Chapter 24
"C'mon in Jerry. He's in his room." Mrs. Kindrick answered the door, her face still showing the sadness she felt.
"Everything okay?" Jerry asked, noticing her normal bouncy nature now that of dejection.
"Everything is fine." She smiled, though the smile did not quite reach her eyes.
"You sure about that?" Jerry asked, his arm brushing against hers as they walked into the house.
"Yep. Just wishing he would talk a bit more about things. I try to ask him questions and give him options and he just shuts me out. I know it's early, it's just I think he is a great kid and I want to get to know him." She finished with her shoulders falling, a frown on her lips.
"Yeah. He is the strong and silent type right." Jerry smiled. "I'm a hugger, and you know, I haven't been able to give him a single hug. Maybe by the end of the month?"
Mrs. Kindrick laughed envisioning Jerry pulling Daryl into a bear hug. That would not go over well at all.
"You're nuts if you think he will accept a hug by the end of the month." She slapped his arm lightly.
"What'd the Doc say today?" Jerry asked, following her towards the kitchen and stealing a chocolate chip cookie off the plate on the counter.
"He approved him returning to school on Monday. But he isn't allowed recess and when he gets home, he has to rest the rest of the evening." She said biting into a cookie of her own.
"Was he happy about it?"
"He was. He spoke well with the doctor, originally the doctor was going to ask him to wait another few weeks." Mrs. Kindrick turned when Daryl's door opened.
"Hey. Mrs. Kindrick was just telling me the good news. You're going back to school on Monday huh?" Jerry grabbed another cookie and outstretched his hand toward Daryl.
Daryl took the cookie from Jerry's hand and took a small bite. He'd had cookies a handful of times, but none like this. The chocolate chips were warm and gooey. He savored the bite as he watched Jerry talk with Mrs. Kindrick.
"Guess you like chocolate chip cookies. You ate it awful fast." Jerry smiled reaching another cookie out toward Daryl.
"S'good." Daryl responded, his mouth full of another bite.
"When I was a kid my grandmother made Snickerdoodles. She had baked a full batch for church. I would sneak into the kitchen and grab one every chance I got. Well, she caught me with my hand in the bag, taking out a cookie. She hollered my name and I jumped and the whole bag of cookies fell out on the floor. My grandmother put her hands to her mouth to stifle her scream. Then she started yelling at me in a language I couldn't understand. I ran outside to get away from her. Never ate another snicker doodle cookie again. Every time I smell one it gives me the shivers. My grandmother had never been so angry with me. She didn't have any cookies to take to her church meeting that evening." Jerry shook his head with a serious expression on his face. "I'm so glad these are chocolate chip and not snickerdoodle."
Mrs. Kindrick laughed and patted Jerry on the arm. Daryl finished his second cookie and stood waiting for direction.
"Alright man. How about we go work on your stretches first. Then today we'll try some balancing techniques." Jerry motioned for Daryl to move toward the living room.
Daryl did as directed, sitting carefully down on the floor. Jerry sat across from him and gave directions.
Mrs. Kindrick watched as the two worked together to complete the required therapy. Jerry laughed and told stories, Daryl listened, occasionally nodding his head up and down. His hair kept falling over his eyes and Mrs. Kindrick watched as he continuously moved his hair out of his way. She wanted to offer him a hair cut but she feared he would get offended.
"Alright man, you need that haircut. You've already moved it out of your way a hundred times this morning. Enough is enough." Jerry didn't laugh this time. "Mrs. Kindrick, you know where this boy can get a haircut? Just trim it up, would that be okay?"
Daryl moved the hair that fell over his eyes again. He looked at Jerry then over to Mrs. Kindrick then quickly back down. He was silent so long Mrs. Kindrick figured he wasn't going to answer.
"It is pretty long." He said quietly. "Be nice not to have it in my eyes."
"Well we'll get it cut then." Mrs. Kindrick smiled at Jerry. "I'll ask John to take you this weekend."
Jerry watched the exchange between the two. Mrs. Kindrick seemed excited for the answer to the question. Daryl looked uncomfortable and nervous.
