It seems that I should remember most of the details of my ambulance ride to the hospital, the doctor's examination, and the surgery prep for my ruptured appendix, but I recall it all as I would a vague dream. When I woke up in the recovery room, I briefly wondered where I was and how I got there. A few days later, when I was much more alert, my memory was still foggy as if I were trying to recall the scenes of a movie that I had watched too many years ago. Much of what I "remember" is really only what people told me.
The Mackeys and Ant gave me their versions of how the news of my emergency spread that Saturday morning, resulting in coaches, teammates, and students invading the hospital to await news of my condition. It was hard for me to believe that so many people filled the waiting room that most of them had to stand or sit on the floor.
Because my appendix ruptured, I was quite sick, and my hospital stay was longer than it would have been for a simple appendectomy. While I recovered there, the Mackeys, Papa, or Manny took turns staying with me throughout the day until I went to sleep for the night. Ant visited me each day after school, as did Carlee and Max. Coach Haney dropped by several times along with some of my teammates.
I had been embarrassed when I first discovered that my room was on the pediatrics floor where the hospital generally assigned any patient under sixteen. My mood improved when one of the nurses told me that my room was in a section for teenagers, far away from the infants. On my fourth day, it turned out that I was lucky to be on that floor. I had a visit from one of the long time pediatric nurses, who learned that I was a patient down the hall from where she worked with infants.
Marcia Medlock, who was only a few years away from retirement, stunned me when she introduced herself as the nurse who found me in the pediatric waiting room of the hospital almost fifteen years before my appendix ruptured. I attacked her with questions as if I were a police detective, and Marcia gave me every detail of our first meeting, and at my urging, told me the story again. I was fascinated, but I wished that she knew more about my mother.
"I always knew that someone found me in pediatrics but I didn't have details. Thank you for passing the word to keep the blanket and nametag with me," I said. "I've managed to hold on to both of them."
"You know, River, I went for years wondering what became of you, and when I saw the first newspaper story about you playing football, I can't tell you how thrilled I was. It had your school picture next to the story, and I remember thinking that I was right."
"Right about what?'
"I told all the girls who were cooing over you in the nursery that it was a preview of things to come. You were such a beautiful baby boy that I knew you were bound to turn into a handsome young man one day."
"Thanks." I blushed and Marcia thought it was cute which made me blush again. I was happy when she changed the subject.
"I came to two of your football games. Those were the first games I had watched since I was in high school. I was very proud of you when I listened to all the people around me cheer your name. The Harper Springs fans love you."
"They love to take their minds off their problems and feel like a part of a winner just like fans of any sport. They love to brag about their school team and their town. I bet that some of them don't love me very much for losing our game with the Eagles."
"If that's true, it'll pass, River. As for me, you brought back some great memories. I'm single with no children, so other than work, my life is boring. Watching you play was really exciting, almost like I was in high school again."
"I hope you get to come next season. You should watch from the sideline with the team. We could use a nurse, and if you're with the team, you don't pay to watch."
"That sounds fun, but I doubt your coach would want an old lady getting in the way."
I laughed. "He would have loved an older lady who happened to be a nurse at our last game. Our team doctor was running his old butt off between the guys with the stomach bug and the ones with normal injuries."
"Hmm. Well, tell you what, River. You ask your coach, and if he ever needs me, I'd be glad to help out."
"Plan on it. You need to get out and do things. Do you ever walk? Like at the park? I like to go there and jog the trail, but I could walk it with you. You should join me sometimes."
Marcia laughed. "Maybe I'll do that, but you better walk slowly."
"I live at Tolley House, and you're welcome to visit. Give me your phone number before I leave here, so we can stay in touch and plan something. My fifteenth birthday is coming up on December 19, and I'll have a little party where I work at Deer Lake Farm. You're welcome to come."
Marcia was immediately interested in the farm. "Does Manny still live there?"
I was surprised that she knew Manny, and even more surprised when she told me that she had been good friends with Manny's mother for years before Mrs. Flores and her husband moved back to Mexico.
Marcia went on to explain that she first met Maria Flores and her young son, Gabe, when she helped treat the boy's broken arm in the ER. Years later, when Gabe was twenty years old, Marcia was part of the ER team trying to save his life from a gunshot wound when another ambulance brought in her husband, a car accident victim. Gabe Flores and Robert Medlock both died on the same night, and Marcia never worked in the ER again.
When Manny visited me in the hospital, I told him about meeting Marcia, and he made a point to find her and reinforce my invitation for her to join us for my birthday. I was glad to see her when she came to the farm, and I think it helped her to socialize with us. She visited with us a few more times while I was in high school, and on Friday nights during football season, she often assisted our team doctor on the sideline during our home games.
The day before my doctor released me from the hospital, Papa was sitting with me when Howie Spearman from The State Reporter knocked on my room door. After I invited him into my room, I joked that I was reading one of his stories when I got so sick my guardians had to call for an ambulance. We all had a laugh, and he got to the point of his visit.
