Saving Thomas by A.L. Moore

Author:A.L. Moore [Moore, A.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-08-09T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

By the end of July, it would’ve been hard to find a loose screw on our farm. Thomas was there from daylight until dark most days, which suited me just fine. We always had lunch together, picnicking down by the river under a large shade tree. Those afternoons were my favorite, because we were far from onlookers. Thomas always took advantage of that aspect, sneaking long, slow kisses that were growing harder and harder to pull away from. We took the horses out before sunset most evenings, riding until nearly dusk. Thomas never let me win, though he claimed he did anytime Addy reached the field first. It had become somewhat of a spectator sport for the kids. Katy’s brothers cheered as they watched us from an old treehouse Mr. Johnson had built before Katy and I’d started kindergarten. Katy usually called the winner of our races, when she wasn’t with her new boyfriend, Andrew. Drew, as she called him, hadn’t come into the picture until Rusty had stopped coming around. If only I could tell her why Rusty was away so much. Then again, if Rusty was involved in what was going on at the Tyner’s, it was better that he kept his distance.

Thomas didn’t talk about Rusty much. I wanted to ask what was going on with him, but I knew it had something to do with the steady stream of cars parked across the street every Tuesday, and that was a sore spot for Thomas. By now, everyone had noticed the traffic, mine and Katy’s parents. It was hard not to. One van had a particularly loud muffler, and it never failed to show up, leaving a thick cloud of black smoke in its wake. I wondered what my parents thought, if they knew the truth, but whatever it was, they never mentioned a thing. Katy said she’d overheard her daddy talking about the traffic, but he’d stopped when she’d walked into the room. Rusty wasn’t allowed at her house anymore. Thomas wouldn’t have been either if not for Daddy. I’d heard him on the phone talking to Mr. Johnson about all the work Thomas had been doing.

Rusty looked bad, different than he’d looked just weeks ago, kind of pale like he’d been sick. He was taking out the trash when I stopped to check the mail and he didn’t even look in my direction. There were no cars on the street yet, but I knew they’d be coming. Not just because of what day it was, but because I’d heard Thomas ask if he could grab a shower here after work. He’d started doing that on the days the cars showed back up.

I rode Addy behind the house, climbing off, and watching her trot to the far side of the round pen. Daddy’d had Thomas on the hot roof all morning and the hammering bothered her, so I planned to keep her out at least as long as he worked. The pen was partially shaded by a large oak and I'd just changed out the water.

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