turned to the kid in the next seat, who had his nose buried in a handheld game.
" What is that?" he asked.
" Theft ," the boy answered without looking up.
" Theft ?" he repeated. "Isn't theft wrong?"
"Yeah, but this is just the game," the boy said.
Carter looked at the tiny screen. "You are making that man shoot and kill other people?"
The boy nodded .
Carter looked surprised. More like shocked. "Why?"
The boy shrugged. "It's a game."
Carter thought for a moment. "I thought games were for fun."
" This is."
" Causing harm to people is fun?"
The boy looked at him at last. "Stupid, of course not. But this is just a game. Not like I'm out there really doing it."
Carter thought again. "So, it's okay to pretend to cause harm to people?"
" You don't hear any laws against it, d'ya?" the boy asked.
Carter looked at Mary. "I don't understand."
" Neither do I," she said.
Carter looked over the boy's shoulder at the game again. The boy glared at him before reaching up and pressing the button to let the driver know he wanted to get off. He took h is game and mumbled "freak" as he left the bus.
Carter looked at Mary as the bus started moving again. "I offended him, didn't I?"
Mary shrugged. "He'll get over it."
Carter looked back. "That is why I am concerned."
They got off the bus later and walked to Agape. Mary signed her name in the log and then handed the pen to Carter. "Here."
He looked at it. "What do I do with it?"
" You can just sign your name here, honey," Ms. Nancy said, pointing to the logbook.
" Oh." Carefully, he took the pen from Mary. He held it awkwardly at first. Then he managed to scrawl something into the empty space below Mary's name.
" Huh, that's funny," Mary said.
" What?" he asked.
" The way you did your 'C.' It looks similar to the way this other guy signed his name," she said, pointing to the name 'Chris' that appeared a few boxes up.
Carter put the pen down and followed Mary inside. Ba was in the courtyard working on a painting of a vase. Mary walked around to her front and instructed Carter to do the same.
Ba beamed. "Hello, Con. And who is this handsome young man?"
" This is Carter," Mary said. "He goes to my school."
" How nice to meet you. Mary never brings friends to see me," she said, stretching her hand out to shake his.
But rather than take it, Carter slightly bowed from the waist and said, " Chào Bà ."
Ba 's eyes brightened. " À, cậu nói tiếng Việt hả ?"
He nodded . " Da ̣vâng, thưa Bà ."
They exchanged a few more words in Vietnamese while Mary's jaw dangled towards the Earth. "I didn't know you could speak Viet."
" You never asked," he said.
They sat down and Carter and Ba kept talking. Mary tried to catch words she understood, but it was hard. Her head just wasn't wired for languages. She had enough trouble with English, as her grades demonstrated. But she understood enough to know that Carter's speech was flawless.
When dinnertime came, Ba asked Carter to join them. Mary hadn't planned to stay for dinner. But since Carter was, she didn't want to leave Ba alone with him. George, Emma, and Julia also met them in the dining room.
" So nice to meet you, Carter," Emma said. "Tell us about yourself."
" Myself?" he asked.
" Yea," George said. "Whaya want with Mary?"
" George!" Julia cried.
" Wha?" George said. They were eating veggie lasagna, so he didn't have his teeth again. "He look like wunnah them—what'd my grandson call 'em? Oh yeah. Players. You a player, son?"
Oh God, Mary thought as she leaned on the table with her head in her hands. Maybe this wasn 't a good idea to stay.
" I played basketball," Carter said. "Is that what you mean?"
George squinted. "You makin' fun of me, boy?"
Carter looked surprised. "No sir. I—"
" I fought in Korea!" George growled, brandishing his plastic fork. "Don't mess with me!"
" Calm down, George," Emma said gently. "The boy's all right. He wasn't making fun of you at all."
George didn 't say anything,
" What is that?" he asked.
" Theft ," the boy answered without looking up.
" Theft ?" he repeated. "Isn't theft wrong?"
"Yeah, but this is just the game," the boy said.
Carter looked at the tiny screen. "You are making that man shoot and kill other people?"
The boy nodded .
Carter looked surprised. More like shocked. "Why?"
The boy shrugged. "It's a game."
Carter thought for a moment. "I thought games were for fun."
" This is."
" Causing harm to people is fun?"
The boy looked at him at last. "Stupid, of course not. But this is just a game. Not like I'm out there really doing it."
Carter thought again. "So, it's okay to pretend to cause harm to people?"
" You don't hear any laws against it, d'ya?" the boy asked.
Carter looked at Mary. "I don't understand."
" Neither do I," she said.
Carter looked over the boy's shoulder at the game again. The boy glared at him before reaching up and pressing the button to let the driver know he wanted to get off. He took h is game and mumbled "freak" as he left the bus.
Carter looked at Mary as the bus started moving again. "I offended him, didn't I?"
Mary shrugged. "He'll get over it."
Carter looked back. "That is why I am concerned."
They got off the bus later and walked to Agape. Mary signed her name in the log and then handed the pen to Carter. "Here."
He looked at it. "What do I do with it?"
" You can just sign your name here, honey," Ms. Nancy said, pointing to the logbook.
" Oh." Carefully, he took the pen from Mary. He held it awkwardly at first. Then he managed to scrawl something into the empty space below Mary's name.
" Huh, that's funny," Mary said.
" What?" he asked.
" The way you did your 'C.' It looks similar to the way this other guy signed his name," she said, pointing to the name 'Chris' that appeared a few boxes up.
Carter put the pen down and followed Mary inside. Ba was in the courtyard working on a painting of a vase. Mary walked around to her front and instructed Carter to do the same.
Ba beamed. "Hello, Con. And who is this handsome young man?"
" This is Carter," Mary said. "He goes to my school."
" How nice to meet you. Mary never brings friends to see me," she said, stretching her hand out to shake his.
But rather than take it, Carter slightly bowed from the waist and said, " Chào Bà ."
Ba 's eyes brightened. " À, cậu nói tiếng Việt hả ?"
He nodded . " Da ̣vâng, thưa Bà ."
They exchanged a few more words in Vietnamese while Mary's jaw dangled towards the Earth. "I didn't know you could speak Viet."
" You never asked," he said.
They sat down and Carter and Ba kept talking. Mary tried to catch words she understood, but it was hard. Her head just wasn't wired for languages. She had enough trouble with English, as her grades demonstrated. But she understood enough to know that Carter's speech was flawless.
When dinnertime came, Ba asked Carter to join them. Mary hadn't planned to stay for dinner. But since Carter was, she didn't want to leave Ba alone with him. George, Emma, and Julia also met them in the dining room.
" So nice to meet you, Carter," Emma said. "Tell us about yourself."
" Myself?" he asked.
" Yea," George said. "Whaya want with Mary?"
" George!" Julia cried.
" Wha?" George said. They were eating veggie lasagna, so he didn't have his teeth again. "He look like wunnah them—what'd my grandson call 'em? Oh yeah. Players. You a player, son?"
Oh God, Mary thought as she leaned on the table with her head in her hands. Maybe this wasn 't a good idea to stay.
" I played basketball," Carter said. "Is that what you mean?"
George squinted. "You makin' fun of me, boy?"
Carter looked surprised. "No sir. I—"
" I fought in Korea!" George growled, brandishing his plastic fork. "Don't mess with me!"
" Calm down, George," Emma said gently. "The boy's all right. He wasn't making fun of you at all."
George didn 't say anything,
Similar Books
