Still kneeling on the landing, Sebastian’s hands dropped down to his sides. He could hear his mother weeping in the kitchen, and he felt badly for her but he had no desire to go downstairs and comfort her. He yearned for peace, and the comfort of his bed, so he pulled himself up to his feet and returned to his room where he stayed for the remainder of the evening.
Chapter Twenty-three
The next morning, Gloria made good on her promise to inform the school administrators about everything that happened between her son and Keith. She spoke with her usual persuasive authority, and made it more than clear that Keith was a bully and a menace and that she wouldn’t allow her vulnerable son to be exposed to such a threat. Needless to say, the administration took Gloria’s concerns very seriously, and the sight of Sebastian’s eye that had swollen into a slurry of black and blue overnight, leant all the more gravitas to her argument. They assured mother and son that from now on, they needn’t worry about Keith, and that they would call a meeting with his parents immediately.
Gloria left more or less satisfied, and Sebastian was sent to his classroom almost an hour late. His black eye caused a good deal of commotion as no one ever expected a kid like him to be involved in a fight. Ms. Ashworth had already been informed about the altercation after school, but she was all the more concerned when she saw Sebastian’s eye. She was preparing to call him up to her desk when the phone rang. As she listened, she glanced at Keith who had quite a smug look on his face. Then she hung up, wrote out a hall pass, and directed him to go to the office immediately.
Keith sauntered up to Ms. Ashworth’s desk, took the pass and left the classroom amidst a cacophony of shouts and wails from the other students. “Oooooh Keith is in trouble” they said, as everyone understood that his summons to the office had everything to do with Sebastian’s black eye. Eventually, the class settled down and the day’s lesson began, but about twenty minutes into it, there was another phone call after which Ms. Ashworth wrote another hall pass. This time she called Sebastian up to her desk, and directed him to report to the office as well. The uproar this created could be heard all through the corridor as Sebastian left the classroom and reluctantly made his way down the hall.
How he longed to put this whole business behind him. He wasn’t angry with Keith anymore, he was just weary of it all, and it occurred to him that he could run away to his grandmother’s house and not be missed until he was half way there. But he knew this would only make matters worse. If he ran away now his mother’s upset would dwarf all of her previous upsets to the size of a pea.
He was halfway to the office when he heard a strange sound keeping rhythm with his footsteps, and he stopped in his tracks. There was a hush reverberating through the corridor, and the soles of his feet were tingling strangely. It was only when he began walking again that he sensed a powerful vibration moving up from the ground, through his feet, into his legs and through his torso. Then he heard the black haired old lady’s voice inside of him, as though emanating from the very center of his heart. “It’ll be alright,” she whispered hoarsely. “Invite Keith to your grandmother’s house. It’ll be alright.”
Sebastian yearned for her guidance now more than ever, but he couldn’t help but question her on this point. “But Keith is the meanest kid in school and probably the whole world. What if he hits me again?”
“It’ll be alright,” the black haired old lady whispered again.
Feeling more confused and nervous than ever, Sebastian entered the main office doors and was immediately ushered by the principal’s secretary toward the conference room. She was busy with several things and hastily explained that Mr. Grulich, the principal, would be in to speak with them shortly. She was preparing to escort Sebastian into the room when the phone rang, and she directed him to go in on his own.
Sebastian opened the heavy conference room door just a sliver and slipped inside. A long conference table could be seen in the center of the room and sitting around it were Keith and a man and woman Sebastian assumed to be his parents. The thin blond woman he’d seen before at the beginning of the year. If not for her bland expression and sunken posture, she would’ve been quite pretty. She winced and shook her head when she saw Sebastian’s eye.
Sebastian took a hesitant step into the room. It was overwhelming to confront Keith and his parents and he didn’t know what to do.
“Is this the kid you beat up?” Keith’s father asked. He was a grown up burly version of Keith, complete with yellow eyes, and strawberry blonde hair, but his wrists were as thick as planks. And while Keith’s voice was commanding enough, his father’s was like thunder and the sound of it made Sebastian’s knees tremble.