"We have to finish up here. What do you say me and you take another walk to finish out the session? This time we'll go the other direction, see how far we can get." Jerry stood and offered a hand to Daryl to help him up.
Daryl ignored the hand and took his time standing. He followed Jerry toward the front door. They made their way out to the sidewalk.
"When you get back to school you got some friends waiting on you? Kids you like to hang out with or talk to?" Jerry asked as they walked slowly down the block.
"Nah. Not really." Daryl said, his side was already aching, but he kept it quiet.
"What? No way. A kid like you would have a bunch of friends. You're like the cool kid." Jerry laughed and lay a hand on his shoulder but removed it instantly when he saw Daryl wince under the weight.
"Ain't no cool kid. Kid's didn't like me." He answered quietly. "Just want to get back to something outside the house. Always liked learning. Just ready to get back."
"Why'd you think the kids don't like you?" Jerry said, noticing their pace slowed further.
"I'm a Dixon. Most kids don't like me just based on that.
"That's stupid. Your last name doesn't mean a thing. You're a nice kid. Want me to come along that first day and beat up a few kids?" Jerry smiled and eyed Daryl sideways.
"I done that myself when needed. Nobody really comes at me like that no more." Daryl felt dizzy all of the sudden, nausea hit him suddenly. He stopped walking and knelt down trying to collect himself.
"You okay?" Jerry said leaning down over him. "You need some water?"
"I'm gonna puke." Daryl whispered, then he did. The contents of his stomach hit the sidewalk with a splash. Excruciating pain from his ribs caused him to whimper and gasp out his pain. He felt himself lifted off the sidewalk and be carried back toward the Kindricks. He started to fight off Jerry when a second round of dry heaves hit him hard. Tears streamed down his cheeks as his whole body suffered.
"Fuckin put me down Jerry." He grunted out as they made it to the front door. Jerry set him up on his feet. They both smelled like vomit. "Asshole." Daryl breathed out as the door flung open.
Mrs. Kindrick gasped, and her hand covered her mouth at the sight of them. Both had remnants of Daryl's misfortune.
"Well, gotta take off. I didn't bring a change of clothes today. I usually have one in the car just in case. He's alright I think. Mainly embarrassed. I think he over did it is all." Jerry didn't enter the house but stood in the doorway. "Might give him a little space for a while. He's pretty pissed off right now, I carried him a bit to get him back here. All that vomiting was harsh on his ribs. He's hurting."
Daryl had pushed past Mrs. Kindrick and into the house. She jumped at the sound of the door slamming. The trim around the door frame cracked slightly from the force of the slammed door. Jerry stood wide eyed staring at the room Daryl entered.
"I'm sorry to leave you like this. You'll be okay? Should we call Mr. Kindrick?" Jerry said, grimacing at the state and smell of his clothing.
"He'll be home any minute with the boys. I'll be fine. I will let him alone for a while. Was it the heat do you think? Was the pace too fast?" She backed away from Jerry as she spoke trying to escape the smell as well.
"I think maybe just the day was too much. You know the doctor's appointment, maybe the cookies. I don't know." Jerry turned and headed to his car. "I'll check in this evening, I'll call ok?" Jerry lay a towel across his seat.
"Ok. I'll let you know." She smiled weakly as Jerry started his car. She waved as he backed down the drive way and she watched until his car moved out of sight.
She walked to Daryl's door and pressed her ear against it. She could hear the shower running. She decided not to go in just yet. She thought back to the doctor's description earlier and his reference to Daryl's violence potential. She slipped back from the door and studied the damage. She ran her finger along the crack next to the door frame. Sighing she headed to her bedroom for a few minutes to allow the tears to fall before she worked on dinner.
