All Our Tomorrows

She wasn’t hard to pick out. Her hair would give her away in any crowd, but especially here, where the glints of copper shimmered in the bright overhead light, and her fair complexion stood out in the sea of ebony faces. He watched as she withdrew a notebook from her large shoulder bag and flipped it open, then settled back in her seat in the last row and looked toward the stage. When their gazes connected, he gave her a welcoming smile. Her lips turned up just the slightest bit in response before she shifted her attention to the principal, who was just about to introduce David. And he better get focused, too, David reminded himself. He needed to concentrate on the presentation and forget about Caroline for the next forty-five minutes.

It wasn’t easy to switch gears, but once he started talking, his focus became absolute, as it always did. No matter how often he gave this talk, his enthusiasm for the program and his passion for the principles it represented came through loud and clear.

None of which was lost on Caroline. Though she’d had only a few minutes to prep, she’d given the material Tess had collected and her assistant editor’s notes from previous interviews a cursory review. She’d been impressed by Uplink and what it had accomplished in a short time, and she was just as impressed by David’s sincerity and obvious commitment to the program. His presentation was dynamic and engaging, and she noticed as he spoke that a number of students who had at first seemed disinterested began to pay closer attention.

By the time he and the Uplink students he’d brought along had finished, the boredom and cynicism in the audience had shifted toward respect and interest. She’d learned enough about the North St. Louis high school environment while working on her gang series to know that David’s accomplishment was no small feat. Outsiders were typically viewed with suspicion. And Caucasian outsiders were often viewed with hostility. But there had been an appreciable change in the mood in the auditorium. Caroline was impressed.

As the presentation wound down and the students were dismissed, Caroline gathered up her things, rose and slipped on her coat. She waited by the back door as David said a few words to the two Uplink students, shook hands with the principal then made his way toward her.

“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” he said as he drew close.

“It wasn’t a problem. Tess and I have worked together on other stories.”

“She said her son had been injured?”

“I don’t think it’s anything serious. It sounded like he might need a few stitches. But she had some problems with him a few years ago, and now she tries extra hard to be there for him.”

“That’s commendable. I wish more parents felt that way. Especially parents of students like these.”

“I know. I did a series a year or so ago on gang culture, about the power gangs exert over their members and how gangs become a surrogate family in the absence of a real one. The problem of uninvolved parents is very real. And not just in this part of town.”

“It makes you wonder why some people have kids, if they aren’t willing to take on the responsibilities of parenthood.”

“Mitch Jackson, Tess’s husband, could give you an earful on that subject. He’s the principal at one of the high schools in a pretty affluent area of the city. His stories about uninvolved parents are unbelievable.”

David shook his head. “Throw in a cycle of poverty and a culture that doesn’t value education, and the problem is only exacerbated. It’s an uphill battle, that’s for sure. But at least Uplink is trying to offer a few kids a way out.” The somber expression on his face gave way to a grin. “But I’m done lecturing for today. Are you ready to leave?”

“Yes.”

As they exited the auditorium and walked down the hall toward the front door, Caroline reached into her bag for her keys.

“Where are you parked?” David asked.

“Just down the street.”

“I’ll walk you to your car.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Yes, I do. This isn’t the best area of town.”

As they stepped through the door, Caroline gave him a wry glance. “I’ve been in worse places.”

True, David mused, recalling Caroline’s quick summary of her career when he’d inquired, shortly after they met. Two years on the crime beat for a paper in Atlanta, three years in Washington, D.C., covering politics, then domestic and European assignments for AP before being stationed in a hot zone in the Middle East. How had Michael managed to live with the knowledge that the woman he loved was putting herself in danger day in and day out?