“This is good thing.”
Todd shook his head. “What if I mess this up too?”
“Hey. Kenny being smart is a grand thing. We’ll get him tested, and we’ll work together to make sure he has everything he needs. Just relax and breathe. Take things one step at a time. The old school year isn’t done. We can get him tested and signed up for school during the summer.”
Andrea smiled gently. “If I can give you some advice. Do it now while school is in session. Everyone is there, and you aren’t going to have to wait for appointments or that sort of thing. You can go right to LeTort and enroll him there. They will help you with the testing you need. They did with my two kids. It’s something they have to do for everyone whether they are homeschooled or not.” She sipped her coffee and sighed. “This is good.”
They talked a while about schools and then moved onto a little neighborhood gossip. Todd was able to relax a little as he listened. Kenny eventually joined them, and Todd got him a glass of milk. He wasn’t sure what to have for dinner, but he looked through the refrigerator and settled on BLT sandwiches, knowing it was one of Jamie’s favorites.
“I need to get going,” Andrea said. “But I’ll keep an eye out for our unwanted visitor.”
“Thank you!” Jamie saw her to the door while Todd checked on the bacon in the oven. He made toast and cut some fresh tomatoes while he tried to keep track of all the things he needed to do. It seemed like every day his list of things he had to dogrew longer and longer. When Jamie returned, he went to his computer and then got a few pages from the printer.
“What are those?”
“Calendar pages for you. Put your appointments and things on here—that way you won’t need to try to remember all of them. Then you look at the pages every day to know what you need to do.”
Todd thanked him and began entering all the things he could remember on the calendar. Then he checked on the bacon again and pulled it out of the oven before finishing the sandwiches. Kenny helped set the table, and then all three of them sat down to eat.
“What fun things did you do today?” Jamie asked Kenny, who told him about playing in the yard and finding worms and a toad.
“I didn’t pick it up because it might pee on me and then I’d get warts.”
Jamie laughed. “That isn’t how you get warts. Granted, it’s no fun being peed on by a toad, but when that happens, you just have to wash your hands.”
Kenny looked at him for confirmation. Todd nodded. “Pee is just pee. It doesn’t give you warts. Toads, frogs, you can pick them up if you want. Just be gentle and then let them go. But not snakes. You have to be careful of those because some of them can be poisonous.”
“I held a snake once. I found it in the woods. It was scared, so I put it down, and it slid away.”
“How could you tell it was scared?” Jamie asked.
Kenny looked at both of them like they were dumb. “It stuck it’s tongue out.” Todd had no idea how that meant it was scared, but Kenny was so sure of himself that he just let it go. “There was a turtle on the road today. Daddy said it was a snapping turtle,so we left it alone. It was really big.” He ate his sandwich and continued talking almost nonstop.
Todd ate quietly, letting Jamie and Kenny talk. His thoughts were elsewhere. Every time Kenny and Jamie laughed, he found himself watching Jamie. His laugh just warmed his heart and made Todd feel as though everything was going to be okay.
“Are you still feeling tired?”
“Yes, I guess.” He’d eaten half his sandwich, and he was already feeling full and worn-out. He’d tried taking it as easy as he could, but a five-year-old required a great deal of energy.
“After dinner, go ahead and go to bed if you want. Kenny and I can sit up for a while. He can watch cartoons, or the two of us can work a few pages in one of his books.”
Todd finished his sandwich and then hugged Kenny, kissed Jamie good night, and went to the bedroom. He got into his sleep clothes and climbed into bed.
Laughter reachedhis ears sometime later. Todd wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep, but Kenny was laughing. He checked the clock. He’d been out for little over an hour. His throat dry, he got up and padded out to the kitchen.
“Daddy, watch,” Kenny said as he picked up the book. “The dog ran after the boy, b…, b….”
Jamie leaned closer and smiled. “The word is barking,” Jamie said softly.
“Barking and playing. The boy threw the ball, and the dog ran after it.” He put the book down. “I’m reading, Daddy.” Jamie nodded as if to confirm it.
“That’s really good, Kenny. Really good. Did Jamie teach you that?”
“Kenny was already able to read a little. We just worked on some of the harder words,” Jamie said. “What we’re going to do is have Kenny read to one of us each day, and we’ll read to him.” He ruffled Kenny’s hair. “Go on and get ready for bed. You and I can read some more tomorrow.”
“Okay. Night, Jamie,” Kenny said, hugging him and then he hurried to him.
Todd hugged Kenny tightly and then let him go. Kenny went to the bedroom, and Todd sank into one of the chairs. “How am I going to keep up with him?”
