A Reason to Breathe

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  Katy sat beside him and rested her bag on her lap. The fringes were a mess, and he reached his finger over and straightened them the best he could. His hand was slapped.

  “Ow, Katy!” he said and pulled his hand back, taking in the way she firmed her lips. She shouldn’t do that, as it brought those creases to her brow.

  “Stop fixing everything,” she whispered, then ran her fingers over the fringes, messing them up. He couldn’t believe it. He opened his mouth to tell her when his dad appeared.

  “Okay, listen up. We’re going to go in, and, Trevor, they’re going to take you and me to a little room, and there will be a window, and they’re going to bring in men, and you’ll have to pick out which ones are the ones who robbed the bank.”

  “Oh, okay.” He stood up and followed his dad to the door, glancing back and seeing Katy still sitting there. “Katy, aren’t you coming?”

  “Nope, just you and Dad. See you back out here.”

  “Okay,” Trevor said and walked through the door, seeing cops in uniform and other people. All the faces blended together as he was led to the back, down a hall, his sneakers squeaking on the floor, which was a shade of brown that looked like rusty water. A door opened, and he stepped inside. A man was there, and a big window looked onto an empty room. His dad rested his hand on his shoulder, and one of the men tapped on the glass.

  “So, Trevor, I’m Detective Ramirez. Are you ready to take a look at some men and see if they’re the ones who robbed the bank?” The man had a thick black mustache that was too long, covering his lip, and he thought there were crumbs in it.

  “You should fix your mustache,” Trevor said. “There’s food in it.” He lifted his finger and heard his dad chuckle. The man made a strange face and lifted his hand to swipe at his mustache. His face colored red.

  “Trevor, we’ve talked about this,” Brad said. “That’s rude. Put your hand down.”

  “Oops, sorry,” he said and leaned closer to his dad, whispering loudly, “but there’s crumbs in his mustache. You should tell him.”

  “Trevor, focus. Look at the window. They’re going to bring some men in, and you need to look at them and tell the detective here if any of them were the robbers,” his dad said.

  The detective cleared his throat, and Trevor watched as men walked into the room behind the glass—one, two, three, four, five, six, seven of them. He looked at their faces, short hair, long hair, bald, and a mess, but it wasn’t there. He wasn’t there.

  “Where’s the mask?” he added, taking in the men standing there. They had forgotten to put their masks back on.

  10

  Her dad and Trevor had just gone in through the locked door to the precinct, and she was still waiting for them when the outside door popped open and she spotted Rhonda Walker and Jasmine. Jasmine was leading the way in a light tan jacket and blue jeans, and she seemed a little overwhelmed. Rhonda patted her shoulder and took in Katy.

  “Just have a seat over there, Jasmine. I’ll tell them you’re here,” she said.

  Jasmine sat beside her and rested her hands on her lap.

  “Hi, Jasmine, how are you?” Katy said.

  “Oh, hi, Katy. I’m good. Do you have to see the police as well? They told my mom I have to come down and pick out the men who robbed the bank. They weren’t nice men. They’ll be going to jail, my mom said. We’ll put them away and then they’ll never do that again.”

  “They aren’t quite ready for us,” Rhonda said, then took a seat on the other side of Jasmine. Katy didn’t miss the awkwardness, followed by the forced smile. “That’s quite the thing, finding the men so quickly,” she said to Katy. “I didn’t see a thing at the bank when they came in. I was too scared of what Jasmine would do, so I was keeping my head down.”

  “Yes, me too,” Katy said. “I still can’t believe how Trevor jumped up and tried to protect me. It’s the kind of thing he does, thoughtful,” she added. “Between Jasmine and Trevor, they saw enough and gave enough detail that they caught them. Between the two of them, they noticed details I never would have, and I didn’t, even though the guy was so close, walking right over to me, pointing the gun at us.”

  Rhonda nodded, and Jasmine was staring straight ahead and then over to her.

  “I organized all my horse’s tack boxes today,” she said. “Got the brushes all cleaned and the combs, and organized everything. The hay was going a bit moldy. I told my mom, so she’ll have to get some more.”