“Answer me boy,” the man said, giving Keith’s shoulder a shove. “Is this him?”
Keith mumbled something unintelligible.
“What the hell did you say?”
“Yeah, it’s him,” Keith said, his eyes fixed on the table in front of him.
Keith’s father narrowed his eyes at Sebastian as he studied him from head to toe for a good twenty seconds. All the while, Sebastian felt his insides melting, and his ears glowing red.
“I never thought I’d see the day my boy beat up a midget,” the man growled.
“He’s not a midget,” Keith replied, but his voice and expression were as flat as the blank table he stared at. It was strange for Sebastian to see Keith this way when in class he was always the life of the party, and so animated that he could hardly sit still.
“This kid here,” Keith’s father said, pointing a thick finger at Sebastian, “is a fucking midget.” And then his face began to burn and he clenched his fists into massive rounds of flesh, and pounded one on the table. Keith and Sebastian jumped while Keith’s mother who’d been searching for something in her purse, looked up with a start, after which she produced a pack of cigarettes.
“I swear to God,” Keith’s father seethed under his breath. “If you get suspended over this, I’ll teach you real good not to beat up on cripples. You’ll wish you were never born, boy.”
Keith flashed his father a horrified look, and then he quickly turned away.
“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Willard,” Keith’s mother said. “We really don’t know what happened yet do we?” And she focused her hollow eyes on Sebastian, and smiled a strange icy smile. Then she removed one cigarette from the pack and tapped it lightly on the table. When Keith saw this, his face went pale, and his hands began to tremble. Sebastian wondered about Keith’s reaction to something so seemingly harmless.
The principal, a tall bald man in a grey suit, entered the conference room moments later, and introduced himself to Keith’s parents. He told Sebastian to take a seat, and Sebastian chose the seat closest to the principal and furthest from Keith and his parents. Mr. Grulich then proceeded to explain that there had been an incident the previous day after school between the two boys, and then he repeated almost word for word what Sebastian and his mother had told him that very morning: Keith had accosted Sebastian after school on his way to his grandmother’s house, forcibly stolen his McDonald’s gift certificate and then punched him in the face for good measure. All the while, Sebastian watched Keith’s father’s already frightening scowl contort into a snarl.
And as the principal went on, Sebastian thought about everything that had transpired between him and Keith since the beginning of the school year. Keith had been cruel beyond measure. He had humiliated him countless times, and even tried to orchestrate Sebastian’s death for everyone’s amusement. Sebastian couldn’t think of anyone he hated more than Keith. And then he thought about the story his grandmother had told him, and he pictured a frightened boy living like an animal in the jungle, this Monkey Boy who everybody was so afraid of, and who nobody really knew.
If truth could speak for itself it would clang like a mighty bell from the tallest tower on the highest mountain, but sometimes truth lurks like a ghostly angel in the most unlikely places, whispering only in the ears of those wh
o have the courage to listen. There are no coincidences it whispered, and Sebastian felt like he might wretch all over the table as he took firm hold of the arms of his chair and suddenly stood up.
“Sit down Sebastian,” Mr. Grulich said, “I’m not finished yet.”
But Sebastian remained standing, looking rather startled and lost.
“What’s wrong?” Mr. Grulich asked, taking note of his pained expression. “Do you have to go the bathroom?”
“No,” Sebastian replied softly.
“Well then, what is it?”
“That isn’t what really happened yesterday,” Sebastian said.
“But I’m only repeating what you and your mother told me just this morning.”
“I know,” Sebastian said, his heart pounding so fiercely he could hardly hear himself speak. “I lied to her and to you Mr. Grulich. I’m sorry.”
“Well then,” he replied, crossing his arms and appraising Sebastian sternly. “Would you like to tell me the truth about what happened yesterday after school?”
Sebastian took a deep breath and placed his hand over his heart to calm himself. He knew he looked pathetic, but he couldn’t help it this time. “Keith didn’t steal my gift certificate, I gave to him.”
