Forever Friday by Timothy Lewis Read Free Book Online

anyone in the entire Huckabee clan.
    It wasn’t long before Clark began hinting at marriage, planning each moment of time together. To Huck their relationship reeked of predictability. As college graduation neared, he’d become businesslike with their relationship, even domineering. To complicate matters, she’d begun doubting that he was her soul mate, so evaded all proposal attempts.
    When they graduated from SHNI and Huck landed the job at Sidney Lanier, Clark wanted to follow. However, his father was president of Huntsville’s First National Bank and quickly offered his son ajunior vice-president’s income and prestige. That’s when Clark purchased the big diamond. Huck never really intended to accept it, but he asked her in the middle of the Huckabee Christmas afternoon domino game. Ethan was in the process of skunking several sons, their wives, and a number of grandkids when Clark suddenly dropped to his knees, slipped the ring on Huck’s finger, and offered his eternal fidelity. Before she could answer, her mother and most of the others welcomed Clark into the family, dragging him into the kitchen for his pick of celebratory dessert. Her father dropped his final domino and grunted. Then jammed a chaw of tobacco between his teeth and retreated outside to chew and spit off the gallery. Cutter followed.
    Huck watched the front door slam. Her father and twin brother would eventually accept Clark into the family. It would just take time, and perhaps a few hundred domino games. Someone called Huck’s name from the kitchen. She stood, glancing at her father’s empty chair. His last domino lay facedown. How did he always know what to keep and what to throw away? As if on cue, her mind flooded with thoughts of Mister Jack. She’d asked him the same question. And suddenly, his answer made her uncomfortable. “Look deep into a man’s eyes and you’ll see his hopes and dreams.”
    Huck shuddered. Clark was constantly spouting about his hopes and dreams. Somehow, she’d never seen them in his eyes.

    Clark arrived at Mrs. Thompson’s boardinghouse at eight o’clock sharp to take Huck to dinner. They drove to a refurbished downtown building and pulled up out front. “Redoing these old dinosaurs into eliterestaurants is all the rage,” he stated proudly as the valet opened Huck’s door. “And talk about a good investment.”
    Pickwicks’ elaborate entryway reminded Huck of pictures she’d seen in travelogues of Elizabethan mansions. And instead of one large dining room, there were several smaller ones, all hearth and candlelit cozy, each one elegantly furnished.
    “This is lovely,” Huck said as soon as they were seated. And then the restaurant’s name suddenly made sense.
The Pickwick Papers
was Charles Dickens’s first novel. She breathed deeply. Perhaps the evening would turn out better than expected.
    A white-gloved busboy served ice water, while another placed an embroidered napkin in Huck’s lap. A waiter appeared with menus, his movements as starched as his uniform. “Please take your time,” the waiter said. “Prime rib is our house specialty. I’ll return momentarily for your order.”
    Clark fixed his gaze on Huck’s left hand. “I love coming to Houston to see my diamond ring,” he said casually.
    Huck glanced down, having considered it
hers
. “Just the ring?” She repositioned the napkin in her lap.
    “You know what I mean. I also love seeing who’s attached to it.” He laughed and studied his menu.
    “An extremely tired woman is attached,” Huck said. “I’ll be recording grades in my sleep tonight. My classes have been diagramming sentences for the past two weeks. I’ve tried to make it interesting to them, but—”
    “How about that prime rib?” Clark interrupted. “It’s served with new potatoes in a white wine sauce.”
    “I’d rather have a small beefsteak, well done. And a salad.”
    “That’s what you always order.”
    “Prime rib’s too rare for my taste. You