The Underdog Parade

by Michael Mihaley

  Josh started securing the ark to the trailer, and Mr. James lowered the drawbridge of a door.

  The ark was loaded with boxes of dry goods and fishing poles, all the stuff Josh had prepared for the flood. He suggested that the dogs sit in the cabin, pointing at the two cats lying on a blanket at the back of the ark.

  “Good idea,” Mr. Terry said.

  Mr. James assisted Uncle Herb up the ramp. CJ followed.

  “I lost my lasso, Mr. James,” she said.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, dear. You sit next to your uncle, lock his wheels in place and hold onto his handles in case we hit any bumps.”

  Peter jumped into the bed of the truck and looked up and down the street. Homes and the Pine Barrens blazing one way, the burning pavilion and a line of abandoned and angry cars the other way.

  “How’re we getting out of here?” Peter asked.

  “Are you doubting, young Peter?” Josh said, as he finished securing the last strap of the ark.

  “No.” He wasn’t. He actually felt better now that Josh was back.

  Mr. James took the wheel, and Mr. Terry accompanied him in the cab, pushing the barking dogs to the center of the seat. CJ sat in the ark, holding the handles of Herb’s wheelchair. Peter stood in the truck bed with Josh.

  “Take it slow,” Josh said.

  They had rolled only a couple of feet down Ranch Street before Josh yelled stop. Peter looked over the side to see the old smoking lady, the one who had recited the Bible verse, clanking her walker down the driveway of her friend’s house.

  “Get in,” Josh ordered.

  She was dressed in the same floral jacket but had a red kerchief covering her head now instead of the sun hat. Behind her thick glasses, she took in the sight of Josh standing in the ark, hooked up to a truck, and the collection of faces staring back at her.

  She shook her head no.

  All Peter could taste was smoke.

  “Please come with us” Josh said calmly, while all the other faces around held a picture of urgency and impatience.

  “What business of it is yours?”

  Josh smiled. “Everyone’s leaving, if you haven’t noticed.”

  “Don’t be a smart ass.”

  “Come,” Josh said and waved her over.

  “You can sit here.” Mr. Terry said, opening the passenger door and pushing the yapping dogs off his lap and away from the window. He coughed. “Isn’t this air bothering you?”

  “Not in the slightest,” she said.

  The smoking lady turned and started up the walkway to her house. She turned and said, “Henry would have loved this excitement.” She looked at the burning Pine Barrens and homes. “Wait until I tell him about this.”

  “We have to go,” Josh told her.

  She waved them off and slowly headed back to her home. She shouted back at them, “And if you are going to try to put that piece of crap in the water, put a life preserver on the cripple, will ya? Or else it’s like drowning kittens.”

  The truck slowly rolled forward in the direction of the pavilion.

  “Tell me again why we are heading toward an explosive fire with no way out by car, much less a truck with a trailer?” Mr. James asked through the small, back window of the cabin.

  Josh laughed. “Have faith, brother.”

  Peter couldn’t help but think again that while everyone had a sense of urgency and panic to them, Josh seemed to be having fun.

  The truck moved at a walking pace. They had to move slowly for several reasons—Uncle Herb and CJ in the ark, poor visibility and maneuverability, and people were running randomly into the street not paying attention.

  Then the truck came to a complete halt again and Mr. James pressed on the truck’s horn.

  “Dad!” Peter heard someone yell. “Dad!”

  Through the smoke, Peter saw a boy standing on the side of the road. He had a backpack strapped to him and was holding a small suitcase.

  “Josh! Stop!” Peter climbed over the side of the truck and for the second time in his life, approached Chipper head on rather than run away.

  The Pond at Hole Number Eleven

  Chipper sat in the back corner of the ark on four unwrapped cases of baked beans. It hadn’t taken much persuasion from Peter for Chipper to join them. As Chipper told Peter how he was separated from his father in the rush, Peter thought for the first time his enemy looked more like a “Kenneth” than a “Chipper”—a scared and alone “Kenny,” even. Peter promised he would help him look for his family once the fires were under control.

