Chapter 28

Austin

A drawing of the toe of a Converse shoe. The white rubber on the toe and the first two eyelets from the toe can be seen.

All I can think about is the puppy as I walk to Brayside after school on Monday. Mom shook her head when I told her the puppy would be ready for adoption in six weeks. “We can’t look after a dog right now,” she said. “I’m sorry, Austin. One day, maybe, but not now.”

Knowing a dog of my own was an impossibility didn’t stop me from going back to the alley on my way to Brayside after school. The dumpster was empty. The box the puppy had been in and all the other trash had been picked up. I didn’t want to think about what would have happened if Harvey hadn’t insisted we go down that alley.

“Hey, Austin,” Artie says from the front desk when I arrive. “Your grandpa had to step out for a while. But Mr. Kowalski just called. He says he’s got a screw loose.” Artie grins at his own joke. “Bathroom towel bar,” he explains. “Do you mind taking care of it?” Jobs like this one I can do without Grandpa’s supervision. “While you’re at it, Charlie left a note that he has some burned out light bulbs in his office.”

I head to Grandpa’s office in the basement. The fluorescent lights flicker to life. Tools are all over; hanging up on a pegboard, in coffee cans on the shelf, and in his big five-drawer tool chest. I search until I find the right screwdriver for a towel bar. I grab some light bulbs and a ladder for Charlie’s office. Grandpa keeps his keys on a hidden hook that only the two of us know about. I grab them and walk upstairs. With the jingling key ring, I feel like a pro.

I go to Charlie’s office first so I can ditch the ladder. Unlike Grandpa’s office, Charlie’s is super-organized. There’s not a paper out of place. File folders are stacked neatly in bins and his pens all have caps and are facing in the same direction in a ceramic pen pot that one of his kids must have made.

The light bulbs are an easy fix and I’m folding the ladder up when I notice something on Charlie’s desk that makes me pause. It’s lying right in plain sight, so I’m not snooping or anything. It’s a printed-out e-mail and it’s the first line that catches my eye: Position: Head Custodian of Brayside Retirement Villa.

That’s Grandpa’s job.

I pick up the paper and read the whole thing. It’s a job posting. The hair on my arms prickles. Is Charlie looking to replace Grandpa?

Warning bells go off in my head. All the meetings Grandpa’s had lately, were they about keeping his job? I put the paper back down exactly where I found it, turn off the lights, and close the door. But I know that for the rest of the evening it’s all I’ll be thinking about.