Southern Saturday Nights ✔️

16 | The Truth

I crossed the gravel road into the large grassy yard that was shaded by massive pecan trees. Caleb was wandering around with our grandpa's old pecan picker and grinning from ear-to-ear as he jabbed the rusty picker at the ground to collect some fresh pecans for his favorite Thanksgiving pie.

"Morning, Caleb," I called as I closed the distance between us.

Caleb looked up from the ground and waved his hand excitedly. "Allyson, I've picked a w-whole bucket." He pointed the picker toward an off-white five gallon bucket that looked like it had been sitting under grandpa's carport for years.

"I'm proud of you. I guess Momma didn't let you sleep in, huh?" I pulled my mask off my nose to smile at him.

Caleb shook his head and tapped his fingers together. "No, of c-course she didn't. How w-was h-hunt... see anything?" He pushed the pecan picker against the ground and it rattled as some of the nuts popped between the metal wires.

I shook my head. "Nope. A few squirrels and some birds."

"I'm glad you d-decided to come out of your room. I missed you yesterday." He offered a sweet smile.

I laughed as I knelt down to pick up a pecan at my feet. "I missed you too, Caleb. I just needed some time away from Mom and Dad."

"Is it because of w-what they said about Daxson?" He questioned.

I nodded. "Yeah. Daxson doesn't want to be around people like them."

Caleb raised his free hand into the air and touched his temple. "You mean he doesn't w-want to be around racists?" He shook his head and started picking up pecans again. "I don't b-blame him. I d-don't like being around people who are mean to me just because I'm different e-either."

I glanced up at him. "Have people been mean to you Caleb?"

Caleb shoved the pecan picker at the ground with force. "Yes, Allyson. That's the reason I've been in trouble at school. The t-teachers are mean to me, but M-Momma won't listen." His index finger tapped his thumb at an increasing rate. "She t-thinks I'm l-lyi... telling stories. She says I'm using my disability as a c-crutch."

Caleb lifted one of the sleeves of his shirt to reveal a dark bruise along his forearm from what I assumed was his teachers. I don't know how God expected me to keep piecing my heart back together with each blow he handed me. My mother was a professional at ignoring her own children's cries for help.

I rose from the ground and stepped in front of him. "Caleb, why didn't you tell me? I could've done something."

Caleb sighed and glanced at his shoes. "I didn't want you to w-worry about me. You've been worrying about me your whole life. You deserve time to b-be happy." He extended his fingers out to tap them against my hand.

I didn't want to cry in front of him so I sniffled a few times to hide it. "You gave me more than enough time."

Caleb shook his head. "You deserve to be h-happy forever, Allyson." He took the pecan from me and set it in the five gallon bucket beside him.

"You do too, you know?" I shoved my hands into my pockets and pulled out the MIT application form I had folded into a small square to to carry in my hunting vest. I wanted to make sure I gave it to Caleb. "Daxson's little sister, Alexus, wanted me to give this to you."

Caleb eyed the square of paper hesitantly before he let me drop it into his palm. He unfolded it and his eyebrows rose to the tips of his shaggy brown hair. "Is this MIT? T-The MIT?" A twitch started in his jaw as he stared at the paper.

I smiled warmly at him. "Yeah, they're holding a camp next summer for a select group of kids."

Caleb's hands shook with excitement as he jumped up and down. "I could be at the same s-scho... college that Tony Stark attended. This is the best present ever." In the same minute, his excitement faded and he stood still.