Ralf folded his hamburger box in half, then folded it again. Said nothing. In hindsight, he was glad Emily hadn’t been home. Brian didn’t see much of his mother, and anyway, he had disappeared only two days ago. Emily wasn’t stupid. She’d understand instantly that if Ralf was looking so soon, something was wrong. And that he knew more than he was letting on.

“I have to go to the restroom.” Naomi got up and walked away.

Ralf watched her walk across the room: tight jeans, high heels. He’d been so jealous when Brian had introduced him to Naomi, and he found it even more surprising that she had unhesitatingly gotten into his car just now and let him drive her to McDonald’s. She’d sat so close to him that he could smell her chewing gum, as well as a hint of her shampoo, or whatever it was that smelled so wonderful. He had deliberately driven the wrong way so that he could sit next to her in the car for a little longer. Brian would tear Ralf a new one if he knew about all the things he’d done with Naomi in his imagination.

When she came back, she’d freshened up her lipstick; her mouth was a darker pink. There was also something different about her hair.

He stood up. “Come on; let’s go.”

“To Emily’s?”

“No. No point worrying her.” He gave her a sidelong look. “Should we try visiting some of your friends?” Friends called Sara, for example, he added mentally.

It was worth a try. There hadn’t been a good opportunity to ask her about Sara yet, since there was no obvious reason why he would be interested in her.

Once outside, Naomi said, “Maybe it’d be better if you took me home. I need to study for my exam tomorrow. My mother will kill me if I fail history again.”

He walked beside her in silence. She was giving him the slip, just when he really needed her.

Her face brightened when they reached his Polo. “Your car is really nice, you know. I can’t wait until I get my driver’s license. But that’s still two years away. You won’t catch me dead on a bike once I get a car.”

As he unlocked the door, he said as nonchalantly as possible, “I could give you a driving lesson sometime if you like.”

Her eyes flew wide open. “Really? Are you serious? Oh, that would be amazing!” Then her face fell. “This is a joke, right?”

“No joke. Brian must have let you drive his car a couple of times already, I bet?”

She raised one of her thin eyebrows. “Brian won’t even let me hold the steering wheel.”

“Well, I don’t mind you holding mine,” he heard himself say.

Monday

Monday

Mother Dear

Mother Dear,