Summer Shadows (4 page)

“Sorry,” Jack said. He went happily back to smearing mac and cheese and ketchup around his plate in colorful designs.

Ron explain, “We aren’t moving, Dana. We’re just going there for the summer to fix the place up.”

He felt like adding,
Shut up, Dana, and eat. We’ll discuss it later, when Aunt Julia isn’t around.

But his sister was not adept at telepathy. In the crush of the last few days of school, and with growing accustomed to the new way of life, Ron thought she’d been slacking in her duties. No doubt it was time to remind her of what might happen should Aunt Julia be unable to provide them a home.

While he was thinking this, however, the conversation moved on.

“Why?” Dana asked, sniffing. “Why can’t we just stay here? I
like
it here.”

“Well, I like it too, honey,” Julia answered, still swiping at the ketchup on her shorts. “I just thought it would be nice for all of us to have a change of scenery and to get out of the city for a little while. I know that you were all disappointed when I told you we couldn’t do camps this year – well, this will be like going to camp, only longer and with all of us. I think it’ll be fun.” She turned and gasped. “Jack! We do
not
put cheese
or
ketchup in our hair.”

“Sor-ry!” he sang in reply.

“But what are we going to do up there?” asked Dana.

“Mom and Dad had an old house in New Hampshire,” Ron explained patiently. “We’re going to go up there to fix it up so we can sell it. Like on one of those reality shows that you like. You know – we’ll be giving it a makeover.”

“But we won’t be just working,” Julia added quickly. “There’s a lake up there for swimming, and a park, and a big yard for you to play in. We’ll have picnics and we can bring all of your bikes and swimsuits and lots of sparklers for the Fourth of July. But no video games or anything like that. I want you guys to run around in the sun and just live it up. It’ll just be a fun, old fashioned sort of summer, you’ll see.”

“But Colleen and I were going to do a lemonade stand together,” Dana protested. “We were going to raise money so that we could buy some cute little puppies.”

Ron saw Aunt Julia’s face fall. Dana had wanted a pet ever since she was six and her desire had only grown with time. Ron knew that Aunt Julia considered pets a luxury that they couldn’t afford, but still he couldn’t help wishing that they could give Dana her way. She was desperate for something to care for, and Jack was getting too big. Surely a pet mouse or a rat wouldn’t be too much to ask.

Julia said, “We’ll be back a few weeks before school starts. You can do your lemonade stand then.”

“But summer will be almost
over
! Colleen will already have enough money and she won’t want to
do
it anymore.”

“Well, I’m sorry, Dana, but I think that this is the best idea for all of us right now. I think we need a little time to get away, see someplace new, and get to know each other a little better. I know it doesn’t sound like it’ll be much fun, but I think you’ll be surprised at how fast the time goes by.”

Dana opened her mouth to protest again, but Ron gave her a gentle kick under the table. She stopped, gave him a look of hurt surprise, and closed her mouth again as she folded her arms and sat back in her chair. She was trying not to pout, as Ron had warned against earlier, but the effort was costing her.

Julia didn’t notice. She said, in her usual gentle tone, “We also need some time as a family, to sift through what we need to do next. The past few months have been difficult for all of us, but I think we’ve done very well. Now we have to take the next step. Since I don’t have to go to work, we can go away for a month or so, on the cheap. We’re going to have to spend very carefully now until I find another job.”

Dana looked at Ron, alarmed. “We don’t have any money?”

Julia was quick to respond. “No, we have money and we are going to be all right. You don’t have to worry about that. But we just may find that we don’t need
everything
that we have. Like, for instance, the Audi. We decided that we don’t need three cars and so we’re selling that one. That’s not too bad, is it?”

Dana was getting confused, but under Ron’s steady gaze, she was too polite to offer any kind of protest. “No. It isn’t.”

“This is sort of the same thing. If we can fix up the house and sell it, the money will buy me some more time before I absolutely have to get a job. Hopefully, there’ll be enough to put aside some for those summer camps next year. That would be good, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes!” Jack laughed, slapping both palms onto his tray. “Good! Very good!”

