Under a Summer Sky, page 9
“Did you say ‘rabbit’?” he asked.
Laney looked puzzled. “Rabbit?”
“You know—for good luck.”
“Oh!” She suddenly realized he was talking about the age-old superstition to say “rabbit, rabbit” as soon as you woke up on the first day of the month and then you were assured to have good luck all month long. “Oh, hon, June first was yesterday.”
Asher looked utterly distressed. “It was?”
Laney saw his dismay and frowned. “Ash, it’s just a silly superstition. I don’t know why your brothers fill your head with such nonsense. I’m sure June will be a fine month. Now, hurry up and get dressed.”
As he disappeared up the stairs, she murmured, “If anyone should’ve said ‘rabbit, rabbit’ yesterday, it was me.”
Ten minutes later, they were sitting at the bottom of the driveway, waiting. “Where is your bus?”
“Maybe we missed it,” Asher suggested hopefully, his mouth full of strawberry Pop-Tart. “Maybe you should drive me,” he added with crumbs spewing everywhere.
“If you missed it, that won’t be very lucky, because I’ll be late for school.”
“It’ll be lucky for me,” Asher said with a grin, “cuz then I won’t see you-know-who.”
“Who? Voldemort?” she teased.
“Very funny, Mom.”
“Maybe I can get E or Gabe to drive you.”
“Waking them would take even longer.”
Laney sighed, knowing he was right. Waking her two older sons was like waking a pair of bears from winter hibernation. “Okay,” she conceded, still hoping the bus would magically appear. “Hop in back.”
“Yes!” Asher cheered, climbing over the seat. “Maybe it’ll be a lucky month after all.”
17
Elijah sat on the edge of his bed, scrolling through the pictures on his phone. Chloe had been leaning against his car the night before, posing seductively, and he’d taken several pictures. “I don’t know if your mom’s going to like seeing these photos of her daughter on Facebook.”
“You better not,” she’d warned.
He’d laughed, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously. “Hmm . . . what’s in it for me?”
“What would you like to be in it?” she’d murmured, brushing against him and feeling how aroused he was. He’d slid his hands down her back and pulled her against him. “You,” he’d whispered with a smile.
His reverie was suddenly interrupted by his phone vibrating, and he lightly tapped the screen.
R U UP?
He glanced at his boxers and chuckled.
YUP!
I MEAN AWAKE
THAT 2
LAST NIGHT WAS NICE . . .
MMM . . .
MISSED UAS SOON AS ULEFT
MISSED U 2
GOIN RUNNIN?
YUP
WILL I C U LTR?
DEFINITELY
CAN’T WAIT . . .
MIGHT NOT . . .
WELL MAK SUR UR THINKIN OF ME . . .
ALWAYS!
GOOD. LUV U!
LUV U 2
Elijah leaned back against his pillow and smiled. Then he glanced at the time on his phone and realized how late it was. If they were going running, they needed to get moving. He threw a pillow at his brother. “Gettin’ up?”
Gabe muffled a sleepy reply.
“Is that a yes?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“How far are we going?” E asked, stripping off his boxers and pulling on his running shorts.
“Ten?”
“Well, get moving or we won’t have time.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were trotting down the shady driveway and Gabe was still yawning. “You got in late.”
“Don’t tell Mom.”
“Do I ever?”
“Yes.”
“I only told her you were seeing Chloe. She was going to find out anyway. So . . . where were you?”
“Down at the beach.”
“Doin’ what?” Gabe teased, knowing full well he wasn’t going to get an answer.
“None of your business.”
“Hmm. That just makes my imagination run wild.”
“How ’bout you run wild, instead of your imagination?” E said, picking up the pace.
18
“So that’s that?” Asa said with a resigned nod. “There’s nothing that can be done?” He felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach. Tears filled Maddie’s eyes, and when she tried to breathe, her breath came out in a muffled cry. Asa wrapped his hand around hers, and Maddie felt how cold he was.
