Logan's Run
Chapter 2
The rain pounded against the windows and the lightning flashed illuminating small paths in the darkness of the room due to the drapes being drawn. Thunder rolled and I thought to myself in the dark, about all sorts of things. Yes, Jake was one of those things I admit, not the only thing though.
I thought about how nice he could be, but I also knew he was playing a game. Each time the lightning flashed the static spiked on the radio, which was playing a song I wasn’t familiar with, but its words fit perfectly.
Thunder only happens when it’s raining,
Players only love you when they're playing
That was how I felt about Jake, in a nutshell. He liked me, and I liked him, but it wasn’t anything that would last past the first few kisses and hot groping sessions. Not that groping wasn’t good, it was. When it was your first time and you were sure, I guess. What I thought about most of all was San Diego.
If you’ve never been, it’s great. Well, duh, I guess that’s why so many people live there! The weather is great, none of this cold Chicago shit, and I will never understand people that miss snow. Come shovel my walk and driveway and then tell me how much you miss it!
But I guess what I really thought about was what happened in San Diego, the first time I fell in love. My Mom works for Micro Secure, an encryption and database company in the branch she works for, but they also make whole operating systems. The encryption section works on Banks and stuff, lots of money, high tech.
Well, Mom is VP in her section, applications development, and the other VP that I was concerned with, head of R&D, and more importantly his son. Greg. I guess in the end I learned a lot from him, most importantly that your heart is precious and you have to be careful who you give it to, but give it you must.
Greg was nice as could be, handsome and reserved. Elegant would be the one word that I’d use to describe him, if I could have only one. In retrospect it was my own fault, what happened.
I met Greg at a company party designed for the former Encryption people to meet the newly acquired division that was to be integrated into their own work. I guess this new technology was to make us unstoppable in the marketplace. We started to talk, not much at first, Greg was almost painfully shy it seemed to me, but as time went by he opened up to me a little bit. Not much, but I loved what I found. I loved him a lot, and I loved him real hard for the few weeks we were entangled as you might call it.
We only kissed once, and it was a kiss like no other, it was on my bed and I practically tackled him! I had all the right signs, I thought, I was sure he liked me like that and he was just starting to return the kiss when my Mother barged in. Seems that when we hit the bed the headboard hit the wall…which knocked a picture off the wall. In mom’s study, where mom just happened to be.
Well, Greg did try and defend me, his dad even did, but my Mother wasn’t to be denied in this. I was officially an embarrassment to the family, and worse yet someone at work would know. It was disaster, the destruction of all my Mother had cultivated, the suicide of her professional career. Before I knew it I was on a plane with my mother to Chicago, no goodbyes, no nothing. Greg had been so hesitant to kiss me, and it all fell apart so maybe I should have listened to that little voice that tries to tell you when you are going too far, too fast? I think mine was broken.
Greg and I did speak once, he told me he was sorry, that things couldn’t have worked between us anyway. His heart, it seems, belonged to another. I was heartbroken, but now I can see he was doing right by me, trying to do the right thing. Jake was only interested in getting laid, I think, or getting off and I refused to be a convenience to that. I lost everything last time, my home, my family, and my pets. Silent tears ran from the corners of my eyes as I gripped my sheets at the thought.
No, Jake was going to have to invest some of himself in me first, I want to know he loves me before I do anything. He can have my heart, but he has to show me he’ll take care of it, and not just for the now, not just till he cums, he has to want it.
The thunder rolled again and the next flash of lightning illuminated a figure in my doorway, which I hadn’t heard open with the storm, and I screamed in surprise and fear.
"Edward? It’s only a storm, son, don’t cry," my grandfather’s voice wafted to me, "it’ll pass, just lie still and go back to sleep, Eddie."
"Grandpa? What are you doing?"
"What’s the yelling? Is everyone all right? Elmer, are you haranguing him again?" my grandmother appeared as the hall light flashed on.
"Edward, he," my grandfather trailed off as he looked at me and some part of his mind registered that I was not here, "well, he was always afraid of thunderstorms," he finished in a near whisper as confusion and doubt settled on his mind.
"Come on, Elmer, let’s get some sleep," my grandmother said as she tugged at his arm, and he followed her lead like an automaton.
Just what was that about?
