Uncertain Summer

by Jessica Lee Anderson

  Papa was too crazed to lecture about boat safety. “Dierk and I found a body that most certainly belongs to Bigfoot! Tim, your father’s checking things out now along with some other experts. Where have you all been?” The excitement in his face drained when he got a better look at us.

  The steps were so slick that I slipped, but Papa reached for my arm and helped get me off the boat. “You okay, Everdil?” he asked, checking me over just like Mama would’ve had she not been at work.

  My nearly knocked out front tooth must’ve been obvious. But Papa wasn’t inspecting my mouth—he scrutinized patches of blood on my shirt which seemed worse because of the way the rain had spread the stains.

  “I take full responsibility, sir,” Tim said, stretching out his right shoulder and then rubbing it.

  Shawna huffed.

  Papa glanced from Tim to Shawna to Gramps for some kind of explanation, but what happened on Goat Island wasn’t nearly as important as his news. “Everything’s fine,” I said, trying to talk as normally as possible. “Just a few bumps, that’s all. You found a body?”

  Papa’s excitement returned, and he talked so fast that it was hard to keep up with him. “I took Dierk to Potter’s Point, and we followed some tracks and found an even deeper pit than before. This one was covered in cypress branches, and once we moved them out of the way, I discovered an enormous ape-like body lying on the bottom. At first, I thought the creature was sleeping, but Dierk—,” Papa said, hesitating before he said, “well, it doesn’t matter, but I saw a pool of blood. It’s the real thing. I know it. We left the body the way we found it and came back immediately to notify the experts.”

  I believed Papa even though I faced some doubt moments before. Or at least I wanted to believe him because if he was right, the end result would be the same despite how badly Team Bigfoot had failed—winning the contest and snagging the million dollars.

  Chatter and questions about what would happen next flew about like debris in a tornado.

  “We have to wait, and the storm’s caused even more delays. I couldn’t go back to the site until I knew you were all okay,” Papa said, running his hands along his stubble. “I was getting worried.”

  He had no idea what we’d been through. When we went inside the marina, Papa got us some towels, but drying off wasn’t a priority. The fact that my father found a Bigfoot body and had a claim to a million dollar contest should’ve seemed more important in that moment, but all I could focus on was my tooth.

  I locked myself in the tiny bathroom, cringing when I glanced in the bathroom mirror. The outside of my lip was swollen and the inside was an angry red. Despite the looseness, my front tooth looked normal though the gum line appeared to have been outlined in purple marker.

  I wish I could tell you that I prayed over Bigfoot and the money or for forgiveness for the fight I had with Shawna, but instead I prayed, “Dear God, let me keep my tooth.”

  When I stepped out of the bathroom, Papa approached me with a storm-cloud-like expression. “Tim told me what happened, and Shawna helped me look up an emergency dental clinic in Shreveport that can see you tonight if we can get there before eight. We can make it if we leave right now.”

  “I’m fine,” I lied again. “There are much more important things than a tooth.” I looked over at Shawna who was on her cell phone again. “I’m not trying to be the center of attention or anything.”

  I couldn’t tell if Shawna heard this or not, but at least the boys did as they stood nearby listening to our conversation. Emmett paced back in forth as if I was going to rat him out somehow.

  “I know you’re not faking this, Everdil, and besides, driving you to the clinic will help pass the time until the experts take pictures of the body and can remove it safely from the pit. I’ll follow up as soon as we get back.”

  “It’ll be expensive—”

  Papa held up his hand to stop me from saying anything more. “The cost shouldn’t be a concern, and maybe we won’t have to worry about finances for a while,” Papa said, smiling. Sure, he got things stuck in his teeth frequently, but I never realized just how nice his teeth were. Funny how something like an accident makes you appreciate things like this. “It might make the difference between you being able to save your tooth or not,” he added.

  Okay, that got to me.

  “I accept financial responsibility, Mr. Jackson. I’ll pay you back by working my debt off at the marina.”

  “Thank you, Tim, but that won’t be necessary.”

