come to that.”
Ezra said, “After the accident we did lose him in a sense. He stopped talking to us.”
“That’s not so,” Ruth Anne said.
“He stopped talking to me and that’s the truth.” Ezra looked at his son. “Maybe he talked to you.”
“Dad, he didn’t really talk to me, either.” Jacob put down his fork. “But I don’t think it was anything personal. He just changed. Math became his life. Once he won that contest, he became totally devoted to his studies.”
Ezra wiped his mouth and stood up. “We should get back. We’re putting up a new coop. We try to do all the repairs in the wintertime when we’re not farming.”
“Makes total sense,” Decker said. “There never seems to be enough hours in the day to get things done.”
“Or enough daylight,” Jacob added.
“Now, that’s the truth,” Ezra said. “You ready?”
“Yep.”
Ruth Anne said, “I wiped the mud off your boots.”
“Thank you, Mom,” Jacob said.
“Yes. Thank you.” Ezra stuck out his hand. “Let me know when I can bury my son.”
“I will, Mr. Wolf.” Shaking of hands. “Once again, I’m terribly sorry for what happened.”
The man sighed. “It was a terrible decision, what he did. I don’t know what he was thinking. But no matter what the church says about him and his sins, he’s still my son.” He tipped his hat to Rina. “Nice meeting you, ma’am.”
“Likewise.”
Decker said, “Jacob, what contest did Elijah win?”
“Some statewide math contest. He came in first, which is remarkable because it included New York City. He didn’t even tell us about it. We found out after the fact. I was really mad. He should have told us. But that was Eli. Impulsive. He didn’t always think things out … obviously.”
“He shouldn’t have done it.” Ezra’s voice was soft. “But he was still my son. I won’t turn my back on him even if the reverend says we can’t bury him in the cemetery.”
“I already talked to Reverend Deutch, Dad. There won’t be a problem.”
“When did you do this?”
“Yesterday. After he called. I didn’t want you to worry about it.”
“That was very considerate of you, Jacob.” Ruth Anne’s eyes welled up with tears. “Please excuse me.” She got up and retreated to the kitchen.
Ezra said, “I’ll be back in a moment.”
Decker thought that the old man was going to comfort his wife. But Ezra went in the opposite direction, down a hallway. Rina stood up and started gathering dirty dishes. Jacob said, “You’re a guest. You don’t have to do that.”
Rina said, “I don’t mind.” She left Decker alone with Jacob.
Decker turned to the boy. “I’m so sorry.”
Jacob shrugged. “He hadn’t kept in contact for a while, but it doesn’t lessen the hurt. I tried to keep up the relationship. I called him after Dad gave up. It was mostly one-sided. I told him he needed to keep in touch. I told him he needed to call the folks. He always said he would, but he never did.”
“This might be a painful question, but do you think there was a reason why he chose to distance himself from the family?”
“We weren’t important to him anymore. Just a bunch of farmers … what did we know.”
Decker nodded. “I apologize for my intrusive questions.”
“I don’t take offense. It’s your job. I tried not taking offense with Eli, but sometimes it was hard. He was one of those guys who made promises he never kept. I don’t think it was out of meanness. He just probably forgot.”
MCADAMS SWITCHED THE phone to his other ear. He was talking to Iris Beaufont, who remembered him instantly. No surprise there because he had spent half his time at Exeter in places other than classrooms and clubs. Not that he didn’t have friends; he did—a few guys from his neighborhood and even a girlfriend that he took to the prom. She was now a lawyer and worked for the Miami PD office defending drug dealers. She had been one of his forty Facebook friends before he
Ezra said, “After the accident we did lose him in a sense. He stopped talking to us.”
“That’s not so,” Ruth Anne said.
“He stopped talking to me and that’s the truth.” Ezra looked at his son. “Maybe he talked to you.”
“Dad, he didn’t really talk to me, either.” Jacob put down his fork. “But I don’t think it was anything personal. He just changed. Math became his life. Once he won that contest, he became totally devoted to his studies.”
Ezra wiped his mouth and stood up. “We should get back. We’re putting up a new coop. We try to do all the repairs in the wintertime when we’re not farming.”
“Makes total sense,” Decker said. “There never seems to be enough hours in the day to get things done.”
“Or enough daylight,” Jacob added.
“Now, that’s the truth,” Ezra said. “You ready?”
“Yep.”
Ruth Anne said, “I wiped the mud off your boots.”
“Thank you, Mom,” Jacob said.
“Yes. Thank you.” Ezra stuck out his hand. “Let me know when I can bury my son.”
“I will, Mr. Wolf.” Shaking of hands. “Once again, I’m terribly sorry for what happened.”
The man sighed. “It was a terrible decision, what he did. I don’t know what he was thinking. But no matter what the church says about him and his sins, he’s still my son.” He tipped his hat to Rina. “Nice meeting you, ma’am.”
“Likewise.”
Decker said, “Jacob, what contest did Elijah win?”
“Some statewide math contest. He came in first, which is remarkable because it included New York City. He didn’t even tell us about it. We found out after the fact. I was really mad. He should have told us. But that was Eli. Impulsive. He didn’t always think things out … obviously.”
“He shouldn’t have done it.” Ezra’s voice was soft. “But he was still my son. I won’t turn my back on him even if the reverend says we can’t bury him in the cemetery.”
“I already talked to Reverend Deutch, Dad. There won’t be a problem.”
“When did you do this?”
“Yesterday. After he called. I didn’t want you to worry about it.”
“That was very considerate of you, Jacob.” Ruth Anne’s eyes welled up with tears. “Please excuse me.” She got up and retreated to the kitchen.
Ezra said, “I’ll be back in a moment.”
Decker thought that the old man was going to comfort his wife. But Ezra went in the opposite direction, down a hallway. Rina stood up and started gathering dirty dishes. Jacob said, “You’re a guest. You don’t have to do that.”
Rina said, “I don’t mind.” She left Decker alone with Jacob.
Decker turned to the boy. “I’m so sorry.”
Jacob shrugged. “He hadn’t kept in contact for a while, but it doesn’t lessen the hurt. I tried to keep up the relationship. I called him after Dad gave up. It was mostly one-sided. I told him he needed to keep in touch. I told him he needed to call the folks. He always said he would, but he never did.”
“This might be a painful question, but do you think there was a reason why he chose to distance himself from the family?”
“We weren’t important to him anymore. Just a bunch of farmers … what did we know.”
Decker nodded. “I apologize for my intrusive questions.”
“I don’t take offense. It’s your job. I tried not taking offense with Eli, but sometimes it was hard. He was one of those guys who made promises he never kept. I don’t think it was out of meanness. He just probably forgot.”
MCADAMS SWITCHED THE phone to his other ear. He was talking to Iris Beaufont, who remembered him instantly. No surprise there because he had spent half his time at Exeter in places other than classrooms and clubs. Not that he didn’t have friends; he did—a few guys from his neighborhood and even a girlfriend that he took to the prom. She was now a lawyer and worked for the Miami PD office defending drug dealers. She had been one of his forty Facebook friends before he
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