“Do you know where your parents are going this time?” Justin asked.
“Nope. My father is looking for a new place now.”
“Is that why you always seem so angry? You don’t act like you want people to talk to you or anything.”
“Wouldn’t you be angry if your parents didn’t care enough about you to stay home with you?” A muscle twitched in Lee’s jaw, and Justin thought his eyes looked brighter than before. “When I have friends, it’s harder to leave. A lot harder. If I ever stayed in one place long enough to make a friend, they’d find out what you found out—that I live by myself. It’s illegal for a kid my age to live alone. Then some do-gooder would turn my parents in. Do you know what it’s like to live in a foster home?”
“No,” Justin answered.
“Well, I don’t want to find out. My mom says a kid my age would have a hard time finding a family to take him. And I couldn’t keep my horse. She’s the only real friend I’ve got.”
“Will you write to me or call me when you get where you’re going?”
“I don’t think so. No. It’s better if I don’t care about anyone.”
“But, Lee...”
A car horn honked in front of the house. Justin reluctantly turned to go.
“You saved my life. Isn’t there something I can do to help you?”
“Yeah. You can keep your mouth shut,” Lee said, opening the door to let Justin out.
“Even a fish wouldn’t get into trouble if it kept its mouth shut. That’s an old Korean proverb. My grandfather loves proverbs.”
* * * *
A cloud of gloom hung over Justin’s head as he got into the car with his mom. Lee’s life frightened him. At first the idea of living alone had sounded kind of cool until he thought about it a little. There were all kinds of things that could happen to a fifteen-year-old boy living by himself. Who would take care of him if he got sick? How did he get to school and back? What happened when all his clothes got dirty? Lee’s days must be filled with lies he was forced to tell to cover up for his parents. Justin’s gut feeling was that Lee wanted a friend badly, someone to hang out with so he didn’t feel so alone.
“Was your friend all right?” his mom asked, looking at Justin’s gloomy face.
“Yeah. He has a black eye and got suspended for three days for fighting.”
“I thought somebody beat him up.”
“They did. Three of them. But everybody who is involved in a fight gets suspended for three days.”
“Well, that stinks,” Justin’s mom said.
“I know.”
“Do you want to ask him to come over? Your dad and I would like to thank him for helping you when you got hurt. He’s a pretty gutsy kid.”
“His parents aren’t home right now. I’ll ask him later.” He could see that soon he would have to lie, too, to avoid telling his parents about Lee’s living arrangements. If they found out, they would think they had to do something about it.
* * * *
Joel met Justin at the car the next morning to carry his backpack, although Justin was beginning to feel better and probably could have carried it himself.
“Don’t tell anyone you’re feeling better yet,” Joel pleaded. “If you need help carrying your stuff, the teachers will let me leave class early so I can get there in time to help you.”
“I don’t know how much longer that will work,” Justin said.
“Well, let’s work it while we can.”
In the gym before school, Justin saw Charlotte sitting in the bleachers. He wanted to climb up and talk to her, but she was surrounded by other ninth grade girls. She must not have had a chance to talk to Mrs. Farr this morning either. It might not do any good for her to tell Mrs. Farr about Casey now. If Lee moved away, there would be no more reason to worry about trying to take the heat off of him. It just didn’t sit right to let Casey get away with putting the blame on Lee for the things she did, even if he wasn’t here to get trounced anymore. Indecision tore at Justin. There wasn’t any way he could think of to make things right without causing trouble for somebody.
At lunch, Joel brought Justin a tray with his usual piece of pizza and orange drink from the snack bar. Joel’s tray held exactly the same thing, and he sat down next to Justin.
“Every time I make it to the table without spilling the drinks I’m amazed. I’m usually too clumsy to make it with one tray.”
“It is pretty awesome...”
Casey set her tray down on the other side of Justin.
“Who’s pretty awesome?” she asked.
“Joel is, for making it to the table carrying two trays.”
“Oh,” she said, looking disappointed. She probably thought he was going to say she was awesome. “So I guess you’re going to make it, in spite of that horse trying to kill you.”
“It wasn’t the horse’s fault,” Justin said crossly. “I was running her over the rocks. She did everything she could to keep from falling, but the rocks were too slick.”
“Well, she sure didn’t stick around so you could ride back to the ranch.”
“She died,” Justin said, feeling a wave of sadness wash over him. “Broke her neck.”
Casey was quiet for a moment. “I didn’t know that,” she said.
Joel quickly changed the subject.
“I heard that James and J.R. were in the group that jumped Lee.”
“They were?” Justin said. “What are they after him for?”
“They said he acted like a creep in the cabin at the YO. Thought he was too good to hang out with them.”
Justin opened his mouth to protest just as Brenda walked by the table with her tray.
“Hi, Justin,” she said. “Glad you’re okay.”
“Jeez, Brenda,” Casey said loudly. “Where did you get those cool shoes? Goodwill?”
Justin stared at her, trying to think of something to say. Brenda hurried away.