Daryl sank onto the floor of his shower. He brought his knees up to his chin and let the hot water run down his face mixing with his tears. His ribs screamed in pain from the continued dry heaves. He tried to stay as quiet as possible so she or Jerry wouldn't come in. Too much sugar he thought. That stupid peanut butter and jelly sandwich and those stupid chocolate chip cookies. He wasn't used to the diet he was on. Three meals a day with snacks in between. He was used to maybe one to two meals a day, just what he caught mostly. His system was not at all used to all of the food shoved at him all the time. Finally he started to feel a bit better and lay his head back against the wall of the shower. He felt so angry inside. Jerry had carried him, like he was some dumb kid. He felt the fire of the touch over his body which just infuriated him more. He wanted to scream at everyone to just back the fuck off. He wanted to leave and never come back. He banged his head against the wall of the shower a few times, working to calm himself down.
Mr. Kindrick and the boys walked into the house to the smell of dinner cooking on the stove. Mrs. Kindrick was putting the macaroni and cheese in the casserole dish, hotdogs with all the fixings lay on a tray and green beans simmered on the stove. Mr. Kindrick sent the boys to put their backpacks away as he went in to steal a kiss from his wife. Mr. Kindrick felt the stress as he leaned in for a kiss and she met his lips quickly like he was a hassle.
"Long day?" He asked. "Everything okay? Did the doctors visit not go well?"
"It went fine. I'm alright." She sighed and turned back to the stove.
"Where's Daryl?" Mr. Kindrick asked. "Is he doing okay?"
"He's alright too. Everything and everyone is alright. Just like he says all the time. Alright, alright, alright." She huffed.
"What happened?" He asked quietly, gently taking hold of his wife's elbow.
"I'm just tired. That's all. I should have taken a nap. Daryl is fine. The doctor approved school on Monday. Jerry came by, but Daryl over did it and ended up sick. But I checked on him and he was "alright," as he always says. "I'm sorry." She sighed. "I'm just a little grumpy is all."
Mr. Kindrick backed away to give her some space. He helped to set the table and called the boys to wash their hands. He opened the door to Daryl's room and saw him in bed, looking to be sleeping. He walked over and squatted down next to the bed.
"Hey buddy, you sleeping?" He whispered. Daryl shifted and breathed out loudly. His eyes opened and he stared up at the ceiling. "You gonna eat dinner? I heard you weren't feeling well?" He kept his voice quiet fearing it may be a migraine.
"I'm alright." Daryl said out loud. "I'm coming." He flung the blankets backward off of his body and worked to sit upright. "Be there in a minute I gotta take a piss."
Mr. Kindrick smiled and stood. He walked out of Daryl's room and back to the table where his wife and boys now waited. "He's gotta use the restroom and then he'll be out."
Kenneth grabbed a large spoon full of mac and cheese and let it hit his plate with a loud plop. He and Stevie giggled at the sound it made when it splattered on his plate. Daryl sat down heavily at the table and looked over the contents. He hated hot dogs he thought to himself.
Stevie was next to take a large spoonful of mac and cheese and let it splat on his plate. He and Kenneth laughed again at the sound.
"Can I do yours?" Stevie asked as he sat next to Daryl. Daryl didn't respond so Stevie took that as a yes and splattered Daryl's plate with the noodles as well. Daryl frowned and glanced sideways at both boys.
"How many hot dogs would you like Daryl?" Mr. Kindrick asked smiling. In his hands he held the serving tongs awaiting a reply. "One or two?" He asked again, everyone else waiting on their turn. "Ok, I'll give you two. You seem like a two hot dog kind of guy." Mr. Kindrick smiled as he moved on to Kenneth.
Mrs. Kindrick watched Daryl as the food was added to his plate. She saw his demeanor change as Mr. Kindrick told him he thought he would like two hotdogs. He shifted slightly and sank down into his chair. If she wasn't watching so closely she would have missed the movement it was so slight. She watched as he slowly picked up his fork and surveyed his plate.
"Alright, a spoon full of green beans for everyone and then we'll get started." Mr. Kindrick served the table as Stevie and Kenneth giggled and wiggled in their chairs.
"Gross." Daryl thought to himself, staring at his plate. He didn't really want any of this. He really wanted a fresh fire cooked fish fillet, or rabbit stew with those biscuits you buy in a carton at the store that you just have to heat up.
