Jimmy

by Robert Whitlow

  “Run as fast as I can,” Jimmy answered.

  “Are you going to leave the road?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Deputy Askew sighed. “We’ll talk about it later.”

  Jimmy saw the front door of the house open and could make out Mama and Daddy walking rapidly down the steps. Deputy Askew stopped the car. Buster stretched for a second before jumping out of the car onto the grass and running toward the backyard. It had been a great day in the woods for a dog.

  Jimmy followed him from the car into an enveloping embrace from Mama. She was crying. Jimmy had cried in the woods. Now that he was home, he didn’t feel sad at all. Daddy stood behind Mama.

  “I’ll be going, Mr. Mitchell,” Deputy Askew said.

  “Thanks for staying out there until you found him,” Daddy said. “We’re forever grateful.”

  “Oh, he found me. He was walking down the road and flagged me down. He knows his way in the woods better than a lot of normal—”

  The deputy stopped.

  “It’s okay,” Daddy said. “We’re just thankful to have him home in such good shape. I’ll send you boys something as a thank-you the first of the week.”

  Mama released her hold and blew her nose on a tissue.

  “We were so worried. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

  “I don’t think so. I lost my glasses, but I found these flowers for Aunt Jill.”

  Buster ran back to where they stood.

  “Oh, I need to give him some food and water,” Jimmy said.

  “I’ll do it,” Daddy replied. “Go inside with your mama.”

  Mama kept her arm around Jimmy as they climbed the steps to the front porch. Inside the house, she gave him another pair of glasses. He slipped them on and sighed in relief as his world came into focus again. Jimmy washed his hands in the kitchen sink while Mama poured him a glass of lemonade. The lemonade tasted good, but he wondered if anything would ever be sweeter than the water from the pump beside the old house. Daddy returned from taking care of Buster.

  “I pulled a tick from Buster’s ear, but he seems no worse for wear,” Daddy said.

  “You’ve got some scratches on your face and arms,” Mama said, examining Jimmy more closely in the light of the kitchen.

  “I ran though the woods for a long time,” he said.

  “Do you want to talk about it now?” Daddy asked.

  Jimmy shook his head. “No, sir. I’d like to go to bed.”

  “Do you want to take a shower?” Mama asked.

  Jimmy hesitated.

  “Yes, ma’am, but it better be short. I think I could go to sleep standing up.”

  As the water cascaded over him, Jimmy let the pain and stress of the day run down the drain. He put on his pajamas and brushed his teeth. Returning to his nightly routine brought peace to his soul and made the memory of the evil in Walt’s eyes seem far away.

  Mama was waiting for him in his bedroom. She’d pulled back his top sheet and fluffed up his pillow. He crawled into bed. She covered him up to his chin and began to pray. It was not the usual prayer of nightly blessing. There was more in Mama’s heart tonight than could be spoken in a few words. Jimmy nestled into the soft mattress as the familiar voice spoke thanks to God for preserving his life and watching over him. Jimmy forced his eyes open.

  “Mama,” he said.

  She stopped praying. “What is it?”

  “I know I’m not supposed to talk when you’re praying, but a Watcher helped me today. He kept me from falling into a well and showed me where to get a drink of water.”

  “Tell me more,” she said.

  Jimmy turned over on his side and closed his eyes.

  “It was the best water I’ve ever tasted,” he said with a yawn. “I wish I could get some for you to—”

  His voice faded, and his breathing became regular. Mama wiped away a tear and continued praying.

  — Nineteen —

  When Jimmy awoke, the morning sun had filled his bedroom with light. He started to jump out of bed, but his aching body reminded him of yesterday. He sat on the edge of the bed and stood up as stiffly as Grandpa getting up from his easy chair after a long afternoon nap. After a few steps, Jimmy’s muscles loosened, and he went downstairs. Mama, wearing her blue robe and white slippers, sat in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” she said.

  Jimmy rubbed his hand through his hair.

  “What day is it?” he asked.

  “It’s Sunday.”

  “Aren’t we going to church?”

  “Daddy and I weren’t sure you’d feel like it and decided to let you sleep late.”

  “What time is it?”

  Mama glanced at the clock on the microwave oven. “It’s almost ten. Sunday school has already started.”