  Katy sensed Jasmine could go on and on, and she noticed the way she kept pulling on the sleeve of her coat. “So how was your pizza last night?” she asked.

  Jasmine’s hands were now fisting her jeans. “It was so good, ham and pineapple, the best. We have it every Thursday, right, Mom?” She glanced to her mother beside her, who only nodded in a distracted way as if she hadn’t really heard her. “Are you here with Trevor?”

  “Trevor is actually in back right now picking out the men from a lineup. He’ll be out soon—so I wanted to ask you both, since you’re here, about coming over for dinner.”

  “Oh, we’d love to come for dinner,” Jasmine said. “That would be fun, at your place? What would we have for dinner? Oh, salad, lots of salad. I love salad.”

  “Salad is a good choice to have with dinner,” Katy said. “Well, I was thinking Sunday. I know my dad and mom would love to meet you both, and I know Trevor wanted to show you all his horses.”

  No, he didn’t, but it would be one more step in getting closer to breaking through whatever hesitation Rhonda had. She just knew that once she got to the ranch, Rhonda would warm up. Who wouldn’t, around her family? Everything about them was warm and welcoming. Just driving in gave her that sense of peace and love.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that…” Rhonda started, but then the door clicked open, and her dad and Trevor walked out. Her dad said something to one of the detectives.

  “They didn’t have masks on,” Trevor said, walking straight to her. “I don’t know why they didn’t wear them.”

  She glanced over to her dad, who was shaking his head and gesturing as he spoke with the detective.

  “Oh, hi, Jasmine,” Trevor said as he stopped in front of Katy. He was dressed sharply in a deep brown jacket.

  “We’re coming to your place for dinner. What did you say we’re having again?” Jasmine asked.

  She could see her dad walking their way, straight for them. “Sunday dinner, we could do ribs?” Katy offered.

  Rhonda was shaking her head, ready to jump in and say no, she thought.

  “Oh, I love ribs,” Trevor added. “Jasmine, do you like ribs?” This time he tossed a sideways glance to Katy for confirmation that he’d asked the right thing.

  “Yeah, I like ribs and salad. I really like salad.”

  “Rhonda, I hope you’ll say yes, because we really should get together. It will be nice having you to the ranch, and Trevor can show Jasmine the horses, and…”

  “Katy,” her dad said, interrupting, and she took in his pointed look. He knew when she was pushing, and he turned and gave everything, all his attention, to Rhonda before holding out his hand. “Brad Friessen,” he said. “You must be Rhonda. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Trevor’s father, and Katy is right. We’d love to have you and Jasmine over for dinner on Sunday. I heard Jasmine has a thing for horses?”

  “She won medals, Dad,” Trevor interrupted. “Lots of them.”

  “Wow, really? That’s impressive.” Her dad smiled down at Jasmine, who was running her hands over her legs and shrugged.

  “I used to jump. I was really good. I could still do it. You like jumping horses, Trevor?”

  He just shook his head. “Jumping, no,” Trevor said, and her dad slipped his hand over Trevor’s shoulder.

  “No, we’re pure western, none of that show jumping,” Brad said. “Never wanted to ride a horse that’s a jumper. We do go out for rides, trail rides, every weekend—Saturdays, usually, although we missed the last two. Maybe Jasmine could
come next time we go.”

  She pressed her hands together in front of her, fighting the urge to jump up and pat her dad on the back to thank him for turning on the charm, because this was the first time she saw Rhonda begin to ease up, to soften. Yes!

  A smile touched Rhonda’s lips as she gave her head a shake. “All right.” She slapped her legs. “You talked me into it. Boy, you two really don’t take no for an answer. Persistent.” She shook her finger at Katy.

  “We are, at that, and it’s all for the greater good,” Katy added, and she didn’t miss how her dad gave his head a shake. There was amusement in the twitch of his lips.

  “Jasmine Walker…?” The door opened, and the same detective who had walked her dad out with Trevor was there looking to them both.