"River, I hope I'm not bothering you, but I thought this might be a good time to cheer you up a bit. The newspaper has started an annual awards program for high school student athletes. Each reporter gets to choose an athlete from his area to give a gift that would be meaningful to that athlete's future academic success. The short story is that I picked you. I know you weren't lucky enough to have parents to set up a college fund for you, so I thought this might be a good way to help you a little."
Howie handed me an envelope and nodded that I should open it. I'm sure my eyes went wide when I saw that the newspaper had written me a check for $1000. To a state kid, it was a fortune. My hand shook as I showed the check to Papa.
"Mr. Spearman, that's a very nice gift," said Papa. "I hope I'm not offending you or your employer by wondering if there's a catch to your generosity."
"Mr. Long, writing about athletes like River sells papers for us, so it only seems fair that we give back to them when we can. I have learned that River is a private sort of young man, and I thought that giving him the check here would prevent any possible embarrassment. We will congratulate him on his selection as one of our student athletes of the year, but we won't write one word about the check, so it's up to River if he wants to tell anyone."
Papa nodded and looked at me. "River, I think Mr. Spearman's word is good, so I see nothing wrong with it, but you might want to run it by Hal and Jenny."
It was hard to focus on the conversation around me, as I pictured all the things I could buy, but common sense prevailed. I couldn't afford to blow the money.
"Thanks, Mr. Spearman. I'm sure my guardians won't mind, and I plan to ask them to help me start a savings account."
"Very good idea, River," said Howie. "Just one other thing. I don't expect any favoritism, but I would like you to consider something. I see nothing but a bright future ahead of you, and although I don't know all the details of your past, I know that you must have had a difficult life compa
red to kids with a typical family. One day, after you have finished school and become famous, if you ever decide to tell the story of your life, I would like first crack at helping you write it. I think it would be interesting."
I laughed at his idea. "Well, Mr. Spearman, I doubt anyone will be interested, but if I ever decide to write my autobiography, I will have to have someone smarter than I am to help me, and you'll be first on my list."
"Thanks, River. I've intruded long enough. I'm glad you're recovering well, and I'll see you next season, if not before. Have a good day, Mr. Long."
As it turned out, I did see Howie Spearman before the next season. Ant and I invited him to Deer Lake Farm to see our offseason training routine. We soon became friends, and Howie was a regular visitor to the farm and Tolley House. As Howie and Papa became better acquainted, Howie often accepted invitations to bring his family to join Papa's cookouts at the farm.
I was excited about the check, and I couldn't wait to tell Ant, but when I thought more about it, bragging to him about the money didn't seem like such a good idea. He trained as hard as I did for football, and without him as my practice partner, and my favorite target in games, I wouldn't have played as well. I made the decision right then that I would split the money with Ant, and we could each open our own savings account.
The thought of seeing Ant excited about his share of the money made me grin. Papa approved of my decision and enjoyed seeing me so animated because it didn't happen often. If I could have read Papa's mind, I would have known that he was planning to see me excited again for my birthday and Christmas.
***
When Ant and I were visiting with Papa at Deer Lake Farm, we enjoyed camping and exploring his land rather than sleeping indoors and hanging around his house. My time in Stockwell and the boys home, made me enjoy the freedom to roam through all the parts of Papa's property where I used Papa's camera to shoot nature scenes. I was often lucky enough to take shots of the wildlife that inhabited some of the more remote acres of his land. Everyone at the farm said I was good with a camera, and Papa even put a few of my photos on the wall in his office. After one set of shots, I was hooked on photography and planned to take a course that our school would offer in the summer.
Another one of my favorite things to do was trail riding with Ant. Sometimes we rode all the way to the Blue Bergeron River, which cut across a corner of Papa's land at the far end of his property. Ant was the first to bring up the possibility that the river could have inspired my unusual name. I often joked with Ant that if he were right, I was glad that my first name wasn't "Bergeron."
The first time we rode the trail to the river, I shot pictures all along the way, and Manny used my photos to show customers what they would see if they paid for a trail ride to the Blue Bergeron. Customer requests doubled for that route, and Papa gave me the project of taking pictures of the scenery along all the trails that were available to our customers.
I think that I was the only one who didn't know that Papa was giving me an expensive camera for my birthday. As nice as the camera was, he gave me an even better Christmas gift a week later, and he gave an equal gift to Ant.
Papa knew how Ant and I enjoyed riding and then pampering our horses when we brought them back to the barn. He once mentioned that he thought we cared more for the horses than we did most people, and he was probably right because horses had never hurt us. Papa could think of no better Christmas presents than to make us the official owners of the horses. He gave Milo to Ant and gave Ace to me. We couldn't have been happier.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
As they did with most of Carlee's wishes, her parents approved her request to host a holiday party at their home during the last week of December. The guest list was similar to that of her back-to-school party but specifically excluded single girls that Carlee didn't want near me. She invited the varsity football team and the players' girlfriends, and left the single football players irritated by the lack of single girls.