Julia smiled. “Good boy, Jack.
That’s
the spirit. Are you ready for a summer adventure?”

“Yes!” He brought both palms down into the mushy remains of ketchup and cheese.

“Eww, Jack! That’s gross!” Julia cried.

“No, it’s good,” he insisted. He grabbed a handful and shoved it at her. “See?”

“No, thanks, Jack, I’m full. Eat another chicken finger, okay?”

“Okay!” He took the chicken nugget that she offered him and dipped it in his unique mixture.

Then Julia looked at the two older ones. Dana was still leaning back against her chair with her arms folded, while Ron tried to stare her into submission.

“How about you guys?” she asked. “What do you think?”

Dana shifted and Ron nudged her with his foot. She frowned at him, and then turned to Julia.

“I think it’ll be fun,” she said, her tone flat.

“Thank you, Dana. You can bring out the box of cookies from the cupboard now, if you like.” Julia looked at Ron. “And you, Ron? Anything you want to ask me before we go? Anything I should know about?”

Ron looked down at his plate for a second, and then met her eyes. “I think it’s a good idea,” he said, sounding more confident than he was.

Julia blinked in surprise.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Dana came back in with the cookies, and Jack clapped with delight. After a few had been distributed, Ron asked, “When will we leave?”

“I’m thinking we could go as early as the Saturday after school is out. You’re out on Tuesday, Jack’s out on Wednesday, so that will give us a few days to finish packing and to shut down the house.” She crunched on a cookie thoughtfully. “We’ll have to remember to bring a lot of DVDs. We won’t have any cable up there.”

“How about computers?” Ron asked, alarmed.

She shook her head. “We can bring the laptop, but we’ll have to use the Wi-Fi wherever we can get it.”

Calmer, Ron said, “That’s fine. Whatever.”

“Who will stay here to watch the house?” asked Dana.

“My friend, Sherri, from the real estate office,” Julia said.

“She won’t go in my room, will she?”

“No, she won’t really be staying here – she’ll just stop by every once in a while to check up on things.” She looked around and sighed again. “Jack, we don’t put cookies in our hair either. I think it’s time you had a bath.”

“No!” Jack replied firmly.

Ron gestured to Dana and she jumped up. “I’ll do it, Aunt Julia,” she said, and hurried to gather Jack in her arms. “Come on, messy!”

Julia rose halfway from her seat to protest, then sat down again. She seemed disappointed, almost hurt.

“All right,” she called after them. “But remember – only a few inches of water in the tub.”

“I remember!”

Ron was clearing the table when Julia turned back around.

“Just you and me on clean up tonight?” she asked, smiling.

“I can do it, Aunt Julia. I know you’ve got a lot to do,” he said.

Her eyes clouded over again. “Not that much. I’ve got plenty of time now.”

“No, really,” he insisted. “It’s cool. I need to clear my head anyway before homework. I can handle this.”

Eventually, she gave in and left for the study. Ron made short work of the dishes, and then raced upstairs to where Dana was struggling to get Jack dressed.

“He won’t hold still!” Dana said, frustrated.

Ron plucked Jack from Dana’s grip and held him out in front of him. Jack protested by shouting, squirming, and kicking his legs, but his older brother had gotten very good at this sort of thing and was not about to let go.

“Now, listen here, you,” he said sternly. “Remember what we said? No trouble, right?”

Jack kicked in reply.

“Jack, do you want to sleep alone in your room tonight?”

That got his attention. Jack hadn’t slept alone since their mother had died. He always slipped out of his crib to curl up with Dana or Ron or, when the two older siblings didn’t catch him in time, with Julia. He would cling to them, sometimes dreaming dreams that would have him wake up sobbing. Sleeping alone was not an option for Jack. Even his ever-present Yellow Teddy was not enough to soothe his troubled sleep.

Eventually, he calmed down and let Dana put his night clothes on.

“Why do we have to go, Ron?” Dana whined. “I don’t want to leave this house. I don’t want to go away.”

