“Okay, so I’m gonna head down with Cody and help mom and dad get ready for dinner.” Colton said to Skyler. Then he looked at Cody and asked, “You heading out?”
“I’ll chill out with you and the ‘rents for a few minutes,” Cody said.
“Cool. Skyler, you’re sure you’re good?” Colton asked.
“Um, yeah, I, I think I’ll take a few minutes to, uh…chill out. Maybe take a quick nap. Come get me when dinner’s ready?”
“No problem,” Colton said, giving him a thumb up. Then he headed out of Skyler’s room.
“Later, dude.” Cody winked at him and followed Colton downstairs.
Skyler walked over to his bed and collapsed onto the mattress which he found unbelievably comfortable.
Dude. I’ve never been called dude so many times before. He stared up at the ceiling for a minute and let his mind go blank. Then his eyes became heavy and he allowed them to shut.
Yeah, a quick nap sounds like a good idea.
* * *
“CK, pass the chips, please,” Dale asked.
Skyler looked up from his hamburger to see who would move.
“Sure thing, dad,” Colton said, grabbing the bowl of chips and passing it to his father. Catching Skyler’s intrigued gaze, he smiled and said, “CK is my nickname, as in Colton Kelley, so CK for short.”
“Okay, cee-kay,” Skyler said, emphasizing the rhyming kay sounds.
“Do you have a nickname you’d like to be called, Skyler?” Liara asked, delicately applying lettuce to her hamburger.
“Just Sky,” he answered. “I’m used to being called Skyler or Sky.”
“Sky,” CK said. “Hmm…I dunno about that one. Skiller or Skriller sounds pretty badass.”
“Colton!” Liara exclaimed.
“Shit, sorry mom,” he apologized, chuckling to himself. Skyler wondered if his presence tempered her response, or if she was off put by swearing, like Rebecca. In either case, he guessed it was going to be less strict than with Rebecca when Liara stifled a chuckle of her own. It seemed as though it might be a little game between mother and son. Time will tell.
Skyler and his new family sat comfortably on the large deck at the back of the house. Dale had grilled up hamburgers—safe food, CK had explained earlier while moving Skyler’s stuff—for dinner tonight. They had bet Skyler wouldn’t turn down fire-grilled hamburgers, and they were right. He could tell they had gone out of their way to make sure he would be very comfortable for their first dinner together—strangers, meeting a stranger, and vice versa. Skyler noticed the subtext of the evening’s conversation as the Kelleys tried to understand his past and how it affected him. He guessed they were trying to anticipate what life would be like with Skyler around.
This will all end soon enough.
There was no doubt in Skyler’s mind their niceness would eventually wear off, and the reality of life—who he really was and who they really were—and how their raw personalities would interact or clash would soon be revealed, just like it had happened before. Once reality settled in and Skyler was no longer a guest, their façades would come down, one at a time.
“So,” Dale said, preparing himself a second burger, “I figure we can get to household courtesies tomorrow. For now, I hope we can enjoy a relaxing first dinner together and you can have a nice evening to unpack and settle in. I suspect though, given what Katie told us about your time with the Tinsdales, you’ll find us a bit more, uh, relaxed. That, and you are sixteen now. You don’t need the regiment of an eleven-year-old. However, you should expect there will still be some rules to follow.”
“Sounds fair to me,” Skyler answered, nodding in agreement. “I like what I’ve seen so far. And…” Skyler paused, pointing in the general direction of the upstairs, “about the guitar, and the computer in my room…”
“They’re yours,” Liara interrupted. “It’s our gift to you. You’ll need the computer for school. At Temple Valley High, where you’ll be going with CK, a lot of your schoolwork is done online. And the guitar, well, Katie said you had learned to play while living with the Tinsdales, but you wouldn’t be able to bring Stephen’s guitar with you.” She reached for the bowl of potato chips and took some for herself. “I wanted to make sure you could continue to play. The Arts, especially music, are such an important part of your younger years. We want you to grow not only academically, but also artistically, and as a person and a young man, and we want to support you in your last two years of high school, and hopefully beyond. So, you have one new guitar now, and who knows, you may decide to get another one in the near future.”