  “We could still go to the church service, couldn’t we?” he asked.

  Mama put down her cup of coffee.

  “I guess we could if you want to. We’d have to hurry to get ready.”

  Jimmy nodded. “I think today would be a good day for me to go to church.”

  Mama stood. “I’ll tell Daddy that you want to go. Drink a glass of orange juice and then get dressed.”

  Jimmy opened the refrigerator. The sight of food and drink available at any time made him remember how hard it had been to get a cup of water in the woods. He poured a glass of orange juice and sat at the kitchen table. Before taking a sip of the juice, he bowed his head and spoke a silent word of thanks.

  “What are you doing?” Daddy interrupted him.

  Jimmy looked up. Daddy, too, was still in his pajamas.

  “I’m thanking God for the orange juice.”

  “Are you feeling all right?”

  “Yes, sir, except I know how Grandpa feels when he says his knees don’t want to work. My legs hurt when I got out of bed.”

  “You walked a long way in the woods,” Daddy’s voice was softer than normal. “Mama says you want to go to church.”

  “Yes, sir. I think I need to thank God for taking care of me. Did Mama tell you about the Watcher I saw?”

  “She did.”

  Jimmy picked up a banana and peeled it. He couldn’t tell if Daddy wanted to talk more or not.

  “We’ll go,” Daddy said after another moment of silence. “Finish eating and get ready as soon as you can.”

  JIMMY ATE A SECOND BANANA RIDING IN THE BACKSEAT OF the car on the drive to church. Every normal thing about his life made him happy. He looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Daddy was smiling too.

  “Did you have a car take you to church when you were a boy?” he asked Daddy as the church came into view.

  “No, son. I had to ride a mule without a saddle.”

  “Lee,” Mama said.

  Daddy corrected himself. “No, that’s my grandfather I’m thinking about. Grandpa bought his first car several years before I was born.”

  “Was it a Studebaker?” Jimmy asked.

  “No, a beautiful blue Chevrolet.”

  They arrived as the Sunday school crowd was leaving the educational building. They slipped into the throng, but not unnoticed.

  Several men came over to Jimmy, patted him on the head, and congratulated him on his survival in the woods. One man spoke to Daddy.

  “From where they found Walt, I calculate Jimmy walked between eight and ten miles.”

  “I’d say closer to twelve,” another man said.

  Jimmy listened and learned that Walt, a white cast on his right leg, was going to come home from the hospital on Monday. Jimmy spoke to Mama as they climbed the steps to the sanctuary.

  “I don’t want to ride in Walt’s car anymore.”

  Mama put her arms around his shoulder. “Yes, it was foolish of him to drive you that far away from town, but you shouldn’t have asked him to take you and Buster to the woods.”

  “But, Mama—,” Jimmy began.

  “Not now,” Mama interrupted. “You’re not in trouble, and
Walt won’t be driving anywhere for a while. I’m just glad you’re home.”

  JIMMY SNUGGLED CLOSE TO MAMA ON THE PEW. DADDY ALSO moved closer to him than normal. Between the two of them, Jimmy felt secure. During the announcements that came before the prayer, Brother Fitzgerald looked directly at Jimmy.

  “We should be thankful today that no harm befell young Jimmy Mitchell, who was lost in the woods for several hours yesterday after his cousin, Walt Dunhill, fell and broke his ankle. Jimmy bravely went for help and was found by the sheriff’s department shortly after dark. Walt is fine and recuperating in the hospital. Jimmy is with us in God’s house this morning.”

  It seemed to Jimmy that the entire congregation turned in his direction. Jimmy peeked out from behind Daddy’s shoulder and saw a sea of curious eyes.

  When the minister moved on to the next topic, Jimmy whispered to Daddy, “Who told him?”

  Daddy leaned down. “It’s hard for anything to escape Brother Fitzgerald’s attention. He has to know about things. It’s part of his job.”

  Jimmy thought finding out about events in Piney Grove was the job of the people who worked at the newspaper. Daddy had given him a copy of the newspaper article that mentioned Jimmy’s testimony in Jake Garner’s trial. It stayed on Jimmy’s corkboard until it turned yellow around the edges.

