Jimmy wanted to speak, but Mama's reference to swimming lessons scared him into silence. He'd made several trips to the large swimming pool maintained by the Cattaloochie County Recreation Department but never got in the water. Nothing could convince him to get in the water. Mama had tried groups of children happily splashing in the shallow end, private lessons with a smiling teacher who held out a kickboard, even taking Max, who promised there were no sharks in the water. Nothing worked. When Jimmy stepped onto the pool deck, the flood of tears and involuntary shaking that racked his body convinced everyone present that Jimmy's time to enter the water had not arrived.
Grandpa stood and left the room. The adults looked at one another in silence. Finally, Grandma spoke.
“Ellen, you know I was in the dark about this, but after I cooled down, I realized Jim didn't mean any harm. Ever since he retired, I've felt like I've got a child all over again. He does his chores around the house, but he's always off fishing or trying to get one of his buddies to go walking in the woods in search of a new place for a deer stand.”
“You don't expect him to take up knitting, do you?” Daddy asked.
“No, but Jimmy isn't an ordinary playmate,” Grandma answered. “He's a delight to have around the house, and at times he does so well that it lulls you into thinking he's more independent than he really is. However, none of us can ever forget the seriousness of our responsibility to look out for him.”
“Amen,” Mama said soberly.
Grandpa returned with a cardboard box. He put it on the floor and lifted the top. Jimmy leaned over to peer into the box. Inside was a jumble of ropes and pulleys. Grandpa spoke in a level voice.
“Ellen, I never intended to put Jimmy at risk of injury. When I realized that he was going to start climbing beyond my reach, I called the district office and asked if they had a training harness I could borrow. The line foreman is an old friend whom I taught to climb about twenty-five years ago. He located an extra unit they were going to throw away and offered it to me. It had a broken rope that I replaced, and now it's as good as new.”
“How does it work?” Daddy asked, picking up one of the ropes.
Grandpa held up a thick metal bolt with an eye hook on one end. “This piece attaches to the top of the pole. A rope is secured to the eye bolt and then connected to a safety belt around the climber. A man on the ground holds the other end of the rope, which runs through a simple pulley system. As the climber ascends the pole, the man on the ground keeps proper tension on the line. If the climber
slips, the rope stops him from falling. Because of the pulleys, the helper can handle a heavy climber without straining. Jimmy is so light that it will be easy to keep him from falling.”
“Until the rope breaks again or you're not able to hold on to your end or Jimmy unhooks the rope or any of a hundred other things happen.” Mama looked at Daddy. “Lee, back me up on this.”
Grandpa spoke again. “Every time Jimmy goes higher, he marks the spot with white paint. If you could see how proud he is of the marks on that pole, I think you would reconsider. The rope is new, and the latch on the belt can't be accidentally opened. I agree that we need increased safety measures as he goes higher, and I've taken care of it. Because the equipment is industrial grade, it's safer than a climbing wall at a summer camp.”
“But your heart,” Daddy said. “If you had another attack, it could be dangerous for both of you. You could drop the rope, and Jimmy might panic.”
Grandma nodded. “He's right, Jim. You didn't look so well when you had to hurry across the yard to get the ladder this morning.”
Jimmy got up and ran over to Grandpa.
“Let me check Grandpa's heart,” he said.
While everyone watched, Jimmy put his head against the old man's chest. After listening for a moment, Jimmy glanced up and smiled.
“Thump, thump, thump.”
Grandpa hugged Jimmy, who reciprocated. No one spoke for a few seconds.
“I know he loves you,” Mama said to Grandpa. “And I don't want to hurt your relationship, but pole climbing isn't a good idea. There are other ways you can spend time together. Just the two of you at the pole is too great a risk.”
Grandpa stared at the rope in his hand.
“Maybe you're right,” he admitted.
He returned the safety device to the box. As he shut the top, Jimmy looked at Daddy.
“You could help,” he said.
“What?” Daddy asked.
“You could help me learn to climb the pole.” Jimmy turned toward Mama and held up three fingers. “If Daddy comes, there would be three people in the backyard.”
Daddy gave a short laugh. “You heard your mama. There are other reasons why this isn't a good idea. Besides, Saturday is my golf day.”
