When Kevin arrived home, his mother and father were halfway through cutting the grass. Normally the grass cutting and yard work was done on Saturdays, but this was a special day because of the Fourth of July weekend, and his parents had Friday off as well as Monday. Jane used the riding mower, and Allen pushed away with a small mower in order to cut between the trees and small shrubs carefully placed in the front yard. They had enhanced the landscaping since they’d moved in, adding splendid accents to the lush, green St. Augustine. The front yard stretched out along their oyster-shell driveway and touched the edges of the main dirt road after gently rising up from the drainage ditch at the end of the yard.
“Hey, working man,” his father said as he reached out and rubbed Kevin’s head. He was sweaty and shirtless. Even in the early morning sun, it was already warming up, a prelude to the blazes that would beat down on them as the day progressed.
“How was work?” Allen asked.
“Fine,” Kevin replied, obviously somber.
His father quickly picked up on the mood in Kevin’s voice, but he really had no time to dig further into it right then. The yard had to be finished before the brutality of the noonday sun scorched the ambition to finish the job.
“Fine, huh?” Allen said, just to make sure his instinct was correct. It was.
“Dad, I need to talk to you about something. It’s really important.”
“Is it about to explode, catch on fire, or cause a train wreck in the next hour?” his dad asked.
“No, not really,” Kevin admitted, his voice heavy, barely heard over the sound of the lawnmower.
“Good. Here, take over the push mower for me so I can get the trimmer going. Oh, it needs gas,” Allen said as he headed for the utility shed behind the house.
“But Dad, I really want to talk to you,” Kevin said.
“Can it wait until we finish the yard?”
Normally a response of “fine” from Kevin would have drawn his father in to ask more questions about his day. However, the rush was apparently on to complete the yard work, and there would be no time at the present for extended conversation about the word “fine.”
Kevin conceded, nodding his head. “Yeah, it can wait, I guess.”
The next hour of yard work was agonizing for Kevin on many levels. Besides the heat, his head was overrun with questions he could not answer by himself. He needed his dad’s opinion to finally end this annoying nagging in his head. He pushed aggressively at the mower and tried to think of other things, but he was hopelessly consumed with worry. He needed the guidance of someone far wiser than he to help sort out the tangled mess that he’d suddenly become a part of.
Finally, the yard work was done. Everyone had showered and changed and was ready to relax in the oak grove at the back of the house. Allen leaned back in a comfortable lawn chair in the beloved shade and said, “Okay boy, what’s on your mind? I can tell something is bugging you by the way you took it out on that poor, helpless lawn mower. I bet you knocked the bark off of every one of your mother’s pear trees.”
Kevin smiled, thinking, Where do I start?
The low branches hung heavy with green leaves, inviting what little breezes there might be in the air to drop by for a visit. The oak grove backed up to the Kelso Ranch. Four thin strands of barbed wire nailed to mesquite and cedar posts separated Kevin’s backyard from the ranch property. A short distance away, the calm waters of Clear Creek flowed gently to its eventual destination of the Gulf of Mexico. Kevin settled into a lawn chair, fiddling with the tendrils on his cutoffs. His mother had just emerged from the back door and was carrying a tray of cold drinks.
“Uh, wait. Is it okay if your mother’s in on this conversation, or is this just guy talk?” Allen asked. Jane’s eyebrows went up inquisitively.
“No, I think Mom can help with this one. It’s sort of complicated,” Kevin replied.
“Complicated, huh?” Jane said, handing each of them a drink. “What are you boys up to?”
“I believe we are about to begin a complicated conversation that you can probably help with,” Allen said as he leaned forward, ready to tackle the conundrum head on.
Over the course of the next half hour, Kevin revealed his story of that morning’s events to his parents. He tried not to leave out any detail, including what Matt said, what Leonard heard, what Kevin did and did not do, and going to Leonard’s house. He confessed how worried he’d been when Leonard hadn’t shown up and then how surprised he’d been at Leonard’s anger toward him. He said he wondered if he should have done something different and that he didn’t know what to do now. His concerns were simple really; he just wanted his friend back.
“Son, it sounds like, from what you’re telling me, Leonard has a valid reason for being angry with you. You did not stand up for him, and from what Leonard heard, it was enough to convince him that you could not be counted on to stand up for him when there was an injustice being done towards him,” Jane said, always the blunt one.
Kevin turned to his father, who had been listening intently to his story. He waited for the wise words of Allen Ferris to be delivered. But his dad offered no suggestions nor did he expound on the comments Jane had just made.
So Jane continued, talking about how friends should look out for one another and how it wasn’t right to tolerate poor talk about another person, especially a friend. Of course, this was not the answer Kevin was looking for. Then his mother went one step further into the “not what I’m looking for” category by suggesting that he tell Mr. Kelso about Matt’s behavior. It seemed Kevin’s situation was just getting worse instead of better.
“No way, Mom. Matt would beat the tar out of me if I say anything to anyone!” His voice was high and panicked as he tried to explain to his mother about that certain code between boys that you just don’t break.
Jane countered that Matt was more of a man than a boy and that Kevin should definitely speak to Mr. Kelso about what was going on.
Kevin laughed doubtfully. “Well, I may not be a man, but Matt will sure hit me like a man if I said anything to Mr. Kelso.”
Kevin once again turned to his father, hoping for some masculine backup. He was deep in thought and looked almost disconnected from the conversation.
Having said all she wanted to say about the situation, Jane picked up the empty tray and glasses, which were quickly drained, to bring refills from the house. Before she left, she paused in front of Allen, giving him the not-so-subtle look that it was time for a man’s point of view.