“Come on, Joel,” Justin said, standing and picking up his tray awkwardly with his left hand. “Let’s move to a nicer neighborhood.” He stepped over the bench and scanned the cafeteria for another place to sit. On the far end he saw Charlotte coming out of the door of the snack bar. Without looking back, he headed in her direction.
“Sit over here with me,” he invited, stopping at an empty table and setting down his tray again. He left enough room for Charlotte on the end. She seemed surprised, but put her tray down beside his. Joel, who was right behind him, sat on the other side of Justin.
“Man, I hate it when she does that,” Joel said.
“That makes two of us,” Justin agreed.
“When who does what?” Charlotte asked. “I must have missed something.”
“Oh, Casey was just trashing another innocent person,” he said, shrugging.
“So what else is new?”
* * * *
The phone was ringing when Justin and his mom walked into the house after school.
“It’s for you, Justin,” his mom called as he headed for his room with his backpack.
“Justin?” it was Charlotte. “Something’s going on over at Lee’s house. Two police cars are parked in front of it.”
“Oh, no. Can you see Lee anywhere?”
“No, but one of the policemen just came out and got in his car. It looks like he’s talking on the radio. It’s three houses down from me, so I can’t see much.”
“Did you tell anyone he was staying there by himself?” Justin asked.
“No. I don’t think my parents did either. But they know about it. I’ve heard my mom say that something should be done about it. She says it’s illegal to leave someone Lee’s age alone.”
“What should we do?”
“I don’t know,” Charlotte said. “Wait...now they’re bringing Lee out to the police car.” She was silent for a minute. “They put him in the car. Now they’re leaving. The other two policemen are going next door. They’re knocking on the door of the house next to Lee’s.”
“Oh
, man,” Justin said. “Somehow they must have found out that his parents aren’t there.”
“One of the policemen is walking this way. He’s stopping at the house next door, but they don’t get home til late.” Charlotte waited in silence. “Here he comes. He’s coming to our front door. I’m going to hang up and listen to what he says. I’ll call you later.”
She hung up. Justin sat next to the phone in stunned silence. Lee was going to think he had told somebody. He’d blame Justin for sending him back to Korea or to a foster home. Again, Justin saw the rain pouring off the bill of Lee’s cap as he pulled him up the riverbank. A sense of urgency rippled through him, but he didn’t know what to do. Anything he said would just make things worse. Immobilized, he sat by the phone, waiting.
Sometime later, his mom stuck her head into the bedroom.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
“Nothing. I’m just tired.”
“Want something to eat?’
“No, thanks...”
The phone rang again. Justin picked it up. It was Lee.
Chapter Ten
“Do you think, uh...would your parents let me come over and stay until Friday night?” Lee asked hesitantly.
“Stay over here? Sure, I think so,” Justin said. “My mom was just saying that I should ask you over. Is everything okay?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. Do you think your mom would come and get me? I’m at the police station. They won’t let me go until an adult comes to pick me up.”
“At the police station? What are you doing there?”
“They found out I was staying by myself.”
Silence echoed down the phone line.
“Yeah. I...I think she’ll come,” Justin stammered. “I’ll have to talk to her though. How did the police find out?”
“Somebody from school came to the house to talk to my parents. They wanted a phone number where they could reach them. I don’t think they believed me when I said I didn’t know the phone number.”
“Oh, man,” Justin breathed. He felt a rush of relief that Lee didn’t think he’d ratted him out. “I’ll get my mom to come as soon as I can.”
Justin thought he would be able to explain calmly to his mom, but halfway through the story his voice began to wobble and tears spilled over and ran down his cheeks. The phone rang and his mom picked it up.
“He can’t come to the phone right now,” she said. “I’ll have him call you back.”
When she hung up, she put her arm around Justin’s shoulders and gave him a gentle squeeze.
“Put on your shoes,” she said. “I’m going to call your father and see if he can meet us at the police station.”
Justin washed his face. His mother was waiting by the kitchen table with her purse, and led the way to the car. They drove in silence for several blocks.
“What is Lee like?” she asked. “I’ve never met him.”
“He’s quiet and acts kind of angry. He doesn’t hang out with anybody. Most of the kids at school don’t like him. His mom’s Korean and he looks kind of different. I didn’t even like him at first, but when I got hurt and the river was rising, he was like a totally different person. It was like he knew exactly what to do. He didn’t even seem scared.”
“In high school it’s not good to look different,” Justin’s mom commented. “We had a Chinese girl in our class when I was in ninth grade. I still remember how cruel kids were to her. And I didn’t do a darn thing about it.”
Justin’s father was waiting on the steps outside the police station. In his game warden’s uniform, he looked like he belonged there. He wore a gun belt to work and still had it on. He had explained to Justin that people who were being arrested for illegal hunting or fishing didn’t always want to cooperate, although he had never actually used the gun.
Lee was sitting in a hard plastic chair right inside the door.
“Hey, man,” Justin said. “This is my mom and dad.”
“Hello, Lee,” Justin’s father said, extending his hand. Lee seemed surprised, but shook his hand gamely. “Justin has told us what you did to help him when he got hurt at the YO Ranch. We’re really grateful to you.”
