Under a Summer Sky, page 24
“Jared’s life touched many other lives—and although our hearts are filled with sorrow today, we can find solace in knowing and trusting that God has a greater plan . . . and that Jared’s life . . . and his untimely death . . . will continue to touch us in some way for the rest of our lives.
“Let us pray.”
Noah bowed his head, and although, outwardly, he voiced a prayer for Jared and his family, inwardly, he felt his words had fallen short and he thanked God that it was over. He looked up, reached for his hymnal, and said, “Please join in singing our closing hymn, ‘Blessed Assurance.’ ”
“What you said made a lot of sense, pastor,” several people said afterward.
“It was a very nice service—touching,” others remarked.
“I never thought about God that way,” one boy said.
And when Jillian was finished greeting everyone else, she tearfully hugged and thanked him.
“I feel like we’re on a roller coaster,” Noah mused that evening as he helped Laney wrap Asher’s presents. “In the morning, we’re attending a funeral, and in the evening, we’re getting ready for a birthday.”
“That’s how life is sometimes,” Laney said, tightening a bow.
“None of what I said today came out the way I hoped.”
Laney looked up. “It was fine. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. They were a tough crowd, and I can’t help wondering how many of those kids were dragged there by parents who didn’t realize what Jared was really like.”
“And what was Jared really like?” he asked, looking up.
“He was a bully.”
Noah frowned. “He was also a child—a child who was crying out for love, but I couldn’t say that in front of his mother. I couldn’t say what was really in my heart because it would have broken her heart even more.” He shook his head. “God wants us to love those who are the hardest to love, and we failed him.”
Laney sat down across from him. “I hate to say this, but the world is a safer place without Jared. Now we have one less angry kid who could potentially show up at school with a shotgun someday.”
“That’s harsh.”
“It’s true. How do you rehabilitate a boy like that? In our society, rehabilitation of a child that is innately mean rarely happens. Jared was heartless and cruel and he had no regard for others’ feelings or lives. Look what he did to Asher . . . and to Lucky.”
“You don’t know for certain that he had anything to do with Lucky,” Noah refuted.
“I do know it . . . because I’ve seen the look in his eyes.”
“It’s wrong to give up on a child. He could’ve been moved to a loving home and taught responsibility and respect. He might’ve changed.”
Laney looked skeptical. “No court would have taken him from his mother. She wasn’t the one abusing him. It was an impossible situation.”
“When did you get to be such a pessimist?”
“I’m not a pessimist,” she said. “I’m a realist.”
She stood up to finish wrapping. “When you asked if anyone wanted to say something, I think Asher wanted to. He sat up and looked around, waiting for someone to get up, and when no one did, he started to stand, but then you started talking again, he sat down.”
“He did? I wonder what he would’ve said.”
“I don’t know,” Laney said with a smile. “He’s full of surprises.”
“Has he said any more about it being his fault?”
“No, thank goodness. I think it helped to get home to everyone who loves him.”
Just then, Mennie moseyed over to the table to remind them that it was past his bedtime. Noah cupped the old Lab’s head in his hands and looked into his eyes. “Do you need to go out one more time?” Mennie wagged his tail, and as Noah stood up, he surveyed the pile of gifts on the table as if he was seeing it for the first time. With raised eyebrows, he said, “I don’t think you have enough stuff.”
Laney looked up at the clock. “Well, it’s not too late,” she teased. “I can go get more.”
Noah shook his head, and when he opened the door to let Mennie out, Lucky scooted in, bolted to his empty food dish, and started meowing. “Well, well, well . . . look who finally decided to come home.”
56
“Is he coming?” Gabe asked, peering around the doorway into the kitchen, waiting for his cue.
“Yup,” E said, looking in and nodding. “Go.”
Gabe’s long, agile fingers immediately started dancing along the ivory keys of their old piano, playing the familiar melody “Happy Birthday to You” as a chorus of voices joined in. Asher appeared at the bottom of the stairs, wearing his pajamas, his new John Deere hat, and a shy smile on his face. Then his eyes grew wide at the sight of the pile of gifts waiting on the table.
