by Cheryl Wyatt
She looked at Amber’s door. “Let’s go in.”
Celia noticed the kid’s anxiety spiked to outer space upon her return. Compassion sifted in around her ill feelings toward his dad. Obviously the child couldn’t be held responsible for his father’s actions.
When the boy stood, Celia’s heart melted further. She hadn’t noticed before his sorry state of dress: an extremely worn flannel shirt that needed a good mending covered a pair of outdated high-water pants. She glanced at his bare ankles, feeling sad that he didn’t even have socks on in this weather, and his shoes were soaked.
Her eyes zipped back to his shoes. Javier’s?
Celia eyed her son, who took notice of her careful scrutiny of his friend. She wiggled her finger at Javier, calling him over. “You better not have traded those shoes for drugs.”
“Mom, for the last time, I don’t do drugs. I’d smoke the stupid shoes first.”
“I suppose you were toking candy at the restaurant that day?”
He shook his head. “I just pretended to inhale. Did you ever see me blow out the smoke?”
She hadn’t thought of that. “No. As a matter of fact, I didn’t.”
“Well, it’s been weeks ago, so don’t you think my lungs would have exploded by now?”
She almost cackled because he looked properly annoyed. “Okay. Fine. You got me there.” She gave a heavy sigh. “Tell me the story on this Enrique kid.”
“He wants to die. I want him to live.” Javier pocketed his hands.
Tears welled in Celia’s eyes.
So others may live.
This kid was destined to be a PJ as sure as she had dynamite for a temper. She wiped her sodden cheeks.
Javier’s mouth went lax. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s right. I believe you, Javier.”
His eyes bulged. “You whu-ut?”
“I believe you.”
“You mean that?”
She nodded.
He looked at her funny, then tugged at her hair and pinched her skin. “You really my mom or an imposter?” Before she could comment, Javier dashed past her yelling, “Manny!”
The stout PJ pulled a Tom Cruise and skidded across the floor in stockinged feet, gained leverage on the throw rug and rushed to Javier, looking very much in rescue mode.
How long had he gone without his cane?
Javier hiked a thumb at Celia. “Dude, you got anything to take her temperature and pulse with? She’s acting way weird.”
He placed both hands on Javier’s shoulders and quirked a grin over his shoulder at her. Manny looked so at home in Refuge. Arm draped over her son. Padding across polished wood floors in dark, manly socks. Standing here in the room with them. Her. Him. Javier. Laughing, joking, working through issues together.
Much the way a family would.
Celia sucked in a gust of air. Oh, boy. Boy, boy, boy was she in real trouble. She flapped her hands as if that would help her brain sort it all out.
Manny approached. “You okay?”
“Yes. No.” Her arms launched into ultra-flail mode. “I don’t know.” Now hyper-flail. Her entire body jiggled from it.
Seeming to sense her thoughts had more to do with the two of them than with Enrique, Manny moved the focus of conversation to a safer place. “I meant, are you okay with everything—in there?” He hiked a thumb toward the others.
Celia cast a sidelong glance at Enrique, who darted frequent, pensive looks their way. She returned her focus to Javier and took a calming breath. “Yes. Tell me everything.”
Javier reiterated how he’d sought Enrique out at school then the restaurant. By the time he got to the part where he’d spent the past few hours walking the frigid park with Enrique after having found him on the verge of ending his life, Celia could hardly breathe. Someone had almost committed suicide tonight, and God had intervened, and used her son to do it. That Enrique ended up here wasn’t an accident. She closed her eyes.
Give me strength to do what I know to be right.
She opened her eyes and approached Enrique. “May I talk to you a minute?”
Apprehension accosted Enrique’s face and body posture.
Celia smiled. “It’s okay. I only bite on Wednesdays.”
A shy half-grin escaped Enrique, who stood slowly. She could practically hear his knees knocking together.
