Part 2 (1/2)
”Don't worry. The last thing I want to do is screw up your life here.”
After the game John left a copy of the stats with Coach Jessick and then met his father in the parking lot.
”Not a good game for the home team,” his father said. He wore his overalls and a John Deere hat. John realized he'd sat in the stands like that, with manure on his shoes. Soft country and western whispered tinnily from the speakers. For a moment John was embarra.s.sed; then he remembered why he'd had to fight Ted Carson.
”Thanks for picking me up, Dad.”
”No problem.” He dropped the truck into gear and pulled it out of the lot. ”Odd thing. I thought I saw you in the stands.”
John glanced at his father, forced himself to be calm. ”I was down keeping stats.”
”I know; I saw. Must be my old eyes, playing tricks.”
Had Prime not gone back to the barn? What was that b.a.s.t.a.r.d doing to him?
”Gushman called.”
John nodded in the dark of the cab. ”I figured.”
”Said you were gonna write an apology.”
”I don't want to,” John said. ”But...”
”I know. A stain on your permanent record and all.” His father turned the radio off. ”I was at the U in Toledo for a semester or two. Me and college didn't get along much. But you, Son. You can learn and do something interesting with it. Which is really what me and your mother want.”
”Dad-”
”Hold on a second. I'm not saying what you did to the Carson boy was wrong, but you did get caught at it. And if you get caught at something, you usually have to pay for it. Writing a letter saying something isn't the same as believing it.”
John nodded. ”I think I'm gonna write the letter, Dad.”
His father grunted, satisfied. ”You helping with the apples tomorrow? We wait any longer and we won't get any good ones.”
”Yeah, I'll help until lunch. Then I have basketball practice.”
”Okay.”
They sat in silence for the remainder of the trip. John was glad his father was so pragmatic.
As they drove up to the farmhouse, John considered what he was going to do about Prime. He'd gone out in public; John was sure of it. That was too far.
His dad pulled the truck into its spot next to the house, and John slid out of the front seat.
”Where you going?” his dad called.
”Check on stuff in the barn,” John replied over his shoulder. He slammed open the door. The barn was dark, except for a bulb above the center post. Prime was nowhere to be seen.
”Where are you?” John called.
”Up here,” he heard. There was a faint glow from the loft.
”You went to the football game,” John said as he climbed the ladder. He expected Prime to deny it.
”Just for a bit,” he said. ”It was no big deal.”
”My dad saw you.”
”But he didn't realize it was me, did he?”
John's anger faded just a notch. ”No, no. He thought he was seeing things.”
”See? No one will believe it even if they see us together.”
”But...”
”Nothing was harmed, John. Nothing,” Prime said. ”And I have something else. This Ted Carson thing is about to go away.”
”What do you mean?”
”A bunch of cats have gone missing over there.”
”You went out in public and talked to people?” It was worse than John thought. ”Who saw-”
”Just kids. And it was dark. No one even saw my face. Three cats this month, by the way. Ted is an animal serial killer. We can pin this on him and his mom will have to back off.”
”I'm writing the letter of apology,” John said.
”What? No!”
”It's better this way. I don't want to screw up my future.”
”Listen. It'll never get any better than this. The kid is a psychopath and we can shove it in his parents' faces!”
”No. And listen. You have got to lay low. I don't want you wandering around town messing up things,” John said. ”Going to the library today was too much.”
Prime smiled. ”Don't want me hitting on Casey Nicholson, huh?”
”Stop it!” John raised his hand. ”That's it. Why don't you just move on? Hit the next town or the next universe or whatever. Just get out of my life!”
Prime frowned. He paused for a moment, as if considering something important. Finally, he lifted up his s.h.i.+rt. Under his gray sweats.h.i.+rt was a shoulder harness with a thin disk the diameter of a softball attached at the center. It had a digital readout that said ”7533,” three blue b.u.t.tons on the front, and dials and levers on the sides.
Prime began unstrapping the harness and said, ”John, maybe it's time you saw for yourself.”