Fire, The (17 page)

"Didn't you do things like this in Mr. Monroe's classes?"

The girl shook her head.

"I don't do things like this in
any
of my classes."

"That's too bad," Kevin said. "You
should
do more stuff like this. Science should be fun. Education should be fun, and it's important that students see it that way."

"I think so too."

Kevin saw several cheering students gather around the bubbling mounds of clay and considered joining their ranks, but he decided instead to continue the conversation. He sensed an opportunity for a learning moment, a moment he shouldn't pass up.

"Why do you agree?"

The girl seemed taken aback by the question and paused before answering. She apparently didn't want to sound stupid in front of a teacher who valued her opinion.

"Well, if we see education as fun, we'll be more likely to pay attention in school and keep learning when we get out of school."

Kevin chuckled.

"Congratulations, Josie. You get an A for the day."

The girl turned red, fidgeted, and ran to the corner of the science lab. When she reached her destination, she looked back at Kevin, smiled, and commenced an animated discussion with two visibly interested peers. Score one for self-esteem.

Kevin looked at Josie, a freshman, with admiration and sadness. He loved her spirit. She was a bright girl and a hard worker, but she was probably going nowhere. If she applied anything she learned in chemistry and physics, it would be how to stretch the detergent she used to clean the clothes of the miner she married and the children she bore.

When the bell rang, all eyes turned toward the teacher who had arranged the volcanic steel-cage match and offered a gallon of ice cream to the makers of the winner. It was time for that teacher, the lone judge, to render a verdict.

"Who won, Mr. Johnson?" Fred Simpson asked.

Kevin chided himself for not paying better attention when the volcanoes had threatened the Silver Valley with dangerous flows of baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring. When he more closely examined the twin peaks, he saw a virtual tie, a Solomon-like decision coming, and a mess he'd have to clean before Morrison made his rounds.

Kevin walked to the boys' volcano and gave it a thorough inspection. Krakatoa was a frothy mess no matter how you looked at it. He stuck a finger in a puddle of green goo at the mountain's base and then put the finger in his mouth.

"This is terrible, just terrible," Kevin said with a sour face. "It not only looks bad, it tastes bad. The devastation is complete, men. No one could have survived this. Well done."

The boys beamed. The girls frowned. Josie White looked crushed.

Kevin moved on to the girls' volcano and conducted a similar assessment. With pink lava coating its flanks, Vesuvius appeared far less threatening. The mountain itself looked more like a pastel pitcher's mound than a horrific dispenser of noxious gasses, but it did have one thing in its corner: it wasn't finished. Lava continued to flow down its sides.

"I must say, girls, that Krakatoa does seem more intimidating. It's mean and green and tastes like motor oil," Kevin said. "It's a pretty nasty lump. But as you can see, it's dormant now. Vesuvius, on the other hand, remains a clear and present danger. Given that serious consideration, I must declare this competition a draw."

The girls cheered.

"I'll bring two gallons of ice cream to class tomorrow. There will be enough for everyone," Kevin said. "I insist only on one thing."

"What's that?" Fred said.

"I insist that the boys serve the girls before themselves."

"Why?"

"Why, Fred? Because we are gentlemen first and architects of geologic destruction second."

The girls smiled and looked at the boys like prisoners of war.

"Now, all of you run along and let me clean up your mess before I award the prize to the grade-school kids."

Most of the students laughed. A few cheered. Only Fred appeared dissatisfied with the decision.

When the last student filed out of the lab, Kevin began cleaning a mess that wasn't half as bad as he had thought it would be. As long as he left the lab shipshape for Samuel Garrison, he'd be fine. He would speak to Ed Morrison about the ice cream in the morning.

Kevin started to lift the plywood board that supported Krakatoa and carry it to a counter when he heard a familiar voice. It was a voice he had not heard all day.

"You're becoming very popular."

He looked toward the open door and saw a ray of sunshine.

