Beyond the Farthest Star by Bodie and Brock Thoene

business, Ad-man? Call me Callie, like when we hung out in high school, dude.” He dug around under the chair’s seat cushion and pulled out Maurene’s romance novel.
    Adam asked, “We did?”
    “Heck, yeah.” Calvin held the novel out to Adam, who refused it. “And, well, I’m here because you were missed, bro.” Calvin passed it to Maurene. “Both of you. Radically. At your high school reunion last month? Everybody totally missed you guys, and as president of the Fighting Wolverines’ student body …
aroo!
And since I had business in Dallas, I thought I’d stop by and catch up. So I could e-mail some answers to your classmates’ many inquiries.” He paused and looked from face to face. “You did get my e-mail this morning, right? It was all in my e-mail.”
    Maurene replied, “Didn’t check e-mail today. Unless, did you, Adam?”
    Adam knew Maurene had checked e-mail. Why was she lying?
    Calvin changed the subject, picking up a copy of the
Dallas Morning News.
“Is this all about you, Ad-man?”
    Adam, uncomfortable, did not reply as Calvin read aloud, “ ‘ ”By his bold act of sixties-style civil disobedience, Senator Cutter has clearly demonstrated his commitment to resolving the church/state boundary debate,” said Holden Bittner of the ACLU, “even if it means taking his fight from the jail cell in Leonard, Texas, to the United States Supreme Court.” ’ ”
    “This is a busy time for us,” Adam began.
    Calvin looked up sharply from the newspaper. “Dang, dude. You just might save the world after all. And obviously I couldn’t have picked a more …”
    “Inconvenient time. I’m afraid so, Calvin.”
    “Call me Callie. Reney …” he interrupted.
    Adam resented Calvin’s use of a nickname for Maurene.
Why doesn’t this guy get the hint?
    Adam stood abruptly. “My wife is right, Callie. It has been an eventful day and now really is …”
    Calvin stood. “Inconvenient, I understand. Though I would’ve liked to’ve made it to the family photos. Not an official visit with old school buds till someone breaks out the Kodak moments from the Grand Canyon, en route to Wally World.”
    Maurene gestured to the moving boxes. “Wouldn’t know where to begin to find our photo albums.”
    Calvin searched her face. “But they exist. That’s what matters. Right, Ad-man?”
    Adam’s smile was strained. “Family’s important.”
    Calvin followed Adam and Maurene to the front door and out onto the porch. “I mean, I’ve got a Porsche out there in the street.A villa in Barbados. And a drawer full of silk boxers. Totally maximizing my life experience. But I am ever grounded by the fact that the photo cube on my desk at work is still filled with stock photos of the models that came in the cube.”
    “Thank you, Calvin, for stopping by.”
    Calvin peered across the street. “Is that a Maytag
and
a giant Santa Claus in your neighbor’s yard, dude?”
    Adam turned to see that, yes indeed, a washing machine now stood alongside the giant illuminated Santa. “Well, yes …”
    Maurene shook Calvin’s hand. “Calvin. Say hello to all our friends.” She opened the door and stepped in. “Don’t be long, Adam.”
    Calvin’s smile faded as Maurene closed the door behind her. He lingered too long on the porch.
    Adam asked, “We played on the basketball team together? That’s how you know my wife and me?”
    Contempt for Adam flashed in Calvin’s eyes. “Actually, only one of us played. But hey, you’re about to save the world. Even got you a save-the-world-tie now.”
    Calvin turned on his heel and hurried to his Porsche. Adam remained on the step, watching as Calvin Clayman sped away.

    Maurene watched through a slit in the curtain as Calvin’s Porsche rounded the corner. Adam, face grim, stared thoughtfully at the front door but did not come in.
    What was he thinking?
Maurene wondered. This old high school acquaintance showing up on their doorstep out of the blue … wanting to see their