Through Brian's Eyes

  Chapter 11

  In the safety of his house, Kyle couldn’t forget Adam’s disposition when he stormed away from him and Vance. In fact, deep in his heart, he was sure he was face to face with Kinkaid instead of Adam. He wished he could stay in the house for the rest of the day, but his mother promised to let him practice driving this afternoon. He’d been begging his mother for weeks to take him out, and she finally gave in last weekend. He needed just a few more hours of practice before the Driver’s Education instructor at his school would give him the okay to get his permit, but today, he was seriously considering foregoing the lesson.

  He dragged himself up the stairs and into his bedroom. His mouth was dry and his breathing was labored. His mind was in a bad place as questions circulated at blinding speeds. Should he be scared of Adam...ahhh Kinkaid, and if so, how long? Forever? Should he tell his mom? Would she believe him? Should events with Adam this afternoon be the reason he doesn’t get his driving permit when he wants? The more he questioned his motives, the more he wanted to defy Adam’s intimidation, but he knew Adam wasn’t the problem…it was Kinkaid. With that in mind, he chose to go on with his promised driving lesson. He refused to allow himself to be ruled by fear. He switched on the television and waited for his mother to come home. His homework would have to wait for the time being.

  Kyle’s wait was pretty short. A low growl made the floor upstairs rumble. The garage had been activated by his mother. It was also a signal for him to go downstairs and help with the groceries. Besides, sucking up to her now would make it harder for her to renege out of his driving lesson.

  As he helped put away the groceries, he brought up the subject of driving and was pleasantly surprised that she still agreed to do it. However, it would be about thirty minutes before they would head out, and he was okay with that. Now was the time to start his homework. He left his mom in the kitchen to cook while he returned to his bedroom. He dove into his homework hoping to complete most of it before his mom called for him.

  Kyle was consumed by his homework. His mind was on a roll, spewing out facts in an essay about the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the American economy during the early 1900s. Then his mother called and the valve to his mind shut. It was so abrupt that he became conflicted; he hated to be interrupted while in the middle of his thoughts, but was elated to go driving. He saved his work and sprinted from the room and down the stairs. His mother was waiting by the door leading into the garage, her purse sitting precariously on the edge of her shoulder. She handed him the keys and they headed out the door.

  He pressed the rectangular button just outside the door on the garage wall and the garage door lifted. His mother climbed in on the passenger side, and with a jaunty step, he slipped behind the steering wheel and quickly switched on the ignition. The engine roared to life, and he was just about to move the central console stick into reverse when his mother tugged his wrist.

  “Hold on there, Sparky,” she said. “Didn’t you forget something?”

  He turned to see what she was talking about, then it hit him. He slapped on his seat belt and grabbed the shifter once more.

  “Wait,” she said. “There’s something else you need to do.”

  His eyebrows furled. What was she talking about? He looked around, checking the instrument panel, door mechanisms, and windshield. As he was turning towards his mother once more, his eyes glanced at the rear-view mirror. All he saw was the ceiling of the car. He adjusted all the mirrors and finally looked at his mother for approval.

  “Good, okay you can start backing out…slowly.”

  He eased out the garage into the driveway then closed the garage door. So far, so good. It felt a little strange turning backwards for so long as he continued backing out the driveway. He wished it was much shorter. He pressed the brake as he neared the sidewalk, checking both ways for pedestrians and street traffic before backing into the road. In the street now, the car shuttered slightly as he shifted from reverse to drive, and they were off.

  Kyle wanted to grin and bare his teeth as he sat behind the wheel, but kept his composure. He was confident with himself based on the few good comments made by his mother, but would still get nervous when she knit-picked. He felt more comfortable with his father because he was more laid back. Kyle knew the truth, however. If he could satisfy his mother, it would be a cinch to satisfy the driving instructors, and he tried following the rules as best he could. His biggest blunders were not coming to a complete stop at stop signs, and his mother let him know it each time it happened.

  As he left his neighborhood, his mother directed him to drive towards downtown to see how he handled himself in heavier traffic. It would be the furthest he’d ever driven from home. His hands became sweaty and his heartbeat sped up. As a passenger in the car, going downtown was nothing, but now, everything seemed different. With additional traffic and pedestrians crossing the street wherever they pleased, he knew he had to pay more attention. He focused on giving his mother a safe ride which allowed him to settle down and concentrate.

  In the heavier downtown traffic on Jefferson Street, Kyle found himself very comfortable. He kept his cool and didn’t let too many things distract him. He was proud that his mother barely corrected anything during this trip. Up ahead was the courthouse as he came to a stop for a traffic light on Jefferson. He sat up front in the left-hand lane as cars pulled up behind and to his right. Breathing easy, he shifted his attention to the cars across the intersection, traveling in the opposite direction.

  One particular driver up front caught his eye, and he couldn’t resist staring. The traffic light turned green, but he didn’t accelerate. His mother nudged him and Kyle applied gentle pressure to the gas pedal. As his car moved forward, he continued staring at the lead car traveling in the opposite direction. He got a clear look at the driver, and his jaw dropped. It was Adam…and he was driving someone else’s car. Why is he driving that car? Where are his parents? Where is he going? Did he see me? What’s he doing? Too many questions, and he didn’t have answers for any of them. Kyle wasn’t spotted, but it shook him up just the same, making it more difficult to focus on the road. His mother chimed in when he started making dumb mistakes. No matter how hard he tried to concentrate, the horror of spotting Adam was wedged in his mind. He glanced at the dashboard and noticed the time.

  It was 4:53 PM.