“Inoperable doesn’t mean there’s no treatment,” Dr. Raines said gently. “It means the tumor can’t be removed surgically, but it can still be treated with radiation, and the seizures you’ve been experiencing can be treated with medication.”
Asa squeezed Maddie’s hand, and his voice wavered as he spoke. “Our son is getting married this summer. Will I still . . . be here?”
The doctor nodded. “You will be here.” He smiled. “It’s not the end of the world, Mr. Coleman—at least not yet! And your attitude will play a big part. Our goal is to shrink the tumor. External beam radiation therapy is noninvasive and it’s done on an outpatient basis. You will come in for your treatments, and you will walk out and carry on with your life.”
“What are the side effects?” Maddie asked, starting to feel hopeful.
“Oh, the usual suspects—hair loss, fatigue, short-term memory loss, possibly muffled hearing, weight loss.”
“And when would I start?” Asa asked.
“As soon as possible. And once we start, it’s important that you get plenty of rest—which shouldn’t be a problem because you’re going to be tired, and you’ll need to keep up your strength. So you must eat . . . even if you aren’t hungry.”
Asa nodded, trying to absorb everything said the doctor was saying.
Twenty minutes later, after scheduling the treatments and taking care of all the other details, they stepped out into the beautiful June morning, and Asa pulled Maddie into his arms. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.
“It’s not your fault,” she said softly.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so . . . unreachable. I just didn’t want to believe it was real.”
“It is real.”
“I know,” he said, pulling back and searching her eyes. “I wish it wasn’t. I wish we didn’t have to go through it. I wish you didn’t have to go through it.”
“We’ll get through it together.”
He nodded solemnly and looked up at the cloudless, blue sky. “I don’t want to say anything to the kids . . . with the wedding coming.”
Maddie frowned. “Asa, how can we not tell them?” she asked, gently laying her hand on the side of his head. “They’re going to figure it out—especially if you lose your hair.”
He rested his hand on hers. “Maybe I won’t lose my hair. Let’s just take one day at a time. If we have to tell them, we will, but for now, I don’t want to be a dark cloud hanging over their happiness.”
Maddie nodded uncertainly. She understood how he felt, but deep down, it seemed like an unforgivable betrayal of trust. “You’re going to have to take their calls then, because I can’t lie. Noah and Laney already know something’s going on, and they’re going to ask.”
Asa nodded. “Fine, I’ll take their calls.”
They were both quiet as Maddie drove home. They stopped at the pharmacy to pick up the new seizure medicine, and then they stopped at the market to pick up a couple of steaks for dinner. “I guess I don’t need to worry about my cholesterol anymore,” Asa said with a wry smile.
“Yes, you do,” Maddie admonished as they turned onto their street. “You’re going to beat this, and you’re going to continue to have all the same health problems you’ve always had.”
As they drew near the house, they saw Micah’s car parked in the driveway, and Asa turned to her. “Please remember what I said.”
Maddie nodded, but she could already feel tears stinging her eyes. Micah was in the yard, throwing a tennis ball for Harper, their black Lab. He looked up and waved, and almost immediately, a little girl of about five peered around the corner of the house. She smiled shyly and then started to run toward them, her blond curls bouncing around her rosy cheeks. Asa opened his door, and she threw her arms around his neck. “Hi, Grampa,” she whispered.
Asa held her tight, his heart in his throat. “Hi, honey.” He stood up with her still in his arms.
“We came to see you,” she said matter-of-factly.
“You did?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded, then squirmed from his arms and ran to give Maddie a hug too.
Her grandmother scooped her up. “Hi, sweetie,” she said cheerfully, pushing away her new reality.
Harper bounded over and dropped a soggy tennis ball at Asa’s feet, her tail wagging. Asa gave it a kick, but Harper pounced, stopping the ball in its tracks, and then dropped it at his feet again. Asa leaned down to pick it up, and a sudden, sharp pain exploded through his head. He stood up unsteadily with the ball in his hand as Harper bounced expectantly in front of him. He tossed it weakly over her head, and a wave of nausea swept over him and he had to hold onto the car for support.
