Hello everyone!
I can't even begin how to explain why it has taken so long to get this to you. When you have to finally pull your socks up...life sucks! And the things you love doing the most become the last thing you have time for. So I apologize.
I hope this chapter leaves you a little bit happy, I don't know where I'd be without Hanna. She's my muse & deserves a bit of credit too. - Yes Hanna you do!
Anyways...I do appreciate all your reviews. :)
" Thomas! Get down off there, right now! " Hanna screamed before she ran over & pulled Thomas down from the shelf. " She placed his feet back on the ground & pulled a ladder from the corner of the garage. Lining it against the wall she reached for Thomas' tackle box.
" It's here " she reached for the top shelf " with your fishing rod " she handed them down to him.
" Thanks Mom, I don't want to forget anything " he marched inside & placed the items outside his door. Hanna followed him inside watching as he walked over to his cupboard & pulled out his army green overnight bag & started stuffing it with clothes.
" Have you packed everything? " Hanna asked.
" Yes Mom I just..." Thomas slid under the bed stretching out as far as he could " Need...my boots " he threw both of them out the other side of the bed, Hanna jumped back before the small boot hit her foot. Thomas scooped both of them up placing them inside his bag, he dragged his belongings into the hall with his sleeping bag & fishing rod.
" What time is it Mom? Jamie said he'll be here at four o'clock? " he lifted the wooden blind & looked out the front window.
" It's three thirty " she looked at her watch. " Can we at least have something to eat, maybe talk? You know...give Mom half hour of your time before you ditch me for the man " Hanna joked.
" Ok, half an hour but when Jamie gets here, its go time " He hitched his thumb over his shoulder. Hanna chased Thomas into the kitchen & lifted him on to the breakfast stool even though she knew he could do it himself. She moved about the kitchen quickly making his favorite, a toasted cheese sandwich.
When the door bell rang half an hour later Thomas shot off his seat & ran to the door, he pulled it open & smiled when he saw Jamie in his work wear.
" Hey kiddo! You ready? " Jamie ruffled Thomas' hair.
" You bet, let me get my stuff " he ran back down the hall picking up his sleeping bag & over night bag. " Mom, can you get the rest of my stuff? " Thomas said over his shoulder as he ran past her, his bag almost pulling him to the floor. Thomas tried walking out the door but Jamie placed his hand on his forehead stopping him in his tracks.
" Hey! What did I do? " Thomas took a step back & looked up at Jamie.
" You didn't say please, now don't be rude. Ask your Mom nicely " Jamie pointed to Hanna down the hall.
" Sorry Mom, could you grab my fishing rod & tackle box please? " Hanna walked past the both of them trying her best not to laugh, Jamie winked at her. Hanna placed his things in the back of the truck along with Jamie's belongings, she watched Thomas climb into the rusty old pick up & secure his seat belt. Before Jamie entered the truck she gave Thomas a quick kiss on the cheek. Jamie climbed inside & placed one hand on the steering wheel & the other behind Thomas' seat.
" I'll see you on Sunday Hanna " Jamie cranked over the engine & began pulling out of the driveway.
" Be good Thomas and don't misbehave on Jamie. Don't forget to brush your teeth. And use your manners! " Hanna called out.
" I'll be fine Mom! " Thomas hung out the window of the truck. " Don't worry! " he waved as they drove away from the house. Hanna blew kisses in the air & waved until they were out of sight, she dragged herself back inside & closed the door. Hanna threw her head against the white wooden door.
" Shit! " she swore to herself.
A while down the road with his arm still hanging out the window of Jamie's truck & the wind blowing in his hair, Thomas turned & faced Jamie.
" I want to catch a giant fish Jamie, does the place where we are going have giant fishes "
" I don't know about giant fishes, but there are all kinds of fish out there " Jamie smiled thinking about Thomas's first catch. How excited he'd be, whether Thomas would keep it or throw it back, what the size of it would be and where they'd catch it.
