But it could not be known to all. They agreed that the money should go from Ahmed’s father’s account to Ben’s checking account, then from that account to the school so that no one would know its source. The next day they spoke account and routing numbers into the phone in the basement, and then it was done.

*  *  *

After three days of exams they were up early, Ben for the Connecticut bus home, Ahmed for the black car idling next to Hawley that would take him to the airport.

Ahmed had everything neatly packed as Ben finished stuffing laundry into his duffel bag. Ben felt Ahmed’s eyes on him.

“Please think about coming back to squash.”

Was Ahmed already trying to pressure him with their arrangement?

“Price won’t even look at me,” Ben said.

“Please think about it.”

The days at home passed slowly. Teddy had been invited to ski in Aspen by one of his Kenyon friends, and Ben wondered how he was paying for his plane ticket and lift ticket. It occurred to him that Teddy could be dealing drugs at college.

They bought an Advent calendar. Ben had always loved to open each cardboard door.

It snowed heavily on the night of the twentieth, and the next day, in a fit of relief from cabin fever, Ben and Harry began clearing the long driveway. They had a snowblower but they left it in the garage in favor of the big shovels, and they felt the weight of the snow in their arms and backs.

After half an hour or so, they stopped in the sun. They stood their shovels straight, laid their forearms over the handles, and turned their faces into the warmth.

“I just wanted to say, I talked to them,” Ben said easily. His father kept his eyes closed for a few seconds. “They agreed to put me on temporary aid.”

Harry looked at him, not as surprised as Ben would have expected. “I just need until the spring,” he said.

“I made them promise not to keep records of it. They’re making sure not to let the board or anyone know.”

“But it’s close—”

“It’s okay, Dad. When we get there we can talk to them about transitioning off.”

They started digging again, and finished in quiet. His dad could discover his lie with a three-minute phone call.

Two careful days later, he finally called Tim’s house, relieved when Tim’s mom answered the phone and he could leave a message.