"Tangled Youth" Chapter 12 and 13
Tangled Youth
Chapter 12
“Boone,” Shannon laughed comfortingly, “It’s going to be fine. Seriously.” But Boone wasn’t so sure, he was practically shaking as they sat in park in the driveway of his father’s apartment building. “It’s okay,” she said quietly, touching his thigh to comfort him. But like every physical contact they had, there was a definite sexual undercurrent, and Boone tried desperately not to shiver, momentarily forgetting the situation at hand. Her hand remained there a little too long, but she pulled back before the gesture could be deemed entirely inappropriate. “You gonna go in or not?” She prodded.
“What if he shuts the door in our face?” Boone forced out. She crept her hand back towards his thigh, soothingly rubbing circles on his leg.
“So he shuts the door in our face, and then we’ll go out and get drunk and life will go on,” she smiled. “And that’s our worst case scenario. Which isn’t even so bad.” It wasn’t that simple, Boone thought, and he wasn’t sure if Shannon truly believed it was, or if she just wanted to. “You’re not going to chicken out, are you?”
“No,” he told her, confidently. He didn’t want Shannon to think he was a coward. “Come on, let’s go.” She pulled back, and he stepped out of the car, closing the door determinately behind him. Shannon went around the front of the car, and stood beside him.
“Which one is it?” She asked.
“301,” he answered, his voice quivering a bit.
“Come on,” she took his hand, “It’s this way.” Boone pulled his hand away.
“I’m not a baby,” he said grumpily.
Shannon was not impressed. “Whatever,” she rolled her eyes.
“Wait,” Boone stalled. “I need to turn off my cell phone in case Anna calls.”
“Why?” Shannon crossed her arms over her chest. She was wearing a tight, light blue shirt that just barely hit her waist. Even in such a serious location, he couldn’t help but notice how her body moved, her mannerisms, and the tone of her words.
“In case she calls,” Boone attempted to make this not sound like total bullshit. He took his phone out of his pocket and pressed down on the end button until it shut off.
“Okay,” she said impatiently, “Let’s go up.”
A round-faced, middle aged brunette woman holding a large bowl opened the door. He didn’t even have time to say anything before the woman looked up, making eye contact with him. Her mouth dropped open. “Oh my god,” She barely whispered, and the bowl hit the floor with a crash. Boone leaned over to pick it up, and the woman was too startled to stop him. Could this be… his stepmother?
“Um.” Said Boone awkwardly, handing her the bowl, which, luckily, had been empty. “I’m Boone, and I’m - “ The woman nodded quickly, taking the bowl, and silencing him. She had yet to notice Shannon.
“Sam?” The woman called through the house weakly.
“What?” Boone swallowed when he heard the voice of his father, whom he heard walking through the hallway. He appeared next to the woman, clad in a sweatshirt and khaki pants. He looked at his wife, presumably, and then glanced at Boone. Sam was a few inches taller than Boone, and although Sam was rounder and older than Boone, and had darker hair, it was clear that they were related. The resemblance of their eyes was startling, which perhaps explained why the woman had dropped what she was carrying. “Boone?” Sam said disbelievingly. Shannon shifted next to him, and Boone was practically speechless.
“Yeah,” he forced out. “I’m sorry I - “
“This is my wife Susannah,” Sam cut him off, introducing him to the petrified looking woman beside him. “Is this your girlfriend?” He motioned towards Shannon, smiling.
“No,” Boone said a little too eagerly. “My sister, Shannon.” Susannah’s mouth dropped, if possible, even further and she looked at her husband for an explanation. “Stepsister,” Boone corrected. “Sorry.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Sam seemed surprisingly calm about the whole situation, and shook Shannon’s hand. Shannon smiled reassuringly at Boone. “It’s nice to meet you - see you, again,” Sam corrected, reaching out to shake his son’s hand. Boone shook back, stoic, still barely able to speak. “It’s been a while,” Sam laughed a short, harsh chuckle. “Come in,” Shannon and Boone followed Susannah and Sam into the house, which was a medium-sized apartment with lush carpeting and aged, but high-quality furniture. There were four other people milling about, who gave Sam, Susannah, Boone, and Shannon confused looks when they walked past. Relatives, Boone thought, because the middle-aged couple, a young girl, and the old woman all bore a resemblance to Sam. Susannah gave Sam another reproachful look, and within seconds, she had escaped behind a nearby door, slamming it behind her, tears running down her face. Boone instantly felt guilty for making his father’s wife cry.
