Page 9 of Shattered Dreams

William glared back at him. “Sometimes she doesn’t think things through.”

A moment later, Libby came out with a plate of raw meat. She handed to me and went back inside.

I stood up and opened the grill, laying out the meat and then closed the lid and went inside to wash my hands and drop off the plate.

When I got back outside, William was gone.

“Where’d he go?”

Jeremy snorted with laughter. “He said he couldn’t be where she would be led to make bad decisions.”

“Oh, damn.” Laughing, I looked over into the neighbor’s backyard and saw three boys playing and my heart felt like lead in my chest.

Those were Jo’s kids.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and lifted the lid on the grill.

A baseball came whizzing over the fence and made a direct hit through the kitchen window, shattering the glass.

Libby came walking out holding the baseball. “Who does this belong to?”

The three boys froze in place and the tallest finally spoke. “Sorry, ma’am. It’s mine.”

“Gimme the ball.” I held my hand out, and she tossed it to me, then went back into the garage with her phone in her hands.

Walking down to the fence, the three young boys huddle together.

I wonder if this was how we looked all those years when our balls went over the fence into the Whitman’s.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Harrison.” He thumbed beside him. “These are my brothers, Grady and Tyler.”

A woman stepped from the backdoor half jogging across the yard, and my heart stopped beating. “Jo?”

“Hey Richie.” She frowned and looked at her sons. “I heard a window break. Did you boys do that?”

The three boys hung their heads, and I stood there, unable to speak at the sight of my first love.

Hell, my only love.

“Harrison, I asked a question. Did you break Mrs. Parks’ window?”

“I din’t mean to, mama.” His voice shook quietly.

She placed her hands on her hips, exposing a small baby bump. “That’s not what I asked.”

“Hims hit da bawl, and it goed whosh ober da fence.” The one he said was Tyler offered before he put a half-chewed soccer ball on as a hat and ran around making airplane noises.

Her eyes were wet with unshed tears. “Is your mom home? We’ll come apologize and see what we need to do to make amends.”

My head shook. “No, it’s ok. I’ll take care of it.”

“I was planning to get new windows, anyway.” My ma said, walking down to the fence. “This young man just helped me move up my plan.”

“I’m really sorry.” Harrison looked up at her with tears streaming down his face.

“Sweet boy. Accidents happen.” She smiled at him as she leaned on the fence. “My three boys broke your grandparents’ windows a few times when they were your age, too.”

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