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CHAPTER5
COOPER
Duncan isquiet on the way home.
“Did I embarrass you at school? I didn’t mean to,” I say to break the silence. “The kid, the one with the girl, he caught me off guard. You know him?”
“No.”
The answer is abrupt. I glance over to catch a glimpse of my boy’s face. It’s grim. He doesn’t want me talking about this boy. I clam up too, but that doesn’t stop my thoughts from whipping around my skull like a whirlwind. The boy was Duncan’s age. If Fischl and I had a kid, he would have been about his age.
But Fischl wouldn’t have hid that from me, right? And when I went to see her, she had a girl with her, not a boy. It must be some freak occurrence. Everyone has a doppelgänger that exists in this world, and that boy is mine.
“Should we stop and get burgers?” I suggest as we near home. I’m not in a condition to whip something up for us. My mind has been all over the place.
“Sure. Can we get it to go? I’m not up for being in a restaurant.” He props his elbow onto the window opening. I’m not sure what is up with him, but I don’t press.
I whip into the nearest burger joint, and we place an order for carryout. As we wait, Dunc scrolls through his phone as if it contains the secrets of the universe. It probably does. Kids these days live on their phones. I barely know how to send emojis. I think my fingers are too big. I was made for an analog era.
“Your teacher wanted me to talk to you about moving you to her AP Calc class. She says that you could get college credit and all.”
“We talked about it this morning. I’m not going to college,” he says without looking up from his phone.
“Just because I didn’t go doesn’t mean you should stick around here.”
He casts me an annoyed glare. “You pushing me out?”
“No. Of course not.” The house would be dead empty without him there. I get a particular ache in my chest when I think about it. “I’m only saying that going to college is for stuff other than just learning. It’s experiences.”
“How would you know?”
“Isn’t that the point? I don’t know because I never went. I don’t want you to miss out on anything. Working construction all your life is hard, and there could be an easier, more interesting path out there that you wouldn’t know about if you didn’t go to college.”
“Even if I was going to college, why would I need to study math? Besides, you’re successful and don’t have a degree. I thought the whole plan was for me to work for you and take over the business.”
Our number gets called. I head to the counter and grab the bags. When I return, he’s halfway out the door, so I wait until we’re back in the truck to reply. “Construction can be boom or bust. I wouldn’t mind seeing you in something more stable.”
“Like architecture?” he says sarcastically.
“No.” Then I sigh. “I guess, yes, if that’s what you’re interested in.” I can’t let my unreasonable hatred toward someone stand in the way of Dunc’s dreams.
“I wasn’t interested anyway.”
Speaking of new people in town…my mind swings all the way back to the two students. Is there a connection? “The two kids that showed up. I haven’t seen them before. ” Dunc’s been at the same school for four years. I recognize most of the kids but not these two.
“Yeah.”
“They siblings?” They didn’t look alike. One of them looked, well, like a younger, slimmer me, and the other one had blondish-red hair with hazel eyes.
“I don’t know. Better not be.” Dunc’s voice is terse as if the topic isn’t to his liking.
Better not be? “Wonder where they came from.”
“And whether you can build them a house?”
I grin. “That, too.” He seems to be loosening up.
“Maybe I’ll check around tomorrow. Since I’m supposed to be taking over the business and all.”
