Page 13 of Unexpected Hero

And double wait. Why did he call my cell instead of the hotel-provided land line phone sitting by the bed?

I’m about to call the front desk when my phone rings again. Stella. I answer immediately.

“Before you say anything else, tell me why Toby was arrested.”

Chapter 4

Daddy issues

TOMER

Bang! The door slams, making a very loud noise. But I don’t flinch. Five-year-olds are brave, so I’m not scared like I used to be.

The house is quiet now. It’s calm.

Because it’s empty.

Daddy must have gone to work, but he forgot to tell me again. It’s just me and the ticking clock, all alone in my bedroom.

Tick, tick, tick, tick.

I like listening to that sound when I’m tired because it helps me fall asleep. Sometimes, I pretend the clock is a drum playing a song just for me. Other times, I pretend it’s a friend living in the wall. He talks to me by tapping out a message. I’ll tap back to him like it’s our secret code.

But it’s not time for that now. Instead, I hug my stuffie and kiss him on top of his fuzzy puppy head.

“That’s a very good boy,” I tell him quietly.

My tummy squeezes and makes a gurgling sound.

Oh no. I’m hungry.

Daddy forgot to give me my waffle before he left. Maybe he’ll come back soon, and I can eat then.

I look at my stuffie and whisper, “I just need to be a good boy and wait.”

Maybe I should play the memory game. All I have to do is close my eyes and picture everything around me to see how much I can remember.

“I’m really good at this game,” I tell my furry friend. I wish he could talk back, but he’s not a real dog.

I play the memory game a lot when I’m hungry. And alone.

Like now.

But I’m not scared. I’m very brave.

Yep. It’s time to play the game.

“Here I go.” I start by closing my eyes good and tight. “No peeking because that’s cheating.”

Cheating is like breaking the rules, and the rules are important.

If I don’t follow the rules, Daddy will be angry. He might yell or even take away my toys. Or maybe he will be so mad that he doesn’t give me any dinner again.

My tongue feels funny now. I think my mouth is hungrier than my belly.

I need to get back to my memory game. If Daddy isn’t home when I’m done playing, I’ll try to find a waffle on my own.

Uh-oh. There goes my belly again. I need to stop thinking about waffles.

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