“This is my son,” Sam announced, and Boone looked up nervously, attempting a half-smile at the people. “Boone.”
“Hello,” the old woman, sitting at the dining room table, was the first of the stunned people to speak. “Are you Sabrina’s son?”
“Yes,” he answered, surprised that she knew.
“I’m Samuel’s mother. Abigail,” said the woman, and Boone looked blankly at the white-haired lady, who he never seen in his life, that was supposedly his grandmother. “Is that your girlfriend?” She gestured towards Shannon.
“No, it’s my stepsister, Shannon,” he said awkwardly. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t call,” he turned towards Sam. “I really should have called, I just didn’t know your number and - “
“It’s fine,” Sam laughed heartily. “I get unexpected visitors all the time!”
“He’s got two other estranged children,” a middle-aged person with short brown hair croaked. “He’s got no responsibility, Samuel here.”
Sam, amazingly, did not look insulted. “My older sister, Judy,” he introduced. “And this is her husband Steve,” Steve looked preoccupied at the stove in the kitchenette, giving Boone a half-wave. “This is their daughter Lilly. I guess that would make you her cousin.” A curly-headed, bright-eyed girl looked up. She had been coloring in a coloring book, sitting on the couch.
“You’re pretty,” she said to Shannon simply, and Shannon smiled, biting her lip. She had a weakness for cute little girls.
“Thanks,” she exclaimed, “You’re pretty, too!” Everyone seemed to relax a bit, and Steve went back to his cooking, making a decision to not be part of this ordeal. Judy gave Boone a calculating look, and glared at her brother. Abigail looked testily at her son, but smiled at Boone, not judging him. Shannon went over to the girl, Lilly, and sat next to her. “What are you coloring?” She said excitedly, beaming at Boone, who attempted a smile back. Lilly started talking, as did Judy, scolding her brother. Steve quietly stirred the boiling soup, which also contributed some noise to the room.
“Sam, I can’t believe this has happened again. First Albert, then Jessica, and now this boy? How many more are there? You’ve just let these women raise children without the help of a father, so selfish, so lazy, how dare you be such an arrogant bastard!” Judy was saying. “Does your wife know about this? Diana left when she found out about Jessica, you don’t want Susannah to do the same thing, do you?” Boone was completely confused and alienated. He had no idea who any of these people were, but it was becoming more and more clear to Boone that he wasn’t as important as he had thought - Albert and Jessica, were they other kids just like Boone? Did they all have the same eyes? Judy continued to fiercely yell at her brother, while Abigail started a conversation with Steve. Minutes before, he had felt like he was some animal in a zoo being gawked at, but now he felt invisible. Shannon had seemed to assimilate into the dynamics of the family amazingly quickly, but Boone stuck out sharply, standing all alone. Suddenly, the door to the hallway opened, and everyone was quiet, except Lilly, who was ignorant to what was going on.
“And this is Cinderella, her dress is blue…” she was explaining to Shannon, pointing to a picture in her book, her voice trailing off. Susannah stepped into the front room, her eyes bloodshot, but it looked like she had washed her face and was fairly emotionally stable.
“Boone,” she said, “I’m sorry about earlier, I was just shocked. Um, I’m Susannah, I haven’t properly introduced myself,” she smiled weakly, and Boone shook her hand. “I’d been warned about this from them,” she told Sam, her mouth drawn into a thin, angry line. “Judy warned me, Abigail warned me, hell, even Steve warned me!” Steve turned around from the soup, frowning slightly at Susannah, but then turning back towards the stove, even more oblivious than Lilly. “Thank god you told me about your other kids, even though you haven’t spoken to them since we met.” Sam looked at his feet guiltily. “Five years, Boone, I’ve known him five years and he didn’t even bother to tell me about you.” Boone nodded, an uncomfortable feeling becoming apparent in his chest. If Sam had another long-lost child like Boone, two, who he hadn’t kept in touch with, then there wasn’t much hope for Boone, was there?
“I’m sorry,” Boone said to her. “I came at a bad time, and… I should have called. I really didn’t mean to ruin your whole evening or upset you.”
Susannah smiled. “You’re very sweet. But you shouldn’t apologize, I can only imagine what it’s been like for you to grow up without a father.”
