The following morning, Kevin waited at the end of his shell driveway for the school bus, clutching his lunchbox, a few books, and a yellow notepad. The dread he’d felt the day before had lifted just a little. He’d made a new friend and was looking forward to the end of the day when he and Leonard could explore the ranch and surrounding properties. This time, they already planned to take their fishing poles to try their luck in one of the small ponds, which Leonard called Cattle Tank Pond.
The bus lumbered up the road and squealed to a slow stop, double doors swinging wide open. Kevin reached up for the handle and pulled his way up the stairs and into the aisle. The seats were the typical arrangement for school buses, designed for maximum capacity and high utility. Scanning for an open place to sit, Kevin heard the welcome sound of Leonard’s voice calling to him. “Kevin, back here. I saved you a spot.”
Kevin’s frown of concentration melted away as he staggered down the aisle of the accelerating bus, grabbing on and leaning into the bench seats, making his way to Leonard’s seat near the back of the bus. Exchanging hellos, Kevin flopped into the seat.
“I thought you rode with your mother in the morning,” Kevin asked with surprise.
Leonard gave a little nod. “Yeah, I decided that today I would ride the bus so we can hang out together. The best part is the bus stops at my house before it runs back around the street, so I can save us a seat.”
Kevin was relieved, because his first ride on the bus yesterday was a little tense. No one seemed to want him on the bus; however, Kevin knew that was the norm for kids his age. No one knew his status, where he fit in, or whom he hung out with; these were all important questions that needed answering before anyone would take a chance on letting a new kid into any circles, or even a conversation. Status was a big deal among adolescents.
As soon as some of the kids saw him talking to Leonard— who had already negotiated his way through this same process over the summer—more kids were willing to engage him. Leonard was well-liked by the other kids, and by default, that extended to Kevin somewhat. He just wished more junior high kids lived on his street, which seemed to be overgrown with grade-schoolers. The fifteen or so middle-schoolers all lived on the streets before Kevin’s house, which was basically the last stop on the way into school. By the time the bus dropped off the grade-schoolers and made its way to the junior high school, Leonard had introduced Kevin to everyone on the bus. It really helped knock off the edge of anxiety that loomed over Kevin’s first few days of school.
“Thanks, man,” Kevin said. He hopped off the bus step to the ground, and Leonard did the same. They started walking to their first class, which they had together.
“For what?” Leonard asked.
“For riding the bus and saving me a seat, helping me break the ice. I mean, you could have ridden with your mom.”
Leonard gave Kevin a friendly slap in the middle of his back as they walked.
“Oh no, thank you,” Leonard explained. “Because of you, I now have a good excuse not to ride with my mom. She likes to sing to the radio at the top of her lungs while we are driving, and she always makes me join in. Plus I have to wake up thirty minutes earlier because she has meetings in the mornings. I would much rather ride the bus with you. Mom is a morning person and far too cheerful and happy. I like it quiet in the mornings. I told her that you needed me to show you around.”
That’s a little strange, Kevin thought. He would much rather ride to school with his mom or ride his bike, like he did back in Houston. However, Pearland Junior High was a good eight miles from his new house, so he had no choice.
“Besides that, if I ride home with my mom, I sometimes get stuck waiting for her in the library for an extra forty-five minutes because of teachers’ conferences, and that, my friend, is time the two of us could spend fishing.”
A rush of excitement came over both boys, and they almost ran to their first class as if it would somehow speed up the time. It would be a long day for Kevin and Leonard.
The bus flipped routes on the way back, so Kevin was dropped off first at his driveway. Just before the bus doors flapped opened, Leonard hollered that he would be right down once he picked up his fishing gear. Kevin gave a thumbs-up and hopped down the stairs, happy to have an after-school plan. It was a school night and both boys had homework; however, it would be almost an hour before either of their parents got home. To the boys, the expedition was as necessary and important as cramming knowledge into their heads, which they had done plenty.
As the bus sped away down the gravel road, it left the familiar cloud of swelling dust to float over the yard before it settled. In a hurry, Kevin bolted to the front door, vaguely noticing the ten or so empty boxes tossed on the lawn. He barely turned the doorknob when his mother flung open the front door as wide as she could.
“Hi, honey. How was your second day at school?” she blurted out, smiling with enthusiasm. She reached out and pulled him through the front door and into her arms, squeezing him hard. His books and lunchbox were still in his arms, now pinned against his sides as his mom danced him around with her enormous hug.
“It was fine, Mom,” he managed to vocalize. “You’re smothering me.” His nose and lips were smashed and contorted against her neck.
