The End of the Rainbow (Hudson 4)
Page 23
"Like what?"
"He's too..."
"Mushy?"
I laughed.
"Maybe," I said. "Some boys wear their selfconfidence like a nice suit of clothes. It makes them look better, but in Chase's case, it's like he's wearing a flag wrapped around himself, the flag of Chase Taylor, and he wants everyone to stand and pledge allegiance, especially girls."
Harley's smile deepened and widened. He continued to look up at the sky.
"How serious did you get with him?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean." he said.
"You're a nosy one," I teased.
"You told me about your other boyfriends." "yes, when I was twelve."
"Fourteen," he corrected.
"Whereas you never tell me anything about your girlfriends." I countered.
"There's nothing to tell. The longest I've gone with anyone is four hours, to a movie and after or whatever."
"Why is that. Harley? There's never, ever been anyone you liked enough to want to be with longer?"
He was silent and then he sat up and looked toward his house.
"I shouldn't have come back," he said. "I should have had the guts to keep going."
"You had to come back, at least for your mother. You're wrong about her. She needs you. too. Everyone would have been very, very upset."
"Right."
"They would!" He turned to me. "You too?"
"Of course. If I didn't see you out here. I would have been up all night, worrying about you." I confessed.
In the light of the stars. I saw his soft smile and his eyes twinkle. Then he looked toward the driveway.
"I have this dream lately, one I haven't told anyone, not that there's anyone to tell," he said.
"There's me."
"I know. That's why I'm telling you." "Okay."
I waited quietly, fighting impatience while he obviously worked at building his courage. It made me so curious and excited, it filled my stomach with jumping beans.
"I have this dream that I find my real father, and he's a great guy who's sorry he never knew me."
"Has your mother ever said anything more about him recently, Harley?"
"Very, very little more than what she has already told me. He was a construction worker, a carpenter who worked on the rebuilding of the city hall."
"She still hasn't told you his full name?"