"Hello Eddie," his father said, stopping a few steps from his son. "It's good to see you."
A glance at his friend told Gabriel that Eddie was frozen to the spot, unable to move, and so Gabriel stepped forward. "Hello, Mr. Lawrence, it's nice to meet you. I'm Gabriel, Eddie's friend. He asked me to be here."
Eddie's dad nodded. "I see. Nice to meet you, Gabriel." His eyes traveled to his son. "I'm glad you have a friend to confide in. I was worried how you'd deal with all of this. I know it must have been hard and probably still is. I'm sorry for putting all of that on your shoulders, and I can't tell you how glad I am that you called."
Eddie swallowed, slowly shaking off his paralysis.
"I'm sure you have questions," his dad continued. "Whatever they are, just ask them, and I'll do my best to explain. I promise!"
Eddie nodded. "Why?" His voice was barely a whisper. "Why did you lie? Why did you go?"
His father took a deep breath. "I lied because...I thought I had to. I don't know how else to say it, but sometimes being different makes you special, and sometimes being different just makes you an outsider, someone to be picked on and looked at with disgust. I guess, I wasn't strong enough to face that, and I thought I could be happy if I just tried hard enough. I thought I could will myself to be happy."
"Were you never happy? With mom? With me?" Eddie asked, his jaw tense.
His father's eyes opened wide. "Please don't ever think I wasn't happy! I loved your mom. I still love her, just not like a husband loves his wife. I loved her like a friend, a really good friend, and I thought that was enough. I realized too late that she deserved more, that I wasn't being fair." His dad took a step closer to his son. "And I love you. Don't ever doubt that! I always have and always will. The only good thing that came out of this mess, out of this struggle I've found myself in my whole life, is you. You are the reason why I never regretted the path I'd chosen, because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have gotten to be your dad."
Watching father and son slowly building a bridge over the chasm that had opened up between them, Gabriel retreated into the background. He saw tears glistening in the corners of Eddie's eyes as his father assured him how much he loved him. Gabriel remembered how wonderful that felt, to know that the people you loved the most loved you back. When he saw them embrace, he slowly walked away, knowing that he wasn't needed any more. Eddie would be fine.
***
After school, Gabriel and his friends, minus Eddie, headed out of the building towards their bikes. As they neared, Gabriel glanced across the street. A woman stood in the shade of Mr. Grayson's drug store awning, watching them. Then their eyes locked, and she started toward them. Gabriel froze, and Liam bumped into him. "Something wrong?"
At first Gabriel couldn't answer, unsure how he felt about seeing her, here, for the first time after their talk. But as her face split into an honest smile and he saw the joy in her eyes, he felt an answering grin spread over his own features. "My mom is here," he said, and his friends turned their heads in the woman's direction.
"Hi kids," she greeted them, her eyes focused on her son. "Can we talk?"
Gabriel nodded, feeling unease crawl up his spine. "Something wrong?"
Still smiling, his mother shook her head. "No, don't worry. I just thought we could talk." She glanced at his friends. "If you're not busy."
"It's fine," Jack said, and giving Gabriel a pat on the shoulder he added, "See you later," and rode off. Mumbling their own goodbyes, the others followed.
As Gabriel unlocked his bike, his mother fell into step beside him. "Where are we going?" he asked, still not sure about what his mother's visit meant.
"You'll see," was all she said, before taking a deep breath and brushing the hair out of her eyes. Grabbing a rubber band from her purse, she tied her hair in a ponytail. Gabriel couldn't help but look at her. His mother rarely dressed casually; it made her look younger, less grown-up. And she seemed happy; the smile still lingering as her eyes swept across the quiet street. "I'd forgotten how wonderfully peaceful this place is," she mumbled, awe in her voice.
"Why are you here?" Gabriel blurted out, the suspense slowly killing every bit of tact he might have shown otherwise.
Shifting her eyes to her son, his mother said, "I took your advice."
Gabriel frowned. "My advice?"
