A boy and his date sat drinking beer at one end of the long mahogany bar in the Randy Bear. The boy was eighteen, the son of the pharmacist at the Amity Pharmacy.

“You’ll have to tell him sometime,” said the girl.

“I know. And when I do, he’s gonna go bullshit.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“You know what he’ll say? It must have been my fault. I must have done something, or else they would have kept me and canned somebody else.”

“But they fired a lot of kids.”

“They kept a lot, too.”

“How did they decide who to keep?”

“They didn’t say. They just said they weren’t getting enough guests to justify a big staff, so they were letting some of us go. Boy, my old man is gonna go right through the roof.”

“Can’t he call them? He must know somebody there. I mean, if he says you really need the money for college …”

“He wouldn’t do it. That’d be begging.” The boy finished his beer. “There’s only one thing I can do. Deal.”

“Oh, Michael, don’t do that. It’s too dangerous. You could go to jail.”

“That’s quite a choice, isn’t it?” the boy said acidly. “College or jail.”

“What would you tell your father?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll tell him I’m selling belts.”

8

Brody awoke with a start, jolted by a signal that told him something was wrong. He threw his arm across the bed to touch Ellen. She wasn’t there. He sat and saw her sitting in the chair by the window. Rain splashed against the windowpanes, and he heard the wind whipping through the trees.

“Lousy day, huh?” he said. She didn’t answer, continuing to stare fixedly at the drops sliding down the glass. “How come you’re up so early?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Brody yawned. “I sure didn’t have any trouble.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“Oh boy. Are we starting in again?”

Ellen shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything.” She seemed subdued, sad.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

“Whatever you say.” Brody got out of bed and went into the bathroom.

When he had shaved and dressed, he went down to the kitchen. The boys were finishing their breakfast, and Ellen was frying an egg for him. “What are you guys gonna do on this crummy day?” he said.

“Clean lawnmowers,” said Billy, who worked during the summer for a local gardener. “Boy, do I hate rainy days.”

“And what about you two?” Brody said to Martin and Sean.

“Martin’s going to the Boys’ Club,” said Ellen, “and Sean’s spending the day at the Santoses’.”

“And you?”

“I’ve got a full day at the hospital. Which reminds me: I won’t be home for lunch. Can you get something downtown?”

“Sure. I didn’t know you worked a full day Wednesdays.”

“I don’t, usually. But one of the other girls is sick, and I said I’d fill in.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll be back by suppertime.”

“Fine.”

“Do you think you could drop Sean and Martin off on your way to work? I want to do a little shopping on my way to the hospital.”