Over the Wall by Chris Fabry Page A

don’t talk about it, the bigger the thing gets.”
    Tim ate a big spoonful of ice cream and chocolate so he wouldn’t have to say anything.
    Dale leaned forward and put his hat on the table and folded his hands. “I want to talk about Talladega last year.”
    Tim closed his eyes. The sights and sounds of the track came back to him. The reaction of the crowd when the accident happened. The sirens. The lady he thought might be his mother but wasn’t. The security guys looking for him. The helicopter flying away.
    “Okay,” Tim said. “That was the worst day of my life.”
    “Mine too. To know that I was involved in the accident that caused your dad’s death was something hard for me to live with. Part of me didn’t want to ever get on the track again.”
    “What do you mean, ‘involved’?” Tim said. “You weren’t just involved—you were the one who caused it.”
    Dale talked about the race—the conditions at the track, the weather, the mood of the drivers. “A few laps before the accident, the #53 car started spurtingsome brake fluid. One of his lines was cut. As he was going to the pits, he dropped a lot of that on the front end of pit road, right where my stall was. So that area was slick to start off.”
    “So it was slick,” Tim said. “That still doesn’t excuse you for coming in there as fast as you did.”
    Dale sighed. “There’s no video of the accident. As many camera angles as they have, they didn’t catch this one. But I can assure you, Tim, that I never meant to hurt your dad. And I’d do anything if I could bring him back.”
    “That’s why you’re offering me a place to stay. You feel guilty about it and want to try and make it up to me.”
    “I can never make up for your dad. It’s not possible. But my wife and I have talked about adopting a baby from another country, giving some child a chance to grow up here. We can’t have any more children, and it’s something we both feel we want to do. When the accident happened, Nicole and I both had a feeling that this was our chance. And when I contacted your social worker and told her about our idea, she let me know you might like a change.”
    Suddenly Tim didn’t feel like eating anymore. He put down his spoon and closed the Styrofoam lid. “So you felt sorry for me. I’m okay with that.”
    “I’ve never met you before last night. I did knowyour dad a little from the chapel services, and I talked with Charlie Hale about you.”
    Tim blushed. “Don’t believe everything he says about me.”
    “I don’t want you to feel like we pity you. We want to give you a good home for as long as you need it, some encouragement along the way, and a shot at life. That’s what I wanted to say.”
    “I appreciate it,” Tim said. “I was wondering when we’d get around to that elephant. But something’s bothering me.”
    “Go ahead.”
    “Sounds to me like you’re saying something happened on the track that led to the accident. I haven’t heard that before. I read the report about it in one of the magazines. It was just a blurb.”
    Dale nodded. “I can’t go into it in detail, but I was pushed. I lost control, and the tires skidded on that wet surface.”
    “Then who—?”
    Dale held up a hand. “I’m sure you want to know more, but let’s just leave it here.”
    Tim got up and opened the refrigerator in the kitchenette. He tossed in what was left of the sundae, closed the door, and headed to the front door.
    “Tim?”
    “I’m going down to the pool and have a look around,” Tim said, not turning around.
    “That’s fine. Just one more thing.”
    “Yeah?”
    “I think your dad would be proud of the way you’ve handled everything. Real proud.”
    Tim still didn’t turn around. He just said, “Yeah” and walked into the hallway.

Chapter 20
Sunday Morning Coming Down
    THE RIDE HOME was quiet for Jamie and her mom. Kellen couldn’t quit talking about his friend Paul, who had played Isaac in the service.