  “I’ll make it up to Everdil if she’ll let me,” Tim said, like I wasn’t standing right in front of him. He studied me for a reaction.

  I didn’t give him the satisfaction of one. I even refused to say goodbye to anyone but Gramps as we separated.

  “Chin up, Everdil Pickle,” Gramps said. “When Chuck Norris kicks things apart, they fall back together in place.” He kissed me on the cheek.

  I wasn’t sure if Gramps was going to drive the rest of the “team” home or if they’d attempt to get in on the Bigfoot action. I don’t care, I thought. I couldn’t even convince myself.

  The Louisiana border wasn’t too far away from Uncertain, but the drive to Shreveport, one of the larger cities around, took over an hour. Even with the excitement of the discovery, Papa’s rumbly truck lulled me into a deep sleep.

  Papa nudged me awake as I dreamed about turtles backstroking alongside bear-like creatures in Caddo Lake. He parked in front of a brightly lit dentist office that stood out on the otherwise dark street.

  My hands slicked with sweat as we made our way inside—this was much worse than getting my teeth cleaned and who knows what the dentist would do with my tooth in this kind of state.

  A man, woman, and a young boy sat in the waiting room when we walked inside, and they stared at us as if we’d crawled out of the swamp. Considering what a mess we both were and the events that led us here, I suppose it wasn’t too far from the truth. I attempted to smile at them, but it must’ve been more like a grimace because of my swollen lip. The boy frowned and the family turned their stares from us to the TV. The local news repeated on a loop.

  I focused on the news rather than the many toothsome diagrams and brochures around the office while Papa filled out paperwork.

  “So did Tim run into you before or after you hit him?” Papa asked as he scribbled a few things down.

  I’d forgotten about taking a swing before getting knocked out. Tim hadn’t said anything about it or even complained. To make things worse, I’d treated him terribly after he was trying to help me. “Is he okay?”

  “You got him square in the shoulder, and other than some soreness, I suspect he’ll be fine. You’ve got a good arm on you, Everdil.” Papa smiled before getting up to turn the form into the receptionist who said it would be a few more minutes.

  Shortly after the other family was called to the back office, the news stopped repeating, and an anchor with more makeup than Shawna came on to announce the “news of the weird.”

  “This is just in—Dierk Robinson, a representative in Dallas, is reported to have found the body of Sasquatch in Uncertain, Texas.” The camera zoomed in on a photo of a large, furry beast scrunched up at the bottom of a muddy, watery pit. “Is this a certain or an uncertain find? We’ll have to wait and see,” the news anchor said in such a sing-songy way my blood pressure elevated.

  It must’ve had the same effect on Papa. “That son of a gun!” he said.

  The news anchor didn’t mention Papa or Raleigh’s Tours, which wasn’t fair considering he was the one actually responsible for finding the body. And he was here with me in Louisiana and couldn’t get it straightened out in person.

  Instead of the Ingredients Game, a different one pounded my mind where I listed the items I wished had gone differently.

  Our “team” would’ve been the one to find Bigfoot, not Dierk Robinson.

  I would’ve turned Shawna away that day she showed up on my stoop.

  Tim wouldn’t have bust
ed up my mouth, he would’ve …

  “Everdil Jackson?” a dental assistant called.

  Papa and I got up but turned around as we walked to the back office in case the news reported anything else. The only thing on was a fast food commercial featuring a Texas-sized burger. My stomach grumbled.

  The dental assistant sat me in one of those awful chairs and asked me to explain what happened. I condensed things majorly. “I was out exploring when one of my friends ran into me and knocked my tooth loose.”

  The assistant took a quick peek inside my mouth. “Ouch. The dentist should be here in a moment.”

  While we waited again, Papa tapped his foot and twisted his lips, like he was about to get his mouth worked on as well. I know he wanted to be back home sorting out the truth, not stuck here with me.