“We have to go and get that other house ready to sell, Dana,” Ron said curtly.

“But why?”

“Because we don’t have any money to hire someone else, that’s why. Aunt Julia’s been
fired
, Dana. She doesn’t have any money coming in any more. If she can’t sell this house, she’ll be in real trouble, even if she does get a new job. Do you know how much it costs to keep two houses?”

“Do you?”

“No, but I know that it’s a lot and we can’t afford a lot.”

There was silence for a moment. Jack had caught on to the seriousness of the matter, and was listening carefully.

Dana asked, “What will happen to us if she can’t sell it?”

Ron looked solemnly at them both. “Well, the lawyer said that we couldn’t stay with her if she couldn’t take care of us, right? So, I guess they’ll take us away and give us to someone else. Maybe Gran and Gramp Budd, if we’re lucky.”

“But they
can’t,
” said Dana, panicking. “We belong with Aunt Julia – that’s what Mom
wanted
!”

Ron looked at her. “Then I guess we’re going to Franklin,” he said softly. “And make sure that we do everything that we can to get that house to sell, right?”

Dana sighed. “Right.”

“Shake,” Ron said.

They shook on it.

“And,” he warned, “I don’t want any more trouble out of you two, you hear? We are going to be the most helpful kids anyone’s ever seen, right?”

They shook on that, too.

4

T
he days passed quickly. Julia was busy job searching, preparing her resume, and arranging everything for their summer trip. She called the caretaker of the Franklin house, a woman by the name of Sheila O’Reilly. She was initially taken aback by the terse way the woman answered the phone, but Sheila’s tone softened when she realized who she was talking to. She had heard about Amanda and offered Julia her sympathy.

Julia thanked her, then asked her to open up the place for them.

Mrs. O’Reilly was happy to oblige. “The house is in need of a clean, I’m afraid. There was a leak during the winter, but my old man got it all patched up nice and tight for you, no problem. All the furniture’s still there, including some mattresses and stuff. Most of it was in good shape. Shall I call the electric company?”

“Please.”

“Sure, no problem. What number can I reach you at?”

Julia gave it to her, and Mrs. O’Reilly wrote it down, saying, “I’m glad to hear you say that you’re coming to fix the place up. It’s really a nice little house, and we’ve got a great neighborhood and a good school. It’ll be nice to have some new faces here.”

“I’m afraid we’re only going to be up there for the summer, Mrs. O’Reilly. I’m just coming to fix the place up to sell.”

“Oh? Well, you might change your mind. Franklin may be past one heyday, but we’re on our way to another. Anyway, I’ll open the place up for you and give you a call to let you know what I find.”

“Thank you,” Julia said.

A week before school got out, Julia went down the realtor’s to sign the final papers and hand over her keys to her condo. Sherri was in a very good mood that day, having sold three properties in a week.

“This is a great idea of yours,” she said, as Julia was trying to decipher the fine print on the contract. “Getting out of town for a few weeks is just what you and the kids need.”

Julia shuffled the papers noisily. “Thanks,” she said, hoping she’d take the hint.

Sherri didn’t. “I’m glad you took my advice. In fact, I’m so glad that I’m going to offer you another piece, free of charge.” She leaned forward, forcing Julia to look up from her paperwork. “Let me show the house for you while you’re gone.”

Julia was puzzled. “I already told you that you could, once we’ve gotten finished renovating it.”

“No, not Franklin. I’m talking about the Springfield place.”

“No. Absolutely not, Sherri. I told you, that is the kids’ home, and I’m not about to uproot them. They’ve been through enough.”

“But Julia, you have no idea of the market that’s opening up here. I’m telling you, with the right buyer, we could make a killing. You wouldn’t have to go back to work.”

“No.”

“All right, but think about this for a minute: Springfield’s building a new school next year. When that place gets built, they’re going to need more teachers, more computers, more supplies, more programs, and more buses. In the next few years, taxes on a place your size, which is too big for just for the four of you anyway, are going to go through the roof. Unless you really strike gold with the new job, you may not be able to afford it.”