"Hi, Sarah," Kevin said. He relaxed his grip on the board. "Don't believe everything you see."

"It's not just what I see. It's what I hear," Sarah said. "My students seem quite affected by Mr. Monroe's replacement."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should. Do you need some assistance?"

"Do I need assistance? Yes. Do I want you to spill hot lava on your nice outfit? No."

"Don't worry about me, Mr. Johnson. I've washed clothes in this dress. There's nothing I've encountered that a little borax won't fix."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"OK. I just need help getting these volcanoes to the sink."

Sarah walked across the room, grabbed two corners of the board, and helped Kevin carry Krakatoa to one of two counters that flanked a large washbasin. A moment later, she helped him carry Vesuvius to the other. When they were done, they stepped away from the basin and turned toward each other like two people more interested in talking than cleaning.

"So what brings you to my laboratory?"

"I've come here to ask you some questions."

Kevin wiped some sawdust from his slacks and returned to his visitor.

"You have questions?"

"They're good ones too."

"OK. I like questions. Good ones are even better. Fire away."

Sarah smiled nervously.

"The first pertains to this weekend. Do you have any plans for Easter?"

"I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

Sarah sighed.

"I ask because I'd like to invite you to dinner."

Kevin looked away as his head began to spin. He pondered several questions. Was this a bona fide show of interest? If so, what about Pierce? Did he leave this poor woman alone on Christian holidays? Then there was Kevin's adopted family. Did Maude, Andy, or Sadie have something planned for Easter? If so, did it matter? He decided to proceed cautiously.

"You'd like to have dinner with me?"

"I would. There would be others, of course."

"Is that a good thing?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it is. As you may know, I'm residing with George and Bertha Marshall, an elderly couple who live on the south end of town. They've authorized me to invite you to Easter dinner."

Kevin chuckled.

"They've authorized you?"

Sarah blushed and looked at Kevin in a way that said, "Don't make this difficult."

"They've authorized me."

Kevin ditched the attitude and looked at Sarah thoughtfully.

"I'm honored that you – that they – would invite me, but before I give you an answer, I'd like to know one thing."

"Please ask."

"Will Preston Pierce be there?"

"No. He will not."

"Do you mind if I ask why? I got the impression the other day that the two of you were, well, close."

Sarah winced.

"Mr. Pierce and I have seen each other on occasion since the first of the year, but I would describe our relationship as a friendship. He is currently away on business. I am asking you to dinner as a colleague and a friend."

Kevin grinned.

"I thought the Marshalls were asking me to dinner?"

Sarah blushed again and gave Kevin a smile that turned him to putty.

"Does that mean you'll come?

"Yes, Miss Thompson, it means I'll come. What time should I show up?"

"We can discuss that on the way."

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to Garnet Street."

Sarah met his eyes.

"I'd like you to walk me home."

CHAPTER 32: KEVIN

Friday, March 25, 1910

Thirty minutes into the chess match of the century, Sadie fired another round at her inattentive opponent. Once again, she got his attention.

"Have you heard the one about the man whose mother-in-law lay critically ill?"

"No. I haven't," Kevin said.

He smiled as he pondered his next move.

"But I suspect you're going to tell me."

"Indeed, I am," Sadie said. She smiled, sat up straight, and folded her hands on the table. "In this tragic tale, the woman was so sick that she required a doctor. When the doctor came to the man's house, he saw the patient and declared: 'My dear sir, your wife's mother will never be right until she goes to a warmer place.'"

"He said that?"

Sadie lifted a brow.

"He said that."

She continued.

"In any case, the man thought a moment about what the doctor had said and then went out to his shed. When he returned, he carried an ax in his hands. He said, 'Here, Doctor. You do it. I haven't the nerve!'"

This time, the round hit the mark. Kevin laughed so hard that he fell out of his chair. When he finally sat up on Maude's hardwood floor, he couldn't decide which hurt worse: his sides or his bottom.

