A Wish and a Prayer

  And then there was the media. They were no less demanding and seemed to think nothing of filling the aisles with their equipment, tripods, and cameras, making it nearly impossible for the servers to do their jobs without tripping over something. She’d had to threaten a bunch of reporters with the police to get them to leave last night so she could close up, and when she, Mal, and Siz arrived at six in the morning, people were lined up at the door like the Dog was giving away free liquor.

  The local customers weren’t any happier. They had to wait an hour or more to be seated, and when they did get a chance to sit, they were finding their favorite booths occupied by strangers.

  Because of the sheer volume of guests, she was doing everything from greeting to cooking to busing tables. In truth, they were the same duties she handled every day, but not at such a frenetic pace. As it stood, she and the staff had been going nonstop since all this nonsense began, and she was ready for it to stop.

  When she looked outside to see how many people were still waiting to get in, the only thing that kept her from snapping was the sight of Jack, standing near the end of the line. He gave her that crooked smile he and Eli worked so well, and for some reason all the drama melted away. To reward him for being her calm in the midst of the storm, she walked over, took him by the hand, and led him toward the entrance.

  “Hey!” one of the FUFAs complained. “Why’s he cutting the line?”

  She ignored him.

  Once they were inside, she pulled him into the office. He gazed down at her with a look that was part bemusement and part she wasn’t sure, but it rendered her so tongue-tied, she forgot what she was going to say. It came to her then that she was still holding his hand, so she quickly dropped it and forced herself away from his mesmerizing eyes. “Um, give Siz your order. You can eat in here so you won’t be late for school.”

  “Thanks, Rock.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She faced him, and although she’d given him his marching orders, neither of them moved. It was as if they were content to stare at each other. “Go eat, Professor.”

  “Sit with me tonight at the movies.”

  The softly spoken request almost knocked her over. She tried not to let it show. “We’ll talk. Go.”

  “Going.”

  A second later he exited. Heart pounding, she headed back to the morning madness. She felt better.

  As Preston and the rest of the gang biked from Ms. Marie’s to school, he was feeling pretty good, too. They were done painting for the morning, and there was only a little bit left to do. By the end of the day the fence would be finished, and he and the crew could hang up their brushes and stop walking around looking like relatives of Casper the Friendly Ghost. Usually on Friday evenings, he and Amari would hang out at the movies, then head home to play video games until dawn, but being on punishment had put the stomp on that. Not only would there be no movies, video games, or sleeping in, they were going to have to get up in the morning and ride to Franklin and probably spend the entire day at the library. That meant they’d also miss the church groundbreaking; not that that sounded like a barrel of fun, but it beat being stuck in the library trying to find out why Euripides wrote a wack play about some guy in love with his mom.

  In spite of the prospect of a boring weekend, he was feeling okay because of the decision he’d come to last night. He was going to ask Leah to be his girl. It was a big step for a kid like him and on the inside he was scared to death that she’d laugh or ask if he’d lost his mind, or both, but talking with the colonel after dinner had helped clear his thinking. Amari was riding beside him, but Preston hadn’t shared his plan. Amari sometimes gave wise advice, but he also gave stupid advice, and if it was the latter, Preston didn’t want to be thrown off course. He’d talk to his best friend after he talked to Leah and got her response.

  The other students were already working when Preston and the painters made their entrance. Mr. James gave them a nod of greeting, and after they took their seats, he asked, “Does anyone know what the Eta Aquarids are?”

  Leah’s hand shot up.

  Amari leaned over to Preston and said under his breath, “If she wasn’t like a cousin, I’d really be hating on her, Brain. The girl knows everything.”

  Mr. James called on her. “Leah?”

  “A meteor shower.”

  “Do you know when they occur?”

  “First week of May?” she asked, sounding a little unsure.

  “Correct. Very good,” he said. “This year, the date’s May 5. The display usually peaks around four a.m. We’re on break that week, so anyone who wants to join me to check it out will get extra credit for their science grade.”

