Someone's Son Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Sheldon knew today was going to be special. He could feel it in his bones. It had been a good summer, so far. He managed to keep a positive attitude even though there were still grouchy people in his life.

And even though it was dry, with the Truro Reservoir water level dropping, life carried on.

          Thankfully he lived in the country with a deep-drilled well where ample drinking water was still available. And Sheldon could fill several cool tall glasses whenever he felt thirsty.

          Right now, he drank greedily before rushing downstairs. Yes, I rush downstairs now, he thought. Imagine. Eager me. He realized his father was playing a cat and mouse game with him. The man is tricky. And it works.

          His father had taken the boredom out of his life and turned it into a series of exciting adventures. Now, there wasn't just Larry being around, but his father too. Sheldon still headed over to Larry's for a chess game or two. And try to bring him up to date on his Saturday trips. Larry was very understanding, and not jealous at all. A true friend, the boy thought.

          "I want each trip to be a surprise," his father had said when they first discussed their Saturday outings. Today was an example.

          Sheldon's backpack stared comfortably from the backseat. "Where to?" he quizzed. His father didn't answer at first. I think he's chuckling to himself. About how he's got me eating out of his hand, Sheldon thought.

          "Interested, eh?" his father teased.

          Radical thoughts jumped into Sheldon's head. His father's self-satisfied smile could be wiped off his face in an instant. What if Sheldon opened the car door and rolled out onto the highway? Like an action movie Larry took him to see once.

          The hero always escaped the danger, something like the Terminator movie, with awesome action. Could Sheldon really do any of those tricks? He didn't think so. His better judgment won out. With his luck he'd probably bounce back into the car. Sheldon shook his head at these crazy thoughts.

          His father would probably say, "Did you have fun?" He knew the man quite well now. Then Sheldon would have to dust himself off and get back into the car.

          "We're going on a campout..." his father started to say, interrupting Sheldon's out-of-control imagination.

          "Overnight?" Sheldon meekly asked. He bit into his lip. His father would go and do something stupid like that. What if Sheldon peed his bed? What would his father think then?

          Larry had asked him to go on an overnight at least three times. And each time Sheldon declined. No matter how much fun he had during the day, wetting his sleeping bag would spoil everything. 

          "I'm scared of the woods at night," Sheldon lied.

          "Who said anything about tenting? An old friend of mine invited us over for the weekend,” his father said. But one night is OK. For you, I mean. Well at least it's a start."

          Sheldon didn't like the way his father said that. As if he was some kind of orphan child getting a nice little treat. Not too much at once, just a little taste. He chewed on his thumbnail. Phew. He tried not to show he was pleased. He knew being inside a building would be okay.

          Before Sheldon could make any smart comment, they were roaring down the highway. The breeze blowing across his forearm felt good.

          His father growled, "It's dangerous having any part of your body hanging out the window. Please get your arm in."

          The boy’s first instinct was to act stubborn. "Alright," he answered. "As if a tree branch could reach across the ditch and twist my arm off," he said under his breath.

          "How would you like a bee smacking you on the arm, chum?"

          Sheldon closed the window, almost all the way up. Quickly.

          They turned off highway 104, then down through Westville. After that the car headed over to Hopewell and finally to Rutherford Lake. An hour of driving went by like anything.

          They drove carefully up a rocky hill since the car seemed to groan with pain. His butt was numb from the long ride.

          A boy and girl ran to meet them. They were someone he had never met before.

          "Sorry, I forgot to mention the kids, his father said.

          This could be a pain, Sheldon thought. "Hi there." He tried to be pleasant but found it hard with strangers.  The little girl must have been five and tried to hug him. But he got away. The nerve. Next thing you knew she'd want to kiss him.

          Sheldon wiped his hand slowly through his hair and stared at her. "You're a pain," he wanted to say out loud. But he didn't. He wasn't sure what was so funny as she smiled at him.

          There was a small cottage for guests. Three bunk beds meant there was room for six people. Sheldon got the top one.

          "You beat me to it, eh?" His father said, not seeming to mind. It would have been a tough climb for him, especially with the flimsy-looking ladder.

          Ten-year-old Randy the owner’s son, wanted to sleep in the cabin as well. "No. It's only for Sheldon and I," was the answer.

          "What a bummer," Sheldon thought.

          "These days are too precious for me to share with anyone else," his dad's voice said from the doorway.

          Could you believe a campfire with a whole passel of visitors? Several couples with their children had driven in and filled several other cabins at the campground. Sheldon didn't even know how to sing or tell jokes. So how could he have fun? Everyone seemed so excited. How come he wasn't? Troy should be here. Maybe even Larry. Then he'd join in with the crowd.

          The only activity interesting to him was placing a long stick in the fire and watching it burn. Of course it would have to be against the rules to twirl it over his head.

          "Cut it out Shel," his father said. When he used "Shel," the boy knew his father was upset. So he did what was asked, at least, for now.

          He didn't like the campfire story of 'Rap-Rap.' Imagine, two boys finding an abandoned farm and discovering this mysterious 'Rap-Rap' sound was really "Wrapping Paper?" How gross. Everyone clapped and hooted. Sheldon thought it was very boring.

          “Want to go for a hike?” his father asked.

Sheldon just wanted to go to bed and hide until daylight. "No, not me." he said. He sat by the trunk of a tall tree. It felt cold sitting there on the ground. He felt alone again. As if he was on the moon or something.

          He wished Larry would come and take him away from this awful place.

 

Sometimes the dark can be frightening. And Sheldon wondered if he had ever been scared when he was younger.

"Like wolves and bears coming to eat me up," he said aloud. These were scary things to dream about. And his mother thought it had to do with his father leaving so suddenly.

          Sheldon's last nightmare was about a bear that ran out of the bush as he was scrambling into a tree. But before he got too far, it bit into his ankle. He could even hear his bones crunching.

          Usually when he awoke in the middle of the night after this kind of nightmare, he would be saturated. 'Pissy pants' was a name he hated. It remained with him a long time when friends found out during a 'sleep-over.'

          And now here he was in the woods, wet, and shivering. His wrist watch glowed 2:30 am. Sheldon crawled out of his sleeping bag, making his way carefully down the ladder. He needed to wake his father up and tell him about the nightmare. He was freezing, and his toes felt like icicles.

          Thankfully, his father understood the situation.

          It didn't seem to bother him at all when Sheldon woke him up. His father even went and got a pail of warm water for his son to wash up. After changing into some of his extra clothes, the boy felt better. And warmer.

          His father didn't tease him at all about his wetting.

          Sheldon thought it was a good idea when his dad suggested they go for a hike. "Just for a little talk, Sheldon."

          How could he turn his father down after him being extra kind? He hoped they would return soon, since he was so tired. The stars were bright. Almost like diamonds blinking, in quick succession. It was a dazzling sight.

          But his eyes were droopy. Tiredness was quickly closing in on him. He forgot all about the Big Dipper, Ursa Major or whatever, his father had just pointed out. Even the North Star didn't mean much to him right now.

          Sheldon could sense his father looking at him wondering if another time would be better for a chat. The log they sat on was chilly, and Sheldon began to shiver. He leaned against his father and fell asleep. The boy didn't recall too much. Except his father picking him up and carrying him back to the cabin.

It was as if he was eight years old again. And mom, dad and he were a family once more. He could barely hear his father say over and over, "I'm so sorry Sheldon...I'm so sorry."

          And Sheldon realized he still loved his dad.