way I look isn’t boring to you.”
“Oh, no! Not in any way, not in the least.” How could he even say such a thing?
Right then, I heard a key in the front door. Mom and Dad came into the living room, wet and looking anxious. I was frightened by their twin looks of anxiety – I’d never seen quite that expression before. And I knew that they were about to put meaning to the dark premonition that had poked at me all evening.
Chapter XII
“What’s wrong?” I perched myself on the edge of the sofa, not wanting to hear what they were going to say.
“We’ve just come from the police station,” Mom said.
“They have most of the rest of the furniture and paintings,” Dad went on. “We had to go down to identify them. And, apparently, the antique dealer was able to identify the person who sold the things to him.”
Mitch stood up. I saw he was trembling. “My uncle.”
“Yes,” Mom said. “They’re on their way now to arrest him.”
Mitch moved towards the door.
“It won’t serve to try to warn him, son. Isn’t it better to let justice take its course?” Dad said.
“I’m not going to warn him. I can’t wait to see them cart him off. But my mother will need me. Excuse me, please,” he passed by Mom and Dad. I found myself hoping Dad would grab him, not let him go. But he didn’t and Mitch disappeared quietly through the door, closing it firmly behind him.
I looked from Mom to Dad, hoping one of them would start to laugh, and say it was all a joke, that they’d planned it with Mitch. Hoping that he’d come back through the door with a big grin on his face. But I saw in both their faces that it was just as real and awful as it seemed. I could see they felt terrible. But I couldn’t accept that my perfect evening had come to this horrible end.
“Don’t worry Sweetie,” Dad said, ‘Mitch will be okay, I’m sure.”
“But what do you think of him, if he’s the nephew of a criminal?”
“I think that I’m a pretty good judge of moral character, and Mitch has good moral character. I’m not going to judge him rashly because of something someone else did – even if it is his uncle. And I’m sure he’ll need all the support and understanding we can provide.”
At that moment, there was the muffled sound of several people moving down the hall, then a terrifying pounding on the neighboring door. We all held our breath as we listened to the tones of conversation without being able to make out any words – a conversation that became heated, then very quite. Then there was the muffled sound of several bodies moving back down the hall to the elevator.
And that was all.
“It’ll be okay,” Dad reassured, coming over and putting his arm around my shoulder.s “Don’t cry.”
I reached up and brushed at my eyes and only then realized I was crying. “But we had such a perfect evening. And we even came back early and ordered pizza, and we were having so much fun. Why did this have to happen right now , tonight?”
“Better sooner then letting Mitch’s uncle think he can get away with it, don’t you think?”
“Maybe.”
“I’m wiped out, but I’m all wound up, too,” Mom said. “how about some hot chocolate?”
I nodded, but I didn’t feel like having hot chocolate. In fact, the pizza wasn’t sitting particularly well at the moment. But hanging out with my folks in the kitchen was at least comforting. While we sipped our hot chocolate, and Mom and Dad gave me more details of their trip to the police station, I found my attention wandering. Why didn’t Mitch call and tell me what had happened? So what if it was late, I wanted him to reassure me that he was all right, that everything was all right . That he meant what he said to me tonight... before everything fell apart.
How was he? My thoughts went around and around in a worried circle.
“It seems he might have called and let us know how
“Oh, no! Not in any way, not in the least.” How could he even say such a thing?
Right then, I heard a key in the front door. Mom and Dad came into the living room, wet and looking anxious. I was frightened by their twin looks of anxiety – I’d never seen quite that expression before. And I knew that they were about to put meaning to the dark premonition that had poked at me all evening.
Chapter XII
“What’s wrong?” I perched myself on the edge of the sofa, not wanting to hear what they were going to say.
“We’ve just come from the police station,” Mom said.
“They have most of the rest of the furniture and paintings,” Dad went on. “We had to go down to identify them. And, apparently, the antique dealer was able to identify the person who sold the things to him.”
Mitch stood up. I saw he was trembling. “My uncle.”
“Yes,” Mom said. “They’re on their way now to arrest him.”
Mitch moved towards the door.
“It won’t serve to try to warn him, son. Isn’t it better to let justice take its course?” Dad said.
“I’m not going to warn him. I can’t wait to see them cart him off. But my mother will need me. Excuse me, please,” he passed by Mom and Dad. I found myself hoping Dad would grab him, not let him go. But he didn’t and Mitch disappeared quietly through the door, closing it firmly behind him.
I looked from Mom to Dad, hoping one of them would start to laugh, and say it was all a joke, that they’d planned it with Mitch. Hoping that he’d come back through the door with a big grin on his face. But I saw in both their faces that it was just as real and awful as it seemed. I could see they felt terrible. But I couldn’t accept that my perfect evening had come to this horrible end.
“Don’t worry Sweetie,” Dad said, ‘Mitch will be okay, I’m sure.”
“But what do you think of him, if he’s the nephew of a criminal?”
“I think that I’m a pretty good judge of moral character, and Mitch has good moral character. I’m not going to judge him rashly because of something someone else did – even if it is his uncle. And I’m sure he’ll need all the support and understanding we can provide.”
At that moment, there was the muffled sound of several people moving down the hall, then a terrifying pounding on the neighboring door. We all held our breath as we listened to the tones of conversation without being able to make out any words – a conversation that became heated, then very quite. Then there was the muffled sound of several bodies moving back down the hall to the elevator.
And that was all.
“It’ll be okay,” Dad reassured, coming over and putting his arm around my shoulder.s “Don’t cry.”
I reached up and brushed at my eyes and only then realized I was crying. “But we had such a perfect evening. And we even came back early and ordered pizza, and we were having so much fun. Why did this have to happen right now , tonight?”
“Better sooner then letting Mitch’s uncle think he can get away with it, don’t you think?”
“Maybe.”
“I’m wiped out, but I’m all wound up, too,” Mom said. “how about some hot chocolate?”
I nodded, but I didn’t feel like having hot chocolate. In fact, the pizza wasn’t sitting particularly well at the moment. But hanging out with my folks in the kitchen was at least comforting. While we sipped our hot chocolate, and Mom and Dad gave me more details of their trip to the police station, I found my attention wandering. Why didn’t Mitch call and tell me what had happened? So what if it was late, I wanted him to reassure me that he was all right, that everything was all right . That he meant what he said to me tonight... before everything fell apart.
How was he? My thoughts went around and around in a worried circle.
“It seems he might have called and let us know how
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