“Because Dad always loses track of time, especially when he’s supposed pick Grandma up to take her somewhere. Grandma Dawson said he should have two now so he can’t sit with his back to one and ‘forget’ to do the essentials, like shopping.”
Dad looked up from his paper with an aggrieved expression.
“Why is she picking on me?” he grouched. “I seem to recall a young man who used to be late for everything!”
I showed him my best pious expression, and turned back to Fritz, still trying to appear the misunderstood holy man.
“See what I have to put up with?” I asked in my own aggrieved voice.
Fritz just snorted. Then he gave a speculative gaze at the clock.
“David, you know a lot of the ‘he said/she said’ moments in a famous person’s life happen in the kitchen and the living room, right?”
“Yes. So …?” I responded.
Fritz turned to my dad.
“Will you be okay if we install cameras behind the clock faces? Their feeds would download to a system that stores enough information that it doesn’t have to be changed out for years. No one could view the footage unless an issue came up. We’ll also put cameras up in the living areas of the house.”
My dad looked at me, and I shrugged.
“So, no one can access anything on the system unless there’s an issue, and it would be something passive that wouldn’t affect anything or anyone otherwise?” Dad asked.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Fritz replied.
“Go ahead, then,” Dad said as he nodded, then went upstairs.
With that piece of business out of the way, I opened the back door and called Duke. He raced in with Precious hot on his tail.
“No, you don’t,” I said, scooping her up before she could run loose in our house.
I was happy that the cat from hell decided to let me hold her and give her some loving before putting her down so she could go home. This time last year she would’ve clawed me for sure.
Mom came down and put Little David in his high chair, with Duke immediately sitting next to him, checking him for something. Mom was pouring coffee.
“You want one?” she asked Fritz.
“Please.”
Then she turned to me.
“Your brother and his family will be over tonight, so be home at a reasonable time.”
I looked around and realized that Rosy wasn’t here to cook me breakfast. She had spoiled me the last several weeks while I was living with Rita James in LA. Something smelled good, though. I peeked into the oven, and someone was making a breakfast casserole. The oven timer sounded, and Peggy came downstairs. I pulled the casserole out of the oven and checked it. There is nothing worse than runny eggs. It seemed to be done, so I got out plates and served everyone.
I let the conversation wash over me as we ate. It was nice to get back to normal and be home with my family.
◊◊◊
No one was outside the school when I arrived; it was too cold. It felt good to wear my jeans and a sweatshirt. Mom had picked me up a new one that proclaimed we were once again State Champions. I walked in wearing that and my letterman’s jacket. I had to go to the office to get my class schedule. School had started last week, so I would need to catch up.
When I entered the office, the secretary had my schedule ready for me. Crud, more AP classes. Not that I didn’t believe I could handle them, it was that they were more work. I sure never signed up for them. I considered complaining, but the school had gone out of its way to accommodate me last semester. One way or another, I planned to get to the bottom of this little mystery.
PE – Mr. Rector
Art Appreciation – Ms. Saunders
AP English Composition – Mrs. Comer
Spanish I – Ms. Cruz
Lunch
AP World History I – Mr. Stork
AP Physics I – Mr. Hicks
Principles of Business – Mr. Quiroz
I strolled to my locker to drop off my jacket. As I walked down the hall, people seemed to make way for me, turn, and stare. I checked my fly, but Mr. Happy hadn’t decided to make his presence known, and my fly was closed. When I got to my locker, Pam and Tracy were leaning against it.
“Ladies.”
“I hear I’m moving in with you,” Tracy said.
Oh, really? I looked over at Pam, and she seemed to be most interested in my boots. I’d promised Pam that if Tracy, her best friend, had to move because her dad took a new job, Tracy could move in with me. Pam was having enough personal problems with being pregnant with our son. She didn’t need to worry she might also lose her best friend. Of course, I hadn’t told my parents any of this.
“How’s your dad’s job search going?” I asked.
“He said you should call Kendal. I think he’s worried about her,” Tracy said.
“Can you have him call Caryn? She’ll be doing the hiring. If Kendal needs a reference, I can put in a good word for her.”
The bell rang, so I put my stuff into my locker and grabbed my duffle bag for PE.
◊◊◊
