Page 190 of Seasons of Love
Florrie rings a bell. “Lunchtime, troops.”
“I hope that’s not how you used to call your students,” I say.
She chuckled. “No, I called them little bastards, but in those days, we got away with a lot more. Nowadays, they’re all angels who can do no wrong.”
My phone rings, and I see Harrison’s name pop up. “Hey, Harrison.”
“Hey, Ellis. I know you’re busy with the playground stuff, but since I’ve got all the kids here, I was wondering if you could stop by. I wanted to talk to you.”
“Sure, give me twenty.”
I get in the car and drive to Harrison and Fletcher’s place. There’s a lot of noise coming from the back, so instead of ringing the bell, I go through the side and into the backyard.
There’s an inflatable pool on the grass, and the kids are all playing and splashing around.
I see Harrison sitting with a bottle of pop in the shade, overseeing the activities.
“On lifeguard duty?” I ask.
“Oh man, I’m not fit enough for this. How do they get so much energy? We’re used to Megan, George, and their friend, Ava, but with everyone helping at the playground, this is like a living hell. How you do this for a job, I don’t know.”
I laugh.
“They’re expected to behave at school, so I have that advantage. Plus, there are no wading pools there either.”
He raises his bottle. “True. Anyway, take a seat. Can I get you a soda or something?”
“I’m good, thanks. What did you want to talk about?”
“What I’m about to do is beyond unprofessional, but I’m doing it as a friend. Since Milo brought you with him after he received the call from Sara’s grandmother, I feel it’s not totally unethical to discuss this with you.”
“Okay. Should Milo be here?”
He sighs. “That’s the problem. I’ve tried to contact him to discuss options, but he’s avoiding me. Hasn’t answered any of my calls. Without his permission, I can’t represent him or start any proceedings on his behalf.”
I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees. “I know. I’ve been trying to get him out of his head ever since, and I’m failing too.”
Harrison takes out his phone and taps something. Seconds later, my phone dings.
“I’ve just sent you Gloria’s address. It wasn’t hard to find her, especially since Sienna’s driver’s license on record still had her home address. Milo may want to avoid the situation, hoping it’ll go away, but Gloria is a grieving mother. If she’s ignored, it could backfire and push her over the edge. If I were you and Milo, I’d get on the nearest flight to Chicago and talk to her personally. Appeal to her mother’s heart. I have no doubt that Milo has a good chance of winning a case against her, but it will be costly and emotionally draining.”
“Yeah, I get it. Thank you, Harrison. I appreciate this.”
34
MILO
I needed one small victory to balance the scales back in the right direction. Brian not only coming to help out with the playground cleanup but specifically coming to me feels like that victory.
After twenty years of false accusations, being almost ostracized in my own community, and seeing the effect it had on my mother and brother, I feel grateful Brian has reached out.
He was my dad’s best friend, and he knew, more than anyone, how much my dad fought for everyone, but in the end, he’s only human.
Having lost his young wife to cancer shortly after losing his job would have anyone hurting to the point they’re not thinking clearly.
I listen as Brian tells me story after story about my dad. The stuff that even my mom didn’t know. How he fought for the right things, how funny he was at work. It seems he liked to play small pranks on his friends to lighten the mood.
The time when their work bus got stuck in the snow, and instead of going back home, they pushed the bus all the way to Chester Falls. They were in the factory for three days during the blizzard, but when they came home, they all had a small bonus because being in the factory all hours meant they produced more.
