Autumn Piper Trouble Under Venus (pdf)

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now it would be a pricey Italian one.
A couple of cyclists passed me on the way up, several more hikers heading back to their cars
smiled and waved. The day was heating up. The smart people had been out early.
Only a little further, and I d round the corner. This should be the place, though he might be
waiting at another viewing area. Lousy planning on my part, not designating a particular meeting
place.
I was nearly out of breath when the trail turned out of the brush.
A couple of teenage boys slumped over their bikes slurping Gatorade. One older lady
showing lots of wrinkly skin stretched her quads.
And him. His back was to me at first, but then he turned and I knew. He looked the same,
minus the leather jacket. He was in running clothes, rather pricey looking ones. Had an L.L. Bean
backpack at his feet.
I smiled at him and hurried over.
Why was he hesitant? His smile seemed so& polite. What, no smart-ass grin or comment
about me being old? He damn well couldn t make fun of me being old now, since he was the old
one.
Only, he wasn t. He was, if anything, younger.
What the hell I looked around for an older man. Where was he? He d be there. I knew it.
Hi. I m looking for& Who should I say I was looking for? If he d changed his name,
nobody would know him as Dennis Keenan.
This? The glass turtle gleamed in his palm.
Not exactly. But partly. Yes. Where s I reached for the turtle, but he pulled his hand
back.
He said you d have the other leg.
I do. I produced my evidence from a pocket, one tiny crooked green glass leg.
He nodded, satisfied. He sent these for you. Out of the backpack, he pulled my journal and
a lumpy manila envelope. And one tightly rolled, wrinkled leather jacket. Oh God.
I don t understand. He didn t come? I couldn t keep the disappointment from my voice as
I accepted the things. Lifting the flap of the envelope, I saw a stack of legal-looking papers and
two bullet slugs. And quite a few twenty-dollar bills with holes in them. I had so much to tell him.
So much to ask him.
Our father had a massive heart attack two years ago.
He& I really needed to sit. But needed to understand first. & died?
Yes. His voice softened and he kept talking but I couldn t focus. My dad was dead? &
like the picture of his mother.
Hmm?
I said, you look just like the picture of his mother.
198 Trouble Under Venus
Oh. Thanks. I mean, yeah. He was dead?
I never knew about his other family until after he d passed away. He left instructions in his
will. There s a provision for you in his estate. However, the trust fund specifically forbade contact
with you until this date.
Oh. So I was the other family now. How strange. Silly of me to expect he d have talked
about me after he made a fresh start. I was part of his past. Never made it to his future.
Do you keep in contact with her? Though he remained polite, he seemed excited.
Hum? Who?
His mother.
Um. This would be a disappointing day for him, too. She passed away in ninety.
I see. He nodded and did a much better job than me at keeping emotion out of his voice.
Look. I know this is awkward. Here s my card. Feel free to call me as needed.
As needed. I didn t really need a brother, now did I? I needed my dad. He was all I d ever
needed. And now I d never have him.
He laid the card on top of the envelope in my arms. Clearly sticking around to comfort some
strange woman with tears streaming down her face wasn t on Harley s agenda.
I watched him jog away.
Dennis wouldn t have been caught dead jogging. Or wearing running shorts. But maybe that
was why his heart gave out when he was barely fifty.
My dad was gone. Gone. Not missing, but permanently gone.
Knowing his destiny wasn t all it was cracked up to be.
I clutched the jacket to my chest and sniffed. Old Spice. Sudden and overpowering grief hit,
along with blinding tears. Maybe I d better sit down before I added new bruises to the fading ones.
How convenient for this bench to be here, in the shade. Where I could sit and rest, with my
only material links to my dad. The notebook smelled like Old Spice, too. How many times had
he read it?
One day I d have to put in a final entry, tie up loose emotional ends. I flipped through the
pages I d written, to find a few additional ones.
March 17, 1980
Dear Randi,
Today is your 2nd birthday, which is strange to think of. Just wanted you to know
I rescued your stuff when I went back to pick up my money.
Autumn Piper 199
This book tells quite a tale. It took me a long time to believe it. But at least it
explains why you talked so weird. Haha. Can t believe I forgot to clear the air
before you took off, but I want you to know, I wasn t really trying to kiss you that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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