After dinner that evening, George volunteered to help with the dishes. He knew Eddie was grounded all weekend, so the dishes were his responsibility, but he felt closer to his brother than he had in a long time. They washed in silence, sharing an occasional glance or grin. George sensed that Eddie had lightened up about the boathouse.
Finally, in Eddie’s room thirty minutes later, they sat on opposite sides of the bed tossing the football back and forth.
“So what time do you think it is, really? I mean, is it six-thirty or six o’clock?” Eddie pondered. “And did we change time for everyone, or just us? How come everyone else is still here if we went back in time?”
“I don’t know. It’s pretty cool, though.” George was extremely proud of his discovery. His proud smile turned serious. “Eddie, can we keep this secret between us? I mean, I know you like your friends and all, but . . .”
“Don’t worry, Moose, It’s just between us,” he said genuinely. “But promise me you won’t use it anymore. At least not without me. We don’t know what it can do.”
“I promise,” he said sincerely.
The two brothers sat on Eddie’s bed talking until bedtime. Eddie didn’t even seem to remember about Jake’s party.
When he could no longer keep his eyes open, George knew he needed to return to his room. He always feared that each new day would be the end of what he thought of as the ‘old Eddie’. But something told him that this time was different. They shared a secret now.
Sitting with Eddie, George was reminded of a couple of summers ago when they attended summer camp. George was nine and Eddie eleven, and their mother told them it would be good to have an adventure together. They later found out their parents were cleaning up the house to put it on the market. That summer was no different from most; Eddie instantly made friends while George sat alone in the corner.
One night, a horrible storm rolled in. While most of the kids seemed unaware of the weather, George was very unnerved and homesick. He felt stupid for feeling that way, after all, he wasn’t a little kid anymore, but he felt very alone. After everyone was asleep, he snuck over to Eddie’s bunkhouse and sat on the side of his bed. He expected Eddie to wake up and make fun of him for being scared of the storm, but Eddie just sat up and talked to him until he felt safe and the storm had passed. Eddie never told anyone what had happened that night.
That’s how he felt right now—safe. It seemed very silly when he thought about it, and he wasn’t sure why he thought about that night at summer camp, but he knew his relationship with Eddie was stronger than ever. He set the football on Eddie’s dresser, waved goodnight with tired eyes, and shut the door behind him. Sliding his heavy feet down the hall, George barely remembered making it to his room, let alone his head hitting the pillow, before falling asleep.