Charles Hill just shook his head and laughed.
This startled Bobby for a moment, but he did nothing. Just looked up at his teacher and waited. He was afraid if he said more, what came out of his mouth would not be taken well.
“You sound like your Aunt Jenny now,” was all Mr. Hill said.
Bobby felt puzzled by the remark. Up until that moment, he didn’t know that Mr. Hill knew his family, let alone knew his Aunt Jenny well enough to see a part of her in him.
Mr. Hill, realizing Bobby’s concern, quickly added, “We go back a long way.” He stopped and thought back for a moment to a time that was familiar to him.
“Cool,” Bobby said. It troubled him that a teacher knew his dysfunctional family. But Aunt Jenny wasn’t like the rest of them, so he wasn’t as concerned. “We don’t talk shop,” was all Bobby could think of to say as a comeback. He did not want to let Mr. Hill think he got the upper hand.
“Oh,” Mr. Hill mustered up to say. “I thought she might have mentioned me.”
“Why would you come up in our conversation?”
Mr. Hill hesitated before responding. “We used to be an item before she moved away years ago. I knew she came back two years ago.” He stopped suddenly as if the memory was too troublesome to think about.
Bobby was startled by this revelation. He never thought of Jenny as someone who had suitors. Granted she was pretty, but she was his aunt. Watching Mr. Hill just then, he realized that his aunt had at least one suitor in town whether she knew it or not. He was aware that Jenny gave up a lot to stay in town and care for Gramps. He did not realize just how much it was. His mother never really talked about Jenny other than sibling rivalry, so he never really paid that much attention when she ranted. Now he realized that his aunt actually might have had a life at one time beyond what happened on the ranch.
Bobby finally looked up at Mr. Hill. He saw the hurt in his eyes. “I could...” he started to say, then cleared his throat while shaking his head, “like, ask her?”
Mr. Hill caught his breath suddenly when he realized what Bobby had said. “No, no, don’t do that,” he said with a sigh of relief.
Mr. Hill quickly took hold of Bobby’s hand and shook it. “Tomorrow you can tell me how you came up with the equation.”
It was a clear indication their little talk was over with. Bobby looked slightly surprised. “Sure, dude, tomorrow.”
Bobby slowly got up and walked to the door. He stopped and turned back to Mr. Hill, who by then was wiping his brow. Bobby turned to the equation on the whiteboard and could not see what all the fuss was. It only made sense to him to make the changes he did. Bobby was about to say something but then decided just to leave.
The halls were empty by then. No one hung around long once the final bell rang for the afternoon rang out, and given the heat of the day they all sought the comfort of the open air. Bobby quickly stopped off at his locker, dropped off some books, and then stuffed his backpack with books he needed for homework. Although his aunt never saw him open a book that did not mean he did not study when they all were sleeping. Bobby just was not into flaunting the fact that he did hit the books. In all actuality, he enjoyed learning, and he enjoyed challenging his mind. That was why mathematics in all forms was his favorite subject. The more complicated the problem, the more he enjoyed solving it. As he shut his locker door, Bobby turned to the entrance down the hall and saw students still walking around the schoolyard. He would have to get past them and to his car before he would be able to breathe easier that this school day was over.
Bobby left the sanctuary of the school building. He slowly walked down the steps while glancing around the grounds and taking inventory of where everyone was. As much as the students did not like school, it seemed no one left the grounds with much enthusiasm, which boggled Bobby’s mind. But this was how students developed their hierarchy. The ones who dominated others were the most aggressive outside on the school grounds. It carried over into school. Bobby wondered if this was how it always was. It did not make sense, but then he never was a student of human nature. It had only been recently that his eyes were opened to this pecking order.