“Wow,” he said softly.
With a playful flourish, Gabe finished the song and stood up. “C’mon, bud,” he said as he walked by. “You have to open all those before E and I leave for work.”
“No more sharks?” Asher asked brightly.
“Nope.”
“Are you two ready for your peach hotcakes?” Noah asked, eyeing his two older sons as he slid a spatula under the golden orbs on the griddle.
“We’re having peach hotcakes?” Asher asked in surprise.
“Yup,” E said, standing behind Gabe with his plate ready.
“How’s that new stovetop working, dear?” Laney asked, helping Asher into his chair.
“It’s amazing!” Noah teased, as he poured more batter on the griddle. “These are going to be the best pancakes ever.”
“Better than Pancake Man?” Asher asked.
“Way better,” Gabe said with his mouth full. “And these warm peaches . . . mm-mm,” he added, giving Asher a thumbs-up.
Asher grinned. “I told you!”
Noah flipped the next set of pancakes and looked at Ben and Seth. “Ready?”
“Yup,” they said, reaching for their plates, standing up, and jostling for position.
Laney cradled her mug in her hands and looked at Asher. “Well? Are you going to start?”
Asher nodded. “What should I start with?”
“Why don’t you start with ours?” E suggested, downing his orange juice, “in case we have to leave before you’re done.”
“Which one is it?”
“The bag,” Gabe said, pointing to a green bag with yellow ribbon.
Asher pulled the bag toward him and peered into the top of it. He untied the ribbon, reached his arm all the way down inside, and pulled out a metal toy replica of a 1953 John Deere 40 Orchard tractor. “It’s just like Uncle Lyle’s!” he exclaimed, examining it carefully. “It even has headlights!”
“Where in the world did you find that?” Noah asked.
“On eBay,” Gabe said simply, holding his empty plate out for a refill.
“There’s more,” E said, motioning to the bag.
Asher reached back into the bag and pulled out two small boxes and studied the pictures on them.
“They’re puzzles,” E explained.
“John Deere puzzles! Thanks!”
E and Gabe both nodded. “You’re welcome.”
E looked at the clock. “Well, I’m sorry to say this, but I think we better go . . . especially if we’re going to be home in time for cake and ice cream later.”
“Sorry, bud,” E added, giving his youngest brother a hug.
“That’s okay,” Asher said, getting up to give Gabe a hug too. “Thanks for everything. Watch out for sharks!”
They both smiled as they picked up their coolers. “We will.”
As they headed out the door, Asher—with Halle and Mennie’s help—continued to unwrap, and by the time he was done, the floor was littered with torn paper, and across the table were strewn three new books: James and the Giant Peach, Because of Winn-Dixie, and The Fo’c’sle. “That last one is a true story about a little house that was on Cape Cod. And it’s signed by the author,” Laney explained. There was also a new pair of running shoes—just like E’s but in his size—a Harry Potter Lego set from Ben and Seth, which he loved almost as much as the tractor, a new telescope, and a glow in the dark poster of the night sky that depicted all the constellations and their names.
“Wow!” he said, surveying the pile. “I made out like a pirate!”
“You sure did,” Noah said, ruffling his hair and setting a plate of piping hot pancakes in front of him.
“Are all the grandparents coming tonight?” he asked.
“Yup. Gram and Gramp Pacey,” Laney said, referring to her parents, “are coming down for the wedding, and they thought they’d come for your birthday too.”
Asher nodded as he poured a puddle of maple syrup on his plate and swirled a forkful of pancakes through it. “Are they staying here?”
“No, it’s going to be a little hectic here, so they’re staying at the Inn at the Oaks again.”
“In the Captain’s Room?”
“Yes,” she said, surprised that he remembered the name of the room they’d stayed in the last time they’d visited.
