by Pamela Tracy
Kyle Hicks waited.
“Oh, hi,” he said uncomfortably. “I was hoping to talk to the minister, to Mr. Kelly.”
“He and my mother are heading for Kansas City to the place you took his car. They’ll be back in a few hours.”
“I tried his cell,” Kyle said.
“It fell out of his pocket the day of the accident and landed in the water. He’s got a new phone, but I don’t know the number. You had his old one?”
“I’ve always had his number.”
“Joe’s in town. He’s at work. You should go by there,” Annie suggested. “He’d love to talk to you, and he could tell you the new number.”
“Kyle Hicks, is that you?” Margaret said the obvious as she emerged from the basement stairs.
“Hello, Miss Kelly. I was hoping to talk to your brother.”
“I’ll let him know.”
Kyle took a step back, surveyed the house, and said, “Everything looks the same.”
“Everything is the same,” Margaret responded. “Including your welcome here. Would you like some tea or a glass of water?”
Kyle gave a half smile. “No, I think I’ll go bother Joe. We have some things to catch up on.”
The look he shot Annie told her she’d be near the top of his list of topics.
* * * * *
“About time you got a serious girlfriend.”
“Used to be, people carting cats and dogs were the only ones walking through that door,” Joe quipped, too surprised to do anything else. “Although, just twenty-four hours ago, a potbellied pig opened it with his snout. Today, it’s you.”
Yesterday all Joe felt at seeing Kyle was a longing for the old days. Today, what he felt was anger, irrational and unwanted. And, it was twofold. First, a true friend doesn’t just walk away when something goes wrong. He stays and fights.
But Kyle had walked away, not even trying to fight, and disappearing for years, leaving Joe—who had been raised believing reconciliation was not a choice but a way of life—feeling frustrated.
Second, there was Annie, whom Joe was meeting in a mere ten minutes. Funny, he’d wanted to have a serious talk with Kyle for years, and at this moment, all he could do was joke about a ridiculous pig and think about what was more important.
Annie was leaving the day after tomorrow.
Joe looked at the clock again. Almost eleven. He had clients coming in at ten after twelve. They were using their lunch hour to take care of their pets. If Joe wanted to enjoy a nice lunch, think forty-five minutes, with Annie, he pretty much needed to leave now.
He didn’t move.
“Yeah,” Kyle agreed. “I’m here. Seeing you yesterday made me realize it was just a matter of time. I needed to make it to my parents’ place before they found out from somebody else that I’m back.”
“I won’t tell them. Annie wouldn’t, either.”
“That’s beside the point.” Kyle came the rest of the way into the room and sat on one of the many chairs in the waiting area, not too close to Joe but not the one farthest away, either. Joe figured Kyle was unsure of his welcome.
Joe was feeling a bit unsure himself.
Kyle’s eyes settled on Jacko. “Where’s Pepper?”
“He lived to be seventeen. I put him down a few years after you left. He was in pain. This is Jacko.”
At the mention of his name, Jacko got up off the floor and went over to sniff Kyle.
“Pepper had a good long life.” Kyle scratched Jacko behind the ears and looked around the room. “You’ve changed it up since the other vet. I don’t remember his name. We never used him much.”
“He didn’t do large animals, so he wouldn’t be your family’s first choice.”
“You do large animals,” Kyle said matter-of-factly. “That’s why you were out at my parents’ house. You didn’t tell me that they’ve been selling stock off and even some of the land.”
“Not an easy thing to work into a conversation with someone you haven’t seen in a decade and someone who wasn’t exactly thrilled at the encounter. Plus, I’m not sure your parents would have appreciated me sharing that information.”
“I went out there this morning, right at breakfast time. I figured if I put it off, I might never go. They look older.”
“Don’t we all.”
Kyle certainly had aged. There were black circles under his eyes, and he’d lost enough weight so that his cheeks were sharp. He’d always been sturdy, husky, and muscular from working the farm. Now he was lean and his body seemed full of nervous energy.
