It was a nice spring day in Millington, Tennessee. There were tons of kids, especially the ones too young for school, playing. Lynn helped her five year old son from the carseat and set him on the ground. The little boy with a head full of curls and blue eyes took off across the grass.
“Justin Randall, be careful!” Lynn yelled after him. He immediately slowed down but continued for the slide. He had fun sliding a few times and Lynn sat on the bench with a book in hand so she could keep an eye out.
When Justin reached the bottom of the slide, he saw a little girl in the sandbox a few feet away. He was always a curious baby but still very shy. She was just about to reach for the bucket of sand when she started whimpering. The shy boy walked closer, worried about her, and saw a huge spider on the wood.
He was scared of spiders, even at this young age, but he picked up a toy truck and slammed it on the creature. The girl let out a little squeal before bursting into tears. Looking around, Justin didn’t see anyone come to comfort her. Where was her mommy or daddy? Doing the only thing his little mind knew, he engulfed her in a hug while speaking a mix of words his mom would say to him and babbling. Suddenly he heard his mother calling his name. “Justin, you know better than to run off that far.”
“Sowwy, Momma. She hurted,” he answered, tears welling in his own eyes.
Lynn then noticed the girl in her son’s arms. She couldn’t have been more than a year or two younger than him; big blue eyes that were tear streaked. And she had the most beautiful hair – wavy curls that were a cross between strawberry blonde and dirty blonde. She looked where the boy pointed and made a face before she said, “that was very nice of you, Justin. Looks like you made a new friend. What's your name, sweetie?”
“J-j-a-ane,” the little girl struggled to make her mouth muscles work.
“That’s such a pretty name, Jane.”
“Momma?” Justin asked in a small voice. “I don’ see her mommy or daddy. Can I keep her?” His eyes were wide and innocent.
Lynn chuckled at the innocent question and said they’d look first. She looked over her shoulder when she heard hurried footsteps. “Is this your beauty?”
The woman, no more than 30, nodded frantically. She was out of breath and had another child who looked about eight, clinging to her. “I’m sorry. This one ran off, I didn’t mean to leave Jane alone; I hope she didn’t cause any trouble.”
“Not at all, it looks like our kids made friends.” The two moms looked at the little ones and watched as Justin tipped the bucket over after Jane filled it with sand. And of course he checked it for spiders first.
---
From that day on, the kids were inseparable. Jane was four and Justin was five but they got along just fine. They played just about everyday. Bianca had told Lynn that Jane was born with various problems. She had muscle issues where they were too tight and would spasm; hence her getting small pink leg braces a few months before. She also wasn’t talking much yet, probably due to certain brain damage, but they were assured if they just talked to her enough then she’d catch up.
When Jane would go to the hospital for physical therapy, Justin would wait for her when he got out of school. They then found out that even though they lived in the country and houses were spaced out, they were basically neighbors. The kids would play and end up worn out by dinner time.
When they turned seven or eight, Justin started noticing Jane was different from him. He came home from school, waiting for her small bus to arrive. They went to the same school, E.E. Jeter, but she was in a smaller class for kids with special needs. He walked up to Lynn and Paul and asked, “momma, daddy, why does Jane have to be in a different classroom? Why is she on a different bus? Why can't she run around with me?”
He had such a confused look and the adults wondered how to explain it where he would understand. “Well, son, remember how Jane’s in a wheelchair? That’s because her legs don’t work like yours,” his dad answered.
“And she’s in a different class because she needs a little more help than the other kids. I know you wish you could run with her but she can't, ok? But you guys do other things together just fine,” his mom smiled.
Justin thought for a minute, his little face scrunching up. “Oh, ok! Well, I’ll help her and she’ll be better. Trace will too!” he beamed enthusiastically. He then ran off as the bus pulled up, immediately pushing her chair across the gravel as much as his little body could. They were quickly joined by Trace and the three played and rolled around.
Between the age of 2 to 10 (he met Jane at 5), Justin had always been around music. Going down to Beale street was a regular occurrence for family and friends and he would also sing in church. He sang harmony almost right away and everyone was amazed by the talent the boy possessed. He was entered into all sorts of pageants and little fairs, placing really high scores. Even winning a good amount of them. He would perform for anyone, mostly singing country or blues songs, and all the little girls liked him. Him, Trace and a few other boys entered the school talent show in third grade. The boys lip-synched to New Kids on the Block but when Justin’s part came, he turned on his mic and belted the tune. As soon as there names were mentioned; the crowd roared. Girls chased them in the halls wanting autographs. They were very popular.
Now Jane, she was at every show she could be. Her little face would light up and she wouldn't stop giggling. They always included her. She wheeled up to them after one of the state fairs. “T-that was SO cool, J-j-justy.”
One of the crew nearby looked at the kids oddly but they didn’t notice. They were too young to realize some people looked at her different but Justin accepted her stutter and disability. He helped her with it. “Thanks, buttercup,” he answered out of breath. He hugged her sloppily, almost picking her up and she squealed in laughter. “Ya know, I want to do this the rest of my life. I want to be famous.” He was so confident, this really was what he wanted.
So that night, he sat down and told his parents. They said, “if you want this, we’ll support you. But if it doesn’t turn out, we come home. You’ve to put 110% into it.” He agreed whole-heartedly.
---
Jane looked around the empty hallway. The 11 year old had escaped her classroom while the teacher had been busy with another student. How could someone not notice a wheelchair missing was beyond her. She had to find her friends. Despite her body being disabled, the little girl was very smart. She reached room 131 and lightly tapped on the door. The teacher answered quite surprised, staring at her as her voice stuttered.
“I-I need to talk...talk to Justin. I’m s-s-s-sorry.”
The blue eyed boy immediately jumped up, signaling to Trace that he’d fill him in later. “I’m sorry, Mr Johnson, I’ll get her back to class.”
The man knew Justin was responsible and trusted him to be quick.
