For a moment Cass looked at him as if she was waiting on something. Thomas held up the sheet and thanked her for the directions, saying it sounded like fun.

Only later on, when he was sitting in class, did it dawn on him that her question hadn’t been a simple comment.

That was a total setup. That was my chance.

“I probably won’t see you until then, right?”

That was the moment he should have said, “Not necessarily.” When he should have said, “I could see you tonight.” When he should have said half a dozen other things instead of a lame “thanks.”

He was completely and totally clueless when it came to girls.

The day’s not over. Not yet, Thomas. There’s still time.

Silent Night

The last day of work before the new year had turned out to be the last day of work for everyone at Precision.

Kevin had tried to figure out how to prevent this Friday from coming, but it was inevitable. He had talked to everyone individually at the company, so when he told them the news in the group meeting, it hadn’t been a total surprise. There had been hugs and tears and a lot of sadness. Not just for people losing their jobs but also for Kevin, for the company he was losing, and for the people he was having to let go.

The day was surreal and exhausting.

Christmas was a week away and he felt defeated. He was the face of contemporary America, of a dream broken, of a journey at a dead end. Like so many others he’d seen on the news and read about online, Kevin was soon going to be out of a job.

He left the building after everybody was gone. He still had a little time left to work there and clean out the desks before the landlord asked for his keys. All he wanted to do was get home and try to put this day and this stormy year behind him.

Later that night, it turned out that the storm had followed him home.

The thunder came shortly after they put Gregory to bed. Kevin had just found a lone chocolate chip cookie that Jenny was willing to part with when Gregory howled. The terrified screams of their son sent Kevin running up the stairs to console him.

For some reason, the sound didn’t merely scare Gregory. It petrified him.

“Stay with me, Daddy. Don’t leave me.”

The chocolate-chip cookie would have to wait.

“I won’t,” he told Gregory.

Gregory nestled in next to him as Kevin lay down beside him on the bed. The thunder boomed and the lightning streaked and the rain pelted the house.

“Daddy?” the little innocent voice said.

“I’m right here.”

“I’m scared.”

“It’s okay. There’s nothing to be worried about.”

As his son’s hands touched his arm and Gregory’s face nuzzled against his shoulder, Kevin rested in the bed, looking up at the ceiling.