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right field. It was his second error and he punched his glove. The outfielder snapped up the ball and hurled it to Matty. He caught it cleanly but overthrew to third, allowing a runner an easy trot home. |
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Matty was mortified. He pulled the cap over his eyes and pounded his stomach with his fist. Other kids on the team shouted at him. And from the Cardinals bench Bobby Gorawlski yelled, "Way to go, Hazzard." |
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"The little bastard," Terry muttered. But her anger turned inward. Why were they putting Matty through this? It was unnatural. He wasn't out there having fun. He was a wreck, crying into his hat and hitting himself. The next batter hit an infield fly to the pitcher and retired the side. |
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Terry turned back to Calvin. "You were saying?" |
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She was growing weary of playing games. |
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"Where's he going?" he asked. |
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Terry looked. Matty was heading into the woods. "Probably has to pee," she said, then lowered her voice. "Stop trying to change the subject. What was that between you and Beverly?" |
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He turned to her, took a deep breath, let it out slowly. They were sitting at the end of the top row, so nobody was behind them or to their right. Nonetheless, he kept his voice low. "I was going to tell you later. It's nothing." |
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His manner had changed so abruptly that she became frightened. |
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"Our house didn't always sit on residential property. Back in the seventies the zoning laws were different. It was leased by a research place called BiOmega Labs." |
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For the next several minutes, while Matty was in the woods, Calvin explained how their house sat on a site where BiOmega had buried waste. It was the reason he got the place at a bargain price. Looking back, it was impulsive, but on his salary it was the only shot they'd have at a dream house. Yes, there was a small liability, but he had seen no need to tell her, especially in light of her sensitivity to environmental causes. "It was dumb not to mention it, but you might have disapproved and we would have lost the place." |
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By the time he finished, Terry's throat was constricted. For ten years they'd been living on a chemical dump. "What made you call her now?" Her voice was low and rough. |
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