Authors: Judy Young
Promise (8 page)
The room quieted, waiting to see what would happen next. But before anything could happen between Kaden and Luke, Yo-Yo jumped up, grabbed Kaden's backpack from the floor, and leaped over the toppled desk onto a chair. A row of desks and an aisle separated him from Luke.
“Hey, everybody, isn't Kaden's backpack wicked?” Yo-Yo started saying, holding the backpack up over his head for all to see. Everyone's attention was instantly drawn away from Luke as Yo-Yo continued talking. “I don't know any kid who has a backpack like this one. And I can't believe where Kaden gets to live! I know you guys have known each other forever, and I'm just the new kid, but I heard all these rumors yesterday, so I sneaked onto the bus just to see if they were true, and like I said, I couldn't believe it! Kaden really does live in cabins out in the woods. Most people only get to go someplace like that when they go on vacation, but Kaden gets to live there every day and . . .”
Everyone seemed mesmerized by Yo-Yo, who was talking so fast, it was hard to actually know where one sentence stopped and another began. Nobody noticed that Ms. Ales had walked in and was ringing her little brass bell until Kaden pulled Yo-Yo down from the chair, clamped his hand over Yo-Yo's mouth, and loudly said, “Yo-Yo, shut up!”
The words were the same as the ones he yelled on the bus the day before, but this time, there was no anger in Kaden's voice. This time, he had a smile on his face. And, except for Luke, the rest of the class was laughing. Not at Kaden, but with him.
The rest of the week went as usual for a first week of school. Teachers got back into their routines and students got back into theirs. But talking and laughing with a friend was not at all Kaden's usual routine and he was enjoying every minute. For once, the school year seemed promising.
Each day that week, Kaden went to the fire tower, just to check, but there were no more surprises. The stick was still standing in the muddy spot. The leaves were not crushed by tires. No more gifts were found on the landing. Kaden was frustrated about not meeting his father yet, but he kept thinking about what Yo-Yo had said. Miracles didn't happen overnight. But every time he lifted the new backpack, he
knew his father had thought of him and that seemed promising, too.
The first day of Labor Day weekend was wet and windy. After lunch, Kaden went to the junk cabin and took out all the old vinyl record albums. He brought them to Gram's cabin, cleared a space under the kitchen sink, and stacked them in there.
“Hand me that one,” Gram said, looking over his shoulder. She put the album on the turntable and carefully moved the player's arm so the needle rested in the groove. A jazz trumpet solo came through the speakers.
Kaden went back to his cabin. Sitting at his desk, he listened to the music through the intercom as he worked on a model of a P-38. He was about to glue the fuselage together when through the intercom he heard a knock on Gram's front door. Kaden immediately thought of his father. He quickly climbed across his bed to look out the window. A big black SUV sat in front of Gram's cabin. Kaden went back to his desk to listen.
Over the intercom he was surprised to hear Mrs. Strokowski's voice. “Hello, are you Mrs. McCrory?”
“I may be,” Gram answered. “What do you want?”
Kaden didn't wait to hear Mrs. Strokowski's answer. Mrs. Strokowski was nice and he didn't know what Gram might
say. Kaden charged out of his cabin. He took the porch steps in one leap and landed behind Mrs. Strokowski.
“Gram, this is Mrs. Strokowski, my music teacher.” Gram didn't move.
“Who's that in the car?” she said, looking beyond Mrs. Strokowski.
Kaden turned around. Yo-Yo had his nose jammed up against the rain-streaked window.
“That's Yo-Yo,” Kaden said.
Mrs. Strokowski started to explain his name, just like she did with the class, but Gram cut her off. “I got that all figured out,” she said. “What I haven't got figured out is what you want.”
Kaden pushed past Mrs. Strokowski and opened the screen door.
“Come on in,” he said.
Gram gave him an irritated look but stepped aside to let Mrs. Strokowski enter.
“Better get your friend and go to your cabin while I talk with your teacher,” Gram said, turning off the record player.
Kaden jumped from the porch, motioning for Yo-Yo to follow him.
“Where are we going?” Yo-Yo called out, dodging puddles.
“My cabin.”
Yo-Yo followed Kaden in and looked around. Bent deer hooves over the bed held a BB gun, and a fish was mounted on the wall over his desk.
“Wicked!” Yo-Yo exclaimed. “You didn't tell me you have a whole cabin to yourself.”
Kaden turned and put his index finger to his mouth.
“Shh,” he whispered, “I want to hear what they're saying. And they can hear everything we say, too.”
“I came because you haven't signed Kaden up for band,” Mrs. Strokowski's voice came over the intercom. She sounded nervous and was talking real fast. Kaden knew Gram would just stare at her, letting her ramble and ramble, but nothing Mrs. Strokowski said would make any difference. Only Emmett could sway Gram to change her mind.
