It was only a matter of time before Juan was called away on some random errand from his mom. Try as both boys might, they were momma’s boys through and through and would do anything that their momma’s asked them. Juan more than Jackson. So rather than sit around the house some more and wallow in the pityfullness that was his life as Juan so eloquently put it, Jackson wandered into the garage. It was as neat and tidy as a garage could be. His childhood 10-speed hung from the rafters, the walls lined with shelves, plastic boxes along the floor were full of an assortment of dust covered balls of every size.
“Granddad,” the tiny boy cried with a voice much bigger than his size. The cry demanded full attention.
“Yes,” the elder man replied placing a guitar on the floor and turning his attention to the four year old he was supposed to be babysitting.
“I did it! I got it in,” the boy cried jumping up and down. “Watch me.” With a pair of stubby legs under mesh shorts the boy grabbed the orange ball and walked to the edge of the room. Tossing the ball effortlessly it bounced off the red and white plastic rim of the basketball hoop set up in the living room. Disappointed, he ran to grab the ball and try again.
“Jackson,” Granddad interrupted grabbing the boy around the waist, “let’s try it this way, ok?” Granddad took the ball which was small to begin with but looked insignificant in his hands, bounced it twice on the hardwood floor, then shot it through the air.
“You do basketball too Granddad,” he shrieked in surprise.
“Jackson, Jackson, Jackson,” Granddad chuckled, “we Timberlakes can do anything we set our minds to.”
Jackson turned suddenly when he heard the beep of a car horn incredibly closer than the others he’d been hearing all day. Although sweat dripped down the side of his neck, he hurriedly ran to the car. He finally noticed the sun churning shades of orange and pink from the horizon.
“Momma! You left without saying goodbye this morning,” Jackson declared placing a kiss on the smiling cheek of his mother. His eyes narrowed when David popped out of the passenger seat.
“Basketball, huh,” David asked. It was the kind of question that didn’t expect an answer, but rather filled up what would otherwise be an uncomfortable silence. “You’re Momma told me you were more of a golfer.”
Jackson bounced the ball a couple times, mostly for effect, before he replied, “I am a man of many talents.”
Momma disregarded the tension between the two and patted her son’s back. “Well, I’m glad you are feeling better. David and I were going to pop in a couple videos tonight and have you join us if you were up to it.”
“Act-” Jackson started. Momma, however, didn’t hear him as she made her way towards the house, talking with her back to the two men behind her.
“I’ll make some crunch cake for you Baby since you look like you can hold some food down and, oh! David, you can make those ribs on the grill that make me melt. We can call up-”
“Momma,” Jackson cried from the driveway. “I’m going out with Juan and the guys tonight.”
A small ‘o’ of surprise fell on Momma’s lips. “Already? How’d he even know you were back?”
Jackson shrugged, “Must have radar. Don’t worry. We are just catching up. Juan gossips as much as Mrs. Clarview used to.”
Momma nodded but seemed unconvinced, “Jack, Juan’s been having a rough time since Abb died. He isn’t exactly the same kid you grew up with. I don’t want you getting into any trouble at his expense and I certainly don’t want-”
“Momma,” Jackson interrupted placing a hand on each of her shoulders, “What can it hurt? Worst comes to worst David here has a chance to bail me out.”
Momma furrowed her eyebrows at Jackson’s joke. “Your Granddad is turning over in his grave for that remark young man.”
David, who hadn’t found the joke very funny since he was very fond of his money and had no intention of bailing out a 25 year old man perfectly capable of avoiding any trouble he could get into, now felt even more uncomfortable with the mention of Sadie’s father. The man’s legend seeped its way into everything.
Jackson just smiled. Slightly at first, and then with gradual strength, he began to nod. “Yeah, yeah, he would.”
The teenage boy struggled the keep up with the older man dragging him by the ear across the empty field. A cluster of teenagers huddled around the outskirts of the general store’s porch lights. Granddad sure could move when he wanted to.
“Granddad,” he pleaded, “I’m gunna fall.”
When he judged he was a safe distance away, Granddad let go of the ear and turned the boy to face him. He didn’t need to ask for an explanation. He crossed his arms and waited to hear the story.
“Well, I…we…Juan was too…and” He couldn’t even look up at him, and they were nearly eye to eye now.
