Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [673]
He brought the mangled phone book from the pay phone back to his table. If he couldn’t find Timmy’s phone number or Timmy’s mom wouldn’t let him spend the night, Gibson wasn’t sure what he’d do. There wasn’t anyone else he could call. No one he could trust. No one, except maybe Sister Kate. She had sort of saved him once before though he really didn’t like thinking about that day. He couldn’t remember if it was the fourth or fifth time Monsignor O’Sullivan had called him into his office. Everything was such a blur every time he left. But one time Gibson stumbled into the hallway and ran right into Sister Kate. He was so embarrassed because his fly was still down. Geez! He could still feel the burn up his neck.
But she was cool about the whole thing. Asked if he was okay and when Gibson only nodded, she told him to go upstairs to her classroom and hang out for a while. She even told him to get a Pepsi for himself from her minifridge, from her private stash. He barely got to the top of the stairs when he heard her below, stomping down the hall to the monsignor’s office. Gibson waited there, half leaning over the rail, listening, but he didn’t hear Sister Kate knock, just a slam of the door and then muffled voices. It sounded like they were arguing.
He didn’t realize until weeks later that Monsignor O’Sullivan didn’t call him into his office after that day. Gibson was so relieved it took him a while to realize that Sister Kate must have said something. And then, of course, he was embarrassed that Sister Kate might know. But she never said anything to him, never treated him differently after that. Gibson hadn’t thought about that day for a long time. He didn’t like thinking about it. Brother Sebastian made him feel afraid and weak just like Monsignor O’Sullivan always had. He didn’t like that much either.
There was no Kate Rosetti listed in the phone book, so Gibson searched the H’s for any Hamiltons within three or four blocks of his own address. There was a Christine Hamilton on Cass Street just a block north of Goldberg’s. That had to be Timmy’s mom. He memorized the number.
He had no idea what time it was. Goldberg’s didn’t have a clock anywhere. It had to be late. Was it too late to call Timmy? Would his mom be so pissed she wouldn’t let him come to the phone?
Gibson pulled out his wad of bills and under the table peeled off enough to pay his bill with enough for a tip, too. He folded it with the ticket and anchored it down with the ketchup bottle like he remembered his dad used to do. Then he grabbed his backpack, sliding it on arm by arm so that it sat tight against his back, more securely. He left the safety of his booth and found the cubbyhole in the far corner where the pay phone was. He sat, took a deep breath then dialed the number, hoping and praying that Timmy would answer.
No such luck.
“Hello?” a woman said.
“Um, is Timmy there?”
There was a long pause and the cheeseburger twisted a knot in his stomach.
“It’s pretty late. Can I tell him who’s calling?”
“Yeah, it’s his friend Gibson…Gibson McCutty from the Explorers’ Program.”
“Hold on, Gibson.” She repeated his name like she knew him. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He wondered what Timmy might have told her about him.
It didn’t take long for Timmy to come to the phone. “Hey, Gibson. Where’d you go this afternoon?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. There was this Darth Vader guy at the school. I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now I kinda need some help. Do you think it would be okay with your mom if I stayed overnight at your house?”
“Hold on.” He could hear Timmy yell out, “Hey, Mom, can Gibson spend the night?”
Gibson couldn’t hear Timmy’s mom and he cringed,