“Give the girl her binoculars and let’s go,” Mr. Charles suggests to Stiles. Stiles looks at him in frustration. Then, figuring that there is nothing else to do, hands Jen the glasses and begins to walk over to the truck saying nothing more. The guard follows.
“Let’s go kids. I’m sorry about all this,” Mr. Charles apologizes. “They keep thinking something is wrong or missing, and they just can’t figure out what it is.” Then he looks at me and says, “that’s enough of that, son.”
I quickly remove my hand from Kylie’s shoulder. “If it’s okay sir, I’ll just walk home from here.”
“Sure. Go ahead if you want,” and he turns to head back to the truck.
Kylie spins around and looks into my eyes. “Bye Tyler. See you next week on the way to school?” Then she walks away.
I start to say goodbye, but “Ow!” comes out of my mouth as Jared walks by and punches my arm. “Hey!” I shout.
“You know what that’s for,” he reminds me, nodding towards his little sister as he heads for the truck.
“Leave them alone!” Jen calls back to him making her way down, glasses in hand. “Bye Ty,” she waves back at me.
After they all climb in, the truck backs around and in another minute I’m alone. It’s a relief, and I finally relax.
As I walk down from The Hill towards the path home, I pass the shelter and decide to take a look inside. There are the chairs we had sat in the night before, just as we had left them, but nothing else. I get down on the sandy ground and feel around for the flashlight. Nothing. I head down the path towards home.
The late afternoon sun is hot as I plod along slowly. There isn’t really any hurry. Dinner won’t be for a while, and it gives me time to think things through. I round the corner of the path that brings the train siding and huge gate into view. I notice somebody sitting there with their back against the fence. As I get closer I can see who it is.
“Gramps?” I ask, startling him. He jerks a little bit and then slowly gets to his feet.
“Hey Tyler. I was just resting a little before I finish the trek home. So that was you at The Hill?”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, well I was just leaving when I heard a vehicle coming down the lane. I couldn’t tell who it was so I just got out of there before I saw something I didn’t want to see.”
“What were you doing at The Hill?”
“Looking for this.” He pulls the flashlight out of his pocket. “I came out here after I finished working on my bike just to see if we were right about it falling out of your pocket last night.”
“Well, am I glad you did!” I say with an exuberant smile, taking the flashlight and turning it over. I unscrew the base to look inside. The envelope is still there. “Want to see?” I ask him.
“Sure I do,” he replies, “but if that stuff is as light as you say, we should probably wait until we get back to the house. Don’t want to take any chances at this point.”
He is right of course, so I screw the base back on and stuff the flashlight into my pocket. Then, patting it for assurance every so often, I tell Gramps about the tour of the shiff as we slowly head home.
We All Take a Look
Memorial Day. The last holiday of the school year, and in a couple more days, summer break. I have a good feeling about this summer. It helps to be turning sixteen and finally getting my driver’s license. June 13th can’t come soon enough. As I lie in my bed, I make plans for cruising. Gramps said he’d even let me take his bike out for a ride, “If you can earn enough money for the gas,” he had said with a grin.
I think about yesterday’s walk home from The Hill. We didn’t get a chance to look at the stuff from the shiff when we got home. Mom, Dad, and Earl were here so the time was never right.
I look over at the flashlight on the table by my bed and feel like I want to keep it a secret, even from Gramps. It makes me kind of nervous to think that that captain guy is watching us. A part of me wants to give it back and just be a kid for the summer. Just one more summer.
There is a soft knock at my door and it opens slowly. Dad pokes his head through. “Hey buddy,” he greets me gently when he sees I’m awake. “How about giving me a hand with the hy-gens today?”
That’s his way of telling me it’s time to get up. “Sure,” I respond sleepily. As he closes the door it strikes me how different he and mom are. She just barges in and tells me what to do. He coaxes me into doing stuff. Gramps just lets me do whatever. It’s not easy living in a house with three grownups. As I get ready for the day, I think about Jared for a minute. It can’t be easy having just one parent either.
