Chapter 43
Lydia
On an evening when Izzy and Bea are getting mani pedis with my next door neighbor and babysitter, Rosalind, and then returning to her place afterwards to watch Enchanted (again), Colby, Ryan, and Keane Morgan have “just so happened” to drop by to have chicken pot pies with Theo and me after a brotherly day of fishing. Or, at least, that’s our story and we’re sticking to it. And so far, so good. Theo doesn’t seem to suspect this little dinner party was engineered solely for his benefit.
For his part, Colby has been sitting across the table from Theo throughout dinner, mostly observing the conversation without saying much. It’s the same behavior I’ve seen from Colby many times in group settings: he sits back and lets everyone else take center stage, not speaking unless and until he’s got something he deems worthwhile to say. It’s not the way Darren always used to behave in groups. Darren was much more like Ryan. A dyed-in-the-wool extrovert. But, I must admit, I find Colby’s quiet charisma and calming energy incredibly alluring. Indeed, although he’s the least flashy Morgan brother, I consistently find myself staring at him the most and wondering what the hell he’s thinking. I’ve always found strong, silent types incredibly swoony. I’ve just never been involved with one before.
After listening to Ryan and Theo chat for a bit about their climbs at the party last week, Keane pipes in: “Hearing you two talk, I’m bummed I didn’t make it to the party. I was supposed to go, but I was up late the night before and totally flaked.” Keane smiles at Theo and two adorable dimples pop out of his handsome face. “Hey, Theo-Leo, do you think maybe you’d be willing to go with me to the rock climbing gym some time? I’d love to give it a try with someone who already knows how to slay.”
Theo swats at the air adorably. “Ryan’s the one who slays, not me. He had to tell me where to put my feet and hands the whole time I was climbing. I’m small for my age, so I could barely reach the hand holds.”
“Nah, it was all you, buddy,” Ryan says. “I just made a suggestion or two.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you, Ryan.”
“Okay, that settles it, then,” Keane says. “All three of us will go together. Just as long as you’re there, Theo. I need a little brahito-burrito like you to give me some much needed confidence.”
“Much needed confidence?” Theo asks, laughing. “You? You seem awfully confident to me, Keane.”
“Fake it ’til you make it, brah. The truth is I’m totally afraid of heights. I think if I see you climbing the highest wall, I’ll feel like a total chump if I don’t do it, too.”
Theo laughs. “You can totally do it, Keane.” He motions to Keane’s ridiculously fit body. “If I can do it, you can do it.”
Keane takes a sip of his beer. “I don’t know. I just freeze up when I get really high up. You’re seriously not scared of heights at all?”
Theo shakes his head proudly. “Not at all.”
“Amazing. You’ve got the heart of a lion, man. When I was your age, I was deathly afraid of heights, plus a whole lot of other things, too.”
Theo looks intrigued. “Like what kinds of other stuff?”
“What wasn’t I afraid of?” Keane says. “The dark. Sharks. Elephantiasis. Flesh-eating bacteria. The list goes on and on. You’re not scared of any of that stuff?”
“Just flesh-eating bacteria,” Theo admits, and we all laugh.
“Oh! What about botulism?” Keane asks.
“Oh my God,” Theo says. “Yes! Botulism scares the crap out of me.”
Now we’re all chuckling heartily and Ryan, Colby, and I are exchanging excited glances.
Theo adds, “We learned about botulism in science class and now I freak out every time my mom drops a can of soup.”
“Same here!” Keane bellows. “I always worry I’m gonna wake up one morning with my jaw frozen shut!”
“Me, too!” Theo says gaily, and again, Ryan, Colby, and I exchange furtive glances.
Oh, God, I’m in awe of Keane Morgan right now. The way he’s creeping up on his bull’s-eye without Theo having the slightest suspicion that’s what he’s doing is truly masterful to watch.
“When I was your age,” Keane says breezily, putting down his beer bottle, “I just couldn’t stop worrying about stuff, night and day. I even had night terrors. You ever get those? They’re like nightmares on steroids.”
Again, Ryan, Colby, and I share a secret look. Damn, he’s good.
Theo says, “I get those all the time!”
“You do? Ha! I knew you were my brother from another mother. Put it there, little dude.” He fist-bumps Theo. “But I bet I’ve got you beat on one thing.” He looks around like he’s about to tell a huge secret. “I don’t normally tell people this, but since you’re obviously my spirit animal, I’m just gonna go ahead and tell you my deep, dark secret: I was a bed wetter until I was almost fourteen.”
Theo freezes, a forkful of food in front of his lips.
Keane continues, “I know, I know. I don’t look like a dude who’d pee my sheets into my teens. These days I look like I could leap over tall buildings, right?” He lays his muscled forearms on the table and his biceps flex and bulge with the effort. “But it’s true. And I don’t mean I peed a little squirt here and there. I mean I had full-on thar she blows accidents like a mofo. Thankfully, by my fourteenth birthday, I was as dry as a Mormon wedding and I’ve stayed that way ever since. Well, okay, in the interest of full disclosure, I peed myself once last year, but that was only because I’d had waaaay too much tequila with Ryan.”
Ryan laughs, but Colby and I simultaneously bark out, “Keane!”
Keane chuckles happily. “My point, little brahito,” he says, “is that this too shall pass, whatever ‘this’ happens to be. All I had to do was get my mind right and my body followed, you know? Sometimes, these things just take time. But it’s never hopeless.”
Theo’s face is bright red. He looks at me for encouragement and I nod.
“Actually, Keane, I’ve got...” He swallows hard. “The exact same... deep, dark secret as you.”
