When You Least Expect It

20

Chapter 20

It was a Sunday, so early in the morning we had mass.

We got ready at 8:00 a.m., Dad in his nicest slacks, Miles in a button-up that Dad forced him into, and me in a woolly sweater and jeans. I ate some Fruit Loops with Miles while Dad read the newspaper and chowed down the eggs I prepared for him.

While reading the newspaper, Dad whispered to himself, "Good old Connecticut." Miles and I both shrugged when he told us that tax rates were rising.

We left after Dad finished his paper. Outside, the sky was drab and gloomy. The ground was canvassed in brown and earth colored leaves.

Dad had a habit of arriving at church a few minutes ahead of the rest of the congregation, something about wanting to look good in front of the pastor. We got into the car and Dad drove a bit over the speed limit. It wasn't like he'd be pulled over by the cops; Dad had a long history with the majority of them. Half of the cops in this town would turn a blind eye to anything if you bribed them well enough.

When we arrived at church, there were already a number of people in the parking lot. We entered the building, and I searched for Carson and his family. They were not there yet. Maybe they were running a little late. Mass didn't start for at least another fifteen minutes.

We sat down toward the back, next to Holly Dae and her mother, who silently sneered at us. Brodie, Holly Dae's younger brother, was seated in her lap, a plush giraffe in his hands.

Dad leaned in closer to whisper something to me. "Where's the Rivers' family?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe something came up."

"Well, if they're missing church for it, it must really important." His snarky tone of disapproval was audible.

Mass on a Sunday morning was essentially a rite of passage in this catholic town. If you skip, you get judged.

My stomach flipped, not just because of his judgemental tone, but also because there was a chance something had happened. Something dreadful. What if Carson is horribly sick again? What if he was hospitalised? I took out my phone and tried to send him a text message.

Dad hissed at me to put my phone away, so I sighed and shoved it back in my pocket.

The priest took a position in front of the crowd and made the sign of the cross. "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

We all made the sign of the cross as a chorus of "Amen" resounded across the room.

Holly Dae and I took off to the parking lot after mass was over to get away from the commotion.

"Are you waiting on Nik?" I leant against her vehicle's trunk. She was looking for one of Brodie's toys in the backseats.

"Well..." Holly Dae shifted her brother to her other hip. "No, not really."

"How come?"

I turned around. Nik was standing near the church's door, staring at both of us. His eyes remained on Holly Dae for a moment, then he and his father traded a couple of words, and they both went away.

"What was that all about?"

That day, Holly Dae's hair was platinum blonde with pink highlights. That could only mean one thing. Brodie gave her a toothy grin and snatched a handful of her hair. Holly Dae smiled, and, "He just looks so much like my dad." Her voice was soft, morose even. "I know it doesn't make sense because he's not even my father's son, but every now and again I see my father's eyes in him."