Every Waking Moment by Chris Fabry

Author:Chris Fabry
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781414388717
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2013-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

Running an errand, back in a couple of hours.

He would call if he needed something. They were both going to have to learn this dance, this new-normal setting on life.

She drove to Treha’s apartment from memory, taking a wrong turn and reaching a dead end at an ancient brick house with iron bars on the windows. She made a U-turn and backtracked to find the correct street and finally saw the apartment in the distance. As she parked, she heard a noise she thought at first might be her car, then saw the boy tossing what was left of a tennis ball against a concrete wall. He watched her warily as if he were the security guard.

“You looking for somebody?” Thwop-smack, the ball against the wall and in his hand again.

Miriam got out. “I’m here to see Treha.”

“Oh, I remember you were here the other night dropping her off.” Thwop-smack. “She ain’t here.” Thwop-smack.

“Do you know where she is?”

“Maybe. Who’s asking?”

She held out a hand. “I’m Mrs. Howard. I work with her.”

“You mean you used to,” he said. “She got fired.”

“You must be Du’Relle.”

He shook her hand vigorously, as if he’d been trained by someone in the military to do so, and looked at her with wide brown eyes. “We look out for each other, me and Treha. I watch her back; she watches mine.”

Precocious child. “I just need to talk with her.”

Thwop-tick-tick. He missed the ball and ran into the parking lot after it. As he crawled under an old Camaro, he said, “She told me she was going to Goodwill. Try to find another bike. Hers got stolen.”

Thwop-smack.

“Do you know what’s wrong with her eyes?” he said. “They move all around and I don’t want to ask her because my mama says it’s not polite to ask people stuff like that.”

“Your mother is a kind woman.” Not very present, but kind.

“I ain’t never seen her smile. One time I had her come over to my house and we watched this comedy movie. Man, it’s the funniest thing I ever seen. I about bust a gut every time I watch it. But she sits there and her face is frozen. Not even a twitch of a grin—I watched her the whole time. She just looked at the TV like it was some CSI show. But I’ve seen her stand up to gangbangers. She don’t take nothing from nobody.”

“I’m not sure why Treha is the way she is. That’s a good question.”

Thwop-smack.

“Well, my mama says everybody’s different in their own way and you can either try to make them into who you want them to be or you can accept them and deal with what you got.”

“Your mama sounds like a philosopher.”

“She’s pretty smart.”

“Could you tell me where Goodwill is from here?”

Thwop-smack.

“Go down that way to . . . Aww, it’d be easier for me to show you. It’s not that far.” He moved toward her car.

“You shouldn’t get in cars with people you meet for the first time.”

Thwop-smack.

“Fine. Suit yourself.

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