I awoke the next morning and got ready for school, catching the bus and meeting up with Brian and Jake throughout the day. Mike continued to alternate between warming up and freezing me out, so I just kind of took what he gave me and tried not to take the rest personally. I really wish Jake would talk to him! I walked to the bus and went home, and that’s when something that had been tickling around the edge of my thoughts hit me square between the eyes. My grandfather hadn’t been driving lately, he walked to this little corner store sometimes for bread or some beer, but that was it. If grandma left, she took the car, in fact I think she was hiding the car keys. This all occurred to me, but I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, not sure what it all added up to.
I walked in as my grandfather shrugged his sweater on, one of those V-Necks that buttoned up the front. My grandmother approached from behind with a list in hand.
"Elmer, see if he has those nice tomatoes you like so much. I can put them on the salad tonight!" she said brightly.
"Well," he mused in a grumpy way, "I guess I could see, if you want them. I don’t care, I don’t like tomatoes."
"Yes you do! You love tomatoes, Oscar, since when did you decide you didn’t?" she asked.
"This morning, it came to me in a dream," he replied while shuffling to the door.
"You have on a tie, you look very handsome!" she giggled at him, "are you trying to impress someone?"
"Yes, that Eye-talian fellow that runs the store, he likes my bow ties. He thinks I look dignified, gives me a discount," he replied.
"Oh really?" she laughed.
"Yeah," he seemed to grow thoughtful for a moment before speaking again, "if you want to try it you can borrow one of my ties, I have plenty."
"No, thank you. Now hurry up, dinner is cooking," she admonished and he headed out the door with a minor grunt at me as I said hello.
"How was school, sweetheart?" she asked brightly as she receded to the kitchen.
"Ok, I guess," I replied as she handed me a glass of milk and oatmeal cookies with raisins in them.
"Jake still making eyes at you?" she asked while stirring a pot.
"Grandma! Jeez!" I whined.
"If someone is making eyes at my grandson, I want to know!" she said with a grin, "After all, things are changing, I might be related to him someday." I rolled my eyes at her.
"I tried to talk to Brian about him, but I think Brian protects Jake. Brian ducks questions, I don’t think he’s really my friend," I frowned as I bit into a cookie.
"Well, he is Jake’s brother, where do you expect his loyalties to lie?" she asked without turning away from her cooking.
"It’s just frustrating, if Jake hurts people you’d think he’d have a conscience about it, maybe try and get rid of them or something," I said sullenly.
"Logan, honey, you have the same power in your hands," she said while crossing the kitchen and taking one of my hands. "If you think Jake is playing a game, then maybe you should let him go. If he is meant for you, he’ll come back, if not…" she shrugged.
"Can we hunt him down and kill him if he doesn’t come back?" I asked with a grin.
"You DO have a bit of your grandfather in you!" she laughed as she returned to the stove. "Logan, you have to learn that people are people, and sometimes you have to look deep to see their qualities. Maybe this Brian will never be the friend you want him to be, or have you wondered if you are being a friend to him putting him in the position of informing on his brother? Maybe Brian DOES like you just fine, but he has to live with Jake, remember?"
"I suppose," I sighed, "I just wish I could get a straight answer is all. Then maybe I could move on, or maybe I should just do that and not hold out anymore. I just don’t have any friends to ask, no one to rely on at school and it feels weird to be asking you for advice on loving a boy," I mumbled.
"Well, I had experience falling in love with boys, you know I did that before you did. Once upon a time your grandfather was a boy."
"Grandma, is grandpa all right?" I asked hesitantly.
"No more off kilter than usual," she replied.
"I mean, the other night he thought I was uncle Edward…where is Uncle Edward?" I asked.
"Eddie passed away before you were born, Logan. He was the apple of your grandpa’s eye," she sighed bitterly and paused to look at me, "he grieved Eddie for a long time. We both did, but I was able to let him go finally. Elmer never has."
"Dorothy? Dorothy, are you home?" The front door banged against the wall as my grandfather stumbled in, and my grandmother and I rushed out to the hallway to find him staggering in. His windblown hair was standing up as though he had been running his hands through it endlessly and his glazed eyes sharpened as he saw my grandmother.
"Dorothy, Jesus Christ, Dorothy," he moaned as he fell into an embrace.
"Elmer, what’s wrong?" she asked worriedly.
"I got to the end of the block and I couldn’t remember how to get to the store and then…I couldn’t find the house. I just," he paused and wrapped her in his arms, "I needed to see you." My grandmother made no reply except to hug him back.
