Promise (31 page)
Authors: Judy Young
“Emmett! Emmett!” he yelled as he opened the door and rushed into the kitchen. Kaden could hear the TV. He raced into the living room. Emmett sat in his recliner, feet up, looking toward the television. A large bandage was taped to his shin.
“So you finally showed up,” Emmett said, not turning to
look at Kaden.
Kaden had stopped crying as he ran but now he burst into tears. Emmett turned around and saw Kaden standing there, holding a bundle in his arms. Blood seeped through the shirt.
Emmett jumped up, moaning as he did. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“It's Kubla.” His words were barely audible. He opened the bundle. Emmett looked closely at the bird and put his fingers to Kubla's throat.
“He's still alive,” he said, gently taking the bird from Kaden. “Let's get him to the vet. Go grab one of my shirts. You can tell me about it in the truck.”
As Kaden dashed to Emmett's room, he heard Emmett opening and closing kitchen drawers.
“Now, where is my wallet?” Emmett said to himself. Kaden came into the kitchen wearing one of the man's T-shirts. Letting Emmett keep on searching, he reached for the kitchen phone.
“Gram, I don't have time to explain but I'm going with Emmett,” Kaden blurted out. “Kubla's been hurt and we have to take him to the vet. And there's something else, too. Dad's at the tower and the sheriff will be coming.”
Amazed at what he was hearing, Emmett had stopped
searching. He stood frozen in place, staring at Kaden.
Kaden paused, listening. “No, I'm fine, Gram. I'll tell you all about it later. We have to hurry.” Before Kaden hung up, he added one more thing. “Oh, and Gram, lock your door until the sheriff gets there.”
On the way to Chapston City, Kaden held Kubla on his lap. The crow was bundled up to keep him warm but Kaden opened the shirt enough to stroke his head with his finger. He put his head close to Kubla's and gurgled to the bird, a comforting gurgle, the gurgle made between friends. And as they drove, Kaden told Emmett everything that had happened since the hot dog cookout.
“What's really confusing,” Kaden said, “is I had fun with Dad sometimes and thought . . . I don't know what I thought. Sometimes I liked him and I thought he liked me. Other times I didn't like him at all and I thought he hated me. I thought he was going to do better, but he didn't. He didn't even try.”
“Life is complex,” Emmett said. “You can like someone, you can even love someone, but still not like the way he behaves, still not agree with him or see eye to eye.”
“Well, I hate him for what he did to Kubla. I can't
forgive that.”
“Sometimes, things are hard to forgive,” Emmett said.
Kaden was quiet for a few minutes.
“What didn't you forgive Dad for?” he finally said.
“For deserting his son,” Emmett said. “He could have chosen differently and been there for you all along. That was totally his decision. When you decide to take an action, you also decide to take the consequences.”
Kaden sat stroking Kubla. There was one thing he had left out about what happened at the tower. One thing he hadn't told Emmett.
“Up in the tower, Dad told me you called the sheriff on him. Is that true?”
“Yes,” Emmett said. “It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, to turn in the son of my best friend. But it was the rightest thing I ever did, too. I know that and I've forgiven myself for it.”
“It wasn't to get even for Kubla that I called the sheriff. I had already decided to do that.”
Kaden stopped stroking Kubla and looked over at Emmett. “Do you think Dad will be able to forgive me?”
“I don't know,” Emmett said. “I hope so, but I don't know.”
At the veterinary clinic Kaden handed Kubla to a nurse, who took him into a back room. Kaden and Emmett sat in the waiting room.
“I'm sorry about yesterday,” Kaden said. “I got all excited and forgot to call before we left.”
“I understand the situation and you're forgiven,” Emmett said. “But just remember, a man is only as good as his word.”
“I won't forget,” Kaden said.
The door opened and the vet came out. He was holding Kubla's small body wrapped in clean cloths. He handed the bundle to Kaden and shook his head.
When Kaden awoke the next morning, he thought it was really early. His cabin was dark like it would be just before sunrise. As he rolled over, he remembered all that happened the day before but no more tears came to his eyes. Kaden felt all cried out but still didn't want to face the day. He let out a long sigh. Gram's voice instantly came over the intercom.
“You finally awake?”
Kaden looked at his clock. Nine thirty-seven. Confused, he rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock again. Still 9:37. He sat up in bed. Gram had closed the solid wood door and had also closed his curtains. No wonder it was so dark.
“I overslept,” Kaden said. “Why didn't you wake me up?
I've already missed first period.”
“You needed the sleep,” Gram said. “I sent a note with Doris telling the school you'd be absent today. I gave her Yo-Yo's phone, too. She'll take it to him.”
“Why didn't you just call the school?” Kaden asked.
“A note works just as well and you can say what you want without interruption or questions,” Gram stated. “Get dressed and I'll fix you some oatmeal.”
“I'm going to take a shower first,” Kaden said.
When Kaden got to Cabin Four, his heart lurched. Dad's truck was parked between Cabins Four and Five. Kaden rushed to Gram's cabin.
“I think Dad's back,” he said in a panicked voice. “His truck's out there.”
“No, don't worry. He's not here,” Gram said. “Yesterday morning, after you went to the tower, your dad came back saying he wanted to talk with you. I told him where you were and he walked to the tower. The truck was here yesterday when Emmett brought you home but you were so upset you just didn't notice it. The sheriff will be coming this afternoon with a tow truck. He wants to talk with you, too.”
“A tow truck?” Kaden asked.
“Yes, the truck was stolen, too. Belonged to some kid going to college who left the keys under the seat. The sheriff
will take the truck and all the stuff in it. He'll have to take the gifts your dad gave us, too. He used stolen credit cards for everything. All the stuff, including the wallets and credit cards, will be used as evidence and then returned to their rightful owners.”
Kaden walked over to the kitchen table. There was a large paper bag on it. He looked inside. In it were all his belongings from the tower but the only item he focused on was a box of matchsticks. Kaden slumped down into a chair, put his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. He had thought he had cried all he could but now he couldn't keep tears from dropping onto the yellow plastic tablecloth.
“Your dad told the sheriff the things in the tower weren't stolen, they belonged to you. The sheriff left them here yesterday.”
When Kaden didn't look up, Gram put her hand on his shoulder.
“I know it hurts to think about Kubla,” Gram said. She paused for a long moment before continuing. “I also know you're disappointed in your father. I am, too. From the first time I talked with him, I was worried he'd go back to his old ways but I hoped with all my heart that he wouldn't. I know you were hoping for better, too.”
Kaden wiped his eyes and looked up at his grandmother.
He could tell from her face she hurt as much as he did.
“It will be hard for a while,” Gram continued. “I'm not going to lie to you. But you did the right thing. I want you to remember that.”
“I know,” Kaden said, “but knowing something doesn't make it any easier.”
“No,” Gram said, giving his shoulder a squeeze, “but we'll get through this.”
After breakfast Kaden walked to the tower, carrying a shovel and Kubla's body wrapped in the cloths. He buried Kubla under the tree where the shadow of the bird's favorite limb stretched across the ground. Then he went into the weeds to collect the friendship rock and rope. They were the only things that weren't in the bag the sheriff left.
