Dave Casler
PO Box 98
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
Young Adult Novels by Dave Casler...
I've been told by publisher after publisher that there's no market for Young Adult novels. I think they're wrong! So I'm putting my novels on-line for you. Forget the publisher! Read to your heart's content--it's free! And, I'd like to hear from you, too! Contact Page.
You're reading About Dan. Be sure to check out About Phillip here.
Dan is a normal kid who loves his soccer. Except everything goes wrong. Everything.
About Series Home
About the About Series
Index to All Chapters
Here are all the chapters, disguised as asterisks. Hover your mouse over an asterisk to see the title of the chapter. Click on the asterisk to go straight to that chapter.
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(About Dan Home) (Last) (Next)
The Good Feeling
But it was not to be. Peter’s mom stuck her head in the door.
"Dan," she said. "Your mom says she doesn't feel well and wants to go home. Do you want me to drive the two of you down?"
But Dan’s mom flatly refused a ride. In a moment, she and Dan were bundled up and back on the sidewalk. Fog came out of their mouths and nostrils.
"Where were you and Peter," she asked.
"In his room. We played a new computer game."
"Heavens! You spent all that time on a computer game?"
Dan started to reply, but that odd feeling deep in his chest was back; he didn't want to spoil it. He tried a different tack.
"Do you know he hasn't seen Chelsea since the dance?"
"Really? From your description she sounded like she was made for him."
"Yeah, that's what I thought too."
"He's a really good friend, isn't he?" she said.
"Yes, he is."
"I wish I had a long-time friend like that. I know lots of people from work," she mused, "but Joyce is the only person I can really talk with."
Dan was about to reply that his mom could very well talk with him, but the feeling made him stop. He tried something different.
"Who's Joyce? Is she a good friend?"
"She lives in Nederland. I drove up to see her once. Let's see, it was a Wednesday. You said you weren't going to be home until late. You know, you never told me where you were."
Dan knew all too well where he was. He was going to say it was none of her business, but the feeling threatened to leave.
"So what's she like?"
The dodge worked. "She's very artistic. Her baby looks just like you when you were that small."
Dan tried very, very hard not to look annoyed. Mindful of the feeling, he said simply, "Does the kid look like he'll play soccer, then?"
She laughed, the same kind of laugh he'd heard on Halloween just before Ernesto called. He loved that laugh and wished he heard more of it. Paying attention to the feeling was a good idea. The only problem, of course, was that it was so rarely there. He wondered why it was here now.
They turned up the drive and then went into the house. She took off her coat and told him she was going to bed.
"Mom?" he said.
She turned back to look at him. "Yes?"
"It was a nice day, wasn't it?"
She smiled, a nice smile, the likes of which he hadn't seen in a long time. She put her arms around him and squeezed. Then she reached up to him with her hands on his face. She stroked his hair. Dan felt uncomfortable but didn't want her to stop. The feeling hadn't left him yet, and he didn't want it to leave. She kissed him on his cheek.
"I love you, Dan," she said.
"Uh, I love you too, mom," he stammered.
She walked to her room, but paused at the doorway and looked back. "I'll see you in the morning. You can go back to Peter's if you want."
"No, I think I'll stay here. I ate too much, anyway. I hope you sleep well, mom."
He stood there, treasuring the moment. Perhaps she felt the feeling, too? He didn't know.
He held his crutches up in front of him and tried to walk without them. His knee was sore but it held his weight. He made it all the way to his room. He turned his computer on and then on impulse knelt down by his bed with his left leg stretched out beside him.