Matt and his jock friends dominated the outside basketball court as they always did, not letting the younger kids in on their game and making them watch in awe of their skills. Shelby Mall was with a group of girls off near the parking lot when she suddenly turned and started walking toward the basketball court. Once Matt got a glimpse of Shelby, he stopped playing, tossed the ball to one of his friends, and then walked over to where Shelby was walking. Matt grabbed Shelby by the arm and started dragging her off to the side of the school building near the janitor’s shed. It went unnoticed by all but Bobby who, once Shelby was near, never stopped watching her until she left the area.
“Let me go,” Shelby said, struggling to free herself.
Bobby turned to the basketball court to see if anyone would go to Shelby’s aid, but he could tell by the actions of Matt’s jock friends that no one would step in to help Shelby.
“You still mad because of last week?” Matt snapped.
“Nothing happened, and you know it. I’m tired of the lies you’re spreading about what an easy lay I am.”
Matt put his hand on Shelby’s breast. Suddenly Bobby’s inner disgust for the jock took over, and he quickly hurried over to where the two were struggling.
“It doesn't have to be like that,” Matt quickly added.
“You illiterate jock,” Shelby mocked.
It angered her listening to Matt talk. Although he was good in sports, the good grades he got in subjects like English and Algebra were token grades only to allow him to stay on the team. It did not do him a service to pass him on without him taking some responsibility for learning anything. In the end, if he ever got into college, it would all catch up to him about how ill prepared he was for a higher education.
Shelby broke free of Matt and quickly slapped him in the face. “Leave me alone.”
Up until then, Bobby had been inching his way toward the two, but when Shelby slapped Matt, he dropped his backpack and ran over to them. Matt was about to strike Shelby when Bobby caught his arm in midair and stopped the assault.
“Can’t you see she is not interested in the Neanderthal type,” Bobby said as he turned to Shelby to make sure she was okay.
Shelby mouthed a quick thank-you to Bobby. However, Matt would not let the situation rest, given that the ruckus caused other students to take notice and surround them. Matt’s masculinity was on the line if he let Bobby get away with putting a stop to his assault on Shelby.
“What did you say?” Matt yelled.
Shelby snickered at Matt as she stepped back quickly. She knew Matt would not let this go and feared for Bobby and what was to come. It did not take long. Matt’s assault on Bobby started with him grabbing Bobby’s shirt and pulling him closer. However, Bobby was quick to catch Matt off-guard by putting his leg behind Matt’s knee and shoving him backward. Matt went flying to the ground as the students who had gathered around them started snickering and laughing at the jock sprawled on the grass. It was humiliating for Matt, and he was not going to let it go so quickly.
Just then, Mr. Rowe, the Physical Ed teacher, and coach for the boy’s sports team walked out of school with another teacher. When they saw the scuffle, they hurried over to Bobby, who was still standing over Matt. Mr. Rowe grabbed Bobby by the scruff of the neck and yanked him back.
“That will be enough of this,” he snapped.
Bobby, not realizing who grabbed him, took a wild swing as he turned and then saw the coach. He had never had a good relationship with the coach, as Mr. Rowe never had time for anyone who was not into sports. Moreover, Bobby had a way of alienating most of the teachers, given his cocky attitude and lack of respect for anyone in authority.
“What the f...?” Bobby was about to say but then had the fortitude to bite his tongue.
“Listen to me, you hoodlum, I’ll have no such language on scho
ol grounds.”
“Let me go,” Bobby snapped as he struggled to break free of the coach.
Shelby quickly stepped between Bobby and Mr. Rowe while Matt finally got up and brushed off his pants.
“Mr. Rowe, Bobby, didn’t start it,” she argued.
Mr. Rowe stared at Shelby with suspicion. Although she was the sheriff’s daughter, he was not buying into the fact that she was standing up for someone like Bobby Drews.
“Shelby, you stay out of this. Your father wouldn’t appreciate your hanging out with this riff raff.”
“He’s not the riff raff here,” Shelby snapped.
