 Emma was rushing from customer to customer, though there was no reason for it that Tom could see. The man would put his hand out, trying to stop her whenever she walked by. They would exchange a few words, and from the expression Emma wore, Tom guessed the words were not pleasant. “Archie. Emma’s brother. I didn’t know he was back in town,” Philip said quietly. “You don’t like him very much.” Philip shook his head. “He’s a year older than me. Archie started disappearing for months at a time not too long before the war. Sometimes he shows up with a wad of cash bigger than my fist, and the next time he don’t have shoes. Drives his mamma crazy. He’s got scars that look like they’re from bullets and says he fought in the war. I think he was bootlegging, robbing banks and trains. If you ask me, Archie ain’t nothin’ but trouble. And a coward to boot.” He sighed and leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “I don’t want to talk about him. How did your first day at City Blue go?” Tom smiled. “It was good. I worked there in college, too.” It warmed him to know that Philip remembered the summer employment Tom had with the large print company in downtown Cleveland. He stiffened as Archie left his stool at the counter and walked to their table. “Well, howdy, Philip,” Archie said. Philip sighed heavily. “Archie. What do you want?” “I can’t come say hello?” He looked Tom up and down. “So this is the fella you fixed up with Emma’s friend?” Archie slid into the booth next to Tom, shoving him over. “But you forget your old buddy?” Tom put a smile on his face, reached across his chest, and offered his hand. “Tom Manning.” Archie ignored his hand and said, “I don’t ever remember seeing you around here before.” “My family has a farm down around Mansfield,” Tom explained. “I moved here after college for a job.” It was work being nice to this man, and Tom had only known him three minutes. “Oooh, fancy college boy,” Archie mocked. “Movin’ up in the world, eh, Philip?” “Nancy is a sweet girl. Emma too. I’m glad I met them. And Philip.” Tom pretended not to notice that Archie ignored his greeting or the way Philip looked as if he’d like to commit murder. “I bet you are,” Archie said with a smirk and leaned back in the booth, resting both arms along the back. “How’d you two get to be friends? Don’t seem like you two woulda had much in common.” A Barlow Lens is available in eBook, paperback and through KoboPlus.    
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