  The kids looked around at each other with glee. Preston couldn’t remember ever getting up so early, for something like this, but he was game. He knew about meteor showers and had seen them online, but never in person.

  Samantha asked, “Do we need like binoculars or telescopes?”

  “No. Just your eyes. Everybody should bring blankets and wear warm clothes. Maybe something to sit on in the grass too. If it’s really chilly, I’ll see if Rocky can’t get us some hot chocolate to drink.”

  Preston liked Mr. James’s topical teaching. Of course, Preston could’ve done without the topical term paper assignment, but in reality, he and the other painters had brought that on themselves.

  Mr. James went on to talk about how many meteors they might see per hour and that the Eta Aquarid meteors originally began as dust particles from Halley’s Comet. Preston looked over at Leah, and she beamed back her excitement. For two kids who loved astrophysics, this opportunity was totally awesome.

  At lunch they were all still talking about it. Crystal failed to understand the giddiness. “Four in the morning? The only thing I want to see at that time is my bed. You all have fun. I’ll skip the extra credit.”

  Eli said, “Oh, come on, Crys. It’ll be fun.”

  “Nope. Not doing it.”

  Preston looked over at Leah, sitting across from him, and saw her shake her head at Crystal’s stance. Preston imagined himself and Leah watching shooting stars together in the middle of a field in the dark, and it gave him goose bumps. He glanced Amari’s way. Amari didn’t say anything, but on his face was a knowing smile, as if he knew just what Preston was thinking. Preston figured that was impossible, but with Amari anything was possible, so Preston went back to eating his lunch.

  For the rest of the school day, Preston discreetly watched Leah, noting the way she pushed her glasses back up her nose with her index finger, the way she leaned over to help the dreaded Tiffany Adele with an algebra problem, and the way she smiled back at him when their eyes met. He thought she was the most perfect girl in the universe. Now he just had to figure out how, when, and where to pop the question.

  The opportunity presented itself after school. He and Amari got their bikes to ride out to Ms. Marie’s, but before they rode off, he said to Amari, “Go on, I’ll catch up. I need to ask Leah something.”

  To his relief, Amari didn’t ask a thousand questions. He just rode off, but he did call back, “Good luck, Brain!”

  Preston grinned and decided having a best friend was great. Leah finally came out of the building, but she was walking with her sister, which presented its own set of problems. He had to separate the two, so rather than angst over it, he called out, “Hey Leah, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  To his delight, she made Tiff wait on the steps while she walked over.

  “Hey, Brain. What’s up?”

  He took in a deep breath. “Um. I was just wondering—“

  She waited, but when he didn’t say anything else, she asked, “Wondering what?”

  He prayed she wouldn’t turn him down. “I was wondering if you—I mean, if we—” The words he wanted to use wouldn’t come out, so he said in a rush, “Um, if you were going to the library in the morning?”

  She studied him for a minute. “I’m not on punishment. Why would I be
at the library?”

  “Um. I—I forgot. Never mind.”

  She stared at him oddly. “Are you okay?”

  Over by the school steps, Tiff yelled, “Hurry up, Leah! I’m ready to go!”

  “Will you chill out!” Leah called back.

  He knew the opportunity had slipped away, and he wanted to punch himself. He felt like Charlie Brown talking to the Little Red-Haired Girl. “Look, I have to catch up with Amari. Maybe I’ll see you sometime this weekend.”

  The puzzled look remained on her face. “Sure. Okay.”

  She hurried off to join her sister, and a miserable Preston hopped on his bike and pedaled away. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! the voice inside yelled, and he had to agree.