Keane shoves some food in his mouth like what Theo just said is the most normal thing in the world. “Oh, you’re a bed wetter, too? Cool.”
Theo nods.
Keane puts down his fork abruptly. “Wait. Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”
Theo laughs. He laughs! “No. I swear to God, Keane. I do it all the time. Just like you used to do. Thar she blows and everything.”
Keane and Theo both laugh... They laugh! And I swear to God, I’m a hair’s breadth from bursting into big soggy tears of joy at the sight of it.
“So how did you finally make it stop?” Theo asks.
Keane launches into explaining various tactics he found helpful. It’s mostly the same stuff our doctor has told Theo to do a thousand times. The same things I’ve suggested ad nauseam after reading articles and blog posts by other distraught parents online. But, somehow, now that The Mighty Keane is suggesting these strategies, Theo looks open and receptive and determined to follow his advice to a tee.
As Keane and Theo talk, I glance at Colby again to find he’s already looking at me, his blue eyes sparkling. I smile at him, thanking him for arranging this magical night for my sweet little boy, and he returns my smile and winks. And, just like that, I’m flooded with a tidal wave of love for Colby. Not projected emotions. This isn’t transference. No, in this moment, I’m positive this love I’m feeling for Colby has absolutely nothing to do with Darren. I love Colby Morgan for the man he is. I’m sure of it.
When I tune back into the conversation between Keane and Theo, Keane is suggesting Theo get himself a hobby he can truly master. “Having something you love to do that you do well relieves stress,” Keane explains. “And that’s the name of the game. For me, that thing was baseball. What could it be for you?”
Theo tells Keane about the animation software I got him for his birthday and then he talks about how he’s been taking guitar lessons.
“Hey, you know who you should talk to about guitar?” Keane says. “Our little brother, Dax. Ever heard of River Records?”
Theo shakes his head.
“It’s a record label, son. Google it.”
Theo reaches for his phone.
“Not right now, brahito. That was a figure of speech. River Records is a record label that has all the hottest bands right now, and the guy who owns it told my baby brother he likes his band so much, he’s gonna come to Seattle one day soon to see them play live. And if that guy likes my brother’s band, he’s gonna sign ’em to a record deal and make ’em huge stars.”
“Awesome,” Theo says. “When could I meet him?”
Finally, Colby Morgan speaks. “You and your sisters and mom could come to my family’s house for one of our Sunday night dinners. Dax never misses those.”
Theo’s face lights up. “Sounds great.” He looks at me. “Can we go, Mom? Please?”
“Of course. Sounds great.” I smile at Colby. “Great idea.”
Oh, how the smile on Colby’s face is lighting my soul.
“So what about friends?” Keane says. “Having a best friend helped my confidence. Zander made me feel like being weird was my superpower, not my shame. Do you have a friend who could be your wingman like that? Someone who just totally gets you?”
“No, not really.” Theo looks down at his plate. “I’m kind of being bullied at school, actually.”
My breath catches. Jackpot.
“Oh, yeah? What’s going on?” Keane asks nonchalantly, just before shoveling some food into his mouth.
Theo exhales and looks up. “I had an accident at sixth-grade camp three months ago and this kid named Caleb has been torturing me ever since. He calls me Pee-o and throws water on my pants when I walk by in the halls and now nobody wants to hang out with me because they’re scared Caleb will start picking on them, too. I’m like the bubonic plague.”
I clutch my chest. My heart feels like it’s physically palpitating.
“What a little douche!” Keane says. He looks at me. “Sorry, Lydi-Bug, but it had to be said.”
“I agree. Unfortunately, I don’t know what to do about the little douche. I haven’t been able to help Theo with this problem at all, try as I might.”
“Caleb just gets madder and sneakier whenever our teacher or the principal talks to him about me,” Theo confirms.
Keane scratches his head. “Honestly, I don’t know what to do to help you with a kid like that. That’s just pure evil. Ryan? You’re our family’s fixer. What do you think our little brother here should do?”
“Hmm,” Ryan says, scratching his steel chin. “I’m honestly not sure. Colby? Got any bright ideas?”
We all look at Colby.
Beautiful, quiet, handsome, kind Colby.
He looks contemplative for a long moment, and then he nods decisively. “Yeah, I’ve got one idea. No guarantees, of course, but it’s worth a shot.”
“I’ll try anything at this point.”
Colby leans forward, steepling his fingers. “Does your school ever have assemblies, Theo? You know, like, they invite people from the community to come in? Like, oh, I dunno, maybe firefighters?”
“Yeah. All the time. We had a police officer come with his German shepherd last year and tell us to say no to drugs. And a puppeteer came once and did this stupid show to teach us that bullying is bad.” He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, that worked like a charm.”
“But no firefighters?” Colby asks.
“Nope.”
Colby smiles broadly. “Perfect. Okay, Theo-Leo. Leave it to me. It may take a few weeks for me to get it cleared through the department and your school, but I’ll make it happen. Some of my firefighter buddies and I are going to come down to your school in our pretty red fire truck and talk to Caleb. Oh, I mean to the sixth-graders.”
Theo giggles.
“And afterwards, hopefully, if I do it right, Caleb will leave you the hell alone.”
“But what are you gonna say to him? He’s not normal, Colby.”
“Just leave it to me.”
Theo looks like the weight of the world has just been lifted off his shoulders. “Thanks, Colby.”
“Just a heads up, though?” Colby says. “When I choose a lucky kid to sit in the driver’s seat of the fire truck and work the siren, don’t be mad when it’s Caleb and not you.”