“Thank you,” Boone answered quietly.
Susannah nodded quickly. “Sam, we’ll talk about this later,” There was a dangerous edge to her voice.
“The soup is done,” Steve said, as his first words of the evening. Steve was a short, overweight man with rosy cheeks, who would have looked like Santa Claus had he had white hair and a beard instead of wire-rimmed glasses and black hair. “Should we get started? Is there enough food for them as well?” He signaled towards Shannon and Boone.
“Get started with what?” Boone asked, and Shannon looked similarly confused.
“It’s Friday,” Judy said flatly, making Boone feel incredibly stupid and unworthy, but Shannon’s face still appeared perplexed. “Shabbat dinner?” She exhaled in frustration, and Boone wanted to stand up for Shannon, who looked slightly hurt.
“You’re Jewish?” Boone asked.
“Got something wrong with that?” Judy turned furiously towards Boone.
“No,” Boone said quickly, “Not at all. I just didn’t know.”
“Guess that makes you half Jewish,” Sam put his hand on Boone’s shoulder in a stereotypically fatherly gesture, which just made Boone feel more uncomfortable.
“Sit down, Sweetheart,” Abigail, Sam’s father, or Boone’s grandmother, or whoever she was, beckoned for Boone to sit next to her. “Judy, could you get Shannon a chair, please?” Judy rolled her eyes, but obeyed her mother’s orders.
“Shannon, could you pass the potatoes?” Susannah asked Shannon about a half an hour later. After the prayers, which Boone or Shannon didn’t understand any of, they just stared blankly at each other as everyone, including Lilly, looked somberly at their plates, they had begun to eat, and nobody had spoken, except Lilly, who had talked about her drawings and how Shannon was her “new friend”. Everyone had smiled softly at the little girl, remembering how life used to be so simple and how open children were to new people in their lives.
“Sure,” Shannon passed the potatoes to Boone, who in turn passed them to Susannah.
“Thanks,” Susannah muttered.
“So, Boone, I take it Sabrina got married?” Sam broke the relative silence.
“Yeah,” Boone said, looking up into eyes that were identical to his own, “She married Adam, Shannon’s dad.”
“I was eight and he was ten,” Shannon elaborated.
“Oh,” Sam nodded. “So, you’re about… seventeen?” He asked Boone.
“Uh huh,” Boone nodded, insulted that his father barely knew how old his son was. Worse, Sam didn’t look guilty about it or anything.
“Mommy I gotta go potty,” Lilly burst out suddenly, and Judy excused herself, taking her daughter to the bathroom with her.
“How’s Sabrina doing? She’s made it pretty big in the wedding business, hasn’t she?” Sam asked once Judy had left the table.
“Yeah, she’s really successful. She has to travel a lot for business, though.”
“Does she… know you’re here?” Sam asked slowly.
“No,” Boone said finally, after Shannon had kicked him under the table, forcing him to answer. “She’s in Baja on business. We probably should have told her, but she doesn’t like to talk about…” Boone trailed off.
“Well, I don’t blame her,” Sam said, humbled, and took a spoonful of soup. “Steve, this soup is amazing. Steve is an incredible chef,” Sam changed the subject. “He can make even the simplest things taste like pure heaven!”
“So can Boone,” Shannon blurted out. “His milkshakes are so freaking good you wouldn’t believe it, and - “
“Shannon,” Boone silenced his sister, embarrassed.
“No!” Abigail exclaimed, “Please continue, honey!” Shannon smiled victoriously at Boone.
“Anyway, he makes soup, too. When I’m sick, he makes me this really soothing, hot chicken soup, and I instantly feel better,” she finished.
“That’s good,” Susannah responded. “So, Boone, do you play any sports?”
“Not right now,” Boone said, “But I used to do soccer, and I run a couple times a week.”
“Well, I’ll have you know,” his grandmother added, “Sam was an all-star track runner when he was in high school. He even ranked in the top hundred for state!”
“Well, I’m not very fast, I usually just use the track by my house by myself, not for competition or anything.”
“Do you play any sports?” Susannah asked Shannon, just as Judy and Lilly were returning to the table.
“I take ballet and modern dance,” Shannon looked proud. “Ballet since I was six, modern since I was eleven.”
“That’s great,” Susannah smiled. “Are you a sophomore? Boone, you’re a junior?”
