Keeping the Tarnished (13 page)

“Nah, Pops. What was the second thing you did after you took a much needed shower?” Jared said as he smiled from his chair.

“The second thing I did was step in a huge, mushy pile of cold puppy shit!” Jackson said as he started laughing. Both of the boys started laughing too. “It was smashed between all my toes, it was basically awesome,” the man continued as all three of the guys continued laughing. “What exactly do you mean, a much needed shower, Jared? I don’t think that hair of yours can get any greasier.” Jackson said as he looked at his son with a smirk and ruffled his hair.

“Oooww!” Jared said in protest.

In all actuality, the boy’s thick, brown hair was sticking out and up in no specific direction, but Johnny didn’t think it looked greasy, it was just messy.

“You boys want to go with me to town when the queen gets back? I need to get supplies,” Jackson asked as he headed for the stairs.

“I do,” Johnny said first, hoping that Jared would say he wanted to go, as well.

“Yea, Pops. Count us in. Oh and ah, Pops,” Jared continued as a mischievous smile came across his face.

“What, dork?”

“Watch where you step. I can’t ride with a guy that stinks like dog shit!” Jared yelled up to his ascending father, who started laughing from the top of the stairs.

Johnny found this comical too.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Advice

Jackson

Jackson turned on the radio as the three guys headed to town. He and Jared rode in the front seat of the truck, and Johnny was in the back. As the truck turned off the dirt road and headed to town, Jackson noticed the two guys appeared somewhat less than enthused to be leaving the sanctuary of the air conditioned man-cave. From the time it took to walk from the front porch to the truck and get the air conditioner adequately cooling the vehicle, the guys were all perspiring.

“So, what the hell are we getting?” Jared asked in a grouchy tone as he leaned his seat back.

“Hey, I asked if you wanted to go. I never said you had to. If you like, you are welcome to get out and walk back home,” Jackson replied. Although he would never make his son walk home in the heat, his tone was somewhat grouchy too. “I need to pick up some materials at the hardware store. Your mother wants me to fix the missing boards on the barn so that we don’t have any more surprise visitors.”

“When will they know what was wrong with the coyote?” Johnny asked from the backseat.

“Well, it depends. Could be tomorrow,” Jackson replied as he looked at Johnny in the rearview mirror. He noticed that Johnny looked worn out. He knew the boy had had a late night the night before, but today he looked as though he could use several more hours of sleep. “Based on what you told me, and my experience, I can assure you the animal had rabies,” Jackson said in a serious tone. “I have seen quite a few cases over the years. I’m just glad you and Bryce were not bitten. I’m glad you were there when it happened, but I’m thankful it didn’t bite you. You would have had to get shots for about six weeks,” Jackson continued as the truck continued to town.

“Can we talk about something else?” Jared snapped. The boy was now looking out the window and was obviously in a foul mood.

“How about you don’t talk at all, shit britches,” Jackson said as he looked over at his moody son.

Jared ignored the comment and continued to look out the window.

Jackson noticed Johnny smiling in the rearview mirror. The boy obviously thought the comment was funny.

As the truck entered town off Highway 210, Jackson looked over at his son, who had his eyes closed, head tilted back, and mouth wide open. He was glad Jared was able to catch a catnap. When Jared was a baby, his parents would take him for quick joy rides in the car to put him to sleep. Nearly eighteen years later, the boy seemed to be just as susceptible. It seemed to never fail. Unless the boy was driving, he usually fell asleep during trips to town, or anywhere for that matter.

Jackson looked in the rearview mirror to see Johnny gazing straight ahead out the windshield. His eyes appeared fixed, like the boy was deep in thought. Jackson continued to glance at the boy’s reflection. He was going to insist that Johnny take a long nap when they got home.

Jackson noticed his exit up ahead and turned on his turn signal.

“Johnny, bud, you okay?” a concerned Jackson asked as he continued watching the boy in the rearview mirror. As Jackson began to move into the turning lane, he heard Johnny muttering something. Johnny’s eyes were open, but he appeared to be in a trance and saying something under his breath. Jackson continued to glance at Johnny, and then glance back at the road as he pulled onto the exit ramp.

“Bobby, man. Drop me off here. Not too close to the house,” Johnny said in a shallow, nearly inaudible voice, as he leaned forward. He was pointing out the front passenger window with his left hand right by Jared’s sleeping head.

Jackson watched the boy curiously as he slowed the vehicle, preparing to turn.

As Johnny withdrew his hand and leaned back, he began looking about the interior of the truck. While doing so, Jackson noticed the boy glance in the rearview mirror from the backseat, making eye contact with him. The boy’s mouth opened slightly as he slowly broke eye contact and looked out the side window of the truck. He sat there for a second while Jackson continued watching him, and then looked back up at the man in the mirror, giving him a halfhearted smile.

