Stella MacLean - To Protect Her Son

Anxiety was usual in these situations, but Gayle Sawyer seemed a little too anxious. Clearly she was worried about her son. But was that all? Single parents often lived with myriad concerns that were heightened during a crisis: the result of having to make all the adult decisions alone.

“How this works is that Adam and I will get together once a week to shoot pool, go to a sporting event, maybe a basketball game, talk about things that are bothering him. It won’t be about the fight he was involved in necessarily, but we’ll cover what’s going on in his life.”

“You don’t have to talk as if I’m not here,” Adam said in a sullen tone.

“Adam! Mr. Garrison is trying to help!”

Nate watched the troubled teen as he slouched farther into the sofa. Did he feel unnoticed, maybe unwelcome, in his new home? He’d lived here about a year, and making friends was sometimes difficult.

Nate smiled encouragingly as he directed all his attention to the teenager. “You’re absolutely right. And I guess I should tell you a little bit about myself. I was eleven when my father died. I missed him every day of my life. Then I met up with a police officer in circumstances similar to yours. Luckily I had family and friends who were willing to vouch for me, and I got my life turned around. I know what it’s like to feel so alone you want to lash out at people, especially as you get older and realize how important it is to have a dad’s influence in your life. And of course your move here probably wasn’t easy.”

Adam pressed his fists into the cushions of the sofa but said nothing.

“I suspect that you came here knowing no one, and had to start over finding friends. You felt like you didn’t fit in anywhere.”

Adam began picking at his nails. “I should have made the basketball team. I was on the team back in Anaheim. The school I went to there was awesome.”

“Why didn’t you make the team here?”

Adam shook his head, burying his chin in his chest. “Dunno.”

Nate made a note to call Coach Cassidy and see what he had to say about Adam.

“What’s your favorite subject in school?” Nate asked.

Adam lifted his head. “Computer science. I want to work in computers when I...when I get out of this place.”

“Adam, I didn’t know you were so unhappy in Eden Harbor,” Gayle said, her voice tight with worry.

“That’s because you work all the time at the hospital, and we don’t talk anymore like we used to when...” He rubbed his hands through his short hair, looking at neither of them.

Clearly there was a lot going on emotionally with Adam. Nate changed the subject. “Adam, do you like living in this house?”

“Yeah, it’s nicer than the apartment we had in Anaheim. Mom likes working in the garden. I never had fresh vegetables until we moved into this place.”

“I like this house, too,” Nate said. “I had a summer job mowing lawns, and one of them was across the street. I would watch Mrs. Cooper working in her flower beds and wish I had her talent with plants.”

Gayle’s face brightened. “Susan was my aunt. She left this house to me in her will.”

Adam sat up straighter and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs, his eyes bright with interest. “You cut grass, too? How many lawns did you do?”

“I had five. Two during the week, and three on the weekend.”

* * *

GAYLE LISTENED AS Adam talked to Nate about his lawn work and began to feel the tension ease from her shoulders. Nate had found something he and Adam had in common. She could have hugged the man on the spot. She had no idea how a mentor worked, but if Nate’s behavior so far was any indication, this could prove to be so much easier than she’d expected. Quietly she slipped from the room and went to the kitchen, putting the kettle on for tea. She took morning-glory cookies she’d made earlier from the jar and placed them on a plate.

When the tea was ready, she put everything on a tray, including a glass of milk for Adam and headed back to the living room. Adam was laughing out loud, a sound she had rarely heard in the past few weeks. Clearly her son was very happy with the attention Nate was giving him. Delighted to be part of this new development, she put the tray on the coffee table in front of Adam.

“I thought we could enjoy a cup of tea and Adam’s favorite cookies while we talk,” Gayle said, being careful not to spill anything as she poured tea for Nate and herself. She was proud to see that Adam had waited until she’d served Nate before taking his usual four cookies and the glass of milk.

Nate and Adam continued their discussion of which mowers worked best, how Adam had managed to fix his machine the last time it broke down. Gayle was pleased to see a look of accomplishment on her son’s face, and hoped this was the beginning of a return to sharing their daily lives.

When the plate of cookies was empty, Adam finished the last of his milk and stood up. “If no one minds, I’m meeting a friend to go skateboarding.”

Forcing her shoulders down, Gayle drew in a deep breath to ease her instant anxiety. “When will you be back?”

“A bunch of us are heading over to the skateboard park. I’ll be back for dinner.”

Gayle followed him out to the back door. Once out of earshot of Nate, she asked, “What did you think of Mr. Garrison?”

“He’s okay, Mom.” He patted her shoulder the way he often did. “Stop worrying. You heard him. He said we’d hang out once a week, and that’s fine.” Scooping his skateboard off the bench, he skipped down the steps, following the cobbled path to the front of the house before disappearing from sight.

Gayle went back into the house, expecting to find Nate where she’d left him in the living room. Instead, he was standing in the kitchen, the tray on the marble counter. “Was the move from Anaheim relatively easy?”

“Yes. I was ready for a change. When I learned that my aunt had left this house to me, I couldn’t wait to move here. I’d never been to the East Coast before. It’s been a wonderful experience. I’ve made friends with several people at work, and I love my job.” Hoping that would end his questions, she started to put the dishes in the dishwasher.

“Most people don’t pick up and move that easily. Leaving friends and relatives behind is usually difficult. Why didn’t you sell this house and just stay in Anaheim?”

Gayle glanced around the sunny kitchen with its cream walls and blue/green accents, all of which she’d done herself. “Because I had never owned a home before, and I loved the photos my aunt’s executor sent me.”

“What was your life in Anaheim like? Did you work in a medical clinic there?”

Was this how it worked? He would gain background information on her before he began working with Adam? “I did. It was okay, but not nearly as friendly as the Eagle Mountain Medical Center.”

“That’s good to hear.” He paused. They exchanged half smiles. “You and Sherri have become close friends.”

“She’s the best friend I’ve ever had.” She’d never admit to him that Sherri was her first real friend. Growing up, she couldn’t take anyone to the shabby home she shared with her parents for fear of what state they’d be in, which had left her feeling isolated from her classmates.

She wanted Adam to have friends, and a place he was proud to bring them to. He had done that until about a month ago. She probably should tell Nate about that, but it might be better to wait and see how he made out with Adam before volunteering any information.

“Do you miss your friends in Anaheim?”

“With a child to raise, and very little money, I didn’t have many friends.”

“Had you moved there from somewhere else?”