The Elephant in the Room

by Holly Goldberg Sloan

  Sila found herself getting angry. Did he hear her correctly? She said an elephant. She felt like shouting now. But she decided to assume that he had heard. He just didn’t react to things the way most people did. Her anger dissolved as she realized he didn’t feel the need in that moment to know more. And she shouldn’t either.

  He would ask his mother.

  That was enough.

  When the twenty minutes in the room were over, they gathered their things and started the walk home. Two could play at this game, she thought. If he was the Quiet King, she could be the Quiet Queen. It required focus to keep your mouth shut. Since the day her mother had gone, she had that ability. Not much distracted her because she had the big distraction now. It was the thing that had changed the color of every room. But after she met Veda, the crush of missing her mother could be lifted by thinking of the elephant. So that’s what she did as they walked, until they had reached his house. Mateo stopped at the walkway and without even looking at her said, “My mom works from home on Thursdays. You can ask her about taking me to see the elephant.”

  Sila exhaled with a kind of relief that made her shoulders lower as Mateo took a key and let himself into the house. Sila followed behind. She was uncertain what to expect, but when she saw brightly painted walls with bookshelves everywhere, she liked the place right away. And then from around the corner the dog came running. He went right into Mateo’s outstretched arms and Mateo spoke to him in Spanish:

  “¿Cómo te va, Waffles? Qué tal tu día?”

  The dog spun in circles of pure happiness and then burrowed in between the boy’s legs. Mateo got down in a squat and let the dog lick his face as he continued, this time in English, “Were you a good boy? Did you watch for squirrels? Did you sleep under my bed?”

  Sila didn’t move a muscle.

  The Mateo she saw with the dog was not the same person she knew from school. It felt to Sila like the dog had some kind of magical power over him. Suddenly a voice called out: “Cariño, ¿eres tú?”

  Mateo didn’t answer.

  The dog turned toward the voice, and then back to Mateo, and for the first time the animal seemed to realize that Sila was in the room. Waffles started to bark, sounding an alarm that a stranger was present. The voice again called to him: “Mateo?”

  And moments later, his mom appeared.

  21.

  The teacup in her hand fell to the floor.

  That’s how startled the woman was to see Sila standing in the entryway. She rushed right back out of the room saying, “Goodness! Let me get paper towels!”

  Sila crouched down to pick up the porcelain pieces of the broken cup. Mateo kept playing with Waffles.

  His mother came back with a roll of paper towels and a sponge. She and Sila buzzed around like two bees gathering the shards and mopping up the splattered tea. Mateo and his dog stayed at a distance. With her hands full of what was once the teacup, Sila followed Mateo’s mom through the dining room, where a computer was sitting on a dark wood table next to stacks of papers and a cell phone. They continued into the kitchen to put the pieces into the trash and then awkwardly both washed their sticky hands in the kitchen sink.

  “The tea had honey,” Mateo’s mother explained.

  Sila nodded. She felt awful. The broken teacup was her fault. It looked like a fancy cup. Maybe it was a family heirloom.

  “I’m really, really sorry.”

  “Oh, please, no. I wasn’t expecting Mateo to have anyone with him. That took me by surprise. It was all my fault.”

  Sila wasn’t buying that. But then she realized it was possible—no, it was highly probable that she was the first kid who had ever come home from school with Mateo.

  “So you’re a friend of my son’s?”

  Sila nodded. “I’m Sila Tekin.”

  “I’ve seen you before at school. I’m very happy you are here. I’m Rosa Lopez. Please call me Rosa.”

  “My parents like me to call adults Mr. or Mrs.”

  Mrs. Lopez nodded, and then asked, “Do you want an after-school snack? Or a glass of something to drink?”

  Sila realized that what she wanted was to go home. But when she looked toward the door she saw Mateo, who had entered the room. He was so quiet when he moved. He would make a great detective. Sila cleared her throat. “No, thank you. I’m here because on the weekend I’m going with my dad to see a friend who has an elephant, and I wanted to know if Mateo could go with us.”

