The thumb he’d hit with the hammer twice yesterday was swollen and throbbing. The steady rain thrumming on their steel roof meant little work would get done on the Sidleys’ back porch that day. They had already burned the rotted, warped boards from the previous porch in a bonfire, the sparks and flames shooting twenty-five feet into the air. The shower enclosure he’d ordered had yet to be delivered, stalling progress in the bathroom. But at least Albert and his brothers had a new flush toilet and pedestal sink, even if cold water was their sole option. Two days ago Daed’s foreman stopped after work with his plumber friend. Within a few hours, Bob and the plumber had installed both fixtures, to Elijah’s utter amazement. The boy watched over their shoulders the entire time. Caleb had been amazed by the number of questions Elijah asked. But it wasn’t the rain delay that had Caleb down in the dumps. A full week had passed since his spat with Josie and they were no closer to mending fences.
