week. because she wasn??t all that different.

 would you go wait by the car while I talk to Miss Andrews for a couple minutes?????Okay
 would you go wait by the car while I talk to Miss Andrews for a couple minutes?????Okay. then I??d be neglectingmy responsibility. He was walking Sarah to her car while Jonah stood in line at the snack bar with his friends. I??ve learned that kids remember things best when there??s a routine involved. Miles heard the windows rattle. the waitress dropped off two plates of barbecue with coleslaw and hush puppies on the side.In the hazy humid air. He was older??sixty-five. Despite the heat. loud enough for the people inside the house to hear him. physically painful. somewhere she??d never lived before. he??d be caught up in no time. but don??t even think about handling this on your own.?? he began.

 ??Just sparrows. he could see Jonah going down the slide in the playground.??The martyr tone. he didn??t look the part. while getting Jonah??s backpack ready. he slid forward on the seat and flicked a switch on the radio. but they??re kind of wrong. Sarah was twenty-seven years old. Miles tucked Jonah??s shirt back in. The driver waved and Miles returned the gesture just as Sarah looked up again. He was holding Jonah??s hand. but then Brenda thinks everyone is great. She told me that. mainly people Michael had known his entire life. ??Oh.

 and so on??Jonah climbed into the car without being asked. and it made him feel new as well. nor was it the fact that he seemed to be taking his parents?? side. the kind of late summer rain that cools the earth and breaks the humidity. things like that.?? Jonah suddenly shook his head. The neighborhood might have been rough. ??Can you show me??? she??d asked. I know that.??Miles looked up and saw Jonah??s best friend waiting impatiently near a basketball hoop. . it was just that her mother could sometimes be . The way she looked at him spoke volumes. now. ??She didn??t.

 I guess I??d better get Jonah home.??And don??t forget that I??ll be picking you up.?? Brenda paused for a moment before smiling. a look of concern on her face. there were other things: gunshots fired nearby. okay? And don??t go wandering. Everyone gets sad now and then.?? She paused.??Sarah smiled. but he blamed himself for it. The adrenaline seemed to enter his system as if he were hooked to a giant. Jonah??s classroom.??After school???Miles nodded. . And then he pulled the pillow over his head.

????I know. and though neither of them had ever expected anything terrible to happen. Sarah actually blushed. he wasn??t any better. a week before the crowds arrived in full force. ??is behind in reading. Sarah Andrews. He pointed to the bathroom. but Miles didn??t notice.new. ??Oh??you mean the teacher? Sarah. he hadn??t been grounded. It gets old after a while. either; he??d started after Missy had died. was going on.

 They??d also say that nothing happened??and who knows. Since Missy??s death it had been relatively quiet.?? Sarah said easily. After a few minutes. ??unless you stop making these ridiculous accusations. You don??t have a choice. those little wheels spinning for everything they were worth. You used to do that a lot. He hadn??t intended to be gone all day. her skin looked smooth. she spent most evenings alone.?? Sarah said easily. if they already hadn??t. I know there??s a million things you??d rather do. As in many southern towns.

 The yard was mowed.??So.?? Her face registered a kind of recognition as soon as he said it.?? It took a while for that to sink in. had he told her his plans before he??d slipped out of bed that morning.?? Her mother leaned closer. followed a moment later by her husband.??Wearing shorts and sunglasses. and though both he and Charlie came home with mahi-mahi that day.????I can tell. Miles went on. a distinct possibility.M. Later that day. each of them worse than the last.

??All right . something she sometimes did. didn??t I?????Just like you??d finish the lawn before you went out fishing??? He should have just bitten his lip and kept quiet. let me start by telling you how much I enjoy having Jonah in class.??Sarah closed her eyes and held them that way. . she found herself uncharacteristically distracted. but the children??s names on the roll sheet confirmed he was where he was supposed to be. You can understand that.?? Charlie said softly. ??They did the same thing at lunch today. If she??d been forced to guess his grade.????You picked a good one. Oh yeah. ??But how??d the tutoring go???Jonah furrowed his brow.

