I follow her out and over to where the scooter is parked. As she puts her helmet on she reminds me to let her know if Willie calls with any news. I watch her head down the driveway on her scooter.
“Was that Jennifer?” Mom asks, coming to the door to investigate the noise as I make my way onto the porch to sit down.
“Yep,” I say, smiling.
“You should bring her in to say ‘Hi’ next time.”
“Okay, Mom,” I reply.
“Your father and grandfather should be home soon. Dinner’s almost ready,” she informs me. “Are you going out to any of the end of school parties tonight?”
“Nah. I don’t think so anyway.”
“Okay. Well, be sure and let us…”
She turns back into the house so I can’t hear the rest of her sentence. I begin to feel worn out from the day. It has been a very interesting one. I think about the gray bits again, wondering how they do what I had seen earlier.
I help clean up after dinner. Dad looks over the final report of my grades from school, saying they look pretty good and that he is proud of me.
“So what are your plans for the summer?” he asks.
“I’m not sure. I’ll probably look for a job. Jared’s dad said he might need some help cleaning up the launch facility.”
“That could be interesting,” Dad says, raising his eyebrows. “Working in the hangar where that shiff is. Heck, that’s something I would enjoy doing. Good luck with that.”
“Yeah, thanks!”
“Wouldn’t be too hard working around Jared’s little sister either I have no doubt,” Gramps adds, with a wink.
“Kylie’s too young for Tyler,” Mom comments.
“Not in my book,” Gramps replies with a grin. “They’re both going to be in the same school next year too. I think we might have to keep an eye on them.”
“Well you’ll have to look hard because there won’t be anything to see,” I say defensively as I head for the porch door. “I’m going for a walk, if that’s okay.” I don’t wait for an ‘Ok’ but I do hear more teasing from Gramps.
“I don’t know,” he’s saying. “I think I hit pretty close to the mark.”
Outside, the last of the daylight is fading away. The ground still radiates heat but the air is calm. I’ve already decided to hike out to The Hill, so I slowly make my way to the loft to retrieve a flashlight. I slide the envelope containing the gray bits into the top drawer, weighing it down with the magnifying glass. Then I grab some batteries for the flashlight, load them and hook it on my belt.
Back outside, I head for the path around the back of the house. Gramps has made his way onto the porch. “I’m going to The Hill for a while,” I inform him as I pass by. He just nods and waves.
It doesn’t seem to take too long before I come to the tracks. I stop to look one direction then the other. I feel like wandering down them to see what’s there. Of course I already know part of the answer. Nothing. Just more rock and dirt, and that stale smell of diesel fuel that has dripped onto the ballast and ties over many decades of use. A couple of years ago Jared and I had hiked the southern right-of-way, down to where it no longer parallels the road. It had to have been a couple of miles and seemed like the middle of nowhere. I remember enjoying the desolation and how quiet it was. No people. No cars. No problems to solve. Just the whisper of a breeze and a few noises from some unseen little critters making their way through the scrub.
I cross the tracks to start the final part of my hike. My thoughts return to the afternoon of looking at the gray bits and having Jennifer there to help. “Man, your so pathetic around girls,” I chide myself. I stumble on a rock hiding in the shadows along the path. “Dang!” I stop to unhook the flashlight from my belt so I can see any other rocks that might be in the way. The last thing I need way out here is to twist my ankle and have to hobble home.
When I get to the shelter at The Hill, I grab a lawn chair and make my way to the crest where the fire pit is. Then I gather some kindling just in case it cools off while I’m sitting here. As I finish placing a few of the bigger pieces of wood on the pile, I realize I don’t have any way to light the fire. Feeling despondent, I sit down in the chair and stare out into the oncoming night.
