One of the most important things Mal learned while in recovery from being a 24/7 drunk was that you shouldn’t measure life by what you do or what you have materially. All that truly mattered were the relationships you have with the people in your life. Bernadine Brown was a pretty high-powered force of nature, and he wasn’t sure if he could explain why he wanted to be in her life in a way that wouldn’t make her go off on him, but he cared enough about her to risk trying. For sure, she didn’t think she needed anyone, but he was convinced that she did.
“You okay, O.G.?”
Mal swung his chair around to the door to see Amari standing there. “Yeah. Why?”
“You were staring off into space looking pensive.”
Amusement sparkled in Mal’s eyes. “What do you know about the word pensive?”
“Learned it from Brain. He said it means you got something on your mind.”
“I do, but nothing to be worried about. What brings you by?”
“Been thinking about Ms. Genevieve.”
“Again? Don’t you have enough on your mind right now with this parade and your quest without adding Genny to the mix?”
“Yeah, but I still want to do something nice for her, somebody should, and I owe her for helping me learn to read. Thinking about asking her to the movies on Saturday night.”
“The movies? Like a date?”
He shrugged. “Not really, but I guess.”
“You planning on proposing too?”
Amari looked at him like he’d been smoking crack. “No. I just want her to know I appreciate her.”
Mal couldn’t wait to see Clay’s face when he told him Amari was moving in on his woman.
“So, do you think it’s a good idea?”
“Young gun, I think it’s a great idea. Shows you got heart.”
“Thanks.
“You’re not planning on driving over and picking her up, are you?”
“No, sir.”
“Good answer. Genevieve doesn’t drive, so you’ll have to figure that out too.”
“Maybe I can get Ms. Marie to drive her into town, or have Dad pick her up.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Thanks, O.G. Knew I could count on you to help me think it out.”
“That’s all you needed?”
“Yep.”
“Okay. See you later.”
After he made his exit, Mal shook his head and made a mental note to sit beside Clay at the movies on Saturday night. He didn’t want to miss a minute of this.
Because Preston was at home with the colonel, it didn’t take all day for Amari to pedal out to the Jefferson’s place where Ms. Genevieve was staying. When he got to the house and saw Tamar sitting on the porch with Ms. Agnes, he almost turned the bike around and hightailed it out of there, but figured he’d only have to explain to Tamar later why he ran, so he parked his bike by the porch and took in a deep breath. “Hey, Ms. Agnes. Hey, Tamar. Is Ms. Genevieve here?”
“Yes, she is,” Agnes said. “I’ll get her.” She walked to the screen door and disappeared inside.
“How are you, Tamar?”
“Fine. You?”
“Had a dream last night about a hawk, and a woman Dad and O.G. said was the Old Tamar.”
She stilled. “Really. Tell me about it.”
Once he finished the tale, he added, “O.G. said she’s never talked to you as far as he knew, and you might be mad. Hope you’re not.”
“I’m not, but it does make me curious. Do you know anything about your parents?”
“Nope. Why?”
“Just wondering. How about we talk about this next weekend when we do your quest.”
“Sure. I was wondering when it would be.”
Ms. Agnes returned. Behind her were Marie and Genevieve, who peered curiously at Amari for a moment before asking, “You wanted to see me about something, Amari?”
“Yes, ma’am, but, um, can we talk privately?”
“Why sure. Come on inside.”
The eyes of the other women made Amari very self-conscious as he climbed the steps to the porch, so he avoided looking at them directly when he followed her into the house.
“Now, what is it?” she asked kindly.
“I’ve been trying to think of a way to say thank you for helping me with my reading, so I’d like to take you to the movies on Saturday.”
Her smile was a mixture of surprise and delight. “The movies?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh my goodness. What are we going to see?”
“Well, the kids’ part is Transformer. It’s about a race of robots who look like cars and planes and—”
“I’ve heard of it but not seen it. And what’s the second feature?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Doesn’t matter,” she replied while holding her hand to her heart as if overwhelmed.
“So, are you saying, yes?” he asked, unsure.
“Yes, Amari, I am. You are so sweet to do this. Are we going Dutch?”
“Dutch?”
“That means I pay for my ticket and popcorn, and you pay for yours.”
“No. I’m paying. I have some money saved up from my allowance.”
“Are you sure? I can pay my own way if necessary.”
“I’m sure.”
“Thank you, Amari.” Her voice went soft and trembled a bit. “This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a very long time.”
The tears in her eyes were making Amari’s chest tighten up and want to cry too, so he decided it was time to go. “I know you don’t drive, so can Ms. Marie bring you to the center?”
“I’ll ask her, but don’t worry, I’ll get there even if I have to walk or ride a bike.”
Her smile made Amari feel better. “Okay, well, I need to get back. I’ll see you Saturday, Ms. Genevieve.”
“I’ll see you Saturday. You be careful riding home.”
“I will.”
They both walked back out to the porch. Amari said his good-byes, retrieved his bike, and pedaled off.
