Chapter 20
Arthur
When we arrived at Hopeway House Sunday morning, I was still feeling excited about everything Jonas and I had learned the day before. And when Mrs. Granger smiled and handed us each a blueprint for a separate project, I felt like the universe had aligned.
“You’ll be working side by side, so if you want to hand the boys the plans for the locking pantry that will go inside the garden shed, you can. Or you can divide it up however you want." She smiled. “You can even work on one, then the other, as a foursome. It’s entirely up to you.”
Jonas looked at me, and I nodded. It was the perfect opportunity to put some of the things we’d learned at the seminar to use. I cleared my throat, certain that the information would go over better with Leo if he thought it was my idea.
“I think now is a good time for us two dads to get to know each other’s kids a little better. I’ll pair with Eddie on the locking cabinet, and Jonas and Leo can assemble the garden shed.”
I could feel Leo’s energy as he turned sharply and looked at me, but I didn’t look his way, and I didn’t give him any indication that I was paying attention. He was being dramatic as a defense mechanism because change made him feel uncomfortable. After learning about all the ways teens use emotional blackmail to control situations they’re afraid of, I’d decided that I wasn’t going to feed the drama.
Jonas noticed, too, but he made no mention of it. When Leo finally leaned back, resigned to his fate, a slow smile spread across Jonas’s face.
“I see you two have figured things out,” Mrs. Granger said, clearly not talking about the projects. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
I didn’t give Leo a chance to say anything. I smiled at Eddie and motioned toward the door. “Let’s go take a look at what we’re up against.”
Eddie looked at his dad, but Jonas was looking at Leo. Eddie knew when he was outmaneuvered. And unlike Leo, he wasn’t going to fight it.
As promised, the two projects were close together, and there were not enough tools to go around. Even working on two separate projects, we ended up working together a lot. I focused on the task at hand, really enjoying Eddie’s energy, and the calm, methodical way he approached problems.
Leo wasn’t quite as laidback about working with Jonas, but as I watched Jonas handle every curveball that Leo threw his way, I fell a little more in love. Leo was no match for Jonas, now that he’d learned a thing or two about navigating the challenges of blending a family.
“Damnit!” Leo yelled, and my heart skipped a beat.
I knew that sound, and it took everything I had not to run to him. The hammer he’d been wielding bounced off the ground and skidded to a stop at Eddie’s feet.
Eddie picked it up on his way to grab the first-aid kit from a picnic bench nearby. He handed both to his dad, then came back to our area and kept working.
I was only half paying attention to what I was doing while I listened to Jonas care for my son. “Let me see it,” Jonas said calmly. “You don’t have to look if you don’t want to, but I can’t help you if I can’t see how bad it is.”
Leo bit his lip and turned his head, but he didn’t shed a single tear. The corner of Jonas’s mouth twitched when Leo opened the hand that was holding his thumb, but Jonas recovered quickly.
“It’s not that bad, but you’re definitely going to lose that nail.”
“Gross,” Leo said.
“It doesn’t look like it will be a problem, but if it starts to feel like it’s swelling beneath the nail, let us know.”
“Why, what does that mean?”
Jonas chuckled, gently cleaning the area and bandaging the entire thumb to give Leo a buffer, so bumping it didn’t hurt too badly. “It just means there’s blood pooling beneath the nail. It’s a super easy fix, but if you let it go too long, it’s painful.”
“How do they fix it?”
“They drill a tiny hole in the top of your nail to release the pressure.”
Leo wrinkled his nose. “That’s disgusting.”
Jonas shrugged. “It’s just part of building things." He tied off the bandage and admired his handiwork. “How does that feel?”
“All right.”
“Good. Let’s get back to work. We wouldn’t want the other team beating us.”
Leo stood a little straighter and shot a glance in Eddie’s direction. Then he did something none of us expected, and stuck his tongue out at Eddie. The gesture was playful, and the first time in years I’d seen my boy let loose and just be a kid.
I bit back my emotions, and when Jonas caught my eye, I mouthed the words Thank you. He nodded, and we went back to our projects as if the most miraculous transformation wasn’t taking place right in front of our very eyes.
