"Hey, future drivers!" Paul and Hank's father approached them after bữa tối, bữa ăn tối that night, jingling the car keys in his hands. "Who wants to come along and do a little practising?"
Paul, who had been đọc a âm nhạc magazine on the couch, and Hank, who had been watching a movie with a lot of explosions on the TV nearby, both sat up. "I do!"
Soon, the three of them sat in the car in a mostly empty parking lot. "Who's going first?" their dad asked.
"Let Paul go first." This answer surprised Paul. Normally his brother was thêm than eager to be first at everything.
"You feeling okay, buddy?" Their father was only half-teasing as he looked back at Hank with some concern. "Okay, then. Up bạn come, Paul, into the driver's seat."
Paul's hands were tense as he took the wheel, his father in the passenger side and Hank still in the back. He felt his fingers moving almost without his being aware of it as his father showed him how to turn the key.
And then Paul was driving. The car glided phía trước, chuyển tiếp across the parking lot, sometimes too fast hoặc too slow, his father occasionally pointing out something he had forgotten. Mostly, there was nothing but him and the car, and soon Paul fell into a rhythm, almost sensing what the car needed from him next.
Eventually, his father directed him into a parking spot, and while Paul came a little close to the lines on one side, and the car was just a little crooked, he managed to park the car. "Nice job, Paul," his father said.
"Yeah, bạn were great." Hank sounded a little distracted.
"Well, Hank?" their father prompted. "Ready to become the world's other best driver?"
His words were playful, but Paul couldn't help but notice Hank looked a little pale as they switched places.
As soon as Hank started driving, Paul could feel the difference. Hank spent almost a full two phút adjusting the mirrors and ghế, chỗ ngồi before he even got going, even though Paul had been driving last and he and Hank were exactly the same height. Once he got going, he paused for a full một giây hoặc three before every turn, before doing almost anything. His hands were tight on the wheel, his face tense with concentration. The car crept along in a fit of stops and starts.
"Uh, Hank," Paul ventured, "maybe bạn should try...."
Hank's eyes never left the windshield. "Don't bother me, Paul. I'm driving."
"You need to go a little faster than that, buddy," their father advised. "If bạn go that slow on the road, it's as bad as driving too fast."
Hanks's shoulders tensed. "I know what I'm doing, Dad."
Hank finished his turn bởi taking three phút to finally ease the car into a parking space, where he pulled it in so cautiously it ended up sticking out too far into the roadway. Hank muttered to himself, tried to fix it, and ended up sticking halfway into the không gian behind him.
Paul didn't know what to say. He mostly wanted to say something helpful, but he doubted even that would be received well.
"Well," Paul and Hank's father đã đưa ý kiến at last, breaking the silence, "that was a good practise round, bạn two. I'm sure your driving instructor will help bạn with whatever else bạn need to learn."
He tactfully didn't direct this any thêm at Hank than at Paul.
All the way home, Hank đã đưa ý kiến nothing. But Paul noticed him sweating as he scrutinized every di chuyển their father made while driving the car.
Paul, who had been đọc a âm nhạc magazine on the couch, and Hank, who had been watching a movie with a lot of explosions on the TV nearby, both sat up. "I do!"
Soon, the three of them sat in the car in a mostly empty parking lot. "Who's going first?" their dad asked.
"Let Paul go first." This answer surprised Paul. Normally his brother was thêm than eager to be first at everything.
"You feeling okay, buddy?" Their father was only half-teasing as he looked back at Hank with some concern. "Okay, then. Up bạn come, Paul, into the driver's seat."
Paul's hands were tense as he took the wheel, his father in the passenger side and Hank still in the back. He felt his fingers moving almost without his being aware of it as his father showed him how to turn the key.
And then Paul was driving. The car glided phía trước, chuyển tiếp across the parking lot, sometimes too fast hoặc too slow, his father occasionally pointing out something he had forgotten. Mostly, there was nothing but him and the car, and soon Paul fell into a rhythm, almost sensing what the car needed from him next.