Dad and Gramps are sitting at opposite ends of the kitchen table, sipping coffee and checking the news, Dad on his laptop and Gramps with a printed paper opened so that it covers his face. Printed papers are scarce these days. Gramps gets this one delivered from Albuquerque. The two of them would make an interesting study in generational lifestyles. People seem to like to stay with what they’re familiar with. Gramps drops the corner of his paper to give me a wink to say good morning then goes back to reading.
“Where’s Mom?” I ask, looking at the clock on the microwave; 10:40 already?
“She wanted to take a run over to your uncle’s trailer to see how he’s doing,” Dad replies without looking up from the laptop. “Then she has to go to work. Somebody called in sick and they need her to cover.”
“She’s always working,” I say dolefully. It seems to me that she is gone more and more lately. I cross over to the cupboard to find a breakfast snack.
“I know. I miss her too,” Dad says sadly. “I was hoping we’d be able to spend some time together. I’m going on the road again tomorrow, for three days this time, to make sure the El Paso feed is ready. Sometimes I hate my job,” he finishes under his breath.
I can see him from the fridge where I’m getting some milk to dunk the breakfast snack in. He is staring out the kitchen door. It almost looks like he’s hoping she will walk in. I quietly take a seat between the two older men to eat.
A few minutes pass before Dad closes his laptop. “Well,” he says like it’s just another day, “time to make the rounds. Join me when you’re ready,” he says to me.
He’s quickly out the door like he’s trying to hide something. I stare into my almost empty glass. The kitchen feels cold, though I guess the temperature is about seventy-five degrees. Maybe a better word would be empty or lifeless. I don’t know. It’s just that way when Mom isn’t around. And the way Dad sounded just now makes it seem even emptier. I think about Jared and Kylie. They must feel this way all the time.
“You know,” Gramps begins as he folds his paper to lay it down, “sometimes it’s difficult for married people to find enough time together, but it’ll work itself out.” Apparently he’s been watching me and guessed my thoughts. “Your parents love each other very much.”
“Then there’s nothing wrong?” I worry out loud.
“No,” he calmly reassures me. “Your parents are committed to each other. I spoke with them a long time ago, just before they got married. I asked them, “Are you prepared to see this through to the end?” They both told me they were. And then I asked again just to make sure. They’ll be okay, Tyler. It’s just part of being married. You take the downs with the ups.”
Somehow I don’t feel comforted. “What happened to you and Grandma?” I inquire hesitantly. It is a question I have wanted to ask more than once, but it isn’t a subject that comes up often or easily. He pauses for a minute before answering. A sad reflective look crosses his face.
“Your grandmother and I couldn’t work things out. It wasn’t her fault,” he adds quickly. “I was the one who was absorbed with my job back then. I loved my job and felt I was doing something important, and I wouldn’t compromise.”
“Who did you work for back then?” I ask, wondering if he’d tell me this time.
He looks at me questioningly like maybe he isn’t sure I can handle it. Then he looks down at
the table and speaks as if he is revealing secrets. “I worked for an intelligence sub-contractor.” Then he looks at me from under his bushy eyebrows. “But don’t share that information with too many people, okay?”
“Okay,” I agree. Suddenly I see my grandfather in a whole new light. Two years ago, when he had moved in, I didn’t know him at all, and until now he’s only revealed small parts of his life to me. This is so cool! It also seems I understand my mom a little bit more too. This may be one reason why she is so straight forward and “by the book” as Dad sometimes says.
“That may be why your mother turned out the way she did,” Gramps begins again, after letting the new information settle in. “She feels she’s doing something important now, just like I thought I was, and she’s doing it to the extreme. In many ways, I’m very proud of her.
“Anyway, one day I came home and your grandmother had packed all my clothes and a couple other things, and told me to get out. We’d been together twenty-four years. She said she needed more from a husband, though she never remarried. I didn’t argue with her or try to get back in her good graces. I just couldn’t get myself to do it. Looking back now, I think that was probably the biggest mistake of my life. I gave away everything I loved for a job that gave me very little in return for my efforts.