It was hours later when I unwrapped Leo’s thumb to assess the damage. “It looks a lot better,” he said before I could say anything.
“It doesn’t look bad at all, now. Does it hurt?”
“Not much. I don’t need a bandage." Instead of tossing the ball of gauze onto the ground, he wadded it up carefully, then looked around the parking lot. “Can I throw this away?”
“Sure,” I said.
I checked my missed calls while I watched him jog across the parking lot to the trash can by the front doors. He even made a point to wave at Jonas and Eddie. A single voicemail waited for me. It was Principal Moss, and she sounded almost giddy.
“I just received a call from the director of the program at Hopeway House. It seems that both boys have made significant headway, and after speaking with her, we’d like to invite both boys to come to school as early as tomorrow. If Leo needs an extra day to transition, Tuesday is fine as well. If you have any questions, please call me. If not, I’ll see you and Leo soon.”
Leo was making his way back to the car when Jonas stopped his car next to mine and rolled his window down. “Principal Moss call you?”
“She did,” I said, beaming. “I think we should do something special.”
Jonas nodded, and Eddie looked a little confused. “Main Attraction.”
“Perfect,” I said, just as Leo reached the car.
I recapped the call from Principal Moss with Leo as we drove. “Do you think you’d be ready to go to school tomorrow?”
“Is Eddie going?” he asked.
“He is.”
“Okay. I’ll go.”
“I’m so proud of you,” I said, careful of his injured thumb when I patted his hand. “You worked hard, made some changes, and reached your goal.”
He laughed, but for once, the sound held only joy, and not the touch of sarcasm that was always present. “That was your goal, but I’m tired of doing my all my work alone.”
“Hey, progress is progress." I smiled at him. “Jonas is going to meet us at Main Attraction.”
A big smile broke out across his face. “Good thing I smashed my left thumb and not my right. I’m going to crush Eddie at skee-ball.”
Eddie and Leo were vibrating with positive energy by the time we made it through the line and paid for unlimited games and food. Both boys were gone as soon as their wristbands were on, and Jonas and I headed to a couch as close to the doors as possible.
“They were struggling to wait while we paid,” Jonas said with a laugh. “I’m glad you thought of paying for the unlimited snack bar. Eddie could eat his way through this place and still play every game.”
“Thank you for working with Leo today. I know he doesn’t show it, but he looks up to you.”
“I felt it today." Jonas threaded his fingers through mine, and we settled in for two hours of hanging out while the boys played. “I’m doing my best not to compare him to Eddie.”
“He won’t ever be like Eddie.”
“I know that,” he said, turning to face me. “And I want you to know that I’ve spent some time soul searching, and it’s not Leo that’s falling short.”
I sat up, wondering where he was going with such a heavy statement. He took a deep breath. “My relationship with Eddie is so effortless, and sometimes, I have to remind him that I’m the adult. But it’s not that I’m trying to be his buddy.”
“But you get him, and you both understand each other in a way you don’t share with anyone else.”
“Exactly. I’ve only ever been this kind of father, and even though Leo is a total pill sometimes, he’s still just a kid. And he’s been through hell. I’m the adult; it’s up to me to tweak our relationship until it works for both of us.”
Could I love this man any more than I do right now? I wondered. He’d called himself a father in the same breath as my son’s name. It was far from professing the parental devotion I hoped we’d both feel for the other’s son in time, but it was such a huge step.
I could feel my chest tightening with emotion at the monumental shift in our life, but I opted for humor instead of having an intimate moment in an arcade hall, surrounded by strangers and their kids. “I thought that seminar was supposed to help me become a better parent.”
He laughed. “I’m not going to lie; that was my intention. But it turns out that neither of us is a perfect parent, and I learned a lot. Leo seemed to take to the new approach really well, and for once, I’m starting to feel like this blended family has potential.”
“I feel that way, too.”
We fell into an easy silence, just enjoying the moment, each lost in his thoughts. I played the conversation over in my head, and I knew that we’d reached a point where things were finally looking up. That meant it was time for the next step, but I wasn’t quite sure what that step was.
I just knew that this man loved me and my son. And I had to find a way to help this relationship flourish.
For myself, and for Leo.