Little Boy
Lost
Part Two
by GCS
DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.
Chapter Four
"You look just like your father." Rose Gage Watson smiled at her nephew. "But you have your mother's eyes." Johnny flinched away from his aunt's touch. Her heart ached at the pain in his eyes when he pulled his chin from her hand.
Johnny turned away and stepped closer to Officer Brewster. His resolve, to never think of her again, was not as strong as his anger at her letting these people take him away wanted it to be. She had been a constant in his young life for several years, someone he could depend on, someone who helped him through the dark days and someone to encourage him when he brought home good marks from school. She had filled the void left when his mother and father died. No one else in his world had cared enough to do that. But Johnny didn't get too close…not close enough for her to touch him. He didn't want that. He had been distancing himself from everyone at the center ever since he had been told that he was leaving. He thought if he had already cut them from his life then leaving them wouldn't hurt so much.
He was wrong.
Johnny knew that when it came right down to it he was alone. He was the only person who could truly decide his future, and right then he wanted to stay. The pain in his heart was no easier than the pain at losing his parents. The turmoil he felt churning inside overwhelmed him; he looked down to the floor. If he looked at anyone they would see the moisture pooling in the corners of his eyes, and he couldn't let them. He had to be strong. He had to be a man.
Officer Brewster knew him well enough to know that the vacant look in his eyes revealed the sad thoughts in his head. She knew he wanted to stay, and in her heart she wanted him to stay as well. If the courts would have allowed it she would have adopted Johnny herself, but they would never give a teenage boy to a single woman. She did nothing to hide the tears that pooled in her eyes.
"Well if we hope to get to California by tonight we don't need to miss our flight. Officer Brewster…" Rose turned from her nephew and looked at the correctional officer. "Thank you for looking after John and Warden Tompkins for keeping him safe until we could return to the states. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it." She then turned back to her nephew, "Come John we must go now."
Much like he had when he first came to the home Johnny followed his aunt and uncle without really looking up to see where he was going. The sight broke Officer Brewster's heart. So much had been gained over the few years he'd been with them, and yet so much had been lost. This was not the scared little boy they had first taken in. This was a young man who had lost all innocence the day his parents were ripped from him in the blink of an eye. Now the confidence he'd gained seemed to have become lost in the fear of the unknown. Fear of what his life would be like with the relatives he didn't even know. Would they be like the foster parents he'd had? Or would they be like his parents? After all this was his father's sister.
Johnny stopped at the door and glanced back at the two adults who had offered him the most kindness in the time since his parent's deaths. He let out a deep sigh, but omitted no sound save the air that rushed from his too thin frame. Then he turned and slowly followed his aunt and uncle to the waiting taxi.
The ride to the airport was done in silence. Johnny stared out the window watching the town flash by. When the taxi passed the school, it stood dark. The dime store was closed. It didn't matter. Not now. He would never be back.
Rose watched her nephew from the opposite side of the taxi. Her husband rode in the front passenger seat. Even though he had his head turned away she could see his reflection in the window. He looked so much like her brother it was like looking back in time. She watched as he tilted his head upward when they neared the airport and the planes roared overhead. His face changed from solemn to curious. She could see every emotion like a banner in his eyes. She smiled to herself. Not only did he look like his father, she could tell what he was thinking just like she could with her brother. The thought brought home the reality that her brother was gone, and she was left with the responsibility of raising his son. She blinked back the tears that threatened. She loved the boy already.
Johnny sat up taller in the seat and pressed the side of his face to the window trying to see the jet as it flew overhead. He couldn't help the excitement that welled. He was about to take his first plane ride. Trepidation at his destination was now overshadowed by the prospect of flying.
The taxi pulled alongside the curb in front of the terminal.
Johnny looked over at his aunt and uncle as they got out of the vehicle. For a split second he thought about running. All he would have had to do is open the door, slide out quickly and take off. Maybe they wouldn't catch him. But that thought disintegrated into memories of the nights he spent outside in the cold while trying to get back to the center. He shuddered at the memory. He sat frozen in his seat until his aunt leaned back into the cab.
"Come on John. We don't want to miss our flight."
Johnny slowly slid across the seat and climbed out. He stood next to his aunt and looked at the people coming and going. His uncle, with the help of the cabbie, had loaded their things on a cart and waited beside the entrance.
Rose placed her hand on Johnny's shoulder. "It's alright you know?" She waited for some answer, a nod, a shrug, a sound, but none came. It was as if Johnny had learned to hide all emotion. She dropped her hand to her side and started toward her husband. Johnny followed.
Once inside the terminal the hustle and bustle of passengers dropping off luggage, getting their boarding passes and others picking up their belongings and meeting family and friends was mind boggling. Johnny's eyes moved from one to the other, but with his head down and his long dark hair shielding the view, no one could tell that he saw any of the activity. He was fascinated by the rapidity of it all.
