picked up my cola and took a drink. “I don’t know, man. How’s preschool at the church going for Bradley?” I asked.
He looked concerned but could tell I wasn’t going to talk about it. “It’s good. He’s having a lot of fun. Megan’s been going in and volunteering in the class some too. She seems to be really enjoying all that time around a bunch of kids.”
“Well, that’s neat,” I replied. “We had Beth in preschool at our church from K3 all the way until first grade. She enjoyed it.”
“It’s nice to get that Christian influence on them through school,” Cole said.
“It sure is. How is Megan’s mom doing since her husband passed? I always mean to ask, but I don’t want to draw attention at the fire house about it.”
“Good. She started teaching a crochet class down at Spokane Community College. She does that a couple of times a week. Seems to be keeping herself busy.”
Shaking my head, I said, “That’s amazing. I always wonder about her when I think about Sherwood.”
“She’s been through a lot, but she’s been piecing her new life together since it happened. Seems like it was just yesterday when the topic comes up . . . a lot of pain still there.” Cole hung his head.
“Yeah. Can’t believe it’s been two years now,” I said.
“I still think about that day,” Cole said. “Maybe I could have saved him if I did something different—moved a little quicker, been a little more healed up . . . maybe I could have pulled that beam up.”
“Don’t go there, man,” I said. “You did everything you could.”
“Yeah,” Cole said with a nod. “I can’t help but wonder, though.”
After our dinner, I went to grab my wallet from the back of my pants and realized I had pulled it out and put it in Cole’s glove box.
“I’ll be right back, need to grab my wallet.”
“I got you,” Cole said.
“No, that’s okay,” I insisted. Standing up, he handed me the keys and I headed out to the car.
Climbing into the driver seat, I leaned over the console between the seats, opened the glove box, and grabbed my wallet. As I climbed backward out of the seat, I was startled.
“Rick!” a man’s voice shouted from behind me.
Jumping, I bumped my head against the doorframe. “Ouch!” I shouted as I turned to see that it was Kane. Pushing him in the shoulder, I said, “What are you doing here, McCormick? Why’d you call me Rick, were you trying to freak me out?”
Laughing, he replied, “Cole said you guys were eating here and I decided to stop by and try to catch you two before you left. Man, you were so scared!” He began laughing harder, grabbing his stomach as he threw his head back.
“Funny,” I replied with a grunt. Kane was innocent. He had no idea how paranoid I was that day. “Let’s go back in,” I said, locking Cole’s car up and shutting the door. We went back inside the diner to join Cole.
CHAPTER 10
F our weeks came and went without a peep from Robert or that shady Lincoln character. It was nearing the end of September and I was beginning to think that summer night of poker was just a bad nightmare. I kept my promise to Susan and hadn’t played any poker since then, and I even began building my savings back up by selling off some of my baseball cards and various items from the guest house that I knew Susan had forgotten about. Everything seemed to be going okay until the day of the rally out in the park in front of City Hall. I had set out that morning to stop by the bank and fill up the tank before going to meet with the rest of the guys at the station to head over to the rally.
“Good morning, Mr. Alderman,” the teller said from behind the counter at the bank. I stopped in to make another deposit into the savings account before heading over to the station to meet up with the guys for the rally.
“Morning, Sally,” I replied as I laid the cash out on the counter. I sold my 1988 Best Platinum San Bernardino Spirit Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie card,
He looked concerned but could tell I wasn’t going to talk about it. “It’s good. He’s having a lot of fun. Megan’s been going in and volunteering in the class some too. She seems to be really enjoying all that time around a bunch of kids.”
“Well, that’s neat,” I replied. “We had Beth in preschool at our church from K3 all the way until first grade. She enjoyed it.”
“It’s nice to get that Christian influence on them through school,” Cole said.
“It sure is. How is Megan’s mom doing since her husband passed? I always mean to ask, but I don’t want to draw attention at the fire house about it.”
“Good. She started teaching a crochet class down at Spokane Community College. She does that a couple of times a week. Seems to be keeping herself busy.”
Shaking my head, I said, “That’s amazing. I always wonder about her when I think about Sherwood.”
“She’s been through a lot, but she’s been piecing her new life together since it happened. Seems like it was just yesterday when the topic comes up . . . a lot of pain still there.” Cole hung his head.
“Yeah. Can’t believe it’s been two years now,” I said.
“I still think about that day,” Cole said. “Maybe I could have saved him if I did something different—moved a little quicker, been a little more healed up . . . maybe I could have pulled that beam up.”
“Don’t go there, man,” I said. “You did everything you could.”
“Yeah,” Cole said with a nod. “I can’t help but wonder, though.”
After our dinner, I went to grab my wallet from the back of my pants and realized I had pulled it out and put it in Cole’s glove box.
“I’ll be right back, need to grab my wallet.”
“I got you,” Cole said.
“No, that’s okay,” I insisted. Standing up, he handed me the keys and I headed out to the car.
Climbing into the driver seat, I leaned over the console between the seats, opened the glove box, and grabbed my wallet. As I climbed backward out of the seat, I was startled.
“Rick!” a man’s voice shouted from behind me.
Jumping, I bumped my head against the doorframe. “Ouch!” I shouted as I turned to see that it was Kane. Pushing him in the shoulder, I said, “What are you doing here, McCormick? Why’d you call me Rick, were you trying to freak me out?”
Laughing, he replied, “Cole said you guys were eating here and I decided to stop by and try to catch you two before you left. Man, you were so scared!” He began laughing harder, grabbing his stomach as he threw his head back.
“Funny,” I replied with a grunt. Kane was innocent. He had no idea how paranoid I was that day. “Let’s go back in,” I said, locking Cole’s car up and shutting the door. We went back inside the diner to join Cole.
CHAPTER 10
F our weeks came and went without a peep from Robert or that shady Lincoln character. It was nearing the end of September and I was beginning to think that summer night of poker was just a bad nightmare. I kept my promise to Susan and hadn’t played any poker since then, and I even began building my savings back up by selling off some of my baseball cards and various items from the guest house that I knew Susan had forgotten about. Everything seemed to be going okay until the day of the rally out in the park in front of City Hall. I had set out that morning to stop by the bank and fill up the tank before going to meet with the rest of the guys at the station to head over to the rally.
“Good morning, Mr. Alderman,” the teller said from behind the counter at the bank. I stopped in to make another deposit into the savings account before heading over to the station to meet up with the guys for the rally.
“Morning, Sally,” I replied as I laid the cash out on the counter. I sold my 1988 Best Platinum San Bernardino Spirit Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie card,
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