Freefall Summer by Tracy Barrett

Author:Tracy Barrett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Published: 2018-04-03T04:00:00+00:00

I tossed a rig onto the table and straightened the lines while I waited for Denny to say something about my mother having a six-year-old daughter ten years ago, making me only sixteen. He didn’t. Either he had really only skimmed the article, like he’d said, or he hadn’t noticed that, or he thought that the reporter had gotten it wrong.

Cynthia called a load. “That’s me!” Denny said.

“Have fun,” I said automatically.

“I’ll do my best,” he answered, and then he was out the door.

My phone rang. Theo, finally! I walked outside. “Hello?”

“Hi, sweetheart,” Theo said. I loved when he called me that; it was so old-fashioned and romantic.

“Where are you calling from?”

“I had to come into town to pick up a climbing rope. I don’t have much time to talk, but I wanted to tell you I miss you and that the camp posted some pictures on their website. I think I’m in some of them.”

“How is it?”

He went on for a while about how great the camp was and how beautiful Idaho was and how much he liked the other counselors. He said that most of the kids were great too, except for a few who were homesick and one who ignored the safety briefings, so they were going to have to scare her for her own good. I wondered whether he was ever going to ask how I was doing.

He finally slowed down and asked after my dad. “Fine,” I said. “He’s been seeing more of that Elise woman, I think.”

“Uh-huh.”

I could tell he wasn’t paying attention. “Theo, you there?”

“Yeah, right here. How’s your summer going?”

I should’ve probably said something about Denny, but somehow I didn’t want to. “Good. My dad’s paying me by the hour now instead of by the pack job, and I’m running some errands in the car. And Angie was here, but she’s gone back to New Mexico. Jackson did a tandem a little while ago.”

He didn’t answer, and once again I said, “You there? Theo?” Why couldn’t he focus on our conversation?

Then he was back. “Sorry—someone asked me a question.”

“Where are you? I thought you were in some sport-supply place getting rope or whatever.”

“Some of the other counselors came too,” he added, and then obviously not to me he said, “Just a sec.” Then he came back. “Sorry, Clancy, I have to deal with this.”

“Thanks for calling. I’ll check out those photos,” I said.

“I miss you.”

“Miss you too. I love you.”

“Love you too. Bye.”

Then he was gone. I glanced in the hangar but Denny hadn’t come back yet. I sighed. Great. After the way Theo had acted all distracted and busy, I almost wished I had ignored my phone and kept talking with Denny. He was going to be a good shrink one day. He was making me think about things I was happier avoiding but that I should probably have been thinking about.

Enough about Denny, I scolded myself.

The PA crackled, and Cynthia’s voice said, “Clancy to the office.”

Good. Something to do. When I got there, Cynthia stood up stiffly and stretched.

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