“Like so many broken families, your mom, Earl, and I lost touch. Then it took a long time before your mother would even talk to me again. But right before your Grandma Rose passed away, your mother came and found me saying your grandma wanted to see us. I had just been laid off and was in pretty bad shape myself. Only then did I realize how much I missed them all since the divorce.
“At the hospice, I stood at the side of her bed, she took my hand and told me she forgave me. Her eyes were bright, and she had a joyful expression on her face. Tears came to my eyes as I accepted her gift. Then she asked your mother to forgive me too, and that the two of us had to be family now. Your mom reacted bitterly. Then your grandma reached over to your mom on the other side of the bed and took her hand. With all the energy she had left, she brought our hands together, cupping them between her own, saying “take care of each other”. She gave one last strong squeeze before the strength left her hands. She was gone.”
I’m surprised by the unexpected revelations. I watch my grandfather as he gets up to privately wipe a tear from his eye.
“It was rough for a while, between your mom and me. Then my social security got cut back severely, and we were kind of forced into this arrangement we have now. To tell the truth, I’m glad it happened. We’re still getting to know each other. We’ve had a few long talks, late at night, when your dad was gone and you were asleep. I think she understands about your grandma and me, and I don’t think she wants the same unhappy ending.” He turns around and looks straight at me. “That’s why I don’t think you should worry about your mom and dad. They’ll do what’s right.”
I feel a little better, though a little weird. There is still a lot I probably don’t know about my grandfather. And my family has never been willing to share emotions much. I understand why a little better now.
“You better get out there and help your dad,” Gramps says finally. “He’ll be wondering what you’re doing.”
I get up to put my glass in the sink. I walk in front of him on my way to the door. He puts a hand on my shoulder to stop me in my tracks. Then he pulls me in for a hug. “Thanks Gramps,” I say.
Dad and I finish our maintenance on the hydrogen generators in just under two hours. Occasionally we have to replace a solar panel that has dropped in efficiency, but they are all fine today so it is the usual checking seals and changing out nanotube plates that have completed their useful function. Someday, hopefully, somebody will want them for refurbishing. Until then they just pile up under the bench dad has set up to help with the task. It’s pretty boring work, but he says it will be a good skill for me to have since that’s the direction energy production is taking.
We head back to the house to get cleaned up. Gramps is sitting on the porch, staring down the drive. “Waiting for someone?” I ask half joking around.
“Uh huh,” he replies through a sip of coffee. “Willie’s bringing those reconditioned clutch plates for my cruiser over this morning. That man has a real talent for working with metals.”
“I’ll bet you’re excited to get that old machine on the road again,” Dad comments as he heads into the house. I wait to hear the reply.
“You bet,” Gramps calls after him as the storm door closes. Gramps turns and gives me a look. “You know, he’s also got access to a spectrometer over there at the school,” he quietly says.
I had almost forgotten the events of the last few days. I look in through the screen door to see if Dad is still close enough to hear us. “So you think we need to let Willie in on our…” I pause to find the right word, “project?”
“Seems you got something that you don’t know a whole lot about. That might be a good place to start.”
He is right, of course. We don’t know what we have and knowing what it is made of would help.
I go inside and head upstairs to my room to get cleaned up. I pick up the flashlight and unscrew the end. The small manila envelope is still there. I put the end back on and slip the flashlight into my pocket. I want Gramps to have a look at it. He had a big part in keeping it out of Stiles’ hands so he deserves to see.
As I head back out to the porch, I look in on Dad who is sitting in front of the TV watching a baseball game. “How’re they doing?” I ask. He shakes his head to indicate “not too good”. I continue into the kitchen to pour a glass of lemonade from a pitcher in the fridge before heading outside to sit with Gramps.