"Yes," she nodded. "I came to face my past. Finally." As they walked around a corner, the sun came to rest on her face, and for a second she closed her eyes, savoring its warmth. It made her glow. Gabriel didn't remember ever seeing his mother at peace like this. "I spoke to Roger."
"What?" For a second, Gabriel thought his eyes would fall out of their sockets. "You talked to Liam's dad?"
His mother nodded.
Regaining his composure, Gabriel asked, "And?"
His mother turned to him, an open smile on her face. "And I've never felt this free!" Her eyes seemed to glow from within. "You were right. I needed answers, and I got them. After all this time, I understand now that he did make the right decision, ending things. We would never have been happy. We were too different, wanted different things." Again she smiled at him. "And I finally see that I did find happiness after all. Only now I can actually acknowledge it." She put a hand on his shoulder, looking deep into his eyes. "And I promise, I won't let it slip away."
Gabriel smiled. "Dad?"
His mother nodded. "Coming here was the first step. The second is talking to your dad. There are some things we need to work out, before we can be a real family again. The kind of family you would want to come home to."
Tears forming in the corners of his eyes, Gabriel nodded. "Thanks, mom." As his tears started running down his cheeks, his mother pulled him into her arms. "No, thank you. I can't believe I was so blind." She hugged him tighter. "Thank you for forcing me to open my eyes."
***
When they finally pulled apart, Gabriel realized that they had ventured quite a bit from town center. As he turned his head, his eyes fell on the heavy iron gate of Kenton Woods cemetery. Goose bumps rose on his arms. "What are we doing here?"
Smile gone from her face, his mother looked at him. "I know, I wasn't there for you, not the way I should have been. But I am here now." Gabriel swallowed. "When you came to talk to me, you mentioned your friend. And even then I could see the pain over that loss on your face. You helped me through my loss, and I am here to return the favor."
Forcing a smile on his face, Gabriel shook his head. "Really, mom, I'm fine."
His mother simply took his hand and, leaving his bike by the front gate, they headed down the small gravel path. Headstones sticking out of the ground, some overgrown, some almost new, marked their slow walk as Gabriel instinctively headed toward Hannah's grave. Sinking into the tall grass, his eyes traveled across the engraved letters.
Watching him, his mother sat down as well. "You come here a lot, don't you?"
Gabriel nodded.
"Do you speak to her?"
Again Gabriel nodded, and then without thinking he said, "And she answers."
His mother looked at him, seeing the seriousness in his eyes. "What does she say?"
Gabriel shrugged. "Hannah-stuff, what she always used to say." A bit uncomfortable, he shifted his legs, resting his head on his knees, his arms wrapped around them. "Sometimes she yells at me, sometimes she gives me advice and sometimes she just listens."
"I see," his mother said. After a while she asked, "How did it happen?"
And so Gabriel told his mother how he'd met Hannah, taken her out into the world and how he'd fulfilled her last wish, the night the fireflies had come for her.
His mother listened quietly, and when he finished, her eyes overflowed with tears. "She was a special girl, wasn't she?"
Gabriel nodded, brushing his own tears away.
"And you were a wonderful friend to her," his mother said, putting an arm around his shoulders. "You gave her back her smile, like you gave me back mine. You are a very special boy. You are intuit
ive and caring, and you don't hesitate to help others. I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of you. I still can't believe you had to shake me awake to make me see the wonderful son I had."
At his mother's words, Gabriel's head sank.
"What is it?" she asked, pulling him into her arms. "There is something weighing you down, and it's not just the loss of a friend. Tell me."
Again picking at the long-stemmed grass, Gabriel avoided his mother's eyes. "She told me that...that she was afraid no one would remember her, that it would be like she had never lived." He ripped the blade in two. "I promised I would remember her, but...I feel like it isn't enough. I feel like I'm letting her down. She did so much for me, and I'm failing her." New tears ran down his cheeks.
Again hugging him tighter, his mother brushed a hand over his head. "Why would you say that? Isn't that what we all hope for? To be remembered by the people that loved us?"
