didn’t say anything.
“Well, you must be doing something with all those books you carry around with you. What was it you had yesterday?”
“The 1995 Universal Almanac.”
“You were reading the Almanac? ”
“My father read the phone book when he was three,” Andrew told her proudly.
“I see,” Liz said, and nodded gravely. “So did you read the phone book, too, or did you decide to start with something that had a little more meat?”
Andrew looked a little less certain now, but after a bit, he nodded.
“Well, then,” Liz said abruptly, and stood up, “why don’t we go outside now, and you can tell me about what you read yesterday.”
“The grass is wet,” Andrew said immediately. “It will stain my suit!”
“Then wear jeans.”
“I don’t—”
“I know, I know, Andy. You don’t wear jeans. Well, I tell you what. Just for today, if you wear your jeans, I will wear my uniform.”
Obviously, the exchange had potential, for Andrew was now eyeing her crimson and jade skirt with a speculative eye.
“The whole uniform?” he questioned. “Even the tie?”
Liz sighed, and wondered how soon she was going to regret this. Still, she really wanted to get the child outside more—for both their sakes. “Even the tie,” she agreed.
“All right,” Andrew said at last with a decisive nod. “Deal.”
* * *
That was how Richard found them an hour later, both sitting on a blanket in the yard. He took in Andrew with an appraising eye, noting the jeans that looked brand-new and the sweater that was still creased from being folded in a box. His sharp blue eyes found Liz sitting straight and formal, with her legs curled primly to one side. Liz, who looked stiff and uncomfortable in her straight gray skirt, short gray jacket, starched white blouse and stranglingly serious black tie. Looking at her in this new restrictive attire, Richard frowned. And unconsciously, as a person might search for signs of familiarity in someone he knows but does not immediately recognize, his eyes scanned up and down her figure. It wasn’t until he noticed the large silver hoops in her ears that his forehead cleared.
“Hello,” he managed to say, and cleared his throat. They both looked up simultaneously, and it was hard to tell who was the more startled. Andrew’s eyes blinked several times in rapid succession, and Liz’s face registered shock. She, however, was the first to recover, reaching out her hand in welcome.
She’d told him to spend more time with his son, and now here he was. Even if she did have her doubts about him, even if he did sometimes scare her, she had to at least appreciate that. Besides, Andrew was watching.
“Welcome,” she said as casually as she could. “Andrew was just telling me about absolute zero on the Kelvin scale. Would you like to join us?”
Richard nodded, looking somewhat uncomfortable. He had recognized them from a distance, in fact it was Andrew’s hair that had given them away. In the bright burning light of morning, the boy’s fair locks had glowed like an angel’s halo—that is, if there were any such thing as angels or halos. And from a distance, as Richard had walked toward them, the child had looked so much like his mother, it had made his breath catch in his throat. Even now, up close, the blond, blond hair, the blue, blue eyes—it was Alycia all over again. Grimly he faced yet again the fact that he could spend all day looking for something of himself in the boy, and never find one trace. Not one.
Already regretting approaching them, Richard moved to the empty place on the blanket and sat down carefully in his brown slacks and long-sleeved oxford shirt. His eyes squinted uncomfortably against the brightness of the sun. It had been a long time since he had been outside on a day like this, something that did not go unnoticed by Liz.
“Andrew,” she prompted. “Go ahead and continue.”
The child blinked his eyes several times again, looking first at the
“Well, you must be doing something with all those books you carry around with you. What was it you had yesterday?”
“The 1995 Universal Almanac.”
“You were reading the Almanac? ”
“My father read the phone book when he was three,” Andrew told her proudly.
“I see,” Liz said, and nodded gravely. “So did you read the phone book, too, or did you decide to start with something that had a little more meat?”
Andrew looked a little less certain now, but after a bit, he nodded.
“Well, then,” Liz said abruptly, and stood up, “why don’t we go outside now, and you can tell me about what you read yesterday.”
“The grass is wet,” Andrew said immediately. “It will stain my suit!”
“Then wear jeans.”
“I don’t—”
“I know, I know, Andy. You don’t wear jeans. Well, I tell you what. Just for today, if you wear your jeans, I will wear my uniform.”
Obviously, the exchange had potential, for Andrew was now eyeing her crimson and jade skirt with a speculative eye.
“The whole uniform?” he questioned. “Even the tie?”
Liz sighed, and wondered how soon she was going to regret this. Still, she really wanted to get the child outside more—for both their sakes. “Even the tie,” she agreed.
“All right,” Andrew said at last with a decisive nod. “Deal.”
* * *
That was how Richard found them an hour later, both sitting on a blanket in the yard. He took in Andrew with an appraising eye, noting the jeans that looked brand-new and the sweater that was still creased from being folded in a box. His sharp blue eyes found Liz sitting straight and formal, with her legs curled primly to one side. Liz, who looked stiff and uncomfortable in her straight gray skirt, short gray jacket, starched white blouse and stranglingly serious black tie. Looking at her in this new restrictive attire, Richard frowned. And unconsciously, as a person might search for signs of familiarity in someone he knows but does not immediately recognize, his eyes scanned up and down her figure. It wasn’t until he noticed the large silver hoops in her ears that his forehead cleared.
“Hello,” he managed to say, and cleared his throat. They both looked up simultaneously, and it was hard to tell who was the more startled. Andrew’s eyes blinked several times in rapid succession, and Liz’s face registered shock. She, however, was the first to recover, reaching out her hand in welcome.
She’d told him to spend more time with his son, and now here he was. Even if she did have her doubts about him, even if he did sometimes scare her, she had to at least appreciate that. Besides, Andrew was watching.
“Welcome,” she said as casually as she could. “Andrew was just telling me about absolute zero on the Kelvin scale. Would you like to join us?”
Richard nodded, looking somewhat uncomfortable. He had recognized them from a distance, in fact it was Andrew’s hair that had given them away. In the bright burning light of morning, the boy’s fair locks had glowed like an angel’s halo—that is, if there were any such thing as angels or halos. And from a distance, as Richard had walked toward them, the child had looked so much like his mother, it had made his breath catch in his throat. Even now, up close, the blond, blond hair, the blue, blue eyes—it was Alycia all over again. Grimly he faced yet again the fact that he could spend all day looking for something of himself in the boy, and never find one trace. Not one.
Already regretting approaching them, Richard moved to the empty place on the blanket and sat down carefully in his brown slacks and long-sleeved oxford shirt. His eyes squinted uncomfortably against the brightness of the sun. It had been a long time since he had been outside on a day like this, something that did not go unnoticed by Liz.
“Andrew,” she prompted. “Go ahead and continue.”
The child blinked his eyes several times again, looking first at the
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