Outsourced by Dave Zeltserman

rooms.” She hesitated, an odd expression on her face as she studied him. “Did Joel do that to your face?”
    “What are you talking about? I told you yesterday I slipped getting into my car. Believe it or not, that’s what happened.”
    “Dan, is anything wrong?”
    “No, of course not.” He forced himself to maintain eye contact. A hotness flushed his face. “Why do you ask?”
    “You looked so angry when you hung up the phone. Or maybe intense. I don’t know, I never saw you like that before.”
    “Nothing more than this out-of-work bullshit. And you know how Joel can be. He was going on some rant about the liberal scum in Massachusetts. I guess I wasn’t in the mood for it.”
    “He called twice just to talk about that?”
    “Not exactly. He had a question about a possible job lead.”
    “Why was he calling from a payphone?”
    “Was he?”
    “According to the caller ID.”
    “Really? Maybe he was at the mall.”
    “But he has a cell phone. I know that he usually calls from a cell phone because of the caller ID.”
    “This is Joel we’re talking about. You’d have to ask him. I’m going to go see the kids and then meet you upstairs.”
    As he walked past her he could hear the blood pounding in his head. He had to steady himself against the wall for a moment before he could trust himself to move. He knew Carol was staring at him from behind – he could feel it on the back of his neck. What he didn’t know was whether she suspected something or was just digging. Probably just digging. He tried to remember whether he said anything damning during his phone conversation that she could’ve overheard. Jesus, why’d he have to hurry off to the den like that? He knew Carol well enough to know that it wouldn’t take much to get her curious.
    Standing outside his son’s bedroom door, he took a deep breath as he composed himself, then knocked and walked into the room. Gary was lying on the bed watching a baseball game. He turned and smiled sadly. “Hi, Dad,” he said. “Red Sox are losing. Lugo just popped up with the bases loaded and two outs.”
    Dan pulled up a chair next to the bed. Gary was ten and physically took after Carol. Small for his age, thin, blond hair, almost feminine good-looking features. Even so, he was a good athlete, playing shortstop for his baseball team. While Dan hoped that Gary would catch up in size, with his good looks and easy-going manner he had no doubt that when his son grew older he was going to do well with the girls no matter what his height ended up being.
    He tousled his son’s hair. “I can’t believe how spoiled you kids are getting. Two World Championships in four years. You can’t expect them to win them all.”
    Gary grinned widely, said, “Sure I can!”
    Dan smiled at his son. “Shouldn’t you be going to bed soon?”
    “They’re in the eighth inning. Can’t I wait until the end of the game?”
    “What’s the score?”
    “Nine to two,” Gary said dejectedly. “But they can still catch up. Let me watch the rest, please?”
    “Okay, but right afterwards you go to bed, promise?”
    “Promise. Thanks, Dad.”
    Dan kissed his son on the forehead. Before leaving, he looked back and watched the concentration on his son’s face as he lay on the bed, eyes glued to the ball game. It touched him that his son could be so passionate about something as simple as a baseball game. With a note of regret, he realized it had been a long time since he had felt anything like that.
    Susie must’ve been listening for him because as he was closing Gary’s door she opened hers. She tried to look uninterested as she walked out of her room plugged into her iPod. She stopped and gave him a sullen stare before taking the earplugs out and muttering hello.
    “Hi, Princess,” Dan said. “I was just about to knock on your door and see how you were doing.”
    “I guess I saved you the trouble,” she said, her bottom lip pushing out, fortifying her sullen appearance.