  “Welcome, but sorry you’re here,” the dentist said when she entered the room. She was an older woman with a friendly smile though her teeth were unnaturally white. She asked me to repeat the story I’d told the receptionist as she looked at my chart. “Uncertain, Texas, huh? I just heard on ‘news of the weird’ that a politician found a Bigfoot body there. Were you the one to discover it?” she joked. She snort-laughed and had no idea how close to home her comment hit both me and Papa.

  “I wish,” I answered.

  “What an incredible story that would make,” the dentist said. “Now open wide.”

  She asked the same questions the assistant did, but I don’t know how she expected me to answer with my mouth open like that. Papa filled her in.

  “There aren’t any guarantees, but your tooth is in good condition and will hopefully heal without any lasting complications.” The dentist explained how she was putting in a dental splint to hold my tooth in place while it firmly reattached itself. Hopefully.

  I wondered how my tooth would look once it healed. Would it overlap just as much if not more? The splint felt foreign against my tongue, but there was comfort in knowing my tooth wouldn’t plop out of the socket and choke me in my sleep.

  While Papa made arrangements for the bill, which I’m sure was huge, I stood near the TV hoping for and also dreading another Bigfoot update. Papa glanced over at the screen, but all that was on now was the local weather report. The meteorologist predicted a streak of hot temperatures.

  “Thanks for taking me,” I told Papa on the way home. “Sorry for what happened and that Dierk didn’t give you credit.”

  Papa had to be going at least ten to fifteen miles over the speed limit, but he eased up on the truck’s accelerator when he patted my knee. “Not to worry, Everdil. We’ll work things out. The marina might start bringing in some money soon, and I can take on another job. I’m a good dishwasher like you.”

  He put a smile on his face, but it couldn’t hide his disappointment. “What’s important is that you’re okay. We’re all okay.”

  Things weren’t okay, though, and once again, I’d ruined everything, just like Emmett had said on my birthday.

  24

  “Any update?” Papa asked Mama as she rushed out the front door to meet us wearing her sleeping t-shirt and boxers.

  “First, fill me in on what’s more important,” Mama said, inspecting my face.

  “Everdil’s tooth should be okay,” Papa said and then repeated what the dentist had said. “She’s quite a trooper.”

  Mama whisked me inside and presented me with a plate of sliced bananas coated in a chocolate sauce so heavenly that angels would endorse it. Papa grabbed two beers from the fridge, taking a long drink from one of the bottles before he passed the other to Mama.

  “Is Emmett home?” I asked between chocolatey mouthfuls.

  “He’s sleeping,” Mama said as she brought me a napkin along with an ice pack.

  While it was late, this didn’t seem like Emmett, especially since he had to be curious about everything going on. “What about Shawna?” I asked.

  “Her grandmother’s had some major improvements, and she went home to spend time with her family,” Mama said. “Is everything okay between the two of you?”

  “She’s not the friend I thought she was.”

  “Seems to me that Shawna’s just trying to find her way. You may not even be aware of it, but you are, too. Twelve is a hard age. You just need to be the friend you’ve always been, Everdil.”

  “Sure,” I said, and just as I began to tell Mama about the Louisiana Bigfoot news clip to change the subject, the home phone rang.

  “You get it, Raleigh,” Mama said. “The phone has been ringing off the hook.”

  This was encouraging. Raleigh’s tours must’ve been mentioned on some type of news source.

  “Hello?” Papa asked in his deep voice. There was a long pause as he listened to the caller and then said, “Thanks for the interest, but you’ll have to call the marina in the morning to schedule a tour.”

  After he gave the marina’s phone number and hung up, Mama told Papa. “Gramps said the tours are booked completely solid for the next two months.”

  Papa smiled his toothsome smile. “You’re kidding!”

  “No jokes here, unlike a few of the other calls.” After sipping her beer, she mocked one of them. “Why did someone drop out of the contest to find Bigfoot?”

  I shrugged at the same time Papa answered, “I don’t know. Why?”

  “Because he couldn’t face de-feet! Get it? De-feet!”

  The joke was so dumb that it made me laugh.

