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.It was pretty hard to compete with"Super-Dad" Trent Dorrman who always made time to play a game of catch or help Walt with his treehouses and plastic models.She tried to stay involved but as Walt got older it became harder shefile:///D|/1011250031___5.htm (4 of 18)21-Dec-07 20:25:39- Chapter 5couldn't throw a ball to save herself.She had tried to get Walt interested in nature but he found the walksthrough the countryside like she had taken with her grandmother boring and couldn't wait to get back tohis model cars or batting practice.Naturally, the duty of helping Walt with his math and scienceshomework fell on her, 'the expert,' but it only served to cast her as the stern taskmistress in Walt's mind.He just didn't share her love of those subjects and her efforts to coach him through to a passing gradewere looked upon with resentment."Walt honey, I know you don't like this but it's something you justhave to do!" At the end of each painful session there was her ex-husband waiting with the ball and glove it wasn't fair, really it wasn't fair.On the other hand, she knew it wasn't fair to blame her ex-husband.He was what he was and if he hadhelped drive the wedge between her and Walt, it wasn't intentional.Trent had a way with people andPam didn't; the end.Old familiar guilt began to take hold of her; she could have made more of an effortto go to Walt's baseball games, she always made it to a few every year but she felt like a stranger there.When his dad cheered him on Walt would grin at wave at him in the stands, when she tried it just madehim look embarrassed.In the last few years she had only gone to the biggest game of the year and satquietly on the bleacher, feeling helpless and unwanted.When the divorce inevitably came, no custodyquestions were ever asked, it was obvious that teenage Walt would stay with his dad and that she wouldfind another place to dwell.Pam deeply loved her son despite the growing gap between them and the thought that she couldn'tinspire that kind of love in return felt like a black wave swelling over her.The doodled bat wascompletely submerged now, blurred beneath warm salty water.God, Pam, pull it together.Someone'sgoing to see you.Quietly she pulled a handkerchief from her rucksack, dabbing at her hot, moist facewith rapid movements.Several high school students passed by on their way to the tables near thewindow so she hunkered down feigning intense interest in her notes, wiping the tears away from themisshapen drowned doodle.Bats.What the hell am I going to do about that? It certainly wasn't a taskshe'd wanted to take on but she knew that in some ways it was satisfying to her.That's fine, son of mine,don't invite me to your wedding.Mom will make sure it doesn't stink like bat shit for you, thank me later.She forced herself back to her planning, the sense of spite a small, cold comfort.Despite her efforts toconcentrate, nothing useful presented itself after half an hour.She suddenly felt stifled in the stillness ofthe room and knew she needed to just move.She might as well start by doing something she was goodat: Observation.Time to get Gerbald and check things out.Walking briskly back to her little house onthe edge of town, Pam did her best to shove unpleasant thoughts of her estranged family out of her mind.There was work to do and she was glad for that.* * *Pam's hired man and trusted body guard Gerbald was waiting for her on the narrow slab of concrete thatserved as her front porch, snoozing comfortably in a folding lawn chair with the misshapen brim of hisridiculous floppy felt hat pulled over his eyes."Wake up, Gerbald.We have a project.""Wake up? How could you think I was actually sleeping? I, your ever watchful guardian, made only ashow of sleep to hide my vigilance."Pam raised her eyebrows at Gerbald's increasingly adept English turns of phrase.Where is he gettingthat stuff? It must be from all those up-time movies he's become addicted to."That was a very convincing snore then, bravo! Come along 'watchful guardian', no birdwatching today,file:///D|/1011250031___5.htm (5 of 18)21-Dec-07 20:25:39- Chapter 5we have some work to do.The Lord's work." She chuckled at the thought."Ah, a tedious task at best.What might the Lord need from us?""A flock of bats is living under the roof of the Baptist Church.Reverend Green has chosen me to get ridof them and you are going to help.""Bats.what are bats?""They're a small brown animal that can fly.""Oh! Bats are a kind of bird!""No, they're mammals, not birds oh, you'll see.""I have come to like birds very much, Pam.Surely this won't be so bad.""You'll see."* * *They arrived at Grantville's Baptist Church around three thirty in the afternoon.It was one of animposing collection of stately brick churches towering above the main street, an impressive testament tothe beauty of "late Victorian neo-Romanesque" architecture.When she was a young girl Pam had, nowrather ironically, thought that this might be what Europe looked like.The presence of so many of God'shouses on the street had certainly helped convince the seventeenth century natives that the up-timerswere not a village of the damned risen from the fiery pit populated with devil worshipping witches andwarlocks.As she and Gerbald followed a path around the side of the beige brick structure to Reverend Green's'office, her dismay at her son's secrets returned.Please don't let any of them be here.I just can't handle itright now.Anxiety was building within her and she hurried her step.They found the reverend cheerfullytending a rose bush growing near the side door."Pam, how wonderful of you to come!" Perhaps seeing the short sword Gerbald wore at his belt, he veryslowly and carefully laid the clippers down on the grass."Reverend Green, this is my friend and hired man Gerbald who is going to help me out on this.""A pleasure to meet you, Gerbald.Do call me Al, please." The two shared a gentlemanly handshake andGerbald favored the reverend with a small and very polite bow.Al led them in through the side door anddown a long darkish hall.They entered a narrow circular stairwell that took them up into the regionsbehind the church's nave.Pam immediately noticed a sharp smell, a putrescent odor that grew strongeras they climbed higher."I'm afraid the smell gets quite bad up here, my friends," the reverend apologized [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]