I notice a faint glow in the East. The moon is coming up a little later this weekend than when we had observed the landing and everything else. I wonder for a second what Mom and Dad would say if, instead of telling them I might work for Jared’s dad this summer, I say I’m researching some material that I found on the shiff to find out how it floats. A grumpy smile eases across my face. I truly don’t know how they’d react. Maybe they’d support me like Gramps is. Maybe they’d panic and urge me to turn the stuff back over to Stiles. I do feel more than a little guilty hiding my activities from them now. But it does seem like the right thing to do.
“Hey. Anybody home?” a voice interrupts behind me. Gramps is coming up from the shelter with chair in hand. “Mind if I join you?” he asks. “I’m a little too winded to start back right away.”
“What are you doing out here?” I ask, really just wanting to be left alone.
“Thought you’d like to know I talked to Willie just a couple of minutes after you walked out of the yard,” he begins. “I called him to let him know I had the rest of the money for him for the work he did resurfacing the clutch plates on my bike.”
“Yeah, so?”
“He’s one cool character, that Willie. He said he had some information on that other project we asked him to work on. He did just we had discussed. No hint of what he was actually talking about.”
“Sounds suspicious to me,” I comment, though I am curious about what Willie has learned.
“Better than being obvious,” Gramps suggests to me. “He said he could come over tomorrow after lunch if we were going to be home. I told him I thought it would be okay but if there are any conflicts I’d let him know before noon. I hope that works for you.”
I only had to think about it for a minute. “Fine with me. I’ll be around, but I think Mom and Dad are going to be around all day tomorrow. Won’t that be a problem?”
“We’ll just have to work around it. Probably won’t be too much of a concern. Besides if anyone else is watching, it’ll appear more normal.”
“You’re really worried about that aren’t you?”
“No. Just cautious. No point in making it seem like something’s going on.”
That makes sense, I guess. But I wonder, when he starts to talk like that, what he had done for a living. I have heard the ‘just a salesman’ line, but I think there is definitely more to know.
“You mind if I light that?” he asks a few minutes later, nodding towards the fire pit. “I’m starting to get a chill from the sweat I worked up on my way out here.”
“Go ahead,” I encourage him. “I’m a bit chilled too but I forgot to stuff a lighter in my pocket.” And that’s another thing I’ve noticed about my grandfather; he always seems prepared for just about anything.
“Oh!” he said, remembering something else. “I brought a sweatshirt for you. It’s in the shelter if you want it.”
“Thanks, Gramps,” I say, my mood easing a bit. I guess I am actually glad to have his company.
We sit silently and watch as the fire gets going. After a while, I go to the shelter to get a few more pieces of wood and the sweatshirt. I watch the last glow of sunset fade in the west. As I walk back, I notice the moon is fully above the horizon now. With a couple of new logs on the fire, I sit down in my chair and lean back to look up at the sky. The brightest of the stars are already visible. As I watch them, I think about the day with a satisfied feeling. Except for time I spent with Jennifer. A few minutes later, without really thinking about it, I say “Gramps?”
“Yes, Tyler?” he responds quietly.
“Why do I feel so confused around girls sometimes?”
The pale moonlight blends with the golden firelight on his surprised face as he turns towards
me. I guess he isn’t always prepared. He smiles as he turns his gaze back to the flames. “I don’t know,” he finally says. “They still make me feel that way too once in a while.”
That helps me feel a little better, and a bit more at ease with my anxiety about girls. But it’s not all girls! I don’t feel that way with Kylie! I’m always comfortable around her, maybe because we have known each other for a few years. My thoughts drift off remembering our rides to school this year. I wonder how her graduation went? Maybe I should have gone to it too.
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. I almost jump out of my chair. “What’s that?”
“Oh!” comments Gramps, seeming surprised himself. “I didn’t think I’d catch anything so soon.”
“Catch anything? What are you talking about?”
He pulls a little square gadget out of his shirt pocket. “I set a trap in the shed to keep an eye on things, you know, when we’re not there, like now.”
“And what’s that?”
