Our Souls at Night

17

The second night was much like the first. They ate supper and sheem; margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 2em; text-align: R about his hand found a deck of cards and taught him a game at the kitchen table and then they went upstairs, where the boy got ready for bed and she sat down in a chair next to him and took his phone away and read to him for an hour and kissed him, leaving the light on and the door open, and went to her room and read. She got up once to check in on him and he was asleep with his phone still on the dresser. In the night he came as before into her dark room crying and she took him into her bed and in the morning he was still asleep when she woke. They had breakfast downstairs and went outside. She showed him around the yard pointing out the flowerbeds and naming the trees and bushes and took him out to the garage where her car was parked and showed him the tool bench Carl had used to repair things and the tools hanging above it on a pegboard. The boy wasn’t much interested.

Then Louis came to see them. I wonder if you want to come over to my house with your grandmother, he said. I want to show you something.

In the backyard there was a nest of just-born mice he had found that morning back in the corner of the tool-shed. The babies were all pink and still blind, squirming and moiling around and making little whimpers. The boy was a little afraid of them.

They won’t hurt you, Louis said. They can’t hurt anything. They’re just babies. They’re still nursing. She hasn’t weaned them yet. Do you know what that means?

No.

It means when she stops giving them her milk and they have to learn to eat other things.

What will they eat then?

Seeds and bits of food she finds. We can watch them every day and see how they change. Now we better put the lid back so they don’t get cold or scared. This is all the excitement they need for one day.

They moved out of the shed and Addie said, Do you need any help in your garden today?

I could always use a good hand here.

Maybe Jamie could help you.

Well, let’s ask him. You willing to help me a little?

Doing what?

Pulling some weeds and watering.

Is it all right with you, Grandma?

Yes. You stay with Louis and he’ll bring you home when you’re through and we’ll all have some lunch together.

The boy had never pulled weeds before. Louis had to point out what he wanted in the rows and what he didn’t want. They did a little of that but the boy didn’t care for it so after a while Louis got the hose and turned the nozzle on low and showed him how to water along the base of the plants — the carrots and beets and radishes — without exposing the roots. He liked that better. Then they shut the water off and went over to Addie’s house. They washed up in the bathroom off the dining room. She had the food on the table and they sat down to sandwiches and chips and glasses of lemonade.

Can I play with my phone now?

Yes, then I want us to lie down for a little while.

The boy went up to his room and got his phone and lay on the bed.

Louis said, I still better not come over yet tonight.

Probably not. Maybe tomorrem; margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 2em; text-align: ewonopow. This morning went pretty well, don’t you think?

Seemed all right to me. But I don’t know what’s going on in that little boy’s mind. It can’t be easy being away from home.

We’ll see what happens tomorrow.

—

At night after he’d lain awake for a while he climbed out of bed and got his phone and called his mother in California. She didn’t answer. He left a message. Mom, where are you? When are you coming back? I’m at Grandma’s. I want to come where you are. Call me, Mom.

He hung up and called his father. Gene answered after the boy had begun to leave a message.

Jamie, is that you?

Dad, when are you coming to get me?

Why? What’s wrong?

I want to be with you.

You need to stay with Grandma for a while. I have to be gone every day. You remember we talked about that.

I want to come home.

You can’t right now. Later, when school starts.

That’s too long.

It’ll get better. Aren’t you having any fun? What did you do today?

Nothing.

Didn’t you do anything?

We saw some baby mice.

Where was that?

At Louis’s house.

Louis Waters. You went over there?

In his shed. They were just babies. They don’t have their eyes open.

Don’t touch them.

I didn’t.

Did you go over there with Grandma?

Yes. Then we ate lunch.

That all your eyes. Sh