Gabriel shrugged. "I don't know. It's just every day the world goes on as though nothing happened. Nothing's changed now that she is gone. I don't know how to say it, but, I guess, I thought I'd notice her missing, like there should be a hole where she used to be." He pulled out another blade of grass. "Not many people knew her, and no one ever really talks about her. It's like nothing's changed. She's dead, and people don't notice. No one knew her alive, and now it's too late. No one will ever know her. It makes me sad."
"That is sad," his mother said. "You're right. A young life like hers should never be forgotten."
"I know. I just don't know what to do about it."
As they sat in silence, his mother's eyes drifted over to the small headstone before they became distant. Glancing up at her, Gabriel watched her think. There was something on her face that held him captivated, a softness that touched him. When his mother looked at him again, she brushed a hand over his cheek. "You said Hannah was a painter, didn't you?"
Gabriel nodded.
A smile spread over his mother's face. "Then I know what we can do to make her immortal."
Chapter 19 – Immortal
"That is a wonderful idea," Mr. Hamilton beamed. "Thank you for thinking of it."
A little embarrassed, Gabriel lowered his eyes. "It was actually my mom who thought of it."
"Oh, don't be too modest," Mr. Hamilton chided. "You were Hannah's friend. I'm sure that your mom felt inspired by your friendship."
***
As he walked into the school yard the next morning, Gabriel stopped short, and Liam bumped into him.
"What? Is something wrong?"
Gabriel couldn't speak. His throat felt as though someone had their hands wrapped around it, slowly squeezing the air from his lunges. As Liam continued to stare at him, Gabriel simply lifted his arm and pointed...at Mrs. Hall's office.
Once again one of their friends sat in the hated chair in their principal's office, growing smaller by the minute as he received his punishment. Only this time, it was not a deserved punishment. Not a punishment that he had coming. It was a punishment accepted because of friendship.
"What is Jack doing in Mrs. Hall's office?" Jordan asked, coming to stand by them. "What did he do?"
Liam shrugged. "I don't think he did anything. Jack never does. But he sure looks like Eddie did the other day."
Gabriel took a deep breath. "You're right, he didn't do anything. But he is just now receiving his punishment for destroying Mrs. Hall's roses."
"What?" Liam and Jordan turned shocked eyes on him.
Gabriel nodded. "He is trying to save Eddie."
"After everything Eddie's done. Why?" Jordan shook her head, staring at her brother, as he sacrificed himself to the dragon.
"It's what he does," Liam said, a hint of awe in his eyes. "He protects us. He always has."
"I know."
***
"Do you know what the punishment is?" Eddie's eyes had grown wide as Gabriel had found him after class and related the development in the rose destruction case.
Gabriel shook his head. "He didn't want to talk about it."
Eddie's head bobbed up and down as his eyes flitted from side to side. Gabriel could almost see the many contradicting thoughts rushing through his friend's head, wondering which ones would win out in the end.
"I should...talk to Mrs. Hall," Eddie said, his head still bobbing up and down as though the gesture was the only thing keeping him from changing his mind. "Not even the Writers' Workshop is worth this."
"No," Gabriel interjected. "You can't do this! Jack did what he did to protect you, and the only thing he is hoping for is that you might forgive him and be his friend again. That's all he wants."
Eddie slumped down, resting his back against the brick wall of the school building. "I've never felt this bad." He lowered his head onto his arms. Then he looked up at Gabriel. "How do I fix this?"
Sitting down beside his friend, Gabriel said, "I guess the only way is for you to be okay with who Jack is. All of him. You can't just choose the parts you like and reject the rest. The question is, do you still see Jack as your friend? And can you be a friend to him?"
Eddie took a deep breath. "This is difficult. I mean...Jack has always been my friend. For as long as I can remember. But the thing with my dad, it's...," he shook his head, "I don't know. It makes things difficult. I can't look at Jack and not think about my dad."
"I see," Gabriel said. "Let me ask you this: after talking to your dad, do you still think of him as you did before?"