  Even Mama did. “At least that call was entertaining unlike some of the other ones. Swamp Sam rang us up to say we should sell the marina immediately and something about an invading army. I wasn’t sure if he meant a Bigfoot army or what because he sounded drunk. I offered to bring him dinner or hinted that I’d be happy to drive him to an appointment if he needed, but he hung up on me. And then some environmentalist called to say we should be punished for exposing Bigfoot and shooting such a special being in its sleep.”

  Shoot Bigfoot in its sleep? So that was the part of the story Papa had left out—how cowardly of Dierk Robinson! It shouldn’t have surprised me given what he did to that rhinoceros.

  Papa took another sip of his beer. “Sorry you had to deal with those calls, Macy. I can’t imagine why Dierk went to the media immediately. I take it back, I can, but it doesn’t make sense to me why he didn’t hold off a while longer. After I call him, let’s disconnect the line.”

  He looked over at me, and I took this as my cue that he wanted some privacy.

  “Goodnight,” I said, as I poured myself a glass of tepid water to wash down the film of chocolate stuck to the roof of my mouth. “Thanks for taking good care of me.”

  I needed to shower and brush my teeth, carefully of course, but first I checked in on Emmett. He’d pulled the covers over his head so all that was visible was the lump of his body. His head looked smaller than normal. When I tiptoed in for a closer inspection, it was just a pile of clothing bunched up in a ball. The lump of his body was nothing more than pillows. That sneak!

  I turned around back into the living room and was about to enter the kitchen when I heard Papa yell, “That’s unacceptable, Dierk! I’m only asking for a small percentage. What? You signed the contract, too, and you can’t get out of paying me for my services—”

  Mama got up to rub Papa’s shoulders. I ducked back into the hallway to go shower as planned.

  While I waited for the water to heat up, I fumed. I couldn’t believe Dierk was trying to swindle Papa! My parents needed this money to pay the bills and to settle things with the bank. It was great Papa had so many tours lined up in the upcoming months, but that didn’t help matters now.

  With this news combined with the other stresses, I held off on reporting Emmett. Maybe he had a good reason for sneaking off, plus Mama and Papa would freak out, making an already bad situation worse.

  Emmett was going to owe me big time! He could’ve been in danger, but I had a gut feeling he was fine, and that he wasn’t alone. When I walked into my room, all of S
hawna’s stuff was gone.

  The pallet on the floor and the new wall color were the only reminders that she’d been here for a few days. The texture of the wallpaper remnants stood out, bothering me that Shawna had practically vandalized my room. Yes, the wallpaper had been too much, but now my plain bumpy walls seemed too little.

  Maybe I would get some posters—stuff I wanted like artistic photos of landscapes or animals. Speaking of animals, I rescued my stuffed pigs from the closet, setting a few back on my bed and a couple on my dresser.

  I wondered if Shawna had really gone home. Papa was off the phone, and it hadn’t been disconnected yet. No luck. Shawna’s cell phone went straight to voicemail. I called Tim to see if I could find answers or if he was missing like Emmett, but his dad must’ve disconnected their home line, too, because I kept getting a busy signal.

  Through my closed door, Mama and Papa argued about the money crisis. I thought about sneaking out of the house, but where would I have started to look for them? Potter’s Point, where Papa and Dierk had found the pit with the Bigfoot body? That thought was enough to give me a wicked case of the shivers. Potter’s Point had been named after Robert Potter, some guy who was murdered who knows how long after signing the Texas Declaration of Independence. He’s not buried there anymore, but Papa weaved all kinds of tales of his ghost haunting the area. I closed my eyes and prayed Emmett and the others knew what they were doing, wherever they were.

  There are several unpleasant ways to wake up in the morning, like when your brother puts your hand in warm water to see if you’ll embarrass yourself or when he thumps you in the head with a pillow. But these things seemed like a minor nuisance compared to the sound of the doorbell ringing and seeing a sheriff’s car parked in your driveway.

  I should’ve said something to Mama and Papa about Emmett’s disappearance. They were clueless, and what if the sheriff was here to tell us … I didn’t dare finish that thought.

  Papa shook the sheriff’s hand and let him in. “Thanks for coming,” Papa said.