“Yeah,” they said simultaneously, causing everyone to laugh. Their laughter seemed to ease the situation, but this was a little difficult, because Judy kept giving Boone judgmental looks, and Susannah kept shooting Sam some glares as well.
“What’s your favorite subject?” Asked Sam.
“Um,” Boone thought. “I’m not sure, maybe English. I’m taking essay expo right now.”
“Oh,” Sam said, “Well, I’m not much of a writer, I’m a math teacher at the community college.”
“That’s interesting,” Boone nodded, and he was painfully aware of Shannon’s watching him.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Abigail asked him, the unavoidable adult question.
“I have no idea, honestly,” Boone said. “I like English and all, but I don’t know if I like it enough to major in it, or anything like that. I need to think about it.”
“What colleges are you applying to?” Susannah asked.
“The UC’s, probably, and also USC and NYU in New York.”
“Wow,” Judy sounded impressed for the first time that night.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” his grandmother asked, winking in a way that made Shannon snort into her soup. Boone glared at his stepsister.
“Yeah,” he said awkwardly.
“What’s she like?” Sam asked, interested.
“Um,” Boone laughed, “She’s… nice?”
“Anna’s not nice,” Shannon smiled good-naturedly.
“Hey! You shouldn’t talk about your best friend that way,” he grinned back, but he looked away before their dynamic was given away to the group.
“Whose up for dessert?” Steve stood up, changing the subject, accidentally jostling the table.
“I’ll help clear the dishes,” offered Boone, and Shannon volunteered as well. It almost felt like this was his real family - if Sam’s sister hadn’t been eyeing him beadily, or if he hadn’t been watching the way Shannon’s hips moved as he followed her into the kitchen, or if he hadn’t just met his father an hour ago.
I hope that was okay. I sort of based the family get together on how my family get-togethers are, except the characters are different. And even though I’m Jewish, we don’t do Shabbat, because I’m not that Jewish. Anyway, please review, again, I really hope it was good… bites fingernails so please tell me what you liked and didn’t like! Were there too many characters? I think there might have been.
Tangled Youth
Chapter 13
It was late - probably around ten or eleven, Boone thought, as he sat on the couch in his father’s living room, Shannon half-asleep on his shoulder, her fine blonde hair fanned out over his chest. On the other side of the room, his father was sitting next to Susannah, speaking quietly to her. Boone watched his mannerisms subtly. Sabrina had been right, he certainly seemed to be charming Susannah out of her anger. He touched her arm, her shoulder, and finally, her cheek as he addressed her in a whisper. Boone couldn’t hear what she was saying, but he kept having disturbing flashes in his head - he could imagine his mother in the same position, sitting in front of Sam, being consoled the same way. But Boone didn’t know if this memory was real, or just a shard of his imagination.
Sam kissed his wife goodnight, and she stood up, smiling, and headed towards the bedroom. Judy had driven Abigail back to the old-folks home where she lived, and Lilly, her, and Steve were staying in the guest bedroom for the night. Next to Boone, Shannon stirred, hoisting herself up against Boone’s shoulder, and he tried not to shiver when he felt her breasts brush over his arm. You have a girlfriend, he reminded himself. Yeah, but you also have a sister, the other part of his brain argued.
Sam sat in the chair across from Boone’s spot on the couch. There was an invisible barrier between them - seventeen years of separate lives, but their feet shared the same carpet and the same genes. “I thought we could talk for a while,” Sam said, looking at Shannon next to him.
“Yeah,” Boone agreed, eager to finally get an insight about his father.
“So,” Sam started, “What has Sabrina said about me?”
“Nothing,” Boone said truthfully. “She won’t talk about you.”
“How’d you find me?”
“I think that my stepfather, her dad,” he gestured towards Shannon, who sighed. “I think he might have put the address somewhere where he knew I’d find you.”
“Oh,” Sam nodded. “Interesting.”
“What happened with you and my mother?” Boone blurted out, right as Shannon stretched out her legs and used his lap as her pillow.
“What do you mean?” Sam asked.
“I mean, like… why won’t she talk about you? Why haven’t you tried to find me? You knew about me, right?”