Lee nodded.
“I understand that your parents are out of town, and you need a place to stay.”
“Yessir,” Lee muttered.
“You’re welcome to stay with us as long as you need to,” Justin’s mom added. “We owe you a lot. It took courage to pull Justin and Charlotte out of the river in the middle of that storm and then to ride off by yourself to find help.”
A tiny smile flashed across Lee’s face.
“Where there are no tigers, a wildcat is very self-important,” he said.
Justin’s mom gave him a blank look.
“It’s just one of my grandfather’s ancient Korean proverbs,” he said, shaking his head as if to dislodge a bittersweet memory.
A gray-haired man wearing dress pants and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up introduced himself to Justin’s parents. He led them into an office off the main lobby but left the door open. Justin could hear them talking but couldn’t make out what they were saying. He sat down in the chair next to Lee.
“I’m busted,” Lee said. “I didn’t know what I was supposed to say to them. So I finally admitted that my parents traveled a lot. I told them we couldn’t afford a sitter. Don’t know if they swallowed it or not.”
“Maybe it will be okay,” Justin said. “Maybe your parents will get a good story together. Do they know you’re here?”
“They probably know something’s up by now. They usually call right after supper. When I don’t answer, they’ll know something’s wrong.”
An hour passed before Justin’s parents came out of the office.
“Let’s go, boys,” Justin’s dad said, holding the big glass door open. He walked with them to the car and waited while they got in and fastened their seat belts. Justin could see his father’s Parks and Wildlife truck parked down the block. “You’re going to stay with us until your parents get back from their trip, Lee,” Justin’s dad said. “The detective told us they’re coming home Friday.”
“Yeah,” Lee said. “I don’t know what time though.”
“We’ll leave a note on the door of your house with our phone number, so they can call us as soon as they get in.” Turning to Justin’s mom he said, “I’ll go by his house and do that right now. Then I’ll meet you at home.”
Justin’s mom tried to make friendly conversation on the way home, but Lee answered her questions with as few words as possible
“Lee and I are going down to look at the horses before dark,” Justin said when they got home, leading the way toward the horse pens below the house. An early summer sunset decorated the sky with streaks of colored light, turning objects before it to dark gray silhouettes. Twister and Camaro were hanging their heads over the fence next to the barn, waiting for someone to come out and feed them.
“Man, they’re totally huge,” Lee said as he reached out to scratch Twister under the chin. “My horse is a lot smaller than they are.”
“They’re quarter horses,” Justin said. “That’s why they’re so heavy-muscled. Quarter horses are built for power. These two don’t usually work too hard, though. My dad uses them for game patrols and search and rescue. That doesn’t happen very often, so most of the time they just stand around and eat.”
Lee ran his hand along Camaro’s neck under his mane and scratched behind his ear. The gelding leaned toward Lee, enjoying the attention.
“If you get to stay long enough, we can ride them this weekend. There’s a stream in the back of the pasture that’s fun to ride through. Twister must have been a May colt. He loves water. He’ll stand in the water and paw with his front foot until you’re soaked.”
For a moment, Lee’s eyes lit up. “That would be cool...but I guess we’ll be gone by then. Besides, you’ve got a cast on your arm and broken ribs.”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot
for a minute.”
Justin got two scoops of sweet feed from the feed room, put them in buckets, and carried them to the gate. It was awkward doing everything with his left arm.
“I’ll feed them,” Lee offered, holding out his hand for the buckets.
The glare of headlights pulling into the driveway sent shadows racing across the barn and pipe fence as Lee dumped the feed into two feed tubs.
“That must be my dad,” Justin said. “Let’s go eat. I’m starved.”
* * * *
Lee was visibly tense as they sat down at the table. Justin’s mom passed out paper plates and told Lee to help himself to the pizza Justin’s dad had brought with him. She heaped three pieces on a plate for Justin and set it down in front of him.
“So where are your parents this week, Lee?” Justin’s dad asked as he handed each of them a glass of tea.
“Uh...I think they’re in Atlanta,” Lee said.
“Don’t they give you a phone number where you can reach them?”
“No. They usually just call me every night to be sure I’m okay.”
“Does it bother you, staying by yourself?”
“No, sir.”
“I’m surprised a kid your age doesn’t get bored staying home alone so much. What do you do to keep from going stir-crazy?”
“Well, sometimes I go out to the stable and ride my horse.”
“I didn’t know you had a horse. Where do you keep it?”
“It’s at the stable north of town. I think it’s called the Lucky R Stables.”
“I know where that is,” Justin’s dad said. “How do you get out there? It’s several miles.”
“I have to take a taxi except on the weekends. Then I ride my bike.”
“I thought your parents were home on weekends.”
“Yeah, they are. Most of the time.”
“Lee’s mom stocks the freezer with frozen dinners for him,” Justin said, trying to change the subject. “All he has to do is zap them. He’s got enchiladas and fried chicken, all kinds of good stuff. And no dishes to wash.”
Speak of the Tiger Page 10