"Daryl, are you okay?" Mr. Kindrick asked noticing Daryl hadn't yet taken a bite. "If you're not hungry it's okay. I know you didn't feel well earlier."
Daryl's fork remained in his hand as he glanced over at Mr. Kindrick. "I'm alright." He said as he stuck his fork in the yellow slimy noodles on his plate. He took a bite and forced himself to chew and ignore the taste and texture. Food was food. You gotta eat."
"You don't like it?" Mrs. Kindrick said out loud watching him disassociate. "Daryl. You don't like it?" She said again when it seemed he didn't hear her.
He glared up at her, fork in the air with mac and cheese heaped on the fork. He stared into her eyes as he took the large bite. He kept staring at her as he ate fork full after fork full. The tension at the table rose and now even the boys quieted and watched the unusual exchange. Mrs. Kindrick stood from the table and walked to Daryl's spot. She reached for his plate and he watched as she took it to the trash can and scraped the remaining noodles into the can. She set the plate back in front of him with just the hot dogs and green beans remaining.
"See, nothing bad happened. If you don't like something you don't have to eat it. If you don't eat it, nothing bad happens." She sat back in her chair at the foot of the table. The boys and Mr. Kindrick looked from Mrs. Kindrick back to Daryl.
Daryl stared down at his plate that still had the disgusting hot dogs on it. He ate his green beans without saying a word, this time he kept his head down. Now only the hot dogs remained. He picked up one of the hot dogs out of the bun and held it between two fingers and held it away from him. Dinner had gone silent from the uneasy exchange.
"Know what this is?" Daryl asked staring in Mrs. Kindricks eyes again. She raised her eyebrows wondering where he was going with this. "Huh?"
"It's a hot dog Daryl." Stevie answered.
"Nah. This is chicken dick and hog balls and fucking animal tongue and all the left over shit that no one wants out of all kinds of animals; we eat it after its all smashed together into a machine and then pushed out in the shape of this compacted wiener right here. Ain't nothin anyone should be eaten. But ya know what?" Daryl said taking a large bite. "I eat it because it will fill an empty stomach and it won't kill me. Don't care if it tastes good or bad, my stomach ain't hurting tonight on account of havin it to eat. You don't put something that can fill a stomach in the trashcan, even if it is slimy and tastes like watered down fake ass government cheese." Daryl pushed the rest of the hotdog into his mouth and stood up from the table. He walked to the sink and rinsed his plate, the other hot dog in his hand. He turned around and ate that hot dog in two bites then downed his glass of water.
Mr. Kindrick started to stand, feeling like he should intervene, but was unsure how. He made it just to standing position when Mrs. Kindrick slammed her hand down on the table with a loud, "Well okay. I get it then. I'll just fix what I fix then, no more discussion and you can just eat whatever it is I come up with that day. You can keep yourself hidden from us and we will never get to know you anymore than you allow and you know what; I'm fine with that. I'll take what I can get. I care about you and I want to see you well. So here we are. I'll leave you alone about it." She finished talking and found herself standing in front of him, one arm extended keeping him in place. She extended her hands and placed one hand on each of his arms as he stood in front of her. "One thing I ask of you. Don't shut me out of everything. At least agree with me that you didn't like that Bette Midler song I played in the car, I swear I saw you shudder." She smiled into his eyes.
He blinked back at her a moment. He felt a connection with her, a heartfelt connection. She did just really want the best for him. The corner of his mouth turned up.
"Shit was fucking sad. Could'a gone my whole life and not heard that song and I'd a been okay." He laughed quietly under his breath. Mrs. Kindrick laughed then and released his arms. She patted him as he turned away and he headed toward his room.
"Thanks for dinner." He said as he turned around at the threshold of the door then closed it quietly behind him.
"Where in the world did that crack around the door frame come from?" Mr. Kindrick asked as he watched the exchange between his wife and Daryl.
"Don't worry, he'll fix it." Mrs. Kindrick said, taking her place back at the table.