Keeping the Tarnished (6 page)

Chapter Eleven

Mr. Hops

Graye

Graye hadn’t shown Johnny the things she had gotten him that day in town yet. There was never a good time to bring it up as Jared was always around. It was a delicate situation. As she thought about the circumstances in a practical manner, it didn’t make sense to give him the things now. That might give the message that they would like him to stay longer. Of course, this didn’t make sense. They didn’t know him, they didn’t know what he came from, and twenty-four hours ago they had never even heard of the name Johnny Tregalis. Now, this young man was playing basketball with her son out by the barn.

As she watched them play and goof around, showing off their rather sad moves, the impractical maternal sense kicked in. Where would he sleep? Would he be warm enough? Would he have enough to eat? All these questions which were heavy on her mind, and she had only known this boy for a day. The fact she had grown so fond of him so quickly was somewhat troublesome to the woman. Looking at the boys, carefree and happy, she couldn’t help but imagine Johnny becoming a permanent fixture at the residence, regardless of how crazy it sounded when she said it out loud.

“Momma, I want juice!” Bryce yelled as she came running into the kitchen. The request startled her mother, who had been in deep thought. Bryce had done exceptionally well at her piano lesson. Her mother had given her quite a bit of praise throughout the day, and it seemed to have fed her ego rather well.

“Okay, Miss Thing. You need to say please, and perhaps your request will be fulfilled,” Graye replied in a condescending tone.

“Pretty, pretty, pretty please!” the little girl said with a big smile as she looked up at her mother. Bryce was only four, but Graye knew the little girl understood how to work the system.

“Okay then. But only because you added that third pretty to your please.” Graye walked to the refrigerator. As she opened it to grab the orange juice, she heard Jared in the living room.

“Yea, man, I’ll be right out. I think it’s up in my room,” she heard her son say as he ran up the stairs. Bryce dashed off toward the living room.

“B, don’t bother your brother, he’s busy,” Graye said passively. She returned to the kitchen counter and poured the orange juice in Bryce’s Tinker Bell cup. “B, come get your juice.” As Graye called out, she believed the girl to be upstairs, bothering her brother. Jared was always patient with the little girl, but Graye knew her son didn’t always have the opportunity to simply goof off and be a guy with other guys his age because of their location. She wanted him to be able to enjoy his game in peace. She was also glad he was outside doing something, rather than being stuck in the man cave, playing games. Graye exited the kitchen in pursuit of her daughter. She walked through the living room and up the stairs to Jared’s room.

“Sweetheart, is Bryce not up here with you?” she asked her son, who was on his belly half way under his bed.

“Nah, Mom,” the boy replied from under the bed. “Hey, have you seen my air pump?” He asked as he began pushing himself backward from under the bed.

“Look in your closet,” Graye replied as she left the room. As she began her descent down the stairs, she heard her daughter’s voice on the front porch. Quietly she walked down the remaining stairs and made her way to the screen door, which Jared had left open.

“So, you don’t have a sister?” Bryce asked Johnny in an innocent voice. The two of them were sitting next to each other on the first step of the porch. Johnny was sweating and out of breath. He was wearing Jared’s old basketball shorts and a black t-shirt. A black t-shirt in this heat seemed absolutely miserable to Graye.

“Nope. No sister. I got a baby brother, though,” the boy said proudly as he looked at the little girl and smiled.

“Where is he?” The little girl was quite curious to learn more about this little brother. Johnny remained quiet for a few seconds.

“Well, that’s the thing, Bryce. I guess I’m not too sure where he is,” Johnny said with a smile. The little girl was obviously very confused.

“Is he with your momma?” she asked inquisitively.

“Yes he is. I imagine they’re havin’ a good ol’ time somewhere on the beach,” Johnny said as he looked at the girl again.

“Johnny, are you gonna stay here forever?” Bryce asked as she grabbed his hand and looked at him in a sweet and loving manner.

“I’m afraid not, I gotta get a job and all that other fun stuff you do when you grow up. But maybe I can visit you sometime, Bryce.”

The little girl gave him a disapproving look. “You are not a grown up. Jared doesn’t have a job. He goes to big kid school. Do you go to school?” the girl asked as if she were scolding him.

“Well, that’s a good question.” Johnny stared off out into the wooded area.

Graye wanted to interrupt before she asked anything else, but she had developed a lump in her throat from witnessing the interaction. She listened to the boy, knowing there was so much mystery surrounding his past. She wanted to know more, but asking up front wasn’t an option at this point. Luckily, Jared came barging by.

“I found it, Mom!” the sweaty teen said as he darted out the front door. Graye smiled as she watched Jared jump completely over his sister to the ground. “Let’s go, dude,” he yelled to Johnny.

“Go beat him!” Bryce said as she jumped up excitedly.

***

Johnny

The two boys returned to the barn to inflate the ball.