“Besides,” interjected CK, “playing the guitar gets the girls!” He gave Skyler two thumbs up before reaching for the ketchup. Skyler saw Dale frown at CK over his burger.
Skyler smiled and said, “Wow, I don’t know what to say. You’ve done so much for me by letting me stay here. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Be happy, and be yourself,” Dale answered, speaking through a mouthful of burger.
“And we really mean that, Skyler,” Liara added “Be yourself. That would be the greatest thanks you could give us.”
“I do have a question, though,” Skyler said.
“Ask away,” Liara said, grinning.
“We’re halfway through dinner, which is awesome because these burgers are amazing, so thank you. We didn’t say grace before we started eating. Does that mean…uh…” Skyler paused, trying to think of the right words to say. CK raised an eyebrow and looked at Skyler quizzically.
“Does it mean we aren’t Christian, don’t pray, or don’t go to church?” Dale asked.
“Exactly,” Skyler answered, pointing at Dale and noting his intuition.
Dale looked at his wife and smiled. “Skyler, we have a more…open understanding of spirituality and faith. We take a different approach to it than the Tinsdales do. We are certainly grateful for many things, but we don’t express it in a formalized religion.”
“Okay,” Skyler said, with a slight hesitation in his voice. What the hell does that mean?
As if she read his mind, Liara explained what Dale meant. “In other words, we aren’t going to make you go to church tomorrow. In fact, we don’t go to church, per se. That said, if you want to go to church…”
“No,” Skyler interrupted, noticing his quick response time. He chuckled. “I didn’t mean to answer so fast. You won’t get complaints from me about not going to church every Sunday. Sometimes we’d have to go two or three times a week. It was a bit much.”
“Thank God for small favors,” muttered CK, sipping his soda. Skyler, Dale, and Liara stared at him with amusement. CK rolled his eyes and said cheerfully, “Wow, I just made this way more awkward, didn’t I?”
“Nah,” Skyler said. “You didn’t.”
“Okay, good,” CK Said. “Changing subjects, here’s an important question. Will you be ready at six a.m. tomorrow to go for a run?”
“What?” Skyler asked, caught off-guard. That early in the morning? Could I please sleep in once on a Sunday?
“CK, give him a day or two!” Liara said. “You aren’t even sure if he likes running.”
“I do, actually,” Skyler said. “I do like running, but I prefer cycling and swimming. But…six a.m.?”
“I’m kidding,” CK said. “At least about the six a.m. part. I’ll go running with you in the morning, and you’re welcome to keep up, if you can.”
“CK!” exclaimed Liara. Skyler suspected she feigned exasperation.
“What?” CK asked. “What’s wrong with a little friendly competition?”
“Nothing,” Skyler answered, ready to zing CK. He smiled mischievously and said, “But you’ll be struggling to keep up with me. That’s how it will go down, pal.” CK looked at Skyler with wide eyes, unintentionally signaling defeat. Liara’s mouth dropped open and then closed as she started laughing.
“And the ice is broken,” Dale said, snickering. CK blushed and Skyler smiled, returning the fist-pump CK
offered.
Third time’s a charm, right?
* * *
Skyler paused, dirty dishes in hand, and stared at the gigantic kitchen counter he somehow missed on his way out to dinner on the back deck. Though it wasn’t really a kitchen counter, it was the biggest kitchen island he had ever seen. In the middle, a large soapstone sink was set into the lower of two levels; a lower level for preparing food, and a higher level for serving or eating. Four bar stools were lined up against the eating side and the dishwasher was located next to the sink on the food prep side. That’s where Skyler was headed.
Amazing.
After dinner, Skyler helped CK carry the dirty dishes into the kitchen. Dale started rinsing off the dishes and loaded them in the dishwasher. Liara screwed condiment tops back on bottles and returned them to the refrigerator.
“You two should go get Skyler unpacked, we’ll clean up,” Dale said, not looking up from the dishes in the sink.
“Thanks, dad!” CK said.
“Thanks,” echoed Skyler. He did not miss the chance to escape dish duty when it was offered.
“Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the house,” CK said. He led Skyler on a tour of the first floor and pointed out the spacious living room, the formal dining room, Dale’s home office, and a dedicated movie theater room with surround sound and a giant widescreen TV. Skyler noted the walls of the first floor were primarily beige with white trim on the door frames. Most of the color treatments—which were different in each room—came from the decorations and art that hung on the walls. Each room was sensibly decorated and it didn’t feel like the stoic museum the Tinsdales worked hard to maintain. It felt much more warm and homey in this house. When the first-floor tour ended, CK marched up the stairs to the second floor.
“That took guts, by the way,” CK said, half turning his head to look back at Skyler.
“Huh?” Skyler paused on the stairway for a moment and looked up at CK with curiosity.
CK turned and looked at Skyler. “Calling me out about running, that you’d beat me.”
“Oh, that,” Skyler said, continuing up the stairs. “Like you said, just some friendly competition.” Skyler smiled, and CK smiled back.
“And that’s why I know we’re going to get along, Sky. You could have lost that little gamble and made a fool of yourself. Instead, you totally earned my respect, and probably that of my parents, too.” Skyler liked that CK had used his nickname. When they reached the second floor CK gestured for Skyler to follow him to a different door. CK showed Skyler his parent’s light blue, spacious bedroom. It contained a king-size bed and other furniture. Dale and Liara had their own master bathroom, complete with a Jacuzzi tub. The boys turned around and retraced their steps into the hallway. CK pointed out the guest room and linen closets that were between his parents and their rooms.
They came to a door down the hall from Skyler’s room. “And this,” CK announced, “This is my room.”
“Cool,” Skyler said as he followed CK into his bedroom. The walls in CK’s room were light green. A Sounddock with an iPod sat in the middle of an oak dresser, and next to it, a pile of unfolded laundry sat on the edge of CK’s bed. Skyler saw that CK had the same desk and he also had an iMac computer on it. A large green plaid papasan chair rested in one corner of the room, and a few model cars and trophies adorned some artistic wall shelving. A few posters of unfamiliar bikini-clad women hung on the wall near his bed. Skyler noticed CK also played guitar, and there was a keyboard in the room, too.
Skyler nodded and said, “I like it. It has personality.”
“Thanks.” CK jerked his hand in the direction of the bed. “One little tip, make your bed. Mom doesn’t like unmade beds.”
“No problem, I’m already used to doing that. Rebecca trained me with that one. I’m kind of excited though because I never had such a big bed.”
“Queen-sized beds. They’re the best,” CK said. “You’ve got one as well.”
“Wow,” Skyler said, in disbelief. “I was used to a regular size twin bed. This will be great because my feet won’t hang off the edge anymore.”
“Yeah, well, I love mine. And they are memory foam mattresses with pillow tops.”
“Oh!” Skyler exclaimed. “That’s why it was so comfortable when I laid on it earlier for my nap.”
CK nodded. “It’s like sleeping on a friggin’ cloud.”
Skyler pointed toward CK’s guitar and keyboard and asked, “Do you play guitar, too?”
“Yeah, I’m not the best though. I try to play mainly popular songs and shit that impresses the girls. Mom loves it whenever the music coming from upstairs is me playing the guitar and not the iPod. Hey, why don’t I finish folding my laundry, and then I’ll come help you unpack some more?”
“Sounds great,” Skyler answered. He turned around and walked out of CK’s room and headed to his room. Upon entering, he was greeted by an innumerable stack of unopened boxes. He sighed but didn’t let them intimidate him because he wanted to be as unpacked as possible tonight. He didn’t know what was on tomorrow’s agenda outside of running with CK. Maybe there would be more settling in, conversations, errands, or the reading of the rules by Dale and Liara. He hoped to be able to play with the computer, or at least post a message on Facebook so that his old friends would know he was okay. But that would have to wait.
8 | Twenty Questions
SKYLER GRABBED A HEAVY BOX from the carpeted floor of his bedroom and heaved it onto the bed. He opened the flaps to check its contents—books. He didn’t read ravenously, but he kept every book that he read and enjoyed. He lifted the box and set it near the bookshelf. The second box he checked also contained books and some of his desk accessories. Through the walls, the sound of CK singing—no, screeching—at the top of his lungs echoed throughout the second floor of his new home.