Finally releasing him, she wiped beads of sweat from her forehead. She was dressed in shorts and one of his father’s white T-shirts, balled up in a large knot at the front to take up the slack material. Her hair, which usually was fashionably styled, was stuck up in a wild bun on the top of her head. Her feet were bare.
Kevin knew this manner of dress very well—housework attire—and she was at it hard. Unfortunately, when his mom was working, she expected “all hands on deck” to be working too. The worst was that she usually planned these grand events— like gardening or housecleaning—in the mornings: no sleeping in. The last conversation he’d had with his sister, just before she went away to college, was about this very thing. She’d rubbed his head and said with mock pity, “Sorry to leave you here by yourself; hopefully, you’ll survive.” He knew exactly what she meant—boy, did he know.
His father was the smart one. He always had a good excuse lined up—just in case—so he could make his escape. Once Kevin caught him telling a friend to ring him back in five minutes. When his friend called, his dad acted out an elaborate, animated crisis in detail, saying he had to go help his buddy and that he would be right back. Sure, he’d come back, but only after the chores were done. Mom was good at ambushing the three of them. Dad and his acting skills allowed him an escape or two. Kevin’s sister went to college to escape. And Kevin was stuck holding the broom.
“I thought you were at work.”
“I got off early so I could unpack more boxes, and now that you’re home, you can help. Isn’t that great?” She stood with her arms extended wide, smiling, head cocked to one side, eyes wide and bright. She looked like a mom gone mad.
She said, “Now put down your books and give me a real hug.”
Kevin opened his arms, dropping everything straight to the floor, and walked forward, taking short, choppy steps like a zombie. He hung his head low, so far down that his chin touched his chest, and he let all the air from his lungs as he said, “Oh, okay” in that same flat, monotone voice as before. His mom was a hugger, and a squeezer, and a rocker, a deadly embarrassing combination. She insisted on full-body hugs too. That meant the hug-ee had to wrap his or her arms around her and endure the moment. No one was immune. “Okay, Mom,” Kevin said again in a muffled voice.
“You are getting so tall.”
Oh no, Kevin thought, she is setting me up for something big by sprinkling the sugar on.
“And strong too.”
Here it comes, she is about to drop the other shoe.
“And it’s a good thing too, so pick up your books and put them away.”
Kevin was already plotting an escape. I will pull a Dad— maybe say I have to get right on my homework. Then he shook his head, arguing with himself. No, that won’t work. Any minute Leonard will be here with his fishing gear, and she’ll know what I’m up to. He continued to muddle through his options as quickly as possible.
Kevin didn’t make a habit of lying to his mother or father— he just wasn’t comfortable doing that. He knew plenty of other kids who did, but it seemed that the lying only got them into more trouble than it was worth. He’d also known plenty of parents, and as parents go, his were the absolute best. So he decided to just spit it out, truth and all.
“Mom, I was going to go fishing with Leonard. He will be here any second.”
“Kevin,” his mom started, “there’s far too much work that needs to be done around here.”
“Mom!” Kevin begged. “I will only be gone for about an hour. Please.” He tried his best whiny-but-still-adorable voice.
She turned to him, placed her hands on each side of his face, and in the same whining voice, mimicked, “But Moooooooooom.” She twisted his cheeks and rocked his head from side to side. But she would not be swayed. “When this house is unpacked, everything is put away, and you get permission from the rancher. Remember we talked about this.”
“Okay,” Kevin answered, defeated.
“Besides all that, you’ve got homework, and—this is the most important why not of all—I am the only one that knows in which of these multitude of boxes your fishing gear is packed.”
“Mom!” Kevin cried out, after several seconds of agony. He dropped his arms and shoulders, as if the weight of them were unbearable, and began a slow, dragging march to his bedroom. His mother placed her hands on his shoulders and joined him step for step all the way to his door. The floor of his room was covered with boxes all marked “Kevin’s Room” in bold black marker. He fell onto his bed face first, landing on the only space that was not covered with boxes.
“Mom, I don’t want to unpack.”
“I know you don’t, but I will make a deal with you.”
Kevin perked up a little and rolled over on his back. The boxes around him shook and bounced as he flipped over; his legs dangled over the edge of the bed, feet almost touching the floor. His mom was always making deals in order to entice him to do things he was reluctant to do. The good part was they weren’t bad deals, and she always made good on her promises— an admirable quality even from a youth’s perspective.
