A Second Helping (23 page)

Flush with anticipation and nervous excitement, Amari quietly waded back into the creek. The water had felt very cold the first time, but now he barely noticed. As he carefully made his way he could feel the rocks on the creek bottom against the soles of his feet but he didn't pay that any mind either.

He kept walking until the surface lapped around his knees. Then he stopped. Looking back at Tamar, he saw that she had the phone raised and focused. She gave him a thumbs-up. He grinned, then taking in a deep breath, con
centrated on making himself stand perfectly still. When he could hear nothing but the breeze and the silence of nature he mimicked Tamar's motions of earlier and very slowly bent and placed a few of the crickets in the water. Employing the same smooth motions he straightened. Soon, the fish arrived. Sleek and silvery, the trout, only two this time, swam around his legs and then glided in between. While they snacked on the crickets, Amari soundlessly bent over again. This time, he slipped his gently closed hand beneath the water's clear surface, and after a few long seconds slowly opened it. The crickets began scrambling and his eyes widened as he noticed a trout even larger than the one Tamar caught silently appear. Watching it for a few breathless seconds, he waited until it swam past. When it opened its mouth to snag a cricket, he grabbed and caught it! Fumbling to hold on while the fish twisted and bucked, he quickly put it against his chest and held on tight. “Tamar! I got it!”

Filming and grinning, she called back, “I see ya! Good job!”

He'd just made it back to shore when a loud angry caw filled the air. Amari turned and was knocked flat by something flying and big. The fish went sailing, he saw feathers and a curved beak and claws, heard wings beating, all as he put his arms up to defend himself. A sharp pain brushed his forearm and he cried out in pain and surprise. Next he knew he was on his butt and less than a foot away from the largest hawk he'd ever seen. Its dark eyes were riveted on him and its big clawed foot was holding his struggling trout flat against the ground.

Above him, he heard Tamar say quietly, “Don't move, son.”

Amari couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to. The hawk's stare had him pinned much like the trout. He could feel a strange warmth on his arm but he didn't dare move to check out whatever it was.

The bird screamed at him and Amari jumped back. The bird was big. Had Amari been standing, the raptor's head and powerful feathered shoulders would have reached past his knees. The face was outlined with white dots making it resemble an owl. The chest was brown up high, but below, the feathers were lighter with spots.

The wicked-looking claw was still holding down the fish, which by now was moving only slightly. Amari drew in a shuddering breath and the bird slowly cocked its brown head one way and then the other. It screamed at him again, then lifted its wings and took flight with Amari's fish in tow.

Amari watched its powerful wings moving up and down as it moved away over the creek and was soon gone from sight. He fell back against the bank. His heart was pounding so fast he thought it was going to burst out his chest.

Tamar hurried down the bank. “You okay?”

Amari wasn't sure. He finally checked out his arm. There was a ton of blood running from his elbow and down to his wrist. As soon as he saw it, the gash began to hurt like heck. “Ow!” He grabbed it as the pain increased.

“Let me see.” She looked and her lips tightened with worry. “Come on, let's wash this off and get you home to
Doc Garland. No telling where that hawk's claws have been. Looks like you may need stitches.”

His arm was on fire. He stumbled up but he didn't want to go home, at least not just yet. “But what about my sign?”

She chuckled and shook her head. “Where have you been for the last ten minutes? Do the Spirits have to knock you in the head?”

His jaw dropped. “That was it? That hawk?”

“Come on. I'll send your dad or Malachi out here later to bring everything home.”

“That was my sign!”

“Yes, it was.”

Even though his arm felt like it was being cooked over a pile of white-hot charcoal, he grinned.

 

Doc Garland, Trent, and Malachi were waiting at Tamar's when she and Amari drove up. They hustled him into the kitchen, and while Doc Garland looked at the wound, Amari excitedly told them how he'd gotten the gash.

“Dad, you should have seen how big it was!”

Reggie Garland said, “Hold still, Amari.”

Tamar had been right, he did need stitches, eight of them in fact. It wasn't the most fun thing Amari'd ever had done to him, but he was so blown away by the experience it temporarily overrode the pain.

When the doc was done, he gave Amari something to take for the pain and then gave the rest of the pills to Trent to give to Amari later. Once he was patched and the wound wrapped, they gathered around his phone to look at the video Tamar had taken of the encounter.

Mal said with surprise, “That's a female northern harrier, Amari.”

“She took my fish too.”

Mal grinned. “Usually they go after field mice, smaller birds, and the occasional frog. She probably had a nest nearby with babies to feed. You gave her a great lunch.”

“I caught it for my own lunch,” he groused, still disappointed over losing the trout.

Trent brushed an affectionate hand over Amari's short cut hair, “You'll get another chance.”

Doc Garland cautioned Amari to take it easy for the next few days and gave Trent some last-minute instructions. After a wave good-bye he and his doctor bag departed.