Mr. Rowe ignored Shelby. He looked at Matt. “I would have expected a little better of you,” he said before turning to Bobby and sticking a finger in Bobby’s chest as if to stress his point. “And for you, tomorrow morning, the principal’s office. Be there, nine sharp.”
Bobby just looked up at Mr. Rowe, and then turned to Shelby and shrugged. He knew it was useless to argue with him, so all he said, was, “Cool.”
Bobby glanced over at Matt and offered his hand, but Matt refused it, turned, and walked away. Bobby strolled over to his backpack. He picked it up and hurried over to his car. Without opening the door, he just hopped in. Shelby and Mr. Rowe stood there watching the two walked off in different directions.
CHAPTER 12
Bobby took a long way home. He was not looking forward to seeing Jenny for fear that Mr. Rowe called to inform her of the confrontation with Matt. He just was not into a lecture about getting along with people. Especially idiot jocks like Matt, who made it their calling to make life miserable for anyone who appeared weaker than them. All through his life, he had to put up with the antics of others. Having a mother as he had did not make his life any easier. He did love her, but it was hard not to be a little embarrassed by her lifestyle and the continual parade of uncles who came and went until he was old enough to realize the reason these men were there—and it had nothing to do with a relationship.
Bobby quickly drove up to the shed and parked. He could not take his eyes off the open door and feared someone might have discovered the craft he parked there earlier that morning. Quickly he got out of the car and cautiously walked into the shed. It startled him to see the pile of garbage spewed about in front of the open door. As a piece of broken metal was tossed out of the door, Bobby narrowly missed being hit in the head by the flying projectile.
“Hello,” he said as he leaned closer to the entrance of the craft.
Bobby slowly climbed the step leading into the ship, fearing another flying projectile. John was at the control panel, busy dusting off the controls and clearing off debris.
“Hey, dude, what’s up?” Bobby strolled up to John.
John turned to Bobby with a puzzled look on his face, but it was useless to explain his dire predicament to this earthling. Although Bobby was their savior yesterday, he was not so sure he would be able to make things right, right now.
When John did not answer, Bobby continued, “What are you doing?”
“There is a significant problem in the panel that won’t correct itself.”
“There is a lot of crap that you are throwing out. Maybe you threw out something you should not have.”
“Assessing the damage from our entry into your world has been difficult without the proper equipment,” John said, knowing that Bobby did not understand the ramification of their being stuck on this planet.
“Why you in such a hurry to leave, you just got here.”
“It’s pertinent that we continue our journey.”
“You’re splitting?” Bobby said, staring at John. When he saw John did not understand he quickly added. “Like, you are leaving.”
Bobby motioned with his hand, simulating a plane taking off while he made the sound of a jet engine. John just stared at Bobby nervously, not sure what the boy’s reaction would be to the news that they had not planned to stay or make this their permanent home. He and Jane still did not know whether they were prisoners of this youth, but by all accounts, they were not treated like captives.
“Are we prisoners?” John finally mustered up to say.
“Prisoners?” Bobby snapped with a puzzled look on his face. “Why would you think that?”
Bobby laughed to himself thinking about the absurdity of what John said. Then he remembered they were not from this planet and he did not know just how much of their culture John and Jane were aware of. Given what was on the nightly news, Bobby was not even aware of what his country was capable of doing to alien beings from another planet. There were always the rumors about Area 51, but he never really gave much thought to what they did there.
John finally spoke after a long silence. “You are a violent race of beings.”
Bobby choked, hearing this. He never really thought of himself as being of a race that was violent. But then, given the history of his world, he understood how a person from another planet would view them. Moreover, it was not just what happened in the past, but what went on in the streets on a daily basis. An outsider could feasibly view the senseless killings of innocent people as humans being a violent race. Bobby still felt the need to question his categorization of the whole human race as being this way.
“Violent?” Bobby asked in a way that showed he wanted an explanation of John’s statement.
“Many light years ago, one of our explorer pods came across a module your people sent out into space. It chronicled years of war your people waged on your fellow man.”
