Town Secrets - The Book of Adam 1

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  After a short walk, they arrived at Jimmy's house. Jimmy led the way through the back door and into the kitchen.

  "Hello," called Jimmy, "Mom, are you here?"

  "I'm in the bedroom. Be out in a minute," came the reply from down the side hallway.

  Soon, Mrs. Jones stepped into the room and found the boys seated around the table. "Oh, hello. I didn't realize you were all here. What are you boys up to today?" she asked.

  "Not sure, we're just discussing options," replied Jimmy. "Are you headed out for groceries this morning?"

  "No, I did that yesterday on my day off. I'm just going to work around the house today."

  The boys snuck disappointed glances at each other, followed by awkward silence.

  "Is it ok if we hang out in the basement for a while?" Jimmy asked.

  She nodded approval and they sauntered into the basement, dragging their feet in a lazy fashion.

  "That just sucks. I forgot that she did her shopping yesterday," said Jimmy, disappointed at himself for the lapse. He plopped down on the old sofa against the wall. The others found an old rocking chair, a beanbag chair, and another part of the sofa to sit down. They sat for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

  "Mark, go tell Jimmy's mom about one of your video games. That'll put her to sleep for a couple of hours," Kevin joked.

  "Why don't you go weed her garden, farmboy," Mark snapped back.

  "Actually," said Jimmy, "Mark has a good idea. Mom's been complaining that she needs her garden weeded for the last week. What if we offer to do it for her…for pay, of course. Just a couple of bucks each?"

  "How does that keep her outside?" asked Mark, skeptical about any manual labor.

  "We just keep asking her 'Is this a weed?' and make her look at the plants. I need less than a minute to get the key and I'll slip it to one of you. That person goes and makes the copy."

  "Let's give it a try. How do we decide who works and who goes for the key?" asked Kevin, never afraid to work.

  "I'll go," offered Mark.

  "No, you should stay. You'll be the most important person for this task. Mom will believe you don't know the difference between a carrot and a dandelion." Jimmy's natural smooth talk nearly slipped the outright insult past Mark. Being told he was the most important person for this job made Mark let the comment pass.

  "Let Adam go," said Kevin, "I don't mind doing the work."

  Adam opened his mouth to protest, but stopped when he saw Kevin's stern face.

  "Ok. We'll only have to keep her occupied for a couple of minutes until I give Adam the key, and then again when he gets back. Everyone give him your money so he can pay," said Jimmy. They dug in their pockets and handed him some change and bills.

  "Now, what do we tell her about Adam leaving and coming back?" Jimmy wondered out loud.

  "Tell her there's still something wrong with the bike you're selling and Adam is going to fix it for you, but he needs to test drive it first," said Mark.

  Jimmy face broke in a wide smile. "I like the way you think. Some of my charm is wearing off on you."

  Mark's face broke into a wide smile as well. "I wouldn't call it 'charm'. It rhymes more with bull spit."

  Adam and Kevin laughed at the insult. Jimmy's smile changed from mischievous to embarrassed, which made the others laugh even more.

  "Ok, everyone remembers what they're doing?" asked Jimmy, changing the subject. The others assured him yes and followed him up the stairs.

  Mrs. Jones was walking into the kitchen at the same time as the boys.

  "Mom, I have a deal for you," said Jimmy, sounding like a cross between a game show host and a salesman at a used car lot. Mrs. Jones barely batted an eye, having heard that opening countless times.

  Jimmy continued, "For a small fee, my friends and I will pull all the weeds in your garden."

  She eyed him closely. Jimmy had made her an offer that caught her interest. "How much is the 'small fee'?" she asked.

  "Whatever you are willing to pay," Jimmy replied, poker-faced.

  Mrs. Jones picked up her purse from the kitchen table. After rifling through it she pulled out some money. "Here. This is what you'll get when I'm satisfied the job is done.” She pulled the money away as Jimmy reached for the bills and shook her finger at him. "You guys must really be bored," she added.

  "Just one little thing, though," said Jimmy, "while we're pulling weeds, Adam is going to take another look at my old bike. It's making a noise that'll make it hard to sell. I'm paying him to fix it for me."

  Mrs. Jones turned to Adam, "You make sure he pays you well for your work, ok?"

  Adam nodded.

  Jimmy jumped in, "I'll pay him fair...why don't you take them out to the garden so they can get started? I'm just going to change into work clothes." He pointed at Mark and Kevin.

  "Are you sure you want to do this?" Mrs. Jones looked at the three boys who weren't doing the talking. They all nodded yes.

  "Alright then, follow me," she said, leading them out the back door.

  Jimmy took the opportunity to run down the hallway while Adam stayed in the kitchen waiting. Jimmy returned, walking while pulling on a new shirt, and slipped a ring of keys into Adam's hand. It had more keys on it than Adam expected.

  "It's the gold key in the middle. It's worn more than the others," Jimmy whispered to Adam. "Get back here as quick as you can."

  Adam agreed as the two stepped outside. Jimmy opened the shed and Adam pulled out the bike he was supposedly fixing.

  Jimmy turned toward the garden when he heard his mother say, "Not that one Mark, it's a carrot...." He grinned and waved 'go' at Adam. Adam hopped on the bike and pedaled out of the driveway.