In no time at all the small group of travelers had acquired their tickets and now stood at the gate where the attendant approved them for boarding. Aunt Rose had to produce official documents that proved she was now Johnny's legal guardian. After a quick glance they were given clearance and moved toward the waiting airplane. Johnny couldn't help himself. The closer they got to the door the closer he got to his aunt and uncle. His thoughts suddenly filled with the possibility that the plane might crash. The excited butterflies in his stomach were fast becoming more like giant birds. He could feel his heart racing. He gripped the hem of his coat. His eyes darted from side to side contemplating that escape he'd decided against not ten minutes ago in the taxi, but too soon they were at the door and the stewardess ushered them inside and to their seats.
Rose stopped in the aisle and waved her hand toward the window seat. "You sit by the window." She smiled. "That way you can see Los Angeles as we fly over. It's beautiful at night."
Johnny simply slid into the seat and stared out the window.
About half way to California Johnny began to feel sick to his stomach. He shifted restlessly in his seat. When Rose looked over at him she could see that he looked a little pale. He was swallowing over and over, and his foot tapped nervously on the floor. "Are you sick?"
Johnny half turned in his seat toward the window and leaned his head back against the seat. He didn't want anyone to know he was being such a sissy. But the truth was he did feel sick.
"It's alright. A lot of people get air sick. I'll get the stewardess to bring you some soda. That might help."
Johnny turned and glanced at his aunt over his shoulder. She was being nice to him, like Officer Brewster. He turned his body back to the front and waited on his soda. Maybe his aunt did want him, at least for now.
The stewardess brought him a cup of soda which his aunt told him to drink slowly.
It wasn't a very long flight, but it was long enough for the soda to churn in his stomach to the point that it needed to come up. Before Johnny could decide what to do his aunt had heard the involuntary gagging in his throat. She had grabbed the bag from the pocket on the back of the seat in front of Johnny and held it for him as he lost the hold he tried to have on his stomach. He could feel her brushing his hair from his face and hear her telling him it would be alright. When he was finished she wiped his face with the damp cloth the stewardess had brought them. She tucked a pillow behind his head so he could lean against it and still see LA as they came in for landing. With nothing in his stomach he didn't feel as queasy.
He did feel more at ease with his aunt though and that wasn't a bad feeling.
Once they arrived in California Johnny had quickly been enrolled in the nearby high school. He was a junior. It turned out that California was different from his home town. Back home the people from town looked down on the Indian population. In California he was just another kid, but he had trouble understanding and accepting that. The ability to trust anyone had long since been lost.
Johnny turned away and stepped closer to Officer Brewster. His resolve, to never think of her again, was not as strong as his anger at her letting these people take him away wanted it to be. She had been a constant in his young life for several years, someone he could depend on, someone who helped him through the dark days and someone to encourage him when he brought home good marks from school. She had filled the void left when his mother and father died. No one else in his world had cared enough to do that. But Johnny didn't get too close…not close enough for her to touch him. He didn't want that. He had been distancing himself from everyone at the center ever since he had been told that he was leaving. He thought if he had already cut them from his life then leaving them wouldn't hurt so much.
He was wrong.
Johnny knew that when it came right down to it he was alone. He was the only person who could truly decide his future, and right then he wanted to stay. The pain in his heart was no easier than the pain at losing his parents. The turmoil he felt churning inside overwhelmed him; he looked down to the floor. If he looked at anyone they would see the moisture pooling in the corners of his eyes, and he couldn't let them. He had to be strong. He had to be a man.
Officer Brewster knew him well enough to know that the vacant look in his eyes revealed the sad thoughts in his head. She knew he wanted to stay, and in her heart she wanted him to stay as well. If the courts would have allowed it she would have adopted Johnny herself, but they would never give a teenage boy to a single woman. She did nothing to hide the tears that pooled in her eyes.
"Well if we hope to get to California by tonight we don't need to miss our flight. Officer Brewster…" Rose turned from her nephew and looked at the correctional officer. "Thank you for looking after John and Warden Tompkins for keeping him safe until we could return to the states. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it." She then turned back to her nephew, "Come John we must go now."
Much like he had when he first came to the home Johnny followed his aunt and uncle without really looking up to see where he was going. The sight broke Officer Brewster's heart. So much had been gained over the few years he'd been with them, and yet so much had been lost. This was not the scared little boy they had first taken in. This was a young man who had lost all innocence the day his parents were ripped from him in the blink of an eye. Now the confidence he'd gained seemed to have become lost in the fear of the unknown. Fear of what his life would be like with the relatives he didn't even know. Would they be like the foster parents he'd had? Or would they be like his parents? After all this was his father's sister.