“So, how much do we gotta get?” Johnny asked Jackson, who was still trying to figure out what was going on. He had no idea if the boy realized he was not with anyone named Bobby.

“Well, um, how much of what, bud?” Jackson asked, as he pulled into the store parking lot.

“How much wood and stuff to fix the barn.”

“Oh, well, not much. There’s nothing too significant,” Jackson said in a relieved tone. “I’m sure the coyote actually got in through the front door of the barn. If there were too many large holes, the cooler wouldn’t keep the barn as cool as it does,” Jackson continued as the truck came to a stop.

By this time, Jared was snoring softly. “Let’s let him nap with the truck running while we grab the supplies,” Jackson suggested as he put the truck in park. Jackson met Johnny at the front of the truck and began walking to the front of the store. The heat was horrible. Immediately, Jackson felt his forehead being kissed with tiny beads of perspiration. “So, Bobby, he was your friend, right?” Jackson asked the boy as they walked closer to the entrance.

“Yea. Good guy,” Johnny replied in a reserved voice.

As Jackson looked at Johnny, the boy developed a look of suspicion. Jackson remembered Johnny briefly mentioning Bobby several days before, when they first met, but it was clear to the man that Johnny had no clue he’d been conversing with an imaginary Bobby only moments prior.

“So, did Bobby give you rides home often?” Jackson probed as the front doors of the hardware store automatically opened. The store expelled a scent of cut pine and other wood, and a cool, refreshing gust of air.

“Yea. He did.” Johnny stopped walking just three feet or so inside the store’s entrance. The boy’s nostrils were slightly flared, and his brows pointed toward the ground in an irritated manner. He seemed hesitant to follow Jackson any further into the hardware store.

Jackson, looking at Johnny from about fifteen feet in front of him on the lighting aisle, noticed the boy’s uneasy stature. “You coming?” He instantly recognized that his questioning was bothersome to the boy. With dark circles under his eyes and his haggard-looking complexion, the boy diverted eye contact. Judging by appearance alone, Jackson was certain that Johnny was in need of sleep.

“Yea,” Johnny said lowly as he placed his hands in his gym shorts pockets and looked toward the smooth, cement flooring. He stood still for a second more, and then walked toward Jackson.

Jackson noticed immediately the change in stance, and the way the boy carried himself. He decided then that the way he was going about getting the boy to open up was ineffective, and possibly even pushing him away. As Johnny walked up and stood next to the man, Jackson decided to make light of the situation.

“You all right? Or do you got shit britches too?” Jackson asked jokingly. Johnny laughed a little as he continued his downward gaze. “Hey, you all right?” Jackson asked as he leaned his head down in an effort to make eye contact with the boy.

“Was I talking about him or something?” Johnny asked. The boy’s expression was a combination of exhaustion, despair, confusion, and even irritation.

“No. Nah, I was just curious about your buddy is all.” Jackson stumbled through the words. He was under the impression that Johnny knew he was lying. “You know, Graye and I have both decided that we couldn’t be more happy having you here to help us,” Jackson said, trying to lighten the situation. “I won’t ask any more questions about anything. But just know that if you ever need to talk, I’m here. Deal?” Jackson asked as he literally watched the depressive posture of the boy lift.

“Deal,” Johnny said with an extremely sleepy smile.

“You know, you and Jared are gonna have to stop sneaking out at night and chasing girls once school starts. You got to be awake for class,” Jackson said jokingly as he turned to continue his quest for supplies.

“What?” the boy asked as he removed his hands from his pockets, following Jackson.

“Yea, I don’t think so,” Johnny finally replied. “So, what all do we need? I bet Jared don’t sleep too long,” Johnny continued as he followed Jackson.

“Well, we’ve got a couple projects. Patching the barn, and then we’re gonna make a simple cross for Sunny’s grave.” Jackson pointed in the direction of the lumber. The guys headed toward the extensive selection.

“Do you think Jared is gonna be all right? I know he really loved his dog. He told me all about her,” Johnny said with genuine concern in his voice.

Jackson looked at Johnny. The fact that he was concerned for Jared’s well-being, even though his own was so desperate, only reaffirmed to Jackson what kind of a person the young man was at core.

“Yea, Johnny. I think he’ll be fine. I think we’ll all be fine.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Tyler

Johnny

The family stood around Sunny’s simple cross, staring at the soft earth. Johnny’s deep appreciation for the strength of the family was stronger than ever. Sunny meant the most to Jared, yet the entire family united to comfort the boy. This was something Johnny had rarely witnessed, and had only mildly enjoyed during his time on earth. He felt as though he had experienced more support and love from the small time with the Everetts than he had in his entire life. This was only further motivation for him to embrace the help the family was attempting to give him. If he could only get his mind right he felt he would be the happiest boy in the world.

