The Boy I Love by Nina de Gramont

Author:Nina de Gramont
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Eleven

Weeks went by, unfolding into colder weather, and for the first time ever we did not have Thanksgiving at the farm. Instead Mom paid Trudy’s niece to watch the horses, and we spent three days in Raleigh. Or should I say we spent three miserable days in Raleigh, because everyone was so stressed out that even nice, cheerful Holly snapped at my mother and my sweet, calm mother snapped right back, and Dad got right into it too, taking Holly’s side. There’s not much point going into the details. Suffice to say I had never been so happy to get home. Straightaway I called up Tim. He said he’d borrow his mom’s car and come get me.

Dad came out while I was waiting with Daisy on the front stoop. “Where you going?”

“Riding around with Tim,” I said.

He scratched his head a minute. If they hadn’t been so wrapped up in the farm, I’m sure my parents would have made Tim the topic of much discussion and warning and rules. But as it happened, they’d barely said a word.

Now Dad dusted off his old parenting skills. “I’m trying to remember when we said you could ride in cars with guys,” he said.

“You never bothered saying I could or couldn’t, but since I’ve been doing it for about three months, I’d say that ship has sailed.”

Dad sighed. “Wren,” he said, “I don’t know when you got all grown up.”

By now I could see Mrs. Greenlaw’s shiny, clean car, getting all dirty from the dust in our driveway. I gave Daisy a scratch on her head and stood up. Dad looked tired, and I knew Thanksgiving had been even worse for him than it had been for me. It used to be that he and Mom got along just fine. The only thing they’d ever fought about was money, and now since the only thing anyone ever talked about was money, all they ever did was fight.

“Don’t worry, Dad,” I said, taking pity on him. “I’m not all grown up just yet.”

He smiled and ruffled my hair. “Glad to hear it, Wrenny. Very glad indeed.”

Tim got out of the car and came over to shake Dad’s hand and talk to him a minute about what a safe driver he was, then we got into the car and drove away. Halfway down the road we switched so I could practice driving, even though technically Tim hadn’t had his license long enough to count as a supervising driver. It made me feel kind of reckless and powerful, this little bit of lawbreaking.

* * *

On the way into Williamsport we passed the turnoff to Knockton Farms. I asked Tim if he’d mind stopping here a minute. It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so the place looked pretty deserted. I pulled in front of the barn and we walked on in. I checked out the horses in the stalls, but didn’t find Brutus. It looked like a pretty nice place, though, smelling of clean straw and the same castile soap my mom and I used to clean tack.

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