Whitewash (71 page)
Chattahoochee, Florida
Sabrina set the foil-wrapped corn bread on the tray in front of her father. It was still warm, fresh out of Miss Sadie’s oven. He looked good today though his fingers were tapping the recliner’s arms. His eyes lingered in one place for longer periods of time. They almost seemed focused on her. She thought she saw him smile when he noticed Eric standing behind her.
“Hey, Dad,” Eric said, but he stayed where he was.
“We’re talking to your doctor about taking you on an outing for the weekend,” Sabrina told him. “How would you like to take a drive and go to the beach? Maybe go deep-sea fishing.”
“As long as I don’t miss my friend Mick,” Arthur Galloway said, his eyes flashing back and forth from Sabrina to Eric. “He came to visit again last night. Brought me a Snickers.”
“Mick?” She didn’t remember anyone in her dad’s life named Mick. She glanced back at Eric and he shrugged.
“How would you like to spend a couple of days on Pensacola Beach?” Eric asked. “Yœou can meet some of my friends.”
His fingers frantically tapped. “Howard Johnson?”
Sabrina smiled. He did remember. But just when she was feeling confident he added, “My friend Mick had to go to the vet to get stitched up. He showed me the sutures.”
She wanted to correct him. How could he get confused with vets and doctors?
“Your friend Mick’s not a dog, is he?” she joked.
“No, no.” Then he leaned forward and in a whisper he said, “You see, doctors have to report certain…wounds. Vets don’t.”
It made no sense to Sabrina and she could see Eric was beginning to get frustrated, too. She wanted them to have two days of enjoying the sun and water and each other. She hoped she wasn’t being naive in thinking that was possible. After all they had been through they deserved some normalcy.
“Can we stop and get cheeseburgers on the way?” he asked suddenly. “With pickles and onion?”
She felt Eric’s hand on her shoulder and she was nodding and smiling even before their dad added, “Maybe some fries and a chocolate shake?”
ISBN: 978-1-4603-0155-5
WHITE WASH
Copyright © 2007 by S.M. Kava.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
MIRA and the Star Colophon are trademarks used under license and registered in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.
ISBN: 978-1-4603-0155-5
WHITE WASH
Copyright © 2007 by S.M. Kava.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
MIRA and the Star Colophon are trademarks used under license and registered in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.