Page 105 - Where the Dream Ends ebook

Lovers

Around 5:30, Brian asked Gary if he wanted to come to his
house for dinner.

“Do you think your mother will mind?”

“She never minds when you come over,” Brian said. But I’ll
call her. Do you want to stay overnight?”

Gary beamed. His mood change was complete.

Gary was nearly a year older than Brian, though they were
in the same grade in school. They shared many of the same
classes together. Gary was more mature than Brian, physically
and emotionally. He lived with his father in a small house in
an older part of town that had not yet succumbed to develop-
ment. His mother had died when he was very young and he
rarely mentioned her. When he did it was with a reverence that
bordered on worship.

Gary’s father was a frail man. He had the look of someone
who carried a heavy burden. He had a pale complexion and he
shuffled when he walked with a slight lean forward. Brian had
recently learned that Gary’s father had been in a concentration
camp in Poland. Brian kind of guessed it from the tattoo on
his arm, but he had always been afraid to ask. He was a retired
printer and he rarely left the house. In summer, he spent most
of his time in the garden, where he produced a never-ending
supply of vegetables that he shared with Brian’s family.

Gary was much smarter than Brian. He was a straight A
student, always taking first honors in school. He was an ac-
complished pianist, giving his first concert when he was only
seven. Brian took piano lessons for a while, but he never got
past Thompson’s second grade book. It was a disappointment

103