Allen held back his comments until Jane was in the house and had closed the door. The pause was long and awkward for Kevin. Does everything have to be so intense?
In the fig tree next to the garage, a mockingbird began his afternoon serenade, along with the soothing sound of the breeze blowing through the leaves of the trees. For now, that was all that filled the silence ringing in Kevin’s impatient ears.
When his father finally spoke up, it was not at all what Kevin thought he would say.
“Son,” Allen started in a low, even voice. “We moved from Houston to get away from the crowds and the traffic. Most of all, we moved to get you away from the school you were in. We heard many bad things that were going on there, and we didn’t want you exposed to them. I am sorry we took you away from your friends and especially your swim team, but we really felt it was the best thing for you. We still do. We found this school and think it’s a good one for you.”
“You mean it’s good because it was mostly white kids?” Kevin asked.
“I guess in a way that was part of our thinking. And if it was, we were wrong. You did a good job of navigating through any problems at your old school, and you probably would have continued to do so. Still, as parents we have to consider many aspects of what’s best for the family. I am sorry we jerked your life up by the roots, but I’m convinced it will strengthen you for the long haul. That’s my job, to get you there.”
“I get that, Dad. And I like it here. I’ve made a lot of friends during school this year. I am even thinking about trying out for the baseball team.”
Allen’s eyes lit up at that possibility. “Now that’s what I wanted to hear,” he said, leaning over to place his hand on his son’s shoulder and grasp it firmly, encouragingly.
Another pause.
“I have never seen you happier than you are in this place. I watch you play in Mr. Kelso’s fields with Leonard, and you take me with you, in spirit, every time you go,” Allen said. “When I watch the two of you boldly run with your fishing poles and bare backs into your next adventure, I’m right there with you. Just thinking about you enjoying your life like that, pure and simple, makes me rest a little easier at night. My days don’t drag down with worry for you anymore. In Houston, you played on concrete with buildings as far as the eye could see. Now the grassy fields and creek beds are your playgrounds. At the end of the day, you and Leonard come home with briar scratches, mosquito bites, skinned knees, and smiles that can be seen as bright as sunshine through your mud-covered faces. The best part is I get to live a little of your childhood too.”
Kevin’s father stopped and this time put his hand on his son’s head, gently. “Seeing you grow up here makes me happy, and Leonard is part of that happiness. Son, you have to make things right with him. If what you are telling me is true about this fella Matt and what he said, I have to take your mother’s position in general. Still she doesn’t realize, I suspect, what you and I both know. You let the fear of being hurt stop you from standing up for your best friend.”
Kevin squirmed, frowned at the ground.
“Don’t let your fears override your reasoning. A black eye worn by an honorable person can be displayed with pride. Sometimes you will have to fight for the right thing—that is something every gentleman of good character knows and something a boy learns as he turns into a man. You are at a threshold in your life, son, and it makes me proud that you would ask for my advice as to how to cross it.”
Perplexed, Kevin looked up at his dad and replied, “So, you want me to fight Matt? He’s, like, ten times bigger than me, Dad! He drives a car. He even shaves! He’ll pummel me in a fight! I heard he got kicked out of school because he killed a tenth-grader!”
Allen laughed at that one. “Now that’s not true and you know it; you’re exaggerating. What I’m trying to tell you is this: stand up to him, stand up for your friend. Sometimes doing the right thing may cost you a few bumps and lumps, but trust me, there’s no shame in that. Get your friend back and make things right again. Make it right so the two of you don’t miss another day of these great days in your young life. There will come a day when the two of you won’t have time to cross that barbed wire fence and go fishing. Adult life just gets in the way. So build those memories now, so you have something to pull from when you’re older. Don’t screw it up because you didn’t do the right thing today.”
That did it. The pieces fell together for Kevin into a complete picture. He finally understood what his father—and his mother—were getting at.
He sat for a moment, allowing himself to face his fear of Matt and weigh that fear against losing his best friend. The first thought that clamored in his head now was to go to Leonard and confess his mistakes and promise to never let it happen again. He sprung from his chair as if he were launched from a cannon.
“Whoa, where do you think you’re going?”
“To Leonard’s house. I’ve got to talk to him right now, Dad,” Kevin explained.
“Whoa, whoa. Sit down, son,” Allen said, holding his hands up to stop Kevin. “Son, that’s not the right thing, not right now. Leonard needs time to think, and so do you. Now, let this go until Leonard is ready to talk again. He’ll let you know.”
“But Dad, it has already been almost four hours. That’s plenty of time for him to think about it. Don’t you think?”
The back door slammed, and they looked up. Jane was on her way out with a tray full of fresh drinks and slices of watermelon. She started down the steps of the back porch. Their two dogs Tripper and Sammy were in close pursuit.
“I’ll tell you what we’ll do; first let’s enjoy the refreshments your mother is bringing us, then we’ll ask her advice. If she agrees with you, you can run down to Leonard’s after we eat. If she agrees with me, well then, that’s two against one and you really should take our advice. Deal?”
Kevin took a deep breath and tried his best to suppress the urge to jump up and run. Of course, he quickly reminded himself, hadn’t he come to his parents for advice?
“That’s a dirty trick to play on a kid, Dad. I know how this is going to turn out.”
“It’s going to turn out for the best, boy.”
The discussion was short, and all agreed that it would be best to sit back and allow Leonard time to decompress. Kevin and his family enjoyed the remainder of the day in a comfortable breeze that blew in from the pasture and across Clear Creek. It wasn’t every day when the path to forgiveness could be mapped out and anticipated. But today had been one of those for Kevin.