watching her sister pack.
“Believe me, kid,” BeBe said, taking a second to touch Liz’s cheek, “it’s better this way.”
It had been lucky for them that Josh got them home last night before their parents returned from the Burnses’, lucky for them that Josh helped haul BeBe upstairs to her room and put her in bed before anyone knew what had happened, including Roger, who wasn’t home either.
“You can’t leave me,” Liz pleaded. “Please say you won’t.”
BeBe shrugged. “You’ve got your boyfriend now. It won’t be so bad.”
“My boyfriend? I have to sneak out to see him! What kind of fun will that be?”
BeBe smiled faintly. “You may be surprised. Just be careful, Lizzie. That’s all I can say.”
“BeBe, please …”
But BeBe snapped the suitcase shut and lifted it from the bed. “I’m out of here, Lizzie. I called Tuna this morning and he agreed to drive me to the ferry. Say good-bye to Mother for me. And Roger.”
She headed for the doorway. “And if anyone asks, just tell them I didn’t feel like spending the summer hung-over.”
When Roger Adams called and asked if Evelyn could drive him to the ferry, she was surprised and she was pleased.
“I need to go into town today,” he said, adding that his father couldn’t drive him because he was off-island,which Evelyn knew was a lie because Will Adams had called only ten minutes before Roger to ask about Grandfather’s condition.
But Roger had asked and he was Daniel’s brother. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to score as many points as possible with that family, even though she was still angry that Daniel had not let her see him before he left.
Besides, driving Roger to the ferry would be a welcome break from her distress over Grandfather’s deteriorating condition. The doctor had been by this morning and told her that Grandfather had taken a turn for the worse. The stroke had left him unable to walk or talk or do much of anything but hiss at his nurses and drool when he ate. How much worse could it get?
“Maybe I’ll jump on the ferry and go to Boston with you,” she said suddenly.
Roger paused. “I, ah, I have a meeting,” he said.
Evelyn laughed. “I could go shopping while you’re in your meeting. That way, you wouldn’t have to take the bus back to the ferry.”
Roger was silent.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, Roger. I’ll make sure Daniel understands that we are just friends.”
Finally he spoke. “Do what you want, Evelyn. But I’m not sure I’ll be returning tonight.”
As she drove back on Route 128 south toward the Cape, Evelyn glanced at Roger. How was it possible that the son of God-and-country Will Adams and the brother of Mr. West Point Daniel could try and enlist in the Navy and be told he was 4-F? Not acceptable for duty. Impaired.
“It’s my allergies,” Roger had explained after Evelyn had pried out of him the reason he’d gone to Boston and she’d met him outside the recruiting office. “My stupidallergies. They don’t care that I know how to take care of it. They just don’t want me.”
He looked like he was going to cry right there in the middle of the street. Evelyn knew that it didn’t take a psychiatrist to figure out why Roger wanted to enlist when he still had one year left of college. It was simply a matter of Daniel, an effort to finally be like big brother. It had, of course, failed, because Roger was Roger, not Daniel.
She felt sorry for him, but did not know how to show it. Silence was better than saying something stupid, something that might add to poor Roger’s distress.
So they made the trip back to the Vineyard mostly in silence, an accomplishment for which Evelyn applauded herself. When she dropped Roger off at the house, he asked if she would please keep his secret.
“If my father ever found out I tried to enlist, he’d kill me,” he said, his face pale and distraught.
“I’m supposed to be the lawyer in the family. Daniel’s the soldier.
“Believe me, kid,” BeBe said, taking a second to touch Liz’s cheek, “it’s better this way.”
It had been lucky for them that Josh got them home last night before their parents returned from the Burnses’, lucky for them that Josh helped haul BeBe upstairs to her room and put her in bed before anyone knew what had happened, including Roger, who wasn’t home either.
“You can’t leave me,” Liz pleaded. “Please say you won’t.”
BeBe shrugged. “You’ve got your boyfriend now. It won’t be so bad.”
“My boyfriend? I have to sneak out to see him! What kind of fun will that be?”
BeBe smiled faintly. “You may be surprised. Just be careful, Lizzie. That’s all I can say.”
“BeBe, please …”
But BeBe snapped the suitcase shut and lifted it from the bed. “I’m out of here, Lizzie. I called Tuna this morning and he agreed to drive me to the ferry. Say good-bye to Mother for me. And Roger.”
She headed for the doorway. “And if anyone asks, just tell them I didn’t feel like spending the summer hung-over.”
When Roger Adams called and asked if Evelyn could drive him to the ferry, she was surprised and she was pleased.
“I need to go into town today,” he said, adding that his father couldn’t drive him because he was off-island,which Evelyn knew was a lie because Will Adams had called only ten minutes before Roger to ask about Grandfather’s condition.
But Roger had asked and he was Daniel’s brother. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to score as many points as possible with that family, even though she was still angry that Daniel had not let her see him before he left.
Besides, driving Roger to the ferry would be a welcome break from her distress over Grandfather’s deteriorating condition. The doctor had been by this morning and told her that Grandfather had taken a turn for the worse. The stroke had left him unable to walk or talk or do much of anything but hiss at his nurses and drool when he ate. How much worse could it get?
“Maybe I’ll jump on the ferry and go to Boston with you,” she said suddenly.
Roger paused. “I, ah, I have a meeting,” he said.
Evelyn laughed. “I could go shopping while you’re in your meeting. That way, you wouldn’t have to take the bus back to the ferry.”
Roger was silent.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, Roger. I’ll make sure Daniel understands that we are just friends.”
Finally he spoke. “Do what you want, Evelyn. But I’m not sure I’ll be returning tonight.”
As she drove back on Route 128 south toward the Cape, Evelyn glanced at Roger. How was it possible that the son of God-and-country Will Adams and the brother of Mr. West Point Daniel could try and enlist in the Navy and be told he was 4-F? Not acceptable for duty. Impaired.
“It’s my allergies,” Roger had explained after Evelyn had pried out of him the reason he’d gone to Boston and she’d met him outside the recruiting office. “My stupidallergies. They don’t care that I know how to take care of it. They just don’t want me.”
He looked like he was going to cry right there in the middle of the street. Evelyn knew that it didn’t take a psychiatrist to figure out why Roger wanted to enlist when he still had one year left of college. It was simply a matter of Daniel, an effort to finally be like big brother. It had, of course, failed, because Roger was Roger, not Daniel.
She felt sorry for him, but did not know how to show it. Silence was better than saying something stupid, something that might add to poor Roger’s distress.
So they made the trip back to the Vineyard mostly in silence, an accomplishment for which Evelyn applauded herself. When she dropped Roger off at the house, he asked if she would please keep his secret.
“If my father ever found out I tried to enlist, he’d kill me,” he said, his face pale and distraught.
“I’m supposed to be the lawyer in the family. Daniel’s the soldier.
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