Eventually, his father directed him into a parking spot, and while Paul came a little close to the lines on one side, and the car was just a little crooked, he managed to park the car. "Nice job, Paul," his father said.
"Yeah, bạn were great." Hank sounded a little distracted.
"Well, Hank?" their father prompted. "Ready to become the world's other best driver?"
His words were playful, but Paul couldn't help but notice Hank looked a little pale as they switched places.
As soon as Hank started driving, Paul could feel the difference. Hank spent almost a full two phút adjusting the mirrors and ghế, chỗ ngồi before he even got going, even though Paul had been driving last and he and Hank were exactly the same height. Once he got going, he paused for a full một giây hoặc three before every turn, before doing almost anything. His hands were tight on the wheel, his face tense with concentration. The car crept along in a fit of stops and starts.
"Uh, Hank," Paul ventured, "maybe bạn should try...."
Hank's eyes never left the windshield. "Don't bother me, Paul. I'm driving."
"You need to go a little faster than that, buddy," their father advised. "If bạn go that slow on the road, it's as bad as driving too fast."
Hanks's shoulders tensed. "I know what I'm doing, Dad."
Hank finished his turn bởi taking three phút to finally ease the car into a parking space, where he pulled it in so cautiously it ended up sticking out too far into the roadway. Hank muttered to himself, tried to fix it, and ended up sticking halfway into the không gian behind him.
Paul didn't know what to say. He mostly wanted to say something helpful, but he doubted even that would be received well.
"Well," Paul and Hank's father đã đưa ý kiến at last, breaking the silence, "that was a good practise round, bạn two. I'm sure your driving instructor will help bạn with whatever else bạn need to learn."
He tactfully didn't direct this any thêm at Hank than at Paul.
All the way home, Hank đã đưa ý kiến nothing. But Paul noticed him sweating as he scrutinized every di chuyển their father made while driving the car.
Some time later, Una and Everett were settled in a cozy small cafe eating sandwiches and sipping quả bí ngô, bí ngô spice lattes while foil cutouts of cute ghosts and pumpkins hung from the walls around them.
"Thanks again, Una," Everett đã đưa ý kiến after a time. "I just... I don't like small spaces very much."
Una smiled at him and reached across the bàn to touch his hand. "Hey, bạn saved my life once. It's time I saved yours."
They sat in a comfortable silence for a bit, enjoying this much calmer stage of their Halloween celebrations. Una was first to break it.
"I can't believe we solved a real mystery! I can't wait to go trang chủ and tell Mother what the secret of the haunted house is."
"Yes," Everett smiled at her. "The secret is my talented actress and her ghost impression."
Una beamed.
"Thanks again, Una," Everett đã đưa ý kiến after a time. "I just... I don't like small spaces very much."
Una smiled at him and reached across the bàn to touch his hand. "Hey, bạn saved my life once. It's time I saved yours."
They sat in a comfortable silence for a bit, enjoying this much calmer stage of their Halloween celebrations. Una was first to break it.
"I can't believe we solved a real mystery! I can't wait to go trang chủ and tell Mother what the secret of the haunted house is."
"Yes," Everett smiled at her. "The secret is my talented actress and her ghost impression."
Una beamed.
"What lead bạn to the club where bạn first saw us, Henry?" Les asked. Henry replied, "One of my neighbors told me that a rock band called A Wave Tossed in the Ocean was going to perform at the club that had opened the trước đó week. I thought that the name sounded interesting, so I asked him what kind of rock music, and he said, 'I think it's stuff from the sixties and seventies.' I was eager to hear the songs from my youth. When I saw bạn perform, I knew bạn were the right fit. Of course, bạn know how we met backstage." Jimmy said, "And the rest is history." Everyone laughed. "Yes," Henry said. "The rest is history." Just then, Felix looked at his cellphone and said, "It's 10:00, guys." Henry said, "We better go to bed. We've got a big ngày tomorrow." The boys all said, "Okay. Good night, Henry." Henry smiled and said, "Good night, boys. Pleasant dreams." With that, they retired to their beds for the night.
THE END
THE END