How Much I Would Miss You
The rest of the time at the cabin passed fairly uneventfully. Jack stuck close, did what he was told most of the time, and managed to keep himself out of any more serious trouble. For a couple of days, he was so subdued that both his parents wondered if they had gone too far in disciplining him. Kelly had spanked him on the spot, without thought or hesitation, but he wondered now if he should have. The kid was already scared, after all, and hungry and exhausted. Maybe he should have waited until he wasn't so upset, at least. Stella, for her part, rethought every single word she had said to her son that night. Had she been too harsh? Too loud? Was she a total failure as a mom? They both reminded Jack that it was all over, and he wasn't still in trouble, but they still worried a bit.
But Jack eventually seemed to relax. It just took him some time to process things and think through them on his own. He was not the slightest bit angry or upset with his parents. He had expected a spanking from his dad and a scolding from his mom, and was actually grateful and surprised that he wasn't grounded to the cabin for a day or two, at least. In his mind, he had gotten off pretty lightly. No, Jack's disappointment was with himself. He felt dumb for doing something so foolish and thoughtless. Eventually, he worried the subject to death in his own mind, and gradually he just forgot it and moved on. As bright and exceptional as he was, he was still a small boy, and all small boys have relatively short attention spans. He didn't forget the trouble he had been in, and he had no intention of repeating his mistake, but he didn't want to spoil the remainder of his time here with his parents, so he finally just let it go and set about enjoying himself.
There was much to enjoy, too. Kelly took Jack fishing several more times, and Stella went along for a couple of those trips. He learned to swim in the cold waters of Lake Michigan, as his dad had many years before. Jack quickly became brave enough to stand on his father's shoulders and dive into the water. When it rained, they stayed inside, often working on things that needed repairs. Under Kelly's tutelage, Jack learned to use a wrench and a screwdriver. He loved the battery-operated power drill, but Kelly finally took it away when Jack kept playing "Mad Dentist" with it. There were more hikes in the woods, and Jack stayed close during those times. Especially after Stella threatened to put him on a leash. He wasn't completely sure that she was kidding.
The days went by far too quickly. As the time to leave drew near, Jack struggled. He didn't want it to end. Stella and Kelly were beginning to realize that transitions were not really his strong suit, so they started packing up a little earlier than was really necessary. It helped some, as Jack mentally prepared himself, but he still had difficulty. Jack craved closeness, craved family and connection. So whenever he was alone with his parents for an extended time, he had a tough time going back to "real life." This was the same issue that contributed to his running away from 51 several months prior. He had grown accustomed to his parents' work schedule, but the other bumps and transitions were still tough for him. He was self-aware enough to realize this, and that definitely helped. He was able to verbalize it, and that allowed his parents to talk him through it, too. Overall, he handled it well, but he was still a bit teary as they drove away. He was going to miss this place. And the time he had shared with his parents.
While Stella and Kelly were on their belated honeymoon, Jack made the rounds among several of the people who loved and cared about him. Their last night away, while he was back home with Uncle Matt as his babysitter, he began to talk. He talked his way through a lot of what he had experienced since February. And he began to realize, with Matt's help, that he was very lucky in some ways. As much as he loved his parents and was eager for them to return, he realized that in a few short months he had gone from having no one to care for him to having a whole host of people who loved him dearly. As he talked to Matt, he began to cry. He wasn't sure exactly why. It was just one of those moments of "a lot." Matt put an arm around him and let him have his moment. When he realized that Jack had cried himself out and fallen asleep against him, he gently carried the boy to bed. He was pretty sure that Kelly and Stella realized how lucky they were to have this child, but he was going to remind them, just the same.