“Don't you want Kaden to play an instrument? Be part of the band? He might go on to play in the jazz band in high school. You were playing jazz. Maybe Kaden would be interested in jazz. The kids have a lot of fun. Both the marching band and the jazz band get to take a lot of field trips andâ”
“Oh no,” Kaden blurted out. Mrs. Strokowski stopped talking.
“Kaden, don't eavesdrop,” Gram said. Then the red light on one of the intercoms in Kaden's room turned black.
“Well, that's the end of that,” Kaden whispered to Yo-Yo.
“Your mom just gave playing in band the kiss of death.”
“What do you mean?” Yo-Yo whispered back.
Before Kaden answered him, he grabbed his pillow and smothered the intercoms.
“Gram doesn't believe in fun or field trips.” He had stopped whispering but kept his voice very quiet.
“What's with the pillow?” Yo-Yo asked.
“Gram can turn off her intercom anytime she wants so I can't hear her, but if I turn mine off so she can't hear me, the little red light on her intercom will go out.”
“So,” Yo-Yo said.
“Then she'd know I turned off my intercom,” Kaden explained. “I tried it once and for two weeks, I had to go back to living in her cabin. But my pillow muffles our voices, and if we're quiet, she can't hear us.”
“Doesn't that bother you, having her listening all the time?”
“I usually don't have anybody here to talk to.”
“What about when you're on the phone?”
“We don't have a phone.” Kaden knew Gram secretly owned one but he wasn't going to tell Yo-Yo that.
“I didn't used to but I finally convinced my mom to get me a cell phone in case of emergencies,” Yo-Yo said. “My number is 555-862-9696, if you want to call me. The first four
numbers don't mean anything, but the six and two spells out Ma, and the rest spells out Yo-Yo. Isn't that cool? I picked it out myself.”
“I'm not talking about a cell phone,” Kaden said, thinking Yo-Yo sounded a lot like Emmett. “We don't have any phone. We have to use Emmett's.”
“Who's Emmett?”
“Our neighbor. He lives down the road in the house with all the signs.”
Suddenly a muffled voice came from under the pillow. Kaden quickly picked up the pillow. Both red lights were shining again.
“Kaden, did you hear me?” Gram said. “Yo-Yo's mom is waiting for him.”
Kaden and Yo-Yo hurried to Gram's cabin. Mrs. Strokowski was on the porch asking Gram to think it over during the weekend when Emmett's pickup pulled in. He came every Saturday afternoon to get Gram's grocery list, and Kaden almost always went with him to the Big Apple.
“Are you a promise or a threat?” Emmett said to Yo-Yo as he joined the group on the porch.
Yo-Yo obviously didn't know Thredt was the town on the other side of Promise and was Promise Middle School's biggest rival. He also didn't know Emmett asked that question
of just about every kid he saw.
“I'm not sure,” Yo-Yo said, glancing questioningly at Kaden. “I'm Yo-Yo.”
Emmett laughed. “I've never had a kid admit he's a yo-yo before. Are you moody or bouncy?”
“He didn't say he was a yo-yo,” Kaden told Emmett. “He said he is Yo-Yo. That's his name. And this is his mom, Mrs. Strokowski. She's the new music teacher.”
“I stand corrected,” Emmett said to Yo-Yo, then turned to Mrs. Strokowski. “Good afternoon, ma'am. I'm Emmett Adams. If you decide to start up a town choir, I'll sing in it.”
“Is that a promise or a threat?” Yo-Yo quickly said, giving Emmett his best grin.
“Well, we could yo-yo back and forth with that one for a little while, couldn't we?” Emmett replied. “I think you and I are going to get along, aren't we, Yo-Yo?”
“As long as you don't pull my string.”
Emmett started to reply, but Gram was tired of all the foolishness.
“Emmett, just put the mail on the kitchen table,” she interrupted.
The Strokowkis said good-bye and Kaden followed Gram into her cabin. Emmett had put the mail on top of the album cover and picked up a brochure sitting next to it. Kaden
recognized the brochure. It had pictures of band instruments on the outside and inside was a rental form. Kaden had brought one home just like it but it had gone in the trash.
“It's getting pretty musical around here,” Emmett said, putting the brochure in his shirt pocket. “Always good to have a little music in the house.” He reached over and turned the record player back on.
“Playing a trumpet would be fun,” Kaden said, “and educational, too.” But from the look on Gram's face, Kaden knew it was pointless.
“Enough nonsense,” Gram said. “Here's what I need from the Big Apple.”
Kaden took the list and followed Emmett to his truck. As they drove away, he told Emmett all about the new kid.
