Leaping (11 page)

He
had Cori's eyes. He was small like her. He had her brown hair but he was
freckled.

Seth
looked to his mother and raised his brows. "Oh…sorry…about the," he
held up the controller to the Xbox. He set that on the coffee table.

Cori
shifted her feet and kicked off her shoes. "You want…some coffee or
tea?" she said to Jordan.

"I'm
fine," he said, sitting back on the couch, extending his arm along its
back.

"Fire
up the game.
Let's play."

Cori
smirked at him and left the room.

"Need
some help?" Jordan called after. The house had a couple of walls removed
so it was open to the kitchen if he looked over his shoulder. She was already
at the counter working.

"No.
Almost done," she said.

So
he tore his eyes from her and turned back to Call of Duty. They played for a
while. Seth was good, and Jordan was rusty. This was a newer version than he'd
played back in the day, more graphic than ever. He wondered why she allowed
this.

Especially
after…he didn't know.

After
they played a couple of rounds Cori called Seth to help set the table.

Jordan
followed along. "Can I help?" he asked again.

Seth
laid out the plates and Cori carried the food to the table that set up a few
feet behind the couch and across from the island that divided the cooking area
from the eating area.

"No,"
she said. "You are our guest."

He
remembered not to ogle her in front of her son. He'd been pretty spoiled when
he'd had her to himself, letting himself look his fill, not that he could get
enough when it came to her. He had such a different sense of her being in her
environment.

He'd
always liked to visit the homes of their church people…when he'd been a pastor.
Being in someone's home gave such a sense of whom they were.

Like
with Carson. He hadn't gone in, hadn't asked to carry his interruption that
far, but standing in his yard, even driving on his road had given another few
inches of perspective, one he had not consciously known he'd wanted.

Seth kept looking at
Jordan. Jordan stood there, leaning on the counter, near to Cori, but not too
near. He figured he'd let Seth look all he wanted. He'd probably wondered about
Jordan time to time. Well, he owed him this at least. Plus, he'd been with his
mother. And Cori was Seth's world. Maybe…no…but maybe…she was his, Jordan's,
too.

"How
you been feeling?" Jordan asked him.

Seth
shrugged. "I'm okay." He was laying out silverware now, careful about
getting it straight.

"How'd
you meet Mom?" Seth asked, casually.

Jordan
straightened. He looked to Cori, and she looked back, whisking away to grab a
bowl for the table. She wasn't going to help him?

"At…the
beach," he answered. "We met there."

"Kind
of odd," Seth said, pulling his chair and sitting hard.

Surely
Cori had already answered this. Jordan kept staring at him. Seth was at that
gangly stage. His wrists were bony and his hands looked too large for his body.

Jordan
swallowed, feeling something move in himself. This kid…this part of
Cori's...heart…this life so reflective of his mother…his grandfather…this
kid…was alive. This was the kid that fell…with the flag. This kid….

Jordan
turned away. He kept his eyes on the refrigerator, its bright busy mess
attesting to their lives, pictures, recipes and bright colors and school papers
and notes.
Their lives.

James'
grandmother.
The silent crumbling house.
That house and the rooms
in the shadows and…he was a person…once. His grandmother had said that. But he
had to die…so this kid could live. This kid…had lived.

"Jordan?"
Cori was saying. He looked up, and there she was…there she was.

He
smiled and took her hand, pressed her hand.

"Let's
eat," she said softly.

He
followed her to the table, Seth looking at him and away, to Call of Duty frozen
on the flat screen.

"You…you
want to pray?" she asked Jordan. Cori asked him that. They said a meal
prayer. Seth….

Jordan
shook his head.

"I
will," Seth said.

So
they bowed, Cori and Seth, and Jordan watched Seth, this kid, this great kid.

"Thanks
for this food, Amen," Seth said.

Jordan
laughed a little. It was such a typical teenager's prayer. He loved it. Best
prayer he'd ever heard in his life.

Cori
had
tsked
. Of course she wanted more. Maybe some long
speech about the blessings of Jordan being under their roof.

"You're
smiling," Cori said. Her foot was against his. He felt her sock covered
toes under his pant-leg creeping to pull down his sock.

"What
are you doing," Seth said bending to look under the table.
"Mom."
He laughed to see what she was up to.
"She always does that."

They
all laughed.

Guess
she wasn't going to tip-toe around the kid. Jordan wondered again how she
explained him.

"Where
did you go?" Seth asked as he scattered salad on his plate. Then he handed
the bowl to Jordan. Jordan had to remember to move his hands.

He
was rusty around kids, forgot how they blurted things, and then this kid, these
things.

Cori
smiled at him and he eased some. "He means…what do you mean?" Cori
asked Seth.

"Where'd you go
after Grampa was killed?" Seth repeated, putting a large heap of spaghetti
on his plate this time.