  “Come on, get up, let’s go.” Rhonda touched Jasmine’s arm, and she stood up with her mom.

  “Okay, see you for dinner—and you can take me to see your horses, too! Don’t forget,” Jasmine said to Trevor.

  “And I can show you the new DC Legends of Tomorrow game,” Trevor called out to her. “Oh, and tell those detectives to tell those robbers to put their masks back on.”

  Jasmine waved her hand and didn’t say anything as she was ushered through the door with her mom, the detective dragging his gaze from Jasmine to Trevor, obviously thrown by what Trevor had just stated.

  “I’ll be in touch” was all the detective said, and then the door closed.

  Brad turned to Katy, his expression amused, and he shook his head. “Katy, Katy,” he said, then motioned for them to go. Trevor was already out the door and on his way over to the truck as her dad held the door open for her, and they strode out in the mix of sun and clouds. His boots scraped on the pavement.

  “Hey, it’s all good,” Katy said. “They’re coming for dinner. Now we’ll just have to get Mom to whip up a massive pot of ribs and get Trevor and Jasmine together to see the horses, spend some time together, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”

  Her dad reached his hand out and pressed it over her arm to stop her. “Just a word of caution.” He pulled her to a stop even though Trevor was already in the back of the truck.

  She lifted her gaze to her dad, seeing something that seemed far too much like concern. “What?”

  “Are you thinking this is a love affair you’re trying to start? Because Trevor is not ever going to live on his own. You really think that what you’re doing here is going to create some happy ending? Because I’m seeing two very distinct young adults with two very different issues on different sides of the spectrum…”

  “Dad.” She reached over and touched her dad’s arm to interrupt him. “You know what? Before that morning at the bank, I thought exactly the same thing, that Trevor had limits to what he wanted, to what he could do, and that he couldn’t feel the same way as you and me—and I was wrong,” she added.

  Her dad glanced to her and then over to the truck, confused. “I’m not getting what you’re saying, Katy.”

  She pulled in a breath, because this was something she felt deep in her bones was so important. “Trevor has us, his family, but each of us has our person. I have Steven, you have Mom, Becky has Tom, but Trevor has no one. He needs someone to share his life with. He needs companionship. However it will work, I don’t know, but what I do know is that he needs the chance to have that something with someone. Whether it’s with Jasmine or not, we need to see to it that he has the chance.”

  Her dad was giving everything to her, and she could see he was thinking. Then he gestured toward the truck with his chin. “Okay, but don’t push. If he doesn’t want this or if Jasmine doesn’t, don’t push for them to be together.”

  She considered for a second what her dad was saying.

  “And I’m still not sure about this,” he added.

  “But you’ll give him a chance, and her too,” Katy said. “I mean, with dinners together, talking, sharing, spending time together, if anything, at least a beautiful friendship will develop.”

  “Hmm” was all her dad said as they started walking to the truck. “So it’ll be Sunday dinner, and…” He gestured to her over the truck from the driver’s side. “Don’t push.”

  She considered what he was saying. “Okay, I won’t. I’ll just give them a nudge,” she added.

  This time her dad laughed before climbing in.

  11

  “What are you doing?” Emily asked from where Katy was standing at the back door, looking out the screen to where she’d seen Jasmine and Trevor go into the barn. She couldn’t really make out what they were saying.

  “I’m watching them. I’ve never seen Trevor so talkative, so engaged, and he seems to really like Jasmine, and she him. I mean, you know I’ve been reading a lot about this lately, and while there are many with autism who get married, so many can never find their true love. It’s that missing piece, and we don’t recognize that they too need love. You know how we think he can’t imagine himself in someone else’s shoes like we do? You know that mind-blindness? But he can feel others’ emotions. I’ve seen it. I also know that while he doesn’t know how to read us at times, sometimes he does, only because he’s learned that particular reaction. But those two out there…” She gestured to them. “They get each other.”

  Her mom rubbed her shoulder, and she could see her dad walk into the barn and say something. She wasn’t sure what it was, but Jasmine and Trevor both stepped out, and then they were walking around the back, but not before she caught a spark of joy that seemed to light up Trevor’s entire face.

