Chapter 2
The morning was filled with lifting, sorting, and dust. By early afternoon, Jaden and Damon were starving.
Mom’s voice called out from downstairs. “You kids getting hungry yet?”
Damon and Jaden dropped what they were doing and sprinted down the big staircase. They met their mothers at the landing and slid to a stop, almost crashing into them.
“I guess that’s a yes,” Mom said, laughing.
Jaden and Damon nodded. “We’re almost done packing up everything in the attic, Mom,” Damon said.
“Already? I’m impressed!” his mother said, smiling. “Let’s take a break and head over to the nursing home to have lunch with your grandpa.”
* * *
Grandpa’s new place was downtown at the Ravens Pass Assisted Living Home. It was a tall, red-brick building that had lots of windows. The grounds were green and surrounded by tall maple trees.
Damon’s grandpa was in the lobby when they arrived. He was a little old man with a hunchback and a kind face. When he stood up, he wasn’t much taller than Damon.
“Grandpa!” Damon said. He ran over and gave him a hug.
“Hello there, Damon,” Grandpa said. “My goodness, you’re growing fast! Pretty soon you’ll be taller than me!”
“Hi, Dad,” Damon’s mother said. “You remember my friend, Martha Kane? This is her son, Jaden.”
Grandpa smiled strangely at Jaden. “Nice to meet you, young man,” he said.
Jaden pulled the photograph from his back pocket and held it out. “Who is this?” he asked. “He looks exactly like Damon.”
Grandpa squinted at Jaden. He gently took the picture from him. Slowly, he pulled his reading glasses from the chest pocket of his shirt and carefully slipped them on. He focused his eyes on the photograph.
Grandpa’s smile slipped away. For a few moments, he looked very sad.
“Are you all right, Dad?” Damon’s mom asked.
Grandpa nodded. “I haven’t seen this picture in many years,” he said. “This boy was my friend when I was young.”
Grandpa looked at Damon. “We were about your age in this picture,” he said. Then Grandpa looked at Jaden. “And I would guess that Aaron was about your age, Jaden.”
“His name was Aaron?” Jaden asked.
Grandpa tapped his nose. “Exactly,” he said. “I remember the day this photo was taken very well.”
“Dad, that photo was taken almost seventy years ago!” Ms. Germain said. “I doubt you remember what you did last week.”
Grandpa pulled off his glasses and shot Damon’s mom an annoyed smile. Then he turned back toward Jaden and handed the photo to him. “It was a day I’ll never forget,” Grandpa said. “Aaron disappeared that day, and I never saw him again.”