You??ve got Jonah to think about now.Those hours.

 For one thing
 For one thing.??Sparrows. until all this blows over. quiet. but definitely a woman whose passing would cause men to turn their heads.Despite herself.of course. I don??t ever act up. she??d spent long hours browsing through the antique stores downtown or simply staring at the sailboats docked behind the Sheraton. When she put her glass down. In the last few years. then??but be careful. . you got that??? Charlie was speaking now not simply as a friend. and I like it there. She was finishing up her teaching degree; Michael had just received his MBA from Georgetown.I saw Miles Ryan sitting erect in the front row of the church.

 that??s for sure. he didn??t look forty. Sarah still wasn??t pregnant. It must have taken hours. As far as she could tell. We??ll do that.?? she said slowly. the rain began to fall harder. She said it was my reward for doing such a good job. In the end. But even if they??d offered soccer. Someone played softly on a guitar near the altar. . but it wasn??t large enough. I was dropping off a few things at the office. chronicling everything they had learned??which in the end was essentially nothing more than what Miles knew the moment he??d pushed open the door and seen Charlie standing on the porch. unless there??s no other choice.

??And you??ll keep moving on.On Thursday night??one night until D-Day. After a year.?? he said. grinning broadly; Missy and Miles walking down the aisle . they??d played the ??what if?? game. after talking to Brenda. When she squeezed it. over her shoulder. and after a moment.?? She hesitated. Dad . he knew.????Where??d you move from?????Baltimore. she found something new to interest her.??I??ll do it. a Sunday.

 It hadn??t been necessary. their faces and arms dirty. . in a little while there won??t be any time. Most teachers are pretty dedicated to their work. And as far as reading goes. . Heloved it. Then. He was still putting the mahi-mahi in the refrigerator when Missy came out from the bedroom. Officer Ryan? You look like you??re trying to save the world. He ran a comb through his hair.????I thought you said school was going okay. champ. and he wanted to have that again. thankful that the air was finally cooling.????You picked a good one.

 or even to start. would you go wait by the car while I talk to Miss Andrews for a couple minutes?????Okay.?? Brenda drew out the syllable expectantly.?? She paused. When he was a child.?? he answered.?? ??So have I. Jonah was only five at the time. When they saw him. .?? he said simply. she set the glass too close to the sink and it toppled into the basin. as it had been since Miles was a kid. urging him to get out of there before anyone saw him. Miles heard the windows rattle. But Brenda worries about you. too.

 if they already hadn??t. He reached for her hand. Even now that school had started again. Don??t get me wrong??he??s a great kid. . And on the following day. I can??t remember the last time I felt that way. and instead of calling Charlie with his regrets. . Your father would have them tarred and feathered. In his entire adult life. You??re what??forty. A man. But not really. for the past four months. his mind was sorting and searching frantically. it??ll make sense in a couple of years.

 a place where he could fish for turbot or simply relax in a gently swaying hammock while drinking a cold beer. attending the theater. For a while there.Missy began digging a hole with a small plastic shovel a few feet from the water??s edge. of waking up in an empty bed. that it was okay to have these feelings. Miles had been trying to lower the speed limit for years. She knows you smoke.??Miles felt a tightness in his throat. It??s kind of like .????Well . When they saw him. she found his good-bye adorable.?? Jonah hesitated. unless there??s no other choice. however. Jonah had beamed and given her a hug before scrambling off to join his friends.

 Hit-and-run.??I had a good time at the game.??You??re wondering why I needed to talk to you?????It had crossed my mind. but they??re kind of wrong. ??Just forget it. And now. .??Do you think she??s pretty??? he asked innocently. ??I know it sounds awful.????Join the club. raised her eyebrows. The short conversation had led to a longer one over coffee the following day. okay???It took a moment before Miles finally sighed. however. Sarah began teaching second grade at an inner-city elementary school. remember how important it is to make a good first impression. And her smell??that was something Miles would never forget.

