His phone buzzed on the counter. A text from Clare. I'm nervous. He picked it up and texted back back about a third grader's science presentation. Her reply came fast about meeting Deshawn.
What if he doesn't like me? Marcus almost smiled. He typed, "He already told you about Terosaurs. You're halfway there. " A pause. Then, "What's the other half? " He thought about it.
Typed show up. That's it. Just show up. Three dots then. Okay, I can do that.
He put the phone down and finished his coffee. Desawn emerged from his room at 7:03, already dressed, not in his school clothes, but in the specific outfit he had selected the night before with the seriousness of a person preparing for something that mattered. Dark pants. Pants. A blue button-down shirt that Marcus had ironed twice because Deshawn had inspected the collar and found the first attempt inadequate.
How do I look? Deshawn said like a scientist, Marcus said. Desawn accepted this with a nod and climbed onto his stool. Is she coming? She said she is.
What if she doesn't know what a terasaur actually is and just thinks it's a dinosaur? Then you'll have an opportunity to educate her. Marcus said, "Which is what you do best. " Desawn considered this. That's true. He picked up his fork.
Dad. Yeah. Is she your girlfriend? Marcus sat down his coffee mug, looked at his son. Desawn was eating his eggs with the same focused attention he brought to everything, but his eyes were tracking sideways, alert to the answer.
In the way kids are when they've been thinking about a question for a while. She's my friend, Marcus said. But like Deshawn searched for the word a special friend. She's a person who matters. Marcus said that's true.
Deshawn chewed processed. Is that the same thing? Sometimes Marcus said, "We're finding out. " Desawn gave that the thoughtful weight it deserved. Then he said, "Miss Patterson said, that's how it's supposed to work. You find out together. " He looked up.
She said, "Rushing it is how people mess things up. " Marcus stared at his 8-year-old son. "You discussed this with Miss Patterson. She brought it up," Desawn said with the tone of someone establishing that he was not responsible for the conversation's direction. Marcus made a mental note to have a word with Miss Patterson. Then he thought, "Actually, Miss Patterson is entirely right and said nothing. " They arrived at school at 8:40.