After I settle into the seat next to him, my mind starts replaying scenes from last Friday. Things have changed so much since then. At school we were just kids, looking forward to hanging out and having fun over the summer. It almost seems like we have become involved in some action story with no clue as to how it might end.
I think about Jared, Kylie, and Jennifer. Now Gramps thinks I should get Willie involved. The more people who know, the more risk we invite. Things were a lot simpler a couple of days ago, and I’m not sure what should happen next. Gramps’ suggestion to have the stuff analyzed is definitely a good one. Beyond that, I can’t even imagine what to do. I start to formulate a question for him when I hear footsteps and voices. Somebody is running in from the direction of the path to The Hill.
“It’s my news. I get to tell him!” Kylie yells between breaths as they come around the corner of the house. Jared is only a little ahead of her, teasing as they step up onto the porch.
Gramps and I stand to face the commotion. “It’s Stiles,” Kylie blurts. “I overheard him outside our house talking to somebody about...”
“Kylie!” Jared shouts at her. She stops in mid-sentence as he nods towards Gramps.
"Hi Grandpa Williams,” Jared says, calming things down a little bit. “How’re you doing today?”
“Just fine, son,” Gramps replies with a grin on his face. I’m somewhat amused as well.
“Tyler? Can we go and talk somewhere,” Jared continues.
I look at Gramps and realize that Jared and Kylie know nothing about my walk home from The Hill yesterday. “It’s okay Jared. He knows.”
“Oh, man!” Jared spits out in frustration. “Are you going to tell everybody in town about this before we’re done?”
“He didn’t have a choice, son. Now calm down a bit and he’ll tell you the whole story,” Gramps says quietly. Jared looks at him, and then he and Kylie take a seat on the picnic table bench.
I remind Jared that yesterday I had told him about the flashlight disappearing somewhere on the walk home after Saturday night’s expedition. I explain that, while we were touring the shiff on Sunday, it was Gramps that retrieved the flashlight from the shelter at The Hill. “He kept it from falling into Stiles’ hands,” I conclude.
“Well, I guess it couldn’t be he
lped then,” Jared finally relents. “Thanks Grandpa Williams. But no more, Tyler. The more people who know, the more likely we are to get caught.” We exchange looks. I don’t think I will mention Willie at this point.
“So what’s your news young lady?” Gramps asks, looking at Kylie. She takes a couple of minutes to compose herself. I can tell she is enjoying this moment. She gives Jared a look and begins her short story.
“Well,” she starts out slowly, “I was in the kitchen this morning, cleaning up from breakfast. It was a real mess. Dad had made us breakfast and everything was a total disast...”
“Kylie,” Jared interrupts, “get to the point!”
“I’m getting to it,” she snaps back before continuing. “That Stiles guy walked up onto the porch. He was on his cell phone. I don’t know who he was talking to and he wasn’t talking very loud, kind of secretive, and he didn’t seem too happy. I quit putting dishes away. I don’t think he knew I was there so I listened for a bit.” She stops to organize her thoughts, glancing down at her feet. She bends over to brush some sand off her shoes, then notices some stickers clinging to her socks and begins pulling them off.
“Kylie!” Jared scolds again.
“Be patient with your sister,” Gramps suggests. “What did you hear Stiles say, Kylie?” he prods after a few more seconds.
She looks up at him and smiles, satisfied that the stickers have been gotten rid of, and that Jared has been put in his place. “Well, I can’t say exactly, but it sounded like he said, ‘No charges will be pressed, as long as we get it back.’, and then, ‘Anonymously returned?’ like he was asking a question. He seemed real frustrated and didn’t even say goodbye. He just shouted ‘Fine!’ into the phone and slapped it shut.”
“What do make of that?” Jared asks. I feel guilty, like somebody is watching us. Obviously Stiles, and whoever he was talking to, wanted their stuff back.
“Gramps?” I look over at him. Jared and Kylie also look over at him. It seems we have become scared little kids again in need of help from an adult. It’s almost embarrassing.
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