Noah sat down across from them with his own stack of pancakes and a cup of coffee.
“The cook finally gets to eat,” Laney said with a smile.
“Wait ’til you taste ’em, Dad,” Asher said with his mouth full of his last bite. As he said this, there was a knock at the front door and Mennie struggled to his feet, barking, while Halle hurried after him to the door, wagging her tail. “I’ll get it!” Asher called, pushing his chair back and almost knocking it over.
He pulled open the old oak door and peered outside curiously as the two dogs wiggled outside to inspect the newcomers. The two men who were standing there knelt down to pet the dogs and looked up at Asher. “Hey, sport, we’re here to set up the tent.”
Asher nodded. “Dad!” he shouted over his shoulder. “They’re here to set up for the wedding!”
The rest of Asher’s birthday was the best in recent memory. He sat outside all day, with the dogs by his side, watching the workers from Party Tents and More set up the wooden dance floor and the tremendous circus-size tent in the side yard. There was no doubt about it—the excitement was starting to build. In less than six hours, their yard was transformed into party central, and they weren’t even done with his birthday yet!
After the men left, he traipsed into the house with the dogs trotting along after him, and seeing his mom up to her elbows in peach peels, asked, “Can we make peach ice cream?”
“Oh, Ash, I’m a little busy.”
Looking disappointed, he pressed, “Is my cake done?”
“Yup—it’s over there,” she said, motioning with her chin.
He walked over to see it. “Wow, that looks great,” he said, admiring the frosting image of Harry Potter flying on his quidditch broom. “Mom, you’re amazing.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” she said, looking up, “but maybe when I’m done with this, we’ll have time to make ice cream.”
Later that evening, Asa and Maddie arrived, bearing gifts and sharing tales of the comical antics of the four fuzzy goslings that they’d left in the care of their fourteen-year-old neighbor.
“Bella’s so lucky,” Asher said enviously.
“Well, you’ll just have to come up and see them,” Maddie said, giving him a hug. “They had their first swimming lesson today.”
“Mo-om,” he called, “can we go see the baby geese?”
Laney looked up from pulling two trays of foil-covered lasagna out of the oven. “Maybe when the dust settles,” she called back, sliding two loaves of foil-wrapped garlic bread in.
“Knock, knock,” a voice called cheerfully, as Lonnie and Leighton Pacey came into the kitchen through the garage.
“Hi, Gram and Gramp,” Asher said happily, running over to give them hugs.
“Hi,” Laney said happily, putting down the wooden salad utensils she’d just dug out of the drawer and giving her parents hugs.
Asa and Maddie came over to share hugs too.
“That is some tent out there,” Lon said with a smile as he shook Asa’s hand.
“I know,” Asa chuckled. “I asked Asher if there was a circus coming to town.”
Fifteen minutes later, the new kitchen—which the grandparents had been oohing and ahhing over since their arrival—was overflowing with people filling their plates with lasagna and salad and piping hot garlic bread. Glasses were filled with water and wine and iced tea and milk and beer, and when everyone had everything they needed, they gathered around the table and waited for Noah to say grace. They bowed their heads, and he proceeded to solemnly give thanks for bringing them all together, for the delicious dinner, and most of all, for Asher on his eighth birthday.
And when dinner was finished and the coffee was perking, Laney carried Asher’s cake out and set it in front of him. Asher paused and looked around at his family, their faces glowing in the warm light of the candles. He looked at their cheerful wrinkles and their smooth, tan skin. He looked at their sparkling eyes and their loving, laughing smiles, and he listened to their lovely voices blending together in song for him . . . and his heart overflowed. Then he closed his eyes, made a wish, and blew. The room fell into darkness and everyone cheered. And then, one by one, the candles sputtered and flickered back to life, and the room filled with laughter again.
57
On Thursday, Gabe and E were dispatched to the store with a list of supplies, and the top item on the list was: “As many tiki torches as you can find.”