  By the time he got home, he was feeling so blue, not even the joy of having finished up the paint job on the Jefferson fence lifted his mood. His big plan of asking Leah to be his girl had fizzled like a wet sparkler on the Fourth of July, and because he’d handled it so badly, she probably thought he was a doofus. He hung his bike up on the hooks on the wall of the garage and was about to enter the kitchen when he heard the Paynes talking. One of the things Preston had learned in foster care was the necessity of eavesdropping on adults. If they were planning to move you to another home, or intent upon some other kind of stupidity—such as leaving you home alone for three days to fend for yourself so they could fly to Cali for a wedding, like one foster mom did to him when he was eight years old—it was best to know in advance and be prepared. Eavesdropping was one of his survival skills, and Preston prided himself on being good at it. Which is why when he heard Mrs. Payne say his name, he stopped just outside the door that led into the kitchen to listen.

  “I talked to the court about it today, and they said the adoption process is fairly simple,” Mrs. Payne said.

  Preston’s heart began pounding. Were they talking about making him official?

  The colonel replied, “But are we ready, is the question.”

  His joy plummeted. Mrs. Payne must’ve made a face in response, because the colonel said softly, “That’s not what I meant. I meant are we as husband and wife ready? Is our marriage sound enough? The last thing I want is for him to be in a home where his parents are simply tolerating each other.”

  “You do care about him, don’t you?”

  “More than I ever thought I would. Any man would be proud to call him son. He’s smart, sensitive, and up-front. Calls me out occasionally, too, and I like that about him.”

  “He’s the child I always wished and prayed for, Barrett, and we’re going to be okay.”

  Preston felt tears wetting his cheeks, and he wiped them away, but soon they were flowing like the Mississippi, and next he knew he was sitting on the floor, sobbing his heart out. Finally, finally he had people who loved him, and cared about him, and wanted him to be in their lives, not just temporarily, or because the state was paying them to feed and house him. If what he’d heard was true, and he had no reason to doubt otherwise, he had a family. A real freaking family! And then he cried some more.

  He had no idea how long he’d been sitting there, but when he looked up, the colonel was standing over him.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? I didn’t know you were out here.”

  Preston quickly tried to pull himself together, but it was too late for that. The old Preston who’d endured so much for so long was afraid to ask, but the new hopeful Preston somehow found the courage. “You and Mrs. Payne really want to adopt me?”

  “You heard us, huh?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Barrett stuck out his hand, and Preston grasped it and let himself be helped to his feet. He dashed away the lingering water in his eyes.

  “To answer your question? Yes. Very much.”

  Preston hated crying, especially in front of the marines, so he tried to stop, but his eyes kept filling up.

  “It’s okay. I’m a little misty myself.”

  And sure enough, Colonel Barrett Montgomery Payne, USM, Retired, had tears in his eyes. “Going to make it my mission to be the best dad ever.”

  Mrs. Payne called from inside. “Barrett, are you in the garage?”

  “Yeah, honey. Just talking to Preston.”

  “Okay. Dinner’s almost ready.”

  Preston was glad it was just the two of them talking. He knew how emotional and sentimental Mrs. Payne could be, and were she to step out and see what was going on, she’d start to cry, and then Preston would start to cry again, and they’d all be crying until Sunday, but this had to be the most moving experience of his life.

  “I suppose I should ask you if you want to be adopted?”

  “I’m crying like a four-year-old here. What do you think?”

  The colonel’s face showed a smile.

  Preston met the steady gaze of the man who wanted to be his dad. “Can I call you something besides Colonel?”

  “Up to you.”

  “Amari calls Trent Dad, but I want you to have your own name. How about I call you Pop, or Pops?”

  It was the colonel’s turn to wipe at his welling eyes. “Either one is fine. Real fine.”

  As if they had been doing it for a lifetime, Preston’s pop spread his arms wide, and Preston walked into the first real hug he’d ever experienced and it felt so damn good, he had to take in a deep breath because it filled up his heart so much. “Thanks, Pops,” he murmured.

  “No, thank you, son. You’ve given this old jar-head a purpose.”

  Preston stepped out of the embrace and extended his fist. “Semper Fi,” he whispered.

  Barrett touched his knuckles to his son’s and nodded. “Semper Fi.”