School the next day was nothing special, as was most of the rest of the week, except for Wednesday, that day was definitely different. It started with a run in with Mike, which was always a joy, especially if it happened in lunch.
"Do you have to be anywhere near me?" Mike asked in a sour tone.
"Do you always have to be so nasty?" I shot back.
"Maybe if you weren’t stealing something from me!" he hissed. That snapped any reserves I had that day for abuse from Mike. I snagged his arm and dragged him off to a vacant classroom, him protesting all the way. I closed the door and glared at him.
"What do you think you are doing? Let me out of here!" Mike demanded.
"You wanted this explosion, otherwise you wouldn’t have let me bring you in here, Mike! Cut the shit!" I snorted back at him.
"Why do I have to be here? You need me to spell it out for you?" he grated out in frustration.
"Yeah, I guess I do Mike, why don’t you spell it out for me, let’s clear the air, huh?" I challenged.
"Why do you have to take Jake?" he asked in a near whisper, a complete anti-climax to his whispered shouts of a moment before.
"I didn’t, Jake came onto me. I know he’s a player, and so do you by now or you’re an idiot," I stated angrily.
"I…I am an idiot, I guess, because I love him," Mike said uncertainly and sat down on the edge of a desk.
"Mike, I guess I can see why you could fall for him," I replied as tenderly as I could muster.
"Maybe if I didn’t want to be around him so much, but it hurts when he’s not there," Mike sniffed, "I miss him."
"I guess you do. Missing someone isn’t so bad, I just wish he knew what he had with you," I replied without thinking of what I was saying. Was I trying to drive Mike and Jake back together?
"I don’t know what you’re talking about. Jake is so cool, and his body…I should have known I wasn’t what he really wanted, but it hurts, Logan, it hurts bad. You got him and I don’t, and it’s like rubbing my nose in it when you’re around me."
"I’m not trying to make it that way, Mike. I know for a fact that Jake does care about you, Mike, I know that because once I figured out you guys had been together I told him he and I couldn’t do anything until he had settled things with you. I’m not trying to be your enemy, Mike, but I like Jake too. I don’t think Jake likes anyone enough to stand up and do what he has to do though, he has some stuff he needs to figure out before anything else I think," I said quietly.
"He won’t come back to me, he doesn’t even want to see me. Who could blame him?" Mike asked morosely as he made for the door.
"Mike?" he stopped in the doorway, hand on the knob, "I think you’re pretty cool, and I wouldn’t mind having you for a friend. You know, if you ever need one that is."
He didn’t reply, simply exited the room.
Once I reached home I got an eerie sense of déjà vu as my grandfather was near the door buttoning his sweater.
"Elmer, we don’t need the strawberries, it was just a comment for crying out loud!" my grandmother was worriedly speaking to him.
"I can still get god damn strawberries from the Eye-talian. Besides, he likes my ties, did I tell you that?" he asked her.
"Hey grandpa, I wanted to get some chips for later, can I walk with you?" I asked quickly.
"What?" he squinted his eyes at me.
"Chips, you know, for later on as a snack," I replied.
"We’re having strawberries and ice cream, why would you need chips?" he groused.
"For his lunches, Elmer, my goodness," grandma jumped in to support me.
"Well, if we’re both going to the same place anyway, I guess you can walk with me," he said grudgingly. Grandma grabbed her purse and pulled a pen out telling grandpa to get a certain brand of strawberries if he could, writing it down for him. As soon as he turned his back she palmed me five dollars and flashed me a silent thank you.
We walked down the block and crossed the street in relative silence before reaching the small store. I wandered in and picked up a small bag of chips, one suitable for lunches while grandpa enquired after the fictional strawberry brand. He tried to stick his neck out while in the store so the guy could see his tie, and looked ridiculous in the process.
"You like my tie?" he asked.
"It’s a very nice, Mister," the counterman answered.
"It’s silk, you know," he stated.
"Oh really? How nice!"
"Comes out of a worm’s ass, you know," grandpa said.
"Excuse me?"
"Silk. Comes out of a worm’s ass," my grandfather repeated.
The man behind the counter merely stared in amazement. I think I knew now why grandpa got his discount, they did it so he’d leave, that was my guess.
At last we were on our way back.
"Your grandmother put you up to this?" he asked.
"Up to what grandpa?" I asked innocently.
"Walking with me, I’m not an idiot, she used to pull this crap after my first stroke, used to send your mother with me," he stated.