Johnny stopped at the door and glanced back at the two adults who had offered him the most kindness in the time since his parent's deaths. He let out a deep sigh, but omitted no sound save the air that rushed from his too thin frame. Then he turned and slowly followed his aunt and uncle to the waiting taxi.
The ride to the airport was done in silence. Johnny stared out the window watching the town flash by. When the taxi passed the school, it stood dark. The dime store was closed. It didn't matter. Not now. He would never be back.
Rose watched her nephew from the opposite side of the taxi. Her husband rode in the front passenger seat. Even though he had his head turned away she could see his reflection in the window. He looked so much like her brother it was like looking back in time. She watched as he tilted his head upward when they neared the airport and the planes roared overhead. His face changed from solemn to curious. She could see every emotion like a banner in his eyes. She smiled to herself. Not only did he look like his father, she could tell what he was thinking just like she could with her brother. The thought brought home the reality that her brother was gone, and she was left with the responsibility of raising his son. She blinked back the tears that threatened. She loved the boy already.
Johnny sat up taller in the seat and pressed the side of his face to the window trying to see the jet as it flew overhead. He couldn't help the excitement that welled. He was about to take his first plane ride. Trepidation at his destination was now overshadowed by the prospect of flying.
The taxi pulled alongside the curb in front of the terminal.
Johnny looked over at his aunt and uncle as they got out of the vehicle. For a split second he thought about running. All he would have had to do is open the door, slide out quickly and take off. Maybe they wouldn't catch him. But that thought disintegrated into memories of the nights he spent outside in the cold while trying to get back to the center. He shuddered at the memory. He sat frozen in his seat until his aunt leaned back into the cab.
"Come on John. We don't want to miss our flight."
Johnny slowly slid across the seat and climbed out. He stood next to his aunt and looked at the people coming and going. His uncle, with the help of the cabbie, had loaded their things on a cart and waited beside the entrance.
Rose placed her hand on Johnny's shoulder. "It's alright you know?" She waited for some answer, a nod, a shrug, a sound, but none came. It was as if Johnny had learned to hide all emotion. She dropped her hand to her side and started toward her husband. Johnny followed.
Once inside the terminal the hustle and bustle of passengers dropping off luggage, getting their boarding passes and others picking up their belongings and meeting family and friends was mind boggling. Johnny's eyes moved from one to the other, but with his head down and his long dark hair shielding the view, no one could tell that he saw any of the activity. He was fascinated by the rapidity of it all.
In no time at all the small group of travelers had acquired their tickets and now stood at the gate where the attendant approved them for boarding. Aunt Rose had to produce official documents that proved she was now Johnny's legal guardian. After a quick glance they were given clearance and moved toward the waiting airplane. Johnny couldn't help himself. The closer they got to the door the closer he got to his aunt and uncle. His thoughts suddenly filled with the possibility that the plane might crash. The excited butterflies in his stomach were fast becoming more like giant birds. He could feel his heart racing. He gripped the hem of his coat. His eyes darted from side to side contemplating that escape he'd decided against not ten minutes ago in the taxi, but too soon they were at the door and the stewardess ushered them inside and to their seats.
Rose stopped in the aisle and waved her hand toward the window seat. "You sit by the window." She smiled. "That way you can see Los Angeles as we fly over. It's beautiful at night."
Johnny simply slid into the seat and stared out the window.
About half way to California Johnny began to feel sick to his stomach. He shifted restlessly in his seat. When Rose looked over at him she could see that he looked a little pale. He was swallowing over and over, and his foot tapped nervously on the floor. "Are you sick?"
Johnny half turned in his seat toward the window and leaned his head back against the seat. He didn't want anyone to know he was being such a sissy. But the truth was he did feel sick.
"It's alright. A lot of people get air sick. I'll get the stewardess to bring you some soda. That might help."
Johnny turned and glanced at his aunt over his shoulder. She was being nice to him, like Officer Brewster. He turned his body back to the front and waited on his soda. Maybe his aunt did want him, at least for now.
The stewardess brought him a cup of soda which his aunt told him to drink slowly.
It wasn't a very long flight, but it was long enough for the soda to churn in his stomach to the point that it needed to come up. Before Johnny could decide what to do his aunt had heard the involuntary gagging in his throat. She had grabbed the bag from the pocket on the back of the seat in front of Johnny and held it for him as he lost the hold he tried to have on his stomach. He could feel her brushing his hair from his face and hear her telling him it would be alright. When he was finished she wiped his face with the damp cloth the stewardess had brought them. She tucked a pillow behind his head so he could lean against it and still see LA as they came in for landing. With nothing in his stomach he didn't feel as queasy.
He did feel more at ease with his aunt though and that wasn't a bad feeling.