“Dad, are you okay?” Micah asked, coming up to steady him.
“Yup, fine,” Asa insisted, rubbing his temple. “I just stood up too quickly.”
Maddie ran her fingers through her salt and pepper hair and blinked back tears. Just then, an attractive, petite woman with short dark hair came up behind Micah.
“Hi, Beryl,” Maddie said, giving her future daughter-in-law a warm hug.
“Hi,” Beryl replied, hugging her back. She loved Micah’s mom, and she wanted to call her “Mom,” but the word just wouldn’t come out yet. It was still too soon.
“We’ve been trying to reach you all day,” Micah said. “So we finally decided to come over and make sure there wasn’t something wrong with your phone.”
“How come you didn’t try our cell?” Asa asked, giving Beryl a hug too.
“I did. No answer.”
Maddie suddenly remembered she’d left their cell phone plugged in on the counter. “That’s because we forgot it, dear.” She shook her head and smiled. “What can I tell you? Your parents are getting old and forgetful.” She gave her son a long hug and purposely avoided his eyes.
Micah reached into the backseat for the grocery bags, handed the smallest one to Charlotte, gathered up the rest, and followed his parents inside. “So where’ve you been all day?”
“We had some errands to run.”
“All day?”
“We haven’t been gone all day. We’ve been in and out. You must’ve just missed us.”
“Well, if you ever need us to let Harper out, all you have to do is call.” He set the bags on the counter, and Charlotte pulled the prescription out of the bag she’s carried in. Micah took it from her and glanced at the label. “What’s Depakote?” he asked.
“Oh, that’s just my cholesterol medicine,” Asa said casually, leaning against the stove. Micah nodded and put it on the counter with everything else.
“Can you stay for supper?” Maddie asked.
“I wish we could,” Beryl said, rubbing Harper’s ears. “But we’re going out for pizza with Rumer, Will, and Rand.” She paused. “We wondered if you guys might like to come. We’re going to be talking about the wedding menu.” She looked over at Micah and grinned. “Micah thinks we should have an old-fashioned clambake.”
“A clambake sounds perfect!” Maddie said, glancing at her husband to see if he felt like going out for pizza, but his face was pale and she could tell he was trying to hide the fact that he didn’t feel well. “I think we’ll take a rain check on pizza though. We’ve had a busy day.”
Micah looked at his watch. “Okay, well, I guess we better go then.” He kissed his mom’s cheek. “Love you, Mom,” he murmured.
“Love you too, hon.”
Then he turned to shake his dad’s hand. “Make sure you let me know if you need help with anything. Now that school’s out, I’m free anytime.”
“I will,” Asa said with a nod.
Beryl and Charlotte gave them both hugs and followed Micah to the car. Maddie watched from the window as Beryl helped Charlotte into her car seat and smiled. “Beryl is such a treasure,” she said, but when Asa didn’t reply, she turned around and realized he was already making his way out to the deck with Harper at his side. She reached for his new prescription, studied the directions, and filled a glass with water. She followed him out back, kissed the top of his head, and handed him the glass and one of the pills.
“Thanks for covering for me,” he said.
“You’re welcome. But I can’t promise I’ll be able to keep it together every time.” She squeezed his shoulder. “I’m going to start the grill. Would you like a baked potato?”
“I’ll split one.”
Maddie nodded, and while she busied herself in the kitchen, Asa watched the pair of Canada geese that called their pond home every summer. Mr. and Mrs.—as they affectionately called them—had been late arriving this year. In fact, it had been almost June before Maddie had spotted them as she washed the supper dishes. “They’re here,” she’d called.
“Who?”
“Mr. and Mrs.”
Asa had pulled himself off the couch and stood beside her. “Yup,” he’d said with a smile. “There they are. I was beginning to worry.”
“I was beginning to worry too,” Maddie had agreed.
As he watched now, they gracefully swam along, side by side, in the late day sunlight, and he marveled at their lasting devotion. He stroked Harper’s soft ears and wondered how much time he had left. At seventy-three, his life had been full and lovely—he had no regrets, and if God wanted to call him home, he was ready. But his heart ached for Maddie. He didn’t want her to be alone.
