Page 6 of Inferno

“No? Then whatdidyou mean?”

Manning sighed heavily, meeting her gaze in the dresser mirror. “Look, Ma, I know why you want me to try out for the team. It’s the same reason you have Mason and Magnum playing football,Maddin Boy Scouts, and Monty in the school band. You’re trying to keep us all busy because you think the more activities we’re involved in, the less we’ll miss home.”

Busted, Prissy thought.

“Is it a crime to want the best for my family?” she countered defensively. “The reason I took the superintendent job was to give you and your brothers a better quality of life than we had in Atlanta. Someday whenyou’rea parent faced with making difficult decisions for your family, you’ll understand why I made the choice that I did.”

She watched as Manning stalked over to his bed, snatched his backpack off the floor and began shoving books inside.

She heaved a weary sigh. “We’ve been living here for over two years, Manny. Like it or not, this is your home now.”

“No, Ma,” he said quietly, shaking his head at her. “This might be where we live, but it willneverbe home.”

Prissy held his gaze for a long moment, then turned and left without another word.

After walking his youngest sons to the bus stop and seeing them off, Stan returned to the house and cleaned up the kitchen. On his days off from work, he always tried to help out around the house so Prissy wouldn’t feel taken for granted. The woman did everything, balancing the demands of her job with cooking, cleaning, washing laundry, checking homework, carpooling, planning birthday parties and faithfully attending parent–teacher conferences. Stan and the boys would be lost without her.

Which was why he felt so damn guilty for deceiving her.

He knew he should come clean and tell her the truth about everything.

But he couldn’t.

And that made him a bigger coward than he cared to admit.

As soon as Prissy and Manning left the house, Stan grabbed the phone and placed a call. When a woman’s smooth voice came on the line, he said quietly, “Hi, this is Stan.”

“Hello, Stan. How are you?”

“I’m good.” He wiped crumbs off the counter. “Listen, I can’t see you today.”

“Oh? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.Remember when I told you that I’d be giving a fire prevention talk to my son’s first grade class?”

“Of course.Tomorrow afternoon, right?”

“Actually, it’s today. I must have gotten the dates mixed up.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I was really looking forward to seeing you today, Stan.”

He was silent, guilt gnawing at his insides as he wrung out the dishrag in the sink.

“I have some time tomorrow afternoon,” the woman offered.

Catching a flash of color out of the corner of his eye, Stan whipped his head around to find Manning standing in the doorway with his bookbag slung over his back. He was watching Stan, his eyes narrowed speculatively.

Swallowing hard, Stan turned away to murmur into the phone, “I need to go. I’ll call you back later.”

Hanging up the wall phone, he turned to face his son. “What’re you doing back home?”

“I missed my bus,” Manning mumbled.

“Again?This is the second time in two weeks.”

Manning just looked at him.

Stan heaved an exasperated breath. “Let me get my keys, and I’ll drive you to school.”