Abiding Love by Kate Welsh Page B

to do the opposite of what he knew his parents would have done in any given situation.
    “There,” he said, stepping back to admire the sight he’d missed for so many years. “Who cares how old you are? It looks right on the fridge. I promise if you have a friend over, we’ll take it down.”
    “I don’t have any friends. Or haven’t you noticed?” Mark growled.
    “You just haven’t come across anyone who shares your interests yet.”
    “That’s what Ms. Lexington says.”
    Adam gritted his teeth. Ms. Lexington says— How many times in the last three weeks had he heard that? She was the reason Mark’s report card made him feel so defeated. She had done what Adam couldn’t. Mark had settled down in school, had received high praise from all his teachers. At home it was a chorus of Drop dead, Dad. Stuff it. Whatever. I’m going to my room.
    “So what interested you in New Mexico besides schoolwork? What did you guys do on weekends?”
    “Whatever.”
    Adam decided maybe he needed to be a little less of a whipping boy. Ms. Alexandra Lexington’s advice wasn’t getting him anywhere. He kept listening for the clues she’d told him to, and every time he found one and responded to it, Mark slipped that stiletto tongue of his right through his heart. It was time he started following his own instincts for a change.
    “I don’t know what ‘whatever’ means, Mark. What did you do on a typical weekend?” he pressed.
    “I played softball and ran track. I’d just gotten into basketball when they—” Mark stopped and took a breath, looking close to tears. “We all went to my games or meets on Saturdays or helped raise money for the teams.”
    “Have you thought about trying out for sports here?”
    “The teams are full. Sorry,” he snapped, “I’m notinto sitting on the bench hoping some other guy breaks an arm or a leg.”
    Adam arched his eyebrows and leaned against the counter. “Can’t say I blame you. So what else did you do? Track and softball don’t run year round,” he said, avoiding any mention of basketball since it clearly reminded Mark of the accident.
    “We were a family. We did family stuff.” Mark had been getting testy, but now his tone changed. Wistfully, he said, “Sometimes we’d just go to the mall and laugh at Mom trying on really bad clothes. She never bought any of them, but there was nothing like seeing conservative Mom prancing around in a leopard miniskirt and leather vest.”
    Conservative? Mallory? She must have changed over the years without Adam noticing. Most of the time when he’d stopped to get Mark, she’d had on jeans and a shirt. That was almost an American uniform, so it told little about her wardrobe or style.
    “So what else did your…family do?” This was such a weird conversation, but maybe it was the right route. At least it had lasted three times longer than most of their conversations did. When Mark stayed silent, Adam coaxed, “You have to tell me. I didn’t have a normal American family, Mark. I don’t have a clue what one does.”
    Mark eyed him like a bug under his microscope or an alien life-form. Adam didn’t care. They were still talking.
    “We’d go to a movie,” Mark said at last. “Or Jerry and I’d do yard work or build something together. He had a primo wood shop. Mom would bring us lunch and sit eating hers while we worked. Sundays we’d go to church. Sometimes have an early dinner there. We had a great life.”
    “Maybe we should try church. Would you like that?”
    Mark shrugged, looking conflicted. “I don’t know. God took away my great life. Why should I worship Him? Or listen to made-up promises about Him?”
    “I don’t have a clue. But it’d be something for us to do together. Something families do. Even mine did.”
    “I did belong to our church’s youth group. We did some cool things together,” Mark said, looking a bit interested.
    “Maybe that’s where you could meet some kids. Ms. Lexington made it sound