For a moment Eddie looked into the distance, toward the football field where practice had just begun. Then he turned to Gabriel, and his eyes held a hint of surprise. "No, I don't." He shook his head, and a small grin pulled up the corners of his mouth. Just for a second. "I guess, I believed him when he said he loved me. And I really hope that...one day he'll be a real dad again." Eddie smiled wistfully. "You know, the kind that takes you to a football game or camping or...I don't know, all those things you do with your dad."
Gabriel nodded, relieved that Eddie seemed to be on the mend. Seeing his friend's face gave him hope. "And does that change how you feel about Jack? Do you think that you can be his friend again? After all, he did nothing wrong."
Eddie nodded in return. "I need to talk to him." Again his eyes became distant, before they focused on Gabriel once more. "Will you help me?"
Gabriel smiled. "You can count on it!"
***
"Are you sure?" Jack asked, following Gabriel down the well-trodden path to the Dive. "Maybe you heard him wrong."
Seeing Jack's anxious face, Gabriel put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, this isn't a dream. Eddie really came around. He had a hard time, but he will tell you himself."
Jack nodded. "Okay." A hint of a smile lit up his face as he turned to the place that had seen their summer days. "Let's go."
Once again Gabriel led one of his friends to the small pool of water hidden among tall trees. Anxious himself and yet hopeful that soon his two friends would be friends once again, Gabriel stepped around a group of tall oak trees and found Eddie standing by the water's edge. He had the same look on his face that only moments ago Gabriel had seen on Jack's.
As he heard them coming, Eddie straightened up, a hint of fear back in his eyes. For a moment, he and Jack simply stared at each other, not knowing how to begin after such a long time of hostility and pain between them.
Eventually, Eddie said, "Hi," and Jack nodded his head. Then they both turned to look at Gabriel.
Feeling a little uncomfortable, Gabriel took a deep breath himself. He couldn't mess this up, or everything would be lost. He had to find a way to guide Jack and Eddie back to the root of their friendship.
"All right, I am so glad you two are here now. I just want to say that both of you have gone through a hard time, and I am proud that you want to put that behind you now." Slowly, he looked from Jack to Eddie. "Both of you have told me your secrets, and I swear I will never say a word to anyone about this. But I think the only way for you to start over is f
or you to share your secret with each other." Both of his friends looked at the ground. "I know it won't be easy, but please keep in mind that the alternative would be that we all break apart. Do you really want to lose each other as friends? After all this time? After everything you've been through together?"
As Gabriel looked from one to the other, both of his friends shook their heads. "Okay, good," he continued. "I won't stay, so you two won't have an audience. I think it'll make things easier for you. Eddie," he turned to his friend, "maybe you should start by telling Jack why you got so angry. Start there, and don't stop until you feel like you've shared everything. Then Jack can respond and explain himself. Is that okay?"
Still looking at the ground, both nodded.
As Gabriel walked away, he felt his heart thudding in his chest. "Please, let them work things out!" he whispered. "Please! Please! Please!"
***
Walking down a long hallway in Rochester Hall, Gabriel glanced at all the paintings decorating the walls. Next to each one hung a small plague with the artists name on it. As Gabriel and his friends along with their parents and his grandparents followed the mayor down the carpeted floor, he stole a glance at his mother and found her smiling at him. She looked radiant, and he felt touched to see the love in her eyes that he'd always hoped she had for him. He slipped his hand into hers and gave it a squeeze. As she turned her eyes to him, he whispered, "Thank you, Mom. Thank you for thinking of this, and for making it happen."
His mother squeezed his hand in return. "You're welcome."
Finally, they came to a stop before a vacant place on the left wall. No painting hung there, only a small plague with engraved letters. The name written there shone as though reflecting the sun, and it warmed Gabriel's heart. It read: Painted by Hannah Porter, Local Artist
The mayor turned around to look at them. "Do you have the painting?"
Gabriel nodded and, holding up the canvas, he glanced at it one more time before handing it to the janitor. Carefully, he took it in his hands and hung it on the wall, making sure that nothing short of an earthquake would make it fall off.