Waving a hand in front of her face, Hannah made a derisive noise. “It’s what they do. It’s what we do.” She took a deep breath and said, “I was sorry to hear about your loss. If there is anything I can do. Any of us… We’d like to help.”
“I…uh…” Aria wanted to say, “No, get out and leave me alone.” But she did need help. She wanted to get a bed for her brother, and she needed to get one for herself and Dan. Her back was aching from sleeping on the air mattress, and she didn’t want to wait for Dan to return. He should have been home days ago! “Is there somewhere I can buy furniture? I want to get a desk for my brother, too.”
Hannah grinned. “Absolutely! You’ve asked the right woman. I have a bachelor’s degree in shopping. Well, it’s really business, and I honestly have two master’s degrees—finance and philosophy. But I promised myself I’d add a PhD eventually. Come on. Turn off the hot water. I’m driving. We’ll get the beds, the desk, and anything else you need and have some lunch, too.”
Aria switched off the stovetop burner and moved the pot of water to the sink. She put away the tea and the mugs. Picking up her purse and keys again, she felt a small part of her lighten up. “Hannah, you’re not at all what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
She answered honestly, before she could stop herself. “Someone uptight.”
“Yeah, we once lived on base. I know exactly what you mean. Don’t get me wrong, not all bases are bad…they are just different from how we operate.” Hannah gave her a wicked look. “So, dish. Who is the thorn in your side? Are her boobs lifted up to her earlobes and does she have a plastic-surgery body, or is she only condescending and trite, based on her husband’s rank?”
Laughter spontaneously burst from Aria’s mouth. “All of the above. Her name is Caybreena Hinnell.”
***
Spending time with Hannah Cody was the best medicine Aria could ever hope for. She had been a miracle, with her wry humor and her love of bargains, showing Aria the most cost-effective stores with the best quality items and how to really make the commissary and exchange work by adding in coupons. Aria had almost forgotten how good it felt to laugh. She’d really needed this.
“Call me if you need anything. Otherwise I’ll check in tomorrow.” Hannah gave a small wave and a big smile before she pulled away from the curb. Why was there something so special about spending time with a friend, especially someone that awesome!
There was lightness to her steps as she entered the house with bags of clothes for Jimmy and herself, and a few additional items for Dan had made her feel useful. After five today, the store where she purchased the bed, dresser, desk including chair, and wardrobe would deliver Jimmy’s new bedroom set. The items should fit in her former office, and hopefully give Jimmy a sense of belonging in the new home.
She placed the bags on the couch and began to peruse her purchases when her cell phone sounded. She took it out of her purse and looked at the phone number. A frown lined her lips. It was the high school. Her genius brother was a year ahead of his age, so she had registered him as a sophomore. He hadn’t mentioned anything about his classes or teachers. Perhaps this was a “getting to know you” phone call. She hoped it was. If it were another accident, she’d need to be institutionalized. “Hello?”
“Mrs. McCullum, this is Principal Jeffries. We need you to come down to the office,” said a soft-spoken man who spoke rather hesitantly. “Immediately.”
“Is Jimmy hurt?” Her newfound calm was slipping away…being replaced by flat-out worry. Her hand clutched over her stomach. Please, please, please let Jimmy be fine.
Principal Jeffries’s tone climbed up an octave. “Ma’am, he isn’t hurt. But he has been taken to the police station. If you could come to my office, I will explain what has happened and then you can go there to arrange…the details of his…uh, release.”
“What?” Her eyes darted back and forth. What was she supposed to do? Where the hell was Dan? She wished he were home! “I’ll be right there.”
Touching the speed dial on her phone, she called Dan.
“Hey, I’m out fishing. Leave a message, and I’ll ring you when I’ve caught my limit.” Beep.
“Dan. I need you. I’m at the school. Jimmy’s in trouble and I could use your help.” She hung up and then looked at the phone. She didn’t want to do it, but she did need someone to help her. Mark’s face danced in her mind—in truth she had been trying to distance herself—but she knew if she called, he would come.