“Mom opened the door. I didn’t even get to say a word. She just started crying. My dad came running into the kitchen and started yelling. He thought I’d said something to her. When he realized she was crying because I’d come home, he started crying, too.”
“Wow” was all Joe could think of to say. It was hard to imagine Kyle’s father crying. He was a silent rock of a man who rarely showed emotion, at least that Joe had seen.
“Yeah, wow.”
After that, Joe didn’t know what to say and moments stretched to minutes. Joe knew that if he didn’t say something, anything, Kyle would simply get up and walk away.
Again.
Grasping at the first idea that came to mind, he said, “I’ve always kinda wished the Bible would have shown the reaction the prodigal’s mother had. I mean, if the father was happy enough to throw a feast, what did the mother do?”
Kyle laughed wryly. “She cried, cooked the feast, and then cried some more. Dad had to physically help Mom step back so I could get in the house. I’m thinking if we added the prodigal mom, no doubt the parable would have doubled in size and that chapter would be longer.”
“So, are you back? Or just stopping through?”
“I’m back. I haven’t been happy anywhere else. I should have come home a long time ago, but once I left, it just seemed easier to stay gone.”
“Easier for who?”
“You sound like your dad.”
Unbidden came a Bible verse that Dad had quoted over and over from the book of Proverbs: “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” For the first time, Joe got it. The irrational, unwanted anger he’d felt started to ebb, replaced by relief. His dad was right. The Bible did provide answers if one took the time to listen. Joe wondered what the Good Book would say about his feelings for Annie.
“Well,” Joe said, “I probably sound like my dad because I listened to him counsel people for years. I’d be surprised if I didn’t sound a bit like him.”
Kyle leaned back in the hard plastic chair. This once, Joe was grateful he didn’t have a room full of owners and pets. Ignoring the clock and the ever-moving minute hand that robbed him of time with Annie, Joe asked, “Are you ready to talk?”
Kyle started to say “About wh—” but stopped short. Even he knew denying they had anything to talk about was ludicrous.
“I stopped by your house,” Kyle admitted, “thinking I’d talk to your dad. But your girlfriend answered the door.”
Joe didn’t correct him.
“So, I came over here. I guess I need to talk. I haven’t told my parents everything yet, and maybe I won’t, ever. But I gotta get this off my chest. You’re a preacher’s kid, so does that mean you’re bound by the same restraints as your dad?”
“Meaning?”
“If someone confides in you, you keep it secret.”
“I can’t believe you’d even ask me that. It makes no difference that I’m a preacher’s kid. I’m your best friend. If you told me you’d stolen the coins and there was no chance you could return them or the money they got you, I’d keep it a secret—even from my dad—if you asked.”
“You still consider me your best friend, huh?”
“I never stopped.”
Looking first at the floor, then at the ceiling, and then back at the floor again before finally meeting Joe’s eyes, Kyle said, “I got her pregnant.”
Not what Joe was e
xpecting.
“Who?”
“Missy. She told me that night, at your party, right after I was in your dad’s office looking at the coins.”
“Oh wow” was all Joe could say.
“Oh wow is right,” Kyle said. “You were following me around, trying to find a moment alone with me to see if you could ask her out. I was going to tell you to go for it. I was wanting to ask Marlee out because she’d broken up with Dwayne, even though I and everybody else knew it was only temporary. And here comes Missy, pulling me into the bathroom, all weepy-eyed, telling me she was pregnant.”
“I didn’t even know your relationship had gone that far,” Joe admitted.
“Once. It just took once. All I could think about was having to tell my parents. They were still reeling from my brother. Oh, the grandbaby was helping to patch things up, on both sides, but just the thought of sitting down across from my dad and telling him that it looked like son number two wouldn’t be going to college, either—man, I didn’t have the courage. Missy’s parents, they would have freaked, too.”