"No grandpa, I just wanted some chips and thought I’d walk with you," I said.
"Bullshit," he muttered.
"I’m sorry I’m not what you want around the house right now, grandpa, I just wanted to get some chips," I replied as I tried to keep my voice even.
"What I want? I’m forty eight god damn years older than you, how the hell do you know what I want?" he asked and I remained silent.
"You don’t like me much, do you?" he asked, "I wouldn’t like me either I guess," he answered his own question while I remained silent.
"You remind me a lot of your Uncle Edward, you know. When he was your age he was exactly like you," he eyed me, "exactly."
"Your mother was always a bitch to him, but he could out sing her, and out dance her. He was a big hit at all the school socials, twirling partners around the room," he smiled for a moment before his face darkened, "he got beat up the night they caught him with that Rasmussen boy. He joined the Navy the next week, saw him on leave once in a while and then that awful disease popped up everywhere. He died the year you were born, I remember your mother calling out to tell us that the family name would live on. She never took your father’s name, as you know, she has him whipped like some beast, poor bastard."
"Mom seem to do that to people," I replied.
"So are you in love with this…guy?"
"I think I …well, I like him a lot," I said feeling very weird to be having this talk with my grandfather, "but he likes to play games, I don’t think he really likes me."
"I see," he said falling into silence.
"Grandpa, why don’t you like me?" I asked with all the courage I could muster.
"I like you fine, never said I didn’t," he grumped.
"You don’t act like it," I said quietly.
"You worry too much, Eddie, of course I like you, I have always liked you," he mused more to himself than to me. We finished walking in silence, though I should note that he placed his arm around my shoulders about a block away from home, and I let him walk his son home.
Friday arrived and with it the last straw in my week. My grandfather had been pretty much ok the rest of the week, he and my grandma going in the living room to talk each night while I went to my room to give them some privacy. Friday rolled around and Jake had still made no discernable progress. In fact, he seemed to be getting worse. He waited until the locker room emptied out before he pounced
"Damn, you look good in just boxers," he whispered in my ear, and I can only hope no one was close enough to hear or see him! Locker rooms are not exactly bastions of male closeness, near as I can tell.
"Back off, Jake," I whispered fiercely. I was excited by his attention, but my mind firmly reminded me of his tendency to play people, and that’s all I was. Just a plaything until something new caught his attention. The thought made me really pissed.
"Come on, you DO have a nice, I mean a REAL nice," he breathed into my ear and I whirled and shoved him as hard as I could away from me.
"I am NOT your plaything!" I hissed as he bounced off the lockers, "you are such a fucking player!"
"What? What are you talking about?" Jake said with a scowl, "I was just fooling around!"
"Unless I let you touch me, then what? Huh? Why don’t you grow a set and deal with Mike, then we’ll talk," I seethed with small droplets forming in my eyes, "in fact, why don’t you just fuck off, ok? I don’t need my heart broken anymore!" I angrily tugged my street clothes back on while Jake stomped up the stairs to catch his bus. I grabbed my things and headed for the locker room door only to hear the door leading to the corridor bang open.
"Logan?" I heard Brian’s voice. I looked his way as the first tear dropped from my eyes and then turned away from him as I headed out of the room.
"Logan! Wait up!" Brian called as he came through the door and stepped in front of me, "I just saw Jake, what’s up?"
"What do you care?" I mumbled.
"I care, what is the problem? You and Jake fight?"
"Brilliant deduction, Holmes, just brilliant," I muttered but made no attempt to leave.
"Come on, what happened," Brian said as he placed hand on my shoulder.
"No," I said firmly.
"No, what?" he asked.
"I’m not saying anything about it," I said barely containing my emotions. "I can’t look at Jake right now," I said in a near whisper.
"I guess I can understand that. Why don’t we go somewhere and talk?"
"Why?" I asked.
"Cause I like you too, you know. Plus maybe I think you’re good for Jake."
"I knew it," I said shrugging off his arm, "I liked you Brian, I trusted you enough to try and talk to you. Did you just repeat it all to Jake? It’s all about him, isn’t it? I am not reason enough for you to ask about without Jake?" I grated bitterly.
"I didn’t say that, Logan," Brian began but I cut him off.
"I can be a good friend too, but I guess if it wasn’t for Jake I wouldn’t know you anyways, so why would you want to be my friend huh? Who am I to you anyway, if I’m not ‘Jake’s latest crush’," I mimicked the words he told his dad the first time I went to their house and watched as his face softened a little.