Celia propped an arm around Enrique’s shoulder. He trembled beneath it. “Listen up, Droop. Javier likes you. He’s really picky about his friends. That must mean you’re pretty special. Any cool friend of Javier’s is a friend of mine, as long as I approve of the friend. In your case, I do.”
Enrique blinked as if she spoke words from another galaxy. “But…but my dad—what he did—”
“Doesn’t matter. What’s past is past and what’s done is done. No matter how hard you and me and Javier and your mother wish we could change that day, it’s not going to happen. We just have to pick up the pieces and move on from here.”
He nodded and swiped at tears.
“That starts with calling your mother and letting her know where you are. Let her know you’re safe. You are safe, right?”
“I am now.” He eyed Javier. “Thanks to him. Tonight’s the first night I haven’t felt like the world’s biggest loser ever since—” He swallowed hard and lowered his face, shoulders slumped.
Celia tilted his chin, getting eye-to-eye with him. “Enrique, I’ve been right where you are. To the depths of such dark depression that I didn’t see any reason beyond Javier to go on. You may not see tonight that tomorrow holds a reason to live, but how will you ever know if you don’t take a chance on a new day?” She’d been where his mother lay, too, chained to a bottle. But now wasn’t the time to address that.
Enrique seemed stricken and unable to speak.
“God’s mercies are new every day. Every single day.”
He appeared crestfallen. “Not for me.”
“Yes. For you. There are no exceptions. Not one. You hear?”
He eyed her, then Manny who leaned in the doorway with his arms folded loosely against his chest.
“It’s true,” Manny said.
Enrique didn’t appear completely convinced, but looked like he desperately longed for the words to be true. “We used to go to church. Well, Mom and I did anyways. That was before—”
The shooting that changed all our lives.
A thought struck Celia. “Where are you spending Christmas?”
“We don’t…we’re not, I mean, we haven’t celebrated anything since—” The poor kid couldn’t even say it.
He was way worse off than she. He hadn’t coped well with the murder. According to Javier, his mother hadn’t coped at all, except through alcohol. For the first time since Joseph’s death, Celia thought of her husband’s murderer’s family. She’d never considered the toll on them. It became personal and overwhelmingly clear that the crime had ripped not one family apart, but two. Until tonight, she never once cared about the family on the other end of this tragedy.
“It’s high time you did celebrate Christmas, don’t you think? Call your mother. Mention I need to speak with her. I’d like to invite you and her to Christmas dinner at my house.”
“I got a sister, too.”
“She’s welcome to come, as well.”
“And a dog. He’s my best friend. My only friend until tonight.” Enrique passed a look of deep thanks to Javier, who nodded much the same way Celia observed Manny do over the last few weeks. Probably an unconscious trait Javier picked up from Manny since he looked up to him so much.
Celia ruffled Enrique’s hair. A raggedy mop of a thing that also needed a date with her scissors. “Fine, as long as the dog won’t mind being terrorized by a psychotic cat. He can run wild in the backyard and eat roast leftovers. I don’t do turkey for Christmas.” Amber’s mom always overdosed them on it at Thanksgiving dinner at the pond.
The boys begged to stay the night with Manny the
n returned to gaming. Celia went to help Manny make beds. “Working hard or hardly working?”
Manny chuckled, then turned serious. “I’m proud of you.”
She pulled sheets that smelled of fabric softener from the linen closet. “You’ll still be around to annoy me, right? I planned to invite you over for Christmas.”
“My parents invited me to spend Christmas at their place.”
“Oh.”
Manny spread the bottom sheet over the mattress. “We can invite my family to your place.”
“They won’t mind changing plans?” Celia tucked corners in.
The top sheet made a flipping sound when Manny flailed it. It floated down like a parachute to the mattress. “No, in fact, I’ve talked to my parents about you. Mom’s mad because I haven’t introduced you yet.” He grinned.
Both hands spread, Celia smoothed wrinkles out. Not sure how she felt about his confession.
“Since I doubt school will be in session tomorrow, the boys can sleep here tonight, or what’s left of it.” Celia eyed her watch. Hard to believe the sun would be up in a few hours.