I already like you, CK.
The third box he checked contained his DVDs, and Skyler set it with the other two. The fourth box he picked up weighed less than the first three. He jumped when CK knocked at the door and walked in. “Okay, Sky, what can I help you with?” he asked.
“Uh, thanks. Those books,” Skyler said, pointing at the three boxes he just peeked through, “Can be sorted and put on the bookshelves. I like to keep my books organized by subject. They’re already packed that way, so it should be easy.”
“No problem,” CK answered. Skyler opened the box he was holding. It contained the rest of his DVD collection. He placed it on the carpet near CK. “These can go on one of the shelves, too.”
“Aww, cool. What movies you got?” CK asked. He squatted down and picked through the DVD’s, muttering random titles to himself until he burst out, “Twilight? For real?” He looked up at Skyler with surprise.
Skyler smiled back at him. “Yup, Twilight. I kind of like the vampire shit.”
CK nodded. “Are you team Jacob or team Edward?”
“Uh, Edward, I guess? Rebecca, my previous mom, was not a fan of those movies. Vampires and werewolves aren’t exactly in the Bible. But Stephen, the dad, liked them, so it was our thing. My younger sister was team Jacob though. It was fun.”
“Rebecca doesn’t like movies that aren’t in the Bible?” CK asked, setting the DVD’s on a shelf. “I’m confused.”
“She didn’t like movies that didn’t promote Christian morals one-hundred and fifty percent. So, Stephen would say something like, ‘We can’t shelter him from everything, you know.’ He was a sci-fi junky and somehow he persuaded her that Twilight was sci-fi fantasy, not the devil. We did have some great movie nights. Stephen wasn’t as Jesus-crazy as Rebecca was. Or, is.”
“Oh,” CK said. He started stacking Skyler’s books. Skyler focused on the contents of the other boxes and the boys quietly worked for a few minutes until CK broke the silence.
“Sky, do you really want to go running tomorrow?” CK asked. “No race, or anything, but like I said earlier, I do run almost every day.”
“Yeah, sure. Just not at six
a.m. on a Sunday,” Skyler answered, loading a bureau drawer with jeans.
“Is eight o’clock too early?” Skyler shot CK a worried look.
“Or later?” CK asked.
As CK finished up with the books and the DVDs, he grabbed a box of clothes and started unboxing some of Skyler’s t-shirts, jeans, and other clothes. He neatly stacked them on the bed and Skyler sorted his clothes into drawers and his closet.
“I’ll be good with 9:00, if that’s okay with you. It’s been a long day.”
CK nodded as he started breaking down the empty boxes. “Socks and boxers,” he announced, jerking his head in the direction of the newest pile of clothes on the bed. “And, uh, a few colorful pairs of briefs.”
“Thanks,” Skyler said. Whoops, forgot about those. He blushed a bit and ignored the underwear comment. “I have to admit, it’s going to feel really weird not to go to church tomorrow, but I think I’m going to like it a lot.”
“You didn’t like going to church, I take it?”
“No!” Skyler snapped. “They’re hypocrites and liars. They smile to your face and then stab you in the back when you’re not looking. They talk about loving everyone, but you have to fit their mold, their idea of perfect or lovable in order to be loved. They’re assholes!” Skyler paused. His fists balled together and his face tightened. He looked at the door but didn’t hear Liara yell up the stairs about his swearing. His eyes drifted over to CK, who smiled back and said, “It’s okay, man, relax. You won’t be judged here.” Then he jerked his head in the direction of the doorway. “She’s probably giving you a swearing pass tonight. Just try not to drop any f-bombs, especially really loud ones.”
Skyler nodded and smiled awkwardly. He took a deep breath before continuing. “I did not like going to church. It was fine for the first two years when I went with the younger kids to Sunday school during the adult sermon. That wasn’t too bad, except for the fact that I had to catch up on Jesus so they gave me double Bible work for the first few months. When I turned twelve, they made a big deal about me getting baptized. It’s what the kids did, I guess, at twelve, when they could make the decision for themselves, if their parents weren’t forcing them to do it.”
The Climb Page 12
