Breaking Point by Jon Demartino Page A

was locked into the plan and it was her responsibility. The comforts of childhood are never far away, it seems.
                  I knew Max wanted to ask me about her husband, so I brought it up first.
                  "Listen, Sis, I haven't found anything out about Tal yet, so try not to worry about it so much. Maybe he was really on college business. Just give me some more time and we'll figure this all out, ok?"
                  "I know you're probably right, but I still worry. He was home early last night but he still seemed so distant. Tucker wanted to ask him to explain something about his homework and he had to ask him more than once. It was like Tal just wasn't really listening."
                  "Maybe it's something at work. Have you asked him?" I didn't know how long I could go on playing this game, defending that asshole when I knew damned well what he was doing. I wanted to confront him myself, though, and not do it through my sister. I'd sort of figured out how I'd go about it with the least embarrassment to Maxine. Now I was waiting for my chance to put my plan into action.
                  Just then the telephone rang on the wall beside me. I shoved my chair to one side and Maxine picked it up on the second ring, anxious for her husband to call, I was sure. It was him, and from the sound of her end of the conversation, he was going to be at a late "meeting" tonight. Maxine wasn't taking it well.
                  "What kind of a meeting? Where is it? All the way down there? Why does it have to be so far away? Don't they have meeting rooms at the college?" She was wearing down, though, listening to his long-winded explanation that I knew was a pack of lies. "Ok, then. Be careful on that road late at night. I guess I'll see you when you get here. No, no, I won't wait up, if you're going to be that late." She hung up slowly and looked down at me.
                  "He has some sort of literary meeting down near Pilot Grove somewhere. Some local author is hosting it at his home, I guess. Anyway, Tal said he'll be very late again tonight." Maxine sighed and started back to her chair across from me, then suddenly stopped and threw her shoulders back.
                  "No, I'm not going to think the worst. Even if it is what I think it is, I'll deal with it. I'll just clean up these dishes and we'll go to the mission."
                  She explained where the boxes and bags were and I loaded them in the trunk of her Oldsmobile while she straightened up the kitchen. There were several boxes and a variety of different store and plastic garbage bags. She'd been right in saying they were heavy. She must be giving away half her wardrobe. In the back of my mind, I was thinking about Pilot Grove, where Talmadge's meeting was going to be tonight. I'd have to check my map, but I thought that Pilot Grove was a little town down near Keokuk.
                  Maxine appeared, having exchanged her apron for a jacket, and we were off to the mission. I refrained from both criticizing her driving and from asking if her friend was going to be there waiting for us today. I was proud of my self control.
                  The Riverside Mission was on the eastern edge of Iowa City, about a ten-minute drive from Maxine's house. The one-story concrete block structure sat squarely in the center of a blacktopped parking lot. There was a hand-painted sign over the entrance and another one to the right of the door directing us to the drop-off dock along that side. Max drove around and stopped the car at the edge of the loading dock and reached across me to open the glove compartment and press the trunk release button. I hopped out, and was instantly reminded of a bit of lingering tenderness in my right knee. Maxine was still in the car and didn't notice my grimace and small groan. Another lecture