"The guy from the bowling alley. Joey Politics. He says Stevenson's an egghead. Who knows what he'd do?"

"Uncle Henry says Stevenson is brilliant."

"Don't take this wrong, but your family leans to the left."

"Are you calling my family Communists?"

"Nothing like that. They're the best family I know."

"Then please take that back, about leaning to the left."

"Okay. I take it back."

They were interrupted by a little boy who ran at Mason, grabbing hold of his leg.

"Come see new house."

"I will," Mason told him. "Later."

"No, now!"

"Later, Stash. Okay?"

The door to the apartment house opened, and Polina came out, holding Fred on a leash. "Sorry so late," she told Mason. Her lipstick was bright red and her dress didn't leave much to the imagination, as if she were trying to look like Marilyn Monroe on the recent cover of Life magazine, beauty mark and all, one she didn't have when she was making pancakes for the kids at Janet.

"We are very happy here," Polina said. "A beautiful place."

"You should thank Miri," Mason said. "It's because of her you got the apartment."

"Mr. Ben's granddaughter?" Polina asked.

"I'm not exactly his granddaughter."

"But close to it," Mason said.

"Thank you and thank Mr. Ben," she said to Miri, right before she threw her arms around Mason. "Oh, this wonderful boy. I don't want to lose. I'll miss too much. Maybe we should go, too. What you think, Stash? Should we go with Mason, far away?"

She knew, too?

Stash said, "No, Mama. I like it here."

"He loves new apartment. But I love this handsome boy!" She squished those big b.r.e.a.s.t.s against Mason and was headed for a kiss on his mouth, but Mason turned his head at the last minute and the kiss landed on the side of his face, leaving a big red lipstick splotch.

Mason untangled himself, never taking his eyes off Miri, as if to say, It's not my fault, I don't know what's going on here...don't blame me...

For a minute Miri's eyes questioned him, while Polina went on and on. "This wonderful, strong, brave boy."

Polina must have noticed the look on Miri's face because she said, "Oh no! Mason, you have girlfriend and you didn't tell me?" She pretend-slapped the side of her head and tried to laugh, not a genuine laugh, a nervous laugh. "I love him like mother," she told Miri, recognizing her mistake. She could probably get fired for having a thing with one of the boys at Janet. "You understand? Like mother loves son."

Miri never saw a mother kiss her son that way.

"I hope my Stash grows up strong and brave like Mason."

Miri didn't say anything. She and Mason just looked at each other while Polina dug herself in deeper.

Stash tugged on Mason's arm. "Come for sleepover so we can play. Mama has big new bed. I have new bed."

Come for sleepover? Mama has big new bed? Miri felt the panic rising, her heart pounding, the urge to run too strong to resist. She took off, running for her life, leaving her books behind, leaving everything behind.

"Miri, wait!" Mason chased after her. "It's not what you think."

She stopped abruptly and faced him, this boy she loved totally, absolutely, this boy she'd trusted with all her heart, with all her soul. She was crying now, she couldn't stop, and she didn't care. She swiped her hand across her nose.

"She's the friend I was telling you about," Mason said, breathless from running after her. "She cooks at Janet."

"I know who she is."

"That kiss, it didn't mean anything. That's just the way she is. That's how it was in Poland when she was growing up. They kiss everyone on the lips. It has nothing to do with us."

"Really? That's what you expect me to believe?"

He waited too long to answer. "I never meant to hurt you. Why would I hurt you? You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Stop! No more lies."

"Miri, please, listen...I wanted to tell you but I didn't know how. I tried to end it...and now it's over...I promise, it's over."

"I never want to see you again."

"Miri...don't do this." He reached out to grab her but she was faster. She stopped only once before she got home, to see if he was following, but he wasn't.

Mason He couldn't stand the idea of losing her. And losing her because of what-some stupid kiss he didn't even want? d.a.m.n! He'd screwed up. He'd screwed up big-time. He should have told Polina he had a girlfriend a long time ago. Lately, Polina expected too much of him. She expected him to be the man of the family. She wanted him to quit school and get a job and move in and be a dad to Stash. But he wasn't ready for that.

In another month he'd be seventeen. He'd be able to get his license. He had enough saved for a used car. He just wanted to be a seventeen-year-old guy with a girlfriend, a dog and a car. And he wanted to get out of here, away from Polina. He wanted to go to Las Vegas with his brother, who would teach him not only to be an electrician, but a man. Sure, it was exciting to be with her at first. It was like a fantasy. This grown woman who knew what she wanted and wasn't shy about showing him. At first she made no demands. But now-now she wouldn't leave him alone. Stashie misses you. I have big new bed just waiting. You come fill me up. I need you fill me up, Mason. And what guy wouldn't want to fill her up? That was the problem. But he was done with her. Finished. Kaput.