"Are you all right?" Sadie asked.

"I'll live."

Sadie laughed.

"Did I tickle your funny bone?"

Kevin chuckled.

"You might say that."

He shook his head as he got up and returned to his chair. He couldn't remember the last time he had heard someone use that phrase. Then again, he couldn't remember the last time someone had made him laugh as hard as Sadie Hawkins.

"You should do stand-up," Kevin said.

"I should do what?"

"I think I've found your secret talent."

"Would you like to hear more funnies? I have plenty."

"I think I've heard enough for now."

Sadie cocked her head, leaned closer, and flashed a mischievous smile.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Sadie. I'm sure. I want to remain upright the rest of the evening."

Kevin captured a knight with a rook.

"Where did you learn all those jokes?

"I grew up in a small town, Kevin," Sadie said, clearly amused. "This is what people do in small towns."

"We had other distractions in my small town."

Kevin realized his mistake the second he made it.

"I thought you grew up in Seattle. That's a big town."

"I attended college in Seattle, but I grew up in Oregon."

"You lived in Oregon?"

Kevin took a moment to think about where he wanted to steer the conversation. He decided to go with a carefully worded version of the truth.

"I grew up in Unionville. It's in the northeast part of the state."

"I've heard of it," Sadie said. "What's it like there?"

Oh, it's pretty nice. There's a multiplex, three brew pubs, and a nice electronics store.

"It's kind of like Wallace, only a little bigger. The main difference is that people make their living ranching and growing wheat, not extracting silver from the ground."

"Did you have a lot of friends growing up?"

"I had a few."

Sadie smiled softly.

"Did you have a lot of
girlfriends
growing up?"

"I had a couple."

Kevin laughed to himself. He suddenly realized that Sadie sounded an awful lot like the women in his family. She had his mother's sensitivity and his sister's tenacity.

"Tell me about your family."

"What would you like to know?"

"Let's start with your parents. What do they do? What are they like?"

Kevin paused for a moment. He didn't want to lie. Then he realized he could continue telling the truth. Not everything had changed dramatically in a hundred years.

"Well, let's see. My dad is like a lot of dads. He's quiet, hard to read sometimes, and very industrious. He loves working in a shop we have out back. He's always trying to repair or build something or another."

"Is he an inventor?"

"No. He's more like an investor," Kevin said with a laugh. "He served in the Army for a few years but got out and started dabbling in real estate. He works out of our home."

"How about your mother?"

"My mom's just the opposite. She's not like anyone on the planet."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean she's one of a kind. She writes books, manages the family finances, serves on the school board, and still looks after my sister and me, even though we're grown. She never lets up."

"She sounds incredible. I wish I could do half of those things."

"You can, Sadie. You have the drive and intelligence to do all that and more."

Sadie smiled sadly.

"I'm glad someone believes in me."

Kevin looked at her thoughtfully.

"It's pretty easy to do."

"Thank you," she said.

Sadie reached for a glass of water near the side of the chessboard and took a sip. When she looked back at her playing partner, she did so with more lively eyes.

"What about your sister? What's she like?"

Kevin laughed to himself as he searched for adjectives to describe his sibling. He wasn't sure he could answer Sadie's question without a thesaurus.

"Rena is a lot like my mom. She's smart, funny, and a little nutty at times, but she's got a good heart. She's a student at the University of Oregon. She wants to be a journalist."

"Can women do that?"

Kevin sighed.

"Sadie, women can do anything. I know that sounds like crazy talk, but it's true. You can do anything you want to do. All you need is a little more education."

Kevin pushed his chair away from the chess table.

"That's enough about me. Tell me about your parents. What were they like?"

Sadie frowned, lowered her eyes, and stared blankly at the board. She was cleaning his clock but appeared less interested in ending the match than in finding the right answer to his question.

"My father sold hardware to the mining companies. I think I told you that."