Chapter 16: By the Creek
When we’re finished eating, I ask Dan if he wants to take a walk. It’s grown dark out, but there are citronella candles lit at the tables and a large spotlight shines down over the backyard like the one my parents have glaring behind their house. There’s a feeling of suspended animation in all that bright light with the night tucked into the trees and around the corners of the house, and kids running around the edges where dusk begins.
Too many people still for my tastes, and every last one of them seems to recognize me. What did Theresa say? Everybody knows. And so far my mom and Aunt Sarah are the only ones upset by Dan. Everyone else, even the smallest children, seem cool with it. My dad called out to us, asked if we wanted in on a game of horseshoes—he didn’t
