The Perfect Secret

by Rob Buyea

  We followed Mom into the kitchen. “Had I known you were coming, I would’ve made something special,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Brian said. “I’m just happy to be here.”

  At that, Mom turned around and hugged us both.

  Brian and I helped by setting the table and carrying out the different plates of food. Mom was right. We weren’t having anything too special, just some mac-n-cheese, green beans, and chicken patties.

  We got everything ready, and then we sat down. “I don’t know where your father is,” Mom apologized. “If he makes us wait much longer, the food will be cold.”

  “He’s not coming,” Brian said.

  Mom stopped. “How do you know that?” she asked. “Have you seen your father?”

  “He came and found me last week.”

  “So he knows you’re here, but he’s choosing not to be?” Mom said, sounding sad.

  “Yes,” Brian answered. “But things are better now. Can we eat, and I’ll explain everything?”

  Mom sighed. “Okay.”

  We made our plates and dug in. Brian ate a ton. Must be living on your own doesn’t feed you well, I thought. He polished off his seltzer water and put his glass down. “I wish I could tell you I was completely innocent in all of the stuff with Chris,” he started, “but I can’t.”

  I glanced at Mom. Her smile faded.

  “I had the feeling that Chris was stealing. I’d seen him do it before,” he continued, “but I didn’t ask. I definitely didn’t know he was stealing from us—from you—so I let it go. I didn’t do anything about it.”

  “Why?” I asked. “Why did you keep hanging with him when you knew he was a loser?” It was the first thing I’d said to my brother all night, but I needed this answered.

  “It didn’t turn bad until Chris guaranteed he had a fast way for me to make some cash. He had these connections and assured me that if I gave him some money, he’d place a couple of bets and I’d make a pretty penny. It worked—the first few times.”

  Mom gasped. “You were gambling?”

  “I was desperate. I came home from college with tons of credit card debt. That stupid piece of plastic helped me party my way out of school. Reality didn’t sink in until I found myself working nights at the lousy service station.”

  “I didn’t know,” Mom choked.

  “Dad kept the debt a secret so you wouldn’t worry. He was trying to help me, but I was an idiot. I tried taking the easy way out instead of working harder, and I ended up losing big. I needed Chris’s help paying. I should’ve wondered where he got the money, but I only cared that he had it for me. After that I was trapped. I owed him.”

  Things got quiet while Mom and I tried to let all this digest. “So now what?” I asked.

  “The good news. Dad talked to the police, and they’re giving me a second chance. He was able to strike a deal with the judge. The charges against me were reduced so I won’t have a felony record or go to jail, but I’m on probation. I need to log two hundred and fifty hours of community service.”

  “Your father did that?” Mom said.

  “Yes. He even helped me find a new job working the night shift at a warehouse, which is better money and gives me a fresh start. No more lousy service station. No more Chris.”

  Mom swallowed against the knot in her throat. I could see that this news about Dad and Brian had her on the verge of tears.

  “Dad told me to come here tonight,” Brian said, “but he still needs time. I’ve got to prove myself by doing the right things. I can’t blow this chance.”

  “I’ve got to prove myself, too,” I said. They looked at me like I had three heads. “Mark and I don’t want to sit back and watch them take Gavin’s mother away without a fight. We want to help, but we don’t know how.”

  “I’ve seen the news,” Brian said. “That’s a bad situation. I can take you guys over there tomorrow. You and Mark, so Gavin knows his buddies are with him. That’s a start.”

  I liked that idea.

  “But tomorrow is Christmas,” Mom reminded us.

  “We won’t stay long,” Brian said. “Just enough so Gavin’s family understands they aren’t alone in this fight. Trust me, it makes a difference when you know you’ve got people on your side.” He looked me in the eyes then. “Dad told me you were the one still believing in me, Trev.”

  I swallowed. I hadn’t been expecting that.

  “I’ve made a lot of mistakes,” Brian went on, “but the way I treated you was the biggest. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was never a good big brother. I’m sorry I let Chris bully you and that I ganged up on you, too.”