"Hey, come on Logan," he began.
"It’s not fair, what he does," I said with small droplets finally starting to fall, "and I think you have to take some of the blame cause you cover some of it up for him, cover his tracks. It makes you look like an asshole, Brian."
"I can’t make Jake do anything," Brian began.
"I know you can’t, but do you have to cover for him? It’s just like saying you think it’s ok? What about what he’s done, or is doing to Mike? Isn’t he your friend? I tell you what the worst part about it is, Brian, I really wanted to be your friend, I really do like you but right now, I don’t know why," I shouldered past him and he let me pass. I went into the corridor and back to my locker to retrieve my coat. If I had a car I’d do what all gay guys do when they are depressed. I’d go to the mall.
Oak Ridge Mall was a half an hour away by car, and Saturday was an awesome day to go there. My grandmother had a hair appointment with some shop in the mall, and grandpa wanted to get a book or something. He actually gave me money and told me to get lost! Once there I began to window shop. The chill outside was pretty good and I was still pretty cold from the brisk wind outside. As I walked through the wide corridors and looked at the glittering displays of clothes and handy dandy, super wham-o-dyne toys that everyone just HAD to have, I passed a bookstore and a pet shop and then walked up to the Gloria Jean’s kiosk for a hot cocoa as I was having a hard time fighting off the chill I acquired outside. I got my drink and settled in with a discarded newspaper in a corner of the food court, hidden behind a stairwell, sipping my drink and thumbing through the sports section. I was just reading the box scores when my hackles went up as I heard Elmer’s voice just around the corner.
"Will you just sit here for a minute and listen to me?" Elmer demanded.
"Why should I?" another voice exclaimed in quiet frustration.
"Because…just sit and I’ll explain. Or go back to your god damn store, what the hell do I know!" Elmer said and chair scraped as if he threw himself in it. More likely he fell a bit from the tone of voice he was using.
"I’ll give you five minutes, and that’s only out of courtesy for your grandson," came the other voice. I craned my neck around the corner; sweat standing out on my brow and my earlier chill forgotten as I was consumed with nerves and curiosity as to why Elmer had sought out…Mr. Rosato?
"Look, I know some people think I can be pretty god damn difficult," Elmer started and Mr. Rosato snorted, "but the truth is my wanting to talk to you has nothing to do with me outside of I forget things now."
"I don’t understand," Mr. Rosato replied.
"I keep forgetting how to get places, what I am supposed to do when I get there, things like that. Do you have any idea how it feels to slowly lose a piece of your mind every day? I need to talk to you before I get so bad I can’t remember that I have a grandson." Elmer stared defiantly at Mr. Rosato who remained silent, "I had to make myself a not to talk to you and notes to remember why I wanted to talk to you once I found you.
"Losing your marbles isn’t the most graceful thing in the world to do. When you come home bawling like a baby at 72, well, it’s not something I like to dwell on. I forget all kinds of things, but others I don’t."
"Like what?"
"Like Private Michael Riley. That’s not a name you’ll know, no one besides his Momma remembers him I don’t think."
"I don’t understand," Mr. Rosato said, but plainly his patience was wearing thin.
"He was a deviant, like yourself," I could see Mr. Rosato stiffening at the statement, "and he was also a nice guy. I felt bad for him, but I was a kid, I ran with what everyone else did. What did I know?" Elmer sighed, "Some of the guys used to let him do…stuff to them. Then they’d beat him up some the next day, that’s just how it was. I ran into him in a dive one night, bought him a beer. Was just trying to be nice, I guess, but we talked all night. I forgot I was there to find a little action.
"He had it rough, mom threw him out. I asked him why didn’t he just go with the ladies? I was sure if he tried it he could stop all that other stuff. I was wrong."
Mr. Rosato snorted again before commenting, "What is the point, I have to go back to my store and your five minutes is about up."
"Redemption is part of it. Riley died in action, his name is on a monument somewhere. He didn’t die saving someone, he died alone on a truck. Bled to death while we were heading in to get him and a few other guys some help. I was there, and I knew what the guys had done to him after I saw him. Our own guys killed him, beat him to death. No reports were ever filed, no charges issued.
"All he had was me to talk to. What do I know of that? My grandson…I don’t understand him, but he’s a good kid. He’s a good person, and I don’t want him to be alone, Mr. Rosato. He needs someone like you who can understand him. He needs you too because of your…son. Your step son or foster son, I don’t know."
