Chapter 24
Dude, You’re Naive, You Were Dumped
“A lot happened these past two days,” I said, setting the table.
I stood there a second longer than necessary—trying to decide whether to put out three plates or four.
I put out four.
“Something happened in my class today.
One of the kids—a drug lord’s kid—got in a fight.
It got complicated when I tried to calm it down.”
Robert didn’t even hesitate.
“I think they were pulling your leg.
No way a drug lord’s kid would be in an American school.”
“There are all kinds of Panamanians there,” I said.
“Soldiers’ kids. Or adopted. American schools don’t have local kids. It was that way in Germany too.”
That confused me completely.
He worked for JAG, the Judge Advocate General Corps, in prosecution.
I assumed he knew things I didn’t.
I sat the plates on the table,
wondering if I had misunderstood what I’d seen with my own eyes.
I went to get sweet tea.
I decided to change subjects.
Maybe this one would be easier to explain.
“I was asked not to go to the Puerto Rico basketball game.
They said it would be too political to have a woman there.”
“Who’s going?”
“Another coach.”
“Sounds like he was looking for a reason to take his buddy.”
“Of course.”
That hurt more than the first explanation.
“Corndog.
That makes sense… in a simple way.”
But the boys had been so serious.
Juan especially.
Maybe the coach fooled them, too.
Maybe the kid wasn’t a drug lord’s kid.
Maybe I had misunderstood all of it. Confused, I moved forward with setting the table.
Daniel's Den 