“And why would you do that?” Mr. Grulich asked dubiously.
“Because I don’t like hamburgers,” Sebastian replied, making a face for good measure. “I hate hamburgers. I always have.”
“Not too many boys I know hate hamburgers, but let’s assume that you’re one of the few who do. So, you gave Keith your gift certificate, and then what happened?” he asked, obviously not convinced.
Sebastian stared wide eyed at everyone around the table, and they stared wide eyed back at him. Keith’s eyes were the biggest of all. “I ran at Keith and pushed him. I wanted to hurt him really bad.”
“Why did you want to hurt him?” the principal asked. “Didn’t you just tell us that you gave him the gift certificate?”
At this Sebastian drew a blank. This lying business was much more complicated than he expected, and he couldn’t think as fast as Mr. Grulich who obviously had a lot of experience with this sort of thing. If he didn’t come up with a good reason for wanting to hurt Keith then nothing about this new story would make any sense. Sebastian felt his eyes get hot and watery. He had no idea what to do or what to say. He turned to look at Keith who appeared to be just as worried. And then Sebastian heard another whisper that caused a shiver down his back. “The green eyed monster,” it said. “Tell them about the green eyed monster.”
Mr. Grulich pushed himself away from the table, his patience wearing thin.
“The green eyed monster,” Sebastian blurted out.
“Excuse me?” he replied.
“The Green eyed monster bit me,” Sebastian said breathless. “And that’s why I wanted to hurt Keith.”
Mr. Grulich had some trouble keeping a straight face. “Kindly explain yourself Sebastian. What does this green eyed monster have to do with anything?”
“Keith told me he was going to invite Kelly Taylor to go to McDonalds with him,” Sebastian replied.
“I see,” Mr. Grulich said. “And you were jealous?”
“We’re both in love with her,” Sebastian declared with a solemn nod toward Keith. “Actually, everybody loves Kelly Taylor.”
“And then what happened?” Mr. Grulich asked, his eyes glinting with a small measure of hope.
“I just…I just kept pushing him,” Sebastian replied much more confidently. It seems that he’d exchanged the lie for a truth much bigger than he’d bargained for. “And I kept trying to hit him, but I couldn’t get close enough so I… I tripped him and he fell to ground, and every time he tried to get up, I pushed him down again and again, but I stopped when it looked like he was going to cry, and then he finally stood up and that’s when he punched me.” Sebastian shrugged. “I guess I deserved it.”
Everyone allowed this new story to sink in for a moment, and Sebastian noted that Keith’s father’s face had returned to a more or less normal color, and that his enormous hands were no longer clenched into fists. Keith didn’t look afraid anymore, but startled and confused and he sat up straighter his chair, waiting to see what would happen next.
Mr. Grulich shook his head, but this time it wasn’t with disbelief over what Sebastian had said. Instead, he was reminded of how endearing and unpredictable children could be, and this softened his outlook and enlarged his compassion considerably. When Keith’s parents arrived earlier demanding to see the boy Keith was accused of hurting, he was worried that the situation would get messy, but things were turning out better than he had hoped and already he could envisage the meeting’s quick and fair resolution.
“That’s a very interesting story,” Mr. Grulich said, and then he turned to Keith. “And what do you have to say for yourself, young man? Why were you so willing to take the blame for something you didn’t do?”
Keith looked at Sebastian, and muttered, “I…I…was embarrassed that he beat me up, so I didn’t say anything.”
“You have nothing more to add?”
Keith looked down at the table and shook his head, but then he raised his eyes admiringly at Sebastian and said, “He’s stronger than he looks.”
Under the circumstances, Mr. Grulich decided that while neither boy deserved a suspension, they would both be punished and serve their recess time in the naughty circle for the remainder of the week, Sebastian for having started the fight in the first place, and Keith for striking back.
Keith’s parents left the school relatively satisfied that their son was not the primary culprit this time. Keith’s father appeared to be momentarily appeased, but before leaving he made sure to tell the principal that if his son were to so much as blink at another kid, they weren’t to call his wife as they usually did, they were to call him so that he could handle matters in his own way. Mr. Grulich was impressed with Keith’s father’s participatory attitude.
