Change

18

I knocked on Devon’s door at four-thirty Sunday afternoon. He opened the door and stepped out and I saw he’d dressed up. Well, dressed better. He wasn’t wearing the jeans and t-shirt I’d seen him in previously. Instead he wore a nice pair of khaki slacks, pressed so they had a crease down the front of each leg, and a patterned blue polo shirt. I looked him up and down, admiring the new look, and saw he even had on a pair of dress shoes. His hair was smoothed back into a neat ponytail. He looked sharp. 

“Wow!” I said. “You look great, but you didn’t have to dress up. Sunday dinner may be mandatory, but it’s casual.”

“I wasn’t sure so I split the difference. It can’t hurt to make a good impression. No one’s seen me since I was a rebellious kid. If I’m good, they might change their minds about me.”

“Ha!” I reached up and flipped the end of his ponytail. “As if this wasn’t a dead give-away that your rebellion is still alive and well!” 

“Do you think that’ll bother them?” he asked.

“I don’t see why it would. Raine’s hair is longer than mine and yours put together, no one rides him about it.”

Devon looked at me, speechless a moment. “Raine?”

“Yep. It makes me more suspicious he has Native American blood in there somewhere. You’ll know what I mean when you see him. Why are you so worried what they’ll think of you? It’s not like you need to impress them, you’ve known them forever.”

“Yeah, I know. I still want to make a good impression.”

I chuckled. “Then let’s go. You can watch sports with Dad, or sit in the kitchen and talk to Mom and me while we cook.”

“I’m on my way,” he locked the door and he pulled it closed.

* * *

I opened the door to my parents’ house and motioned Devon inside before entering myself. I took Devon down the hall to the living room to see my father.

“Dad, you remember Devon Wilson?”

“Sure, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Dad briefly took his attention off the screen in front of him. 

“Yes, sir.”

“You’ll need to excuse me for a bit. I’m in the middle of this game and I’ll only get to watch it until the grandkids get here.”

“No problem,” Devon smiled.

“Dad, we’re going into the kitchen with Mom. I’ll be back after Brit gets here with the monsters when we can actually talk to you.” 

He nodded but didn’t look away from the screen as we left. I led Devon into the kitchen where I hugged Mom.

“Mom, you remember Devon.” 

“Of course I do,” she hugged him. “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked. “I want you to make yourself at home. Have a seat in here and talk to us while James watches his game, or you can go in and watch it with him. I’ll warn you, he’ll stay glued to that thing until the game’s over or the little ones get here.”

Devon rubbed one hand over his jaw, “Ma’am, I don’t think I could sit here and watch you two work. Watching sports would be even worse. How about I pitch in? I don’t have much experience in the kitchen, but I can follow directions with the best of them. Tell me what to do and you’ve got an extra set of hands.” I think this endeared him to my mother. 

“You don’t have to do that,” Mom said.

“Yes, I do. I would be unpacking my apartment for weeks if Nickie hadn’t shown up yesterday and insisted on pitching in. I can help cook a meal I’m gonna eat.”

“If you insist,” she conceded. “Can you peel potatoes?” 

“Are you kidding? I peeled hundreds of potatoes before I left home. I might be a little rusty, but I can get the job done. Point me to the potatoes, give me a knife, and I’ll have them naked for you in no time.” 

“Here’s the potatoes, the peeler, and a bowl.” She set them on the counter in front of him. “For a crowd our size, we need to fill that bowl with peeled potatoes.”

“No problem, I’ll get ‘er done.” He went to the sink to wash his hands, then got to work on the large bag of potatoes she’d set on the counter. 

As we worked, Mom questioned him, “Nickie tells me you’ve spent the last ten years with the Army but now you’re back to stay. Your mother must be happy to have you home.”

“She is,” he said. “She’d given up on me ever coming home and settling down. My folks figured I’d go career Army and if I ever got married and had kids, I’d take them all over the world and they wouldn’t get to see much of them. Honestly, the idea sounded good to me, not the part about my family, but the career military and traveling part. I enjoyed what I did. What never occurred to us was that I’d get hurt and end up discharged. Now, I’m back, and though I’m not even considering settling down or having kids, Mom has high hopes.”

“I’m sure she does. Is she fixing you up with girls yet, or is she still hinting?” Mom asked.

“She’s hinting, though not subtly. She keeps suggesting girls she thinks would be good for me. This girl comes from a good family. Another girl is pretty and sweet, she would make a good mother someday. We all know Mom would rather someday came sooner than later. I’d hoped my sister Amy’s kids would’ve soothed her desire for grandkids, at least a little, but it seems to be the opposite. Now she has a couple, she wants more and she’s after all three of us to provide them for her.”

“Some of us are like that, though I like to think that I’m not a pusher.” Mom smiled at me before continuing, “I love my grandkids, and I’ll be thrilled for more, when the kids are ready to give them to me. I have six kids spread out over eleven years. That just means I’ll get my grandkids spread out too. It’ll give me longer to enjoy them.” She laughed. 

