Promise (29 page)

“You look like a drowned rat,” Dad teased Yo-Yo when they got off the ride. “Your mom may be right. You may need those extra pairs of underwear after all.”

“I'm glad we don't have a camera. I don't need another embarrassing picture to add to Emmett's wall,” Yo-Yo said. Kaden shot a worried look at his father but this time Dad didn't seem irritated at the mention of Emmett. In fact, he acknowledged him.

“I remember Emmett's wall,” Dad said. “And that's a good idea. There's a gift shop over there. Let's go buy a camera.”

Yo-Yo moaned but had a huge smile on his face as they followed Dad across to the gift shop. Dad didn't pick out a cheap throwaway camera. He chose a digital camera. The most expensive one in the display case. Kaden stayed close to Dad's side as the woman rang it up. He wanted to take a good look at
the credit card to see if it really said
Emmett Adams
on it.
Maybe I just heard wrong
, Kaden hoped.
Or maybe the girl thought Dad looked like someone else. Some other Mr. Adams
. Kaden looked carefully at the card Dad handed the woman. It didn't say
Emmett Adams
. This time the card said
Michael Smith
.

On the next ride, only two people could ride together. Kaden convinced Dad to go with Yo-Yo. As they left, Dad handed Kaden the camera.

Kaden sat down on a bench.
I should take it back
, he thought. But as soon as he got in the gift shop, he had second thoughts.
Dad will want to know where it is
.

He stood in the middle of the shop, his stomach feeling like it was being twisted into a knot.

“Is something wrong?” the woman behind the counter asked. “Do you want me to call security?”

Kaden never thought of contacting security but thinking about it now made him more anxious and more indecisive.

“No, nothing's wrong,” he said quickly, and ran back out. Yo-Yo and Dad were just getting off the ride, both laughing.

“You've got to go on that with me, Kaden,” Yo-Yo said, pulling him to the line. “It was so amazing but I'm not going to tell you a thing. You've got to experience it.”

Normally Kaden would have loved the ride but all the surprise twists and turns and dips and dives left his already
churned-up stomach feeling even worse. When they got off, Yo-Yo went running up to Dad, who was waiting on a bench.

“Kaden threw up,” Yo-Yo said, “but thank goodness not on the ride. In the trash can over there at the exit gate.”

Yo-Yo pointed to Kaden, who was wiping his mouth with a tissue some woman had given him. Dad stayed on the bench.

“He'll be okay,” Dad said. “I didn't know he was such a wimp. But there's a movie about rainforests. We'll go watch that to give his stomach a chance to calm down for a while.”

They had to buy extra tickets to see the movie. Kaden and Yo-Yo stood to the side while Dad went up to the ticket window. Yo-Yo chatted on and on but Kaden didn't listen. He just watched intently as his father reached into his pocket and pulled out a credit card. It was Emmett's again. Kaden knew by the color. Emmett's card was brown. Michael Smith's was blue. Kaden's stomach tightened again.

In the theater, Kaden stared unseeingly at the screen. Like Yo-Yo with Luke, he knew he wouldn't let Dad get away with it. That wasn't an option. He also knew he didn't want to do it here, in front of Yo-Yo and all these people. Walking out of the theater, he had a plan and that made him feel somewhat better.

For the rest of the day, Kaden did his best to avoid having any confrontations with Dad. Going on rides with Yo-Yo made that easy to do but just about every time they got off
a ride, Dad stood waiting with something in his hands—hamburgers, sodas, ice-cream bars—and Kaden felt the sinking pit in his stomach growing deeper and deeper.

“Don't sit this one out, Dad,” Kaden pleaded at each ride. Dad looked pleased Kaden was begging him to join them. To anyone listening, it would have sounded like the boy really liked being with his father. But Kaden felt sick whenever Dad turned him down. He wasn't disappointed his father wouldn't go on rides with him; he just wanted to keep Dad from using the credit cards. But when Kaden and Yo-Yo got off the last ride of the day, Dad was waiting with two intricately carved lizards, one for each of them.

“Sweet!” Yo-Yo said excitedly. “Thanks!”

“Yeah,” Kaden said emptily. He had no room left for pretend enthusiasm.

“You don't sound too thrilled,” Dad said. “Would you rather have something else?”

“No, I just don't feel good, that's all,” Kaden said truthfully. “It's been a long day.”

