Clan of Redemption (2 page)

“It looks like you shop at
the Mary Popins store for the gifted,” Sully said as she inspected
my clothes.

“Hey now, I don’t bug you
about your clothes that look like there straight out of the
twilight zone.” I forced a smile from my face.

“Ok, ok, but I need to take
you shopping soon. Hey what about this top, it reeks fun.” Sully
reached in the back of my closet and pulled out a red sequin top
with spaghetti straps.

“Yeah that’s funny.” I
glared at her while I got up to look at my face in the mirror of my
vanity. I had been crying for so long that my eyes were puffy
enough for someone to think that a bee stung me.

“Hey I found some black
leather pants. This is great, maybe you aren’t such a prude after
all.” She pulled the pants out and threw them onto the
bed.

“That was a Halloween
costume from last year, remember, I was a street
walker.”

“Oh, you mean a sex slave.
Yeah that outfit could mean that, but with the right shoes it could
turn you into a mean….”

“That’s quite enough
Sully. I thought you were supposed to be making me feel better.” I
turned a frown on her.

Sully went over to the bed
to pick up the outfit and the dog growled at her.

“I guess the dog doesn’t
like it either. Ok, how about we compromise, wear the shirt and a
pair of jeans and your black boots. At least you’ll have a little
style,” Sully shrugged.

“Fine, but you have to
promise me that you won’t get into any fights with anyone. I can’t
handle any more stress right now.” I went over to the bed and
started to take my shirt off, when the dog jumped down and went to
the door and whined.

“I guess he has to take a
whiz,” Sully said.

“Will you take him outside
and let him pee please, while I change? I’ll meet you
outside.”

“Sure, but you better not
come down without that outfit on, or I might have to let my lips
spill out just a little bit of your not so greatest moments.” Sully
gave me a devious smile.

“Yes, I will wear it, but
you have to promise me that you won’t bring up Logan at all
tonight. I just want to forget about it for tonight.” I turned and
shut my door while Sully took the dog downstairs. So what is
tonight going to entail, will Sully reach her drunken state and
start a fight, or will we live to see the sunrise without much
turmoil? Logan was always a great ground for her, especially when
it came to calming her down. I can’t picture my life without Logan.
We were planning to attend the same University; we had our
schedules planned together. What will my life be like without him?
Is there a heaven, and if there is, is he watching me? Did he die
with pain, or was it quick with no thoughts of panic.

“
Quit it. Let’s just go
and have fun.” I don’t want to think about this right
now.

As I reached the bottom of
the stairs, I realized that my birthday was today; at least I think
it is, not sure how many days I slept. Logan and I were going to
hike up Mt. Rainier. I have lived in Washington all my life, but
have never been hiking at Mt. Rainier. Logan was a natural in the
woods, he loved the animals, the smell of the Evergreens, and the
dew of the mornings that would gather on the outside of the tents.
He always tried to convince me to sleep without the tents, but I
would whine a little and he could cave in. I really miss him, and
it still doesn’t seem real that he’s gone.

Tears started to swell in
my eyes and I quickly took a deep breath and brushed them back. If
I was going to ask my Dad if I could go out with Sully, he had to
believe that I was ok, and crying wasn’t going to get me the answer
that I wanted.

Dad’s been protective of
me especially since Mom died.

I took the back stairs
that lead into the kitchen.

“Hi honey, are you ok, can
I get you something to eat?” My dad walked over to me. I could tell
he was watching sports in the living room.

“No Dad I’m ok, I wanted
to go out with Sully. I’ll be home before 2am, I just need to get
out and clear my head.” I had my black pea coat on and I saw my dad
start to review what I was wearing so I snuggled my coat a little
tighter.

“If going out will make
you feel better, absolutely, but please try and eat something. You
haven’t eaten much in days.” He gave me that parental look that
said “Do what I say or else”.

“I’ll stop somewhere and
grab a bite. Thanks Dad,” I said as I gave him a hug.

“I’m always here for you
if you want to talk, getting your feelings out is healthy for the
soul, don’t forget that,” My Dad said.

"Maybe later Dad, but
Sully is waiting for me.” I turned to leave.

“Wait, wait,” he said as
he started to leave the room.

Great, he isn’t going to
let me go, wonderful, I’d have to go back to my room and think
about Logan.

“Wait for what Dad?” I
turned to look at him.

“I know that it’s a very
emotional time for you, but I wanted to give this to you. Not like
this, but I want you to have it today, it’s what your mother
wanted.” Dad handed me small velvety box.

“What’s this?”

“Well today is your
birthday, July 18, right?” Dad smiled.

“What do you mean right,
you should know when my….Oh you were kidding. Sorry Dad I’m not as
sharp as I normally would be,” I gave him a small smile that didn't
reach far.

“Your mother wanted you to
have this on your 18
^th
birthday. There’s a
letter too, but since you're going out I thought you could read it
later. I’ll leave it on the credenza.”

I opened the box and there
sat a ring. I had never seen a ring like this before. A white gold
ring, with a center stone beveled with the sharpest color of burnt
amber stone held together with a three pointed trinity knot on
either side draped with blue stones lining the band. It looked like
continuous circles wrapped around the band or maybe a continuous
infinity symbol.

“Dad it’s beautiful. How
come you never told me that she left this for me?” I said knowing I
sounded a little harsh.

“Well, your mother made it
very clear to me that she wanted this to be given to you on your
18
^th
birthday and not a
day earlier. It's like she knew she wouldn't be around. Sorry to
keep such a secret, but your Mom would haunt me from her grave if
she knew that I went back on my word,” Dad said with a cracked
smile. I could see his eyes were glistening a little. I hate to see
my Dad cry, so I grabbed him and give him the biggest bear
hug.