Marie asked, “What was that all about?”
“I have a date.”
Tamar asked, “A date?”
“With whom?” Agnes wanted to know.
“With that gallant young man on the bicycle.”
They all stared speechless.
“Think I’ll go up to my room and pick out something special to wear.”
Marie chuckled, “Lord. That boy. What are we going to do with him?”
“Make him family, is all I know to do.”
“Remember you said that,” Marie warned, smiling.
“I will.”
A short while later, Tamar left the Jefferson place to head home, and as she walked, Amari was on her mind. Admittedly, she was a bit jealous that the Old Tamar had seen fit to visit him when she’d never done the same for her own namesake. Tamar knew the boy was special, but not so much so that he’d be blessed by the clan matriarch. The Julys rarely spoke to folks outside the family about the mystical Tamar, mainly because people thought the Julys were either crazy or kidding, or both. But they weren’t. Stories of her power and wisdom had been passed down through time just like the July name. Those who didn’t believe would never be convinced, so the Julys didn’t bother. The family knew and therefore had no need to explain it to others. And now Amari knew too. That was mind-boggling to Tamar. The Old Tamar had never been known to walk in the dreams of anyone outside the family, and it made her wonder if that meant that lovable little car thief was already family. Lord. She had a lot of questions but no answers. She’d have to talk to Trent. Maybe he could find a way to trace Amari’s birth family to determine if there was a link.
Since Bernadine Brown came to Henry Adams all kinds of odd circumstances had been occurring. Who knew that Colonel Payne was not only Black Seminole like the Julys but was a descendant of Deputy Sheriff Dixon Wildhorse, an old friend of Neil July? Who knew that mute Zoey would turn out to be a musical prodi
gy, and strangest of all, that Malachi would stop chasing after women young enough to call him grandpa. Bernadine Brown had been responsible for many a blessing since buying up the town, and they were still rippling across lives like a stone skipping on water, and now even the Old Tamar had shown up. Tamar couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
Eli had no interest in seeing the new school, so he left his dad there for the meet-up with Ms. Jefferson while he walked down to road to the diner. Being from southern California he rarely walked anywhere and was surprised at how odd it felt at first. A horn blew suddenly, startling him. Looking over he saw a green pickup slow down, just enough for the driver, a man, to wave and call out, “Hey Eli.”
Eli started to ignore him but when Tamar’s disapproving face floated across his mind’s eye, he raised his hand and called back, “Hey!”
The truck moved on and Eli shook his head. Hicksville.
There were no sidewalks connecting the school to the area near the diner so he was walking on the edge of a dusty road. He passed piles of rubble that may or may not have been buildings and houses at one time interspersed with stretches of wide open plains. A few more pickups passed him, each honking a greeting. In California you didn’t honk at strangers, but he guessed the folks around here didn’t consider one another that, or him either apparently.
He walked past a boarded-up movie theater. It was in almost as bad shape as the piles of bricks and stone, yet it was still standing. His artist’s eyes took in the detailing on the roof and in the old brick and stone façade and guessed it had probably been quite grand once. He saw the words Henry Adams Hotel chiseled in ornate letters in the stone above the tired-looking movie marquee and realized the building had been repurposed, which made him wonder when the town had been large enough to need a hotel. It was easy to see by the emptiness around him that it hadn’t been in the recent past, but he found the nineteenth-century architecture interesting.
The next person to call his name was the kid Amari. He was riding his bike in the direction Eli was walking. Pedaling beside Amari was the other kid, Preston.
“You going to the Dog?” Amari asked.
Eli nodded.
“We’ll save you a seat.”
“Okay, thanks.” In reality Eli wanted to tell them to get lost but they were the closest people to his age that he’d met so far, and at that point he would’ve kept company with anyone who knew the difference between Beyonce and Lady Gaga and under the age of thirty.
When he finally got to the Dog, he walked in and saw Amari and Preston talking to a girl sitting in one of the booths. The boys waved him over.
As he approached he heard Amari say to the girl, “Sorry about your mom’s passing.”
“Me too,” Preston added solemnly.
“Thanks,” she replied, then looked up at him. “And you are?”
“Eli James. My dad and I just moved here. He’s the new teacher.” Eli had no idea how old she might be because the heavy makeup and the gold weave made a determination difficult.
“I’m Crystal. Sit if you want.”
Eli took a seat but Amari and Preston acted as if they weren’t sure the invitation included them so they hesitated for a moment until she said, “You too.”
Because they’d arrived after the breakfast rush and before lunch the place was empty except for Rocky and Siz, whom he’d been introduced to last night, and the waitstaff eating lunch at the back of the diner. Mr. July came out of the kitchen carrying a tray holding a burger and fries and set the plate down in front of Crystal, along with a tall glass filled with Pepsi and ice.
“Thanks, Mr. July.”
“No problem. Hey, young guns. You all hungry?”
Eli and Amari nodded, but Preston had his attention glued on something or someone else. Mr. July waved a hand in front of the kid’s face. “Preston. Do you want to eat?”