  “Will there be a story in the newspaper?” he whispered.

  “I don’t know,” Daddy responded. “If a reporter calls the house, I’ll talk to him.”

  “Quiet, you two,” Mama said.

  Jimmy relaxed. He didn’t want to tell a stranger what Walt tried to do, and he had no idea why everyone thought he ran away from Walt to find help. If Walt had been nice, they would have found more pretty plants for Aunt Jill and gotten home in time for supper, and Walt wouldn’t be in the hospital with a broken ankle.

  Brother Fitzgerald cleared his throat. It was time for the long prayer. Right at the beginning, he heard his name.

  “And we thank you, this day, O Lord, for your watch over young Jimmy Mitchell, and your mercy in sparing him from the dangers of the wild, bringing him safely home to his family.”

  AFTER CHURCH, A LOT OF PEOPLE CAME UP TO JIMMY AND started asking him questions. It was a bigger crowd than when he was saved. He couldn’t understand all the questions fired at him and simply started saying, “Thank you,” “Yes, sir,” and “Yes, ma’am.” Daddy took over and steered him through the crowd. Jimmy held Mama’s hand. They didn’t break free from the people until they reached the bottom of the steps in front of the sanctuary.

  “Let’s go before someone else corners us,” Daddy said.

  They walked briskly toward the car. Just as they reached it, Jimmy heard Max’s voice calling out to him.

  “Jimmy Mitchell!”

  “Tell me what happened,” Max said, out of breath from running across the parking lot. “I want to hear about it before you forget anything.”

  “Sorry, Max, we’ve got to go,” Daddy said.

  Jimmy turned to Mama. “When can Max come over to the house?”

  Mama turned to Max. “Ask your mother if tomorrow afternoon works for her.”

  THEY LEFT THE CHURCH PARKING LOT BUT DIDN’T TURN IN the direction of home.

  “Where are we going?” Jimmy asked.

  “To the hospital to see Walt and then to lunch at Springdale,” Mama replied.

  A frown crossed Jimmy’s face. “Why do we have to see Walt? I don’t want to go.”

  Mama turned sideways in her seat.

  “Why not?”

  Jimmy took a deep breath. “I didn’t run through the woods to get help for Walt. I didn’t know he had a broken ankle. I ran from him because he scared me. He wanted to play a game, and I didn’t want to do it.”

  “What kind of game?” Daddy asked, looking in the rearview mirror.

  Jimmy tried to remember. “It was a Hindu game.”

  “Hindu?” Mama asked.

  “He took off his belt and wanted to tie me up and see if I could escape.”

  “Houdini,” Daddy responded.

  “Yes, sir. That’s what he called it. I told him that I didn’t want to play and then ran into the woods. He chased me and yelled, but I got away.”

  “You didn’t know his ankle was broken?” Mama asked.

  “No, ma’am, not until Deputy Askew told me.”

  “Did he hit you or hurt you?” Daddy asked.

  “No, sir. I’m a fast runner, but it was hard because I lost my glasses and didn’t know where to go. Buster stayed right with me.”

  Daddy looked across the seat at Mama. “What are we going to do? He’s your nephew.”

  Mama pressed her lips together. “Do you believe Walt cooked up a story to make Jimmy look like a hero and hide the fact that he scared him?”

  “I’d say that sums it up,” Daddy answered. “Quick thinking for a sixteen-year-old with a broken ankle. I’ve always thought that boy had a sneaky—”

  “Let’s skip the hospital,” Mama interrupted. “I’m going to have to think about this before I talk to Bart and Jill.”

  “Or I see Walt,” Daddy added grimly.

  TUESDAY EVENING, JIMMY AND HIS PARENTS WENT OVER TO see Uncle Bart, Aunt Jill, and Walt. Aunt Jill gave Jimmy a big hug as soon as he entered the house. Mama had put the wild azalea stems in a vase, but the blossoms were almost completely wilted. Jimmy nervously handed her the vase.

  “I picked these for you,” he said.

  “Thank you, Jimmy,” Aunt Jill responded. “Come into the living room. Walt is set up in there.”

  Walt, his lower leg in a white cast, sat with his foot propped up on a low chair brought in from the foyer. He avoided meeting Jimmy’s eyes. Jimmy stood so close to Mama that he was touching her.

