yet friendly.
It was harder to even think of him as “The Toad” lately. He had changed a lot since the opening at All-American Burger Depot. As they’d talked about during the ride home that night, The Toad and Tiffany began to focus on making big changes in Theodore’s life. Zera noted that while he kept his vintage spectacles and watches, almost everything else about his appearance had changed. His fanatical working out had paid off. In just two months he’d dropped over thirty pounds and seemed determined, almost self-assured. Although his dorkiness hasn’t disappeared, and he still slouches over his notepad, he’s different; a buffer, better dressed, more formidable Toad.
“Good morning, Toa . . . Uncle Theodore.”
“Got to get to the office early today.” Her uncle pushed up his glasses with one finger before tapping it on the old silver timepiece around his wrist. “I’m on a tight schedule.” He put the notepad into his briefcase.
Tiffany’s brow furrowed as she looked him over. “I know just the shirt you should wear.”
“This one’s not okay?”
“Well, we do want to make the best impression possible, don’t we?” Tiffany exuded cat-like confidence. “Trust me, I know what will be perfect. And you should wear the gray jacket, not that blue one.”
The Toad adjusted the glasses again. “If you think so.”
“Are you meeting someone important?” Zera asked.
“Actually, we both are,” Tiffany said. “But it’s not a subject you should be concerned with. What I mean is, you should concentrate on enjoying your breakfast.”
So that’s why she’s acting so nice . The Toad has something going on. Maybe he’s finally getting that promotion. She breathed a sigh of relief that Makeover Camp wasn’t in the cards, at least not today, but didn’t like how they were keeping awkward secrets. .
Chapter Six
Theodore jogged alone in the running room at Biotech Multinational’s gym. His legs, stronger from the weeks of intense exercise, pumped beneath him, his chest rose and fell in full, measured breaths, light perspiration beaded on his forehead below his dark shock of hair. He easily kept up with the moving floor of fake stone as the four walls surrounding him showed a landscape leafy and dappled in light.
Theodore passed the same grove of trees once every mile, and kept his eye on the glinting river far off in the distance. The river always sounded the same. It didn’t roar, like the rapids on the Arkansas River, it was steady and melodic. Even so, it always reminded him of the Arkansas River, and his sister Sally’s death. Sally and Ewan, killed in a flash flood that wouldn’t have happened if the lands around the river had been preserved, instead of being stripped of trees and vegetation for mining. Of course their deaths also might have been avoided if the two were not such adrenaline junkies — always wanting to go out and do things like ride rapids, climb the highest peaks in Colorado, fly a single-engine plane, or spend weekends skiing black-diamond slopes. He’d teased Sally for being a “hippie,” living in Ute Springs, being an artist and working on save-something causes all the time; that is, when she wasn’t pushing her limits physically. They’d always argued good-naturedly; he on the side of progress, she questioning his definition of “progress,” and yet she always let him know she adored her little brother.
He used to think about his sister’s death every day, but since the evening at Burger Depot, life had changed. That night he’d made a decision that he would not be pulled down by his grief (which was not easy, given Zera’s resemblance to Sally) or by feeling sorry for himself because his career wasn’t going the way he planned. On that night, he formed a purpose. He would take action . And now, finally, it was paying off. He’d lost a lot of flab, and he kept a positive attitude most days. Today as he
It was harder to even think of him as “The Toad” lately. He had changed a lot since the opening at All-American Burger Depot. As they’d talked about during the ride home that night, The Toad and Tiffany began to focus on making big changes in Theodore’s life. Zera noted that while he kept his vintage spectacles and watches, almost everything else about his appearance had changed. His fanatical working out had paid off. In just two months he’d dropped over thirty pounds and seemed determined, almost self-assured. Although his dorkiness hasn’t disappeared, and he still slouches over his notepad, he’s different; a buffer, better dressed, more formidable Toad.
“Good morning, Toa . . . Uncle Theodore.”
“Got to get to the office early today.” Her uncle pushed up his glasses with one finger before tapping it on the old silver timepiece around his wrist. “I’m on a tight schedule.” He put the notepad into his briefcase.
Tiffany’s brow furrowed as she looked him over. “I know just the shirt you should wear.”
“This one’s not okay?”
“Well, we do want to make the best impression possible, don’t we?” Tiffany exuded cat-like confidence. “Trust me, I know what will be perfect. And you should wear the gray jacket, not that blue one.”
The Toad adjusted the glasses again. “If you think so.”
“Are you meeting someone important?” Zera asked.
“Actually, we both are,” Tiffany said. “But it’s not a subject you should be concerned with. What I mean is, you should concentrate on enjoying your breakfast.”
So that’s why she’s acting so nice . The Toad has something going on. Maybe he’s finally getting that promotion. She breathed a sigh of relief that Makeover Camp wasn’t in the cards, at least not today, but didn’t like how they were keeping awkward secrets. .
Chapter Six
Theodore jogged alone in the running room at Biotech Multinational’s gym. His legs, stronger from the weeks of intense exercise, pumped beneath him, his chest rose and fell in full, measured breaths, light perspiration beaded on his forehead below his dark shock of hair. He easily kept up with the moving floor of fake stone as the four walls surrounding him showed a landscape leafy and dappled in light.
Theodore passed the same grove of trees once every mile, and kept his eye on the glinting river far off in the distance. The river always sounded the same. It didn’t roar, like the rapids on the Arkansas River, it was steady and melodic. Even so, it always reminded him of the Arkansas River, and his sister Sally’s death. Sally and Ewan, killed in a flash flood that wouldn’t have happened if the lands around the river had been preserved, instead of being stripped of trees and vegetation for mining. Of course their deaths also might have been avoided if the two were not such adrenaline junkies — always wanting to go out and do things like ride rapids, climb the highest peaks in Colorado, fly a single-engine plane, or spend weekends skiing black-diamond slopes. He’d teased Sally for being a “hippie,” living in Ute Springs, being an artist and working on save-something causes all the time; that is, when she wasn’t pushing her limits physically. They’d always argued good-naturedly; he on the side of progress, she questioning his definition of “progress,” and yet she always let him know she adored her little brother.
He used to think about his sister’s death every day, but since the evening at Burger Depot, life had changed. That night he’d made a decision that he would not be pulled down by his grief (which was not easy, given Zera’s resemblance to Sally) or by feeling sorry for himself because his career wasn’t going the way he planned. On that night, he formed a purpose. He would take action . And now, finally, it was paying off. He’d lost a lot of flab, and he kept a positive attitude most days. Today as he
Similar Books