  I nodded. That was all I could manage. I swallowed again, fighting the lump in my throat. Then Brian flicked a mac-n-cheese noodle at me. I dodged it and sent one flying back at him.

  “Boys!” Mom squawked.

  We laughed. I laughed because for Christmas I’d just gotten the big brother I’d never had.

  I used to think my dad was kinda wimpy ’cause he was always doing whatever he could to make his customers happy. I was wrong. He wasn’t being wimpy; he was providing great service. Even though my old man didn’t walk around with his chest puffed out like an angry linebacker, I saw firsthand that if you threatened to harm his family, or take something away from him that he loved, then my dad became a fighter. If I’d let him know about Coach Holmes during football season, he woulda gone to bat for me, and maybe then Scott wouldn’t have gotten hurt and none of this terribleness with Mom woulda happened. Maybe being a man actually meant knowing when to ask for help? It was too late for that, though. But like I said, Dad was ready to fight, and I felt good about that. Unfortunately, I also knew the law was the law—no matter how good and tough you were.

  Mom, on the other hand, wasn’t so focused on the fight, but on us—me and Meggie, especially. She was determined to still make Christmas special for us. We were behind schedule ’cause of all that had happened, but it wasn’t too late.

  “Get your stuff on,” she told me and Megs on Christmas Eve. “We’re going to get our tree.”

  We bundled up and piled into Dad’s truck and went and cut down the best-looking Douglas fir you’ve ever seen. Me and Dad carried it into the house and got it standing straight in the corner while Mom and Meggie got to work making homemade pizza. We ate, and then Mom brought the ornaments and decorations down from the attic. Dad put on Bing Crosby, and then we trimmed our tree. We laughed at the different decorations as we pulled them out of the boxes, like the ugly gingerbread man I’d made back in kindergarten. It was covered in glitter and glue and had a picture of booger-nosed me on its face. On the back I had written the words “for Mom.”…I stopped laughing. What was real wasn’t funny.

  Mom kissed me on the forehead. She took the ornament and hung it on a branch in the front. After the last snowflake went on, Dad lifted Meggie in the air and she stuck the star on top. Then we took a step back and admired our work.

  “Is it time for our surprise now?” Megs asked Mom.

  “Not yet,” Mom answered. “First we need to bake cookies.”

  “Yay!” Meggie cheered.

  Dad looked at me and shrugged. We followed them into the kitchen and did our best to help, even though Dad was better with a wrench and I was better with a football. When it came to the decorating part, I was pretty good, though, ’cause that was close to art, just with frosting instead of a pencil. I made a snowwoman for Meggie, but she told me it looked so good that it had to be for Santa. And then she showed me the cookie she had made for Santa.

  “It was supposed to be a reindeer,” she said, “but I broke off his horns so he could be a dog instead because I want Santa to know that a dog is what I really want for Christmas.”

  “A dog would be nice,” I said, “but I don’t know if Santa travels with pe
ts in his sleigh.” There was no way she was getting a dog, so I was trying to prepare her for that. I didn’t want her to be let down in the morning. Mom and Dad shoulda squashed that idea of hers a while ago—but they’d had their minds elsewhere.

  “Yes, he can,” Megs said. “Santa can bring you anything you want.”

  I wanted to believe her with all my heart, ’cause I knew what I wanted—and it wasn’t anything I would find under a tree. “I hope you’re right,” I said.

  Dad squeezed my shoulder and messed Meggie’s hair. She looked up at us and flashed her smile. She had frosting on her nose and cheek. We laughed.

  “Is it time for the surprise now?” Megs asked Mom.

  “Okay, mija. Ready!”

  What surprise? I’d had enough surprises.

  Meggie directed me and Dad into the living room and made us sit on the couch. Then she carried one of our kitchen chairs out and put that across from us. “You sit here, Mommy.” She scurried off and came back a few minutes later with three picture books. She was going to read to us, my little kindergarten sister who was so smart. I was proud of her.

