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)
Jerri
Startled, Dan turned back to Jerri. " That's my dad. I was hoping he wouldn't come."
"Divorced," she said, knowingly.
"Yeah, ‘fraid so."
"My parents divorced when I was ten. I live with my dad."
"Then you’re the only one around here who knows what it’s like," said Dan, keeping his voice quiet and putting his head near Jerri's. The other girls at the table looked on, straining to hear.
"I don't get along with my mother. She's something else," confided Jerri. "Will you live with your dad?"
"I won't if I can help it. We were on good terms until recently. Some things happened," he said quietly.
"Like what?" she said with wide eyes.
"Later," he said, looking over at Betsy and Marilyn. "Let's talk later and share stories."
"Ok," she said. "You must be absolutely overwhelmed." She took his arm in both her hands. "God bless you. I'm sorry about your mother. It sounds like you really loved her."
"I wish it was that easy. I was telling her how sorry I was when I went to the casket. When I saw her last it wasn’t pretty. It's a long story. I'll tell you later." He patted her hands. They both stood as Aunt Betsy approached. "Aunt Betsy, this is Jerri. She just moved into the ward."
"Hello, dear," said Aunt Betsy in her most patrician voice. "Thank you so much for coming. It's nice to meet you." She turned to Dan and used her motherly tone, as though Jerri no longer existed. "Dan, you are looking so peaked, especially when you just spoke with your father. I was talking with Marilyn. It would be good to head back home now, don't you think?"
Dan turned to Jerri and spoke quietly. " Later, huh?" He allowed himself to be guided back to where Peter was standing by the door. Marilyn and Aunt Betsy thanked Sister Jones and Bishop and Sister Parker profusely.
As the fivesome went to the parking lot and into the brilliant sunlight, Dan saw that the hearse was gone. With it went his mother. He already knew it would happen; the bishop had been over this with him several times, just to make sure he understood. But the significance hadn't really settled in: his mother's body would be shipped across the Atlantic to Manchester; there would be another service and then the burial. He walked toward the car but then stopped to look back again at the empty spot where the hearse had been parked, slowly rocking back and forth on his cane. It was only Peter's hand on his shoulder that made him break his gaze. He'd never see his mother again nor would he ever visit her grave.
He got in the car, squished between Peter and Aunt Betsy. He reached inside his suit pocket to make sure the slip of paper with his mother’s handwriting was still there. Crowded as he was between family and friends, he was lonely.