“I wish more fathers would get involved,” he said.
Ms. Ashworth was surprised to learn that both Sebastian and Keith would be spending the rest of the week in the naughty circle. She took them there herself, and told them to sit as far away from each other as they could. They were not to speak to one another or to anyone else during their punishment. If they did, they would serve an extra recess in the naughty circle the following week. She was a bit suspicious that both boys were so accepting, almost cheerful about their punishment.
Once Ms. Ashworth left them, Sebastian took the note he’d written earlier in class from his pocket. Eager to obey the black haired old lady who he vowed never to doubt again, he tossed it over to Keith’s side of the circle. The note read, “If you want, you can come with me to my grandmother’s house after school today.” And then as an afterthought he added, “She’s a very good cook.” Keith snatched up the note, and stuffed it into his pocket without reading it.
Sebastian was half way to his grandmother’s house that afternoon when he heard footsteps echoing behind him. He turned around and spotted Keith about ten yards away, trying to look as though he just happened to be there. But when Sebastian stopped walking, Keith stopped, and when he continued walking Keith continued walking too, always keeping the same distance between them. The rest of the way to his grandmother’s house, Sebastian turned around every so often to see if Keith was still there, and he always was.
Sebastian arrived to Bungalow Haven, and made his way down the meandering lane, well aware that Keith was behind him. It still didn’t seem possible that Keith, the meanest person Sebastian had ever known, had entered his sanctuary, that he’d actually led him there himself and that soon they’d be at his grandmother’s house.
Sebastian climbed the steps to the porch and opened the screen door, but Keith went no further than the mailbox.
“You can come in if you want,” he said. “It’s all right.”
Keith shook his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets. For th
e first time, he actually looked ashamed of himself.
When Sebastian entered the house he found his grandmother in the kitchen, and from the look of things she’d been working hard. The counter was overflowing with food. There was a large bowl of rice and beans, and chicken soup and sliced sausages and cheese. And there was another dish he’d never seen before. It was a flat square shaped pie, baked to golden brown perfection. Lola had already cut out a piece and Sebastian could see that it was filled with egg, peppers and meat that looked like chicken or fish.
“Just in time,” Lola said when she saw her grandson. “Is Keith with you?”
“He’s outside, but he won’t come in,” Sebastian said. “I already told him it was alright, but I think it’s hopeless,” he said, trying to get a better look at the pie.
“We’ll see about that,” Lola replied, wiping her hands on her apron.
Sebastian watched through the window from inside as Lola walked up to Keith who was still standing by the mailbox. He allowed her to get about five feet from him before backing away. She spoke to him for a few minutes and took a step toward him. This time, he did not back away. Still he was silent, his head hanging, his hands limp at his sides. Lola took another step toward him and then she reached up and touched his shoulder. He did not flinch or swipe her hand away, and then she wrapped her arm around his shoulders, walked him into the house and sat him down at the table.
The three of them ate together mostly in silence. They ate beans and chicken soup, and Spanish savory pie. Keith ate methodically and voraciously, his head down and his fist curled around his fork. If he thought the food was delicious, he didn’t say a word. Sebastian felt an unexpected calm come over him as they ate. Keith didn’t look quite so mean to him anymore.
When they were part way finished with the meal, and Lola saw that Keith was enjoying it, she began to chat light heartedly about how she had prepared it, focusing mostly on the savory pie of which Keith had already eaten two helpings. She said that the filling was made with chicken, chorizo and generously seasoned with sweet roasted paprika for a distinctively smoky flavor. She made the dough from scratch, and rolled it out in a rather thick sheet so that it would hold up to the moist filling. For dessert, she made Bizcocho de Ron, a delicious cake flavored with rum and honey. She said that on the island this had always been her oldest brother’s favorite dessert, and that she made it for him whenever he was annoyed with her, which was quite often.
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