"What about Jake?" Mr. Rosato asked, his voice a little softer now.
"Mr. Rosato, I have no right to ask this, but I am not asking for me, not really. I want you to look out for my grandson. No one should have his mother throw him away, not Private Riley and not Logan Davis. He…I think he loves your boy, but he says your boy has a history. Says he hurts people and leaves them. He has had enough hurt, and I can’t stop everyone from hurting him. I know that’s how you learn some things, but I don’t want him hurt needlessly. Please speak to your son, please look out for Logan for me. He has had more hurt and rejection in his short life than he deserves.
"Pretty soon I won’t be able to remember he exists. I guess I’ll be the big loser there. I love my grandson, and this is the best I can do for him, so I am asking you, please help him."
"I have to admit, I’m a little shocked to hear this from you," Mr. Rosato sighed, "It’s true Jake hasn’t handled his relationships with a great deal of maturity, but he has been through a lot too. That doesn’t excuse it, but I can see why you’d be concerned. Logan seems to think you don’t like him much, Elmer. May I call you Elmer?"
"Yes, I know that. Redemption, Mr. Rosato. A chance to set things right, we all need some of it. That’s’ why I am here. Well, that and I had to buy a TV set for his room. His birthday is coming up, you know. Eddie will be 15 soon, and he’d love a TV set."
"Who is Eddie?" Mr. Rosato asked.
"What?"
"Who is Eddie?"
"He’s my son! Why, do you know him? Are you the guy he’s been seeing?"
"Oh," Mr. Rosato never missed a beat, "no, he’s just a friend. Do you want to walk down to look at the TV sets?"
"Yes, I think I should, before I forget and before my wife gets though having her hair done."
"Logan, there you are!" my grandmother stepped through the entrance to Sears, where I was waiting on the chance I could spot her approaching, or more to the point, searching the mall.
"Sweetheart, where have you been? Both my men have been missing in action all afternoon! I got done with my hair appointment and your grandfather had disappeared," she said worriedly.
"Grandpa’s ok, he’s with Mr. Rosato looking at TV’s," I replied.
"Why is he looking at TV’s?" she asked.
"He’s buying Eddie a TV set for his fifteenth birthday," I replied.
"Who, by the way, is Mr. Rosato?" she asked.
"Jake and Brian’s dad," I replied
"Oh dear, and how did you know all this?" she asked with her chin jutted out in my direction.
I proceeded to fill her in on the day I had had, and my sort of fight with Mike earlier in the week. I had no sooner finished when Elmer walked up to us, with Mr. Rosato trailing behind him uncertainly.
"Dorothy, I’m done shopping," he announced.
"So I see, why don’t you get yourself a drink from the stand before we go home?" she said without showing her feathers were ruffled at him.
"But I’m not thirsty," he protested.
‘Then get something for Logan!" she fairly snapped.
"Come on boy, she who we must obey has spoken," he grumped.
Elmer shuffled off and I greeted Mr. Rosato, who gave me a warm smile that gave me hope of real conversation about what it is to be gay.
"Logan, why don’t you see to your grandfather," my grandmother suggested, which I knew was only to get rid of me. I went towards him, but rounded on my grandmother’s blindside, and quite frankly I think I could have been a pink elephant and Mr. Rosato wouldn’t have noticed at this point in his day.
"Your husband is quite a man," Mr. Rosato commented.
"Yes, although he isn’t as sweet as he used to be," she laughed, "thank you for staying with him, I was worried to death about him."
"I was somewhat surprised to speak to him, he was a bit…forceful in his demand to speak to me," Mr. Rosato replied.
"He has been very unstable the past few days," my grandmother said quietly, "but he has been in better spirits than he has in a long time. If I knew what he needed was a teenage boy around the house again I would have rented one years ago!" she laughed again.
"Well, I have to go back to work, some one is covering for me, but…tell Logan not to be a stranger, ok? It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs….?"
"Wittenburg, but you can call me Dorothy," she replied.
"And I am Matt," he replied.
"Thank you again, Matt," she said.
Mr. Rosato walked away with an expression on his face that I couldn’t read and I contemplated the effect of my grandfathers words, and my grandmothers last statement. All that was brought to a screeching halt.
"Since you are eavesdropping, you may as well tell me what Matt and your grandfather spoke about," my grandmother said. I sighed, how does she do that?
"Yes, grandma."