  Mrs. Lopez’s whole face squeezed up in surprise. “An elephant? A real one?”

  Sila was pleased that the woman at least had what she felt was the right reaction.

  “Yes. A real elephant. My friend bought her from a circus. He lives outside of town on an old farm. But it’s not really a farm. He just bought the place because he won the lottery and that’s what he wanted to do with the money. His wife was Mrs. Gardino. From school.”

  “Mrs. Gardino? Who taught second grade?”

  “Yes. Mateo was in my class.”

  “I remember her. Very well,” his mother said.

  Sila took a closer look at Rosa Lopez. She wore boxy eyeglasses and had short, thick, dark hair that was cut in what Sila considered to be a very stylish way. Sila wondered for a moment what she would look like if she cut her hair short.

  Sila then continued, “She was my favorite teacher. But she died and now me and my dad are friends with her husband, but that was a coincidence.”

  “Goodness, I heard about that. A few years back.”

  “Over four years ago.”

  “Right.”

  “Anyway, her husband bought an elephant. I was there when he first met her. We’d be gone for a couple of hours. On Saturday.”

  Sila looked over at Mateo. His gaze was on a bookcase, where she could see an entire row of books about trains. He suddenly crouched down and put his face into the side of the big dog. Sila didn’t know if that meant something. His mother said, “¿Quieres hacer eso?” Mateo didn’t answer.

  “I don’t see why Mateo couldn’t go,” she said to Sila. “It’s not dangerous, right? Is it dangerous? The elephant is in an enclosure or something?”

  Sila decided it was best not to answer the question about the enclosure. “No, it’s not dangerous. My dad is all about safety.”

  Mateo’s mother seemed a strange combination of very excited and very confused. She stared at Sila, who suddenly just wanted to leave again. Being around a mom, even one who wasn’t hers, was really starting to get to her.

  Sila moved through the dining area back toward the front door, saying, “Okay. Well, you can think about it.”

  She squeezed by Mateo and Waffles. She had left her backpack on the floor when the teacup fell. She picked it up in a one-armed scoop and got her other hand on the front doorknob. She had her back to Mateo and his mother when she said, “It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Lopez.”

  In seconds Sila was on the sidewalk heading down Cleary Road.

  She almost didn’t look over her shoulder because she felt certain no one would be watching.

  But she was wrong. Mateo and Waffles were both at the window.

  22.

  Mateo went up to his room after Sila left and took out his homework. It was always the first thing he did after school, because he wasn’t allowed to play video games until his mother could see he’d done everything that was due the next day.

  But on this afternoon when he looked at the assignments, he found he had trouble concentrating on the work because he was going to see an elephant on Saturday. And with Sila, who until recently had never seemed to him to be interesting in any way.

  Elephants, he knew, were amazing animals and this trip was going to be something very different from a regular weekend.

  Mateo put the schoolwork aside and went online to begin reading about elephants. He was intrigued to learn that at one
time elephants had been transported on trains, which endlessly fascinated him. He found a picture of an elephant getting off a Ringling Brothers Circus train in 1963 and there were little kids sitting on a curb very close by, which seemed dangerous. Mateo studied the picture, taking in every detail. He then found pictures of elephants in Africa, with people on safari. He was interested in the details of their camouflage clothing.

  Then he started thinking about Saturday. Why did Sila ask him to go with her? Could he trust her to be nice to him? What if it was some kind of trap? The kids at school had teased him in the past and he had learned to keep his guard up. Thinking about Saturday was now making him anxious.

  He had been at his desk for more than two hours when his mother knocked on the door, announcing it was dinnertime. He looked at her and saw that there were stains on the bottoms of her pant legs. That must have happened when she dropped the teacup.

  Mateo hated it when he broke something. His mother was not expecting to see Sila, which was maybe why she dropped the cup. Or it was possible that she didn’t have a good grip on the handle and the accident was just bad muscle control.

  Or it could have been both things, because sometimes there was a main factor and a contributing factor as well. The world was more complicated than people thought.

