Where the Allegheny Meets the Monongahela by Felicia Watson Page B

the Allegheny Meets the Monongahela
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    the boys quieted down to a low rumble while Nick laid out the day‘s
    plans. Logan noticed Krista looking wistfully at the older group that
    was milling around at Nick‘s right. He leaned over, saying, ―If you
    wanta go with them, it‘s all right by me.‖
    Krista shook her head decisively, saying, ―No, I‘ll help you and
    Sister Ciera with the little kids.‖ Logan was glad that he‘d have both
    his daughters with him for the morning but was equally glad her sister
    hadn‘t heard that label. Especially since one of the older boys, Jesse,
    was teasing his younger sister, Darcy, about going on ―the baby rides.‖
    The little firebrand stuck her tongue out at her sibling, defiantly
    saying, ―We‘re goin‘ on the Phantom’s Revenge , too!‖
    ―Yeah, the sucky one,‖ Jesse taunted back.
    Suddenly Nick appeared at Jesse‘s side, slinging a friendly arm
    around his shoulder. ―Sounds like you don‘t wanta go see the Pirates
    with me next month, after all.‖
    Sheepishly, Jesse asked, ―Is your friend gettin‘ us those great
    seats again?‖
    Another boy piped up, ―Hey Nick, I‘ll take his ticket!‖
    Nick threw a glance over his shoulder, saying, ―I already said you
    could come, Ben.‖
    ―Yeah, but I could scalp his ticket.‖
    Shaking his head with evident amusement, Nick retorted, ―It‘s the
    Pirates , I don‘t think you‘re gonna make much money.‖ He turned
    back to Jesse, saying, ―But I‘m sure we could find someone who wants
    Jesse‘s ticket. Maybe Darcy….‖
    Jesse gave the matter exactly three seconds of thought before
    turning to his sister and mumbling an apology of doubtful sincerity. But
    it satisfied Darcy, and the two groups parted peaceably.
    Two hours later, Logan and Sister Ciera were lounging on a
    bench while their charges stood in line at the famous Potato Patch,
    waiting for a serving of the legendary fries. Logan looked at the
    vouchers all the kids were clutching and wondered how the center
    could afford to splurge like this. ―All of this must cost a lotta money,
    huh?‖
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    Felicia Watson

    ―Oh, yes, but so worth it. Nick raises money for months—
    organizing a car wash and dozens of raffles. Plus he always gets the
    park to donate most of the admission fee.‖ A smile lit her dark eyes and
    olive-skinned face as she commented, ―All in all, Nick is a
    commendable young man.‖
    Pondering the qualifier, Logan cleared his throat and murmured,
    ―Ya mean even though… even with him bein‘… gay?‖
    It took Ciera a second to parse the last word, as low as it had been
    uttered, but finally comprehension dawned, and she trilled, ―Oh, there
    is that, too .‖ Rolling her eyes slightly, she said, ―No, I was thinking
    more…. Well, let‘s just say Nick and I don‘t always see eye-to-eye on
    matters of rehabilitation.‖
    That word currently had only unhappy associations for Logan, so
    he was glad when Ciera veered into tales of trips from years past and
    talked nonstop as the kids wended their way up to the French fry
    counter.
    There was no opportunity for Logan to speak to Nick at lunch,
    since his daughters insisted their dad sit with them and a couple of their
    new friends. Nick seemed fully occupied with monitoring the kids
    anyway, stepping in to prevent what seemed to be an impending food
    fight between Jesse and one of the older boys.
    At the end of the day, Logan walked his daughters to the bus stop
    and looked around for Nick. Once again, there was no chance for a
    private exchange; Nick was busy handing out bus tokens to the kids.
    Following in his wake were four of the teenagers, all peppering him
    with questions about the impending trip to PNC Park.
    Feeling as exhausted as he usually did after a twelve-hour
    workday, Logan exchanged a weary wave with Nick as the group
    trooped past him and onto the bus. Though all three adults and the
    young children were clearly fatigued, the older kids