She hit speed dial and waited for Mark to pick up. Listening to the phone ring was torture. She should have answered his text messages and not blown him off. Only she didn’t know what to say. Distancing herself from Mark a little had seemed right, to let her have more time with Dan. Wasn’t that what newlyweds were supposed to do, have time together? Things weren’t necessarily unfolding that way. Dan was still gone on his training mission, and she didn’t know when he would be back.
As it rolled to voice mail, she hung up and redialed.
Finally, Mark picked up. “About time. I was beginning to wonder if you ditched me for good. How are you feeling? How’s Jimmy?”
Relief flooded her. “Not good.” She took a deep breath. “Mark, I know I haven’t been a very good friend lately, but I need your help. I think Jimmy has been arrested. Could you please meet me at the principal’s office at the high school in Coronado?”
“Of course, I’ll be right there.” He rang off.
She put her phone back in her purse and looked at the items strewn on the couch. “Please, let me be able to handle this…” Fishing out her keys, she put her purse on her shoulder, straightened her spine, and said, “I can do this.” Then she headed out the door to face whatever was awaiting her.
***
Aria spent less than twenty minutes in the principal’s office, where she learned that on Jimmy’s first day of school he had gotten in a fight. They had let it go, given the extenuating circumstances of the car accident, the death of his uncle, and his new scholastic environment. But on his second day of school when Jimmy had brought a Ka-Bar knife, albeit an unsharpened one, their zero-tolerance policy had been forced into effect. Jimmy was suspended, pending a review of his case by the School Board Committee. There was no way to fight the decision.
She had left the office with Mark, feeling as if she were the one in trouble. Where had Jimmy gotten the knife? With the trident symbol etched into it, she had a pretty good idea.
Thank God, it had been dull! But still, shouldn’t Dan put his keepsakes in a better place?
Politely, she thanked the principal for his time and asked him to please advise her in writing concerning this event—including the names of the individuals who had been involved in these proceedings—since her brother had never committed acts of violence before and wouldn’t do so unprovoked. She then left his office. It had taken a lot out of her to be that cool when all she wanted to do was scream and shout “Why, why, why!”
Damn! How had she missed this…why hadn’t she noticed there was a problem with Jimmy? Shouldn’t she have better mom radar for him? As if he could sense her thoughts, Mark said, “We’ll work it out. He’s a kid who just lost his uncle and is under stress…new environment, et cetera.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll make it better.”
She nodded, grateful that he was there. Why was it she always had to depend on a friend? And why lately did she feel her own husband was too hard to find?
They had been asked to sit, to wait until the detective handling their case was free. Aria was a bundle of nerves, and she clasped Mark’s hand as if it were a lifeline. He stroked his thumb back and forth over her skin.
“It will be fine. Just relax. This is his first offense and no one was hurt.” Mark’s words soothed her a little, but she wasn’t going to feel better until her brother was in her arms and they were leaving this place for home.
The desk sergeant asked them to go through the door and to down the hall. There was a m
an waiting there who showed them to two chairs in front of a large desk. Another man, dressed in a suit and tie, stood. “Mrs. McCullum? I’m Detective Calfry.”
“Yes.” Aria shook his hand. “This is my friend Mark. He’s a…lawyer. My husband is out of town.”
Detective Calfry opened a file and examined the contents. “Your husband’s in the Navy. A SEAL.”
“That’s correct.” Her fingers twisted anxiously in her lap. She squeezed them together, trying to force them to be still.
The folder was closed and Detective Calfry looked up. “I spoke with your brother, James. The knife he acquired is your husband’s, correct? There was no sharp edge and, according to James, no intent to harm or kill. But it is still weapons possession on school grounds.” He leaned forward, placing his hands on the desk. “Our concern is that situations like this can escalate. Today it’s showing off an item, next it’s a demonstration. Were you aware that he took the knife to school?”