  “I’m sorry, Ne—Peter,” Chipper whispered before Peter yelled to Josh that he was staying on the ark with his uncle and sister.

  Before they reached the next piling of cars, Josh yelled for Mr. James to turn off the road. “Hold on,” he warned, and Peter held the grips of Uncle Herb’s wheelchair securely, taking a second to glance down and make sure the tire brakes were in locked position. The truck, followed by the trailer and the ark secured to it, hopped the curb, and the wheels tore at the dry grass underneath.

  Between two of the homes, Josh pointed and shouted to enter the golf course.

  Mr. Terry leaned out the passenger window. “But there’s a fence!”

  “But we have a truck!” Josh yelled back.

  Mr. James turned his head as he drove, and through the open, rectangular rear cab window Peter saw a slight smile appear on his face. He tightened his grip to the wheelchair and tried to balance his body as much as he could through the bouncing. He remembered how Josh taught him to let his legs be the power, from lifting heavy things to throwing a punch. CJ kneeled next to the wheelchair, gripping Herb’s forearm. The truck picked up speed, and the fence bounced away, but the collision was jarring enough that Uncle Herb started falling out of the wheelchair. It was CJ who grabbed and held on; if Peter had let go of the wheelchair, there surely would have been more problems. Uncle Herb helped right himself and smiled. He told CJ that she didn’t need her lasso. She was a hero without one.

  The group drove slowly over the hills and fairways of the golf course. The air started to clear as they drove deeper into the golf course. There was something calming about finally being off of Ranch Street even though they were still surrounded by fire. Peter turned around and saw flames coming through the windows of his home.

  “It’s over there,” Josh said, pointing to the pond at hole eleven, the place where Josh had skinny-dipped and scared the geese.

  They drove across greens and around hole flags and patches of fire. When they reached the pond, Mr. James turned the truck around and revved the engine.

  “Here we go,” Josh said quietly.

  The trailer tires splashed into the water as the truck moved slowly in reverse into the water.

  “Go as far back as you can, James,” Josh said.

  The trailer sank into the water. When the water level was almost as high as the top of the truck’s tires, they stopped. Josh started unstrapping the ark.

  “Everybody in.”

  Mr. Terry handed the dogs over to Peter, then stepped on the tire that was just above the water level and climbed from the back of the truck to the ark. Chipper held out his hand to help on the last step.

  Josh flipped the last of the straps into the back of the truck.

  “All right, here’s the true test. Go ahead, James, slowly.” He reached over and tapped the top of the truck’s cabin.

  The truck and trailer moved forward. When the ark was completely freed, it slowly started to wobble and tilt as it drifted backward toward the center of the pond. Mr. James turned off the truck, quickly took off his shoes and rolled up his pant legs and climbed aboard.

  “C’mon, baby, a little further,” Josh said.

  They were headed in the right direction, but Peter felt like he was on escalator going down.

  “Uh, maybe we should get Herb to higher ground,” Mr. James said.

  The boat sank low enough for Mr. Terry to start paddling with his hands.

/>   “A little further,” Josh said, urging his ark. It was a race against time.

  Then the boat scraped and hit bottom with a thud, not in the center of the pond but close enough. Not a drop of water seeped over the sides.

  Everyone cheered.

  * * *

  The immediate danger was gone. The air was cleaner here. The group sat in silence and watched the fire engulf the homes of the Creek. In the evening, the flames lit up the sky. Peter heard the distant shouting of people and sirens. CJ placed one pillow behind Uncle Herb’s back, then sat on another one next to him. Chipper quietly pet the two cats at his feet.

  Mr. Terry was on spark watch, ready to sweep off any burning embers that floated onto the ark. None did. The air was still smoky at times but manageable in the open space of the golf course.

  Josh stood and handed Peter a fishing pole.

  “You like sushi?”

  “I don’t know,” Peter said. “Are there fish in here?”

  “I doubt it.”

  They fished until it was completely dark, catching nothing and saying little. Peter didn’t care.

  “You were right, Josh,” Peter finally said. “The ark saved us. You did it.”