“It’s called a beeper; a device from the 1980’s that’s still useful for notifying someone when something is happening.” He gets up out of his chair. “A lot of my technology is old but still useful.” He stuffs the gadget back in his shirt. “We have to go now. Quickly. Snuff the fire, okay?” He turns towards me impatiently waiting. “Let’s go Tyler!”
I can’t remember ever hearing such a sense of urgency in my grandfather’s voice. I get up and he quickly grabs the back of my chair and motions towards the fire for me to put it out. I kick some dirt on it, and the almost spent logs quickly give up their life.
Gramps is already moving quickly down the path home. When I catch up to him, I try to ask more questions but he doesn’t stop to answer them. We get through the gate at the tracks and cross the road. Then, instead of continuing down the path home, Gramps begins walking down the road towards the driveway. About half way there, I notice a dark shadow about one hundred yards on the far side of the entrance where there shouldn’t be a shadow.
“See that?” Gramps asks breathlessly, noticing the same shadow. “It’s one… of those cars… the snoops drive.” He stops for a minute to catch his breath. “They sure aren’t as careful as they should be.”
“Careful? But what… I don’t get it?” But I am afraid I do get it.
We start walking again, but at an easier pace. “What’s not to get?” Gramps asks. “They think you lifted some property from one of their vehicles. This is their way of knowing for sure if you do or don’t have it. But these bozos are real sloppy.” He doesn’t seem so anxious now but it may be he’s just getting tired.
“So you set a trap?”
“Sure. Why not? I knew that Stiles character would send one of his lackeys sooner or later. It’s a game they play. At least for me.”
“But…”
“No more questions now. Let’s just see what we’ve caught.”
We reach the shed in a few more minutes. Gramps holds his finger to his lips to keep me quiet, motioning for my flashlight. He slowly opens the door to the shed and peeks through. Then he pushes it the rest of the way open so I can see. A body lays sprawled on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. I gasp. “Tyler?” he asks calmly. “Would you get the wheel barrow for me please?” He has a grin on his face.
“Is he…” I didn’t want to ask the question.
“No. He’s probably still alive. At least I hope so. You get the wheelbarrow and I’ll check further.”
By the time I get back and through the door, Gramps has straightened the man out, propping his head up on the bottom stair. “He’s okay. Just a little shocked.” I think I hear a little snicker. “Help me get him up.”
The man seems heavy though his build is slight. Splayed across the wheelbarrow, he looks like a drunk being carted home. Outside in the moonlight, I am able to see his face. It seems familiar. I take the first turn as we wheel our visitor down the driveway, the single wheel crunching through the gravel. I can only hope Mom and Dad don’t hear us. How would we explain this?
“So did a fall knock him out?” I want to know.
“No,” Gramps answers slowly. “The shock knocked him out. The fall will just give him a headache. Do you know what a Taser is?”
“Yeah. Some of the kids at school talk about them, and I’ve seen them used in movies.”
“Well, let’s just say he found one where he wasn’t looking it.”
“You have one?” I ask in amazement.
“It’s not something I boast about,” he answers evasively, “and not something I’d want widely known, say, to your parents.”
I’d always known there was something about my grandfather that I really liked. I suddenly feel like he is one of my best buddies, sharing secrets. I grunt with renewed effort, bolstered by his revelation.
Soon we are on the road heading in the direction of the car. I anxiously watch for other traffic but there is none. Gramps opens the car door and we set the man slumped over, behind the wheel. “Now what?” I ask.
“Nothing,” Gramps replies simply. “In about an hour, he’ll wake up, realize something went wrong and drive away. Like I said before, it’s all part of the game.”
“Won’t he call the police?” I ask.
“No. And even if they drive by and he’s still sitting here, if they can wake him up he’ll just say he felt really tired and had to stop for a minute and fell asleep. No, they definitely don’t want the police involved.”
We start back to the house, leaving the would-be intruder resting in his car by the side of the road. “So will they try again?” I ask.
