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He slipped them on, gazed at himself in the mirror and laughed. He looked silly. He was just putting them away when he saw Preston’s cell phone wedged between the seats. He loved to talk on the phone. He liked to pretend he was wearing a suit and working like his daddy. His daddy called people all the time.
Picking up the phone, he pushed the Talk button twice.
Suddenly a voice sounded in his ear, “Vanessa? Is it you? Listen to me—”
Max gasped. “Daddy?”
“Dominick?” His father sounded confused.
“Daddy, where are you?”
“Where are you, hijito?”
“In the van.”
“What van?”
“Preston’s brown van.”
“Preston who?”
“Holman, silly.”
“Preston Holman…Tell me about him.”
Max thought his daddy sounded angry, so he searched for something Daddy might like to hear. “Preston plays baseball with me. He says I’m a good hitter.”
His daddy made a funny noise.
“Daddy?”
“I’m here, hijito.”
“He likes me to pitch for him, too.”
“Where’s your mother?”
Max bent his head to look through the side window. “Outside.”
“Doing what?”
“Hugging Preston.”
“What do you mean she’s hugging Preston?” His daddy’s voice boomed loud again, making Max worry that he’d said the wrong thing. He didn’t like it when his daddy got mad. It scared him.
“Mommy’s crying, and Preston’s making her feel better.” That was good, wasn’t it? Preston was being nice. But his daddy didn’t answer right away. So Max hurried to think of something that might make him happier. “Guess what? I can put my insulin in my leg.”
“That’s fine, hijito,” he said, but he didn’t seem to care much about it until Max added that Preston was the one who’d taught him.
“Stay away from him. Do you hear me?”
“Why?”
“Just do as I say.” His daddy covered the phone and spoke to someone else. Then he talked to Max again. “Look around you, hijito, outside the van.”
“What for?”
“I want you to tell me what you see.”
Was this a new game? His daddy didn’t usually like games, but Max loved them. “Bathrooms.”
“Are there any signs that have words written on them?”
Luckily, Max spotted one right away. “Yeah…”
“Perfect. You’re a good reader, aren’t you? Can you tell me what it says?”
“Sure.” Max thought this seemed like fun. It pleased his daddy when he read. But before he could sound out the first word, the really hard one that started with N-E-B, he saw his mommy and Preston move toward the van.
“Uh-oh.” He dropped the phone between the seats so he could scramble into the back. He didn’t want to get caught touching something he shouldn’t. If he got in trouble, he wouldn’t be able to have his treat.
“Dominick?” He heard his daddy’s voice, tiny now, as if it came from a man the size of an ant.
“Bye, Daddy!” Max called. Then Daddy must’ve hung up, because as soon as Preston opened Mommy’s door, and Mommy asked if they could stop in Omaha for dinner, Daddy said nothing more.
SITTING IN a Salt Lake City restaurant, Manuel waved away the waitress who was approaching to take his and Hector’s dinner order. He didn’t want the noise. He heard Vanessa’s voice; he was sure of it.
Pressing the phone more tightly to his ear, he held his breath and listened carefully. Two car doors slammed, an engine started. Then Vanessa and Preston began to talk.
Preston…Anger made Manuel’s scalp tingle. Vanessa’s lover had fooled him twice, but it wouldn’t happen again. Manuel finally understood what he’d been so reluctant to believe—she had left him for another man. The knowledge stung his pride, yet offered him hope. If not for Preston, she wouldn’t have gone. Which meant that once he got rid of Preston, she’d come back. He wouldn’t tolerate anyone taking her from him or even helping her leave. Juanita had found that out.
The memory of his housekeeper calling him a disgrace flashed through his mind, but he shoved it away. He wouldn’t think of Juanita. Killing her had given him no satisfaction. She made him feel weak. Even in the end, she’d laughed in his face. Sometimes it felt as though she was still laughing at him.
Hector watched him closely, but Manuel knew he wouldn’t interrupt. Hector had been around long enough to know better.
“Are you done crying, Mommy?” Manuel heard Dominick ask.
“For now, honey.”
“Does that mean I can have my treat?”
“We should probably wait until we stop for dinner,” Preston said. “It’ll be time to give him his insulin then.”
Manuel gripped his water glass so tightly Hector took it away. “You’re gonna break the damn thing,” he muttered. But Manuel didn’t care what he broke. Preston was talking as if he was Dominick’s father. What gave him the right? A week ago, Vanessa and Dominick had belonged to Manuel. One week ago. A week didn’t change anything.
“I’m not sure it’s fair to ask him to wait any longer,” Vanessa said. “How far is Omaha?”
Preston answered, but his voice was too low to be heard over Dominick’s. “I want my treat now. I can’t wait any longer. P-l-e-a-s-e?”
Manuel mentally grasped at the words he could barely hear. Omaha? They were in Nebraska?
“Once we reach Omaha, how much farther do we have to go?” It was Vanessa again. What she said confirmed that he’d heard correctly.
“Mom?”
Dominick’s voice came through the clearest because of the pitch.
Shut up, Dominick. I need to hear this.
“Another five hours or so.”
“I’ve never been to Iowa, have you?” Vanessa asked.
“No, but I’m pretty sure the Cedar Rapids area has a lot of farmland,” Preston said, and Manuel sagged in relief. He had them. He had them, and they didn’t even know it.
Manuel wondered how long it might take to fly to Iowa. When he couldn’t find any trace of Vanessa at the airport, he’d stayed in Salt Lake and waited for Hector to join him. Now the wait was over.
Static interrupted. Then Manuel heard a crinkling noise and supposed Vanessa was giving Dominick his treat. He knew he’d guessed right when his son remained quiet for more than two seconds.