  “I made some cherry cobbler,” Aunt Jill said. “Who would like some with a scoop of ice cream on top?”

  “I would,” Jimmy blurted out, glad for a chance to leave the room.

  “No, let’s wait on the cobbler,” Mama said. “We need to discuss what happened in the woods on Saturday.”

  Uncle Bart spoke. “Oh, I’ve already told Walt that he shouldn’t have taken Jimmy so far out of town. After his ankle heals, I’m going to ground him for a month before he can drive his car.”

  “That’s not what we’re talking about,” Daddy responded. “Jimmy told us—”

  “You need to tell the truth, Jimmy,” Walt interrupted.

  “I did.”

  “Did you tell about spraying red paint on the wreath and ruining it?”

  Jimmy looked at Aunt Jill, “No.”

  “What does that have to do with going to the woods?” Daddy asked.

  “Everything, Uncle Lee,” Walt replied. “That’s why we left the house, isn’t it Jimmy?”

  Jimmy nodded. “Yes.”

  “Jimmy was here alone for a few minutes and sprayed red paint all over a wreath my mom was making. It’s still in the craft room. Mom, would you get it, please?”

  Aunt Jill left and in a moment came back with the marred wreath. Jimmy gave Mama a sheepish look.

  Walt pointed at the wreath. “To make things right before she got home, Jimmy and I decided to go to the woods and find something she could use in another project. We drove to a place that has a bunch of sweet gum trees. I thought we could pick up a sack of those prickly balls and bring them home so she could paint and use them.

  “You didn’t tell me that,” Jimmy protested.

  “I did, but you weren’t listening. All you seemed interested in was your dog. If we hadn’t taken him with us, none of this would have happened.”

  “Wait a minute,” Daddy said. “Jimmy told us you wanted to tie him up.”

  Walt looked confused. Then he said, “Oh, I know where he got that idea. When we got out of the car, Jimmy ran off to play with his dog, and I started picking up sweet gum balls. I didn’t want to do all the work and yelled that if he didn’t come over and help, I was going to put him and his dog on a leash
. I was kidding.”

  “Jimmy said you wanted to play a game called Houdini,” Daddy said. “You were going to tie him up and see if he could escape.”

  “Houdini?” Walt asked. “What is that?”

  “An escape artist,” Uncle Bart answered. “He lived a long time ago.”

  “I’ve never heard of him,” Walt said.

  “Why would Jimmy mention his name?” Mama asked.

  Walt shrugged. “I don’t know. He didn’t hear it from me.”

  “He could have seen something on TV,” Aunt Jill suggested.

  Jimmy turned his head from side to side as he followed the conversation. The more he listened, the more confused he became. Aunt Jill turned toward him.

  “Have you ever seen a TV show about Harry Houdini?”

  “No, ma’am,” Jimmy answered.

  “Lee, I resent your insinuations,” Uncle Bart said, his face slightly red. “We didn’t realize you were coming over here to cross-examine Walt as if he were a criminal. He’s done nothing wrong, and we should all be thankful the boys are alive and well.”

  “We are,” Mama said. “But Jimmy says he didn’t know Walt’s ankle was broken until a sheriff’s deputy told him about it. Jimmy didn’t leave Walt to seek help. He ran away from Walt because he was scared.”

  “Scared of what?” Uncle Bart seemed angry now. “Picking up a few sweet gum balls?”

  “I think I can explain,” Walt said in a softer voice.

  Everyone looked at him.

  Walt spoke in a level voice. “After I asked him to help me, Jimmy threw a stick for his dog to fetch and went into the edge of the woods. I ran after him and stepped in a hole. That’s when I broke my ankle. I cried out in pain. Jimmy turned around and saw me, and I guess the look on my face scared him. He took off running. I thought he was going for help. I started yelling for him to come back, but he left me alone.”

  Daddy turned to Jimmy. “Did the look on Walt’s face scare you?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Did he yell for you to come back?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “That’s enough,” Uncle Bart said. “This is exactly what Walt told us the first time we talked about it. I’m sorry Jimmy misunderstood what happened, but I’m offended that you would come over here and accuse Walt like this. We’re all part of the same family.”