“Are you kidding me? I didn’t even know it was in the house!” Her nerves were raw and she could barely contain her emotion.
Mark patted her arm. “Aria, let me interject, please. The McCullums were just married. The day after their wedding they received an opportunity to move into a house on base and took advantage of the offer. They have barely unpacked, and now this…”
Aria nodded. “And—”
“Please let me continue.” He waited until he received a nod from her and then said, “I personally helped them carry their belongings into the house. Daniel McCullum is a very stand-up guy, and I find it unlikely that he left anything lying around. It is more likely that he did have them hidden away and that Jimmy unearthed the knife and was trying to make friends, not realizing what kind of an uproar his choice would make.”
Mark uncrossed his legs and scooted forward in his chair. “Now, my question to you, Detective, is…will Jimmy be charged?”
“Before we get to that, please note that Chief McCullum will have to come to the station and pick up the knife when he returns. In addition, he will have to attend one of our safety lectures on weapons safety and the storage of them. But”—holding up his hand, he continued—“there are consequences to Jimmy’s actions. You’re lucky the judge and police chief were here when it happened. Jimmy will be required to work in Judge Wasa’s courtroom as an intern for the entire summer. If you agree to these terms, then he can leave with you today.”
Aria could barely contain her relief. Thank God!
Mark squeezing her arm for a second time forced her to keep a damper on it.
“If Aria, as Jimmy’s legal guardian, doesn’t agree, what happens then?” Mark asked.
“He will be brought up on charges and will formally face the judge in his courtroom.”
“They want him to learn a lesson,” Aria said. “I agree. We’ll take the deal.”
“Hold on,” said Mark. “I could argue there are extenuating circumstances revolving around this case not limited to the fact that his former guardian and uncle has recently died and it contributed to this moment, as well as the undeniable fact this young man was in that car accident that took away his greatest ally and support.”
“No offense, Counselor, but this isn’t a courtroom. I don’t negotiate. I simply follow procedure. The only reason, and I mean the sole motivation, that James Kavanagh is being shown any leeway today is because those two men took it upon themselves to take responsibility for his case and work with him. In my opinion, that kid is getting off easy, and he should probably be on his way to juvenile hall.” Detective Calfry sat back in his chair. He steepled his fingers and then looked at Aria. “What’s your answer?”
“We’ll take the offer. Thank you for your plainspokenness, Detective Calfry. When and where does he need to be for work?” This time she let her emotion show, and her hand shook as she proffered it to him.
He connected with his own meaty palm, and it engulfed hers as if she were a child. “If you’ll head over to the desk against the far wall, there’s some paperwork you’ll need to fill out, and then Jimmy will be released to you.”
Mark nodded at the detective, and then they left his desk. “I could have done better.”
“No,” said Aria flatly. “The offer made to us is generous, and Jimmy needs to learn there are consequences. I couldn’t bear to go through a legal battle right now, and I don’t think Jimmy could either. This is a gift, Mark. I see it that way, and I want Jimmy to understand it as one, too.”
Pulling her to a stop before they reached the desk, he said, “You’re admitting that Jimmy did this, that he brought a knife to school. I could fight the whole thing and get it expunged.”
She stared at him, incredulous. “He did bring a knife to school. Jimmy screwed up! So did Dan. Both of them need to get that. Either we live in a world with right and wrong—rules—or we live with the chaos.”
“SEALs don’t live with rules. How naive are you?”
“What do you mean, Mark?” She put up her other hand as a barrier between them. “Be very careful with your next words.”
“There is so much you don’t understand, Aria. There are always ways to exploit the gray areas—that’s why lawyers rock. We know how to deal with the good, because we understand the bad, sometimes intimately,” Mark ground out. “You took several law classes. Why don’t you get it?”