“I think I understand.”
“So,” Kyle continued, “I’m feeling all numb, and then your dad comes and asks me about the coins. Did I take them? I hadn’t. But I probably looked guilty.”
“So what did you do after graduation? Why aren’t you and Missy together? What about the baby?” Joe had a dozen more questions, but those seemed the most important.
“Missy and I decided not to tell anyone, not until we figured out what we were going to do. We headed to Denver. We talked about getting married, having the baby, and then with the baby, coming home and breaking the news to our parents. It would be easier, a done deal, not so much heartbreak, and hopefully they’d see we were doing what was right.”
It made sense now, both Kyle and Missy disappearing at the same time.
“Missy always looks sad,” Joe said.
“Huh?”
“I’m just saying, Missy always looks sad.”
“I guess that’s true,” Kyle admitted. “She has a lot to regret. So do I.”
“Okay,” Joe urged, “you went to Denver, got married, had the baby…”
“We went to Denver. I think in the back of my mind, I thought she’d taken the coins. But she hadn’t. We had no money. I’d never realized what it felt like to be poor. I got a job as a busboy in a restaurant. She got a job at a grocery store clerking.” Kyle looked up. “We didn’t love each other. We were young and stupid. We didn’t get married. She wouldn’t let me touch her. We were roommates, nothing else. I’ve never been so unhappy in my life. And, Missy, she cried every day. She missed her family, her sister.”
“Did Marlee know?”
“Yes, but she’d been sworn to secrecy. And so did your dad. I called him. I had to talk to someone.”
Joe let out a breath. All this time, his dad had known the truth about Kyle and the coins. No wonder he always simply said, “Kyle didn’t take the coins.”
“Go on,” Joe urged.
“We were at the doctor’s office one day. It was time to get the second or third sonogram. I don’t remember which. I tried so hard to be excited. This one would tell whether I had a son or a daughter. I prayed so hard. I was hoping that the minute the doctor told me, I’d feel that push—you know, the ‘I’m gonna be a daddy’ moment.”
“And?”
“They said, ‘It’s a girl.’ I smiled, I waited, and nothing happened. I just felt like I was going to throw up.”
Joe didn’t know what to say. Kyle was the youngest in his family, so except for a few cousins, he hadn’t been around little ones. Yes, his brother had a son, two now, plus a daughter, but when Kyle left, little Brandon wasn’t even a year old.
“And Missy?”
“She felt the same way. It was probably the only thing holding us together, the way we were feeling.”
“I had no idea. I would have stood by you, helped even.” Joe checked the clock on the wall. “Look, I need to make a phone call. Annie expected me to meet her for lunch.” He took his cell phone from his pocket and punched Annie’s number. He’d waited too long, he knew it. He so wanted to see her, but Kyle was emptying words he’d kept bottled up for years. It didn’t take a preacher’s son to see the kind of hurt that came from the soul.
Annie answered on the second ring.
“I’m not going to be able to make it.” Joe looked at Kyle. His friend looked ready to bolt.
“I already figured. I take it Kyle found you.”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m already sitting at a table, waiting to order. Your aunt’s with me. We’re solving all the world’s problems.”
“Then this works out just fine. Margaret’s great company. Kyle has already been to his parents’ house. We’re talking—”
“—for the the first time in years. I understand. Go for it. I guess this means it’s no secret he’s in town.”
“Exactly. Go ahead and tell Margaret. You want to get together tonight?”
“Margaret already knows. She was helping me look for the coins when Kyle knocked on the door. And your dad called just a minute ago. He’s making plans, something about dinner.”
“For you or both of us?”
“I’m pretty sure all of us.”
Across the room, Kyle waved his hand to get Joe’s attention. When Joe finally looked, Kyle said, “Go ahead and meet her for lunch. I’ve got some things to do.”
“I gotta go,” Joe told Annie, ending the call and redirecting his attention to Kyle. “Not a chance. If anything, I’ll take you to lunch.”