“Well, I have to admit, her pushing makes me want to avoid her so I don’t have to hear it. I keep hoping she’ll give up when I don’t cave, but I don’t have high hopes of that.” He tossed a freshly peeled potato into the bowl. 

“Now you have a place of your own again. What are your other plans?” Mom asked.

“I’m gonna have to find a job, at least something part time. I’m gonna be picky about what to do though, my disability will hold me for a while, if I don’t go hog wild.”

“What is it you’re looking for?” Mom asked. 

“I don’t know what I want exactly. It’s more what I don’t want. I don’t want to go to the mine, and I don’t want a desk job, though, I’ll take either if I have to. What I want is something physical but not so demanding I can’t take a break or quit for the day when this leg gives me too much trouble.” 

“What you need is a person, not a company, one who would be reasonable and flexible?”

“That’s exactly what I need.” He smiled at Mom’s evaluation. “I haven’t really looked into it yet. I’ve only been in town a couple weeks and I spent most of it looking for an apartment and moving.”

“That’s understandable,” Mom paused for a moment. “You know, every summer James hires a high school boy to help him out. Someone to do the heavier work now that he’s getting a little older and the boys both have jobs that keep them busy. But kids that age can be so unreliable, then they quit when school starts, leaving James all the work again. It’s more work some days than others, and we can’t compete with the mine or larger farms for pay, but I’m sure James would appreciate reliable help if you were interested.” 

“Well, ma’am, I don’t need a whole lot. My disability covers most of what I need. My aim is to make up the difference and have a little left over. I’d appreciate something that lets me exercise my leg. It sounds like helping Mr. Daniels might be just what I need. I’ll have to talk to him, thanks for thinking of me.” He peeled the last potato and dropped it into the bowl, then carried the whole thing over to the sink and filled it with water. 

“Thanks for that. There’s not much left to do. Nickie and I’ve got it covered. Why don’t you have a seat and just visit or go in the other room and visit with James.” 

“I think I’ll go see how the game is going and see if he’s ready to talk to someone yet.”

“That will depend on how his team’s doing,” I said. “I’ll be done here in a few minutes and then I’ll be there.” 

Mom and I finished with the cooking and I was finishing the dishes when the front door opened. I picked up a towel and dried my hands as I stepped out of the kitchen. I looked down the hall and saw the back side of Raine disappear into the living room. Setting the folded towel on the counter top, I went into the living room to join them. 

The screen had been turned off, which meant Dad’s game had ended. I leaned over and hugged Raine where he sat. 

“Raine, you remember Devon Wilson, don’t you?” I asked.

“Didn’t you run around with Pace’s gaggle?” Raine said.

“Yeah, I ran into him the other day as he was moving into my apartment complex. I thought it would be nice to let everyone catch up,” I said.

“It’s good to see you, man. What’ve you been up to?”

“I did a couple of enlistments with the Army.” Devon recounted the story he’d told me about the time he’d been away. “Mrs. Daniels said you hire a high school kid to help you out during the summer, do a lot of heavy lifting and such. Is there any chance I can talk you into giving that to me?”

“You sure you want something like that?” Dad was skeptical it was a job Devon wanted, “We don’t pay much, definitely not enough to live on.” 

“I don’t need much to live on. The Army gives me a disability for this.” He thumped his bad knee. “I need something for spending or savings money and to keep me from going insane. What I want is something physical. Something to help me strengthen this leg, but I need an understanding boss who’ll let me take a break or call it a day if it gets to be too much. I can’t do that working at the mine or for some big company.”

“I guess I can understand that,” Dad said. “But are you sure you want to do a lot of rough and dirty farm work?”

“It sounds about perfect,” Devon said honestly. “I’ll tell you what, give me a week or two to learn how you do things. I’ll take care of all the animals every other weekend and let you have some time off... How long has it been since you had a day off? One where you didn’t have to worry about being sure the animals got fed?” Devon was trying to convince Dad to give him the job.

“It’s been a long time, I admit,” Dad said. I could see him weakening. “Longer than I can remember.”

“I’m more reliable, even with this bum leg, than most kids. I’d even be willing to take over for a week or two and let you take that beautiful wife of yours out of town on a second honeymoon.”

“Boy, you know what buttons to push, don’t you? You just got yourself a job. I usually start at about six, but if you show up by five fifteen, that wife of mine will feed you, too.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose,” Devon said.

“Not at all,” Mom said, stepping into the room having heard most of the last bit from the hallway. “I miss not having anyone around to feed. I spent years cooking for my kids and the myriad of their friends that were always hanging around. I’m up and cooking for James anyway, it’s no trouble at all to make enough for you, too.”

“Well, if you’re sure.” 

“I am. You show up by five fifteen and I’ll feed you like you deserve.” 

“Thank you, ma’am, I appreciate it.”

“When do you want to start?” Dad asked.

“When do you need me?” Devon returned. 

“Would tomorrow be too soon?” 

“Not at all. I’ll be here bright, early, and ready to work.” 

The front door opened and my sister Brittney and her family came in. It’s hard to mistake the yelling and excitement of her kids for anyone else. I got up and met the kids coming down the hallway. 