Trent asked his son, “Ready to head home?”

“Yeah.”

Mal said, “That was quite an adventure, young gun.”

“It was!” And a second later he was back into the story, telling them how the hawk screamed at him and how big the talons looked and everything else he could remember.

Tamar grinned. “Amari?”

“Yes?”

“Go home.”

He dropped his head. When he raised it again he was smiling. He walked over to Tamar and gave her the biggest hug he'd ever given anyone in his life. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“You're welcome, young July.”

He looked up and she winked.

“I'll give you a call tomorrow to check on you,” she assured him. “And remember what Doc Garland said. Rest.”

On the ride home with his dad, Amari replayed the weekend in his mind and how eye-opening it had been to be with Tamar. “I see why you and the O.G. love Tamar so much.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah. She's awesome.”

“I think so too. You two have a good time, I take it?”

“We had a great time. Up until this weekend, I was scared of her. I didn't know who she really was, like underneath, you know?”

“And now you do?”

“Yeah. Did you know she used to go to clubs?”

Trent smiled.

Amari finally stopped talking because the pain meds were starting to kick in. As he placed his head against the window of the truck and drifted off to sleep, there was something he belatedly realized—the hawk at the creek was the same hawk from his dreams.

T
hings in Henry Adams settled down pretty much for the remainder of the month of May. On the eighteenth, there was a town-wide celebration at the Dog to honor Amari's twelfth birthday. Siz made him a huge cake that looked like a red sports car and Bernadine, who never did anything by half, hired a fireworks company to treat them all to an hour-long show to top off the celebration.

Spring's warmth finally came to stay, and as always happens, the state of Kansas was treated to a series of tornadoes that ripped through the plains, leaving destruction and sometimes death in their wake. Henry Adams and the other small towns in Graham County found themselves under their own share of tornado warnings from the National Weather Service, and during the week of Amari's birthday, the residents spent three consecutive nights underground in the shelter at the rec center.

Watching the devastation on the Weather Channel
in the days that followed, Bernadine sent up thanks that Henry Adams had so far been spared.

The first official meeting of Dads Inc. took place the next day. Trent, Jack, Reg, and Barrett grabbed a booth at the back of the Dog. When their food came, they all dove in, but Barrett had a question. “What makes a woman up and decide she needs a vacation from her marriage?”

Most of them knew Sheila had taken off, and for a moment, no one answered.

Reg said finally, “Not getting what she needs at home is my guess.”

“What do you mean?” Barrett said, sounding offended. “I give her everything she wants, clothing, food on the table, a car.”

Jack said, “I think Reg is talking about emotionally, man. That touchy-feely stuff women seem to thrive on.”

Trent raised his glass of iced Pepsi in agreement. “Have to play with them, man. Find that soft place inside that most men don't want to go and go there.”

Reg tossed in, “Give her a back rub when she's tired. Sit her on your lap and talk to her. It doesn't even have to be anything serious. For them, it's about the closeness.”

“And flowers. Just because,” Jack said. “It doesn't have to be a birthday or an anniversary. Women love that. Says you're thinking about them.”

Reg added sagely, “But don't do like one of my boys who only brought flowers when he'd been out cheating.”

“That's cold,” Trent said.

“Tell me about it. Of course his wife figured it out. I think they can smell when you're messing around.”

Barrett looked down at his plate.

“Anyway,” Reg continued. “She busted him, set the flowers on fire along with his new Benz, then divorced his dumb behind.”

Rocky walked up. “What are you all doing? Plotting to take over the world?”

Trent said, “We wish. No, this is the first official meeting of Dads Incorporated.”

Rocky echoed skeptically, “Dads Incorporated.”

“We thought getting together would help us survive our kids.”

They all laughed and raised their glasses.

Reg said, “And compare notes in hopes we'll be better dads.”

“I like that,” she replied, sounding impressed. “I had a great dad, and any man trying to raise the bar on fatherhood gets my vote.”

Jack sipped his drink but his eyes never left her.

“Okay, I'll let you all get back to it. If you need anything, let me know.”

When she walked away Jack's eyes trailed her.

“Jack?” Trent said, then again, “Jack!”

Jack shook himself free. “Sorry. If I ever decide to jump back in the pool, it's going to be with her.”

Trent stared, then laughed. “You jump in the pool with her, she'll put you in a headlock and hold you down until you drown.”

Everyone laughed.

“I'd be willing to risk it,” Jack responded.

Trent looked at him, really looked at him, and declared, “You're serious, aren't you?”

“As a heart attack. The minute I laid eyes on her, I knew.”

Trent asked, “Are you crazy?”

“Maybe. Probably.”

Trent found the confession unbelievable. “Okay, man. I'm wishing you luck.”

Reg chuckled. “If this is the kind of stuff we're going to be talking about, I'll be here every meeting.”

Male laughter rang out and they raised their glasses.

