Chapter 28: T.J./Court
I was a little
concerned about T.J. If he said anything I didn’t want to lie to my parents and
I didn’t want to explain anything. At
least not yet. I decided to do as Tye
asked and placed a piece of plywood, then piled a couple boxes against the
outside east wall, enough to cover one of the white stones. I then pulled some of the ivy and lilac bushes
and tied it so the boxes weren’t noticeable and more stones were covered.
T.J. didn’t say a
word that morning, at least nothing I heard about. If he did say anything to one of my parents,
they didn’t take it seriously. It may be
that Tye closed the portal before T.J. could see anything, so other than
hearing me talking; he might not have had anything to tell. One thing for sure, I wasn’t going to ask him
so I could find out. That would just
tell him it wasn’t a dream.
My mom made dinner
that night and we all sat down for her spaghetti and salad. After we finished dinner, T.J. left to watch
T.V. and my dad motioned for me to stay at the table.
“T.J.’s been having
stomach problems again,” explained my dad. T.J. had had lots of stomach
problems over the years. I had been told it was fairly common for children with
Downs and T.J. seemed to have it pretty bad sometimes. I knew it was probably serious if my dad was
bringing it up. “We made an appointment
with his specialist back in San Francisco about a month ago.” Suddenly I felt
just a little embarrassed that I had been so preoccupied. I had no idea T.J. was having significant problems
again. “Both your mom and I are going to take him to his appointment on
Tuesday. Dr. Garston thinks he can
control it with a medication change. Depending on what happens, he’ll probably
refer us to someone closer in Salt Lake. He says there’s some really excellent people
at Primary Children’s and the University Hospital. On Thursday, we have court for the bankruptcy.
It won’t be totally over after that; but
it’ll be just a matter of time and we’ll be able to put that all behind us, except
some debt we still plan to pay off. We
should be back here Sunday afternoon.”
My dad paused and
then my mother began. “We’ve talked about it and you’ve been doing really well
lately. Acting more responsibly, and you
have some really good friends now. We
don’t want to leave you home alone so we’re going to give you a choice. You can come with us, spend some time at the
mall, maybe see some old friends, or you can stay here for the week; but we
don’t want you to stay alone. If you can
get Amanda, Beth, or D’Lisa to spend the night all week, and if you want to
stay here, you can. They can all stay or
just one of them, or they can switch off. We know you’ll need rides and it’s ok if their
parents are over and it’s even ok if Jason is over, but that’s it! You have to promise us, no one else will be
allowed in the house and we don’t want you to go anywhere that week other than
school, unless you clear it with us first. We’ll have the cell. If you want, you can stay at one of your
friend’s houses too; but we understand Amanda and Beth’s parents will be at the
cabin Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and we don’t really know D‘Lisa‘s
parents. … So… what do you want to do.?”
I thought about my
old friends and didn’t really care to see them again right now. Maybe someday, but not now. I thought about malls and stores and Fisherman’s
Wharf; but even if I had any money to spend, without any of my Logan friends,
it just didn’t sound very fun anymore. Then I had a surprising thought, maybe I
should ask about T.J. before answering. I felt myself actually feeling concerned. “So, what’s up with T.J.? Is this serious?”
“We’re concerned;
but we don’t think it’s super serious. He’s
been throwing up at night. Not a lot,
but enough to make us and the pediatrician here in town concerned. She suggested he see a specialist. She said it was ok for us to wait a month or
two so he could see someone who’s known him a long time. Like your dad said, Dr. Garston just thinks
he’ll need a medication adjustment and then he’ll arrange for a specialist in
Salt Lake to follow up.”
“If it’s ok then, …
I’d like to stay. I’ll call around and see if I can get at least one person
here every night and then let you know. Is that ok?” I was still a little surprised
and it felt good that they actually trusted me enough to let me stay without
them.
“Yes, we told you
it was. Go make your calls and let us know.” responded my mom.
After about an hour
I found both my parents, reading in the living room. My dad was playing some of his Mozart. Laudate
Dominum with Maria Zadori as soloist.
Absolutely incredible. I had
paused and listened as my dad played it, many times over my life, and my dad
played that particular piece often. I
knew it well, it's one of those few things in my life that really felt like…
this is home. Wherever I was, this piece
with that artist, would remind me of home.
“I’ve got
everything set. D’Lisa will come over and spend Monday night. Amanda will be here Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday night, and if you’re sure it’s ok, both Beth and Amanda will be here
Friday and Saturday night. Are you sure that’s ok?”
“Yes, that sounds
great;” answered my dad.
Looking at my mom, I asked; “how did you know Amanda and Beth’s
parents were going to the cabin?”
My mom surprised me
with her answer. “Oh, I see Stephanie for coffee every once in a while.” I had no idea the two of them had continued
any kind of relationship after the big “Sid” crisis.
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