“What does that mean?” E asked. “Twenty? A hundred?”
“Twenty would be good,” Laney said in a distracted voice as she continued to scribble. “And don’t forget the fuel. They make a citronella and cedar if you can find it. Do you think you can find strings of little white Christmas lights too? I’m not sure if we have enough.”
“Probably,” he replied. “After all, it’s almost the end of August. Someone must have their Christmas stuff out.”
“Well, if all else fails, Snow’s probably has some,” she said, tapping her pen. Finally, she sighed and handed him the paper. “Okay, I guess that’s it, but put your phone on ‘loud’ so you’ll hear me if I think of something else.”
E read the list. “What are the ribbons for?”
“The jam jars.”
“And what are we using for plates and silverware and glasses?”
“The caterer is taking care of all that . . . the bar too. They’re dropping off everything Saturday morning.”
“Flowers?”
Laney nodded. “Saturday.”
E started to realize the magnitude of the planning that had gone into this day, and he shook his head. “If I ever get married, I’m going to elope.”
“Oh, no!” Laney said warningly. “There’s no eloping in this house. I’m getting every mother-son dance I have coming to me!”
E laughed. “We’ll see . . .”
Just then, Gabe came down the stairs and looked over his brother’s shoulder at the list. “What do we need Christmas lights for?”
“They’re for under the tent,” Laney explained, “to make it look festive.”
Gabe rolled his eyes. “I’m sure it’ll look festive without Christmas lights.” Then he looked at his brother. “You ready? I have to get back so I can organize the music and burn some new CDs.”
“I’m ready,” he said. Then he looked at his mom again. “How are we paying for all this?”
“Just put it on your card and I’ll pay you back.”
When they got outside, they found their father and younger brothers watching a tractor trailer trying to back up the driveway.
“What the heck is that?” Gabe asked.
“It’s a porta-potty,” Asher said excitedly. “The whole trailer is a big fancy bathroom!”
“What those Democrats won’t think of,” Noah said, shaking his head.
The next morning, Laney felt as if her head had barely hit the pillow when her alarm clock went off. Without opening her eyes, she reached over and clumsily tried to find the snooze button but ended up knocking over a glass of water. “Great,” she grumbled, opening her eyes, slamming the clock, and getting up to find a towel.
Hearing the commotion, Noah rolled over. “Are we getting up?”
“Yup,” she said sleepily. “It’s corn-husking-cobbler-baking day.”
By nine a.m. everyone was up, fed, and given their assignments: Gabe and E were setting up tables and hanging Christmas lights; Ben, Seth, and Asher were seated in lawn chairs, husking the corn that Micah and Beryl had brought down from New Hampshire the night before; and Noah was helping Laney assemble six large peach cobblers in new pans lined up on the kitchen counter. “These peaches are amazing,” he said, popping a slice into his mouth.
“No more,” Laney said as she spread the batter in the bottom of the trays. “Or we won’t have enough.”
Noah nodded, and when she wasn’t looking, he popped another in his mouth.
“I saw that!”
He laughed. “You do have eyes in the back of your head.”
“Hello! Is this where the wedding is?” a cheerful voice called. The next moment, Micah and Beryl—looking healthy and tan from her tanning visits—followed by E and Gabe came through the door. Their arms were full of vases and votives and Charlotte was carrying a pretty gift bag.
“This is the place!” Laney said with a smile.
“Where should we put these?” Micah asked, glancing around the kitchen.
“Wherever you can find a spot,” Laney answered.
They set them down in the only empty spot—on the floor in the corner—and then Micah, E, and Gabe all reached into the bowl of peaches. “I’m not going to have enough,” Laney warned, eyeing them.
“The kitchen looks beautiful,” Beryl exclaimed, and then spied the jam jars decorated with red-and-white-checked fabric over their lids and tied with white ribbons. “And these look lovely!”
Laney looked up and smiled. “I thought that fabric would go with the sunflowers.”
