Exchange Rate by Bonnie R. Paulson Page B

or any of their kids playing in the dirt by their front porch.
    Bodey and I sidled up to stand behind John as he waited for them to answer the door.
    A long moment passed. Another. A curtain flickered from the windowsill in an upstairs room. Thundering footsteps pounded down the stairs and Mike Scoggin threw open the door. “John! Bodey and Kelly! Look at you guys. Just in time.” He peered behind us, then ushered us into the foyer.
    “Just in time? What’s going on?” John closed the door, scratching at his beard and watching Mike.
    “We’re heading down past Coeur d’Alene. There’s a community opening up for more citizens along Fourth of July pass. There’s room for more and we’re ready.” He wrapped his arms around John and squeezed. “Good to see you, buddy.” Tears sparkled in his gray eyes.
    “Wow, really? That seems sudden.” John moved into the front room and sat on the couch, folding his hands between his knees. He watched Bodey and I cross the floor and join him, then he turned his attention toward Mike.
    “You’re heading to Bayview, aren’t you? Simon Phahn said you might.” Mike nodded curtly, his eyes dark. Work-worn hands dangled at his sides as he fought to focus on us.
    “Yeah, Simon is good people. Last time we were in the area, he’d found me at our camp, said if we ever needed a place to stay, to stop by his town.” John glanced around, then he paused before speaking again, listening while looking up at the ceiling. “Where is everyone? It’s so quiet.”
    Mike walked slowly to the couch opposite us and fell to the cushions like weight pushed him down from above. He shook his head, dark shadows under his eyes. “It’s just me and Mary, now. The kids...” He swallowed and tears coursed down his cheeks. “The community doesn’t allow children, but that’s not a problem anymore.” His words ended as he choked on emotion.
    “Did someone...” John’s horrified expression filled me with dread. Who would kill sweet kids like the Scoggins’?
    “No. I could even handle that, you know? I would have someone to blame.” Mike shuddered. “No. They just... They both... So stupid, but we weren’t watching and they got into the rat poisoning and thought it was candy or something. I’m not even sure. So little. We couldn’t do anything. Even if we knew what to do. We don’t have the capabilities to pump stomachs or anything. The charcoal didn’t work. Nothing worked. They just...”
    Horrified, I covered my mouth. The Scoggins children had been six and four and the smartest kids I’d ever met. But they were children. If they didn’t know the difference between the crystal candy and the crystal poison...
    Their death burned more than it should have. Disconnected from my things burning and my marriage day, I couldn’t react to the loss like I should but allowed the burning grief to smolder and simmer beneath the surface. Maybe part of me couldn’t accept that such terrific kids would be dead. At least not that day.
    John rushed to Mike’s side and swung an arm over his shoulders. “Oh, man, Mike. Oh, man, I’m so sorry.” The two dads cried together, their chests shaking and the sobs quiet but intimate.
    Bodey claimed my hand, tracing my knuckles. He didn’t watch John and Mike, but stared at the ground, giving as much privacy as possible.
    I watched his fingers dancing over my skin. The fragility of life couldn’t have been more real in that moment. We could die at any moment for any reason. At least we’d been married. At least I had my Bodey and he had me. Soon, and hopefully before we died, we would have a chance to be together. I leaned my head against his shoulder and held my gaze downcast.
    The moment of grief faded into a comfortable silence. Mike had needed someone to mourn with him, understand him, maybe even understand he hadn’t done anything wrong and couldn’t do anything to save them.
    “Are you and Mary okay?” John lifted up to sit beside Mike on