“I won’t be hungry until next week,” Kyle said. “Mom was flustered. She insisted on feeding me and then she made food like she used to when she had a full house. Poor Dad, I think he ate breakfast for a second time just to keep her from crying again.”
“It lets you know how loved you are.”
“There you go, sounding like your dad again. Maybe you should have been a preacher.”
Joe had heard that suggestion a thousand times. He’d considered it, but he’d not been too keen on the idea of being at everyone’s beck and call during difficult times. His dad dealt with life and death. Life, Joe could do. He didn’t mind serving on the table, helping with the buildings and ground, or pitching in to help someone move.
It was death he was uncomfortable with. He’d gone with his dad to a few hospital visits. Watching someone during their last days on earth made Joe feel helpless, and he didn’t like that feeling.
And when his mom died, he’d known administering to the dying wasn’t his gift. He couldn’t talk, couldn’t think, couldn’t reach out to the others when pain and sorrow went that deep.
So, he served four-legged friends instead of two-legged ones. And he did get the calls that interrupted meals and he did have to put some animals out of pain. But he could talk, think, and try to soothe their owners.
After a moment, Joe said, “It wasn’t my calling.”
“And being a father at eighteen wasn’t mine,” Kyle admitted.
“So, what did you do?”
“We were lucky. One of the girls Missy worked with recommended a great obstetrician, a member of the church. He introduced us to his minister.” Kyle chuckled. “We actually started out meeting him for marriage counseling. We were still thinking we’d get married. But eventually, the sessions turned to deeper issues. After one session, Missy and I stayed up all night talking. We knew there were couples out there who desperately wanted children. We decided to give the baby up for adoption.”
“That was the bravest thing you could have done,” Joe said.
“It didn’t feel like it at the time.”
“Why didn’t you come home afterward?”
“I guess I didn’t want to have to face the truth. I was okay with giving the baby away. Well, not okay. How can you ever be okay with giving away something so tiny, so special? But I was at peace with the decision.”
“That doesn’t explain why yo
u didn’t come home.”
“If I were at home, the fact that I had a secret would be the elephant in the room, any room. There would be no place I could go where I’d be able to escape the memory of what I’d done and hadn’t done.”
Joe nodded. It made sense.
“It gets worse,” Kyle said.
Joe couldn’t imagine how.
“After all was said and done, we signed the papers and stayed together for the next few months, just existing. Finally, the baby was born. I saw her just once as they wheeled her out of Missy’s room. There were a few more papers. Then, when Missy and I parted ways, you know what I realized?”
Joe was almost afraid to ask. “What?”
“That somewhere along the way, during that whole mess, I fell in love with her.”
Chapter Twenty
Annie’s cell phone rang at almost three. She was once again standing in the middle of a bedroom with a mattress leaning against a dresser and going through the bedding looking for tears. Pulling the phone from her pocket, she hit the TALK button. She thought for sure it would be her mother, but it wasn’t. Instead Rachel’s usual matter-of-fact voice said, “We’ve had another catastrophe.”
“What? And did you say had?”
“Yes, I said had. I took care of it. It was the Shermans.”
Annie closed her eyes. The Shermans had been the house that took them from a struggling paycheck-to-paycheck ragtag group of three women with Rachel in the office and Annie plus one other woman cleaning the homes, to Rachel and Annie in the office, Annie cleaning houses part-time, and five employees cleaning houses full-time.
“Suzette was cleaning their chandelier.”
“That’s a monster job. I’ve done it a few times.” What Annie remembered most was how many crystals there were and how each one required, per Mrs. Sherman’s orders, individual attention. “So what happened?”
“Suzette had laid out the tarp and was on the ladder spraying the entire fixture with cleaner. She’s not crazy about heights, you know.”
“I know.”
“The son came home. One of the dogs came running in, skidded, and got tangled in the tarp.”