He jumped. “Oh, yes, sir.”
Eli saw Amari grin.
“What can I get you?”
They all ordered duplicates of what Crystal was having and July walked back to the kitchen.
Eli asked Preston, “Who are you staring at?”
Amari answered, “Rocky.”
Crystal said, “I met her earlier. She seems nice but she’s way too old for you, Preston, so forget about it.”
“She’s still pretty.”
Crystal rolled her eyes and checked out her plate. “I know I’m supposed to be polite and wait until you all get your food, but my fries will be cold by then, so…” She grabbed the ketchup bottle on the table and hit them up. “How old are you, Eli?”
“Sixteen.” He found himself wondering what a girl with gold hair and so much makeup was doing living here. She looked more L.A. than Kansas. “How old are you?”
She eyed him over her big fat burger for a long moment. “I’ll be sixteen in September.”
“You grow up here?”
“No. I was born in Cleveland. Moved here last summer.”
“Do you like it?”
“I suppose. How about you?”
“Not at all.”
“Why not?”
Her direct questioning reminded him a bit of Tamar. He shrugged. “Not my kind of lifestyle.”
“Not a lot to do here, that’s for sure, but it’s okay. We have fun sometimes.”
“Doing what?”
“Nothing big, but we do. What’s your dad like?”
“He’s okay I guess, as long as you’re not his kid.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Preston asked.
“He’s real nice to his students but could care less about me.”
Crystal studied him. “So you all don’t get along?”
“No. Can’t wait to turn eighteen so I can move out.”
“He beat on you?”
“No,” he replied as if the question was stupid.
“He ever starve you?”
“No.”
Amari asked, “He ever hold your hand on a hot iron until you told the truth?”
“What?”
Amari held up his right hand to show the puckered skin on his palm.
“Damn, Amari,” Crystal said quietly. “You never mentioned that before.”
“I know, but hey, it healed up pretty good for not being taken to the doctor afterward.”
A puzzled Eli looked between them and received a cool smile from Preston, who said, “We’re all foster kids, Eli. Your dad is probably a thousand times better than the dads we had. Not that I ever knew mine.”
“Or mine,” Crystal and Amari said in unison.
Mr. July returned with their food, and after his departure they started in on their meals.
Eli was still stuck on the last conversation. “So, you’re all here as part of some kind of experiment?”
“Sort of,” Crystal said, and took a few minutes to tell them how they’d come to be in Henry Adams. “Ms. Bernadine is one of the richest women in the world.”
Amari took a bite and said around it. “She’s got this really sweet all-white jet.”
“And she owns this whole town,” Preston added.
Eli was half thinking he was being punked, but they all seemed to be telling the story so seamlessly. “So how many kids in all live here?”
Crystal said, “Just five. The three of us, and Devon and Zoey. Zoey is mute. She was homeless and got attacked by rats after her mother died and hasn’t said a word since.”
“My mom died about two years ago.”
“Mine died day before yesterday.”
Silence filled the table for a moment, then Crystal asked, “How’s your dad dealing with it?”
Eli shrugged. “Okay, I guess. We don’t talk a lot.”
“Why not?” Crystal asked, “Ms. Bernadine and I talked for a long time. She’s been helping me deal.”
“All my dad’s been doing is getting on my case.”
“About what?”
“My grades. Me sleeping over with my friends instead of coming ho
me, and everything else seems like. He really blew up when he had to come get me from the police station last month.”
“Why’d you get picked up?”
“Friends and I stole a car.”
Amari put down his burger and asked, “What kind?”
“A Taurus, I think it was. We were just riding around. The owner didn’t even press charges so I don’t know why he was so mad.”
“You stole a Taurus?” Amari echoed skeptically.
“Yeah,” Eli replied proudly. “Had it most of the night too.”
“Why didn’t you just take a minivan? How lame are your friends?”
Crystal chuckled softly and Preston smiled around the straw in his mouth.
Eli didn’t get it. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about standards, dog. Zoey and Devon could steal a Taurus.”
“I suppose you’re going to lie and say you stole what, a Ferrari?”
“No, I’m not going to lie and say I stole a Ferrari. Going to tell the truth and say I stole three.”
“You’re lying.”
Amari threw up his hands.
Crystal was still chuckling.
Preston said, “Eli, meet Amari ‘Flash’ Steele, Detroit’s most wanted car thief. They called him Flash because that’s how fast he could steal a car.”
Crystal added, “When we flew to Detroit in Ms. Bernadine’s jet to pick him up to come live here, boyfriend was in handcuffs and leg irons for trying to steal a Viper while he was with the police, at the airport.”
Eli stared. “How old are you?”
“Eleven. Be twelve next month.”
Once again, Eli thought he was being punked but the kids seemed dead serious.
Amari added. “And been to juvie three times.”
Eli stared again.
Crystal offered some advice, “You should probably eat before your fries get cold.”
The stunned Eli looked around at their amused faces, then began eating again.