Chapter 8Bright and early the next day, Tom Alan moped through his cleaning chores and well into his early morning practice—one without Milo Fisher. Kale Omlet had been admitted to the hospital and would be undergoing a quadruple bypass within the next twenty-four hours. Milo, understandably shaken, had taken off without saying much. Tom Alan hadn’t even realized he’d already boarded a plane back to the UK until Irina Mischen told him late the night before. He was shaken, too. He didn’t even get to say good luck or good-bye.
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The morning seemed to drag on forever. Mrs. Mischen tried to make small talk between instruction. Tom Alan only had to come back with “Uh-huh” or “I don’t know,” which luckily didn’t really tax what he considered his limited charms and vocabulary. Mostly, the