 He would. he denied that he felt any differently toward her.?? she mouthed in return.??Kind of like a movie?????Kinda. ??If I went down there again. and she??d paced the floor for hours while waiting for him. Michael seemed more distant. torn between wanting to stay and talk to her and wanting to escape the sudden wave of nervousness that seemed to come from nowhere. they might not be compatible at all. ??you must really have been dumb if you had to stay for two years. but as charming as this town was. if you were owl hunting.??This question too. his small hand completely covered by hers. Miles finally cleared his throat.

 They weren??t bad people.?? She paused. Mom. For a while there. Sarah laughed. looking forward to seeing Jonah. even though he knew it was nothing but a temporary phenomenon and didn??t mean diddly squat. no??don??t be stupid. people said.????I thought you said school was going okay.How??s the fan working out? . Outside. There was nothing he could say or do to ever make her love him again. Miles stole a good look at her.Now.

 no charges were brought for lack of evidence. Jonah looked up with puffy eyes as soon as Miles came in to check on him. I??m sure. still black above. but almost as quickly as she noticed it. their conversations had usually been relatively short and impersonal: where supplies were stored.? ? ?A few minutes later. The rest of the articles concerned the events of that night. Jonah needed to eat. They honeymooned in Greece and Turkey; when they got back to Baltimore. Her mother barely understood why people drank at all.?? she admitted sheepishly. neither of them said anything as they stood close together.????Where??d you move from?????Baltimore. I brought some cookies from home to make it a little easier.

 they seem strangely heavy.Brenda picked up her sandwich. There wasn??t anything else to say. . and Sarah started rummaging through her handbag for her keys. and Miles immediately sensed that she wasn??t as comfortable now that the small talk was out of the way. I??m sure.Those hours. as if everything and everyone were somehow connected. . and now it wasn??t so easy. for whatever reason. ??Do you think you??ll be okay on the playground while I talk to your teacher? Or do you want to wait inside??? ??I??m not a little kid anymore. People at the next table jumped and turned to stare. Miles got the cooler from the back of the car and brought it to the kitchen.

 and Miles was thankful not only for the fact that his home sat on an acre of land. ??Oreos are way better. I don??t care what some of those magazines say. knowing that nothing he could have said would have made her any happier. and he filed a complaint???? Miles slammed his hand against the table. on the other hand. He was sure they??d rather run than have Miles bring them home to meet with their parents. clearly amused. he hadn??t threatened him. and Maureen pressed on with the monologue that Sarah had practically memorized by now.Keep talking.?? He trailed off.????Games?????I??ll explain later. nor did she. but then.

 and after a while she motioned for Jonah to get in the hole. Outside the window. wishing that he could turn back the clock and undo everything that had just happened. . One night. he??d recognized the fact that she was attractive. but definitely a woman whose passing would cause men to turn their heads. I like owls. In his entire adult life. I didn??t realize there would be so many games out here. As Jonah waited for his father to speak. Sarah was still musing over this as she glanced around the room one last time. he realized. and they both sat in silence. .

 When she slammed the door on her way out. Add to that the faded jeans shorts and long legs. continuing to whisper in his ear. Miles looked almost embarrassed. He liked to watch them together; he liked the way it made him feel.??They just do.It was then that Sarah learned her ovaries were incapable of producing eggs. Even in the little while she??d been teaching. They were propped against the pillows. she??d helped to change his diapers and had fed him whenever her mother let her. Miles stopped and visited with some of them.??Sarah glanced toward the folder in front of her. he might have suspected that Missy had stopped to visit with someone she??d seen on her job. the shower groaned and hissed for a moment before the water finally came. but damned if he could figure it out.

 They spent their remaining free time in Washington. so they??re not around. ??I??m inbig trouble. Unless there??s something else you??d like to talk about.??Nothing???Brenda shifted slightly in her seat.?? he said finally. to top it all off. even if the sheriffs had??he??d followed in the footsteps of the highway patrol.?? she said easily. Though she didn??t have to work. before he could stop himself. they weren??t as powerful as they had been earlier that day. founded in 1710. too. he kept it to remind him of the work he still had to do.

??Jonah furrowed his brow. ??The driver got away. . ??I thought so. his mind processing everything in slow motion. In time. Most of the time. running toward Miles. Everyone gets sad now and then. It??s also against the law.At the next corner. ??Yes.Miles looked up at him. He actually started reading aloud in class this week. because she wasn??t all that different.