" I can't wait! " Thomas tucked one leg underneath his bottom so he could see out the window better.
" Jamie, how come you didn't come to ours for Christmas? " Thomas turned in his seat to face him.
" I spent Christmas with my son " Jamie glanced quickly at Thomas.
" Does he have lots of toys? Is he coming with us too? " Thomas' face lit up about the possibility another male joining them.
" Caleb doesn't have any toys these days, he's all grown up. And he will not be joining us, he's working all weekend ". If there was one thing Jamie would've preferred this weekend, it would have been for Caleb join them on this camping trip.
" Mom always says working on a weekend sucks a big one. I don't know what she sucks on but she isn't very happy when she has to work on a weekend either " Thomas shrugged his shoulders. Jamie turned his head toward the side & laughed at Thomas' comment.
An hour later Jamie & Thomas arrived at the camp site, they pulled up to a spot by the riverbank & unloaded the tent.
" Thomas, Grab the hammer from my tool box please? " Jamie asked as he unrolled the tent across the ground. Thomas placed one foot on the back wheel & pulled his body into the back of the truck, he opened Jamie's heavy tool box & pulled put two hammers.
" Which one Jamie? " he held the two hammers in the air.
" Both kiddo, one for me. One for you " Jamie waved Thomas over to start helping him.
" Cool. I get to whack stuff! " Thomas pulled the tent pegs out of the large bag, Jamie looked down at Thomas & smiled. He'd never seen a kid so happy out of the city. Jamie wondered could Thomas been extra excited because there was no constant male in his life to do this sort of thing with him? His mother was great providing him with the assurance & confidence he needs but every child needs their father too or someone like a father.
" We're almost done kiddo, just whack that last peg into the ground while I hold this up " Jamie held the tent poles above his head.
" I can't wait to go back to school & rub it into Jay Corby that we slept under the stars " Thomas whacked the tent-peg with a little more aggression.
" Who's Jay Corby? " Jamie asked stepping out from the tent.
" This kid at my school, he keeps giving me crap about not having a Dad " Thomas' voice changed from being ecstatic to sad & lonely.
" Does that make you mad or sad? " Thomas looked up at Jamie and shrugged his shoulders.
" Will I get in trouble if I say both? " Thomas looked worried, Jamie shook his head & Thomas spoke again. " I hate Jay. He's stupid and mean & I wish he wasn't in my class ".
" Thomas, can I ask you something? And this is just between you & me but does your Mom ever talk about your father? Like who he is or what his name is or anything? " Jamie knelt beside Thomas & watched as the cogs turned over inside Thomas's head. Thomas bit his lip & shook his head.
" My Mom doesn't ever talk about my Dad but one day...I heard Nana Ash say I look like my Dad & I'm a smart lick like him too " Thomas opened the car door & pulled his bags out dragging them into the tent.
" Allick. Nana Ash must have said smart allick, its like you're uhm...you're cheeky & smart with jokes & comebacks " Jamie gathered his things & placed them inside the tent. While they set up their sleeping bags Jamie wondered who Thomas' biological father was, if he ever found out who he was he'd ask him why he abandoned his own child & his mother.
" Is there a reason Jay has been bullying you about your Dad? " Jamie tucked one leg under the other & faced him, when Thomas lowered his head Jamie realized this was something more than just a kid bullying someone.
" We have this project at school, it's called Be Like Your Dad. We have to do stuff with our Dad's & wrote a report about it & say how we feel about what we did. I don't have a Dad or anyone who I can do stuff with, Poppy Tom is always too busy & I don't have any else I can ask...except maybe you " Thomas looked up at Jamie with hope in his eyes.
" You can write about us if you want to, hell I'll do what ever you want when ever you want if it means you get to finish your project. I'm not your Dad but I can fill his shoes for a while if you want? " Thomas leapt to his knees throwing himself at Jamie, wrapping his arms around his neck tightly.