Once they arrived in California Johnny had quickly been enrolled in the nearby high school. He was a junior. It turned out that California was different from his home town. Back home the people from town looked down on the Indian population. In California he was just another kid, but he had trouble understanding and accepting that. The ability to trust anyone had long since been lost.
Chapter Five
Johnny's aunt and uncle made him feel like they wanted him with them in California, but when he had first been sent to other foster homes things always started out good. They just didn't stay that way. Doubt clouded his feelings keeping him from fully relaxing into his new family.
They lived in a two story house with three bedrooms upstairs. Johnny moved into one of the extra rooms. His aunt and uncle had been in Europe when they found out about him and hadn't had time to fix up the room. When he first arrived he had slept in the other bedroom. There wasn't a bed for him in his new room. Rose had painted the room blue in the first week and a bed was delivered the following Monday. "You need a desk to do your homework on, and a lamp." She stood at the door surveying the room once the bed had been made. "You could come with me to pick it out. Would you like that?"
Johnny shrugged his thin shoulders. Why should he pick out things for his room if it wouldn't be his for very long.
Rose could see the doubt running in his head. She knew he was afraid things would turn bad for him again. The deep sadness she'd seen on the first day she met him had faded slightly over that first week, but the insecurity still held on. "John, this is your room. It will be your room as long as you want it to be. Okay?" She waited for some kind of reaction, but he just stood beside the bed staring at the navy comforter. "Then I'll just pick something out. If you don't like it we'll return it and try again." She would do whatever it took to make her nephew know he was loved.
The high school was close enough for Johnny to walk to. He was enrolled and began classes right away. Johnny did well in school and usually brought home good grades, but at home he was still very withdrawn. His English teacher even made him editor of the school newspaper. "You write with such emotion Johnny. Please consider taking the lead with the paper. I just know with you at the helm we'll surely bring home all the district awards for high school papers." His teacher begged him to do it. In the end he had agreed. After all he didn't have many friends and so he had lots of free time to work on it.
Johnny often felt restless. He always seemed to be a bundle of energy. One afternoon while snapping pictures of the football practice he noticed several boys jogging around the black asphalt track that encircled the field. He didn't realize how long he had watched them until when he turned back to the football practice the team had begun picking up their gear and heading into the locker room, so he turned back to watch the runners. Something about the way they moved interested the restless boy.
The next morning Johnny slipped from his aunt and uncle's house before sun up and hurried over to the school track. He didn't know how to start. He'd never jogged before. He'd run like all kids, but this was different. It was a sport. He didn't want to be seen doing it wrong. He checked the strings on his sneakers, hung his jacket on the fence and walked out onto the track. When he watched the runners the day before they had done several stretches, so Johnny tried to mimic their actions, and then he bounced on the balls of his feet a few times before starting on the long stretch before him. When he had made one lap around the field he felt energized. It was as though he had run out of his old self and into a new skin. He checked his watch and realized his aunt and uncle would be looking for him at the breakfast table soon. He hurried back to his new home.
Funny he didn't remember when it had started to feel like home, but somehow it had. His aunt and uncle were good to him. They even bought him the camera he now used for the newspaper. He had only been living there for about six months, but they had been a good six months.
When he stepped into the kitchen panting from the run his aunt looked up from the stove and smiled at him. "Good morning Johnny. Where have you been?"
"Went jogging." He walked quickly up beside her and gave her a swift peck on the cheek.
Rose's hand went to her cheek. It was the first time her nephew had done that. She was afraid to give too much of a reaction for fear he would be uncomfortable, but she needn't have worried. Johnny smiled at her with a broad crooked grin; then he spun around on his toes and hurried to his room to get ready for school leaving Rose standing in the kitchen reeling with joy. Johnny finally seemed to have adjusted to his new home. She knew she would never forget that first kiss on the cheek and the genuine smile that followed. Finally, Johnny realized this was his home and they were his family.
After several days of his own private morning jog Johnny was stopped by the track coach. "I've been watching you Gage."
Johnny's head jerked up. He dropped the towel he'd been rubbing the sweat on his neck and shoulders with. He didn't know anyone else was there. "I…um…I didn't mean to trespass. I'll um…I'm sorry. I'll just go…"
The coach raised his hands in surrender. "Hey it's okay. I've seen you out here for days now. I even timed you on the 440. You're good."
Johnny's face screwed up and he looked at the coach. "The 440?"
"Twice around; you have the fastest time of all the boys on my team." The coach blushed a little and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was wondering if you ever considered running track."
"Join the team? I've never run track, Coach. I don't know how." Johnny splay his hand across his chest.