“I can’t lecture you about this. It wouldn’t be fair. I know why and what made you and all of that. But I’ll tell you this. I didn’t get caught. Let that be your lesson. You are old enough now to make your decisions. Just be sure that if it’s something that can get you in trouble, and I know you will do something that will get you in trouble because you are my grandson, don’t get caught.” He nodded to show he understood. When Granddad didn’t say anything else, he looked up. Even in the darkness that fell around them, he could see a small glean in Granddad’s eyes. With a nod of approval, Granddad turned and continued on walking to wherever it was that he had come from.
Jackson slid the ball back into the plastic box, careful not to let the other smaller balls bounce back up at him. He followed David’s retreating form through the screen door and into the house. Momma was already pulling pots and pans out from the cabinets and under the stove. Again, Jackson’s stomach rumbled when he saw David carelessly opening a drawer and pulling out a few seasoning packets. He didn’t even know where Momma kept the meat tenderizer and he lived in the house for seventeen years. But David knows where it is.“Excuse me,” Jackson mumbled pushing both out of the way and pulling out the garbage can from under the sink just in time.
“Geeze,” David yelped. Jackson was standing on his foot.
Momma dropped the spatula into the sink and began to rub Jackson’s back. “Jack, baby, maybe we need to go see Doctor Brown. Are you sure you weren’t coming down with something before you headed down here?”
He took a few deep breaths and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “No, Momma. I’m fine. Just not used to the fresh air I guess. I’ll go take a bath. Maybe that’ll make me feel better.”
“That’s a great idea babe,” Momma comforted him. “David, can you take that bag out to the garbage for me?” She followed Jackson towards the stairs concerned. Left behind in the kitchen David cringed as he tied up the plastic bag and held it at a good arms distance away. Things would not look up if Jackson planned on going out with Juan “and the guys.”
“Granddad?” The usual chipper voice of the young boy was bogged down and heavy. He was huddled up in a thick robe that was usually reserved for Christmas morning but was still shaking.
“Yes,” Granddad asked holding out a large hand for the small boy. With one tug, the boy was seated atop Granddad’s lap at the kitchen table. “Are you hungry yet kiddo?”
“I’ma tired,” he replied rubbing his watery eyes.
Granddad used his hand that wasn’t around the boy’s waist to pat down the mass of curls on the little one’s head. “I bet you are.” He let out a loud, unexpected yawn that was matched by a smaller one. “Granddad’s tired too. But I’ll tell you a secret, ok? Then we can take a nap.”
The blue eyes of the small child shot up at the mention of secret. Leaning his head against the warm cotton of Granddad’s shirt he questioned, “What secret?”
Granddad smiled and continued running his hands over the boy’s hair. “If you feel sick. And I mean really, really sick. If you want to feel better, you have to drink some soup very quickly and go right to sleep.”
“Really?”
Granddad nodded. His lips twitched with a hint of smile before he continued, “The trick is you have to go right away. If you don’t go to sleep quick enough you won’t feel better. Sometimes people are so bad at it that they even forget the secret. Can you imagine that? Your Momma, she’s horrible. You can ask her about it tomorrow. She won’t know. She always took too long to fall asleep. Do you think you can handle it? Can you drink and sleep so quick you remember the secret?”
Eyes closed, Jackson nodded. “Soup Granddad. Quick!”
Jackson took in a deep breath. Soup and naps no longer solved his problems. So what if he was a 25 year old single man living at home with his Momma taking a bubble bath. Things could be worse. He could be taking a bubble bath alone at his apartment back home. Using her bubbles. All day long he had worked and worked at suppressing it. But with his wave of nauseous and desire to keep away from Momma and David for as long as possible she kept popping up. Idle minds. He hadn’t fallen for her at first sight nor did they have some fiery sexual tension that just exploded one day. They sat next to each other in an intro to economics class. Their professor paired them up for a presentation. They just kinda hung out every day since then.
“Fuck,” he breathed blowing a wad of bubbles across the soapy water, “I can’t even think about getting paid without thinking about her.”
“Yo, dude, let’s go. You’re hair ain’t ever gunna look as good as mi-Whoa,” Juan sputtered turning and shutting the door behind him. “I see I was needed even more than I thought.”
“Shut up Juan,” Jackson prattled while pulling himself out of the water. He grabbed a towel and quickly dried off his legs before putting his boxers on. Yanking open the door to allow Juan access back into the bathroom Jackson turned to pull the plug out of the tub.
