"What? Why?"
"I have a feeling he might be losing his job or
something," I said. "He might even have lost it by
now. He's been acting strange and it's not because of
what's happened to my mother. He's a bundle of
secrets, wound up tight, and he won't let me inside.
Sometimes. I feel like I don't care anymore, but then I
think I should."
"Of course, you should," Clarence agreed.
"Who else is going to care if you don't?"
From what he had told me about his own family
life, he didn't have a much better relationship with his
father who was a very busy attorney specializing in
estate planning. His mother managed the new mall
north of Yonkers and, according to Clarence, was
busier than his father. He had a younger sister Lindsey
in ninth grade, but they weren't close. Most of the
time, they walked right by each other in school, barely
exchanging a glance. He said she was very spoiled. Funny, I thought, how you could be, so alone in
your own home, in your our family. Just because you
had parents, it didn't guarantee you wouldn't be an
orphan or a stranger if your parents were so wrapped
up in themselves. Sometimes. I thought Clarence hung around with me and listened to my moans and groans just so he could feel like he was in a real
family, even though it was mine and not his own, "How are you going to spy on him?"
"I know where he works. We'll hang out there."
I explained. "Doesn't sound like you have much of a
plan."
"I've got to do it. If you don't want to come..." "No, it's all right. I'm fine."
It wasn't until we reached the Wall Street area
that I felt I might have made a very silly decision. The