Chapter 18 - Captain Sunday's New Job
Sal arrived at the community center ten minutes early and sat on a folding chair that complained beneath his weight. He had no driver waiting outside. He wore a dark sweater and shoes that looked as though he'd polished them himself.
The basement smelled like crayons and radiator dust. Nora was arranging books on a low shelf. Ben knelt beside a wobbly table with a screwdriver. A little boy in a dinosaur shirt asked Sal whether he'd ever seen a shark.
“Once,” Sal said.
“Was it big?”
“Bigger than me.”
The boy considered him, unimpressed, then ran away.
Rosie entered carrying Captain Sunday by his repaired ear. She stood in front of her grandfather and inspected the chair.
“Are you stuck?”
“Not yet.”
“You look stuck.”
“You might be right.”
She giggled, then quickly covered her mouth, unsure whether it was okay to laugh with him. Sal waited. He had finally learned that silence didn't always need filling.
Nora started story hour with a book about an animal lost in a storm. The children gathered in a loose semicircle. One child leaned against her father's knee. Another crawled under a table. Rosie chose the spot between Ben and Sal, leaving a careful inch of space on either side.
When it was time for a volunteer to read, Rosie raised Captain Sunday's paw.
“He can help,” she announced.
Nora looked at the bear. “Does Captain Sunday know the words?”
“Grandpa can read for him.”
Sal's throat tightened. He took the book carefully, as if the corners were fragile. The first page was about a bear who couldn't find his way home. His voice faltered on the word home. Rosie didn't seem to notice; she was busy straightening the bear's bent ear.
He read slowly. He missed a word and had to start a sentence over. The children corrected him without mercy. Nobody saluted. Nobody obeyed because of his name. When he finished, a girl asked whether the bear had remembered to bring a snack. Sal confessed he didn't know.
Afterward, the adults stacked chairs. Tanya handed Sal a pile without asking what they cost. He carried them carefully to the closet. Ben watched, then nodded toward a table with a loose leg.
“Can you hold that steady?”
Sal took the corner while Ben tightened the screws. He didn't offer to buy a new table.
At the door, Rosie struggled with the buckle on one red rain boot. Sal bent to help, then stopped and looked at her.
“Want a hand?”
She shook her head. “I can do it.”
“Okay.”
He waited while she tried twice. On the third try the buckle clicked. Rosie stood, victorious, and held Captain Sunday out to him.
“Could you watch him for one minute while I get my coat?”
Sal took the bear with both hands.
May you like
“One minute,” he said.
And this time, he kept his promise.