  23.

  By Saturday morning Sila had experienced a change of heart.

  Rosa Lopez had called the night before to say that her son would be ready on Saturday for the trip. Why had Sila asked Mateo to go see Veda? What was she thinking? Would he bring his backpack filled with books and disappear into one? Would he say or do something to irritate Gio or her father? She was going to be responsible for him, and while he was in some ways the most predictable person she knew, he was also capable of unusual behavior.

  It was too late to pull the plug on the plan. Maybe, just maybe, he would change his mind at the last minute. Sila closed her eyes and imagined her father’s car pulling up to the brick house and Mrs. Lopez coming out the front door to deliver the bad news, which would actually be good news.

  “Mateo woke up with a sore throat. He can’t go with you today. Don’t bother asking him again to see an elephant because he doesn’t like large animals and he gets carsick and also the color gray annoys him. But anyway, thanks for thinking of him, Sila.”

  Mrs. Lopez would then hand Sila something wrapped, which would turn out to be a dish of homemade chocolate cookies with nuts, saying “You can keep the plate. We don’t need it returned. It belonged to the set with the broken teacup. I never liked the stuff, so I’m getting rid of all of it.”

  Instead, two hours later, Sila and her father drove down Cleary Road, and from a block away she could see Mateo standing as straight as a Popsicle stick at the edge of the curb. He wasn’t wearing his regular uniform of jeans and a blue shirt. He had on camouflage pants, a camouflage jacket, and a camouflage hat with flaps.

  Why was he dressed like a soldier?

  Sila felt embarrassed for him. But then she realized there weren’t other kids around to make fun of his clothing. And from what she’d seen, a person couldn’t easily upset Mateo even if they wanted to. He went through life his own way and apparently today that meant looking like the character in the old cartoon who battled Bugs Bunny. He was a modern-day Elmer Fudd.

  When Alp pulled the car toward the curb, Mateo didn’t move a muscle. Alp gave Sila a look. She whispered, “I told you he was . . .” She searched for the right word. She didn’t want to say “strange.” That felt mean. So she said, “. . . different.”

  Alp put the car in park and Sila got out. As soon as she did, the front door of the house opened and Mrs. Lopez emerged holding a grocery bag. She must have been waiting inside at the window. Alp turned off the engine and opened his door to introduce himself to the boy and his mother.

  “I’m Alp Tekin.”

  “Rosa Lopez. Nice to meet you. This is my son, Mateo.”

  Alp turned toward the boy. “Hey, Mateo.”

  Mateo was focused on getting into the car. He didn’t say hello. He opened the car door and climbed into the back seat. Sila winced. Did he hear her father?

  Sila could see that Mateo’s mother seemed very nervous. She shifted the grocery bag in her arms and managed what felt to Sila like a forced smile.

  “Thanks for doing this.”

  Alp replied, “We’re looking forward to it.”

  Mateo never caused trouble at school. Ever. So was Mrs. Lopez worried because they were going to see an elephant? Maybe she was afraid of animals. Lots of people are.

  Rosa Lopez’s gaze went from Mateo back to Sila and Alp, and then she came out with: “Hey, I was thinking . . . I could come along if that would make the trip easier.”

  Alp didn’t seem interested in that idea and had started back around to the driver’s side of the car as he answered. “Sila says she has your cell phone number. We can check in with you. Would that make you feel better?”

  “Yes. That would be great,” she answered. She then extended the grocery bag toward Sila. “I packed tuna fish sandwiches for you guys. And there are chips and almonds in here too. Plus cookies and a thermos of lemonade.”

  Sila wondered if the cookies were chocolate. She couldn’t stop herself from asking, “What kind of cookies?”

  “Peanut butter.”

  Sila hoped her disappointment wasn’t too obvious.

  Mrs. Lopez added, “Mateo eats a lot of peanut butter. And a lot of tuna fish.”

  “Both good things,” was Alp’s response.

