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.”“Humph.My dad would find something to complain about if he was a millionaire who’d just won a marathon.” He looked out across the river again.“What about your dad? He have a good visit?”Casey shifted.His mom would probably walk across hot coals before she’d tell any one—much less her brother—about her troubles, but Casey wasn’t as reticent.“Not really.He and Mom had a fight and he left early.”“Oh? What were they fighting about?”He dug a groove in the sand with the heel of his shoe.“I don’t know.I think maybe he wants her back in Denver and she feels like she needs to stay here.”Del looked up at the sky.“That’s my sister.Always trying to make everybody happy and making herself miserable.” He picked up his empty beer can and shook it, then crumpled it.“Time for a refill.” He wedged his pole between two rocks, then stood and lumbered over to the cooler.Casey reeled his pole in, saw the worm had been stolen and set about impaling another one on the hook.He had just cast again when Del returned.“Here.” He tapped Casey on the shoulder with a beer.“Drink up.”Casey took the beer without comment and cracked it open.It tasted good going down, so cold it made the back of his throat ache.“I’m not trying to be hard on your mom,” Del said as he settled back against the tree trunk once more and opened a beer.“She’s a good woman.Probably too good.She’s got it into her head that if she does right by the old man, looking after him and everything, he’s going to appreciate it.I’m here to tell you, it ain’t gonna happen.”“What makes you say that?”Del looked at him a long moment, as if trying to decide how much to share with his nephew.“Martin Engel cares more for a bunch of birds with funny names than he ever did for his own family,” he said after a moment.“I could have been the worst juvenile delinquent in the history of Tipton, or the class valedictorian, and it wouldn’t have made a bit of difference to him, as long as I didn’t interfere with his plans to fly to Africa or spend two weeks in the Galapagos trying to see the Blue-footed Booby or whatever.”He spoke the words matter-of-factly, but the lines on either side of his jaw deepened, and his eyes reflected bitterness.“I don’t know.” Casey wedged his rod between his feet and leaned back on his elbows.“I think he would have cared.”Del shook his head.“I’ve known him a lot longer than you have.I’m his son and every time I walk into that house, it’s like I’m a stranger.I bet he couldn’t tell you today what’s going on in my life.”“I bet he could.He pays attention to stuff.” Casey rose up and drained the last of the beer, then reached for another.“I think he has really deep feelings about stuff.He’s just one of those people who doesn’t know how to show his emotions.Like…like he never learned how, or something.”“What makes you think that?”He shrugged.“I don’t know, just…when he looks at birds, the way he talks about them…for him they’re like poetry, or music.Something so beautiful and special…I don’t think somebody with no feelings would see them that way.”“Maybe he’s like that with you.He isn’t that way with me.Hey, looks like you got a bite.”They began catching fish in earnest, then.In between baiting hooks and casting, Casey drank more beer.He began to feel a pleasant buzz.This is how life should be—no hassles, no worries.Just take life as it comes….Karen wandered restlessly about the house.Dad was asleep, worn-out from his morning therapy appointment.Del had picked up Casey hours ago and taken him God knows where.Fishing, he’d said.Something they both loved.Something she hoped would keep them out of trouble.She took out her notebook and consulted her list.There must be something on here that would occupy her, at least for a little while.But every item she’d written down was neatly crossed through.Tasks completed.She ripped out the page, crumpled it and tossed it toward the trash.It bounced off the side of the can and rolled under the sofa.She let it lie, half-afraid if she lay down on the floor to retrieve the paper, she’d stay there, weeping, until Casey came home and found her.She stopped in front of the phone, staring at the silent receiver, willing it to ring.If only Tom would call her.They could talk.Find away around this horrible silence between them.She shook her head and turned away.And what would she say? I want to be different.I want to be the wife you want, but I don’t know if I have that in me [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]