“Yeah, I did,” Sam looked down. “Your mother and I met when she was taking one of my classes - over the summer, to get some of her college requirements over with. I was… intrigued by her determination and independence. She was a few years younger than me, but we dated for a while and then she got pregnant. You were born, and I was late to the hospital. I stayed in the hospital for a few minutes, and she was ecstatic. But then I went to the bathroom, and I thought, what am I doing? I mean, Diana was just waiting at home, she didn’t know I’d been planning to leave her, and I realized that my loyalty belonged to her, not Sabrina.”
Boone looked at the floor, all the eagerness in his face that had existed there moments ago gone. He looked up, his expression pained. “Diana?” He reported, his voice sore and bitter.
“My wife. Ex-wife.” Sam said matter-of-factly.
“You left her - in the hospital?” He choked. “She didn’t know about your… wife?” Oh my god, he thought, suddenly wishing for the warmth and consistency of his life with his mother. He wished he was young again, before he knew about all of this, before all of these complications with Shannon. He wished that he was still the four-year-old who went to Denny’s and had omelets for dinner with his mother - before she wore Armani suits every day, before her business, before everything. Now there was nothing but pity in his heart for his mother.
But the mother he was imagining was the one that had existed long ago, with the flyaway brown hair and the wide grin, not anything like the polite, business-like smile that rarely appeared on her face anymore. Now, his mother was someone else - with her blonde highlighted hair that endured a blow-out every morning from her hairstylist, her Louis Vuitton briefcase made of only the finest leather… but was it all just a determined rebellion against the man who had so suddenly abandoned her?
“I’m really sorry,” Sam’s face quivered, almost as if he was going to cry. “It was a lose-lose situation.”
“And what did - Diana,” he spat the name out as if it were a curse word, “How did your wife feel about the child support bills that came to your house every month? Or did you ever get them? You never responded, did you?”
“Boone,” his father put his head in his hands, “I’m terribly sorry. I can’t even tell you how sorry I am. But that was the past, and there’s nothing I can do about it anymore. Please forgive me,” there was a strain in his voice, a familiar strain that Boone had heard in his own voice before.
“What about your other kids?” Boone asked, his voice a little softer than it had been before. “You haven’t seen them in five years?”
“That’s a different situation,” Sam looked up, earnestly saying, “But Boone, you’re my son. You’re my son, and there’s nothing more to it. I want to know about you, I want to know about the people important to you,” He gestured towards Shannon. “I should have been around for the past sixteen years, but I wasn’t, and I wish I could change that, but I can’t. So please. Just talk to me.”
Boone paused, not sure what to say. But what did he have to lose? “Okay,” he said finally.
“Good,” Sam looked relieved. “So, tell me about yourself.”
“I’m seventeen,” he started, as if he were introducing himself. “My birthday is on November 14th, 1983. I’m a junior in high school, and I go to Catholic school, even though we’re not religious.” Boone instinctively placed his hand on Shannon’s back, and rubbed small circles between her shoulder blades. Sam looked at him, but Boone didn’t notice. “Um,” he hesitated, “Shannon, she’s a sophomore, we go to the same school, and she’s…” Boone tried to think of a word to describe her. “She’s amazing,” is what came out, and his mouth dropped open. That hadn’t been what he had meant to say.
“She seems like a very nice girl,” Sam agreed, but the expression in his eyes displayed a deeper understanding.
“When her and her dad moved in, everything changed. I mean, I was an only child one day, and then I had a sister. Everything changed when I saw her.”
Sam nodded. “You’re in love with her,” he said softly. “Aren’t you?” He didn’t say the words critically, he said them in a way that was… understanding.
Boone looked down. “Um,” he bit his lip. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”
“There’s not much to say,” Sam shrugged. Of course there is, Boone thought, just not anything flattering. “I’ve been teaching calculus at the community college for nineteen years, I’ve been married to Susannah for five. I’m the only person in my family who likes football. I like to read historical books.”
Boone was becoming increasingly frustrated. Was he the only one who seriously wanted something out of this relationship? He wished Shannon would wake up, because he longed to be back home in his bed, before he had this new knowledge. But maybe… maybe his father really was this simple. “Tell me about your friends,” there was a warmth in his eyes that made Boone want to tell more, though.
“I don’t have that many close friends. I have a friend named Kevin who I hang out with at school, a couple other people from camp, and Shannon.” He glanced lovingly at the peaceful girl in his lap.
“And you said you had a girlfriend?”
“Yeah,” Boone looked up. “Anna.”
“And?” Sam beckoned for Boone to elaborate.