  Mateo’s mother lowered her voice. “My son has a tuna fish sandwich every day for lunch. He’s not very adventurous when it comes to food. It’s easier if I stay in his lane.”

  Moments later Sila and her dad were on their way with Mateo, four large watermelons each weighing over twenty pounds, and the grocery bag with the sandwiches, chips, almonds, cookies, and lemonade.

  Mateo stared out the window in the back seat.

  Sila sat up front.

  Alp kept his eyes on the road.

  Sila again questioned why she’d bothered to ask Mateo to go, but there was no turning back now. He was sitting behind her rhythmically tapping her seat with his left foot. It could have been annoying, but Sila decided to feel it as the beat of music no one in the car but him could hear.

  Alp rang the bell at the entrance to Gio’s property, and this time they had to drive through two sets of gates. The newly installed second pair was made of metal and gave the place even more of a fortress quality. Sila hoped Mateo might comment on how unusual it all was, but he didn’t say a word.

  Gio was waiting on the porch. He seemed different to Sila, and it took her several moments before she realized why.

  “You cut off your beard!” she exclaimed after rolling down her window.

  “I did.”

  “You look younger.”

  “You think so?”

  “It’s a good look. I like it.”

  Alp parked the car and the kids got out. Sila found herself wishing Mateo had worn his jeans and T-shirt, but she realized that was her problem, not his.

  “Mr. Gio, this is my friend Mateo.”

  “It’s just Gio.”

  Gio extended his hand, and Mateo hesitated, but then to Sila’s relief he stepped forward and shook it. He then looked away into the distance as if someone was calling him.

  Sila leaned close to Gio and whispered, “He might be nervous about being here.”

  Gio whispered back, “We’ll try to make him feel at home.”

  “We brought four watermelons, and Mateo’s mom made us all lunch. My parents always say that when you go visit friends you should ring the doorbell with your elbow.”

  Gio looked confused, so Sila explained. “Because your hands are full—with the gifts you’re bringing.”

  24.

 
It felt awkward, but they all climbed into the golf cart. Gio and Alp sat up front and Sila and Mateo got in the back. Everyone but Gio held a watermelon, and the fourth melon rested underneath Sila’s feet.

  The golf cart moved more slowly with four people and four watermelons on board. The tires seemed to sink into the road, and twice the cart bottomed out, rubbing the ground. Alp offered to get out and walk, but Gio insisted he stay put. Sila didn’t mind traveling at this sluggish speed because it gave her time to see things she hadn’t noticed before. Towering pine trees grew in clusters, and the enormous boulders they passed were flecked with color from moss and lichen. Sila wanted to ask Mateo if he agreed that even the rocks were cool-looking, but whenever the road got bumpy he shut his eyes. Sila wondered if he was getting carsick. Or in this case, golf-cart-sick.

  A hawk flew overhead and a handful of sparrows buzzed at all angles, working to keep the bird of prey away. Sila saw a bald eagle perched on the limb of an oak tree. Mateo opened his eyes, and Sila pointed up to the spectacle. The bird wasn’t bald. It had a head of soft-looking white feathers and a beak and legs that were bright yellow. The eagle called out what sounded like a long, shrill whistle with a chirp added in. Sila wished she could make the same noise.

  The entire time they were in the golf cart driving through Gio’s property, Mateo gripped the edge of the bench seat. Sila thought he seemed miserable, but everything changed when they arrived at the summit of the hill and looked down to the pond.

  Veda was waiting with anticipation. Sila figured that even though the cart was electric and pretty quiet, the elephant had probably heard them approach.

  She called out gleefully, “Hey, Veda!” The elephant made her happy in ways she couldn’t explain.

  Mateo seemed different when animals were around. Sila watched as he let go of the side of the seat and his face took on a totally new expression. He was relaxed in a way that Sila had seen only when he’d been playing with his dog.

  Sila asked for her father’s phone and took pictures. They were large and the elephant was small, but it was a real elephant—that much was clear in the photos. She texted the pictures to Mateo’s mom and then returned the phone to her dad, asking, “Can we give Veda a watermelon?”