Edmund and Cassie were walking in the park that evening, doing a couple of laps around the walking trail that circled the 20 acres. The park included wooded areas, picnic tables, a fenced in, mostly-plastic playground, and basketball and tennis courts, among other things.
Earlier, they’d had another hour of skee ball at the arcade and traded in their tickets for a pink teddy bear for Cassie. Afterwards, they’d returned to Edmund’s apartment and he’d grilled them hot dogs out on his patio for their supper. And now…now they were just walking and talking.
Edmund asked about her recent softball season and what she was thinking about starting middle school next year. He was trying to work up to something, but didn’t know how to start.
Out of nowhere, Cassie asked, “Dad, is something wrong?”
She always saw more than you’d expect, Edmund thought.
He turned and looked at the teens playing basketball on the court nearby.
“Well, yeah, Cassie. I…I have to go away for a while. I probably won’t be able to call or visit much either.”
Cassie just stared up at him as they continued walking. He turned away and watched the kids running and laughing at the little water-park the city had added last year. Just as he looked, one of the swiveling buckets overhead dumped a gallon or so of water over three kids clustered underneath.
“There’s something I have to do, and I don’t know how long it will take.”
He turned back and looked down at Cassie and felt like her eyes saw straight through him. An 11 year old should not have eyes like that.
Looking back ahead, he kept talking. “I hate the idea of not seeing you, not talking with you for that long, but, there’s something I have to do and…”
“Dad, does this have something to do with Gunnar?”
Edmund stopped and stared at Cassie. She walked a few more steps before she noticed he was behind her.
When she turned back to him, he said, “Yes, it does. How did you know?”
She gave him a tiny smile that hurt him more than if she’d burst into tears. “There’s a look you get whenever you think about him. You had it just now.”
Edmund leaned down to hug her. Not that long ago, he would have had to kneel. “Well…yeah, it has to do with your brother.”
That smile again. “Then…I guess, go do it. I miss him too, Dad.”
“Yeah.” He couldn’t talk about Gunnar right now. He was worried he might cry here in public. “Hey munchkin, while I’m gone, you listen to your mom, okay? She loves you.… Maybe listen less to Aunt Jessie, though.”
He stood up and they resumed their walk. “Hey Dad, I think I’m a little too big to be munchkin now.”
“No, you’re still my munchkin.”
Cassie squinted up at him a moment. “For now.”
The Mayor of Christ Mountain 
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