In the distance, the coyotes began their eerie cries. This irony seemed somewhat too much for Jared. He was clearly bitter toward the coyote that had taken Sunny’s life. He had informed his father and Johnny that if he were to see one of them anywhere near the farm, he was getting his shotgun out of his closet and blowing it away. As the coyotes continued calling, Jared excused himself and headed for the porch.

Johnny watched as his friend walked past him with his head down. Johnny assumed Jared needed time to himself. It had been a long day, and erecting a cross probably evoked a greater feeling of loss. As Jared walked to the front of the porch, he looked back at the family, still standing by the grave.

“Hey, Johnny. You wanna go to the basement?” Jared asked, looking back at Johnny.

“Sure thing, man.” The teen began jogging in the same direction and the two boys disappeared around to the front of the house.

Johnny was glad that Jared had asked him, yet he was somewhat surprised. Although Johnny wasn’t good with words, he hoped his presence offered at least some comfort to his friend during this difficult time.

Johnny had been able to take a nap after the guys had returned from town. He slept for two solid hours without a single nightmare. The nap was all the boy needed to reenergize.

As the boys made their way downstairs, Jared turned on the light and plopped down in the overstuffed recliner.

“Dude, you’re by far the coolest friend I’ve had in a long time,” Jared proclaimed as he looked at Johnny, much to the latter’s surprise as he had anticipated Jared wanting alone time rather than summoning him to play video games.

“Thanks, man. You too.” Johnny appreciated the way Jared and the rest of the family communicated and expressed feelings, but sometimes it made him feel awkward.

“Yea, so this dickhead, Tyler, is gonna be here Friday night. I’m half tempted to just punch that bitch right in the face. Just knock him smooth out,” Jared said as he made a fist with his right hand and punched the palm of his left.

Johnny sat down the in the other recliner. This was the second time that Jared had mentioned Tyler. There was obviously some bad blood there.

“Why is he coming here?” Johnny asked curiously.

“Mom and Pops have a crawfish boil every summer. They usually do it at the beginning of the summer, but this year has been too crazy. This Friday, all our damn neighbors, and some of Pops’ clients, will be here ’til like, eleven at night. Hell, maybe later. Tyler’s parents live about ten miles from here, and they’ve already said they’re gonna be here.” Jared had a scowl as he looked in the direction of the hardwood floor.

“What did Tyler do that you hate him so bad?”

“Look, dude, I’m not stupid. But the way I see things is different than how other people see things. Sometimes letters are backward, or even in the wrong place. It’s called dyslexia, and I can’t read very well.”

Johnny studied Jared’s facial expression. He could recognize that this information was something Jared found difficult to offer.

“Mom has worked really hard with me to keep me up to speed with the rest of my class, but I still go to a special class in the afternoons to make sure I don’t fall behind. Well, Tyler was supposed to be my bud. He was always over here, or he would drive us to town, or I would go to his house. I thought he was a cool guy.”

Johnny was certain by Jared’s expressions and body language, and the way his cheeks flushed red, that this wasn’t easy for him to discuss. He heard someone in the kitchen. Either someone had come in to grab something, or everyone had come in.

“Tyler was always asking me why I had to go in the afternoons. Finally, I just told him. That douchebag waited until we were in homeroom, and then he wrote on the blackboard for everyone to read.

Did you know Jared is a dyslexic tard?

But he turned the letters backward and some were upside down. I couldn’t believe he did that. He thought it was funny, but I didn’t go to school for two days, and when I did, I told him to fuck off every time he tried to apologize or even talk to me. It’s been a year, and I still hate that bitch.” Jared was glaring at the floor as he described his hatred for the boy who humiliated him.

“Dude, you’re not stupid. Probably one of the smartest guys I know. And if that asshole does show up, I’ll punch him in the damn face,” Johnny said as he realized how tormented Jared had been by the Tyler ordeal. Johnny had been made fun of in school most his life. He never had nice clothes, he never had money, and kids were cruel. He knew what it was like to be belittled publicly. The fact that this Tyler kid was supposed to be Jared’s friend made it even more despicable.

“Well, dude, that’s why you’re my bro,” Jared said, still looking at the floor.

“You too.”

***

Graye

Neither of the boys knew, but Graye was at the top of the stairs, listening to Jared’s story. The woman only caught the last part of Jared’s confession, but she was absolutely livid. The thought of that little bastard, Tyler, humiliating her son like that set her blood on fire.

As Graye listened from the top of the stairs, part of her wanted to barge into the basement and grab her son and reassure him how absurdly intelligent he was. She knew all too well that this would not produce the desired outcome of reassurance, and would only embarrass him in front of Johnny. Another part of her wanted to call Tyler’s mom up and give her an earful, but she understood this would only embarrass her son too. She understood the only thing she could do that was practical was vent to her husband, and be thankful Jared had such a great friend in his life. She was becoming increasingly thankful to have Johnny.