“Sherri, stop,” Julia snapped.

Sherri clasped her hands together as if she was begging. “Please, Julia, let me at least show it. I’ll just put out some feelers, and see if there’s any interest. I won’t make any deals until you’re sure, but let me get some bids here at least, even if only just to satisfy my own curiosity.”

Julia relented, but with conditions. “I won’t agree to anything other than showings right now. And the kids are not to know, so wait until we’re gone before you post it.”

Sherri was more than happy to agree to the conditions. Julia left the office minus one condo, and with the suspicion that she had bitten off more than she could chew.

She cleaned the house from top to bottom, working until her arms felt like they were going to fall off. The children chalked her flurry of activity up to the summer vacation, and cheerfully volunteered to help.

Julia also began packing. She boxed up enough toys, games, DVDs, and books to see them through the month and stacked them by the doorway. She called the post office and the newspaper, and composed an email to all their friends, explaining their absence. It wouldn’t be sent until the day that they actually left Springfield, a detail that Julia thought important for the preservation of her family’s peace.

The Monday before they left, Julia sorted through their tools and bought two small tents, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, and a first aid kit.

Tuesday was the graduation, and Ron’s band played to great acclaim. On Wednesday, they sorted through clothing and discovered that new wardrobes were needed for everyone. Thursday was spent in various department stores, trying on clothes and trying not to lose tempers.

That night, Yellow Teddy disappeared. They made a frantic search for the little bear while Jack cried hysterically. Dana wore herself out trying to comfort him. Just when Julia was about to give up, Yellow Teddy was discovered wedged between Jack’s car seat and the wall of the minivan. Disaster was averted.

On Friday, they went to the grocery store and bought supplies and packed everything into the minivan. They discovered that there was room for everything but Jack and Dana. They took everything out, then resorted, repacked, and tried again, this time with slightly better results: they would have to leave only Dana behind.

Tired, sweating, and hungry, Julia decided that they would need only one tent. They put the other into the basement, along with one of the coolers and a 24-pack of soda, which she decided could be bought in New Hampshire.

Dana looked doubtful. “Will they have soda in New Hampshire?” she asked.

“Of course, honey. It’s not the wild, wild, west.”

“I thought it was a camp ground place. You know, like Uncle Tyler’s.”

“Uncle Tyler lives in a trailer park,” Ron sighed. “Not a camp ground.”

“We’re not going to a trailer park, Dana,” Julia said. “It’s a normal neighborhood, like here. I showed you the picture, didn’t I?”

“Yes…”

“Well, then, you know it’s a normal house, don’t you?”

The little girl shrugged. “I don’t know. It was hard to see. Mom and Dad were in the way.”

“Well, it will all be fine, I promise. We just going to another state, you know, not to Timbuktu.”

After dinner that night, they treated themselves to the rest of the ice cream from the freezer. Jack fell asleep in the middle of his sundae, and was so dead to the world that Julia was able to slip him into his crib without waking him.

When she tucked Dana in, the little girl said, “When will we be back, Aunt Julia?”

“By mid-August at the very latest, but maybe before then.”

Dana sighed and stroked her comforter. “I’m going to miss this house,” she said. “It’ll be lonely without us.”

Julia smiled softly and ran her hand along the child’s face. “It’ll be fine,” she said gently. “It’ll still be here when we get back, all rested and ready for some noise. Besides, my friend Sherri will be checking in on it, too, to make sure everything’s okay. It’ll be fine.”

Dana nodded, but she still looked troubled.

“Is there something else, Dana? Something you want to tell me?”

The little girl opened her mouth, and then an expression that Julia couldn’t identify crossed her face. Dana mouth snapped shut and she shook her head.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? We can talk about it. Sometimes that helps, you know.”

But she only shook her head again and buried herself deeper under the covers. “No, I’m okay. I’m just tired now.”

Julia hid her disappointment and kissed the little girl goodnight, taking a moment to stroke the child’s brunette curls.

