Dust Read Free Page B

that Geiger counter.
    “We have to save some for Matty, huh, Aunt Jo?”
    I froze. I literally froze while my insides felt like they dropped to the floor. A lump formed in my throat with a squeaked out a ‘yes’, then I just sat down, bringing my knees to my chest to hug in comfort.
    After a moment, Davy made his way over, exhaled heavily and sat next to me.
    Leaning just a tad, I placed my head against his arm. “Oh, Davy.”
    “I’ve been ... I haven’t wanted to ask.”
    Nodding, I looked up and was startled, Simon was right there extending his beef jerky to me as if that were the reason for my being down. “No, thank you, Simon. You eat it.”
    Then as he had done for the previous four hours, Simon imitated Davy. He let out a Simon size exhale and sat on my other side. I couldn’t help it, emotional or not, I smiled. I took a second to gather my thoughts. “OK. Here’s what I think.” I glanced at Davy, then at Simon. “We’re fine, right? The house is fine, at least partially. The school is four blocks away. It has to be at least in the same shape. Plus, they would have known about the attack before we did. We were watching a movie.”
    Davy caught my thought process. “They would have moved the kids.”
    “Exactly.”
    “Will they keep them there? They won’t just send them out, will they?”
    “God, I hope not.” I swallowed and thought again. “No. No,” I said with certainty. “No, they wouldn’t. I may have hated Mr. Shep as a principal, but he’s not a dumb man. He ran that grade school like a boot camp. And we know why.”
    Davy nodded. “He was in the Army.”
    “Exactly. He has to know. Those kids will go nowhere until he figures out what to do. And if God forbid, something has happened to him, well ... Mrs. Donnor is there and she’s smart too. I’m confident.”
    “Are you confident that Matty is all right?”
    Before I answered, I asked for assurance from my heart. “Yes. Yes she is.”
    “So what do we do? I can go get her. Let me go get her.”
    “No, Davy I will. But, hating to do so, I’m gonna wait just a couple days. Just a couple. If I go out now, or even tomorrow, I may be out too long and end up sick. I won’t be any good if I’m sick. And I need you well too.”
    “Plus, Matty knows, Mom. She knows to wait. We both did. You taught us.”
    I reached out and put my hand on Davy’s head as my thank you, then I reached for Simon. “We’ll get her home.”
    “What about Sam?” Davy asked. “You think ... ”
    “Sam’s fine.” I chuckled and tried to make light. “Come on Davy. You think I’m getting off that easy. Nah, your stepfather is gonna be back too.”
    Like before, like Davy, Simon had questioned. “What about Daddy?”
    My brother. A barrage of guilt hit me at that very second because I hadn’t even thought of any of my other family members. “Simon.” His name was all I could speak. How is it possible to explain to a three-year-old that I didn’t know where his father was or even if he would return? Just when I was about to evade the question, Simon asked another.
    “What about Mommy?” he asked. “Is she coming for me?”
    “Simon ... ”
    “I’m going home now, right?” he waited impatiently for an answer. “Huh, Aunt Jo?”
    How to tell him? What to tell him? Davy had explained as best as he could to Simon why we were in the basement, but I don’t think Simon understood. So how was he to understand me telling him the uncertainty about his parents? I couldn’t tell him, ‘no’, and I couldn’t’ tell him ‘yes’. His big brown eyes peered up to me waiting to absorb the answer I would give him. Sorting through my loss at what to say, I chose honesty. “I don’t know, Simon. I just ... don’t know.”
    I pulled Simon close, and kissed him on the head. It may not have been an answer that would satisfy Simon and stop his questioning, but it was the best I could do. It was my ‘stock’ inner reply to everything. If asked