  “Did you see that?” Katy said, taking in her mom, who was watching from behind her. Jack and Fletcher were coming in on horseback and hopping off, tying their horses to the post by the barn.

  “Yeah, that’s a great day. Maybe you were right, Katy. Not sure how this will all work, but…”

  “How about, as Dad said, we just see how it all unfolds?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Emily said. “So are you helping with dinner since you’re the one who put together this invite? When is Rhonda supposed to get here?”

  Katy really should help, but she was feeling so much like a little kid at Christmas. She wanted to get outside and poke her nose in and see what Trevor and Jasmine were up to. “I was thinking about joining the fun outside. Pretty sure Rhonda will be back at the same time as Steven, likely right before we’re supposed to eat.” She shoved her feet in her gumboots at the back door.

  “Well, where did she say she was going, again?”

  What could she say to her mom about Rhonda Walker? As soon as she’d arrived with Jasmine at the front door, Katy had known that she recognized that feeling of family. It was in everything about their home. She’d seen it in her face, something she couldn’t hide. Katy still had to remind herself of that wonderful feeling.

  “Work, I think, but she really didn’t say,” Katy replied. “Just that she’d be back, but at least Jasmine is here.”

  Katy reached for one of Steven’s hoodies hanging on a hook at the back door. It was dark blue and too big for her, but it was warm, and she loved wearing something of his. Her guy, her love. He really was the love of her life, and she wanted that for Trevor. She started over to the barn, seeing Jack and Fletcher brushing down the two quarter horses, one chestnut, the other black, and they were laughing over something they’d done.

  “Hey, you two! You have a good ride?” she called out.

  “We took the trail up but had to turn back because of the mud. One of the creeks was so high the horses had to swim across,” Fletcher said just as her dad appeared, and she knew he had a thing or two to say about that. She did, too, considering Jack and Fletcher were only eight and twelve.

  “I told you two to stay away from the creek,” Brad said. “You heard me on that. You want to go out and ride without me, you listen up. This isn’t the time of year that you mess with that. It could’ve ended far differently than you two coming back with a story to tell.”

  She took in her
brother and son, who were more like brothers, after the scolding they’d just got.

  “You understand?” Brad said.

  “Grandpa, that’s no fun,” Fletcher replied—with a whine, she noted.

  “Fun or no fun, it’ll be the last you two are on horseback yourselves without me if you pull that again.”

  She heard Fletcher mumble “Fine.” Jack, though, tossed his dad a sullen look. He was stubborn to the core, but her dad was a patient man.

  He stepped over to Jack. “You want to push it?”

  Jack tossed his brush in the tack box, and his horse pranced a bit. He took off into the barn, and her dad followed him. Oops, a bit of boy trouble there, she thought.

  “What’s up with Jack?” She rested her hand on the horse’s side, taking in her son, who was rooted to this place, this home, this land. There wasn’t a chance she could take him from here. He loved everything about it, a place where he had grown up, just as she had.

  “He’s not listening lately. I only followed him and told him Grandpa said not to go that far. He wouldn’t listen, said he was old enough to do what he wanted, and I could turn back if I was too chicken.” Fletcher glanced up, and she took in his expression. He idolized Jack, her twelve-year-old brother, who was becoming far too determined as of late. She could see her dad in the back of the barn with him. Whatever he was saying to him, she could see the stubbornness and determination Jack was giving off in reply. He wasn’t going to make it easy.

  “Any idea why he’s acting that way?” she asked.

  Fletcher ran a brush down the side of the horse and shrugged. “I don’t know. Kind of started at school. He didn’t want me hanging around.”

  She could see the hurt alongside the sibling rivalry. “You know, me and Becky used to really go at it sometimes. It’s just space he needs, but I guarantee you he didn’t mean it. Just finish brushing your horse and put him away. Grandma’s inside. Why don’t you go bug her for a cookie? You know she has some stashed. I’ll be in in a minute.”