Leaving Blythe River: A Novel Read Online Free

people be Ethan and his mom?
    “We’re your two favorite people?” he asked, mostly without thinking. He almost added, “That’s weird,” but stopped himself in time. Still, it was clear by his tone that he found it weird. Unfortunately clear.
    “ Two of my favorite people, I meant.”
    Ethan stared for a moment into his father’s face. The tight facial muscles. The artificial smile. Noah quickly looked away.
    “Why are you being . . . ,” Ethan began. But then he decided not to go any further in that direction.
    “Why am I being what, Ethan? How am I being?”
    “You seem kind of wound up.”
    “This is my high-energy time of the day,” Noah said.
    Which Ethan realized made no sense at all. His father didn’t have a high-energy time of the day. Ethan had known the man for seventeen years. He would have noticed. Besides, it wasn’t energy. It was something else. More like nervousness. But he didn’t have it sorted out in his head, so he didn’t say any more about it.
    “Ethan was just telling me about his big trip,” Jennifer said. “About how he’s going to take the train up to Machu Picchu Pueblo while his mom hikes.”
    “Aguas Calientes,” Noah said. “That’s the name of the town. Aguas Calientes.”
    “No,” Ethan said. “It’s Machu Picchu Pueblo now.”
    “I was there, Ethan. I think I know the name of the town.”
    “Yeah, you were there. Then, Dad. You were there then . But this is now . And now it’s called Machu Picchu Pueblo. They changed the name of it.”
    But Noah’s attention had flitted elsewhere. He looked around the room as if he’d lost somebody or something important. A moment later he caught the eye of Charley the waiter, who veered over to their table.
    “A menu,” Noah said. “I could use a menu. I’m going to order something, too.”
    “Very good, sir,” Charley said, and veered away again.
    “I thought you just ate with a client, Dad.”
    “Hungry today,” Noah said. “What can I tell you?”
    Ethan had a lot more questions in his head, but none that wanted to form into words, and nothing he thought it would help to ask.
    He decided to stop asking.
    He slipped his phone out of his pocket again and held it down in his lap. The message app was still open, so he typed in: I’m in the twilight zone .
     
    What? Tell me
     
    But Ethan never did.

Earlier in the Worst Night of Ethan’s Life

Chapter Three: This is Embarrassing

    Three months before his father disappeared
    Ethan stood at the check-in line at the airport, shoulder to shoulder with his mom. When the line moved—which was not nearly often enough for Ethan’s tastes—he pushed their bags forward with his foot, sliding them across the linoleum floor.
    “At first I thought the late flight was a good idea,” he said to his mom. “Now I’m not so sure.”
    “You tired, honey?”
    She brushed the hair off his forehead and held her palm there as if feeling for a fever. But probably she was only trying to be comforting.
    “Yeah. I’m getting kind of sleepy is all.”
    “Oh, it’ll be so worth it, though. It’s such a long flight. Just think how happy you’ll be when you wake up in the morning and we’re about to land in Lima.”
    “I guess,” Ethan said. “If this line would ever move.”
    And then, just like that—as if the universe had been listening to Ethan’s wishes—the line moved. Significantly moved. Four groups of travelers peeled away from the airline counter nearly at once, and Ethan and his mom found themselves at the head of the line.
    “Won’t be long now, honey,” she said. “You can even nap at the gate.”
    “I’m not so good at sleeping sitting up.”
    “If you’re tired enough, you’ll manage. Oh. That’s us. We’re up.”
    Ethan trudged behind her, pulling two bags by their shoulder straps and pushing another with his foot. By the time he made it to the open station—which was a discouragingly long way from the head of the line—Ethan was audibly