Read Dawn of a New Day for Free Online Page A

the cheek and laughed. “Well, let’s go out and eat. I’m starved.”
    Bobby had become adroit at missing the crowds. He had called ahead, and they had a private room at the fanciest restaurant in Fort Smith. As they sat down to a table covered with a white tablecloth and candles gleaming, he said, “I can’t go into McDonald’s anymore. They tear my clothes off of me.”
    The waiter came, and Bobby said, “Order anything. I’ll have spaghetti myself.”
    â€œThat sounds good to me. What about you, Prue?” Mark asked.
    â€œOh yes. That’ll be fine.”
    For the next hour and a half Mark and Prue sat there listening as Bobby talked and ate, dropping such names as Buddy Holly, Elvis, and other stars in the firmament of the rock world.
    After the meal, Bobby said, “I’ve got a little partying to do. You two come along. It’ll be fun.”
    Quickly Mark said, “We’d like to, Bobby, but I promised Prue’s parents that I’d get her home as soon as possible. It’s a long drive; we’ll have to take a rain check.”
    Bobby twirled a wine glass in his fingers and leaned back in his chair. There was a strange light in his blue eyes, and he studied them clinically as if they were creatures from another planet. “I can remember,” he said very quietly, “when Richard and I were growing up. He was always conscious of what our parents wanted. Always wanted to be home on time so they wouldn’t worry, and I was always the one who stayed out until morning.”
    A pensive expression crossed his face, and he appeared to listen to the music that was playing softly in the background for a time. “Now Richard’s preaching in the slums of Los Angeles, and I’m making a million dollars a year.” He said no more, but it was obvious to both of his hearers that it was a subject that preyed on his mind often. He spoke again, and it was as if he was talking to himself, not to the two who sat before him. “As long as the spotlight’s on, and the kids are screaming my name, or as long as I’m partying, it doesn’t seem to matter much. But every time I get quiet like this, I think about what it all means, and sometimes it just doesn’t add up.” Abruptly he shook his shoulders in a strange gesture of dissatisfaction, drank the rest of the wine, then stood up saying, “Well, the party’s about to begin. Hey, Mark, do you like to hunt deer? How about if you and I go together while I’m here?”
    â€œYou mean it?” Mark demanded.
    â€œIs the Pope Catholic?” Bobby grinned. “I’ll be dropping by to see your folks, Prue—and you can take me hunting, Mark.”
    After they left the restaurant and began their journey homeward, Prue and Mark did not speak much for some time. It was a cold, starry night, and Mark turned the heater up full, and also the radio. He found a powerful station, and for a while the sound of music filled the car. Finally he said, “Did it seem to you that something was troubling Bobby tonight?”
    â€œYes, it did,” Prue answered. “It’s strange, isn’t it? All that money, and everyone screaming his name, but I could see in his eyes that he’s not happy.”
    They drove along quietly, and the twisting road took all of Mark’s attention. Finally Prue grew sleepy and jerked several times, pulling herself out of sleep. But the music was soft, and the car was warm, and the meal had been heavy. She drifted off to sleep, and soon she began to slump over toward Mark. He glanced at her, and seeing that her head was dropping, carefully reached over and pulled her against him, holding her tight against the swaying of the car, steering skillfully with his left hand. A protective sense came over him as he held her, and a smile touched his wide lips. He had his long thoughts about this girl who was so strange to so many. The