19
“Move, Ashhole,” Jared commanded as he climbed the steps onto the bus, pushing Asher roughly. Asher tried to catch himself, but his arm slipped behind the handrail and got caught.
“What’s the matter, Ashwipe?” Jared taunted. “Did the little baby hurt his arm?” His voice was sarcastic and snide, and his laugh was cruel. “Hey, everybody, little Ashwipe hurt his arm,” he announced as other kids on the bus joined him in jeering Asher.
“I did not!” Asher said defiantly, brushing away hot tears and ignoring the pain in his arm.
“Hey, dipshit!” a voice called. “How ’bout you leave him alone?”
At the sound of the familiar voice, Jared’s heart stopped and he turned to see his older brother coming down the aisle behind him. Asher, sensing a brewing storm, ducked into an empty seat, his heart pounding. “Yeah, loser, I was talking to you.” Jeff sneered derisively, coming face-to-face with his brother and shoving him so hard that he landed on the floor in the aisle. Asher sank lower in his seat, wishing he could disappear. “In fact, turd-face, if I see you bothering him again, I’m gonna beat the pulp out of you.”
“Shut up, Jeff,” Jared said, getting to his feet and trying to save face.
“What?” Jeff said, glaring at him.
“I said, ‘Shut up,’ ” Jared repeated softly, his face pale with rage and humiliation.
By this time, Asher was practically under his seat and his heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest.
“You little shit,” Jeff seethed. He glared at Jared and whispered, “I’m gonna effin’ kill you.” Asher looked up, saw the rage in Jeff’s eyes . . . and believed him.
At the very same moment, Mr. Anderson, the bus driver, climbed up the steps, looked down the aisle, and saw Jeff’s clenched fist connect squarely with his brother’s face. Jared fell back, howling in pain and holding his nose as blood squirted everywhere.
“That’s it!” Mr. Anderson roared. “Off my bus!”
Jeff turned around, and with profanity spewing from his mouth, stormed off the bus, while Jared, fighting back tears and holding his nose, shuffled after him. Asher glanced up as Jared passed and saw blood spattered all over his shirt. Everyone on the bus watched as Mr. Anderson escorted the two wayward boys back into the building. Moments later, he reappeared, shaking his head, climbed back on the bus, and closed the door.
“Hey, Mr. Anderson,” someone in back yelled. “Are they off for good?”
“Damn straight,” Mr. Anderson answered, glancing in his rearview mirror, putting the bus in gear, and turning the big steering wheel.
Asher gazed out his open window as the trees zipped by, felt the cool, early summer breeze, and wondered why he didn’t feel lucky.
When Laney finally got home after her ultrasound and blood work, Asher was sitting on the porch with Halle in his lap. “Whatcha doin’?” she asked, peering around the doorway.
“Thinking,” he said without looking up.
“I heard what happened,” she said softly.
“Yeah,” he said sorrowfully.
“Jeff is suspended for the rest of the year, and Jared isn’t allowed back on the bus.”
“I know.”
Laney studied her youngest son. “How come you’re so gloomy? I thought you’d be happy.”
Asher sighed. “Mom, aren’t you the lady who always says not to rejoice in the misfortunes of others?”
Laney leaned against the doorframe and smiled. “I am that lady! But I didn’t think anyone was listening.”
Asher looked up. “I listen,” he said, sounding wounded, and then added quietly, “I thought I’d be happy, but I just feel sorry for Jared. It must stink to have a brother like Jeff. I only have to put up with Jared on the bus, but he has to put up with Jeff all the time. Jeff told him he—” Asher stopped. He couldn’t even say it. “Jeff says such awful things,” he blurted.
Laney sat down, slipped her arm around him, and said softly, “How come God made you so good?”
“How come he made Jeff so bad?” he asked, playing with Halle’s ears.
“I don’t know, hon. I don’t know why some people do mean things. I guess the only thing we can do is pray for Jeff . . . and Jared.”