“I love you, Dana,” she said softly.

Ron was waiting outside Dana’s door.

“I’ve checked the house,” he said. “All the doors are locked and everything’s all set for the night. You just need to set the alarm.”

“Thank you,” Julia said. Then, knowing that he wouldn’t be comfortable unless he watched her set the alarm, she went over to the panel and turned it on. Maybe it was because she was tired, or maybe it was because his steady gaze was distracting her, but whatever the reason, Julia punched in the wrong code and nearly set off the alarm in full mode. After a few seconds of frantic punching, she finally got it under control.

“Is there anything else that needs to be done before tomorrow?” Ron asked.

Julia sighed in relief. “I’ve got some last minute packing to do, but other than that, we’re good. Why don’t you get to bed early and rest up? Tomorrow will be a long day. Thanks for everything. You’ve been a real rock, you know.”

He nodded solemnly and padded off to bed.

Julia left her bedroom door open while she packed and put on one of her favorite old movies to keep her company. She was just about done when she heard Jack sobbing.

Jack was in the middle of his crib, rubbing his eyes and crying. Julia gathered him up with his blanket and Yellow Teddy and brought him into her room. She noticed Ron’s door silently shutting as she passed and was pleased that he would have an undisturbed night.

She deposited the sleepy little boy in her own bed and let him watch the movie while she finished the packing, laid out the next morning’s clothes, and got ready for bed.

Curled up together, both were asleep before the credits started to roll.

Julia figured the trip should take about three hours and ten minutes. Leaving at eight o’clock would allow them to get to Franklin in time for lunch, thus leaving the whole afternoon free for moving in and getting settled. Accordingly, she had the kids ready to go a half-hour before their start time.

Sherri was late getting to the house, of course. Julia thought she should have known better than to expect her to be on time for a job that did not include a sale. At 9:00 a.m. Sherri called to say that she was on her way. At 9:15, she was pulling in the driveway.

Sherri hopped out of her car, beaming. “Sorry I’m late! I had a breakfast meeting with one of my clients and she would not stop talking. Do you mind if we skip the walkthrough, and just hand over the keys? I’ve got another appointment in fifteen minutes.”

“Not at all,” Julia said. She pulled out the spare set and handed them to Sherri, along with a folded up sheet of paper with the passcode on it. “Thanks for looking after everything.”

“Well, it’s the least I can do. You’re doing me a favor, too, you know.” Sherri tucked the paper, unread, into her purse. “Have a great time in New Hampshire. I hear it’s really nice up there during the summer.”

“I hope so,” Julia said. “Thanks again.”

Sherri left. Julia and Ron walked through the house once more, checking everything before setting the alarm and locking the front door.

She glanced at her watch as they walked down the front steps to the waiting van.

“Nine-thirty,” she said. “An hour and a half late. Not a great start to our big adventure, but still, not as bad as it could have been.”

Ron waved to Mrs. Gouldman, who was watching them suspiciously. “Nope. Not as bad as it could be.”

They got in and strapped on their seat belts. Julia pulled out the list that she had left the night before on the dash board. “Okay, last minute check list. Do we have the map?”

“Check,” Ron said, waving it.

“GPS?”

“Check.”

“My purse?”

Ron sighed. “Check.”

“Yellow Teddy?”

“Yellow Teddy!” Jack shouted, waving him happily.

“Four bottles of water?”

“Check,” Dana said.

“Piles and piles of luggage?”

Ron rolled his eyes. “Definitely check.”

Julia folded the list. “And we have one driver who is in desperate need of some caffeine. Good. Let’s roll, guys.”

As they pulled out into the road, Julia spotted three faces turning towards the now deserted house. With wide-eyed sadness, they watched until the van turned a corner and the house disappeared from sight. She heard a collective sigh as they all settled back into their seats and composed themselves for the long journey. Even Julia felt something at the thought of the weeks it would be before they saw home again.

Even so, she couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement as they pulled out on to the main road. This was it. They were on their way.

Summer had begun.