“Seriously Jack. Bubbles?”
Face to the mirror Jackson grabbed a bottle of mouse and examined the expiration date. He squirted a little on his hand and smelled it. Satisfied, he squirted a little more and set to texturizing the short curls on his head. “Don’t be jealous that I’m comfortable enough with myself to take a bubble bath.”
“Granddad?” A tiny mop of curly hair poked its way into the doorway of Granddad’s bedroom.
Granddad looked over the covers at the bouncing boy, then over at the clock. “Bed Jack.”
“No tired.”
A groan. “Jackson, you can’t grow up and be as tall as me if you don’t get enough sleep. Or milk.”
“I wanna be big like you,” he protested pulling on the edges of the comforter in an attempt to pull his small body up onto the bed. Giggling in triumph he planted himself right next to Granddad. His footsie covered feet pressed against Granddad’s legs.
“You will be. But not for a while Jacks. Granddad wants you to stay small for awhile, ok?”
“Why?”
“Because,” he explained, “the bigger you get the older Granddad gets. And when Granddad gets older he can’t play with you like he used to.”
“Oh.” Granddad, pleased with himself, placed a casual hand on the child’s head and fell back asleep easily. Then, out of nowhere Jackson ahahs; “I know! I’ll get bigger, but not older. Then we can always play forever.”
Seated on the edge of the bathtub Juan can’t help but notice. “You’re like his twin, you know that right?”
Jackson pretended he didn’t hear him and grabs a semi-wrinkled white t-shirt from his duffle bag on the floor. A pair of jeans with a signature “w” on the back slide on soon after and he finally turns to face his friend.
“It’s creepy. It also makes me call your Uncle’s paternity into question. He looks nothing like either of you.”
“Can we not?”
“Oh get of it J,” Juan pleads following Jackson into his bedroom. The two sink into respective chairs as if the past ten years had never happened and they were still 17 year old kids. “I mean I’m glad I don’t look like Abb but-”
“You do,” Jackson interrupted, one shoe on. “You’ve got his big mouth for one.”
Juan chuckled deep in his chest, “Yeah. I guess you got me there. I swear though man, you start stealing my chicks tonight and I’m gunna have to send you back up to city-ville. I been working these girls since you left man.”
Now it was Jackson’s turn to laugh. “Dude, ‘chicks’ are the last thing on my mind tonight, ok?” Juan nodded and swiped an old hat off a peg by the door. Dusting it off with his hand he pulled the camouflage brim over his hair. Together they clomp down the stairs. Jackson ignored the motionless lumps of his mom and David under the blanket in front of the television and yanks open the front door. Juan follows.
“Granddad,” the nervous teen calls out as he crosses the street and into his own yard on his way home.
“Yes,” Granddad calls from the porch like always. He has a letter in his hand and two bowls of cobbler on the table beside him.
“Who is the letter from,” Jackson asks quickly swiping one of the bowls. He leans against the porch beam, his right leg swinging off the porch and hitting the ground. Granddad folds it up and puts it into the pocket of his polo. The letter pokes out, continuing to entice the curious boy. “Come on Granddad!”
He taps the letter with one hand in contemplation. Then, he replies. “Tell me what you wanted to first, and then I’ll decide if it’s good enough to share my news.”
Jackson rolled his eyes. Granddad always did this and Jackson knew that it meant the letter was none of his business and unless he told Granddad he met fire breathing dragons on the way home and stole their talons, he’d be s.o.l. “Fine.”
“Boy,” Granddad warned with a smile.
“Alright, alright,” Jackson relented. He scooped a chunk of peach into his mouth. “I asked someone to the carnival next week.”
“Juan was going with us anyways,” Granddad answered, “but I’m sure there’s room for one more. Ya’ll might have to sit in the bed of the truck but-”
“A girl, Granddad.”
Jackson jumped in surprise when Granddad smacked his knee. “Jackson, boy! A date!”
“It’s not a date Granddad. She just said her Momma couldn’t take her because she had to work and I knew we were going already so I-”
Granddad shook his head no. “Oh, it’s a date Jackson. You don’t offer to take girls to carnivals. Even if their Momma’s have to work. Jackson’s got a daaate.” Granddad began dancing in his seat.
Jackson slumped against the beam and shoved another spoonful of peach into his mouth, “I’m gunna have to get all cleaned up for it aren’t I?”