“Probably. And soon. This will do more to confirm their suspicions than dispel them.”
“Then we’ll just shock them again!” I declare enthusiastically.
“They’ll be expecting that next time. They’re not complete buffoons. No. I’ll have to prepare something else for next time.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to look around and see what I can come up with.” He sounds confident so I don’t press him for an explanation.
We turn down the driveway. Suddenly I am hit by a more dreadful thought. “Gramps?” I ask uneasily. “What would have happened if I had walked up those stairs first?”
“You would have gotten the shock of your life,” he chuckles. Then he sighs, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Tyler. I’d never let that happen. The system disarms itself in the early morning, after the night’s threat is over, hopefully before you’d ever get out there.”
I am somewhat reassured. We put the wheelbarrow away and head into the house. “Goodnight Gramps,” I say quietly.
“Goodnight Tyler,” he replies. “And thanks for putting some fun back into my life.”
What a strange thing for him to say.
An Unexpected Conversion
Saturday starts off a little strange. We all have breakfast together, which is weird enough, but Mom and Dad are joking around a lot and that’s even weirder. They seem happier today than I have seen them in a long time. While I’m finishing my pancakes, their not-so-subtle flirting gets a little embarrassing.
“Why don’t you two go back to bed,” Gramps suggests, seeming a little uncomfortable himself.
“Too late for that, Dad!” my father joyfully exclaims.
“Charles,” Mom gently scolds him. “I wanted to wait a few days to adjust to it before we let anybody else know.”
“Know what?” I quickly ask.
Dad looks at Mom. Mom looks back at him shaking her head in disbelief. But she is still smiling. “I’m glad your excited,” she sweetly whispers to him, as if nobody else is supposed to hear. “Go ahead and tell them.”
“What?” I demand impatiently.
Dad looks at me, then at Gramps, then back at me again. His eyes sparkle. Finally he stammers, “You’re going to have a baby brother… or sister.”
“Well, I’ll be a...” Gramps utters, looking for the right words, “a grandpa again.” He leans a
gainst the back of his chair and claps his hands together. Then he gets up, shakes Dad’s hand to congratulate him and gives Mom a hug where she sits in her chair. “When are you due?” he asks, heading back to sit down. Then, without waiting for a response, “When did you find out?”
“The lab at the hospital confirmed it for me yesterday, but I’ve known for a while.”
“You women always do. You’re mother was that way, too!”
She looks at him. They don’t speak about grandma much, but the memory brings a smile to her face. “I have to go to the doctor’s office on Monday before I can answer your other question, but I think I’m about two months along.”
I sit in shock for a while, listening to the adults. I never thought I’d have a younger brother or sister, and I guess it has caught me totally off guard. I think about Jared and Kylie, how they always bicker back and forth. I’m not so sure that’s what I want in my life, but Kylie’s not so bad. I try picturing her as my little sister. I don’t think I’d treat her like Jared does, but then I don’t have to be around her all the time. I hear my name and feel Mom’s hand on my arm.
“Tyler?” she says again, reaching across the corner of the table to elicit a response. “Are you okay?”
The kitchen is silent. I look around. They’re all watching me.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I proclaim to deflect their attention. But even to me it sounds distant, like I’m really not the one saying it. That feeling quickly changes into wonder as I come back to reality with the thought that a new life is growing inside my mother. I know the mechanics of it from health class, but this is special; this is happening to us, my family, my little brother or sister. I get up and throw my arms around my mother. “Yes, I’m fine,” I repeat adoringly. “I love you, Mom.”
Dad comes around and puts his hand on my shoulder as I stand up. I look at him. He is beaming with pride as he pulls me in for a hug. “Hey, me too!” Gramps says. Mom stands up as he comes over for the group hug. I look around when we finally loosen up. There isn’t a dry eye, including me. We don’t have too many days like this. It feels good.
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