road.
“Something wrong?”
Sam put the truck in park. He didn’t look anywhere but out on the road. Kyle could see he was grinding his teeth.
“I… I didn’t mean to upset you, whatever I said.”
Sam let his breath out. “Kyle, don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t need to apologize every other sentence.”
“What?”
“You apologize for just about anything. I expect you to apologize for the storm this morning.” Sam unbuckled himself and turned to face Kyle. “Life happens. Sometimes good things, sometimes bad things. They aren’t all your fault. Actually, the need for the tetanus shot is my fault for not getting you gloves first. You seem to think one wrong move and you’ll be tossed on your ass.”
Kyle looked down. “I learned long ago to just apologize to make it hurt less.”
“Hurt less?”
“If I told Hank I was sorry right off the bat, he wouldn’t punish me as bad.”
“That fucking son of a bitch.” Sam started to mutter under his breath.
Kyle seemed to withdraw within himself, crossing his arms. He didn’t like to talk about Hank, but Hank had taught him well. How to be invisible and not cause trouble and the consequences if he did step out of line.
“My mom reminds me that Hank took us in, put food on the table. That was his job, and I needed to obey his rules.”
“And he’d hit you if you didn’t?”
“What else was he going to do? That’s the way you learn, right?”
Sam’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. “No, that’s not the way you learn.”
Kyle kept his arms crossed and gazed out the window, at the cows and horses he saw in a pasture. “I learned.”
Sam put the truck back in drive and pulled out onto the road. “Just know, you don’t need to apologize all the time. And that Hank was wrong, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” An uncomfortable silence settled over them.
Sam cleared his throat. “So, you’re going to study art in the fall?”
“Yeah, I know I have to take all types of art classes, but I’m hoping to do a lot in sketching.”
“You been drawing stuff for a while?”
“Since I was a kid. My dad got me a little easel one Christmas. I made all sorts of drawings for him. He put them in his office. Probably looked a sight, a four-year-old’s renderings in a high-rise office.”
“Your dad sounds like he really loved you. You wanna talk about what happened?”
“Not much to tell. He was crossing the street, got hit by a drunk driver.”
“That’s awful.”
“That’s life in the city. They never caught the guy. One of many hit and runs… probably drunk.”
“Well maybe you can do something with your art to honor him.”
Kyle shrugged. “Maybe. Um, what are you studying?”
“Mechanical engineering.”
“How did you decide on that?”
It was Sam’s turn to shrug. “You’ll think it’s silly.”
“No, I won’t.”
“I want to engineer elevators and escalators. The way they work fascinates me.”
Kyle lifted an eyebrow. “Elevators and escalators?”
“Sure. How many tall buildings do you see around here?”
“I can’t think of any that I’ve seen that have been taller than the barn.”
“Which is why I want to study them. You’ve probably been in thousands of elevators, been on thousands of escalators living in a city. Before I went off to school, could probably count on both hands the number of elevators I’ve been in. A few more rides on escalators; they have them in the mall the next town over.”
“I really never thought about them. The doors open, you punch a button and yeah, you’re there.”
“You’d be surprised at all the redundant mechanics in them to make sure they don’t fall or if they do, they don’t fall far.”
“Okay, now I’m going to freak when I get on one next.”
“As I said, they are made to not fall.”
“Is there really enough stuff to develop in regards to elevators?”
“With buildings becoming taller and taller, they are always
“Something wrong?”
Sam put the truck in park. He didn’t look anywhere but out on the road. Kyle could see he was grinding his teeth.
“I… I didn’t mean to upset you, whatever I said.”
Sam let his breath out. “Kyle, don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t need to apologize every other sentence.”
“What?”
“You apologize for just about anything. I expect you to apologize for the storm this morning.” Sam unbuckled himself and turned to face Kyle. “Life happens. Sometimes good things, sometimes bad things. They aren’t all your fault. Actually, the need for the tetanus shot is my fault for not getting you gloves first. You seem to think one wrong move and you’ll be tossed on your ass.”
Kyle looked down. “I learned long ago to just apologize to make it hurt less.”
“Hurt less?”
“If I told Hank I was sorry right off the bat, he wouldn’t punish me as bad.”
“That fucking son of a bitch.” Sam started to mutter under his breath.
Kyle seemed to withdraw within himself, crossing his arms. He didn’t like to talk about Hank, but Hank had taught him well. How to be invisible and not cause trouble and the consequences if he did step out of line.
“My mom reminds me that Hank took us in, put food on the table. That was his job, and I needed to obey his rules.”
“And he’d hit you if you didn’t?”
“What else was he going to do? That’s the way you learn, right?”
Sam’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. “No, that’s not the way you learn.”
Kyle kept his arms crossed and gazed out the window, at the cows and horses he saw in a pasture. “I learned.”
Sam put the truck back in drive and pulled out onto the road. “Just know, you don’t need to apologize all the time. And that Hank was wrong, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” An uncomfortable silence settled over them.
Sam cleared his throat. “So, you’re going to study art in the fall?”
“Yeah, I know I have to take all types of art classes, but I’m hoping to do a lot in sketching.”
“You been drawing stuff for a while?”
“Since I was a kid. My dad got me a little easel one Christmas. I made all sorts of drawings for him. He put them in his office. Probably looked a sight, a four-year-old’s renderings in a high-rise office.”
“Your dad sounds like he really loved you. You wanna talk about what happened?”
“Not much to tell. He was crossing the street, got hit by a drunk driver.”
“That’s awful.”
“That’s life in the city. They never caught the guy. One of many hit and runs… probably drunk.”
“Well maybe you can do something with your art to honor him.”
Kyle shrugged. “Maybe. Um, what are you studying?”
“Mechanical engineering.”
“How did you decide on that?”
It was Sam’s turn to shrug. “You’ll think it’s silly.”
“No, I won’t.”
“I want to engineer elevators and escalators. The way they work fascinates me.”
Kyle lifted an eyebrow. “Elevators and escalators?”
“Sure. How many tall buildings do you see around here?”
“I can’t think of any that I’ve seen that have been taller than the barn.”
“Which is why I want to study them. You’ve probably been in thousands of elevators, been on thousands of escalators living in a city. Before I went off to school, could probably count on both hands the number of elevators I’ve been in. A few more rides on escalators; they have them in the mall the next town over.”
“I really never thought about them. The doors open, you punch a button and yeah, you’re there.”
“You’d be surprised at all the redundant mechanics in them to make sure they don’t fall or if they do, they don’t fall far.”
“Okay, now I’m going to freak when I get on one next.”
“As I said, they are made to not fall.”
“Is there really enough stuff to develop in regards to elevators?”
“With buildings becoming taller and taller, they are always
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