so exhausted she nearly fell asleep sitting on the edge of the tub as
she brushed her teeth.
The next morning, Helen skipped breakfast, packed her own
lunch box, and shouted good-bye to her father from the front door
before he even made it downstairs. He called after her as she
jumped into Lucas?s car, but she pretended she didn?t hear him.
?Shouldn?t we wait to see what he wants?? Lucas asked her.
?Nope. Let?s just go,? she said a little too quickly.
Lucas shrugged and drove off as Jerry made it to the front door.
Helen waved to him, but she knew she would hear about this little
stunt later. In detail.
?Okay, I?m still new around here so I don?t know the cafés.
Where?s a good place on this side of the island?? Lucas asked.
?Ah, the News Store?? Helen offered with a shrug. ?I don?t think
we?ll be able to talk there, though.?
?How ?bout this,? he said as he pulled into a chain restaurant that
was popular with the tourists.
Helen winced, but assented. There were other mom-and-pop
choices, but she knew all the people who worked in those places.
For this conversation she needed a little privacy.
They stood quietly together in line, waiting to sit before they started
talking. Helen tried not to stare at Lucas, but it was difficult. It
amazed her how comfortable he seemed wherever he went, as if
the whole world was as private to him as his own bedroom.
She tried to watch him out of the corner of her eye, maybe catch
him fidgeting or shuffling his feet the way she herself did in public,
but there was none of that. He really didn?t care if people looked at
him or not. He didn?t subconsciously apologize to the world for his
presence by slouching or crossing his arms or playing with his
keys. It unnerved Helen to see how he could just stand there and