On the way home, Yo-Yo fell right to sleep. Kaden thought that seemed like a good idea. By sleeping, he could avoid
conversation with Dad. He shut his eyes but too much was going through his mind and all he could do was pretend to be asleep. They had driven about five minutes when Dad turned on the radio. An oldies station came on. It was in the middle of a song but Kaden instantly recognized it and the lyrics made his stomach tighten up again. It was the song about needing trust and faith. The song also had a line about not making the same mistake twice. Kaden fought back the tears forming under his closed eyes but couldn't fight back the hurt of knowing his father was making the same mistake twice.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

IN TROUBLE

When Dad pulled into the circle driveway, Gram was waiting on the porch. Kaden saw her stand up and cross her arms. He knew that wasn't good.

Dad parked the truck between Cabins Four and Five and headed toward the porch like there wasn't a worry on his mind. Kaden slowly followed behind.

Gram waited until Dad was at the porch. Then she yelled to Kaden, “Stop acting like a guilty turtle and get up here, on the double!” Kaden sped up.

“Where have you two been?” Gram said. She said “two” but she was looking directly at Dad.

“It's only seven twenty,” Dad said. “We dropped Yo-Yo off
right at seven and headed straight home.”

“You told me he had to be home at six.”

This wasn't what Kaden thought Gram would be mad about.

“Yo-Yo called his mom and she said he didn't have to be home until seven,” Kaden said. He didn't feel like defending Dad but it was the truth.

Now Gram glared at Kaden. “So Yo-Yo called his mom, did he? I'm glad someone takes responsibility around here. Neither of you let me know about the time change. And what about you, Kaden? Why didn't you call Emmett?”

That was what Kaden had expected and he didn't have an excuse.

“I forgot,” Kaden said quietly. “I'm sorry.”

“You must have thought about it when you drove past his house. That fancy phone of yours doesn't work?”

“I forgot it, too. And Yo-Yo accidently left his phone on my desk and Dad said he forgot his, too. But I did ask Dad to stop,” Kaden explained. The tears he fought back in the truck now streamed down his cheeks. “But he had already driven past and wouldn't turn around. I really am sorry, Gram, really.”

“Sorry doesn't cut it,” Gram said, but then turned her wrath back on Dad.

“And what's the matter with you? A grown man can't let bygones be bygones? What kind of example are you setting for that boy, refusing to let him at least try to be responsible?” Gram said. “You could have turned around.”

“There are some bygones a man can't forget,” Dad said. He turned his head and spat.

Gram turned silent. Like the calm before a storm, Kaden knew Gram was fuming.

“Go to your cabin, Kaden,” Gram said flatly. “But first bring me those cell phones, both yours and Yo-Yo's. A phone is a tool and it takes responsibility to use tools.”

Kaden walked to his cabin. His pillow was still on his desk. It seemed like years since Yo-Yo tossed it at him. Under the pillow were the two phones.

“I'll let you take Yo-Yo's back to him Monday when you go to school,” Gram said as Kaden handed her the phones. “But I'll hang on to yours until you show me you know how to be responsible. Now, go on back to your cabin.”

As he sat down on his bed Kaden heard Gram through the open window.

“Just where did you take those two all day?” Gram asked.

“We went to Amazon Amazement,” Dad said. “I have the right to take my son to an amusement park if I want.”

“You don't have the right to take him anywhere without
my permission and you know it,” Gram stated. “I have total custody of that boy.”

“Only while I was in prison.”

“You're still on parole,” Gram said. “I won't deny you access to your son but you still have to have my permission until your parole is over. Besides, I wasn't talking about doing something with Kaden. I was talking about taking responsibility. When are you going to start doing that?”

“When are you going to start trusting me?” Dad said.

“When you show you can be trustworthy,” Gram stated, and that was it. Gram was done. Kaden heard the screen door open and close and then Gram's footsteps over the intercom. Through the window, he heard Dad go down the porch steps and head toward Cabin Five. Then the truck started and Kaden heard gravel scatter as it skidded out of the driveway.

Tears welled up in Kaden's eyes again and rolled quickly down his cheeks. This should have been the best day of his life. He had dreamed of days like this for years. He and his father, together like other sons and fathers, at someplace really awesome. Dad, Yo-Yo, Amazon Amazement. It had all the right ingredients for a perfect day. It should have been. But it wasn't. Instead, Kaden felt it was the worst day of his life.

Kaden wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and took
the carved lizard from his pocket. He looked it over carefully. A sharp ridge ran the length of its back, its tail curved like an S. It even had tiny toes. The wood was stained with brown spots and a tiny sliver of red felt stuck out the slit of its mouth for its tongue. Kaden wished he could carve like that. The lizard was beautiful. He turned it over and felt the smoothness of the lizard's belly, and then, with all his might, he hurled the lizard against the wall.

Sunday, September 18