The coach chuckled, "From what I see you'll do fine. You need to work on your stretches so you don't pull a muscle or anything, but I can show you the right way to do them or team you up with one of our senior boys. I think you'll make a great addition to our long distance runners. What do ya say?"
"I have to ask my aunt and uncle, but sure. Why not?" Johnny shrugged. "Can I let you know tomorrow?"
"Practice starts right after school."
And that is how Johnny joined the track team. All he had to do was show up after school and run much like he had before school for days now. He headed home that morning with a new spring in his step.
Johnny was teamed up with another long distance runner who matched his height. Gil Robinson also happened to be a big man on campus. Not only was he the star of the track team but in addition played on the basketball team and was very popular with the girls. Johnny enjoyed watching and learning Gil's track moves, but other than their practice sessions the two didn't really spend a lot of time together. Gil always had lots of things going on, and often had to hurry off to some party or school event. That actually turned out to be okay with Johnny. He had decided not to get too close to anyone in case he had to leave, but that was getting harder and harder to do.
Things settled into a routine for the little family. Johnny's uncle even taught him how to drive, so that he could get to the track meets on days that his aunt and uncle had to work. Sometimes the school arranged a bus, but others at nearby high schools they had to get there on their own.
Then when things finally seemed to be looking up for him life betrayed him again.
His uncle got very sick and died.
His aunt had to sell their home and they were forced to move into a low income apartment in a seedy area. She had to work two jobs to keep food on the table. Johnny finished his junior year winning several awards at the end of the school year awards ceremony, one for the fastest time in the long distance running where he had gone to the state championship with his team and one for the many literary competitions their newspaper had been included in, but the one that meant the most to his Aunt Rose was the one for academic achievement for being a straight A student.
Rose and Johnny framed his certificates and put them on the wall to his tiny bedroom.
That would be his last year at his new high school. Johnny went to summer school that year and graduated early so he could help his aunt. His aunt and uncle had given him a home and he had come to love them deeply. He understood his aunt's heartache at losing her husband. Johnny didn't want to add to her struggles. He decided that rather than have her work so hard to keep supporting him he would find a way to make it on his own.
They lived in a two story house with three bedrooms upstairs. Johnny moved into one of the extra rooms. His aunt and uncle had been in Europe when they found out about him and hadn't had time to fix up the room. When he first arrived he had slept in the other bedroom. There wasn't a bed for him in his new room. Rose had painted the room blue in the first week and a bed was delivered the following Monday. "You need a desk to do your homework on, and a lamp." She stood at the door surveying the room once the bed had been made. "You could come with me to pick it out. Would you like that?"
Johnny shrugged his thin shoulders. Why should he pick out things for his room if it wouldn't be his for very long.
Rose could see the doubt running in his head. She knew he was afraid things would turn bad for him again. The deep sadness she'd seen on the first day she met him had faded slightly over that first week, but the insecurity still held on. "John, this is your room. It will be your room as long as you want it to be. Okay?" She waited for some kind of reaction, but he just stood beside the bed staring at the navy comforter. "Then I'll just pick something out. If you don't like it we'll return it and try again." She would do whatever it took to make her nephew know he was loved.
The high school was close enough for Johnny to walk to. He was enrolled and began classes right away. Johnny did well in school and usually brought home good grades, but at home he was still very withdrawn. His English teacher even made him editor of the school newspaper. "You write with such emotion Johnny. Please consider taking the lead with the paper. I just know with you at the helm we'll surely bring home all the district awards for high school papers." His teacher begged him to do it. In the end he had agreed. After all he didn't have many friends and so he had lots of free time to work on it.
Johnny often felt restless. He always seemed to be a bundle of energy. One afternoon while snapping pictures of the football practice he noticed several boys jogging around the black asphalt track that encircled the field. He didn't realize how long he had watched them until when he turned back to the football practice the team had begun picking up their gear and heading into the locker room, so he turned back to watch the runners. Something about the way they moved interested the restless boy.
The next morning Johnny slipped from his aunt and uncle's house before sun up and hurried over to the school track. He didn't know how to start. He'd never jogged before. He'd run like all kids, but this was different. It was a sport. He didn't want to be seen doing it wrong. He checked the strings on his sneakers, hung his jacket on the fence and walked out onto the track. When he watched the runners the day before they had done several stretches, so Johnny tried to mimic their actions, and then he bounced on the balls of his feet a few times before starting on the long stretch before him. When he had made one lap around the field he felt energized. It was as though he had run out of his old self and into a new skin. He checked his watch and realized his aunt and uncle would be looking for him at the breakfast table soon. He hurried back to his new home.
Funny he didn't remember when it had started to feel like home, but somehow it had. His aunt and uncle were good to him. They even bought him the camera he now used for the newspaper. He had only been living there for about six months, but they had been a good six months.