Grandpa spoke. “The only reason we've been doing it on Saturdays was because of your mother's appointment at the beauty shop. Now that everything is out in the open, we could change the day to suit your schedule. You could be my backup and get a chance to watch Jimmy's progress.”
Daddy looked at Mama. “Didn't you mention a hundred things that could go wrong? It's your turn to back me up.”
Mama crossed her arms. “I don't recall that you came to my rescue when I asked for help. But before I make up my mind, I'd like to see how this safety device works. The idea of the three men in Piney Grove named James Lee Mitchell spending time together is the first part of this scheme that sounds like a good idea to me.”
Jimmy thought Mama had just called him a man, but he wasn't sure.
F
or the rest of summer vacation, Jimmy worked two mornings a week at Daddy's office. He learned how to put files in the correct alphabetical order in the filing cabinets and how to run the copy machine. Delores declared him an indispensable asset to the office. Jimmy had no idea what she meant, but when she said the words, she looked at him the way she looked when showing someone pictures of her cats.
One day when Daddy was out of the office for a few minutes, Kate let Jimmy answer the telephone.
“When it rings, push this button and say, âGood morning, Mitchell Law Office.'”
In a few seconds, the phone rang. Kate excitedly pointed to the button. Jimmy pressed the button and announced, “Good morning, Mitchell Law Office.”
Kate picked up the receiver and repeated the greeting. After listening for a moment, she passed the call to Delores and gave Jimmy a sheepish grin.
“I should have told you to pick up the receiver before you press the button. The caller couldn't hear you.”
On the next call, Jimmy coordinated picking up the receiver and pressing the button, but the precise greeting escaped him.
“Hello, the Mitchell office. What do you want?”
Kate grabbed the receiver, but the caller had already hung up.
“Uh, why don't you sort your daddy's mail?”
Kate picked up the mail at the post office each morning on her way to work. Daddy got a lot of letters. Jimmy would put the regular envelopes in one stack, the larger envelopes in another stack, and any boxes or packages in another. He made sure they were neatly placed on Daddy's desk so he could open and read them.
He finished his task and returned to Kate's desk. Slumped in one of the leather chairs in the reception area was Jake Garner. He'd grown a scraggly beard, and Jimmy didn't recognize him until he saw the snake on his arm. When Jimmy came into the room, Jake Garner glanced up and grinned.
“The boy with the bulletproof testimony. What's the sheriff been saying recently? Oh, I guess you don't see him much now that you ran him out of the county.”
Jimmy didn't say anything.
“I'm here to pick up a big check,” Jake continued. “Then I'm going to ask Kate here out on a date.”
“Mr. Mitchell will be back in a minute,” Kate said.
“I've learned my lesson,” Jake continued. “I'm going into business. The next time you see me, I'll be driving a new car and living in a big house.” He touched his dirty T-shirt. “I'm also going in for a complete makeover and won't have to get on TV to do it.”
The front door opened and Daddy entered.
“Jake, sorry I'm late,” he said. “Come into my office. Everything is ready for your signature.”
Jake walked past Kate and Jimmy. He winked at Kate.
“He's nasty,” Kate said after the door to Daddy's office shut. “I'm glad he settled his case so he won't be coming in here anymore. I don't ever want to see him again.”
Jimmy stared down the hallway at the closed door. His curiosity about Jake Garner and the snake coiling up his arm was gone.
“Yes, ma'am,” he said softly.
That night at the supper table, Jimmy left the kitchen after dessert and went upstairs to his room. He was straightening his caps when he remembered that he'd left a cap on the extra chair in the kitchen. Returning downstairs, he went into the kitchen and found Mama was standing in front of the stove with her hand over her mouth and a shocked expression on her face. In her other hand was a sheet of paper.
Jimmy stopped. “What is it?” he asked.
Mama held up the sheet of paper.
“Not now,” Daddy said sharply. “We need to talk first.”
Jimmy stood still, confused.
“Go back to your room, son,” Daddy said. “We'll talk later.”
“Can I get my cap?” Jimmy asked.
Daddy picked up the cap and tossed it to him. Jimmy backed out of the room and walked slowly up the stairs. He sat on his bed and tried to figure out what he'd done wrong. He decided it probably had to do with climbing the pole
but didn't know why.
