by J. A. Paul
elbow to make sure he’d go with him to the tree.
“Umm, I don’t know about this,” said Tally, yanking his arm free.
Leander launched himself from the tree and smoothly rolled out of the impact unhurt.
“Nice move,” said Gladius, truly impressed.
Leander got to his feet, brushing the dirt and pine needles from his hands, but did not say anything.
“We heard you were entering the race this year,” said Tally.
No response.
Gladius thought Leander looked scared.
“That true?” asked Gladius, trying to get some kind of response from him.
Leander tucked his chin low to his chest and looked up through his eyebrows. Gladius thought he saw a slight nod.
“Well, if you are, you’re gonna have to beat me,” said Tally.
“Ah, Tally, Silas Dunbar is gonna beat you,” said Gladius.
A slight smile drew across Leander’s lips.
“Ain’t so,” said Tally, slugging Gladius in the shoulder so hard it nearly knocked him into Leander. Tally then swiped a leg to the back of Gladius’ knees, crumpling him to the ground.
Gladius felt the weight of Tally sitting on his back and looked at Leander who was now fully smiling. “Well, get him off me would’ya,” said Gladius, the side of his face being pressed into the dirt by Tally’s hand.
“Oh, he doesn’t need to get me off you,” said Tally, jumping up.
Gladius scrambled to his feet and feigned a short quick step toward Tally who nearly flinched out of his clothes. “I could take you in my sleep,” he said, smiling at his friend’s reaction.
Then everything went quiet again and the three of them stood there in an awkward silence. Gladius could tell Leander was working up the courage to say something, and he thought Tally was thinking the same thing because there was no way Tally would go this long without saying anything.
Leander finally spoke. “I didn’t know about the fire. The door just stuck. It always stuck and that’s why we always left it open. Except that day I closed it because I didn’t want him to get out and yell at me anymore, but I didn’t know the barn was on fire when I did it. Once I realized there was a fire I couldn’t get the door open.”
Gladius and Tally listened, dumbfounded. As far as they knew, Leander had never talked to anyone about that day.
“He was banging on the door and screaming to get out, but I couldn’t get the door to budge. I ran to get the axe, but when I got back the fire had spread across the door and I couldn’t hear him anymore. I just fell to the ground crying. I didn’t know what to do.”
Right now, Gladius didn’t know what to do, either. He took a step toward Leander, who had his head buried in his hands crying. Gladius wanted to console him in some way, but Leander turned and took off running.
“Leander, wait!” Gladius called after him. “Just wait, I believe you.”
Tally stepped up to his side, “I told you he didn’t do it on purpose.”
“When did you ever say that?” said Gladius, watching Leander run back across the meadow.
“Well, I meant to say it if I didn’t. I knew he couldn’t do it on purpose.”
Gladius knew Tally was being honest but he himself hadn’t always been so sure. All along he thought there was a chance Leander could have purposely barred the door, but not now. After hearing the words, filled with such emotion and regret, coming straight out of Leaner’s mouth, he no longer thought Leander was guilty. No, there was no way he had done it on purpose.
Seven days had passed since they met Leander under the twin pines. The race was now a day away and neither Gladius nor Tally had seen Leander running, swimming, or training that week.
“What happened? Do you think we scared him from running in the race?” asked Tally.
“I hope not. I want him to race.”
“Oh, so now you want him to run. A week ago you were scared to death of a fourteen-year-old running and beating you. Now you want him to race?”
“I think it would be good for him. Let’s go to his place and see if we can’t talk to him again,” said Gladius, excited about his new idea.
“It’s not like we really talked to him last week. I mean, he did all the talkin’.”
Gladius knocked on the front door and Leander’s mother answered. “Hello, Mrs. Silver, is Leander around? Tally and I want to talk to him about the race tomorrow.”
Mrs. Silver gave them a once over like a mother who had not seen any boys come knocking for her son in more than a year. “Come in boys, come in. You want some pie? It’s not fresh today but it’s still good.”
“No, ma’am, I just want to…”
“Yes, ma’am, I’d love a piece,” Tally said, cutting Gladius off before he could finish.
“Let me see if Leander wants to come up front for a piece of pie, too,” said Mrs. Silver, disappearing around the corner.
