Page 44 of Christmas Lights & Sleepless Nights
Michael walked across the newly mown front lawn. “The movies might be off. I’m not really in the mood.” There was no light in his eyes. “Can we talk someplace?”
“Want to go inside? It’s a damn sight cooler than it is out here.” AC and ice-cold beer were better than mowing any day.
He nodded, and Keith led the way into the house, toeing off his sneakers and leaving them on the doormat. “Heidi, Polly and Sandy have all gone to the fair.” They’d talked of nothing else since its arrival had been announced in the local paper. Keith might complain about mowing, but it was preferable to going on rides that made him want to throw up, eating way too much junk food, and not being able to win a damn thing on any of the side shows.
“Where are your mom and dad?”
“Shopping. They’ll be back in about half an hour.” He closed the front door behind them and headed for the kitchen. “Beer? Soda?”
“Beer. I need one. But we’d better not let your dad catch us.”
“He lets me have one now and then, but only because Mom reminds him of what he was like when he was our age.” Keith opened the refrigerator and removed two cans. He gestured to the kitchen table. “Sit.” He handed Michael the can and pulled the tab on his own, chugging back the icy brew. Then he sat, his stomach churning when he met Michael’s gaze.
Michael’s grave expression hadn’t changed.
Keith couldn’t repress the shiver that coursed through him, and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the beer. “You’re scaring me.”
Michael opened his beer and drank, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He set the can down and wiped his lips. “Lord, this is such a mess.”
“What is?”
Michael studied the grained surface of the wooden table, and with each passing second of silence, Keith’s unease grew.
“Whatever this is, it’s bad, isn’t it?”
Michael raised his chin and met Keith’s gaze. “I won’t be going back to school this fall.”
Keith’s heart plummeted. “You... you’re dropping out? But why? You’re doing great. And that’s not just my opinion. Your classmates say the same thing. They all want your brains.”
“I’m not dropping out, okay?” Michael drew in a deep breath. “Bill’s got a new job. BP are transferring him—and Mom and I are going too.”
Ice crawled over his skin. “You’re moving?”
But you can’t move. We’re going to finish college and live together.
“Yeah. I don’t want to, of course, for obvious reasons, but it’s not as if I have a choice. I’ll be continuing my studies at another university. I’m not giving up on becoming a doctor.”
“That’s a relief.” Keith struggled to remain positive. “Okay. Wherever you end up, I’ll come visit. Hell, I’ll ask Mom and Dad if I can transfer to your new college.”
Michael’s face was a mask of misery. “You can’t.”
Keith stared at him. “Of course I can. They’ll let me. Students change schools all the time. Look at Gary Wingett. He just transferred here last semester.” He forced himself to appear cheerful. “See? It’s not as impossible a situation as you think. We can—”
“Keith!”
The note of panic in Michael’s voice stopped him cold.
Michael sighed. “Bill’s new job is in Melbourne.”
It took a moment for the words to sink in. “Australia?” Michael nodded and Keith gaped. “Why would he accept a transfer to Australia?”
Michael swallowed. “He didn’t accept it. He requested it. At least, that’s what Mom told me.”
Keith’s mouth fell open. “But why?”
He gave a shrug. “He said he has family out there. Says it’s a fantastic opportunity. BP are providing him with a house—it’s huge, by the way, with a pool—a great salary... He’s forty-five. He said if he doesn’t do it now, he never will. And Melbourne does look awesome.”
“It might very well be an awesome place, but not if you don’t want to go there.” Keith frowned. “Is Ellen going?”
