“Isn’t that advice for the ages?” the woman said. “You know, he used to enjoy woodworking. Maybe I can steer him back in that direction.”
“A great idea,” April said. “Just make sure he wears a respirator.”
“I will.”
For a while, Cal was enjoying watching April work her magic. He could have stood there and watched her make everyone around her more comfortable forever. But then the woman talking to her turned her attention to Cal. “And who’s this you’re withtoday?” she asked, as if it was remotely any of her business. “Is this your new man?”
The woman was infuriating all of a sudden. Cal wanted to snap at her for intruding, but April had far more patience. “Oh, no,” she said. “My goodness, he’s just a friend. I was watching his son today, and he’s come to pick the boy up.” She gestured to Owen. “Mrs. Jansen, this is my friend Owen.” Then she gestured to Cal. “And this is his father, Cal. We were just saying goodbye for the day, weren’t we?”
Cal nodded and answered, “Yes.”
Much to his disappointment, the woman kept speaking to Cal. “I haven’t seen you around town, Cal. Do you live near here?”
Every muscle in Cal’s body stiffened. “Not too far.”
“Oh, really? Curious that I’ve never seen you before. I know pretty much everyone who lives around here. Do you make it into town often?”
“No,” Cal answered.
“Does your son attend school in town?” She wouldn’t let up.
Cal took a deep breath. “No, he doesn’t.”
“Oh, is he homeschooled then?”
“He will be.”
“Well, that’s all right.” The woman then went into a lengthy speech about homeschooling, telling stories about her friends who homeschooled, how their kids turned out, and the pros and cons. Cal was having difficulty making out much of what she was saying. Her voice felt like noise, moving through him without taking hold. She wasn’t particularly cruel; she just acknowledgedno boundaries, and Cal wasn’t used to people like that. It made him uncomfortable, irritated. He couldn’t figure out what she wanted from him, but she kept talking. At the conclusion of her monologue, the woman turned back to April and said, “Friend or no friend, you’d better nail this one down before he gets away. Lots of girls in town would love to hitch themselves to his wagon.”
Now that the woman wasn’t looking his way, Cal felt comfortable scowling at her. He could see that April caught sight of it and laughed. At least one person thought this was funny. “Oh, Mrs. Jansen, you are just too much sometimes,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll see you next Tuesday. Keep your husband busy now.”
That seemed to do the trick, and the nosy woman finally left. Cal breathed a sigh of relief. When the woman was out of earshot, April whispered a quick, “Sorry about her. She means well. But she’s kind of a lot.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Cal said, frowning.
April didn’t stop smiling despite Cal’s foul mood. “Thank you again for letting me spend the day with Owen. We had a lot of fun, and I’d love to hang out with him again sometime.” She winked and murmured, “If you find you need a babysitter again.”
As quiet as she’d been, Owen apparently heard her. “I’m not a baby,” he muttered.
“Not even a little bit,” April said, ruffling his hair. “But I bet you’ll always be your dad’s baby boy.”
Cal left the café with Owen, and both of them seemed to be in an unusually good mood. The boy was a delight on the ride home, talking endlessly about the things they’d done that day. “And shetried to say I had to practice on small slides before I could go on big ones. But that’s not true, is it, Dad?”
“Sure it is,” Cal said. “Didn’t you know that?”
Owen gave him a withering look. “You’re both silly. And we went to her work to get her camera, and I met her friends.”
“What did you need her camera for?” Cal asked.
“Oh, I can’t tell you,” Owen said as though it were the most normal thing in the world. Then he whispered, “It’s a surprise,” even though there was no one else in the truck.
“I suppose I’ll have to wait to find out,” Cal said. It was never a bad idea to demonstrate patience to his boy. “So when did you get the book?” he asked.
“We were at the park, and it rained. So Nurse April took us to a bookstore instead. She said I could pick out a book to take home.”
“That was very nice of her,” Cal said. “We’ll have to find a way to thank her for it.”
All through the drive home, Owen talked about the day. He was more talkative than Cal had ever seen him, and that was saying a lot. Cal would not have guessed that one day with another adult would have been so exciting for a five-year-old. Was April right about Owen needing more social interaction than he was getting? Was Cal depriving him of the chance to make friends like a normal kid? Cal parked his truck in front of his cabin, and he helped his son get out of his seatbelt.