Christina Christina b.u.mped into Zak Galanos in the hall at school. What was the Sewing Machine Man's son doing at Battin? She tried not to look at him but, too late. He did a double take.

"I know you, don't I?" he asked.

"You went to school with my sister, Athena."

"Right. Athena Demetrious. And you're the little sister."

"Not so little. I'm a senior, graduating in less than a month."

"And your name is..."

"Christina."

"Right. Christina." He smiled at her.

She didn't like this. It felt awkward. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I have an interview for a teaching position for next year."

Why on earth would he want to teach at the school right across the street from where his parents died, from the hole in the ground that was once his house?

"What will you teach?"

"History, maybe a few cla.s.ses of civics. Mrs. Rinaldi is leaving."

"I didn't know that."

"She wants to move someplace that's sunny year-round."

"Who doesn't?" She shouldn't have said that, given the fact that he was here looking for a job. A job in Elizabeth, New Jersey. A job in Plane Crash City.

"What about you, Christina? Are you going someplace sunny after graduation?"

"I'm thinking about it."

"Can I call you this summer? Would you go out with me?"

This was so embarra.s.sing. And the second bell was ringing. She was going to be late for cla.s.s. "I have a boyfriend."

"Serious?"

"Yes," she said, her voice so soft he had to lean in to hear her. What would he say if she told him she was married? "My sister just had her second baby-another boy. They named him Ajax, like the cleanser. They're going to call him AJ. I'll bet she tries for a girl next year."

"Send her my regards. And to your parents, too. They were very kind after the accident."

The accident. As if they'd fallen down the stairs.

"I saw it, you know. I was helping Mr. Durkee after school when the airplane...when it came right at us. We thought it was coming through the window of the cla.s.sroom."

"I didn't know that."

"And after, I was there, when the fires and the explosion..." She felt dizzy. She needed to put her head down. She dropped the books she was holding and, as she fell forward, he caught her. Held her in his arms.

"It must have been terrible to see that."

"Yes." But no one she loved died. She reminded herself to breathe. Breathe deeply, like when the doctor inserted the speculum. When she recovered she said, "I'm late for cla.s.s." She collected her books and started off down the hall.

He caught up to her. "Listen...in case you need someone to talk to, here's my number." He pa.s.sed her a piece of paper.

She looked at it and nodded.

Miri Henry found Miri, limp and exhausted, on the steps outside their house. She had no idea how long she'd been there, only that she was cried out, her chest so heavy she thought she might never get up. Some boy she didn't know had come by on a bike and dumped her books on the front lawn but she made no move to get them. When Henry pulled up and got out of the car she fell into his arms. "I know...I know..." He held her. But he didn't know. He couldn't know. "Come on," he said, "get in." He opened the car door for her and she got inside.

"Where are we going?" she asked, as he started up the car and pulled away.

"How about down the sh.o.r.e? How does that sound?"

She loved the sh.o.r.e and he knew it.

He drove for an hour and a half, stopping once at a phone booth to call Irene to tell her where they were, and not to wait for them for supper.

When they got to Bradley Beach they took off their shoes and socks, leaving them under the boardwalk, while they walked along the sh.o.r.e, letting the waves drizzle out across their bare feet. Rusty called the smell of the sea, the salty air "the ultimate cure for whatever ails you," but Miri didn't think it could wash away her sadness today, even if she jumped in fully dressed.

"You want to talk about it?" Henry asked.

"I hate secrets," Miri said.

"I don't blame you."

"Did you know?" she asked.

"About Rusty and Dr. O?"

Miri nodded.

"No one knew."

"Until I found them, you mean."

"I think they wanted to be found-not by you, not the way it happened, but they wanted it known. Otherwise they'd never have been at home that day."

"Natalie called Rusty a wh.o.r.e."

"Poor Natalie, if she feels that to defend her mother she has to bad-mouth Rusty. Someday she'll grow up and figure it out for herself."

"Figure what out?"

"There are two sides to every story."

"Always?"

"Almost always." Henry took her hand. "Rusty deserves to be happy," he said, "and so does Arthur. He's a good man, Miri."

As if she didn't know. As if she hadn't dreamed of having a father just like him. "How can a good man leave his wife and children?"

"We don't know about his marriage, Miri. We don't even know that he is leaving his children."

"Do you mean the children might go with him?" That would change everything, and not for the better, now that Natalie hated her. She was glad Steve would be going away to college. She didn't want to live in the same house with him. He barely acknowledged her existence. And Fern? Fern was a noodge but Miri wouldn't mind her that much. They could get a babysitter for her, maybe another Mrs. Barnes.

"You're asking questions only Rusty and Arthur can answer," Henry said. "I'm sure they're going to sit down with you and explain everything."

"Oh, no!"