Bobby remembered reading about this in a history class years earlier. It never occurred to him that there was a possibility that this would be viewed by beings from another world or their interpretation of what they saw.
“Don’t you have to fight in your world?” Bobby asked, puzzled as to how disputes got settled.
“Fighting?” John asked, unsure what Bobby meant.
“When two groups of people don’t agree on something.”
“We are a peaceful collective,” was all John said.
Bobby laughed. And then finally said, “We could take lessons from you.”
“What is a lesson?”
Bobby rolled his eyes. “That is where we could learn from your ways of dealing with conflict.”
“Your people could learn a lot.”
“So you will be going back to tell them that all they believe about our world is true.”
“I am not sure the power module can be restored completely.”
“It doesn’t run?”
“What does run mean?”
“Power up, start up. You know,” Bobby made the sound of a motor running, which confused John even more.
“I didn’t say that. It starts up, as you say. But not to full power, allowing us to leave your Earth’s atmosphere.”
“I’d love to take it for a spin,” Bobby said and then looked around the shed.
John looked at Bobby and then at the control panel. A big grin crossed his face with the realization of what Bobby meant. He knew Jane would not be happy about him taking the craft out for a test ride. John needed to do this to assess the damage that the ship endured during entry into the earth’s atmosphere. Granted, he would not be able to put the craft in Mack speed, but at least he would be able to see what modules were working and what still needed fixing.
* * *
The sun was high in the sky, the air hot and dry. The absence of wind added to the heat of the day. There were just a few vehicles on Highway 375, and when the spacecraft hovered over the desert floor, no one took notice, or if they did, a mirage was what they thought it was.
John was at the controls, he maneuvered the craft like an old pro, and Bobby’s adulation only added to the young navigator’s confidence. Jane was nowhere in sight when they took the craft out of the shed and flew their way off the grounds of the ranch, careful not to go above twenty-five feet off the ground, which was well under the radar if they were observed.
Bobby was in awe of the speed of the c
raft and John’s maneuverability skills. John, on the other hand, was careful not to do anything that would further damage the power module. It was a test drive to see what systems were working and which needed tweaking. But given the tools he had to work with, John was not certain how the final repairs could be performed.
The craft veered off following the terrain, dipping in gullies and following the contour of the desert floor. They went around hills and mountains until John had all the data he needed for making his repairs. Bobby just sat back and enjoyed the desert floor whizzing by at speed not attainable in his old convertible. The only thing lacking was to be able to have a convertible top and letting the breeze blow through their hair. It was better than any video game he’d ever played.
Suddenly the spacecraft jerked to the right. Bobby quickly turned to John. Gone was the air of confidence. Now the concerned look on the young navigator’s face worried Bobby, as John grabbed onto the control stick tightly while it vibrated. The craft veered up and then to the left. John turned to Bobby.
“Grab onto the control,” John ordered.
Bobby, looking startled, was puzzled by this command, but all he did was do as he was told and grabbed the control stick in front of him. With both hands holding tight, the control stick vibrated violently.
“Do as I do,” John instructed.
Both men worked in unison. Bobby struggled to hold the stick tightly. He could feel the direction John was pulling and assisted as John coached. When the craft slowed down to a crawl, it was more manageable to control.
The two were able to keep it under the radar except for the one time when the craft shot up into the sky. But John quickly pressed some buttons and pulled on some knobs and then got the craft to a manageable altitude.
* * *
The radar room at Area 51 had been on high alert for two days now. Where one person manned the station, two were assigned to keep watch over the chamber of screens. The screens depicted various locations around the desert. The men had spent the better part of their shift reading girlie magazines because, no matter which alerts they were on, sitting in front of the monitor screens was a boring job. The only way it was bearable was to bring some reading material along with you. The job paid little above minimum wage, so the caliber of men signing up for the job was of low qualifications, with most getting their high school diploma through the mail.
We Come In Peace Page 7