“She’s Shannon’s best friend, actually, which is a little awkward I guess,” he began. And when we’re in bed, I pretend she’s Shannon, he added silently. More than a little awkward. “She’s gorgeous, she’s a model, actually. She’s pretty funny, and very outspoken.”
Sam nodded. “I used to date a lot of beautiful girls in my day,” He said reflectively.
“I’m sure you did,” Boone responded bitingly.
“Boone,” Shannon stirred in his lap, and she murmured, without opening her eyes, “What time is it?”
“I don’t know, let me check.” He started to stand up, but Sam took the liberties of standing up to check the clock. “11:30,” he told Boone, sitting down. “I guess it’s getting late.”
“Yeah,” Boone said, hoping that Sam would invite him back for another visit.
“You should come back to visit,” Sam said ineffectually.
“Yeah,” Boone smiled in relief, ignoring the flippant manner of his voice. “Shan, we’re going to go home now,” he said quietly to his sister.
“Can you carry me?” She asked, sounding small and helpless.
“Of course,” he agreed, even though she was pretty heavy.
“You can borrow a blanket for her,” Sam offered understandingly, locating a small blanket from a closet nearby and handing it to Boone. “Keep it as long as you want.” Boone stood up, placing a steady grip under Shannon’s thighs so that he wouldn’t drop her. He could have sworn he heard hints of a moan when he slid his hands around her hips. But the lack of a suspicious look from his father proved that it had been his imagination. He wrapped the blanket around Shannon’s shoulders and she drew it closer around herself in a stupor. “So,” he said to his father. “See you around, I guess?”
“I’ll invite you to come over sometime. Happy to see you whenever,” Sam smiled.
“Okay,” Boone wasn’t sure whether or not to hug the man, so he compromised by shaking his hand. When he reached the car, he opened the door and sat Shannon in the passenger’s seat. Walking around the front of the car towards the driver’s seat, he was shocked to see a looming figure by the dumpster, and relieved to see that it was just Sam’s sister, Judy, taking out the trash.
Judy shook her head sadly, and walked towards Boone. “Honey,” she said, her tone somewhere between apologetic and calculating - he couldn’t interpret it. “I’m sorry, but it’s just not going to happen. You’re not the first person this has happened to, you know.”
“I know,” Boone said, making a move to get into his car.
“Boone, wait,” Judy said. “I’m serious. First, there was Albert. Sam claimed he didn’t know, but we knew that he had just knocked up some slut from east LA and split. We all knew. Even my mother, but she doesn’t like to accept the fact that her son is an arrogant, irresponsible bastard, does she? No, but still, some kid comes to the door one day, and Sam claims he’s going to have a relationship with him, and we never heard from him again. I don’t know what happened.” Boone sighed, overwhelmed by this information, but Judy continued. “But I know what happened with Jessica - her mother was only sixteen, and Sam was a good ten years older… Allie was poor, and Sam promised her he would stay with her and they’d make do. But he didn’t even make it through the responsibility of having a kid, or being married, for two years. He left on Jessica’s second birthday, and the girl comes to the house about six years ago, asking for money. I was there, and I could tell there was something wrong with her - she was fifteen, running away from home, and she stayed on the couch for a week. Then Sam kicked her out, and basically paid her a bunch of money to get lost. He’s my brother, and I love him, but he’s scum.” Boone looked at her in disbelief. She could be lying, she was wrong, he argued with himself, but deep down, he knew she was right. “He’s not going to call you, Boone. I’m sorry.”
Boone nodded curtly at the woman, biting his lip, and stepped into his car, slamming the door behind him. He tried to stop the tears that were appearing in his eyes, but he couldn’t resist, and as he pulled out of the driveway, his face glistened with tears. As he drove down the street, he began to cry harder - damn, he hadn’t had a good cry in a while, and after a significant choking sob, he decided to pull over, as his tears were blurring his vision.
“Boone…” Shannon rolled over towards him, and leaned over to hug him. He hugged back, much too strong and much too long, but she didn’t seem to mind, rubbing his back slowly until he calmed down. “You’re such a baby,” she laughed after he stopped crying, and turned over and fell asleep quickly. Even after what Judy had said, and what a flake his father seemed like, there was still a glimmer of hope that Sam would call.
Hope you liked it! Please review and tell what you liked and didn’t like! What did you think of Boone and Sam’s conversation?