“Boring as always, but Scouts was fun. We’re headed to the lake in two weeks.”
“I know. The Major invited me to tag along, but not this time.”
They’d had this conversation at least three times already. “Dad, I’m worried about something.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“It’s Woody. He’s acting strange, like he’s worried all the time. His grades are not good, and the teachers are watching him pretty close.”
“Trouble at home, you think?”
“Probably. His big brother Tony is hanging out with some bad kids, skipping school, staying out late, stuff like that, and he has a lot of influence over Woody. Their mom works a couple of part-time jobs and is not home much. His stepfather works out of town and Woody doesn’t like the guy anyway. We’re going camping in two weeks and Woody says he’s not going, says he needs to do some yard work around the house. The truth is that he probably doesn’t have the money to make the trip. He’s always broke these days. I’m really worried about him.”
“Does he have many friends?”
“You know Woody, Dad. He’s a popular guy who gets a lot of respect because he’s the toughest kid in class. If there’s a fight, Woody either starts it or finishes it or breaks it up. Nobody messes with him, and he sort of likes his tough-guy role. It looks like Woody is headed down the wrong road, at least in my opinion. I wish there was some way we could help him.”
“You can be his friend and talk to him, Theo. He’s always liked you. Be a positive influence. Encourage him to study and do his homework. Talk about what it will be like when you guys go off to high school next year. The sports, the girls, the football games, the field trips, all the fun stuff you’ll be involved in.”
“I guess. I don’t suppose there’s anything you and Mom could do.”
“I’ll talk to her and we’ll think about it, but it’s usually a bad idea to get involved with somebody else’s kid. We’ve got our hands full raising you.” He laughed, but Theo wasn’t in the mood for humor.
“Thanks, Dad. I’d better get busy with the homework.”
“Sure, Theo. And I’ll discuss it with your mother.”
Theo and Judge went downstairs to his little office. Judge curled up on his bed and immediately went to sleep, completely unworried about anything. Theo envied him. The life of a dog. Sleeping, eating, occasionally chasing squirrels and rabbits, no troubles at all.
Chapter 2
It was after dark when Woody heard the kitchen door slam. He was in the den watching television, bored. Tony bounced in with a big smile and said, “Hey, kid, what’re you doing?”
“Nothing. Where you been?”
“Hanging out. Any word from Mom?”
“No. She works until ten on Tuesdays.”
Tony fell onto the sofa and kicked off his sneakers. “What are you watching?”
“Clint Eastwood. An old western.”
“You watch the weirdest stuff. Have you had dinner?”
“There’s nothing to eat. I’ve already checked.”
“Look, I gotta deliver some pizzas tonight. Why don’t you come with me and we’ll grab one on the run?”
A pizza sounded like a good idea, though they ate a lot of them. Tony worked a few hours a week delivering for a popular pizza joint called Santo’s, and he usually managed to grab a few leftover slices for himself and Woody. Often, he managed to steal an entire supreme.
“All right,” Woody said without moving. Tony bounced off the sofa, went to his room, and returned seconds later wearing his red Santo’s polo and matching red cap. Woody turned off the television and the lights and they left the house.
Tony drove a small Toyota pickup with a million miles on it, a hand-me-down from their stepfather. It wasn’t much of a ride and the girls weren’t too impressed with it, but for the time being it was all they had. Ten minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall, and Tony parked as far away from Santo’s as possible.
“Keep down,” he said as he got out.
“I know, I know,” Woody said as he slid low in the seat. Santo’s had a No-Riders policy and the boss was strict about it. While making deliveries, any driver caught with a passenger would be fired on the spot. Tony disappeared into the restaurant and Woody began the waiting. Peeking out the window, he watched college students spill out of their cars and enter Santo’s. Cute girls, cool guys, nice cars. Woody wondered if he would ever make it to college. He was having doubts, though at the age of thirteen he really wasn’t too concerned about it. In his gang, only Theo and perhaps one or two others had their futures planned. Woody was leaning toward a career as a fireman, and he wasn’t sure if college was necessary.
His phone pinged with a text from his mother. Have you seen Tony? What are you having for dinner?
Woody responded:
We R fine. Pizza. You good?
Okay but may work until 11. Okay with that?
Sure.
Homework done?
Of course.
She asked about his homework only because she was expected to. The truth was Daisy was too tired to monitor her sons’ progress in school. She knew Tony was skipping a lot because the school called her, and they were fighting about it. But Tony was winning because his mother simply didn’t have the energy to keep up with him. Things were not going well with her current husband. She was worrying a lot and losing sleep. Daisy was always tired and frazzled, and Woody was concerned. With her earnings from two part-time jobs, plus what little her husband kicked in, the family was barely staying afloat.
How was Woody supposed to dream of college? It was easy for someone like Theo, with two parents who were lawyers and seemed to be happily married. Plus, Theo was an only child. He had been Woody’s loyal friend for many years, and would always be, but at times Woody secretly admitted to himself that he was envious of Theo.
Tony walked out with the bright red magnetic Santo’s sign and affixed it to the top of the Toyota. “Should be only a few minutes,” he said, and went back inside. Woody said nothing. Ten minutes later, Tony was back with four large pizza boxes, which he placed on the bench seat between them. They smelled delicious and Woody was suddenly starving. When they were on the street, Tony said, “Open the top one and let’s have dinner. Sausage and mushrooms.”
Woody opened the box, handed a slice to Tony, and took one for himself.
They ate in silence as Tony zipped through narrow streets around the college, driving, as always, much too fast. The first stop was a run-down duplex with cars scattered in the front yard. Tony checked the address, parked in the street, and hustled to the front door with a large pizza. He was back in seconds, and grumbling, “Kid gave me a buck. A twelve-dollar pizza and Mr. Big Spender tipped me only a buck. College kids.” They sped away and stopped two blocks over at another student dump. Another one-dollar tip.
But they were having fun, cutting through the maze of streets around Stratten College, listening to loud music on the radio, eating dinner, and griping about how cheap the students were. When the last pizza was delivered, Tony raced back to Santo’s for another load. The restaurant was packed and the delivery phone rang nonstop. It was dinnertime and the students were hungry.
They squealed tires and took off again, with a rack of warm pizzas between them. Tuesdays were normally slow, but Santo’s was shrewdly offering a two-for-one special and business was brisk. For two hours, Tony and Woody wheeled around the western section of Strattenburg, delivering mostly to students but to some nicer homes as well. When things slowed around nine, Tony had collected twenty-seven dollars in tips and was proud of himself. He gave Woody a five-dollar bill and said he would give his mother a ten. But Woody doubted that.