Last Summer Boys by Bill Rivers

Author:Bill Rivers [Rivers, Bill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Amazon: B09KXD3SXY
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2022-06-02T06:00:00+00:00

Sunday morning again, and that means church.

This time we drop Frankie off at Saint Peter’s Catholic Church in town so he can pray with his people before we drive down to Main Street Lutheran. Saint Peter’s looks more like a castle than a church, with iron-colored stones and narrow stained-glass windows and a statue of old Simon Peter himself out front holding an enormous key. As Frankie passes through the arched doorway, I see what must be a thousand candles glowing softly in smoky dark inside, and it seems to me mysterious and awfully old but also very pretty. Will says something about Catholics sure liking their smells and bells, and we drive off across town to our church.

Low clouds over the cornfields look like they’re fixing up some soft summer rain when we arrive, which suits me just fine as it keeps everything that much cooler inside.

Services begin with us all singing, and from our pew I see Anna May Fenton over with the choir, in a green dress with tiny pink flowers all across it. About a minute or so later, I catch her looking at us. Let her look. I imagine she’s feeling mighty foolish about ever spending any time with Everett Scott. She’s still looking our way once the song ends, and that’s when I see she ain’t looking at us, really, but at Will, and just at Will.

I glance to Will to see if he’s taken any notice. He’s redder than a turnip.

We sit for Pastor Fenton’s sermon, and this time he’s talking about holding on to what’s true in a time of so many confusing changes and telling us to keep our eyes aimed at the Lord. I don’t think Anna May’s listening, because every time I look her eyes are aimed right at Will, who’s more focused on the white paper pamphlet in his hands than I’ve ever seen him.

When services end we all lift one last “Amen” before filing out of our pew for the front. I’m hoping to walk with Dad to Mr. Hudspeth’s, but he stays a while talking with Pastor Fenton. Ma goes to her church-lady friends, and I’m amazed to see Pete go along with her.

I turn to ask Will if he wants to go up Main Street, but he ain’t next to me no more. A minute later, I find him out front with the other kids, standing at the edge of their circle, hands in his pockets, like usual. Only this time, Anna May is standing next to him. Not right next to him, but closer to him than anybody else.

Lordy.

“Come on, Will,” I say to him. “Let’s go on down to Mr. Hudspeth’s ’fore it starts raining and we can’t.”

Will squints skyward and rocks forward a little on his toes as if that could help him see them clouds any better. He bites his lip. About five feet away, Anna May is looking at the sky too. She don’t say a word. She stands very still.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.