“I did not.”
“You absolutely did.”
He kept reading.
“Exams this week. Looks tired.”
There were four years of entries.
“Graduation next month. Hope he gets where he’s going.”
“Seemed upset today. Didn’t ask. Maybe should have.”
Noah stopped smiling.
There were four years of entries.
Four years of Mr. Vance noticing him.
At the end, one line had been underlined.
His voice was quiet.
“Need to tell him thank you properly.”
Noah closed the book.
“He knew all that?”
His voice was quiet.
“I guess he did.”
“I thought he barely noticed me.”
Aaron read several pages in silence.
Aaron and Claire came over later.
Noah showed them.
Aaron read several pages in silence.
Then he stopped.
“What?”
He handed the notebook back.
“Boy reminds me of Aaron.”
The entry said:
“Boy reminds me of Aaron at that age. Quiet. Stubborn. Better with his hands than words.”
Aaron looked away.
For a long moment, nobody spoke.
Then he said, “Dad used to say that about me.”
Claire touched his shoulder.
Aaron wiped his eyes.
