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filled. She stared right back, flipping "Yeah, her."

through memories to come up with "She's fine, I guess," she said. "1

some proof that he should know haven't really seen her much these

she drank coffee, that she had been past three years."

drinking it for years. Looking at the "Oh, different classes I guess,"

ceramic white mugs, she saw her he mumbled into his mug.

mother in her faded red bathrobe "Yeah, my elementary educa-

nightly setting the coffee maker to tion classes take up a lot of time,"

start at 4:15 every morning, signal- she prodded.

ing thirty minutes until her father "Mmhmm." Her father raised

would get in the truck to drive for- his speckled eyebrows.

ty-five minutes to another twelve- "They're interesting though,

hour shift in the plant. Melissa had Dad," she pressed. "It's really cool

not been blessed with his early-riser to learn how to teach kids to read.

gene and had always been lucky to There are these different models,

get out of bed in time to speed to like using books they know or just

high school. She wondered if she individual words, and you try to
had ever actually shared coffeewith combine them to figure out what's
her father, and she quickly grabbed best for the child you're working
a fistful of sugar packets and cream- with."
er.
"Oh," her father said simply.
Her father took his black and The cracks in his fingers moved
plain, the color his hair once held. and folded as he flexed his hands
Now, silver threads mingled with around his coffee, like little black

graying strands in his long ponytail. streets paved by years of hot, dirty
Melissa had constantly bemoaned machine work.

the ratty mane to her friends, but Melissa stiffened and looked
looking at him now, she could not down, determined not to lose the
imagine him without it. battle this time. She squinted and

"So, how's Brittany?" he asked tilted her head back and forth to
as he watched her create her coffee- see if she could catch a glimpse of
flavored sugar milk. any more steam rising from her
cup, blocking him out. She felt her
"Brittany?" Melissa asked. She father's gaze boring into her fore-
stared blankly for a moment, then head, but she would not look away
said, "Oh, the girl from my business from the visible temperature of her
class freshman year?"

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