A
FTER SATISFYING HERSELF ABOUT THE RELIABILITY OF THE
safety ropes, Mama had given her stamp of approval to additional pole-climbing lessons. Jimmy, Daddy, and Grandpa all promised not to have a lesson unless everyone was present. Together with Mama and Grandma, the three Mitchell men stood in a circle around the pole and prayed that Jimmy would be kept safe and learn the lessons God had for him in climbing the pole. Jimmy kept his eyes shut until Mama said, “Amen.”
Since then, Daddy held the end of the safety rope while Grandpa called out instructions. Daddy had never climbed a pole and didn't seem interested in learning now, but he never criticized Jimmy. After each session, he patted Jimmy on the head and told him that he'd done a good job. Daddy usually drove his car to Grandpa's house and left as soon as Jimmy returned to the ground. Jimmy would stay and spend time with Grandpa.
J
IMMY WAITED FOR THE SOUND OF FOOTSTEPS ON THE STAIRS
. He went to his door and peeked out. He couldn't hear anything. He returned to the bed and sat down. He tried to be patient, but it was hard to wait. He went to the doorway and into the hallway. He moved slowly to the top of the stairs. He strained to listen and could hear Mama's voice but did not understand her words. She and Daddy were sitting in the living room. They almost never sat in the living room unless company came over. Jimmy hadn't heard anyone arrive.
He started down the steps. When he reached the halfway point, Daddy came out of the living room. Jimmy saw him first and took off up the stairs.
“Jimmy! Stop!” Daddy called out.
Jimmy had already reached the top of the stairs. He turned around.
“I didn't hear anything,” he said. “I'm going back to my room.”
“Come down. It's okay,” Daddy said. “We're ready for you.”
Jimmy entered the living room. Mama was holding a tissue in her hand. Her eyes were red.
“Give me a hug,” she said as soon as she saw Jimmy.
Jimmy put his arms around her neck. She kissed him on the cheek.
“Sit down, son,” Daddy said.
Jimmy sat in a chair. Daddy sat beside Mama on the sofa.
Daddy spoke. “When you sorted the mail for me this morning, you put a letter on my desk from a lawyer in Atlanta. He represents your birth mother. She wants you to visit her. She remarried a long time ago and has two little girls. We're not sure why this is coming up after all these years, except she may be sorry that she abandoned you.”
“The woman in my baby pictures?” Jimmy asked.
“Yes,” Daddy replied.
“No phone calls, gifts, visits, or cards for eleven years,” Mama said, shaking her head.
“Or child support,” Daddy added.
Jimmy looked at Mama. It hurt him when she hurt.
“I already have a mama,” he said.
“Which is a big reason why we don't think it would be a good idea for her to come back into our lives,” Daddy said. “We have a happy family.”
“Yes, sir.”
Mama leaned forward. “Do you remember anything about her?”
“No, ma'am. Only what she looks like in the pictures Walt showed me and the ones you gave me.”
“Do you ever get them out and look at them?” Mama asked.
“Yes, ma'am.”
“How do you feel when you see her face?” Mama asked.
“I'm not sure.”
“Do you want to meet her?” Mama asked.
“Ellen, I thought we agreed not toâ”
“No, I need to know,” Mama responded firmly. “It's one thing to be curious and look at a few photos. But this letter raises an entirely different issue.” Mama turned toward Jimmy. “Son, look me in the eye and tell me the truth. Do you want to meet your birth mother?”
Jimmy swallowed. “You're my mama.”
“And I'll always be your mama. I just want to know how you feelâ”
“This isn't fair,” Daddy interrupted. “We should be making the decisions for him at this point in his life. Don't put him under this kind of pressure.”
Mama stared at Daddy for several seconds before sitting back. “Okay. You answer the lawyer. I'm going to concentrate on loving Jimmy.”
S
UMMER VACATION ENDED AND
J
IMMY RETURNED TO SCHOOL.
It rarely snowed in Piney Grove, but it was often cold and rainy from December through February. One Saturday in early December the temperature warmed up, and Daddy had an early afternoon tee time. Shortly before noon, he drove Jimmy to Grandpa's house. In a routine familiar to all three of them, they walked to the storage shed, where Grandpa made sure Jimmy properly attached the climbing hooks to his boots and strapped on the safety belt.