When he stepped into the kitchen panting from the run his aunt looked up from the stove and smiled at him. "Good morning Johnny. Where have you been?"
"Went jogging." He walked quickly up beside her and gave her a swift peck on the cheek.
Rose's hand went to her cheek. It was the first time her nephew had done that. She was afraid to give too much of a reaction for fear he would be uncomfortable, but she needn't have worried. Johnny smiled at her with a broad crooked grin; then he spun around on his toes and hurried to his room to get ready for school leaving Rose standing in the kitchen reeling with joy. Johnny finally seemed to have adjusted to his new home. She knew she would never forget that first kiss on the cheek and the genuine smile that followed. Finally, Johnny realized this was his home and they were his family.
After several days of his own private morning jog Johnny was stopped by the track coach. "I've been watching you Gage."
Johnny's head jerked up. He dropped the towel he'd been rubbing the sweat on his neck and shoulders with. He didn't know anyone else was there. "I…um…I didn't mean to trespass. I'll um…I'm sorry. I'll just go…"
The coach raised his hands in surrender. "Hey it's okay. I've seen you out here for days now. I even timed you on the 440. You're good."
Johnny's face screwed up and he looked at the coach. "The 440?"
"Twice around; you have the fastest time of all the boys on my team." The coach blushed a little and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was wondering if you ever considered running track."
"Join the team? I've never run track, Coach. I don't know how." Johnny splay his hand across his chest.
The coach chuckled, "From what I see you'll do fine. You need to work on your stretches so you don't pull a muscle or anything, but I can show you the right way to do them or team you up with one of our senior boys. I think you'll make a great addition to our long distance runners. What do ya say?"
"I have to ask my aunt and uncle, but sure. Why not?" Johnny shrugged. "Can I let you know tomorrow?"
"Practice starts right after school."
And that is how Johnny joined the track team. All he had to do was show up after school and run much like he had before school for days now. He headed home that morning with a new spring in his step.
Johnny was teamed up with another long distance runner who matched his height. Gil Robinson also happened to be a big man on campus. Not only was he the star of the track team but in addition played on the basketball team and was very popular with the girls. Johnny enjoyed watching and learning Gil's track moves, but other than their practice sessions the two didn't really spend a lot of time together. Gil always had lots of things going on, and often had to hurry off to some party or school event. That actually turned out to be okay with Johnny. He had decided not to get too close to anyone in case he had to leave, but that was getting harder and harder to do.
Things settled into a routine for the little family. Johnny's uncle even taught him how to drive, so that he could get to the track meets on days that his aunt and uncle had to work. Sometimes the school arranged a bus, but others at nearby high schools they had to get there on their own.
Then when things finally seemed to be looking up for him life betrayed him again.
His uncle got very sick and died.
His aunt had to sell their home and they were forced to move into a low income apartment in a seedy area. She had to work two jobs to keep food on the table. Johnny finished his junior year winning several awards at the end of the school year awards ceremony, one for the fastest time in the long distance running where he had gone to the state championship with his team and one for the many literary competitions their newspaper had been included in, but the one that meant the most to his Aunt Rose was the one for academic achievement for being a straight A student.
Rose and Johnny framed his certificates and put them on the wall to his tiny bedroom.
That would be his last year at his new high school. Johnny went to summer school that year and graduated early so he could help his aunt. His aunt and uncle had given him a home and he had come to love them deeply. He understood his aunt's heartache at losing her husband. Johnny didn't want to add to her struggles. He decided that rather than have her work so hard to keep supporting him he would find a way to make it on his own.
Chapter Six
The alarm clock rang under the pillow startling Johnny awake. The beating of the little hammer against the bells was not a welcome sound. It was way earlier than he usually got up. He groaned to the empty room, fished beneath the pillow; grabbed the offending thing and quickly shut if off.
The pre-dawn light filtered through the curtains giving enough light for him to see his small bedroom. As he lay in the bed rubbing the sleep from his eyes a car horn blared in the distance reminding him if he wanted to sneak out of the house before his aunt woke up he had to hurry. He slipped from beneath the sheets and sat on the side of the bed. The worn wooden floors felt cold on his bare feet.
As he rose from the bed he noticed the stream of light filtering through the iron bars on the window cast a strange pattern on the picture he kept on the desk of his aunt, uncle and him when he won his first 440, his medal hung around his neck and they were all so happy, but he didn't have time to think about that right now.
He turned to grab his gym bag and stubbed his toe on the dresser. Letting out a yelp, he grabbed his foot and hopped slightly in the cramped space; then snatched the bag from atop the stack of boxes in the corner that never got unpacked due to the lack of space and tossed it on the bed. As the stinging eased he exhaled a deep sigh.
'WhatshouldItake?'