The next afternoon, Matt drove Jack to the airport to meet his parents. Kelly and Stella had actually left Stella's car in the airport lot, so there was no real need for Matt and Jack to go, but Jack was very anxious and eager. So Matt agreed to drive him to the airport to surprise them. As soon as the plane landing was announced, Jack raced to the gate. Bouncing on his toes, he waited impatiently for the appearance of his mom and dad. As soon as they emerged, Jack was in their arms. Although they were indeed surprised, it was a very happy surprise. Matt greeted Kelly with a handshake and a back slap, and Stella with a warm hug. "Sorry for the unexpected greeting," he grinned. "Kid couldn't wait another minute."
"That's fine," Stella replied. "We were getting a little anxious ourselves." She pulled Jack into a tight hug and said, "Oh, man. I was not prepared for how much I would miss you. I love you so much!"
When she was done hugging and kissing her son, Kelly stepped in and swooped him up. "Ditto what your mom said. I missed you like crazy, kiddo."
Jack wrapped himself around his father, clinging like a spider monkey, and said into his neck, "I missed you, too."
Kelly realized that Jack was crying, and he lifted the boy's head and looked into his eyes. "Hey, what's going on, little man?"
Jack shook his head and buried his face again, and Kelly and Stella exchanged puzzled looks.
Matt reached over and rubbed Jack's back. "He had some emotions last night, too. We were just talking about how different his life is from last winter, and how many people he has now who want to love him and help him and take care of him. I think he's just a little...overwhelmed at the moment. Not in a bad way. It just sort of hit him like a ton of bricks, you know?"
Stella put her arms around her husband and her son. "Oh, baby. It's alright. It is a lot of change in a short time, isn't it?"
Jack raised his head then, and looked into her eyes. Placing his hand on her face, he whispered the single word, "Mama." Stella's heart completely melted and tears sprang to her eyes.
"Okay!" said Kelly. "Let's get a move on. To the luggage carrel!" With that, he placed Jack on his feet and took him by the hand. Stella got his other hand, and Matt departed, saying he would see them next shift. They thanked him as he waved and walked toward the exit.
From the airport, they went to a favorite diner for an early dinner. Kelly hated airplane food, and Jack, of course, was always hungry. After loading up on greasy Chicago fare, they headed to the apartment, where Stella declared that unpacking and laundry could wait until tomorrow. It was an early bedtime for everybody that night. Kelly and Stella were, of course, jet lagged, and Jack was just overcome by excitement and emotion and all of the things. By 9:00 PM, the loft was silent as everyone slept.
The next day passed uneventfully. Laundry was done, suitcases were unpacked, and the family prepared to settle back into their routine. The following day would be a shift day, and things would be getting back to normal. All of them had enjoyed the three weeks they had had to decompress and take time, but they were ready for the regular routine again.
One thing that had to be resolved was what to do about school for Jack. His parents felt that it was high time he actually went to school. They had asked for Dr. Charles's advice, and he recommended a small private school—Dunbar Academy—that had a program for highly gifted children he thought would be a good fit for Jack. It was not a school exclusively for gifted students, because that wasn't what Kelly wanted for Jack. He believed that Jack needed to be around all kinds of kids, and Dr. Charles did not disagree. Jack had an interview and an entrance exam set up for the following week. Even though it was late to be enrolling, Dunbar had two slots available in the fifth grade. One of them was a scholarship slot. Dr. Charles believed that Jack would have no trouble gaining the scholarship position. "Just be yourself in the interview," he advised Jack. "And do your best on the entrance exam. It won't be a problem for you, trust me. You'll be fine."
Jack wasn't sure how he felt about attending in person school. He had only been in school briefly during the two times he had been in foster care. Neither had been an especially pleasant experience, but he hadn't had much of a support system back then. He was very conflicted. He would miss his parents, miss going to 51 every shift day. But he was curious about what it would be like to be in school and just be a regular kid. He was finding that most of the things he worried about and feared turned out to be fine, now that he had loving adults in his world. He was nervous about the interview and test, and apprehensive about all that might follow. But he also had growing confidence in himself and the people he loved. He thought he might be okay in regular school.
In fact, he was beginning to think he would be okay, period.