  But she handed the books to Mom and came and sat in between me and Dad on the couch. I was confused. Mom took the first book, The Polar Express, and opened it. She never stumbled or stopped or goofed on the words. The sentences flowed from her lips. If there’d been a silver sleigh bell in our house that night, I woulda heard it jingling.

  “But, Carla…how?…When?” Dad asked, just as dumbfounded as me.

  “That’s why we were at the library!” Meggie exclaimed. “Natalie’s been meeting with Mommy and teaching her how to read. And me too sometimes. She’s a good teacher.”

  “And a loyal friend,” Mom said, looking at me.

  I nodded. This was an amazing surprise. I just wished Kurtsman could fix what was broken with Mom now, like she had fixed Mom’s reading. “I’m proud of you, Mom.”

  “It was you and Meggie who inspired me, Niño.”

  I rubbed my eyes.

  “Off to bed now, mija,” Mom said. “Otherwise Santa won’t be able to make his stop here.”

  Megs hugged Mom and Dad, and then she grabbed my hand. It was my job to tuck her in at night. That was how it’d been ever since I’d started reading to her last year. Maybe Mom would start doing this sometimes now—if she was still with us.

  “Gavvy, is Santa going to come tonight?”

  I wanted to tell her yes. I wanted to tell her yes so bad, but I didn’t know, so I told her the truth. “I don’t know, Megs.” I was done with the lies.

  “But I’ve been a good girl.”

  “You’ve been the best,” I said. “But maybe instead of delivering presents, Santa will help make sure Mommy gets to stay with us. Wouldn’t that be better?”

  “But how will we know if he does that?”

  I sighed. “We won’t. Not right away. Time will tell. We’re gonna have to believe in what we can’t see.”

  “Like in The Polar Express?”

  “Just like that.”

  “You’re the best big brother, Gavvy.”

  I hugged her so she wouldn’t see my eyes getting wet. “Love you, Megs.”

  “Love you, Gavvy.”

  I turned her light out.

  NATALIE KURTSMAN

  ASPIRING LAWYER

  Kurtsman Law Offices

  BRIEF #16

  December: A Surprise Ceremony

  The holidays can be a complicated time. Many families get together and share in love and warmth and happiness, but for others it can be a sad reminder of who or what has been lost—or in Gavin’s case, who might not be around much longer. Given all that had happened, even with his family together, I imagined they might still feel alone.

  “Natalie, let’s get dressed. We should go and visit Gavin’s family.”

  I was not surprised by Mother’s suggestion, even if it was Christmas. After all, Carla was her client, so of course Mother wanted to check on her. (Mother’s commitment to her clients was just one of the many things that made her exceptional at her job.)

  “I’ve been thinking about them, too,” I said.

  “Dress nicely,” Mother added.

  Now, that did surprise me. When didn’t I dress nicely? I always looked professional. Perhaps with the holiday she thought I might get lazy—but I never lowered my standards.

  We got ourselves ready—Father, too—and then we departed. The moment we arrived, I saw that the Davidses were anything but alone.

  “Looks like some other friends had the same idea,” Father remarked.

  Mother and I smiled. “Looks like it,” I agreed.

  I stepped out from the backseat, and the first thing I heard was a booming bark. I didn’t recall meeting a dog the last time I’d been there. As we climbed the porch steps, the barking intensified. Then Mother knocked, and the beast hiding on the other side almost lost his head.

  Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!

  “Otis!” Mr. Davids yelled. “Otis!”

  “Otis, be a good boy.” That was Meggie.

  Things grew quiet, and then Mr. Davids opened the door.

  “Hi, Natalie,” Meggie squealed. “Look at my new puppy. His name is Otis. I got him for Christmas.”

  “Did you say p-puppy?” I stammered. The dog was bigger than she was; the string of drool hanging from his jowl was almost as tall.

  “Yes, he’s only a puppy,” Meggie said. “He’s gonna get bigger. He’s a bull master.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him. Her head was a peanut next to his massive skull.

