Two Much Alike. Pamela Bauer
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soon as they were all seated, she set four paper place mats on the table, each one a map of the area showing local tourist attractions. Then she added silverware and four glasses of water, finishing with menus.
“The kids’ menu is on the back,” she announced, then asked, “Can I start you off with something to drink?”
“I’ll have a Coke,” Emma answered.
“She’ll have milk,” Frannie amended.
Emma made a sound of indignation. “Alex has pop.”
As if suddenly realizing that indeed his brother did have a soda, Luke climbed out of his booster seat and reached across the table for the straw in Alex’s glass. “Pop!”
Frannie pulled Luke off the table and returned him to the booster chair. “Bring two more Cokes, and I’ll have an iced tea,” she said to the waitress, then looked at Luke and said, “You have to sit down like a good boy if you want the nice lady to bring you pop.”
To Frannie’s relief, the waitress returned with not only their drinks, but a small square block of wood holding half-a-dozen crayons and an activity sheet for Luke. While Emma helped her brother connect the dots on a puzzle, Frannie spoke to Alex.
“Do you realize how worried I’ve been?”
Alex didn’t answer, but stared down at the French fries on his plate.
“You shouldn’t have come up here, Alex. Not only is it dangerous for someone your age to ride the bus alone, you have no real proof that your father is even here.”
“I’m gonna find him,” he said stubbornly, still not lifting his gaze.
“You’re going to come home with me,” Frannie said, her voice stern.
“It’s not fair. What if he is here?” He looked up at her then, his eyes full of something Frannie didn’t want to see. Hope.
“He’s not here, Alex,” she said quietly but firmly.
“You don’t know that for sure.”
They were interrupted by the waitress. “Are you ready to order?”
Without even looking at the menu, Frannie ordered hamburgers and fries for the three of them, although she didn’t have much of an appetite. It seemed that Alex didn’t, either. His food hadn’t been touched since they’d arrived.
“Don’t you want to know if he’s here?” Alex asked a few minutes later, his face full of youthful innocence and curiosity.
“I told you. He’s not here,” Frannie replied.
“How do you know?”
“Because he hates Minnesota.”
“But that lady who called said she saw him.”
“Alex, the picture on that poster is eleven years old.”
“It could be him,” he argued, refusing to be persuaded.
There was a short silence, then Emma said, “I don’t know why you want to find him anyway. He doesn’t want to be with us.”
It was said so matter-of-factly, with so little emotion, that Frannie felt her heart break. “I think it would be a good idea if we didn’t discuss your father.”
Alex didn’t say a word, but leaned back against the padded cushion of the booth, his arms folded across his chest.
“Aren’t you going to finish eating?” Emma asked.
“I’m not hungry,” he mumbled between pinched lips.
“Can I have your fries?” his twin asked.
He shoved the plate in her direction. Emma reached for the bottle of ketchup and poured a generous serving on the plate. “Was it fun riding on the bus?”
Alex simply shrugged, not that Emma seemed to mind. She carried on with her chatter. “Wasn’t that big rock tunnel cool? And the lake is so huge! We saw a really long ship in the harbor in Duluth. Can we please stop at that park on the way home?” Emma asked her mother as she happily devoured Alex’s fries.
“We have a long way to go before we get home, Emma,” Frannie answered.
“That means no,” she said, obvious disappointment in her voice.
“We didn’t come up here to visit the parks,” Frannie reminded her. “We came to find Alex.”
That broke Alex’s silence. “You didn’t have to come. I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can buy a bus ticket without my help, but where did you plan to sleep tonight?” Frannie demanded.
“At a campground. Rosie’s cousin has one and she said I could stay there.”
“You don’t have a tent.” Frannie eyed his backpack, which was exceptionally fat yet couldn’t possibly hold a tent and sleeping bag.
“I don’t need one. I brought a blanket. I like sleeping on the ground. Me and Josh did it a whole bunch last summer.”
“It’s one thing to sleep outside in your best friend’s backyard in the city and quite another to be in the wilderness,” Frannie said.
He puffed up his chest. “I’m not afraid.”
Just then Rosie came hustling toward them with a tray full of food. “Okay, we’ve got two regular burgers and fries and one kiddie-size,” she said as she cheerfully set the food on the table. Noticing that Alex had shoved his half-eaten meal aside, she put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Hey, a big kid like you ought to be able to finish that burger. You feeling okay?”
“I was until my mom said I have to go home without finding my dad.” He turned his brown eyes on her, looking very much like a puppy in need of a scratch behind his ears.
Frannie could see the look produced the desired effect. The teen’s face softened in sympathy; she turned to Frannie and said, “If you need a place to stay for the night, my cousin has a resort and campground not far from here. I could call and see if he has any empty cabins.”
Frannie watched Alex’s eyes brighten at the possibility. “Can we?”
Frannie knew her son wasn’t going to like her answer. She stared out the window briefly, trying not to let the look on his face tug so strongly on her emotions.
“I appreciate the offer, Rosie. It’s very kind of you,” she said. “Unfortunately, we’re not prepared to spend the night away from home.”
The waitress shrugged. “If you change your mind, just let me know. Can I get you anything else?”
Frannie couldn’t help but warm to the genuine caring in the young woman’s eyes. It made her realize that her son had been fortunate to stop in this particular diner.
“I think we’re fine for now,” she replied, then turned her attention to Luke, who needed help getting more ketchup on his fries.
To her relief, Alex didn’t force the issue. He sat in silence, occasionally taking a bite of his hamburger, but mostly sipping his pop. Just as Rosie returned to ask if they needed refills on their beverages, Alex jumped up.
“Look! There he is!”
Frannie immediately turned around to see who had captured her son’s attention, but all she saw was the back of a man getting into an SUV.
“It’s Dad! Mom, it’s him! I know it is!” Alex could barely contain his excitement, bobbing up and down like a jack-in-the-box. “Can’t you see him?”
Frannie couldn’t. The SUV was across the street, and traffic moved at a busy clip in front of it.
“That’s your dad?” Rosie asked with an incredulous lift of her brows, but Alex didn’t answer