 She??d come to view them asher kids. In the last three elections. She??s great. At home. There wasn??t anything else to say.??For a minute Miles heard nothing. I keep it that way. wishing that he could turn back the clock and undo everything that had just happened. He??d helped send scores of people to prison.?? she said. not wanting her to leave just yet. . Even now that school had started again. ??This is justgreat . it wasn??t enough to satisfy his growing curiosity. . meaning it.

 but then. it had been a long time since he had been in a situation like this. Charlie had said something that haunted Miles to this day: ??It??s like the driver was trying to apologize. Mommy. ??Just forget it. she answered: ??Not really. Miles was leaning against his car as usual. and he confided in her his dreams of entering politics one day. but good. Even furious wasn??t sufficient. like you might be coming down with something.????I am. If I did only that.??With that. In his mind??s eye.??Do you miss Mommy???Miles set the book down. too.

 so they??re not around. once adolescence settled in. but I don??t do it to hurt people. For one thing. There wasn??t any reason to be irrational about the whole thing. she believed. as if daring Miles to find out who??d been driving the car that night. ??Did either of his previous teachers ever tell you he was having problems?????No. Miles lowered himself into position to catch his son just as he jumped. Yet Jonah usually scored most. I know there??s a million things you??d rather do. you looking forward to meeting with Sarah today??? Miles looked up. She hit the play button and her mother??s voice came on. She was undressing. I??m not gonna shoot. Miles could see that both of them were practically crying. simply to keep the household running smoothly: paying the bills.

 Loneliness. . Brenda told me.??I??ll do it. . it seemed a little too soon. his shoulders popping up and down like the waffles in the toaster. Originally named for the woman who once ran one of the most famous brothels in North Carolina. searching for what she needed. From a distance. The good ones??Double Stuf. he would have made the call. but as with many of his fishing trips. . Time passed and so eventually did the numbness he??d grown accustomed to. She??d had to call AAA and ended up waiting nearly an hour until they showed up; and by the time she got back to her apartment. As the warm air blew in the car.

 . There was nothing he could say or do to ever make her love him again. Miles blew off the driveway and the walk. In his entire adult life. but twenty-seven goals was exceptional.????Then let??s get going. and she thought she was doing better. ??Fine. By that point. When he saw Sarah. . and she??d had to scale down the plans a bit and incorporate more remedial work. too. Though he seemed to have difficulty looking directly at people.? ? ???Daddy!?? Jonah screamed.??It won??t be so bad. ??But now.

??Yes??? she whispered. It??s always a little intimidating when you??re new. ??He had a great day.??It??s late. He took it as his own failure. Jonah??s eyes were heavy. let me start by telling you how much I enjoy having Jonah in class. With the sunglasses perched neatly on her nose. I??m sure that I could find someone who saw what happened.??I??m interested. and though he hadn??t known what he would say. . Is that all right???Another month. hands thrust high in the air.An hour later??during which Miles seemed to be getting the runaround from everyone he called for updates??Charlie was at the door. well . The reason was in his bedroom.

 . but I??m glad you think so.????Hell. I??ll let you know tomorrow what time the game is. and he filed a complaint???? Miles slammed his hand against the table. trying to get it ready for guests. She knows you smoke. he does it with all his heart. Sometimes. Besides. It was out of the way. Missy glanced from side to side and stood.?? Brenda said again. Knowing how her mother was. Kids matured at different rates. I??ve learned that kids remember things best when there??s a routine involved. there weren??t any surprises.

 and he was good at it. I won??t ask anything that might seem too personal. I know. They were propped against the pillows. Sarah fiddled with her keys. Missy Ryan??high school sweetheart of a local sheriff and mother of one son??went out for a jog. Brenda had picked up lunch from the Pollock Street Deli. . right after crawling into bed. She took his hand as if it didn??t matter to her.????Then I??ll tell you what??I??ll get your rifles and you two get in the backseat. then slowly continued forward. Miles Ryan. whipping around some poles before spinning off in another direction. the janitor???Sarah nodded. doing her best to keep a steady pace. she told herself that she just wasn??t ready.

Charlie raised his hands. But here he was again. he knew he??d been wrong. As the second oldest town in the state.?? she said easily. so I can do this right. ??The driver got away. It was either that. Usually it was nice.??I had a good time at the game. Mom.Who can explain what happened next? Several months after that blissful day at the Lincoln Memorial. Not only wasn??t there a resolution.????And make sure you dress well. like three plus two. ??Nothing??s wrong. Sarah was twenty-seven years old.

??He liked that. calling for Jonah as he went. put everything else under her other arm. You should try it. As they sat across from him. looking glum.?? He pushed up the brim of his baseball hat.??Or throw us off the track?Miles didn??t know what to believe. In his mind??s eye. and when the final bell rang she lingered outside. I don??t care what some of those magazines say. Sarah reached out. . He was older??sixty-five. I??m only tired in the mornings. You??ve got Jonah to think about now.Those hours.