“Thanks Dad, this is
wonderful. Where did the ring come from?” I asked as I slid it on
my right hand ring finger.

“You're welcome, but thank
your mom, and I’m not sure, I think was handed down to her from her
parents. Let me know what the letter says, I’m curious.”

“Ok, I will," I
said.

“Hey, I noticed a dog
hanging around the house and I think I saw it follow Sully upstairs
with you,” He said. I could tell he was starting to say something
else but I interrupted him.

“The dog was there when I
woke up on the beach, the day that.., well anyway I’m not sure
where he came from or if he’s lost. He makes me feel better just to
be around him, do you think I could keep him?" I gave my dad the
look that got me what I wanted.

He stared at me for a
minute. I could tell he wanted to say no.

“Ok, but please call the
local shelters tomorrow, just to make sure there isn’t someone
looking for him,” My dad said as he put his hand on my
shoulder.

“I will first thing
tomorrow. Thanks Dad,” I said as I gave me a hundred watt
smile.

“Happy Birthday sweet
pea.” My dad took his hand and rubbed my cheek. Ever since my mom
died, my dad has gotten real sensitive and emotional towards me. He
hugs me at least every day and tells me he loves me. Losing his
soul mate was very hard on him and I still see it in his eyes, it’s
like a piece of his soul died when mom died.

“Well I’ll see you later,
don’t wait up for me.” I headed towards the door.

“I love you
Jayden.”

“I love you too
Dad.”

I walked outside to meet
with Sully, but I couldn’t stop thinking about this ring that my
mom had left for me, and this letter that I still have to read. Did
she know she was going to die? How could she have written a letter
if she hadn’t known she was going to die. What does the letter say?
Leaving that letter in the house was very hard for me. I wanted to
cancel plans with Sully just so I could go read this letter. So
many questions. How had she known to give it to Dad, did she not
think she was going to be around for my eighteenth birthday? With
all these questions, it’s going to be hard to focus on having a
good time tonight.

Questions?

Sully was waiting next to
her car with that dog sitting right next to her. I was glad that
Sully was driving. I wasn’t in any condition to concentrate on the
road, especially with what has been happening. Sully’s car was
definitely a sign of her own personality; an old beat up Ford
pickup. It’s a green color, but with the rust engulfing the
vehicle, you wouldn’t know what color it used to be. Sully is a lot
like me in the respect that our families have money. You couldn’t
tell by the way that Sully lives, but that’s what I like about her.
She doesn’t flaunt herself, and she’s practical, sometimes too
much. I’ve tried to talk her into buying a different vehicle, but
she loves her old truck and she does spend some money on it, like
her stereo system. She has the latest and loudest stereo system in
her truck, but with no alarm. Go figure.

I hope that she keeps the
volume low tonight, my head is starting to hurt, just a
little.

“Nice color on your hair,
Sully,” I smiled.

“Thanks, I was going for
platinum blond, but it lightened a little more than I expected, but
I can hang for a while with this.”

“I like the red strip in
the front. It’s actually a little subtle even for you.”

Sully’s hair is short and
spiky in the back and longer in the front. She loves to change up
her hair every few months. I like this look a wee bit better than
her blue faze.

“Not everyone can be a
beautiful red head like you Jayden.” She frowned at me; I hope she
didn’t take my comment the wrong way. Getting Sully to relax after
she feels offended isn’t the easiest chore.

“So what are we going to
do with this dog?” Sully bent down roughed up the dogs head, which
wasn’t far down. The dog seemed extra tall for a typical dog.
Almost looked wolfish.

“Well Dad said that I
could keep him, but I want to make sure that he doesn’t already
have a home. Tomorrow I’ll start calling around. Maybe we could
take him with us, he can hang out with the truck while were out.” I
squatted to pet this dog. He walked over to me and buried his face
into my lap. He’s awfully friendly; I wonder where he came from?
Something about him seems familiar, like I’ve seen him before, but
I can’t remember from where.

“So, are you a boy or a
girl?” As if the dog understood what I was saying, he rolled over
onto its back so I could see.

“Well that answers the
question. I guess you’re a boy.” I laughed as I rubbed his belly;
he really seemed to like that.

“He’s a very beautiful
dog, what kind of mutt do you think he is Jayden?”

“Hum, I don’t know much
about dogs, but he looks kind of like a wolf, I don’t know, but I
love his mask that outlines his face and his ears, they are so
soft.”

“Well let’s get him in the
back so we can hit the road, time’s a wasting.” Sully walked to the
back of the truck and opened the tailgate. The dog followed her and
jumped into the back like he knew he was going with us.

“Wow, this dog is really
well trained. He must have a home, which will be sad, because I’m
really starting to grow fond of him.” The dog sat and stared at me
with a look I couldn’t quite place.

“So, Sully where are you
taking me tonight?” I asked with hesitation.

“Jasper’s of course, where
else can I let my hair down.” Sully started the truck and laughed a
very mischievously.

What had I gotten myself
into; this is might not have been a very good idea.

“Wow, that ring is
gorgeous, where did you get that.” Sully grabbed my right
hand.

“Oh, well I guess my mom
had this for me for my 18
^th
birthday, along with
a letter, but my Dad wanted me to wait until I come home to read
it,” I said.

“A letter, that sounds
creepy,” Sully said.

“Sully, it’s not creepy,
it’s exciting that I get a chance to hear my Mom again after so
long, and the fact that she thought about my 18
^th
birthday long before it ever came,” I said and I turned away
from her to stare out the window.