He turned to the dresser and ran his hand through his sleep mussed hair and then reached for the top drawer. After a few minutes of packing the necessities he threw in one good shirt and his best pair of slacks. He would need those for job interviews. Then he moved the bag to the dresser, slipped in the picture and zipped it up.
Quickly he made up the bed and replaced the pillow he'd tossed to the floor a habit he'd retained from his time at the juvenile detention center. 'AtleastAuntRoseneverhadtotellmetomakemybed.' He smoothed the wrinkles from the comforter.
He hurriedly dressed in his favorite sweats, grabbed the bag and slipped furtively from the room.
Tip toeing down the hall was not an easy task. Everywhere he stepped the ratty floor boards creaked and cracked. He was sure the noise would wake up his aunt, and that was the last thing he wanted, but luck was not on his side that morning. His next step emitted the loudest crack. To his young ears it sounded like it echoed down the hallway and rebounded off his aunt's bedroom door.
He froze.
She coughed.
He waited, holding his breath.
When she didn't make any more noise he began moving again.
As he passed his aunt's room a feeling of sadness stopped him in his tracks.
He couldn't leave without seeing her one more time. He stopped just outside her door and listened for a second, cracked open the door and peered through the opening. She lay sleeping in the bed hugging Ben's pillow. Johnny too ached for his uncle. Ben had taught him so many things in the short time they were together. Every Sunday they spent time fixing up their house or working on the cars, changing the oil and simple maintenance and repairs.
'I'm showing you the settings, Johnny, so you can save yourself money with you're older. Anything you can do for yourself can save money and plus you will know it's done right.'
Johnny reminisced about his uncle's words.
He pulled the door to being careful not to wake her and hurried into the tiny kitchen only large enough to hold the stove, sink and folding table that they both ate at. He pulled one of the junk mail envelopes his aunt saved for scratch paper and scribble quickly:
Aunt Rose,
Thank you for all you have done for me. I know that since Uncle Ben died things have been really tough. I think it is time for me to move on. Things will be easier for you. Please know that I love you. I will be in touch soon.
Love, Johnny
Then he tacked the note beneath a magnet on the fridge. When he turned around his aunt was standing in the doorway.
"Johnny?"
He backed up to hide the note he'd just placed beneath the magnet. "Good morning. I was just leaving you a note." He turned and plucked it from the fridge.
"What are you doing up so early?" She looked concerned.
"I…uh…I'm going to look for a job today, a real job. I wanted to get an early start." He didn't look into her eyes when he spoke. He couldn't do that.
"But you're not dressed for a job interview. You should wear your dress slacks and a nice shirt." She reasoned. Johnny thought she didn't have a clue that he had just lied to her, not really a total lie though. He really did plan on getting a job. "Why don't I take you on my way to work? You could go back to sleep for a while."
"No!" He blurted out. "I mean it's all right. I don't want to make you late. I'm just going to walk. That's why I'm up early. I have my dress clothes here in my bag. I didn't want to get them dirty. I'll change at a gas station or McDonald's or something."
"Well it sounds like my boy is growing up on me; taking all this responsibility on like a man." Rose walked over and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'm proud of you dear." She stepped back and looked at him, but he still didn't meet her eyes. He felt terrible letting her think that. She had no idea that he wasn't coming back home tonight. He crumpled the note in his fist. "You be careful out there walking before light." She patted his chest. "I'll say an extra prayer you find a job that you'll like. You can tell me about it at dinner."
Johnny quickly turned away before he spoke again. The words caught in his throat, "Uh…" He stammered. "Uh…I better get a move on." He reached for the door. Something deep inside made him turn back and pull his aunt into a hug. "I love you Aunt Rose."
"I love you too." She hugged him back.
He let go of her and bolted out the door. If he stayed in that kitchen for one more second he might lose the nerve to leave.
A loneliness he hadn't felt since first coming to California washed over him as he stepped from the porch and at seventeen years old, almost eighteen, he turned from his home to make his own way in the world. Stopping only long enough to smooth the crumpled note and slip it beneath the windshield wiper on his aunt's car. He couldn't leave her not knowing he wouldn't be back tonight.
Then he set out down the sidewalk as a garbage truck rumbled down the road from house to house banging the cans on the back of the truck as the handlers deposited life's waste into the waiting compactor.
The pre-dawn light filtered through the curtains giving enough light for him to see his small bedroom. As he lay in the bed rubbing the sleep from his eyes a car horn blared in the distance reminding him if he wanted to sneak out of the house before his aunt woke up he had to hurry. He slipped from beneath the sheets and sat on the side of the bed. The worn wooden floors felt cold on his bare feet.
As he rose from the bed he noticed the stream of light filtering through the iron bars on the window cast a strange pattern on the picture he kept on the desk of his aunt, uncle and him when he won his first 440, his medal hung around his neck and they were all so happy, but he didn't have time to think about that right now.