  Josh shook his head. “No, young Peter,” he said, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips as he looked into the dark waters surrounding his creation. “We did it.”

  “Osh,” Uncle Herb said.

  When Josh turned around, Herb struggled to say something to him. Everyone patiently waited until he finished. Chipper hung outside of the group but showed interest in the conversation. It was the most Peter ever heard his uncle speak in public. He was pretty sure Josh understood, but just in case, CJ repeated her uncle’s words.

  “He said, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

  “Is that from the Bible?” Josh asked.

  Herb nodded.

  Josh thought about it for a second, then turned back around and lit his cigarette. “Maybe I should read more.”

  Everyone laughed at this, even Chipper.

  As they grew tired, some tried to find comfortable sleeping arrangements. Peter couldn’t stop taking it all in, like the time they saw the sunrise together: the homes burning, the silhouettes of the ark’s passengers, the sirens and the sound of a helicopter in the distance. All of this will make a great list, he thought.

  The End of Summer

  “Things I Like/Don’t Like About Our New Apartment”

  A List by Peter Grady”

  Like:

  I’m not surrounded by gates to make me feel like a zoo animal anymore.

  There is a 7-Eleven across the street—had every Slurpee flavor already.

  CJ made a friend who lives in the complex—Juliana.

  Dad and I played catch four times so far, and he told me I can get a phone for my birthday.

  Don’t Like:

  Dad never stays the night anymore.

  There is only one bathroom, and the place is too small for Uncle Herb to sleep over, Mom said.

  No one is my age in the apartment complex.

  I miss seeing Josh, Mr. Terry, and Mr. James every day—a lot.

  “CJ! Hurry up! I want to walk Peter to the bus stop on the first day.”

  Abby was running around the kitchen trying to make lunches for the kids, making sure they had everything in their backpacks from the back-to-school checklist. She was trying not to be too hard on herself, but she was already falling back into her old ways again—the prefire Abby. The headless chicken running around. She told herself that it was only because it was the first day of school, and they had barely unpacked in their new apartment—that her mind was clear and her focus was where it should be now. There was just a lot of unpacking, rather unwrapping, to do. Everything they had was new—the fire had burned their old house to the ground. Abby didn’t mind that part too much. It really felt like a true fresh start. She looked out the front window. She had a surprise for the kids on the first day of school, but it wasn’t there yet.

  Peter looked in the bathroom mirror one last time before heading to breakfast. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was forgetting something. Then he realized what it was. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t have the jitters about going to school, the fear of being the fish out of water—laughed at, ignored or worse. He knew people would at least know who he was now, as it was his second year in the district. Plus, it didn’t hurt that the news ran a story with a picture of the ark and everyone who was on it. Peter was front and center.

  Abby kissed Peter on the top of his head as he sat down at the kitchen table.

  “You are getting more handsome by the day,” she said. “And you grew so much this summer. Dr. Gold thinks that was the reason you were having the seizures; you outgrew the medicine.”

  Peter hoped that was the case, but he wasn’t going to worry about it. The new medication was working fine. What was the worst that could happen? He would have a seizure in front of all the kids at school? Been there, done that.

  CJ came into the kitchen fidgeting in a new dress. “Do I really have to wear this thing? Juliana isn’t wearing a dress to school.”

  “Juliana this, Juliana that,” Peter joked. He was still getting used to not having CJ shadow him all day.

  Abby put plates of pancakes in front of the kids when a van pulled into the parking spot in front of their apartment. “I have a surprise for you guys,” she said.

  “Uncle Herb!” CJ shot out of her seat and ran to greet him at the front door.

  Peter watched as a smiling Uncle Herb navigated his motorized wheelchair along the walkway with a scowling Maria trailing behind. He waited for his turn to hug his Uncle. Herb had left for his group home the day after a fire truck discovered the ark and its passengers on the golf course. The confused stares on the faces of the firemen as everyone on the ark waved to them made Peter smile every time he thought about it. Too much excitement here, Uncle Herb had told Peter with a smile when he left. Peter had missed his presence instantly. He held his hug a beat longer than usual.

