been trying for the past three years."
Mary smiled. "No thanks."
" Why not?" Carter asked.
She replaced the canvas in the drawer. "I don't like competition."
" With that painting, I don't think there will be any," he said. "You should do it."
She shook her head.
He turned to Mr. Edwards. "I tried."
" It's all we can do," the teacher chuckled.
When Mary had stored her painting again, t hey said goodbye to Mr. Edwards and left the school.
" Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she said.
" Mary?"
" Yeah?"
" Where are you going to now?"
Why did he want to know? "To the retirement home. To visit my grandmother," she said.
" May I come with you?"
" Uh…"
" You can say no," he said. "I am sorry. I'm...still learning my boundaries of what's appropriate."
" Boundaries?" she asked. "Is that why you were ignoring me all this time?"
" Not ignoring," he said. "Avoiding. I made you uncomfortable your first day back. I didn't want to do that again."
" Oh," she said. "So, that wasn't because you were getting over Laci?"
" 'Getting… over Laci?'" He thought for a moment. "Was I under her before?"
Mary snorted, barely managing the sudden fit of laughter.
His face lit up. "I said something that amused you?"
Mary took a deep breath and composed herself . "No. I mean, yeah. Never mind."
" I still don't understand your question."
" It's all right. You answered it." She cleared her throat. "Anyway. About my grandmother. She has Alzheimer's. She takes medication for it, so usually she has good days. But once in a while, she has episodes. She should be okay, but I just wanted to warn you." That might put him off, she thought.
But he answered, "Thank you. I'll be sensitive to the situation."
" Um, okay. I guess," she said. "Anyway, the bus is coming. We'd better get on it."
Carter didn't have a bus pass, so Mary dug around in her bag for change. He watched her for a moment. Then, he opened his wallet and took out a hundred-dollar bill.
" Will this cover my fare?" he asked.
Mary gasped . "Are you nuts ? Why are you carrying that much money around with you!" She grabbed his wallet to shove the bill back inside it, and her hand touched his briefly. "Ouch!" she cried, dropping the wallet and the money. She felt like she had touched a car door that had been sitting in the sun too long.
" Are you all right?" Carter asked.
Mary examined her hand . "Yeah, I'm fine. I think you just shocked me or something."
"I am sorry," he said. He looked really concerned. And he didn't pay any attention to his wallet on the ground or the hundred-dollar bill starting to flutter away.
Mary stamped on the bill with her foot to keep it from escaping. She picked it up with the wallet and handed them back to him. "No, it's all right. A day pass is four bucks. Do you have anything smaller?"
Carefully, Carter took the wallet and money without touching her. He stowed the hundred dollars and took out a five-dollar bill instead.
" That's better." Mary told him how to put his money into the machine. It spat out his ticket and four quarters.
Carter looked at the ticket and change in his hands . "Thank you. I am not familiar with this."
"Don't mention it," she said.
When they boarded the bus, they sat across the aisle from each other. Mary watched Carter as the bus moved. He sat with both feet planted on the floor and his hands folded together. He looked out the window, studying everything with quiet fascination. Mary hadn't noticed before, but Carter cleaned up pretty well. The style for a lot of guys seemed to be not to wash their hair regularly, letting it get all greasy and nasty. But Carter's was clean, thick, and a little shiny. And usually at the end of the school day, guys un-tucked their shirts, took off their ties, and rolled up their sleeves. Carter kept everything together, though he did wear that same thick black sweater.
Mary had to admit it. Carter actually looked kinda handsome.
Electronic gunshots caught his attention. Carter
Mary smiled. "No thanks."
" Why not?" Carter asked.
She replaced the canvas in the drawer. "I don't like competition."
" With that painting, I don't think there will be any," he said. "You should do it."
She shook her head.
He turned to Mr. Edwards. "I tried."
" It's all we can do," the teacher chuckled.
When Mary had stored her painting again, t hey said goodbye to Mr. Edwards and left the school.
" Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she said.
" Mary?"
" Yeah?"
" Where are you going to now?"
Why did he want to know? "To the retirement home. To visit my grandmother," she said.
" May I come with you?"
" Uh…"
" You can say no," he said. "I am sorry. I'm...still learning my boundaries of what's appropriate."
" Boundaries?" she asked. "Is that why you were ignoring me all this time?"
" Not ignoring," he said. "Avoiding. I made you uncomfortable your first day back. I didn't want to do that again."
" Oh," she said. "So, that wasn't because you were getting over Laci?"
" 'Getting… over Laci?'" He thought for a moment. "Was I under her before?"
Mary snorted, barely managing the sudden fit of laughter.
His face lit up. "I said something that amused you?"
Mary took a deep breath and composed herself . "No. I mean, yeah. Never mind."
" I still don't understand your question."
" It's all right. You answered it." She cleared her throat. "Anyway. About my grandmother. She has Alzheimer's. She takes medication for it, so usually she has good days. But once in a while, she has episodes. She should be okay, but I just wanted to warn you." That might put him off, she thought.
But he answered, "Thank you. I'll be sensitive to the situation."
" Um, okay. I guess," she said. "Anyway, the bus is coming. We'd better get on it."
Carter didn't have a bus pass, so Mary dug around in her bag for change. He watched her for a moment. Then, he opened his wallet and took out a hundred-dollar bill.
" Will this cover my fare?" he asked.
Mary gasped . "Are you nuts ? Why are you carrying that much money around with you!" She grabbed his wallet to shove the bill back inside it, and her hand touched his briefly. "Ouch!" she cried, dropping the wallet and the money. She felt like she had touched a car door that had been sitting in the sun too long.
" Are you all right?" Carter asked.
Mary examined her hand . "Yeah, I'm fine. I think you just shocked me or something."
"I am sorry," he said. He looked really concerned. And he didn't pay any attention to his wallet on the ground or the hundred-dollar bill starting to flutter away.
Mary stamped on the bill with her foot to keep it from escaping. She picked it up with the wallet and handed them back to him. "No, it's all right. A day pass is four bucks. Do you have anything smaller?"
Carefully, Carter took the wallet and money without touching her. He stowed the hundred dollars and took out a five-dollar bill instead.
" That's better." Mary told him how to put his money into the machine. It spat out his ticket and four quarters.
Carter looked at the ticket and change in his hands . "Thank you. I am not familiar with this."
"Don't mention it," she said.
When they boarded the bus, they sat across the aisle from each other. Mary watched Carter as the bus moved. He sat with both feet planted on the floor and his hands folded together. He looked out the window, studying everything with quiet fascination. Mary hadn't noticed before, but Carter cleaned up pretty well. The style for a lot of guys seemed to be not to wash their hair regularly, letting it get all greasy and nasty. But Carter's was clean, thick, and a little shiny. And usually at the end of the school day, guys un-tucked their shirts, took off their ties, and rolled up their sleeves. Carter kept everything together, though he did wear that same thick black sweater.
Mary had to admit it. Carter actually looked kinda handsome.
Electronic gunshots caught his attention. Carter
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