Under Lock and Key

20: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Kelly Rossi, March 13th, 1947, Alturas

9:00 am

"Run!!!!!!!" Henry screamed at the top of his lungs.

Herman stood still, Mr. Brown clutched in his arms, staring blankly. Standing alone, as the onslaught approached.

"Run!!!!!" Henry screamed again. "Run, Herman!!!! Run!!!!!!"

Herman turned to his forever friend. Blinking. Absently crossing his fingers, more disturbed by the noise than anything, I think.

"Oh for goodness sake!!!!" Henry backtracked, grabbed Herman's overalls and pulled hard, until the smaller boy was at least moving in the right direction. "Run, Herman!!!! Your very life depends on it!!!!"

I sat back on the wooden bench, laughing, as the twins roared, scrambling on all fours to chase our littles back towards the house. Glen and Stan seemed less amused, sitting stiff and uncomfortable, watching their brothers adjust to their new home and their new lives and their new family without so much as a backwards glance at everything and everyone they left behind.

Lee took Glen's hand.

"They're so happy. It's good. I'm happy they're happy." Glen insisted, as if Lee had proposed otherwise.

Barks filled the air, as Champ joined in the fun, staying near Herman, but still smiling his doggy smile and yipping and wagging his enormous yellow brush like tail, as Max and Morrie scooped up Henry, turned him upside down and all but broke him in half with their rough play.

But he loved it. His face. His pink little giggling face. I've never seen him so happy.

Herman sat down in the slowly growing grass, and Champ lay immediately in his lap, nose nuzzling Herman's knees. It was a wonder to me, to see my little friend put his hands on the dog's head. Not quite petting him. But almost.

What was he going to do? What was he going to be able to do in a month? In a year? When he was ten. Fifteen. If he was already learning so much, first from us, and then from Ursula, from his friends? Now that he could eat as much as he needed and have undivided attention and care?

He might be able to do... anything he wanted.

Henry shrieked again, laughter waterfalling out of his mouth easily. Max had his shoe off and was mercilessly tickling him. Henry thrashed and hollered, as Mrs. Townsend walked by, ruffling both of their heads, unmindful of their doings. Morrie jumped up to take the basket of wet laundry from her, snagging the bag of pegs from her apron.

"Let me do it, Mom."

Stan flinched. Glen gasped. Quickly covering his mouth.

But we were far enough away that they didn't hear us.

"That's....that's....something." Stan pressed his lips together.

We all watched as all three of Mrs. Townsend's new "sons" helped her hang up the laundry on the lines strung across the back half of the yard.

I stood, leaving the Falk brothers to find some kind of peace with the new situation, and walked over to my little guy. Kneeling down, I mussed up Herman's perfect cornsilk yellow hair. Then sat, looking at my boy as he stared up at the blue sky and the skim of white clouds.

Lee joined us, sitting on the other side of Herman. Immediately Champ wiggled so his body was next to Lee, keeping his head in Herman's lap. I understand completely. Hard to be next to Lee and not want to touch him.

"Hey, Herman. We're so glad you're feeling better. We were worried about you."

Mr. Townsend offered to pick us up on his day off, so we could spend a little quality time with Herman. We haven't seen him since he first got here, almost a month ago. He was pretty sick. I wonder if he really remembers us or not.