I had celebrated my fifteenth birthday the week before Christmas, and Carlee's fifteenth birthday would be in January. I knew that even if her father ever approved of me as more than a friend to Carlee she still had another year before she would turn sixteen and have her father's permission to date. Until then, there was no way that she could appear too interested in me unless she wanted "Big Bill" to go crazy, possibly grounding her until after she graduated from high school. Carlee was frustrated because she thought that she had to worry about other girls flirting with me since she could not announce that we were a couple.
In addition to his rules on dating, Carlee's father insisted on imposing other unrealistic expectations on his children. His beliefs were so outdated that Bill Summers was delusional to think Carlee and Billy, Jr. would not find ways to rebel. Carlee and her father were much alike in the sense that both of them insisted on believing that things would be, as they wanted them to be, even when simple logic told them differently.
Carlee's invitations noted that the proper dress for her party guests would be "black tie," the same as a prom. I seriously thought of skipping the party, but Papa thought it would be good experience for Ant and me and paid for the rental of our tuxedos. I understood Papa's point, but I kept thinking that I would rather live at Tolley House than to live in that stuffy, pretentious environment Carlee's parents created. I was uncomfortable in a house that had a ballroom, the largest room of any kind that I had ever seen.
When Ant and I arrived at the party, we found Tina and Carlee, and talked with some of the kids we hadn't seen since school dismissed for the holidays. One of the favorite topics of discussion was "What did you get for Christmas?" and for once, Ant and I didn't mind answering. We could have talked proudly about our horses all night long.
I hadn't been at the party long when I saw Carlee's father just outside the French doors on the terrace. He was having a conversation with his brother who was Max's father. Max stood to the side of them and looked miserable to be spending his party time with his father and uncle, while Julie, his date, was waiting on him.
I had already spoken to Big Bill, who always made some comment to me about football. He would tell me I played a good game, or he would give me advice, such as I should look harder for an open receiver before I run with the ball.
Because of the crap that Carlee fed her father, he sometimes thanked me for looking out for his daughter. She had him believing that she and I were just friends, and that I was more like her bodyguard. Big Bill would sometimes remind me to tell him if any of the boys were acting disrespectful towards Carlee or talking trash about her in the locker room. He obviously didn't believe that his sweet Carlee was capable of deceiving him, even when he saw her dancing with me. I wondered what his reaction would be when Carlee turned sixteen and wanted to date me. I told her that her father would be angry that we lied to him, but she insisted that she knew what she was doing.
Except for the first time I met Max's father, the strange man ignored me when we were close enough to speak. He obviously disliked me, but Max and I never discussed it.
I was listening to Ant and Tina talk about joining the school drama club when I heard loud voices coming from the terrace. Max came storming past us to the stairs where he took two steps at a time on his way up to the second floor where the bedrooms were located. I knew that he had a particular bedroom that he used when he stayed at Carlee's house, and I assumed that he was heading there. I had never seen Max so upset, and I'm not sure if anyone else noticed, but I saw a handprint on his cheek. The way his father yelled after him, I assumed that Sam Summers had hit his son.
I followed Carlee's eyes from Max to the terrace. Her father and Max's father were arguing on the other side of the doors, and it looked very heated. "Carlee, what the hell is going on?"
"Max's father is a jerk," she said angrily.
"Do you need to go up and check on Max?" I thought someone should, and it was her house and her cousin.
"If you don't mind, it might be a good ide
a."
"I can wait, Carlee. Max needs you now."
A half hour later, I was hanging with some teammates when Carlee came back downstairs and pulled me away. She said that Max was okay, but she would leave it up to him if he wanted to tell his friends what happened. I thought she had the right idea because I didn't want to see him embarrassed more than he already was. We agreed that we should try to enjoy the rest of the party, but it turned out to be an ugly night for us.
At the time of Carlee's holiday party, I was unaware that she was once again suffering from the same old paranoia and jealousy that I thought was no longer an issue for us. As far as I knew, everything had been fine since that day at Deer Lake Farm when I officially asked her to be my girlfriend. I was wrong. Carlee had hidden the fact that the intensity of her paranoia had grown along with my success and popularity as a football player. In her mind, she was in a desperate struggle to hold on to me against devious attempts by other people to take me away from her. She was jealous of anyone, including my teammates, who took time from me that she thought should be hers. She began to rationalize that she had to protect me from phonies who didn't care for me as much as she did.
Carlee constantly warned me about all the snobbish Harper Springs people who normally crossed the street to avoid contact with a kid like me, but because of my status as a football player, they treated me as if I mattered. I told Carlee that I cared nothing for all the fakers lapping at my heels and that I was polite to people only because of my respect for Papa, who insisted that I use good manners no matter what my personal feelings were. Had I been brutally honest with people, I would have relieved some of Carlee's jealousy, but Papa warned me that I could hurt my future by making enemies when it wasn't necessary.
My Name Is River Blue Page 26