" Thank you Jamie, I wish my real Dad was half as cool as you are " Jamie choked up, he never experienced this kind of connection with Caleb, he was at a loss of words. Jamie simply patted Thomas on the back until Thomas pulled away.
" Can we eat now Jamie? I'm pretty hungry " Thomas stepped put of the tent.
" Sure buddy, whatever you want " Jamie followed behind him.
The next day Jamie & Thomas rose early to find the perfect fishing hole, searching high & low for a place hidden beyond the trees. When they found the perfect spot Jamie reached out for Thomas's hand.
" Over there Thomas, we just have to cross those rocks " he pointed to the right of him.
" Awesome! " Thomas ran past Jamie to the edge of the water. Jamie tightened his grip on his tackle box & fishing rod gripping Thomas' hand tightly.
" Ready kiddo? " he looked down at Thomas beaming with adventure.
" Let's do this! " Thomas put one foot into the water as it trickled past his feet. His boots became wet as they crossed the rocks further. Thomas loved nature & all its beauty despite never doing anything like this before, almost as if he was a natural at adapting to the wilderness. When they reached the other side Jamie helped pull Thomas on to the riverbank & threw down their fishing rods.
Jamie showed Thomas how to put bait on his fishing rod, Thomas kept casting out his line only to have his bait fall off before he'd even got a bite.
" I can't catch anything " Thomas sulked. " The bait keeps coming off! " Thomas stormed over to retrieve more bait.
" Come 'ere Thomas, show me how you've put the bait on " Jamie watched as Thomas dragged the tackle box across to the riverbank to where Jamie was standing knee-deep in the water.
" I did it exactly like you showed me, I hook it on and weave it like this " Thomas showed Jamie the end of his line where a worm hung loosely at the end. Jamie pulled the line toward him & weaved it on tighter.
" You have to make sure the entire worm is on there otherwise it'll just slip right off " Jamie handed it back to him.
" Thanks Jamie " Thomas walked back to his spot & cast the line out into the water. He waited patiently looking through the trees at what he thought was a rope hanging from the tree. He took a few steps & walked out into the water a little deeper. When the water was up to his thighs Thomas leaned to the right to see where the rest of the rope was coming from when he slipped on a rock & fell over losing his fishing rod in the water.
" Ahh! " Thomas called out. Jamie looked to his left, when he seen Thomas fall into the water he panicked & rushed over picking him up out of the water by the back of his shirt.
" Shit! Thomas! You alright? " he pulled him back on the riverbank.
" I'm ok, I slipped & lost my rod " Thomas pointed to it floating on the other side of the river. Jamie bent over his hands on his knees & sighed in relief.
" You scared me Thomas " For a moment all Jamie could think of was how much Hanna would murder him if anything ever happened to her only son. " Wait here while I go fetch your fishing rod. Don't. Move! " he ordered Thomas.
Jamie took his jacket off & unbuckled his pants, he kicked his boots off followed by his socks & pushed his pants down until he stood in his boxers. He tugged his shirt over his head & walked out into the water until he could dive in. The water was freezing against his body but Jamie didn't care. It reminded him of a time when he & Claudia used to go driving on a warm Sunday afternoon searching for the perfect swimming hole. Somehow they always ended up at the same place just a few miles from town.
Jamie swum across the water & reached out for the fishing rod, he swum back to where Thomas was handing him his wet fishing rod with the bait still in tact.
" I can swim Jamie...well kinda. My Mom has me in swimming classes but I'm not the best swimmer " Thomas kept looking over at the rope hanging from the top of the tree. " What's that over there? " Thomas pointed to the rope hanging from the tree.
Jamie looked to where Thomas was pointing, when he saw the rope hanging from the tree a huge smile came across his face. A flying fox! The real deal hanging from a tree where he was with Thomas. Jamie felt joy knowing he couldn't let Thomas go home without trying a swing on a flying fox.
