U Is for Undertow

well, Shelly’s kind of touchy on the subject.”
    Deborah bit back a remark. She was sick to death of his catering to the woman. “Fine. I just thought I’d mention it.”
    Deborah waited until she saw Greg and Shelly pull away and then she went out to the bus. The day was overcast and inside there was hardly enough light to see by. She knocked on the folding front door and Shawn opened it. He wore a T-shirt and a pair of ragged cutoffs. He’d been lying on his futon, his flat pillow rolled up to support his neck. On the floor around his bed there were piles of dirty clothes.
    “Would you like to come inside where the light’s better?”
    “Did Mom say it was okay?”
    “Greg did.”
    “You mean Creed.”
    “That’s right. Creed. I keep forgetting. You might round up a jacket while you’re at it.”
    Shawn picked his way toward the back of the bus, lifting up garments in search of his jacket. Deborah removed the dead pillow from its case and stuffed dirty clothes into it until it bulged. Shawn came back, pulling on a sweatshirt of Greg’s that hung to his knees.
    “I thought we’d give this a quick wash,” Deborah said of the pillowcase full of dirty clothes. “I can show you how to use the washer and dryer.”
    “My mom showed me once at the laundromat.”
    “Ours might be different. It won’t hurt to take a look.”
    Shawn pulled on his tennis shoes and followed her.
    Deborah loaded his clothes and showed him how to operate the washer. As soon as the cycle was under way she said, “I’m taking Rain for her swimming lesson this morning at the Y. Would you like to come along? You and I can paddle around in the pool.”
    “I don’t have a suit.”
    “I can stop at a store and pick one up. You probably need a new toothbrush, too. You know how to swim?”
    “Not really.”
    “Well, we can practice.”
    While Rain had her lesson with six other little kids on the far side of the pool, Deborah and Shawn sat with their legs dangling in the water. In his bathing suit he looked younger than ten, more like a seven-year-old, with his bony shoulders and his collarbones exposed. He was afraid of the water, though he pretended he really wasn’t interested. When Rain joined them half an hour later, they persuaded him to get into the shallow end with them. Rain had a set of weighted rings that Deborah dropped into the water, one by one. Rain would upend herself like a duck, kicking to the bottom to retrieve them. Shawn didn’t want to get his face wet, but Rain made the game look like fun and at the end of an hour, he would at least hold his nose and sink to the bottom briefly. He and Rain would look at each other underwater and blow the air out of their mouths before they shot to the surface.
    After they’d showered and dressed again, Deborah ushered them into the station wagon. “On swim days, we have a late lunch at McDonald’s and then we skip dinner unless we decide to have popcorn,” she said.
    “That’s a hamburger stand.”
    “Yes, but they have other things as well. I can get you lettuce and tomato on a bun. It’ll be fine.”
    Once at McDonald’s, she told Rain and Shawn to secure a booth while she ordered their lunch. She came back to the table with their order number and sent the two off to get paper napkins, salt, mustard, and ketchup in small packets. When their number was called, Deborah went back to the counter and picked up their food, which was piled on a plastic tray. She brought a glass of ice water for Shawn and a large chocolate milkshake that she and Rain would share. She doled out a paper-wrapped sandwich for each and put a large container of fries in the middle of the table where everyone could reach them.
    Shawn opened his sandwich. In addition to the lettuce and tomato there was a meat patty with cheese melted on top. He put his hands in his lap and looked at her.
    “Do you see lettuce and tomato?”
    “Yes.”
    “You want condiments? You’re allowed to eat mustard and ketchup, aren’t you?”
    “Sure.”
    Rain was munching on her burger, dipping fries in a puddle of ketchup and eating them rapidly. Deborah bit into her cheeseburger, and a moment later Shawn picked up his and took a hesitant bite. Neither of them said a word, and she kept her attention focused elsewhere. The next time she looked, Shawn had devoured his lunch.
    “That was quick. You want another one?”
    He nodded.
    She ordered him a second cheeseburger, and when that was ready she brought it to