“Today is Tuesday,” she started. She removed the box from the corner of the bed, leaving a space just large enough for her to sit, and placed it on the floor. “If you help me unpack every day this week after school up to Thursday . . .” She reached over and hoisted him upright, then pulled him over onto her lap, and wrapped her left arm around him. He lay as limp and lifeless as a rag doll. “. . . and get permission from the rancher, like we agreed . . .” She elevated her voice to emphasize the point. “. . . I will tell you where your fishing gear is, and you and your friend can go fishing all day on Friday.”
Kevin lit up with excitement and gave his mom a double-arm hug, shouting, “Thank you, Mom!” Then he stopped abruptly. “Friday is a school day; you mean I can fish after school, right?”
“No,” she replied as she walked toward his bedroom door. “Friday is a teacher’s workday, so it is a day off for you. Aren’t you glad your mom is so smart?” She smirked as she disappeared down the hallway.
Kevin leaped from his bed, jubilant, and started to work on the boxes. He had barely opened the top of the first box when someone knocked at the front door.
“That must be Leonard, Mom. I’ll get it.”
Kevin ran for the door in order to give Leonard the bad news in person. His mother suddenly stepped from the kitchen and headed for the door in a short, choppy run, swinging her arms and pumping her fists as if she were running a race. “Ha, beat ya,” she said as she reached for the door and turned the knob.
Oh no! Kevin gasped. I should have warned Leonard that my mother is a hug fanatic.
She opened the door wide enough to almost bang the knob into the sheetrock if it hadn’t been protected by the doorstop. There stood Leonard, holding all his fishing gear and smiling.
Here it comes. Kevin winced in sympathetic facial contortions.
“Hello, you must be Leonard,” she said. “I’m Jane Ferris.”
Leonard had no clue what was coming. He just smiled even wider with bright eyes as he lifted his brows. “Yes ma’am, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Leonard shifted his small, green tackle box to the same arm that held the fishing pole and reached out for Kevin’s mom’s hand. He gave it a single pump and released it. She then invited him in, apologizing for the stacks of boxes and scattered packing paper. Leonard leaned his rod and tackle box against the porch wall and stepped through the door.
That was when the attack finally came, though mild. Jane threw an arm over Leonard’s shoulder. “We are so glad you are here!” Leonard beamed up at her. Then she pulled him around and gave him the Jane Ferris squeeze.
“Well I’m sure that the two of you want to talk,” she sang, retreating through the kitchen door.
“Your mom sure is friendly,” Leonard said to Kevin in a low voice.
“It could have been much worse.”
As they headed down the hallway to his room, Kevin explained to Leonard the deal he’d just made with his mother. He then looked at all the boxes with something close to dread.
“Man, I’ll never get out of here. There are so many boxes, so much stuff. I didn’t even know we had all this junk.”
“Not a problem,” Leonard said matter-of-factly. “I will help you, and we will get it done much faster.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. That’s what friends do, right?”
“Right!” And with that, they tore into the task at hand.
Several minutes had passed before Jane poked her head in the door to investigate the goings-on. She found the boys industriously working away.
“Mom, I need some nails so I can hang my pictures on the wall.”
“I have them in the living room on the coffee table.”
Leonard politely said he would get them and hopped into the hallway.
“Leonard said he would help me every day after school this week so we can go fishing on Friday,” Kevin said.
Jane smiled. “That’s a good friend,” she said, then in a softer voice, “I didn’t know he was a black boy. You should have said something.” Her tone wasn’t angry, more like curious.
Mom didn’t like any elephants in the room, to use a phrase he’d learned at school. Before he could respond with anything helpful, Leonard reappeared with nails in hand, and Jane left the room. Within an hour, they had all the boxes in the bedroom completely unpacked. The empty boxes were piled up in the backyard so they could be flattened and consolidated into a pile at the back of the fence to be burned.
During the unpacking process, Kevin’s dad had returned home from work. He’d been excited to meet Leonard, giving him a friendly handshake along with a pat on the shoulder.
“I want to thank you for helping Kevin get off to a good start at his new school,” he said. “It is nice for him to make a friend on his first day.”
His dad listened to their plans with great enthusiasm. Kevin wondered if his dad was surprised at the color of Leonard’s skin like his mom had been. This realization came unexpectedly to Kevin. Clearly Leonard was a true friend, who had helped smooth his adjustment to his new surroundings and who even had helped with the chores of unpacking the boxes. It had not even occurred to Kevin that his parents would react negatively to Leonard at all, given the circumstances.
Now, based on his mother’s reaction, Kevin was already thinking in terms of “Leonard is my black friend,” not just “Leonard is my friend.” And he didn’t like the way that felt.
