In the Shade of You

Chapter Four: Daniel

Daniel had loved church even before he started believing in God. He had loved the structure and the ceremony of it; the colours of the windows, the high flying arches that captured their voices. He even loved the hymns for all their drone and having no beat. He had not been bothered at all to wake early every Sunday and dress in stiff, formal clothes and to sit on hard wooden benches. When he was old enough to understand the words of the hymns and the priest, Daniel would happily listen, nod his head, but not really hear.

Today wasn't that much different, Daniel's thoughts were not on the service. Sitting with his parents, his eyes were drawn to Dina and the other younger adults that invariably sat at the back. He could see Dina's head bent and her shoulder shift slightly. She was texting during the service, and Daniel remembered how he had come to see his life, the church and everything around him so differently.

There had been no grand revelation as he had heard happening to other people. One morning as his mind wondered during a hymn, Daniel felt his phone vibrate. Feeling slightly guilty he had checked his messages. A numberless text read: HELLO DANIEL, THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MEET ME TODAY, and for a few microseconds had thought it was God who had sent it. Later on he had found out Dina had used their Aunt's phone to play a prank, but at the time Daniel was struck by the odd idea and began to really listen to the sermons of Father Dalken. Over time the sermons and what Daniel saw in his family and in the world began to make sense until six months had passed and Daniel realised he believed. He believed in God with every fibre of his being.

It surprised him and confused him all at once.

As it was, Father Dalken's sermon this morning gave him no comfort for his thoughts continually returned to Friday's events. A sense of embarrassment still lingered, as did her comment – you're just a boy. What in the world had he been thinking to talk to her? Although he didn't agree with Dina's view of Aster, he knew that she didn't hang around with people much. If anything she seemed to float through the school, an individual rock that the stream of students parted and closed around without either they or Aster noticing.

He felt a nudge on his shoulder and looked up to see his Dad pointedly gaze down at him and he realised that it was time for the Eucharist. Blushing slightly Daniel stood and mouthed the platitudes along with the rest of the congregation as he fought to put his mind on God and not the puzzle that was Aster.

* * *

Dina bounced up to him at the end of the service, her Sunday best both demure and swirling invitingly around her.

"Isn't it great? We haven't had a dance in months. I can't believe how much I've missed it. I know that school's important but surely Father Dalken knows we need to play and study, besides if he's there it's not as if we are going to 'play', play," Dina said and smiled, waiting for him to respond.

"What are you going on about?" Daniel asked. Dina rolled her eyes and stuck her hand through his arm, then tugged him out of the family pew.

"Daydreaming or praying through the church announcements?" she asked drily.

Daniel glared at her but Dina just laughed. Bobbing a quick curtsey to the altar, she explained as they made their way out of the church; "Father Dalken is going to hold a dance at the school. I think he's doing it because exams are close and he wants to get our minds off them."

"And because Elsie is coming home."

"What?"

"Yeah, I kinda knew about it. Father Dalken and Dad were discussing it at dinner last week."

Dina stopped dead in the car park and swung Daniel around to face her.

"Elsie is coming home and you didn't tell me!" she cried and then she thumped him. It was not one of her playful oh-I'm-a-girl-and-flirting-with-you punches but the kind she reserved for her brothers; it deaden his arm immediately.

"Ow, come on Dina, I forgot. They were only talking about it and I've had other things on my mind."

"Idiot! Elsie's coming back? When? Where? How? I thought she was going on to the Ultimate Lindy Hop Championship in New Orleans with Noak."

Daniel faltered in his reply and Dina stilled. All that frenetic energy that made her everything he loved about her Spanish heritage froze and he was faced with Dina at her most concentrated and controlled.

"Dan, tell me please?" She asked quietly.

"She's... I don't know. Something happened to her while she was at the Herräng Dance Camp. At first she wrote all the time, sending me pictures and telling me about her classes, but after two weeks she just stopped. The next thing I know she's going to be picked up by dad next week. She won't even answer her phone."

"Aunt Mary must be out of her mid," Dina muttered.

"Actually mum's okay, it's dad that's gone a bit funny."

"How'd you mean?"

"He's just... well... twitchy," Daniel said while letting his gaze wander, looking for his parents amongst the friendly conservations that spilled from the chapel's doors.

Dina was about to say something else when her brother, Santos, appeared. Daniel let the wave of spanish flow away from him as Santos and Dina discussed or fought over something – he still couldn't tell which was which when it came to Dina and her brothers. When she was little it had been a fight to get them to talk to her at all. She was the baby sister and there in lay a lot of the problem as far as Daniel could see. Dina was both the youngest and a girl. There was a reason Daniel didn't like his other cousins very much.

"Hey, pasayo," Santos called out and Daniel came back to earth.

"I know what that means, Santos," Dan said but didn't mind really. After he had spiked the traditional Christmas wine with turpentine last year he had earned the name 'clown'. Dina and Santos' father, Uncle Marquez, still glared at him suspiciously whenever the families got together for dinner.

Santos grinned at him and then gestured with his thumb to Dina; "Are you done with her? Papa and Mum said its time to leave."

"I can drive myself home, Santos." Dina cut in. Daniel felt his temper rise. He hated the way Santos and his brothers treated Dina as much as she did, but today was not the day to get into an argument. Breathing out Daniel dug into his pockets and brought out Elsie's car keys.

"Yeah, she can drive herself home," Daniel said to Santos, as he tossed Dina the keys. Santos just shrugged and walked off.

"Thanks, Dan," Dina said, her face was flushed.

"What was it about this time?"

"Oh nothing," Dina shrugged it off, "just Santos being Santos. I'm sure Papa put it a different way and he just twisted it all up, as usual."

Daniel held his tongue. Dina loved her parents and her father in particular. However Daniel was pretty sure Uncle Marquez had said whatever it was exactly the way Santos put it. He had been in the room alone with his uncle and cousins too many times to not know how they used their words.

"Do you want a lift?" Dina offered, jiggling the keys.

"Well that was the idea since it's my ride to begin with," Daniel joked. Dina flashed him a smile and it lifted his spirits a little. He followed her as she made her way over to old Volkswagen beetle convertible at the edge of the church yard. It was bright yellow and very hard to miss.

"Just like my sister," Daniel thought to himself and fell once again to brooding, his mind swinging between his sister and Dina and Aster.