  Maria stood in the doorway. The small apartment was a serious downgrade from their gated community, but she noticed it didn’t seem to bother the family too much. Actually, they seemed surprisingly relaxed. Even the little girl (in a dress!) didn’t have that edge to her—and the lasso was nowhere in sight! The love they had for her Hoobie was obvious—which made what was about to come a little easier.

  Abby stood behind Herb and faced the children. “So, your father and I have been talking.”

  Peter’s heart suddenly sank. Here it comes—what he had been waiting for—why dad never slept over. How could his Mother do this to him on the morning of the first day of school?

  “As we look at new houses, we are looking at homes with at least four bedrooms, because . . . Uncle Herb is moving in with us!” Abby said, and after the kids cheered, she couldn’t resist joining with a spirited yet awkward, “Yoo-hoo.”

  Uncle Herb smiled. Apparently he had been in on the plans, because he showed no sign of surprise. What Abby did leave out to the kids though was if Nick would be joining them in their new home. That was still something they were working through, but it was hard not to notice the change in Nick since the fires. He was trying. But Abby needed time with this. It couldn’t hurt for Nick to work hard at something else other than his job.

  “There is a second part to the surprise. This came in the mail yesterday,” Abby said. She grabbed a box from behind the couch and handed it to Peter. He didn’t recognize the name or address on the return label. Inside was a card, a bag of marshmallows for CJ, and a blue-and-orange baseball hat for Peter. The card read:

  Dear Peter and CJ,

  Thank you for lighting up our lives! Can’t wait to see you at our housewarming party—as soon as your mother finds us a house!

  Mr. James & Mr. Terry

  P.S. I bought Mr. Terry the same hat, Peter, but he said his baseball days are over after playing catch with
you that day. His shoulder still hurts. :) J

  Peter smiled remembering that catch. It seemed so long ago now. That memory was replaced in his head by a more recent one of Mr. Terry washing the ash from his face with bottled water the second day on the ark, as Mr. James joked with him to use the water from the pond because goose poop was good for the pores. That was just hours before they were rescued.

  “They want us to move to the East End with them. Mr. Terry has a lot of friends who live and work out there, and Mr. James is looking for a place to set up a private practice. They seem very happy and asked me to be their real estate agent,” Abby said. “But I know that has a lot more to do with you guys than me.”

  “I miss them,” Peter said.

  “I promised to bring you guys out as soon as everyone is settled. And of course, they asked for you, Herb. You will go, right?”

  Uncle Herb shook his head yes.

  “We should go, Hoobie,” Maria said softy from the back of the room, and Abby seemed startled, as if she had forgotten someone else was there.

  “Oh, yes, I’m sorry, Maria. You got to get to work, and Peter, we should go find your bus stop—”

  But something was itching Peter. “Has anyone seen Josh?”

  A sad look came over Abby’s face. “I tried, Peter. Mr. James and Mr. Terry said they didn’t have a number for him, and Mrs. Keeme never returns my calls. I would have loved to invite him over, but he sort of disappeared as fast as he appeared.”

  “That’s Josh,” CJ said, cleaning up the syrup on her plate with her last piece of pancake.

  * * *

  The first day of school was pretty much what Peter had expected. He had difficulty finding his classes and opening his locker, but so did half the other students. He fit right in. A couple of the kids mentioned the story in the paper to him, but their minds were so lost in the confusion of school that the conversation just floated away. The one person who was talking about the fires and the ark was Chipper. Several times in the hall and in the lunchroom, Peter saw Chipper holding court, telling other students, even older ones, how he survived the burning of Willow Creek Landing. In the parts that Peter overhead, Chipper never mentioned who he was with—in fact it sounded like the battle was just Chipper versus nature, but Peter was okay with that. Especially after the first time they made eye contact in the hall. Chipper nodded to him, which Peter was cautious to return at first but slowly did. He knew then that there was an understanding there. Peter no longer had to fear Kenneth Kassel Jr.