“Is everyone ready for bed?” Celia asked.
A chorus of “no’s” answered her.
“I wouldn’t be able to sleep, either.” She sat next to Manny on the oversize footstool, trying to ignore how much she enjoyed the feel of his capable shoulders brushing hers every time he breathed.
Celia studied the boys in the next room. “Enrique looks downtrodden over not being able to get his mother awake.”
Manny gazed at the fire. “His sister agreed to give their mom the message when she resurfaced from her alcoholic stupor.”
“Javier wanted those shoes for two years and they cost a hundred dollars.” He used to complain about having to wear old shoes, but he’d gladly given his new ones to Enrique. He could have given the old ones but he gave the best he had. Typical Javier. She could tell Enrique’s troubles weighed on her son’s mind as evidenced by the empathetic glances he cast him.
“He’s meant to be a PJ,” she breathed.
Manny turned to her. “What did you just say?”
She sighed in resignation. “I think he has what it takes. Do you?” she whispered.
“I’ve thought that for a while. There’s a high drop-out rate. I’d like him to at least try.”
Her arms shot out. “Fine. Take him to a barracuda, then.”
“A recruiter?”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Same difference.”
“Celia, God will give you all the strength you need to face the future, no matter what it brings.”
“I know.”
“Please don’t hate me if being a PJ is in his destiny. That was determined long before I came on the scene.” Manny dipped his head toward Enrique. “He needs your forgiveness.”
She winked through unshed tears. “Don’t you trust me?”
He looked at her pointedly. “Why do you think you’re here?”
Chapter Twenty-One
It came as no surprise to Celia Friday morning when Amber phoned early to tell her the school was closed for a snow day. Amber invited her down for hot cocoa and a snowman-building competition.
In Southern Illinois, it didn’t often snow deep enough to close schools, but when it did, everyone played outside. After a boy-against-girl snowball fight that left the ladies soaked, they flopped to the earth and made snow angels.
Once inside for lunch, Manny approached Celia. “You owe me a game of checkers. We’re up next.”
“What, we’re conducting a tournament?”
“Yeah, and if I win, you have to go to church with me one Sunday before I leave.”
“And if I win?”
He grinned. “You won’t.”
“But if I do?”
“Please go anyway? It might do Javier and Enrique a world of good to get involved with the youth group. Joel helps with it when he’s here.”
“I’ll go, but I’m not sure how we’re going to get Javier’s lazy bum out of bed. He’s used to sleeping in on Sundays.”
Manny winked. “I have my methods.”
“What makes you so sure it’s foolproof?”
“Trust me. It will be.” His grin grew gargantuan.
“Just what do you have planned? That overzealous grin makes me nervous.”
“You’ll see.”
“Please tell me this isn’t the one you crashed,” Celia said Saturday a week later.
Manny chuckled. “No. That one’s definitely retired.”
She stared at the neon parachute pack on Javier’s bed with mixed emotions. Javier spent Friday night at Enrique’s after his mother met Celia picking Enrique up. While Trina still seemed extremely skittish, she’d agreed to come to Christmas dinner if Celia let her bring some side dishes. Enrique reported his mom sober for three whole days since meeting Celia.
“He’ll come home and find this, then what?” Celia sat.
“I’ll be down the street. Call when he gets in. Don’t let him go to his room.”
Celia released a captive breath, clicked off Javier’s loft light and padded downstairs with Manny to the door.
Later, Javier arrived home, video game in hand. Enrique trailed with two controllers. “Can he spend the night tonight? We almost have this new game whooped.”
“Sure, but where we go this weekend, he goes, too, all right?” Celia picked up the phone and dialed Manny before Javier had a chance to ask what she meant.
“Stay down here,” she instructed, dicing onions for her enchilada pie.
“Why?”
Anticipation crested. She grinned. “You’ll see.”
Manny rapped lightly on the door before letting himself in. His presence in her home was becoming commonplace, but only with a third party present. He insisted he didn’t want her reputation compromised.
