mass of people milled around listening to the fife-and-drum corps of a local Revolutionary War reenactment society. She and Daniel listened for a moment, but when one of the fife players screeched an especially sharp note, she grimaced, and said, “Let’s go back. What do you think of Becca’s new boyfriend?”
Their conversation returned to Kevin as they strolled back, hand in hand; they agreed that he seemed to be a nice guy from their limited observation so far. When they got back to the others, Jaymie noticed that little Connor, Kathy’s nephew, was nearby, sitting with his mom, Kylie Hofstadter, and an older man Jaymie assumed was the late Drew Walker’s father, Andy. Craig was sitting with Kathy, but the two were not talking; instead, both appeared to be texting, while Kathy kept shooting unhappy glances at both her husband and her sister.
Once Jaymie sat down, Valetta tugged on her T-shirt.
“Look down there,” she murmured to Jaymie, pointing down the walkway to a tall, shambling fellow in ripped shorts and enormous, unlaced work boots. “Johnny Stanko.”
Jaymie kind of remembered him from high school.Stanko was always a troublemaker who started fights, skipped classes and smoked in the washroom—and not just cigarettes. He was the local pothead, a grade or two ahead of her. Each grade had taken him a couple of years to complete, so he was older, probably in his late thirties by now. Hands shoved in his shorts pockets, gaze turned out to the river, he seemed to be just ambling with no goal in mind. But on his current course, he would inevitably meet with Craig Cooper, the object of years of his relentless bullying.
“And here we go,” Jaymie whispered, as Stanko came up even with Craig and Kathy Cooper and stopped to stand and watch a freighter ease upriver in the shipping channel. “Surely he must know what he’s doing? He can’t have stopped there accidentally.” There was a tension in Stanko’s powerful shoulders that warned that he knew exactly who was behind him.
Kathy said something to Craig; he shook his head. She leaned over and said something more vehemently. He ignored her. She stood and walked over to the railing and tapped Stanko on the shoulder. When he saw her, he did a double take, then stepped back. So maybe he hadn’t known who was sitting there. Jaymie watched, fascinated. Daniel asked her what was going on, but she just shook her head and said, “Wait. I’ll tell you in a minute.”
Valetta grabbed Jaymie’s wrist. “Kathy’s totally peeved; you can see it in the way she’s standing, hands on her hips. I think she’s going to rag him out.”
“For all that stuff that happened between him and Craig back in high school?” Jaymie said. “Good grief, she really can hold a grudge and not just with me!”
It was like waiting for the fuse to burn down on a Roman candle, watching Kathy and Stanko together; Craig kept his distance, his wrinkled brow and frown evidence of hisuncertainty. Stanko turned away, but Kathy grabbed his arm and shook it.
Isolated words from their confrontation began floating on the river breeze:
years ago, mean, old days
. Jaymie glanced over at Valetta, whose compressed lips indicated that she heard, too. Craig finally got involved, but not before Stanko shook his free fist at Kathy and pulled his arm out of her grip. Kathy’s husband surged to his feet and approached, saying something to Stanko.
“Then you oughtta keep your old lady in check, Pooper,” Stanko shouted, his booming voice now making every word audible. “If I had any guts at all, I’d whack the both of you!” He stormed off and headed down to the dockside.
Daniel, who had watched the whole scene, shook his head as Kathy and Craig went back to their blanket on the edge of the walkway. Gesturing toward Kathy, he said to Jaymie, “She may be one of those who you just can’t reach. That guy, though…why would she push him like that? He looks like trouble.”
She briefly
Their conversation returned to Kevin as they strolled back, hand in hand; they agreed that he seemed to be a nice guy from their limited observation so far. When they got back to the others, Jaymie noticed that little Connor, Kathy’s nephew, was nearby, sitting with his mom, Kylie Hofstadter, and an older man Jaymie assumed was the late Drew Walker’s father, Andy. Craig was sitting with Kathy, but the two were not talking; instead, both appeared to be texting, while Kathy kept shooting unhappy glances at both her husband and her sister.
Once Jaymie sat down, Valetta tugged on her T-shirt.
“Look down there,” she murmured to Jaymie, pointing down the walkway to a tall, shambling fellow in ripped shorts and enormous, unlaced work boots. “Johnny Stanko.”
Jaymie kind of remembered him from high school.Stanko was always a troublemaker who started fights, skipped classes and smoked in the washroom—and not just cigarettes. He was the local pothead, a grade or two ahead of her. Each grade had taken him a couple of years to complete, so he was older, probably in his late thirties by now. Hands shoved in his shorts pockets, gaze turned out to the river, he seemed to be just ambling with no goal in mind. But on his current course, he would inevitably meet with Craig Cooper, the object of years of his relentless bullying.
“And here we go,” Jaymie whispered, as Stanko came up even with Craig and Kathy Cooper and stopped to stand and watch a freighter ease upriver in the shipping channel. “Surely he must know what he’s doing? He can’t have stopped there accidentally.” There was a tension in Stanko’s powerful shoulders that warned that he knew exactly who was behind him.
Kathy said something to Craig; he shook his head. She leaned over and said something more vehemently. He ignored her. She stood and walked over to the railing and tapped Stanko on the shoulder. When he saw her, he did a double take, then stepped back. So maybe he hadn’t known who was sitting there. Jaymie watched, fascinated. Daniel asked her what was going on, but she just shook her head and said, “Wait. I’ll tell you in a minute.”
Valetta grabbed Jaymie’s wrist. “Kathy’s totally peeved; you can see it in the way she’s standing, hands on her hips. I think she’s going to rag him out.”
“For all that stuff that happened between him and Craig back in high school?” Jaymie said. “Good grief, she really can hold a grudge and not just with me!”
It was like waiting for the fuse to burn down on a Roman candle, watching Kathy and Stanko together; Craig kept his distance, his wrinkled brow and frown evidence of hisuncertainty. Stanko turned away, but Kathy grabbed his arm and shook it.
Isolated words from their confrontation began floating on the river breeze:
years ago, mean, old days
. Jaymie glanced over at Valetta, whose compressed lips indicated that she heard, too. Craig finally got involved, but not before Stanko shook his free fist at Kathy and pulled his arm out of her grip. Kathy’s husband surged to his feet and approached, saying something to Stanko.
“Then you oughtta keep your old lady in check, Pooper,” Stanko shouted, his booming voice now making every word audible. “If I had any guts at all, I’d whack the both of you!” He stormed off and headed down to the dockside.
Daniel, who had watched the whole scene, shook his head as Kathy and Craig went back to their blanket on the edge of the walkway. Gesturing toward Kathy, he said to Jaymie, “She may be one of those who you just can’t reach. That guy, though…why would she push him like that? He looks like trouble.”
She briefly
Similar Books
