Someone's Son Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

This was to be a weekend to end all weekends. Sheldon was finally going hunting with dad. He could barely stand still, from that phone call. It was the fulfillment of a promise made to his son, long ago.

His father had also called, to get his son's opinion on what they should bring. And they talked and planned. Beans and wieners, Soup. Marshmallows...all kinds of foodstuff made up the menu. Sheldon didn't care what. He could eat anything.  Besides, everything taste great in the woods. Just thinking about their overnight together. Awesome.

          Even mom was caught up in the excitement of helping her son pack. But for some reason she looked a little sad. "Come on mom, don't worry. I'll be OK." Sheldon didn't know why she kept looking at him like that. Was he growing up too quickly or what? Is mom jealous of dad? And about how they were getting along so well.

          Maybe she can come too. His mind rattled on. He even gave her an extra big hug. "I love you, mom," he said. It seemed like a long time before she let go.

          Mom packed his favorite homemade cookies. A dozen peanut butter, six for himself and six for dad. He could mouth the words much more easily now, "Dad. Dad." It kept humming through Sheldon's brain. He and dad were going camping together. He felt like shouting, "Yip, yip...Yippeee," in his mind. And he did...out loud too, "Cool! And "Awesome!" were tacked on the end.

          It's a good thing mom helped him pack. He would have forgotten something important thing like a toothbrush. "And fresh underwear too," she said.

          "Why do we have to brush our teeth in the woods? And who has time to change underwear during a great hunting trip? Eh, mom?" She just couldn't stop smiling at her little man so grown up.

          Well he used to pee his pants. No more, though. That was the biggest part of growing up. His dad advised, "You can control your bladder by not drinking anything before going to bed." He was right. Sheldon always had two glasses before bedtime. No wonder, he thought. Things were different now. Everything was going so good. Maybe his mom and dad might get together again.

          Better get his jacket on. "Mom! Dad's here!"

          Sheldon grabbed his backpack from mom's hands, threw it in the back of the truck then jumped in. He forgot to kiss her goodbye. "Sorry mom," he yelled back. Do hunters kiss mom's goodbye? Well maybe a hug would have been acceptable.           But he was in such a hurry. His fingers waggled back.

          “I was able to borrow the 1/2 ton pick-up again,” his father said. His own gear was in the back, along with a lot of other stuff.

          The sky was beginning to close its eyes. As if a blanket covered the earth allowing the setting sun one last peek. They headed out to Bass River 25 miles away.

          Sheldon was ready to sleep outdoors in a tent for the very first time. Maybe dad would let him shoot a deer. Why not? He was getting pretty responsible. They slowly drove through the Cobequid hills, their truck climbing higher and higher. It was eerie with the sun asleep. Sheldon didn't believe it could be so dark. There were no streetlights to show the way. Yet the gravel reflected light from the moon and provided a clear view of the road.

          The wind howled. And the trees were shaking. It was so cold Sheldon could barely whisper his questions. "Are there coyotes up here, dad?"      "Oh yes, son. You'll hear them causing quite a ruckus tonight."

          His heart almost turned to stone. "Coyotes," the boy breathed out.

          They turned off one road and entered another where tree branches slapped at the truck. It's a good thing their windows were up. One of those branches might have grabbed Sheldon's arm and yanked him into the bushes. And if dad ever found him, his flesh would have rotted off and he might even have ended up as part of a tree or something.

          Cool it Sheldon. Watch your imagination, he thought.

          His dad explained, "We'll be hearing all kinds of noises. And I know an experienced outdoorsman like you will be okay.”        

          Sheldon imagined deer hooves clattering across this rocky road. A fox might sniff at his feet, or perhaps an owl hoot over their tent. This should be a trip he would never forget. The boy looked across at his dad as his thoughts returned to the present. He sure loved that man.

          It wasn't long before they came to the clearing where they were to spend tonight. As usual, dad had it all figured out. They set up their pup tent right in the back of the pick-up truck. Sheldon knew Larry would think this was neat.

          "We'll try it for your first time out," dad said. "That way raccoons and snakes won't bother you."

          "What snakes?"

          "Sorry, son. Just teasing."

          “Whew.” The boy sighed in relief.

          Since the wind was so chilly, they placed the tent opening facing the cab. Then dad took his double camping mattress and put it in the tent and covered it with two furniture blankets. "To make sure the cold stays off our backs," he said.

          Their sleeping bags lay side by side. And another heavy sleeping bag was placed on top, acting as a comforter. It looked really cozy.

          Sheldon's eyelids fluttered like two moths, and could hardly wait to hit the sack. When dad turned the truck lights off, the boy began to shiver. Sheldon felt better when his dad gave him a sweater to put on under his hunting coat. And he made his son wear a hat.

          Dad told him, "Keeping your head covered keeps precious body heat in." Sheldon was glad dad was so smart. He promised himself he definitely wanted to be like him.

          “Come on sport, let's have a little hike first, before we turn in," his dad said. “Even at night the view is beautiful. Especially from these hills."

          They stayed close as they walked down the road a little ways. Sheldon felt warmer but goose bumps traveled up and down his spine like racing cars at the Indy 500. Were there animal eyes watching from the bushes? he wondered. He saw the Milky Way and the Big Dipper. And there was Cassiopeia and a million other glittering stars.  No…a billion.

          "And an airplane," dad pointed out. "You can tell which way it's going by the lights. Green for the front and red for the back."

Sheldon didn't want to go any further. “A warm sleeping bag is all I want right now,” he said. Besides he couldn't wait to get up early for hunting. Imagine, this was only Friday night. He still had a whole Saturday ahead.

          This was the most time he and dad were spending together, in one whole week. They changed into sleeping clothes, then crawled into cold sleeping bags. But it didn't take long to warm up. They talked a lot.

And his dad said, "I'm so proud of you, son." About not being afraid of new adventures, like tonight.” His hand squeezed his son's shoulder. Before he went to sleep he said how much this trip meant to him. He said he loved him and kissed his son on the cheek.

          Sheldon began to cry, big baby, but he didn't care. And he told his dad he would always love him. And he said he was sorry for being so angry before. "I forgive you dad," he added.

          "Thank you son," sounded more like a mumble.

          Sheldon knew his dad was crying. The boy snuggled up really close and woke up with his arm across his dad's back.

The boy could hardly believe the morning came so quickly. Before long they hurried into fresh clothes, built a fire, slurped hot soup and then began hunting.

          Sheldon’s dad showed him the .270 rifle making the boy promise to be careful and follow close behind. They walked for several hours, stopping often to rest and enjoy the woods.

          It was a night and a day Sheldon would never forget. Dad and son were together again. In fact, Sheldon didn't want to go home tonight. He wanted to stay with his dad forever, even if mom got upset. But the boy knew he had to go home to mom. She needed him too.

          And he remembered calling out in the darkness, “Dad! Mom!”