“I’m not pretending to be some innocent. It’s just…I’m a wife now and guardian to Jimmy. I know life isn’t perfect, but we have to set an example,” she said, her temper simmering. Her voice dropped lower. “And I’m adamant on what I believe. This is my choice. Jimmy will work for Judge Wasa this summer, and I’m going to kick Dan’s ass. Let me complete this paperwork and get my brother the hell out of here! Now, move it.” She pointed to the spot where he held her arm. She waited until his hand dropped to his side and then she asked, “Are you coming with me or not?”
He nodded his head and followed her to the desk. Her dearest friend did not look happy about it, and it made her wonder…about him and his morals.
***
The drive home was quiet. Neither she nor Jimmy spoke. Half of her was so angry with Jimmy, she wanted to shout. Every time she looked over at him, the other half of her saw her brother as wide-eyed, pale, and obviously so completely shaken that all she wanted to do was pull the car over and hug him.
As she pulled up in front of the house, she barked at him, “Into the house, now. Hustle.”
Jimmy scrambled out of the car and hotfooted to the front door. He used his key to open it, went inside, and positioned himself on a chair at the kitchen counter.
Aria closed the front door behind her, flipped the bolt, and then set her purse and keys in the bedroom. She tried to calm herself as she headed to the kitchen. “Have you eaten?”
“Not since breakfast,” he said softly.
“Do you want macaroni and cheese?” She stood in front of him staring daggers, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“Yes, please.” It was barely a whisper.
She turned the oven to 350 degrees and took the macaroni out of the refrigerator. Taking off the cover, she deposited the large tray in the oven and set the timer. With her back to him, she said, “We need to talk.”
There was a long pause. Then he said, “I know.”
Walking around the island, she sat down next to him. “Look at me.”
When he did, there were tears in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Aria. I didn’t mean to get in trouble. I was trying…trying to…”
“Make friends,” she finished. “There has to be more than that. Spill.”
“I wanted to prove that I was tough, that the popular guys couldn’t boss me around. I read that if you stand up to bullies—a show of strength—then it makes it all go away. I knew taking the knife was wrong…that Dan would be mad…but I didn’t think this would happen.” Her brother leaned forward, wrapping his smaller arms around her neck, and wept. His whole body convulsed. “I’m sorry, Aria.”
She patted his back, trying to comfort him and wanting to lecture him, too.
“I-I-I didn’t mean to screw up. Please don’t send me away.”
Pulling back from the embrace, she wiped the tears off his face with her fingers. “Jimmy, you aren’t going anywhere. This is your home now, with me. Wherever I go, whatever I do, you’re a part of it, forever. Okay?”
He nodded his head, but she could see the worry still in his eyes. Snot was coming out of his nose, too.
Taking a napkin out of the holder, she wiped at his nose.
He grimaced away from her. “Aria, I’m not five. I can do it.”
God, I am treating Jimmy like a child. What do I do?
He blew his nose and then got up to throw the used napkin away. Then he washed his hands.
She’d taught him that. She’d raised him. How could she have thought leaving him with their uncle would be fine while she went off and lived her life somewhere else? Maybe that had been a mistake, too.
Jimmy took a glass out of the cupboard and poured himself some milk. “Do you want some?”
“No, thanks,” she replied. She’d taught him those manners, too. Wrestling with herself for a few minutes, her curiosity won out. “Jimmy, were you mad at me when I left?”
He came back around the island and took his seat again. “Uncle David told me I wasn’t allowed to get mad about it, because you had worked hard to take care of us and now we had to take care of each other.” Wiping his arm across his nose, he removed the rest of the stuff leaking out of his nose.
“Maybe we’re both stuck in the past—old roles. You’re fourteen and I’m a grown woman. You’ve got to communicate with me about what’s happening, and I’ve got to stop babying you. Agreed?”
He nodded his head, and his eyes held hers. There was something else happening in there, and she hoped she could get to the bottom of it.
“Jimmy, while the macaroni is heating up, I’d like to talk to you about emotions and better ways to handle them.”
Once a SEAL Page 10