“Man, Pops should be back with that pizza here soon. I’m about to starve,” Jared said as he inserted the needle of the hand held air pump into the basketball and began pumping it to fill it up. Before Johnny could respond, the boys heard something odd. It was high pitched, like the sound made when letting air out of a balloon while pulling either side of the mouthpiece outward. The two boys raced to the side of the barn where the noise was coming from.

By a large, white, rusty, truck-bed tool box, which was surrounded by ankle-high weeds, was a small bull snake. It had a baby cottontail rabbit by the hind quarters and was attempting to coil around it, but the young rabbit was too energetic for the small snake to overpower immediately. The diamond pattern shimmered in the fading sunlight as the pair danced off for life.

“Let’s go, man. I don’t wanna see this,” Jared said as he turned to leave.

Johnny looked at the rabbit as it was tiring, and the snake was slowly gaining the advantage. It was a pathetic sight to watch the little animal suffer and struggle to live.

“Dude, we should help it. We gotta help it,” Johnny said as he stared sympathetically at the small rabbit.

“Man, its nature, let it be. It’ll stop squealing in a minute,” Jared replied and continued walking away.

“No,” Johnny said sternly. “It’s just a baby; the damn snake can go find a rat.” Johnny pushed Jared from his path and walked to the snake. He bent over and grabbed the snake at about its midsection, holding it out away from his legs. This was all that was needed to convince the snake to release its young victim. The bull snake viciously attempted to bite its capturer, but Johnny released the snake before it could bite him. The serpent was quick to exit the scene, but the young rabbit was not.

“Well, look at you,” Jared said as he walked up to examine the shocked little rabbit. “Looks like you rescued Mr. Hops, the luckiest damn rabbit in the world.” The small rabbit was lying on its side, panting heavily. The tail end of the small animal was slightly dampened, and there was a small amount of blood. From first glance, it appeared that any wounds were superficial, yet the small rabbit wouldn’t move. Johnny sat down in the grass beside the tool box and watched the rabbit, hoping with all he had that it would recover.

“The little guy is traumatized,” Jared said as he stood over Johnny with the basketball resting between his right forearm and his hip. “He’ll be okay once he figures his head out,” Jared continued as he squatted down next to Johnny.

Those words resounded loudly in Johnny’s mind,
He’ll be okay once he figures his head out
. How true that was. Everything would be okay somehow if Johnny could just figure his head out. Regardless of where he was or the surrounding circumstances, he would most certainly be able to endure if he didn’t suffer mental setbacks.

“Well, I don’t just wanna leave him out here while he’s like this,” Johnny said as he reached over and gently picked the rabbit up with his right hand. The exhausted rabbit offered no resistance as Johnny brought it closer to his chest and used his left hand to get up off the ground.

“Dude, I gotta old shoebox upstairs. Mr. Hops in the house! I’m gonna go grab that box,” Jared yelled back to Johnny as he began running toward the house.

By that time, Graye was walking to the barn to let the boys know that Jackson had called and was headed back with the pizza.

Johnny watched as Jared ran by her without acknowledgement.

She turned and watched as her son ran up the porch stairs and through the front door. She pursed her lips in curiosity as she continued walking toward the barn. Johnny was cradling the small animal with his right hand, holding the rabbit to his chest, and lightly petting it with his left. He wondered if she would disapprove of his heroic efforts.

“What do you have there?” Graye asked, smiling as she approached the boy.

“I guess his name is Mr. Hops,” Johnny answered, smiling. “You can thank your son for the name.” He was happy as he looked at the young rabbit, continuing to pet it lightly.

“What happened to Mr. Hops?” Graye asked as she moved closer for a better look.

“A bull snake had him. I couldn’t let it eat him. He’s too little. I think he just needs a little help, and he’ll be good to go.” Johnny moved his left hand so Graye could have a better look at the little creature.

“Johnny, that is very kind of you. This little fella has no idea how lucky he is.” Graye smiled at the rabbit, but Johnny was sure he noted a hesitant look of apprehension about the woman’s face as she eyed the small varmint.

“Oh, I bet he does, ma’am. I bet he’s said thank you a million times and I just don’t hear it,” Johnny said as he began petting the rabbit again.

“Johnny, I’m glad to have you here. I just want you to know that,” Graye said as she looked at the boy, who was now looking at her too.

“Thank you, ma’am. I’m real thankful you guys have been so nice. I want you to know I really do appreciate you feedin’ me and letting me stay here last night,” Johnny said as Graye began to smile.

“I know you do, Johnny. You’re a very sweet boy.” Graye reached out and placed her hand lovingly on the boy’s shoulder.

“Here’s that box!” Jared yelled out as he came running up to his mother and Johnny.

Chapter Twelve

Duty Call

Graye

Graye was loving every minute of it. She and Bryce were upstairs trying out a new recipe she found for no-bake cookies while the guys were downstairs enjoying their impromptu pizza and video game party. The kitchen was cluttered with oats, cocoa, almond pieces, and other various ingredients scattered about the countertop.

