~~***~~
Jonah Forrester slammed his car door and stared up at the towering glass and timber house in front of him. It was at least three times the size of his uncle’s tiny brownstone in Manhattan, where he’d lived for the last five years. A wilderness of maples, beech, and evergreens spread out in every direction around the house. Talk about a culture shock.
“Well, what do you think, Jonah?” Jethro Carsen came around to the passenger’s side of the car where Jonah stood and clapped him on the shoulder grinning. “Wait until you see the views from the second story—magnificent!”
Jonah gave his uncle what he hoped was a cheerful smile. “It’s enormous.”
Jethro chuckled. “I got a fantastic deal. We’ll have a bit more room to spread out here. We won’t be always on top of each other. You’re going to love it here, son.”
Guilt pricked Jonah’s conscience. His uncle had sacrificed a lot to take him in, not least of which was his privacy. His smile came more easily. “I know I will, Jet. Why don’t you go on in and I’ll unload the car?”
Jethro fished in his pocket for the house key. “No, no, I’ll help. I need to move around. The long drive made my legs stiff.”
It didn’t take long to carry in the suitcases and few boxes they had stowed in the car. Professional movers had delivered all of the furniture, household goods, and Jonah’s Audi earlier that day.
The house had an open floor plan: the entryway flowed into the living room (which was itself enormous, Jonah thought), and the living room was divided from the kitchen only by a long granite-topped bar. The wall on far side of the living room was entirely glass, including the doors leading out onto two-tiered deck. Jonah opened the doors and stepped outside. In the right-hand corner of the deck Jonah noticed a sunken Jacuzzi, covered with a black fiberglass top. Cool. The backyard sloped downward a few yards then melted into the trees. According to Jet, they had two acres of property.
Jonah took a deep breath. The air definitely smelled better here—clean and piney. He turned around and went back inside. He checked the door in the kitchen. On the other side of that door was a short hallway containing only two other doors. He opened the one on his left. He made to step inside but his foot met only air. He jerked back. He flipped on the light switch and a light half-way down flickered on revealing a descending stairway—the basement. He shut the door; he’d check that out later. Right now he wanted to find his car. It hadn’t been his car for long and he’d been loathe to let the movers haul it behind their truck, but Jet had insisted.
He opened the door directly opposite the kitchen door—Bingo. He flipped the switch and florescent lights flickered on. There was his Audi. Jonah hurried forward and examined every inch carefully. The late model car had a few dings and scratches when he and Jet bought it three months ago, but it didn’t appear to have acquired any new ones on the trip up. He breathed a sigh of relief; Jonah loved his car. He opened the driver’s side door and felt for the ignition; his keys were in it. He pulled them out. It might be ridiculous, but he liked to feel their weight in his front pocket. He took another glance around the garage and turned back toward the kitchen. On the wall beside the door was a panel with three small switches and one large one. He pressed the large one and the two-car garage door opened. He’d pull Jet’s car in for him.
Jet suggested they go into town and get some dinner first, though, which they did. They found a little Italian restaurant, Nicola’s, on the main street. The evening rush had come and gone so they were led straight to a table. Once they’d placed their orders, Jethro leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily. It had been a hectic couple of weeks. He had driven up two weeks ago to see the house, though the realtor had e-mailed numerous photos. He made an offer and thankfully, it had been accepted immediately. Jethro had then worked furiously to push the paperwork through, schedule the closing, and get them moved before the school year started for Jonah.
Jonah worried that all of his work had been in vain. He knew his uncle hoped he would fit in better here and make friends more easily. Jonah had no intention of doing either, but he didn’t tell Jet that. There was no reason to deliberately hurt his uncle’s feelings.
As if reading his mind, Jet started in on the sales pitch again. “This is a great town. It’s small enough that you’ll get to know people a lot more quickly. The area is beautiful—lots of outdoor activities. It’s a little late in the year, but next spring we’ll go fly fishing. This will be a good place for us, Jonah.”
Jonah smiled, his conscience awakening again. “I appreciate all your efforts, Jet. I really do, but like I told you before, I could have had friends in the city if I’d wanted. It’s just best if I stay to myself.”
Irritation flashed across Jethro’s face. “That’s utter nonsense. You’re a seventeen-year-old boy. You need to be around other kids your own age. I want you to have a normal life.”
“My having a normal life is pretty much out of the question.”
Jet leaned across the table pinning Jonah with his eyes. “No, Jonah, it’s a choice—and you’ve been making the wrong one. Let me tell you something: life is no fun lived alone. I know. God made you special and He doesn’t make mistakes. When are you going to realize that and let yourself be happy?”
Jonah looked down, ashamed for upsetting his uncle. “I’ll try, Jet. I promise.” And Jonah vowed to himself he would try to settle in and find some sort of contentment here—though not in the way Jet suggested. Getting close to other people was just a bad idea.
Jonah’s Chicken Milano was delicious and Jethro raved about his Bolgnese. They left Nicola’s full to bursting with Jet’s assurances to the waitress they would be back soon.
That night when they got home, they made up their beds, unpacked a few necessities, and left the rest until morning.
They spent most of Sunday inside getting organized. By dinner time, they had the furniture arranged and their personal items unpacked and in good order. The previous owners had left a large expensive-looking grill on which Jet happily broke in by grilling burgers for them that evening.
Jonah fell into bed that night exhausted. If he was tired, he knew his uncle must be. He liked the big house. Jethro had been right about that. He and Jet would be able to be home together all day and not even run into each other if they didn’t want to—except perhaps in the kitchen.
Jonah smiled as he remembered the spacious kitchen. He knew they’d run into each other a lot there—his uncle loved to cook. Maybe as much as Jonah loved to eat. He rolled over and punched his pillow. He was sincerely grateful that tomorrow was Labor Day, giving him a free day before school started. He wanted to go exploring. All those trees and open space. He could get used to that.