Kevin was being very honest with himself. To him it did not make any difference what color his friend was. It had no bearing on their relationship. He rehearsed these points in his mind because he wanted to be ready when he talked to his mom. He wanted to understand why knowing Leonard was a colored boy ahead of time would have made a difference.
At five fifteen, Leonard excused himself to return to his house to finish up homework, but he promised to return tomorrow and help.
“I’ll see you in the morning on the bus. I’ll save you a seat,” Leonard said to Kevin as he headed for the front door.
Kevin’s father quickly stuck out a hand and shook Leonard’s, thanking him again. Leonard then turned to Kevin’s mom, who gave Leonard a quick half-hug, thanking him as well. After Leonard had picked up his pole and box and headed up the road, Kevin’s dad said, “You got yourself a good friend, son. I can’t think of very many kids who would hang around and help strangers unpack, give up doing what they wanted, such as fishing in this case, in order to help a friend with chores.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Kevin said, grateful for the confirmation. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched his mom, who had just closed and locked the front door. She leaned backward to stretch her back muscles.
“Mom?” Kevin said.
“I’m so tired, son. What is it?”
Their family was always very open and respectful to each other. They talked about everything, no holds barred. The family motto was, If you’re old enough to ask, you’re old enough for the truth. And Kevin was prepared to know more.
“Why did it matter so much that Leonard was black?”
Jane stopped with her hands on her hips and said, “It doesn’t matter at all, I guess. I was just surprised. Would’ve liked to have known what to expect. That’s all.” She made her way to the bedroom, and Kevin followed close behind her. His father joined the procession.
“But why does it matter?”
Jane stood at her bedroom door, but Kevin passed right by her and plopped down on the mattress. Without a word, his father did the same.
“Is this going to be something I need to get involved in?” Allen asked speculatively.
“Yes,” Kevin said.
“No,” Jane followed.
“I hope this doesn’t take long. I am as hungry as a bear.” Allen lay on his side, propped up on an elbow. “What is this all about?”
“Mom said I should have told her that Leonard was black before he came over,” Kevin explained. “I don’t understand why that was important. I just didn’t even think about it. And I felt bad when Mom said that to me.”
Jane sat next to Kevin and put her arm around him. “Kevin, I’m sorry. I was surprised, that’s all. I felt caught off-guard.”
“But you hugged him. He even said how friendly you were!”
“I know, and he’s a dear boy,” she said, but her brow furrowed as she thought of something else.
The room was quiet. Jane then dropped her shoulders and sighed heavily. Kevin knew she was about to tack.
She reached out to Kevin, grabbing his hands and pulling him close. Then she looked at Allen and held out a hand to him as well. He held it.
“Mom, are you okay?” Kevin asked.
“I’ve got to get this right, son.” She paused once more, then added, “I am so proud of the way you make friends, in spite of a person’s differences.”
“You mean like Leonard being black?”
“Yes, and I know that sounds racist, but it is not meant to sound that way. You see, when I was a young girl, black people were kept segregated from white people. When your father and I were young, that’s just the way it was. And unfortunately, that’s the way our parents taught us to be, and how our parents’ parents taught them. I know now that those teachings were wrong, horribly wrong, even though at the time, this was completely normal and accepted by most. But ultimately, it was just plain wrong. But the laws changed faster than the people’s opinions.”
Allen nodded in agreement as she spoke. Kevin listened closely and did not interrupt.
Jane continued. “I have never had a black friend or even a black neighbor, for that matter. Some of the teachings of my parents still hang with me, I guess. When I saw Leonard for the first time, I was so happy to meet your friend and just wasn’t expecting . . .” She sighed deeply. “It absolutely doesn’t matter, the color of his skin, Kevin. It’s the fact that he is a loyal and fun friend to you, that’s all that matters. Honestly, that’s all that matters. Forgive me for making you think otherwise even for a minute.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Kevin said and snuggled in closer.
She said, “Thanks. Leonard is a lovely boy with a playful smile, and he is so polite. I can see why you like him. The truth is, Kevin, you didn’t think to mention anything about Leonard being black is because it isn’t a factor for you; you are blind to the color of his skin. The friendship already transcends the issues of skin color. And that, my son, makes me want to burst with pride.”
Allen added, “Even though I didn’t blink an eye on the outside, like your mother, I was taken aback a little myself. It’s not a reflection on Leonard; it’s a reflection on us. Nothing for you to give another worry about because it won’t come up again, I suspect.”
Jane nodded her head emphatically. “Oh, I agree completely.”
Kevin then locked his arms around his mom, giving her the Jane Ferris squeeze.