up?"
"He's coming down."
"Thank goodness."
They had known that Steven was depressed the last two weekends he had been home. This weekend was worse. Steven had been hiding in his bedroom for two days with no explanation. When he had not gone back to school Sunday night, Alice and Ned Wakefield had cornered the twins and demanded to know what was happening. It was like pulling teeth. Neither Elizabeth nor Jessica wanted to squeal on their older brother. But eventually the story about Tricia Martin had come out.
Steven looked much better when he came
downstairs. He sat down at the table, and his mother put orange juice in front of him, but he pushed it aside.
"Not hungry, Mom."
"Hmmm. This must be serious," his mother said lightly. She was rewarded with a glare that might have bored holes through a brick wall. "Sorry."
"Steve, let me tell you something," his father said. "Anything you're going through, I went through."
"Sure."
"Yeah--sure. And so did your mother."
"Mom?" That got his attention. "Aw, what do you mean. You two--"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"We never had a problem in our lives? Is that what you think?" said Mrs. Wakefield.
Steven picked up the glass of orange juice and sipped it. He felt uncomfortable talking about his mom and dad, especially now when there might be something going on with Marianna West.
"But never mind us," said his father. "What's all this about Tricia Martin?"
Steven sighed. "The twins told you? Oh, well. It doesn't matter anyway."
"Why'd you have to keep it a big secret?" Alice Wakefield asked. "Tricia's a lovely girl."
"Yeah, I know. But her family ..."
Ned and Alice Wakefield exchanged glances. Tricia Martin's family was no bargain, and they knew it. Her father was the town drunk, and her sister Betsy had a horrible reputation. The mother had died of leukemia when the kids were little, which really had torn the family apart. It was all understandable, but that didn't make it any easier. And now Steven was mixed up with them. The question was, how seriously?
"Listen," Steven was saying, "this is really no big deal. Just forget it." He started to rise again,- but his father's hand on his arm sat him back down.
"Steve, anything that's kept you hiding out for two days is important enough for me. How serious are you about Tricia?"
"Well, Dad, I think I'm in love with her. She's really terrific."
"And how does she feel about you?" Alice Wakefield asked.
Steven got up and paced around the kitchen. "She hates me! She'll never speak to me again. And it's all my fault. I don't deserve such a great girl."
The anguished tale then poured out of Steven Wakefield. He heaped abuse upon himself as he told them how he had pretended that her family's problems didn't matter. He loved her
"anyway," he had told her, and he was above that sort of thing.
"She saw right through me," Steven said bitterly. "She saw the truth--a truth I didn't even realize--that I was ashamed of her family. That I didn't consider her good enough for me but that I would accept her out of the goodness of my heart. What an idiot I was! Now it's all over. She never wants to see me again. And I don't blame her. I'm just miserable."
"Have you told Tricia what you just told us?" said his mother.
Steven stopped pacing. Slowly he sat down at the table. He poured some coffee and sipped it. He shook his head.
"I couldn't do that, Mom."
"Why?"
"It would be too--I'd sound like such a jerk."
"Is it the truth, Steven?"
"That I'm a jerk? Yes, it's true."
"No, no--that you didn't realize what you were doing."
"Yes," Steven said slowly. "That's true."
"Do you still love Tricia?"
"Oh, yes." Not a moment's hesitation.
"Then go and tell her exactly what you told us."
"It's the only thing you can do," Ned Wakefield urged.
Steven looked at the table for a moment, and
when he spoke, he couldn't face his parents. He asked quietly, "What do you think of my being involved with the Martins?"
"You're not involved with the Martins,
"He's coming down."
"Thank goodness."
They had known that Steven was depressed the last two weekends he had been home. This weekend was worse. Steven had been hiding in his bedroom for two days with no explanation. When he had not gone back to school Sunday night, Alice and Ned Wakefield had cornered the twins and demanded to know what was happening. It was like pulling teeth. Neither Elizabeth nor Jessica wanted to squeal on their older brother. But eventually the story about Tricia Martin had come out.
Steven looked much better when he came
downstairs. He sat down at the table, and his mother put orange juice in front of him, but he pushed it aside.
"Not hungry, Mom."
"Hmmm. This must be serious," his mother said lightly. She was rewarded with a glare that might have bored holes through a brick wall. "Sorry."
"Steve, let me tell you something," his father said. "Anything you're going through, I went through."
"Sure."
"Yeah--sure. And so did your mother."
"Mom?" That got his attention. "Aw, what do you mean. You two--"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"We never had a problem in our lives? Is that what you think?" said Mrs. Wakefield.
Steven picked up the glass of orange juice and sipped it. He felt uncomfortable talking about his mom and dad, especially now when there might be something going on with Marianna West.
"But never mind us," said his father. "What's all this about Tricia Martin?"
Steven sighed. "The twins told you? Oh, well. It doesn't matter anyway."
"Why'd you have to keep it a big secret?" Alice Wakefield asked. "Tricia's a lovely girl."
"Yeah, I know. But her family ..."
Ned and Alice Wakefield exchanged glances. Tricia Martin's family was no bargain, and they knew it. Her father was the town drunk, and her sister Betsy had a horrible reputation. The mother had died of leukemia when the kids were little, which really had torn the family apart. It was all understandable, but that didn't make it any easier. And now Steven was mixed up with them. The question was, how seriously?
"Listen," Steven was saying, "this is really no big deal. Just forget it." He started to rise again,- but his father's hand on his arm sat him back down.
"Steve, anything that's kept you hiding out for two days is important enough for me. How serious are you about Tricia?"
"Well, Dad, I think I'm in love with her. She's really terrific."
"And how does she feel about you?" Alice Wakefield asked.
Steven got up and paced around the kitchen. "She hates me! She'll never speak to me again. And it's all my fault. I don't deserve such a great girl."
The anguished tale then poured out of Steven Wakefield. He heaped abuse upon himself as he told them how he had pretended that her family's problems didn't matter. He loved her
"anyway," he had told her, and he was above that sort of thing.
"She saw right through me," Steven said bitterly. "She saw the truth--a truth I didn't even realize--that I was ashamed of her family. That I didn't consider her good enough for me but that I would accept her out of the goodness of my heart. What an idiot I was! Now it's all over. She never wants to see me again. And I don't blame her. I'm just miserable."
"Have you told Tricia what you just told us?" said his mother.
Steven stopped pacing. Slowly he sat down at the table. He poured some coffee and sipped it. He shook his head.
"I couldn't do that, Mom."
"Why?"
"It would be too--I'd sound like such a jerk."
"Is it the truth, Steven?"
"That I'm a jerk? Yes, it's true."
"No, no--that you didn't realize what you were doing."
"Yes," Steven said slowly. "That's true."
"Do you still love Tricia?"
"Oh, yes." Not a moment's hesitation.
"Then go and tell her exactly what you told us."
"It's the only thing you can do," Ned Wakefield urged.
Steven looked at the table for a moment, and
when he spoke, he couldn't face his parents. He asked quietly, "What do you think of my being involved with the Martins?"
"You're not involved with the Martins,
Similar Books
