Soon as Adsila entered the kitchen, his father started talking. “Big things are happening for me. Big tidings I got to share. I want you both to pay careful attention. I don’t have time to be repeating myself. Not today, and not for a lot of days to come.” He turned and used the fork to point Colin into a dining table chair. He waited there, motionless, until they were both seated. Colin watched half-cooked egg drip from the fork, wondering what it all meant.
His father turned back to the stove and said, “Got a call from the mayor yesterday.” His fork moved with blinding speed, whipping the eggs before he lifted the skillet and spilled the contents onto three plates. “The mayor himself. Seems the movers and shakers have been talking about me. They decided I should become county commissioner. The fellow they’ve backed for ten years has a family crisis. He’s just been reelected, so he’s waiting until the start of next year,then he’s resigning. They’ll back me, and the other commissioners have all agreed to do the same. Two years they want me in that job. One round. Then it’s on to Raleigh. They want me to run for the state senate.”
He carried over two plates and deposited them in front of Adsila and his son. Returned for forks and his own plate. He seated himself between them and began eating. His motions were jerky, like a dog used to fighting for scraps, that was how it seemed to Colin. Like a man who was so excited he was almost angry. He said between bites, “You and me, boy, we’re going to be in the public light. That was the real reason why the mayor called me. To make sure I understood.Weunderstood. That things are changing for the better. And to make it work, we have to be a team. You’re going to be out there in the public light with me.” He took aim with his fork. “Adsila, now, your job is to get my boy ready when it’s time for him—”
“I don’t have nothing to do with any of that.” Adsila rose to her feet. She stared down at Roger, her gaze as hard as her tone. “You want me to clean your house, that’s fine. But what you got to understand is, this boy of yours is nobody’s puppet.”
Colin tried to remember another time when Adsila had stood up for him, and came up blank. Clearly his father was just as surprised. “Who said anything about that? I need him—”
“And I’m telling you this isn’t just about what you need.” She planted fists on hips. “You lost your wife, you been dealing with it best you can. But the truth is, you’ve had the heart ripped out of your chest. And that blindness means you don’t have any idea how much that boy is hurting, same as you. His momma is gone and his daddy …” She stopped, huffed once, then quietly declared, “Your boy is special. It’s high time you see that for yourself.”
His father stared at the empty doorway as her gentle tread made the kitchen floor creak. Only when the garage door clicked shut did he jerk slightly. He examined Colin and asked, “You going to give me any trouble?”
Colin had no idea what his father was talking about. Even so, he knew it was safest to shake his head.
“Good.” His father picked up Adsila’s plate and shoveled the contents onto his own. The bullet head bent back over and he resumed eating. His father’s hair was cropped so short the scalp was visible. “Eat your eggs.”
On the school bus and in the hallway and as he entered class, Colin mulled over what had just happened. It was the first time Colin had ever heard Adsila mention his mother. Recalling the words made his eyes burn.
He was usually the first to sit down. School was an enormously confusing place, loud and rough, the children constantly doing things he didn’t understand. The classroom was quiet, at least until the bell rang. He liked the smell of chalk and dust and the cleaner they used on the floor. The teacher was strange as well, how she exuded such delight over the simplest of things, shining down her special joy when a student got something right.
“Colin, good, I was hoping you would be here.” She entered and smiled in her lovely, special way. “Will you come with me, please?”
He looked at the clock on the wall above the door. “It’s almost nine.”
“What do you know, you can tell time.” She walked over and smiled down at him. “Those are the first words you have spoken in this classroom. Ever.”
He had no idea how to respond except, “Class is about to start.”
“It is. But there’s someone I want you to meet, and she has time for you now. Her name is Celeste Talbot. She’s a very special lady, and she’s come a long way to meet you.” She offered her hand. “We don’t want to keep her waiting.”
They walked like that, him holding the teacher’s hand, through the crowd of noisy children, all of whom watched the two of them. The girls stared, the boys laughed out loud. Colin felt his face flame red, but for once he did not mind. He liked her closeness, the scent of lilacs in her clothes, the warmth in her hand as she guided him forward.
They entered the principal’s outer office, where a dark, heavyset woman stood by the window, studying a file. She turned toward them and said, “Is this the man of the hour?”
“Colin Eames, can you say hello to Dr. Talbot?”
“How do you do, Colin?” She did not seem to expect a reply. Instead, she motioned to the principal’s open door. “Why don’t we go inside?”
Colin knew they probably expected him to be frightened, especially when his teacher remained in the outer office. But there was something about this big woman, a deep, penetrating force to her gaze, that left him feeling okay. He liked the way she studied him. Like shesawhim. Like shecared.
The room was empty save for them. The lady pointed him into a straight-backed chair, then pulled another one in so close they almost sat with their knees touching. She looked even bigger from this angle, a dark mountain of a woman encased in a navy suit. “I want you to call me Celeste, all right? Adsila is my sister-in-law. She’s married to my older brother. She’s spoken about you a few times, and I’ve also heard some things from your teacher. I’m going to give it to you straight. Most of the time I’m called in when a child has troubles. Problems at home, in the street, maybe even problems inside themselves. I’m supposed to deliver a first assessment. That’s a fancy word meaning I’m supposed to check you out. See if you need help. Are we clear so far, Colin? Are you paying attention?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good. Real good. Because the only way we can make this work is, first, you need to be paying careful attention. Second, you need to tell me what’s on your mind. Will you do that?”
He nodded.
“There, see? I knew you were going to be a great one to work with. Do I scare you, Colin? Are you frightened?”
He shook his head.
“Can you say that out loud for me?”
“No, I’m not scared of you.”
“And what a lovely voice you have. Okay, Colin. I want to ask you a question. And I want you to give it to me straight. Tell me the first thing that comes into your mind. Just let it out. Nobody else but us two here is going to hear what you have to say. What is it you’re thinking?”