  Later that evening, Preston sat on his bed in his silent room, reading and not minding that he had no electronics. He had family, and the surety of that almost made him start crying again, but he wiped at his eyes and bucked it up, as Tamar would say. He was having such an amazing life, he wanted to stand on the porch and shout his happiness to Alpha Centauri. A soft knock on his door made him look up from the book on meteor showers that he’d borrowed from school.

  It was Mrs. Payne. “May I come in?”

  “Sure.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Still up in the clouds.”

  Her lips curved into a gentle smile. “I know we talked about the adoption at dinner, but I just wanted to tell you how blessed I am, having you in my life. I know young men don’t like a lot of mushy talk, so I’ll be brief, but as I told Barrett, I’ve been wishing and praying for you since the day I found out I couldn’t have children of my own. You are more than I ever dreamed, Preston. Way more.”

  “You can sit if you want.”

  She took a seat in the old armchair. “Remember the time I caught you reading the W. E. B. Dubois biography in the middle of the night?”

  He smiled. “I do.” It was during his first summer with them.

  “I knew then that you were a very special child.”

  “I knew you were okay too, because one, you didn’t laugh at me for reading something like that, and two, you didn’t make me put the book up, or say, go to bed.”

  “I was too impressed.” She quieted for a moment, then added softly, “And I want to thank you for helping Barrett, too. He’s been drifting since we moved here, and now I believe he’s found an anchor in you.”

  Preston didn’t know what to say. “I think he and I are going to be tight.”

  “I think so, too. I have a question.”

  “Shoot.” It was a response he’d learned from the seniors in Henry Adams.

  “The court will want to know what you want your legal name to be once the adoption is finalized. Do you have any idea?”

  “Should I change it?”

  “That’s up to you.”

  He thought about it for a moment. “How about Preston Mays Payne.”

  There was approval in her eyes. “I like that.”

  “Since I met that Crenshaw lady, I think I want to keep my biological dad’s name
out of respect.”

  “That’s a wonderful sentiment. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll get to meet his family. Even though you never knew Lawrence Mays, I believe they’d be proud that you chose to honor him by keeping his name.”

  He agreed, and studied the woman who’d been nothing but kind to him since the first day they met. “Now I have a question for you.”

  “Shoot,” she replied, and they both grinned.

  “Can I call you Mom?”

  “Oh, Preston.” Tears filled her eyes. “That would be so wonderful.”

  After sharing a strong heartfelt hug and a few more tears, she left his room, and he was once again alone. At that moment, it occurred to him that the kid soon to be Preston Mays Payne would never be alone ever again, emotionally or otherwise, and for him that meant more than anything in the world.

  The last piece of the puzzle was Leah. He’d blown it this afternoon, but next time he’d get it right. His life was on a roll, and he wanted her to be a part of it.

  Chapter 17

  Over at the rec, the Friday-night moviegoers were arriving and finding seats. Jack chose one at the end of a row on the far side of the auditorium and sat down to wait. He had no idea if Rocky would show, but he’d saved her a seat beside him, just in case. Inviting her to join him wasn’t something he’d planned—the words just sort of rolled out—but he got the sense that she was dropping her guard, and that gave him hope.

  He was still wearing the sling. The docs said he could discard it in a couple days, and he was happy about that; he needed to start looking for a new vehicle to replace the one totaled in the crash. Henry Adams wasn’t a big place geographically, so he’d had no trouble getting around, but he was going to need wheels at some point. Who knew, maybe he’d even look at a truck, since that seemed to be the unwritten requirement about what was appropriate to drive.

  He surveyed the people entering. Eli, Crystal, and the other kids were at home on lockdown, but he spotted Trent and Lily, Bernadine and Mal, and the Paynes. Marie Jefferson and Genevieve Curry came in, waved his way, and took seats down front. He’d positioned himself about three-quarters of the way up, so he’d be able to keep an eye on the two doors and not miss Rocky’s entrance.