  “She means ‘bullmastiff,’ ” Gavin corrected her.

  “Oh,” I said. Whatever he was called, the bull part was very fitting.

  “Sorry about the barking,” Meggie said. “Otis gets excited.”

  I nodded.

  “Merry Christmas,” Miss Carla cheered, rushing in from the kitchen. (I’d settled on referring to her as “Miss Carla” because if she wasn’t married to Mr. Davids, then I wasn’t positive that “Davids” could be her last name; never mind the “Miss” versus “Mrs.” dilemma.) “Come in. Can I get you some coffee? Natalie, would you like anything to drink?”

  “No, thank you,” I said.

  Mr. Davids and Gavin took our coats. Then Mother and Father followed Miss Carla.

  I spotted Randi and walked over to her. She was standing near Scott. He was eating a Christmas cookie—naturally—and by the looks of his shirt, it wasn’t his first.

  “What’s everyone doing here?” I whispered. And by “everyone,” I meant everyone. Not only had I shown up with Mother and Father, but Randi and her mom were there. Scott was with his family, including his grandpa. Even Trevor and Mark had come, and they’d brought someone I didn’t know. Gavin’s house was packed.

  “We’re here for our friend when he needs us,” Scott said, crumbs falling from his mouth. “Gavin is George Bailey.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

  Randi shrugged.

  “Remember no man is a failure who has friends,” Scott replied.

  I didn’t get the George Bailey reference, and while the last thing he’d said made sense, I found it hard to believe that all these people had coincidentally arrived on that same premise. Nevertheless, it felt good, and I was happy for Gavin and Meggie.

  Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!

  “Otis!” Meggie squealed, covering her ears.

  There was a knock.

  Ruff!

  Who could it possibly be? I wondered. Everyone was already present.

  Gavin opened the door. It was Mrs. Woods, with Coach and Mrs. Magenta—who was holding on to a gentleman’s arm.

  “Merry Christmas, Valentine,” Coach said. “Got my family with me. The new guy’s not a quarterback, but he’s okay.”


  The gentleman chuckled. “I’m Olivia’s husband, Matthew,” he said, introducing himself. “Good to meet you.”

  “You too,” Gavin replied. “Merry Christmas. And Merry Christmas, Coach. I’m really happy you got what you wanted.”

  “You will, too. Keep fighting.”

  I squeezed Randi’s hand.

  Mr. Davids and Miss Carla welcomed Mrs. Woods and company and took their coats. Mrs. Magenta spotted Randi and Scott and me and came over to us. “I’d like you to meet my husband, Matthew,” she said.

  “It’s nice to finally see you all in person,” Mr. Magenta said. “I’ve heard so much about each of you.”

  “We haven’t heard anything about you,” Scott blurted.

  I elbowed him.

  “You can expect to see Matthew more often now,” Mrs. Magenta said, “thanks to all of you.”

  I smiled, while inside I wrestled with a new set of questions. I sensed there was still more to Mrs. Magenta’s story, but I reminded myself to let these things come on their own.

  Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!

  Incredibly, there was yet another knock on the front door.

  Mr. Davids answered it this time. “Hello, Ellen. Please, come in.”

  In stepped a plump, middle-aged woman.

  “Ellen!” Miss Carla exclaimed. “Thank you for coming.”

  “Happy to be here. Are you ready?”

  Ready for what? I wondered.

  “Yes, I think so,” Miss Carla replied.

  “Merry Christmas, Ellen,” Mother said, approaching the woman and shaking her hand.

  “Merry Christmas, Gloria.”

  Do they know each other?

  “If I could have everyone’s attention,” Mother announced. “I’d like to share some exciting news. This is Ellen Leone, a friend of mine from the courthouse. Ellen’s here to help Mike and Carla make things official.”

  What? I was confused. What does Mother mean “make things official”?

  “I’ve asked for Carla’s hand in marriage,” Mr. Davids explained, “and she’s accepted.” Applause. “Ellen is here to perform the ceremony.”