Joey, disconsolate, his hands in his suit pockets.
"Hi," Chris said, and slung an arm around Joey's neck.
They stood there listening to Vince Gill. Gazing at Greg's picture.
Choking on the smell of flowers.
Finally Joey hung his head, whacked at the tears in his eyes and whispered, "Shit."
Chris tightened his affectionate headlock and dropped his cheek against Joey's hair.
!
l, "Yeah, that's for sure."
Janice drifted up on his left, twined an arm around his elbow and rested her cheek on his sleeve.
On the far side of the room, Lee Reston accepted a hug from her aunt Pearl and uncle Melvin. As they left her with pats and murmurs, she turned to watch them move away and caught sight of Christopher with Janice and Joey at his side.
What a fine young man he was. Thoughtful beyond mere good manners, considerate of people's feelings, dependable in tens of ways. He had been a role model for Greg when the two of them met-older, more mature, out on his own already. When Greg joined the force Christopher had taken him under his wing and taught him, in a practical fashion, the best way to deal with suspects and perpetrators as well as the many personalities on the force.
He'd taught Greg how to survive on a day-to-day basis, too: how to balance a checkbook, establish credit, live on a budget, keep income-tax records, maintain a car, buy groceries, run a washing machine. Greg had left home and fallen in with a man who had helped him mature in so many ways.
Christopher Lallek--sensible, reliable, willing.
Even the kids sensed it and leaned on him. He was what Greg had been--a cop, a caretaker of a community, one to turn to in emergencies--and all of them had turned to him perhaps more than they ought since Greg's death. But his willingness made one reach toward him, as Joey and Janice were doing now. They might very well be using him as a substitute for the brother they'd lost, but what harm would it do? If they radiated toward him, let them. It was no different for them than it was for Lee: saying goodbye to Greg came easier over stories of his life, which Christopher had shared most recently.
Nonetheless, his vulnerability touched her deeply. How uncharacteristic his uncertainty had been when he'd stared at her with daunted eyes and admitted, I don't know what to do. Her mother's heart had reached out to him. It did so again as he stood with his arms around her children, once again the strong one for their sakes.
"Lee . .." Someone else had come to pay their condolences and she turned to the business at hand.
Nearly two hours later, as she finished bidding goodbye to the last callers, Christopher spoke behind her.
"Mrs. Reston?"
She turned, feeling drained and anxious to go home.
"Would you mind if I took Joey for a little while?"
"No, of course not. Where are you going?"
"I thought I'd take him for a ride in my new Explorer, maybe let him drive it a little, cheer him up some."
"Oh, Christopher, yes, do."
"You'll be all right? Janice will be with you?"
"I'll be fine. I'm going to go home and collapse."
"You're sure? I realize moms need their kids at a time like this, and I don't want to--" She touched his hand. "Take him. It's just what he needs today."
"Okay." He smiled and stepped back. "And don't worry, I'll bring him back in good shape."
Joey agreed, without much enthusiasm, but once they were out in the summer air, with the late afternoon sun dappling the boulevard, Christopher sensed Joey growing more interested.
"It's new?"
"Brand-new." Chris removed his tie and got the truck moving.
"Greg and I were gonna take it out to the lake day before yesterday."
Joey threw him a dubious glance. "How can you talk about him so easy?"
"What else you gonna do? Pretend he didn't exist?"
"I don't know, but I can't talk about him at all without starting to bawl."
"So what's wrong with that? Bawling's okay. I bawled plenty in the last couple days. So did a lot of other cops."
Joey looked out his far window and said
"Hi," Chris said, and slung an arm around Joey's neck.
They stood there listening to Vince Gill. Gazing at Greg's picture.
Choking on the smell of flowers.
Finally Joey hung his head, whacked at the tears in his eyes and whispered, "Shit."
Chris tightened his affectionate headlock and dropped his cheek against Joey's hair.
!
l, "Yeah, that's for sure."
Janice drifted up on his left, twined an arm around his elbow and rested her cheek on his sleeve.
On the far side of the room, Lee Reston accepted a hug from her aunt Pearl and uncle Melvin. As they left her with pats and murmurs, she turned to watch them move away and caught sight of Christopher with Janice and Joey at his side.
What a fine young man he was. Thoughtful beyond mere good manners, considerate of people's feelings, dependable in tens of ways. He had been a role model for Greg when the two of them met-older, more mature, out on his own already. When Greg joined the force Christopher had taken him under his wing and taught him, in a practical fashion, the best way to deal with suspects and perpetrators as well as the many personalities on the force.
He'd taught Greg how to survive on a day-to-day basis, too: how to balance a checkbook, establish credit, live on a budget, keep income-tax records, maintain a car, buy groceries, run a washing machine. Greg had left home and fallen in with a man who had helped him mature in so many ways.
Christopher Lallek--sensible, reliable, willing.
Even the kids sensed it and leaned on him. He was what Greg had been--a cop, a caretaker of a community, one to turn to in emergencies--and all of them had turned to him perhaps more than they ought since Greg's death. But his willingness made one reach toward him, as Joey and Janice were doing now. They might very well be using him as a substitute for the brother they'd lost, but what harm would it do? If they radiated toward him, let them. It was no different for them than it was for Lee: saying goodbye to Greg came easier over stories of his life, which Christopher had shared most recently.
Nonetheless, his vulnerability touched her deeply. How uncharacteristic his uncertainty had been when he'd stared at her with daunted eyes and admitted, I don't know what to do. Her mother's heart had reached out to him. It did so again as he stood with his arms around her children, once again the strong one for their sakes.
"Lee . .." Someone else had come to pay their condolences and she turned to the business at hand.
Nearly two hours later, as she finished bidding goodbye to the last callers, Christopher spoke behind her.
"Mrs. Reston?"
She turned, feeling drained and anxious to go home.
"Would you mind if I took Joey for a little while?"
"No, of course not. Where are you going?"
"I thought I'd take him for a ride in my new Explorer, maybe let him drive it a little, cheer him up some."
"Oh, Christopher, yes, do."
"You'll be all right? Janice will be with you?"
"I'll be fine. I'm going to go home and collapse."
"You're sure? I realize moms need their kids at a time like this, and I don't want to--" She touched his hand. "Take him. It's just what he needs today."
"Okay." He smiled and stepped back. "And don't worry, I'll bring him back in good shape."
Joey agreed, without much enthusiasm, but once they were out in the summer air, with the late afternoon sun dappling the boulevard, Christopher sensed Joey growing more interested.
"It's new?"
"Brand-new." Chris removed his tie and got the truck moving.
"Greg and I were gonna take it out to the lake day before yesterday."
Joey threw him a dubious glance. "How can you talk about him so easy?"
"What else you gonna do? Pretend he didn't exist?"
"I don't know, but I can't talk about him at all without starting to bawl."
"So what's wrong with that? Bawling's okay. I bawled plenty in the last couple days. So did a lot of other cops."
Joey looked out his far window and said
Similar Books