The basement stairs were on the opposite side of the kitchen, across from the laundry room. Graye could hear all the ridiculous ramblings from below. She loved listening to the boisterous laughter and the funny banter that took place among a group of guys. There was no doubt about it; they were having a great time.

“Is Mr. Hops gonna be better tomorrow?” asked little Bryce.

Mr. Hops was currently residing in the laundry room in the shoebox. Graye and Jared helped Johnny fashion a makeshift haven for the small animal. The laundry door was shut so the rabbit was not subjected to the constant ruckus from the guys downstairs.

“I’m sure Mr. Hops will be just fine,” Graye replied as she handed Bryce a chocolate wooden spoon to lick. Graye was moved by Johnny’s desire to help the small animal. She thought it was sweet that he wanted to care for it. She had made up her mind after talking to Jackson that she was going to give him the clothing items she purchased him. This was partly because she had washed the clothes the boy had brought in the filthy book bag, and she had placed them neatly in a black trash sack in the garage.

Jackson emerged at the top of the stairs and stepped into the kitchen wearing his plaid pajama pants and a gray t-shirt.

“Hey, hun, you having fun playing with the kids?” Graye asked sarcastically as Bryce continued to lick the wooden spoon her mother have given her.

“A blast. How’s Hops?” Jackson was smiling as he walked to the sink to get a glass of water.

“He is just dandy. I’m sure he is ready to be free and happy,” Graye replied as she walked behind her husband and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him from behind. Jackson reached for cabinet door and opened it.

“So, what are you thinking?” Jackson asked his wife as he reached for a glass.

“Well, a lot,” Graye replied. Her face was pressed against the back of Jackson’s shirt, so her response was rather muffled. She released her husband, exhaled forcefully, and walked briskly to the laundry room, opening the door. She anticipated her husband to follow so that they might converse in private while little Bryce was preoccupied with her spoon.

The man walked in with a peculiar look on his face, clearly wondering what his wife was going to say.

“I am afraid I’m getting too attached, I’m afraid we’re sending him mixed signals, then there’s this crazy side of me that—well, Jackson, we barely know the kid, but I just feel this overwhelming responsibility for his well-being.” Graye had her arms crossed, staring at her husband, as she searched his facial expression for some reassurance or an answer.

“You’re so beautiful. Even in pajamas with your hair all messy. You’re just so damn perfect,” Jackson replied.

“Jackson. Hello,” Graye snapped, clearly anticipating an entirely different response.

“I think we should take it day by day. I don’t know what to think, actually. I like the kid. I’ve liked having him here. I know Jared dang sure likes him. I just wish we knew more about him,” Jackson said as he gave his wife a half smile.

“I just…I heard him and Bryce talking today—”

“Wait, do you trust him with Bryce?” Jackson asked his wife in a serious tone.

Totally taken aback by the question, Graye looked at her husband completely bewildered as to why he would even ask. “Yes. Yes of course I do. It’s…its strange because I hardly know him, but I feel like I trust him with everyone, if that makes any sense at all.” Graye said as she stared at her dryer.

“Yes, it does. It makes perfect sense. That’s why I’m saying we should just take it day by day,” Jackson said as he lifted his wife’s chin with his right hand.

“That’s what is bothering me, Jackson,” Graye replied as she looked at her husband. “Do you have any idea how scared he must be? He has no clue if we are going drop him off somewhere tomorrow, or if he is going to have a place to sleep a week from now. The…well, just the amount of stress that entails is just unfathomable for a kid that age. If it were Jared—” Graye stopped speaking as she felt her eyes swell with tears.

“I get it, babe. I didn’t know what you were thinking completely, and I didn’t know how to bring it up. It’s all happened so quickly. And no, we don’t know him that well yet, but it has only been one day, and why would he open up to us if he thinks this is temporary?” Jackson asked as he looked at his wife, who was beginning to smile. They could still hear the two boys’ laughter from the basement. “Let’s try it out. He can work with Jared out here. We can clean out the room he’s staying in, and we’ll see how it works out. If it doesn’t work we have options, but there’s no harm in trying it out,” Jackson said as he pulled his wife in for a hug.

“I never thought in a million years I would be open to taking a homeless, bus-stop boy into my house a day after my husband brought him home.” Graye welcomed her husband’s embrace. He smelled of bath soap, laundry detergent, and deodorant. She inhaled deeply through her nostrils as she felt an uncontrollable smile fall across her face.

“So, we can keep him?” Jackson asked, chuckling, as he began to sway slightly back and forth with Graye in his arms.

“Um, he’s not a dog,” a little voice chimed in from just outside the laundry room door as Bryce poked her head around the doorframe with a chocolate smile.

The couple began to laugh. It was settled. At least for the time being, Johnny had a roof over his head.