Apostate by Frankie Robertson

Author:Frankie Robertson [Robertson, Frankie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Castle Rock Publishing
Published: 2019-09-16T16:00:00+00:00

“But why do I have to memorize these stupid multiplication tables? I could just use a calculator and get the answer faster,” Alex asked in a tone that was just shy of a whine.

Dave sat at the small kitchen table with his nephew while Julie made dinner. He knew she was listening to see how he’d handle the kind of interaction she probably dealt with every day. Hell, she was only four feet away, she had to listen whether she wanted to or not. “What if you don’t have a calculator?”

“My phone has one.”

“What if your battery is dead?”

“I never let that happen. I charge it every night. Mom wants to always be able to contact me. Of course, I have to turn it off during class, but I have it on the rest of the time.”

This wasn’t getting him anywhere. He glanced at his sister. Her lips were pressed together as if she was trying not to laugh.

“Lots of things that are useful to know are boring to learn. Learn them anyway. There is a big wide world out there outside your third-grade classroom, and the more you know, the better prepared you’ll be to deal with it.”

Alex’s brow furrowed. Dave was almost ready to fall back on, Because I said so, when Julie saved him by announcing, “Dinner’s almost ready. Alex, would you clear and set the table for me, please?”

The boy jumped up and scraped his worksheets into an untidy pile and then crammed them into his backpack. For a second Dave considered discussing the importance of organization and caring for one’s equipment, but dismissed the idea just as quickly. One battle at a time.

While Alex clattered the silverware onto the table, Dave leaned over Julie’s shoulder. “That smells great! Is that mom’s Johnny Marzetti?”

“I modified the recipe. I add garlic and mushrooms and cook it in the skillet. It’s faster that way after work.”

“I can’t wait.”

“You won’t have to. It’s ready. Would you grab the salad?”

The three of them squeezed around the tiny little table and dug in. The first bite brought back a flood of memories, the good tangled with the bad. He focused on the positive. Times when their mother’s good cooking had filled the apartment with delicious smells and their father hadn’t been around. He glanced at Julie and Alex. They were relaxed and happy, not worried for the moment about Chad or what evil he had brought into their lives. That was how it should be.

Dave took another bite. He needed to give Julie a heads-up so she’d expect Jack and company, but it could wait. He’d let them enjoy their dinner. Then he’d remind them they were still in danger.

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