" You want to swing off that? " Jamie asked Thomas. " You swing from the tree out over the water & let go until you're in the water. When I was a boy we used to have one of these hanging from a tree, boy you could get some height on those things! " Jamie's eyes were wide like he were a little boy again. " You want me to show you how? " Jamie asked.
" Yeah! Do it Jamie! " Thomas encouraged him. He watched as Jamie swim across the river to the other side where he climbed the tree & carefully walked out to the branch reaching for the rope. He took a deep breath & looked to the other side where Thomas was waiting patiently. Jamie counted to three and then swung out over the river, he let go of the rope & fell into the water. When he came to the surface an excited Thomas was already stripping down to his little shorts.
" I so want to do that Jamie! " He threw his boots & clothing beside Jamie's pile of clothes. Jamie swam to the riverbank & watched Thomas walk into the water, he held Jamie's shoulders as he swam to the other side. Thomas started climbing the tree but when he looked down he started having second thoughts.
" Jamie I'm scared! " Thomas called out from above.
" You can do this Thomas! I know you can " he knew Thomas had enough confidence to swing out.
" What if I drown? That's a pretty big drop " he pointed to the river below.
" It just looks big because you're so little but I promise you Thomas it's not that bad. Just count to three, push-off & let go. I promise I'll be there when you fall " he motioned for him to jump with all intentions of keeping his promise.
He wouldn't let anyone or anything hurt this sweet little boy who he was starting to think of as one of his own.
" Jamie! " Thomas voice bellowed across the river.
" Do it! Ready? One...two...three! Go! " Jamie yelled. Thomas closed his eyes and whispered " I love you Mom " and jumped out into the water. He squealed as he let go and when he hit the water Jamie caught him by the arm lifting him out of the water.
" I did it Jamie! I really did it! Beat that Jay Corby! " he threw a punch into the air.
" Yeah you did " Jamie said with a huge smile on his face, he was so proud. He wondered how Hanna got so lucky in having a kid as outgoing as Thomas.
For the next hour Jamie & Thomas jumped from the tree, sometimes on their own & sometimes together. Jamie showed Thomas some swimming techniques, they practiced swimming across the river every time he jumped from the rope. When Jamie had enough of the flying fox they returned to fishing for another couple of hours. They hadn't caught any all day but Thomas didn't care, he'd had the best afternoon a boy could ask for.
" You want to head back to the truck for a late lunch? " Thomas nodded, he'd worked up an appetite while jumping to & from the tree. They grabbed their rod & tackle box & started walking back to the rocks.
" Did you teach your son how to swim Jamie? " Thomas asked curiously.
" No I didn't unfortunately " Jamie kept walking ahead giving Thomas minimal answers to his question. Thomas was quiet until they returned to the truck but then he spoke up.
" How come? " Thomas asked.
" How come what? " Jamie pulled their lunch out from inside the truck.
" How come you didn't teach your son to swim if he had you as his Dad? " Thomas sat on the tail gate of Jamie's truck & waited patiently for an answer. Jamie was unsure how to explain to him why he left his son like his Dad had left him, more so Jamie didn't want to taint the image Thomas has of him.
" Caleb's Mom & I we didn't get along too well when he was little. We separated for a while & then I lost where they were. It was a long time before I found my son again and by that time he was very angry at me for a lot of things " Jamie bent the truth a little but he couldn't come right out & say he was a miserable partner, a horrible Dad & not to mention a criminal.
" Did your son forgive you for losing him? " Thomas looked to Jamie for answers wondering if his Dad lost his Mom & him too.
" He did forgive me but I had to earn back his trust & friendship. We're a lot better these days but there's still that history he'll never forget " Jamie never thought he'd have this conversation with Thomas, even now talking about it he was reminded of what a screw up he was as a father. If he could go back & change the history he has with his son he would but then again if he didn't make the choices he did he wouldn't be where he is now.
The next day sadly Jamie & Thomas had to pull the tent down & go back home. Neither of them wanted the weekend to end, they'd had a great time fishing & swimming together. Thomas had a blast cooking marshmallows over an open fire laughing too hard when he accidentally flicked a hot marshmallow on Jamie's leg.
