voluntarily. “Why?”
“To be nice.” Dan said it like Hall wouldn’t have any experience with the concept.
He said evenly, “Why do you have to stay late?”
“Research for a paper for school. Internet’s way better at school than here since they worked on it.”
“Okay.”
Dan hesitated. “It’s an important paper.”
“What’s it on?”
“A guy named Sir Nicholas Winton who got a bunch of Jewish kids out of Prague before World War II.”
“That is important. I’d like to read it when you’re done.”
Dan’s turn to be surprised. “Okay. But that’s not why it’s important. Ms. Otter wants to submit it along with my application for the scholarship. That’s almost as important as the test in December and—”
“Dan. I’ve told you, even if you get the scholarship, there’re other expenses and—”
“I know that,” he snapped. “This isn’t some little kid’s dream. I’ve thought it out. I have a real shot at that scholarship and I could live with Aunt Naomi—”
“Your Aunt Naomi — right.”
Annie’s sister and her husband did live in Cheyenne. Supposedly in a big, nice house in a good neighborhood, too.
Not that they’d ever been there.
Annie had firmly refused all Naomi’s invitations to visit and had offered none in return. The invitations understandably dwindled over the years.
They stopped altogether after Annie’s death.