Jordan
was still holding the salad and Cori took it and served him. He looked from her
to Seth and Cori held up a bottle of salad dressing and raised her brows.

When
he didn't respond she went ahead and put it on his lettuce.

Seth
served Jordan's spaghetti. It was such a friendly gesture Jordan felt tears in
his eyes.

He
picked up his fork. His hand was shaking. He abandoned the utensil rubbed his
hands on his thighs and went for the fork again.

"I…this
looks good," he said to Cori.

She
motioned he should eat.

He
remembered Seth's question.

"Do
you not talk about it or something?" Seth said before taking a huge bite
of his pasta.

"Seth,
for heaven sakes," Cori said.

Seth
laughed as he tried to suck up the noodles and sauce slapped on his chin. He
worked the napkin then.

"I
left after," Jordan said so suddenly Seth stopped wiping and looked at
Cori.

"O-Kay,"
he dragged out, watching Jordan.

"Yeah…I
was thinking about a change anyway…before it happened," Jordan said.

"The
shootings…or killings, take your pick," Seth said before chugging a big
glass of milk.

Cori's
foot was hooked around Jordan's leg. He didn't want her to let go.

"You're
very open about it," Jordan said.

"Yeah.
Well...why wouldn't I be?" Seth
said. "Aren't you open about it? You killed him."

Cori's
foot jerked against Jordan's leg. He thought she'd withdraw.

"We're
just open," she said to Jordan. "Borderline rude," she said to
Seth.

"It's
not our fault. Why should we…." Seth said, too flippantly. He surely
wasn't this casual. Jordan could hear the anger. "Do I have to finish
this?" Seth said, meaning his food.

"Yes,"
she answered. "Unless…well you've been sick."

Seth
got up so fast he jarred the table. Cori said his name and he apologized to
Jordan.

"
It's
okay dude," Jordan said. "But hang on a
minute. You asked how I met your mom."

Seth
lowered. "At the beach," he said.

"Yeah.
I didn't know her before that."

"So
it was like…coincidence? Bull…," he breathed.

"I
don't know what your mom said," Jordan said, glancing at Cori.

"I
said I met you there and I didn't know you before," Cori said.

"That's
true," Jordan agreed.

"So…why'd
you bring her home?"

"She
was worried about you and I thought it would be faster. And…I wasn't ready to
say good-bye. I happen to like your mom." Damn.
It.
Well, he did like her. That didn't even cover it. He wasn't going to be intimidated
by this kid. That wouldn't help anybody.

"So
why'd you leave…after. It's like…you didn't even care," Seth said. His
eyes were so open…and brown…and like hers.

He'd
answered this. He thought he had.

"After
the shootings?
I needed to make a change…after."

"Yeah
but
it's
like," Seth waved his hand.
"Doesn't matter."

Cori
was flushed a deep red, biting her lip.

"I
had to…I had to think about it. Everything that happened," Jordan said.

"What
about us? Did you even think about us?" Seth said, a little more of the
anger leeching out.

"Yes,"
Jordan said.
"All the time."

"Didn't feel like
it. You just took off. Every time we had to go to something…even after the
funerals…I couldn't see Grampa's. I was in the hospital…every time. I thought
you believed in God. You were a minister."

"I
did…I do…believe in God."

"And
Jesus and all that…is it just bullshit with you?"
Seth.

"No.
But…I had never…."

"I
thought you were supposed to put others first or some shit…." Seth yelled.

"I
had never killed someone before," Jordan yelled over him.

Cori
had rebuked Seth, said his name, so everyone had yelled, and it was there and
Jordan fell back on his chair, and his hands weren't shaking now, but inside…he
was shaken.

"That
was it?" Seth said, standing.

"Yeah,"
Jordan said.

He
went in the living room then.

"You
hardly ate," Cori said.

"Not
hungry," Seth said
,
dropping on to the couch and
picking up the controls, setting the game back in motion.

"Turn
it down," Cori said. And so he did.

Cori
had apology in her eyes, but Jordan didn't need it. He took another bite of
food.

"This
is good," he said.

She
mouthed, 'I'm sorry.'

Jordan
shook his head. There was nothing to be sorry for.

It
was quiet with Seth muting the game.

Jordan
pointed his fork at the screen and looked at Cori.

She
shrugged. "Power," she said, laughing some.

Jordan
shook his head. What?

They
finished eating pretty much in silence. After dinner he helped her clear the
table. Then he stood by while she loaded the dishwasher. Seth stayed immersed
in his game until Cori suggested he show Jordan his room. Was she trying to get
rid of him?

Seth
shut down the game then got up like a robot and walked past them. Jordan raised
his brows at Cori,
then
smirked as he followed Seth
upstairs. The kid had a heavy tread.

The
first room must be Cori's. He could see the bluish bedspread. He was curious
but he followed Seth. The boy went into the room at the end of the hall and
threw himself onto the bed where he picked up a comic and started to page.