Crude Sunlight 1 Read Online Free PDF Page A

and said, "A hot chocolate would be great, thanks." Thomas nodded and stepped over to the cafe counter where he examined the contents within the glass display case while waiting for the serving lady to notice him. She turned, took his order, and then busied herself preparing it.
    Thomas turned and looked at where Julia sat facing away from him. She was sitting still, slightly slumped, gazing out at nothing in particular. Thomas was struck by a sense of tenuous fragility. It was so at odds with her athletic frame, with the confident and sensuous smile of that intimate photograph. She must have been hit much harder by Henry's disappearance than she was letting on.
    "Seven-fifty," said the woman behind him, and Thomas turned to see the drinks and cake set out on the counter. The espresso smelled amazing. Smiling, he handed her a ten dollar bill and took the change with a nod. He debated carrying all three items at once, and then simply took the drinks over first, smiled politely as he set Julia's hot chocolate before her, and returned soon after with the cake and two forks.
    He sat and fished a handful of sugar packets free of the little well in the center of the table, and then ripped off their heads and shook them into his coffee. A quick glance showed that Julia was holding her hot chocolate, not drinking it but simply holding it with both hands, absorbing its heat into her palms and fingers. He studied her face for a moment, and then looked back down at his espresso. A quick stir, then a sip, cautious of the heat. Perfect.
    Setting the little cup down, he leaned back and, gauging her still unready to tell him what she knew, began to talk. "I accompanied Henry when he first enrolled here back in 2004. He had to attend a whole bunch of orientation meetings with the other students, and I had to go to a series of meetings with all the other parents and professors. Everybody else was in their fifties or so, and there I was looking like a kid. I got some funny looks." He smiled and shook his head slowly. "You could see the mothers gauging me, wondering if I was possibly old enough to be his dad, and how scandalous that would be. Anyway." He forked some cake into his mouth, and washed it down with some more espresso.
    "The President gave a speech. I think he was trying to be funny, but he told us that all the kids were going to be treated like adults. Which meant attendance would not be taken. Nobody would check to make sure they were eating their salads. Nobody would notice if they decided to take a week off to go to Mexico, or New York City. It was up to them to invest in their futures."
    Julia was looking at him over the brim of her hot chocolate. It was like being stared at by a cat. "I thought that was great at the time; Henry could get into all sorts of trouble with girls and whatever without having people yelling at him. I didn't realize how bad it could be till the landlord contacted me over the missing rent."
    "Why did he call you?" Her voice was controlled, almost disinterested. He took another sip and sat forward, as if she had asked a very interesting question. It was like coaxing a recalcitrant investor into becoming engaged with the deal, encouraging their gestures and participation.
    "I was the co-signer on the lease. When Henry failed to pay the first month, Materday simply billed him for both months on the second. When that didn't come, he called me. That's when we all realized that Henry had been gone for some time. I couldn't get hold of him or anybody who knew where he was, and when I called the school they told me he'd stopped coming to class in mid-December. Just before finals."
    He stopped speaking, and slowly sat back, taking his espresso with him. This is where he'd wait, go quiet and let the silence build till Julia spoke, even if only to fill it. He sipped his espresso.
    "I don't know what to tell you," she said at last. "I wasn't lying when I said I don't know where Henry is. I haven't seen him in ages.