He turned to grab his gym bag and stubbed his toe on the dresser. Letting out a yelp, he grabbed his foot and hopped slightly in the cramped space; then snatched the bag from atop the stack of boxes in the corner that never got unpacked due to the lack of space and tossed it on the bed. As the stinging eased he exhaled a deep sigh.
'WhatshouldItake?'
He turned to the dresser and ran his hand through his sleep mussed hair and then reached for the top drawer. After a few minutes of packing the necessities he threw in one good shirt and his best pair of slacks. He would need those for job interviews. Then he moved the bag to the dresser, slipped in the picture and zipped it up.
Quickly he made up the bed and replaced the pillow he'd tossed to the floor a habit he'd retained from his time at the juvenile detention center. 'AtleastAuntRoseneverhadtotellmetomakemybed.' He smoothed the wrinkles from the comforter.
He hurriedly dressed in his favorite sweats, grabbed the bag and slipped furtively from the room.
Tip toeing down the hall was not an easy task. Everywhere he stepped the ratty floor boards creaked and cracked. He was sure the noise would wake up his aunt, and that was the last thing he wanted, but luck was not on his side that morning. His next step emitted the loudest crack. To his young ears it sounded like it echoed down the hallway and rebounded off his aunt's bedroom door.
He froze.
She coughed.
He waited, holding his breath.
When she didn't make any more noise he began moving again.
As he passed his aunt's room a feeling of sadness stopped him in his tracks.
He couldn't leave without seeing her one more time. He stopped just outside her door and listened for a second, cracked open the door and peered through the opening. She lay sleeping in the bed hugging Ben's pillow. Johnny too ached for his uncle. Ben had taught him so many things in the short time they were together. Every Sunday they spent time fixing up their house or working on the cars, changing the oil and simple maintenance and repairs.
'I'm showing you the settings, Johnny, so you can save yourself money with you're older. Anything you can do for yourself can save money and plus you will know it's done right.'
Johnny reminisced about his uncle's words.
He pulled the door to being careful not to wake her and hurried into the tiny kitchen only large enough to hold the stove, sink and folding table that they both ate at. He pulled one of the junk mail envelopes his aunt saved for scratch paper and scribble quickly:
Aunt Rose,
Thank you for all you have done for me. I know that since Uncle Ben died things have been really tough. I think it is time for me to move on. Things will be easier for you. Please know that I love you. I will be in touch soon.
Love, Johnny
Then he tacked the note beneath a magnet on the fridge. When he turned around his aunt was standing in the doorway.
"Johnny?"
He backed up to hide the note he'd just placed beneath the magnet. "Good morning. I was just leaving you a note." He turned and plucked it from the fridge.
"What are you doing up so early?" She looked concerned.
"I…uh…I'm going to look for a job today, a real job. I wanted to get an early start." He didn't look into her eyes when he spoke. He couldn't do that.
"But you're not dressed for a job interview. You should wear your dress slacks and a nice shirt." She reasoned. Johnny thought she didn't have a clue that he had just lied to her, not really a total lie though. He really did plan on getting a job. "Why don't I take you on my way to work? You could go back to sleep for a while."
"No!" He blurted out. "I mean it's all right. I don't want to make you late. I'm just going to walk. That's why I'm up early. I have my dress clothes here in my bag. I didn't want to get them dirty. I'll change at a gas station or McDonald's or something."
"Well it sounds like my boy is growing up on me; taking all this responsibility on like a man." Rose walked over and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'm proud of you dear." She stepped back and looked at him, but he still didn't meet her eyes. He felt terrible letting her think that. She had no idea that he wasn't coming back home tonight. He crumpled the note in his fist. "You be careful out there walking before light." She patted his chest. "I'll say an extra prayer you find a job that you'll like. You can tell me about it at dinner."
Johnny quickly turned away before he spoke again. The words caught in his throat, "Uh…" He stammered. "Uh…I better get a move on." He reached for the door. Something deep inside made him turn back and pull his aunt into a hug. "I love you Aunt Rose."
"I love you too." She hugged him back.
He let go of her and bolted out the door. If he stayed in that kitchen for one more second he might lose the nerve to leave.
A loneliness he hadn't felt since first coming to California washed over him as he stepped from the porch and at seventeen years old, almost eighteen, he turned from his home to make his own way in the world. Stopping only long enough to smooth the crumpled note and slip it beneath the windshield wiper on his aunt's car. He couldn't leave her not knowing he wouldn't be back tonight.
Then he set out down the sidewalk as a garbage truck rumbled down the road from house to house banging the cans on the back of the truck as the handlers deposited life's waste into the waiting compactor.