They'd enjoyed their time together more than they thought they would, Thomas was sure he'd be bored without his toys & Jamie thought Thomas would have driven him nuts but
no. Thomas hadn't even thought about his toys back home & Jamie underestimated how much Thomas would appreciate some man-to-man bonding.
Thomas reached into the back of Jamie's truck for a hammer so he could try & pull the tent pegs out of the ground, he went to jump off the back of the truck & lost his footing slipping off on to the ground below him where a sharp rock-cut his knee.
" Son of a fudge stick! " Thomas yelled holding his knee in his hands. Jamie came rushing over & panicked when Thomas bent over & fighting back tears.
" What happened Thomas? " Jamie asked.
" I fell off the back of the truck & I hurt my knee " Jamie scooped Thomas up in his arms & placed him on the passenger seat inside the truck, his legs facing out the door.
" Show me " Jamie reached for Thomas' hand to assess how bad he'd hurt himself but Thomas refused to move his hands.
" Don't touch it Jamie! It hurts! " Thomas refused to unwrap his hands. Jamie knelt and looked him in the eye.
" I promise, I'm just going to look. No touching " Jamie put his hands beside his head. " Come on kiddo, you're bleeding I can see it on your hands " Jamie pointed to his knee.
" What?! I'm bleeding? " Thomas looked down at his hands & saw the blood trickling down.
" Jamie! Help me please " Thomas screeched. Jamie slowly peeled Thomas' hand away & did nothing but look at the small cut across his knee. As the blood ran down his knee Jamie stood up & reached behind the seat for his first aid kit.
" What are you going to do Jamie? " Thomas put his hand back over his knee.
" I'm just going to clean it up & put a big band-aid on it " Jamie pulled a small band aid & some cotton swabs from his kit & sat it on the seat next to Thomas. He had Thomas remove his hand & set about fixing up his wound.
" Is it going to hurt Jamie? " Thomas looked worried.
" It might sting while I'm cleaning it kiddo but once its done you wont feel a thing, you might even get a cool scar from that little cut. You know chicks dig scars right? " Jamie winked as he cleaned around the cut.
" Do they? " Thomas' face lit up.
" I haven't found one yet " Jamie laughed to himself " but if I ever do you'll be the first to know " he finished covering his knee.
" Cool! thanks Jamie " Thomas smiled & reached out wrapping his arms around Jamie's neck. " For everything " he squeezed him once more. Jamie finished packing the tent & all their equipment back into the truck while Thomas rested his knee.
They'd been driving for half an hour when Jamie's phone began to ring, one call after the other until finally Jamie pulled over on the side of the road to see who was calling him constantly. Just as he swiped his screen a photo appeared across the screen, Jamie answered the call.
" Yeah... What? How many? Jesus Christ. No. I'll be there. I'm driving still. I said I'll be there! Alright sit tight. Bye " Jamie threw his phone on the dash of his car.
" Shit! " Jamie said as he tore away from the side of the road.
" Something wrong Jamie? " Thomas inquired. He'd seen his Mom lose her temper over the phone a handful of times.
" Yeah buddy, we're going to have to swing by Allentown where my son is and fix something up. God damn useless SOB's " he tapped his fingers against the worn leather steering wheel.
Forty minutes later Jamie pulled against the curb of an old house where a large black truck was sitting in the driveway, an overweight man was waving a clip board in the air & yelling at a much younger man.
" Stay put kiddo, do not get out of this car for anything. You hear me? " Jamie ordered Thomas.
" I promise " Thomas said with his hand over his heart. He watched Jamie storm toward the two men & soon he began arguing with the overweight man. Thomas watched from afar as one of the men started walking toward the truck, as he got closer Thomas wound the window up & locked the door. The man knocked on the window & smiled at Thomas.
" Hey " he said from the other side of the window.