I snatched Jimmy up off the floor as he ran by and threatened to tickle him into submission for running in the house again. 

“What am I going to do with you?” I pretended to be a monster who caught him doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. “I think I’ll feed you to the mean old Grandpa monster.” 

“YEAH, YEAH!! GRANDPA!!” he yelled. 

I tucked him under one arm and carried him like a football into the living room where the Grandpa monster hid. “Britt?” I called over my shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“You remember Devon Wilson, right? Ran with Pace’s group in school?”

“Oh, yeah! How have you been?” she asked as we entered the living room. I continued to wrestle with the wiggling boy, carrying him to where Dad sat in his recliner. I started to lower Jimmy over him. 

“Grandpa, I brought you a wiggly little boy to eat. He might be a little squirmy, but he should be nice and tender.”

“Let me have him,” Dad reached and took the squirming boy. “I’ve been hungry for some little boy and I might have to tickle him into good behavior.” Dad tickled the already writhing boy now lying across his lap, making him squirm and squeal.

I turned back to my sister and lifted Tammy out of her arms. 

“How are you doing today, little one? Has your mama been treating you right?” I lifted her high above my head, wiggling her gently as she giggled. I bounced her up and down several times before settling her down on my hip again. “How has your brother been?” I asked, still talking to the baby. “Is he playing nice? Or is he teasing you and pulling your hair?” 

Tammy giggled. Jimmy finally managed to squirm free from his grandfather and climb down just in time for me to set Tammy down with Dad. She quickly snuggled against him. I led Jimmy over to the corner and got him interested in some toys stacked there before going back into the kitchen to finish dinner. 

I was putting the ice bucket back in the freezer after filling the glasses on the table when the front door opened again. The newest scent told me it was Cam, just in time to sit down for dinner. Mom stepped into the living room and announced dinner was ready. Everyone came into the dining room and took their seats, but Devon hung back, waiting to be told where to sit.

“Just pick one, Devon, no one bites, except maybe Tammy,” I watched the indecision on his face. I placed both hands in the middle of his back and gently pushed him toward the table. I sensed Cam walk into the room behind me. “Cam,” I said, “You remember Devon?”

“Yeah, I remember him,” Cam turned to Devon. “How you doing, man?”

“Not bad, you?”

“Can’t complain,” Cam replied as we all took our seats, Devon snagging a chair next to mine. We started passing dishes around the table and serving our selves. “Nick, you making an announcement? Bringing someone to Sunday dinner can be quite a statement.” There was a teasing note in his voice and I saw embarrassment creep up Devon’s neck. 

“No, blockhead,” I snapped, sorry my brother’s teasing was bothering Devon. I explained that Devon had just returned and I thought he might like to see some old friends.

“Ahh...” Cam grinned as though he thought I wasn’t telling the whole truth. He turned to Devon, “What’re you doing these days?”

“I’ve only been back in town for a couple weeks and I’ve spent most of that looking for a place to live. Once I had that settled, I started looking for a job.”

“Don’t most people do that the other way around?”

“Generally, but since when have I been like most people? Anyway, my disability covers the basics, I was looking for a job for something to do and for the exercise.”

“Hang on, I missed something, disability? Was looking?” Confusion replaced the teasing look on Cam’s face. “I thought you said you are looking, and how’d you get hurt?”

Devon told his story again, and I knew he had to be tired of recounting it. He ended with, “I was looking until this evening, but I think I’ve found the perfect job.”

“What’s the new job?”

“Helping your dad around the farm. I offered to take the position he normally gives to high-schoolers, but I went a little farther and I offered to work every other weekend and let him and your mom take some time off, maybe go out of town for a change,” Devon said. 

Cam looked surprised and so did Britt. I don’t think it had occurred to either of them Mom and Dad almost never got to take vacations because someone had to make sure the animals were fed. 

“That’s a lot of physical labor, do you think your leg’ll hold up?” Cam asked.

“I think so, but I need to work it and strengthen it anyway. Your dad will understand if I need a few minutes rest or to quit early now and then. That’s not something I could do most places.”

“I guess if you were the kind to quit early and blame your leg often, then you wouldn’t be looking for the kind of job to push it and strengthen it, would you?”

“Probably not. I’d like to get back in shape, as if I were still in the Army. Not that I have any intentions of rejoining, but I liked being in shape.”

“Makes sense.”

I kept silent through this, knowing if I spoke up or defended Devon that Cam and the others would be sure I had brought a boyfriend home. 

There was plenty of chatter and visiting going on at the table as we ate. It was friendly, with lots of laughter and teasing. Devon fit right in and enjoyed the evening. 

After dinner, Mom told Cam, Raine, and Brittney, that Devon and I had helped her get dinner on the table, cleaning up would be their job. With that, Mom, Dad, Devon, Tracy, the kids, and I, went into the living room and sat down. We chatted for a while, and when Britt came in and offered everyone a slice of the chocolate cake Mom had made, we all accepted. She took the kids back into the kitchen and when I offered to help serve, Britt said no; she and the boys could take care of it. 

It was a little after eight when Devon and I left. We had a good evening, but we both had to get up early the next day.