Headed for the loft, Manny whistled. “You guys coming?”
Javier eyed Manny and his mom, then Enrique and shrugged. They stayed on Manny’s heels to the top. Manny hardly struggled with stairs nowadays.
Celia shuffled past at the last minute, having her camera ready. “Close your eyes, Javier,” she instructed. He rounded the loft stairs at the top. Manny held his hands over Javier’s eyes and led him to the foot of the bed. He dropped his hands and stepped to the side, observing Javier’s face when he saw the parachute.
What an expression.
First Javier stared at it like he had no clue what was going on. Then his eyes bulged and he dropped to his knees, grabbing it like a lifeline. “Is this?”
“Yours.” Manny tapped the strap of it. “Under certain conditions.”
“Dude!” Javier squealed like a girl. Stood. Hugged the parachute, then Manny. “Anything!”
“Anything?”
“Any! Thing!” He turned to his mother. “You didn’t wig out over this?”
Celia snorted. “Of course I did, but that’s beside the point.” She winked at Enrique, who took it all in with a grin.
Manny propped a foot on Javier’s bed frame. “Here’s your end of the bargain. You never, I repeat, never BASE jump again. Learn how to fold it before you learn how to fly it. You have to be a certified rigger before you jump solo. Until then, it’s tandems. Okay?”
“That’s it?”
“Not quite. You will maintain a B average or better in school. The four taboos we talked about? The things your father and I warned you about? Decisions in the next five years that will determine the course of the rest of your life?”
Javier darted glances at his mom and blushed. “Yeah. I remember,” he mumbled.
“Steer clear of them.”
He nodded.
“You will obey your mother’s curfew down to the minute, unless you’re early. You come home late one time without calling with a valid reason, and this parachute will revert back to me. Those are the have-tos. I have other recommendations for you to follow. If you consider those, I’ll take you to Eagle Point at Refuge Air Base and let you
watch our team do HALOs and other fancy stuff.”
Enrique perked up. “What are HALOs?”
“High Altitude Low Opening jumps. You can come, too,” Manny offered. Enrique grinned and gave Javier a high-five.
Hands together in begging format toward Manny, Javier said, “Dude, I promise. Just tell me the recommendations. I’ll do it.”
Manny chuckled. “You haven’t heard what they are yet.”
“I don’t care. I’ll do anything to be able to jump.”
“I’d like you to try church at least seven times. It may take that long to get past feeling awkward.”
“Dude, no problem. Dad always wanted Mom to go, but she wouldn’t. I never went because I didn’t want her to be here by herself.” Javier elbowed Enrique. “You wanna go with?”
Enrique shrugged. “Sure. I kinda miss going anyways.”
“So, what other stuff you want me to do?” Javier looked at Manny.
“With Celia’s permission, I want to teach you to safely drive a vehicle so you can finally pass driver’s ed. And so I don’t have to keep evacuating the sidewalk when you swerve by.”
Celia snorted. Enrique dipped his head and grinned.
Red swarmed Javier’s face. “Uh, yeah. For sure I need help in the driving department.”
Manny tousled Javier’s hair, then lifted a sack resting against his ankle. He turned it upside down, spilling contents on the bed.
Reaching like lightning to earth, Javier clutched the new skydiving goggles and helmet. “Cool!” He handed them to Celia and lunged for the parachute again, launching into Spanish. Psych, who’d pranced up the stairs with all the commotion, eyed Javier with interest. Celia rapped knuckles on the helmet. Good. Seemed solid. She noticed knee and elbow pads on the bed, too. That made her feel a fraction better.
Seemingly locked in exuberant bliss, Javier scooted the parachute and his gear toward Enrique. “Check all this out! This is the coolest thing ever!” Javier glowed at Manny, then glanced at Enrique. “Well, the coolest thing since meeting my two best buds here.” Javier draped an arm around each of their necks. The three monkey-walked down the hall to the top of the stairs. Psych skittered past them, batting at their feet.