" My Mom said I'm not allowed to talk to strangers. I don't know you so you mister are a stranger " Thomas refused to open the door or wind down the window. The man held his hands on his stomach & laughed. When he stopped laughing he held his hand toward the door & introduced himself.
" The names Caleb, Caleb Rivers. I'm Jamie's son " he looked at Thomas with a huge smile on his face. His comment really made him laugh from deep inside. Most kids manage a hello but Thomas was cold & blunt.
" Caleb? " Thomas asked. " Jamie talked about you yesterday " Thomas sat up on his knees & started talking to Caleb through the window.
" All good things I hope? " Caleb leant against the door of the car, not once pushing for Thomas to open the door or wind down the window. If this is where the kid's comfort zone was, then this is where he'd stay.
" I think so. I cant really remember. We did lots of things yesterday and look! I fell out of the truck & scraped my knee. Jamie put a big band-aid on my knee and said I'm going to have a scar and that chicks dig scars " Thomas rambled on but Caleb was not bored not even in the slightest.
" Cool! I've got a scar on my knee too, so does Jamie " he flung his thumb over his shoulder toward Jamie. " I guess we all have something in common don't we? " Caleb pulled his jeans up to show Thomas the scar on his knee too.
" Yeah we do " Thomas smiled looking at the silver scar on Caleb's knee.
" So Jamie took you on a camping trip huh? Did you catch anything? " Caleb kept trying to make conversations with Thomas while watching Jamie argue with the man from the lumber yard.
" We didn't catch anything! But Jamie did show me how to swing from a flying fox, and he taught me how to swim better ". Although Thomas never spoke to strangers he felt like he could talk to Caleb all day. " I have had the best weekend ever! You would have thought it was the best too if you were there ". Thomas laughed as he spoke & said " It was so funny when I burnt a marshmallow & I flung the stick trying to get it off but I got Jamie's leg instead. He jumped up & down so fast! It was the funniest thing you should have seen it " Thomas laughed harder. Caleb looked at the little boy laughing inside the truck & laughed to himself.
" I really wish I was there. Maybe next time " Caleb turned his head to where Jamie was still trying to sort out the problem with the delivery. " So.. You're going back home to your Mom & Dad now? " Caleb asked.
" Just my Mom. I don't have a Dad. Mom said he left a long time ago. I think he lost us just like Jamie lost you when you were little. Maybe my Dad will find us again one day " Thomas sat back down on the seat & fiddled with his hands in his lap. Caleb was dumb founded, so many things just poured out from this little boy he'd met only minutes ago & yet he knew more than he wanted to.
" Well that's too bad for him. You look pretty cool to me which means your Mom is pretty cool to huh? " Caleb tried his best to put a smile on Thomas' face again. No child should ever be sad especially at the hands of their parents.
" Yeah she is " Thomas turned his head & smiled at Caleb. He wound the window down some of the way & hung his arm over the window. " My Mom is really pretty. She has yellow hair & dresses really nice all the time. She has to dress nice for work but even when she comes home she still looks cool. I think you'd like my Mom if you met her " Thomas looked over at Jamie as he stalked back toward the car.
" What's your Mom's name? " Caleb asked.
" Hanna. Hanna Marin " Thomas replied. Caleb's jaw dropped & he just stared at Thomas.
This. Is. Hanna's. Son. I am talking to the son of the only girl I've ever loved Caleb thought.
" Hey, I've gotta get Thomas home to his mother and then come back & sort this crap out. They sent the wrong wood out & now they're trying to charge us even more " Jamie ran his hands through his hair tapping his foot against the gutter.
" Alright. I'll stay until you get back " Caleb kept staring at Thomas, he definitely looked like his mother but there was something about his eyes he couldn't put his finger on. Caleb watched as Jamie drove away, Thomas hung his arm out the window & waved goodbye until they rounded the next corner.
Back in the middle of the road still Caleb thumbs hung loosely in the back pocket of his jeans. The more he thought about Hanna the more he wondered who it was that got her pregnant & left her a single mother...