 

Amari spent the remaining month of June going to school, and with Preston's assistance working on the details for the August First parade. Things were coming together. Church choirs from as far away as Abilene had signed up and sent in their entrance fees. The frats and sororities at KU in Lawrence who rarely got a chance to publicly strut their stuff had agreed to participate in the step show. Lily had found a printer to turn Crystal's sketches into silkscreen flags and when they were shipped back, Rocky and Mal displayed them on the walls of the Dog where they'd grace the place until the parade.

Ray spent the month discreetly watching Crystal. Whenever he ran into her at the school or at the Dog, he spoke to her. He made it a point to interact with all the kids, so he wouldn't draw unnecessary suspicion, but she was the one he spoke to the most. Being the school custodian helped.

One afternoon the kids were all huddled up around the picnic table at lunch like always. He passed them on the riding mower when he saw Crystal waving at him. Taking off the earphones Ms. Marie insisted he wear to protect his hearing, he turned off the machine to hear what she wanted.

“Can you come here a minute, Mr. Otis?”

He walked over. “What's up?”

Crystal explained, “Tamar wants us to do a service project. We've been asking around for ideas. You have any?”

Amari said, “We swept out barns last time, this time we want to make some money.”

He thought for a moment, “How about a car wash?”

They all looked at each other with excitement.

Preston said, “Now that's a money idea.”

They jumped in and began planning.

Crystal said, “Mr. Otis, you are the best.”

“I try,” he said to them, and headed back to his mowing.

 

During the last week of June, Sheila Payne returned from her retreat, and Barrett and Preston met her at baggage claim. Her husband grabbed her and kissed her the way Bogart did Bergman in
Casablanca
; long and deep. When he turned her loose, she was so overcome it took a moment for her head to stop spinning and for her to catch her breath. “That's quite a welcome, Barrett,” she whispered.

“Missed you.”

She found that so surprising she was at a total loss for words. Turning to Preston, she smiled and opened her arms. He came eagerly and hugged her tight. For the first
time in her life, Sheila felt herself brimming with a mother's love. Savoring it, she placed a long kiss on the top of his head. “How are you?”

“Doing good. Good to see you again.”

“Good to be back. Have you been giving the colonel courting lessons?”

Preston grinned. “Yeah,” he kidded. “Me and Amari both.”

Sheila met the eyes of her husband, and the warmth in them let her know that something in his makeup had changed during her absence and she felt buoyed. “Well, you and Amari seem to have done a great job.”

“We try. Let's get your bags and go home.”

Her eyes still on her husband, she nodded. “Excellent idea.”

They had dinner that evening, and to her surprise the men cooked.

The colonel grilled chicken for her and steaks for them, and Preston put together a pretty good-tasting potato salad.

“Where on earth did you learn to make potato salad, Preston?”

“Ms. Agnes and Tamar roped me and Amari into it one afternoon. Thought I'd try and impress you.”

“You have. Chicken is wonderful too, Barrett.”

After dinner, Preston cleaned up the kitchen, then walked out to the deck where the colonel and Mrs. Payne were sitting and talking. “I'm going to go hang with Amari for a while, if that's okay. You two probably want some private time.”

Sheila nodded, “That's very perceptive of you, Preston. Thank you.”

“No problem. I'll be back later.”

Once he was gone, Sheila said, “He's getting taller.”

“And has a girlfriend who speaks physics.”

“Really?”

He told her about Leah Clark and how the teens met. He then caught her up on the happenings in town, from the parade, to Otis the new town handyman, to the new teacher Jack James, and everything in between. “I'm even in a fathers' support group.”

Her eyes widened.

“Been learning a few things.”

“Such as?”

“Can you step over here for a moment?”

Sheila got up and walked the short distance to his chair. When she reached his side, he placed gentle hands around her waist and guided her down onto his lap.

Dumbstruck, she looked up and asked, “Who are you and what have you done with my husband?”

He laughed and eased her back against his chest and, more importantly, his heart. “One of the things I've learned from Trent and the others is to be softer with you. Just trying to get in a little practice now that you're home.”

She basked in the feel of his arms around her. Never ever had they done this before.

He used a finger to raise her chin so he could look into her eyes. “I want to apologize for disrespecting you the way I did with Marti. You deserved better.”

“I appreciate that, Barrett.”

“I'm going to do better by you, Sheila, I promise.”

Sheila swore aliens had taken over his body, but she didn't care. She let him hold her and listened to the strong beat of his heart. “Henry Adams has been real good for us.”

“Yes, it has. Did you get what you wanted out of the retreat?”

“I did. I got this, us. It's all I ever wanted.”

“I love you, baby.”

“I love you too.”

That night after receiving a very passionate welcome home from her husband, Sheila lay in their bed in the dark with a big smile on her face. She looked over at Barrett, who was now asleep and snoring, and all she could say to herself was
Wow!