Page 22 of Trial Run

“Good morning,” Ben said.

Big brown eyes continued to stare at him, but Marco didn’t say a word. His black curls stuck out in every direction, overlong. Nell probably had a hard time making herself cut her son’s riotous hair, because she liked to make things grow.

“Marco, this is Ben,” Nell said. “I told you he’s been helping me do deliveries this week.”

“I heard you have the day off of school,” he told Marco.

Marco gave a tiny nod and put his headphones back on. He pressed play on the tablet and ignored both of them.

Nell glanced over her shoulder as she pulled the van away from the curb. “He doesn’t mean to be rude. He’s just shy.”

“I understand. It’s not a problem.”

“He was a tiny bit jealous of you. He asked me why he couldn’t come with me every day. He’s not the biggest fan of school.”

“Any particular reason?”

“He doesn’t talk a lot about it. But I know the kids teased him last year, about how he talks. He had speech delays when he was younger. He’s doing much better now with help from the speech therapist. He trips up on some words, but it only comes out when he’s stressed now.”

“The right therapy can make a big difference.”

“And how are you feeling today?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” Ben twisted to look at her. She couldn’t have guessed all the inappropriate thoughts he’d been having. Usually he was harder to read.

“I just meant you’ve done a lot of new things this week,” she said. “And this is our last day.”

“I feel better. This week has been good for me.”

“I think so too. So do you think it was worth it? The money, I mean?”

“This was never about you paying me back. Not for me.” Ben’s voice came out sharper than he’d meant it to.

“Oh, I know it wasn’t—”

“But it was for you, wasn’t it? You hated taking the money.”

She swallowed. “Well, it was a lot of money. And you had no reason to give it.”

“Like I told you at the beginning, I wanted to thank you. You helped me, and I wanted to do something in return.”

“Then I guess we helped each other. I’m glad.” Her soft voice reached out to him, and he wanted to wrap himself up in it, to hear it every day.

“Me too.” Ben swallowed, his throat tight. That sounded like a goodbye. He turned to face the window and watched the outside world pass by.

The world wasn’t such a bad place, from inside the van. With company, and the flowers crowding them close. With the knowledge he was doing something good for his patients, and with a person he’d come to think of as a friend by his side.

The world was harsh and bright, but sometimes, with the people who mattered nearby, the ride could be … surprisingly enjoyable.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the first stop. Nell retrieved a bouquet from the back, carnations and tulips, all in shades of pink. She ran up the steps to knock on the door of the next recipient.

When Ben turned to check on Marco, he discovered the boy’s eyes already fixed on him. They studied him as if Ben was a strange animal.

“I heard you like to learn about the ocean and fossils,” Ben told him.

Silence was the reply, but he still had Marco’s attention.

“I like science, too. I collect rocks, or I used to, anyway.” He pulled the geode out of his pocket, keeping the two halves pressed together. “I used to go running outside a lot on the nature trails near my house, and I’d find all sorts of fossils and gems. I also found a lot of geodes. Have you ever seen one?”

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