“What are you doin’ turning down pie; don’t you know it isn’t polite to turn down a woman’s home cooking?” said Tally.
“I – I was just wanting to talk to Leander.”
Mrs. Silver shuffled back into the kitchen without Leander, but Gladius soon noticed the dirty tip of a boot sticking out from the hall doorframe.
“Leander is not feeling too well right now, boys. Let me cut you some pie and maybe you can tell me what you came to say, and I’ll tell Leander later when he’s feeling better.”
She brought them two plates of apple pie. Mrs. Silver must have taken pride in her pies because the top of the pie was a layered checkered pattern with apples showing through the little cross-hatched squares. And after the first bite Gladius knew she was an expert pie baker.
Still wearing an apron from the morning meal, she sat down across the table. “So tell me boys, what did you walk all the way out here to tell Leander? You know he hasn’t seen many friends ever since… well, for a long while now.”
“Yes, we know,” said Gladius, instantly regretting how awful his response sounded. “I mean… we guessed. Tally and I just wanted to say good luck to Leander in the race tomorrow.”
“Yeah, wedawhimdraining,” said Tally, with a mouthful of pie.
“He said, we saw him training, but we haven’t seen him train much this week. I just wanted to make sure he was still planning to run.”
“Well, that is mighty nice of you boys,” said Mrs. Silver, who was having a hard time keeping a steady face. She blinked a tear loose and quickly wiped it away. Gladius looked out the kitchen window pretending not to see. “I’ll tell Leander you boys came by and that you hope to see him race tomorrow. I do think it will mean something to him.” She stood up quickly and darted across the floor, “Just leave your plates there when you leave,” her voice cracking as she disappeared from the room.
“Do you think she’d mind if we had a second piece?” asked Tally.
Gladius flicked the top of his ear and said, “Let’s go.”
The next day Gladius and Tally walked through the crowd of race spectators searching for Leander. Tally was waving at everyone he knew as they approached the starting line. He even blew Priscilla a kiss.
“Are you ready for this?” asked Tally, smiling from ear to ear.
“Where’s Leander? I haven’t seen him yet.”
“I can’t believe it. We’ve been training for this day for the last two months and you’re worried about the competition.”
“Oh, there he is!” said Gladius, suddenly excited after seeing Leander.
“Oh, great. He showed. I was hoping for a four-man race,” said Tally.
“Well, now you’re guaranteed a top five finish,” replied Gladius, trying to keep things upbeat.
“Oh, yeah, funny. I’m gonna whip your butt today. I don’t care if I lose to everyone else as long as I whip yours.”
“That’s what friends are for,” smiled Gladius, as he turned his shoulder so a race official could draw the number three on his back.
This year’s turnout was big. Some ye
ars have seen more runners, thus producing larger crowds, but five runners was a good year. Though as a runner you’re hoping for those years with only three. Only once in history had there been a year with only two runners and that was when Gladius’ two older brothers raced each other. No one else dared entering the race, knowing it wouldn’t matter anyway. That year was also the year the record was set for the fastest time.
“I’m feeling good!” said Tally, shaking his arms and legs loose. “I think I might beat your brother’s record today.” He rolled his neck.
Gladius laughed, knowing that record was safe for a very long time. He stepped into his place in the middle lane marked with a number three.
“Good to see you, Leander,” Gladius said as Leander approached the starting line next to him.
“Thanks for stopping by yesterday,” replied Leander, extending his hand for Gladius to shake.
Gladius nodded and shook his hand. Tally waved over Gladius’ shoulder and said, “Your mother makes the best pies ever!”
Silas Dunbar, chewing on a piece of bread, stepped reluctantly up to the line. He took the first lane on the other side of Leander. The only reason he was running was because his father was forcing him to.
“You better watch out in this race, Silas,” yelled Tally, pretending Gladius was in his way. “Cause you’ll be feeling my foot prints running up your backside.”
“What?” said Silas, looking confused.
“Yeah, what?” said Gladius, “that doesn’t make much sense.”
“There’ll be no trouble in the race today,” boomed Emmett’s deep voice from high up in the starters’ box.
Tally looked up and then turned away, cussing under
