|
Jeremy continuation Before I can say a word, Mr. Michaels goes on. "It took me a long time to understand that. You did what, at the time, seemed like the best thing to do. You may not know this, but even though you were thinking about the trouble you'd be in if you told your parents, at the same time you didn't want to hurt their feelings by admitting you let them down this way." I sniffle and try to blink away the tears. "How do you know that?" "Let's just say I've done many wrong things in my life, and the ones I tried to cover up were the ones I thought would hurt someone the most. But what I finally learned is that it hurts much worse if I tell lies or say nothing at all." He slips an arm around my shoulders. "I'm not saying what you did was right, but it happened. And in a way, I'm kind of glad about it, because I love Jeremy more than anything in the world next to Aaron. And I'm also glad that you're the mother." "Thank you," I whisper hoarsely, then pause, afraid to ask my next question. "Can I see Jeremy?" He shifts his position on the swing. "As a matter of fact, that's another reason why I came over here. You see, Aaron wants to see you, and he wants to bring Jeremy. He also wants your parents to know. I agreed to come and support him. He promised to be here as soon as possible. He had to stop off on an errand." "I'm not sure I can see Aaron," I say. "I mean, I let him down by. . . and then he went and left me." "I understand, Anna, but Aaron has put that behind him. It's time you did, too." At that moment, an old, beat-up car pulls up beside the curb. It's Aaron. He gets out of the car and goes around to the passenger side to open the door. A beautiful, redheaded little boy eases himself out of the car with some help from Aaron. Jeremy's body is twisted, and he has trouble walking on his own. Aaron helps him up to the porch. "Hello, Anna." Aaron's voice has changed since I had last seen him, but the loving tone he used to say my name is still there. A sob as hard as a rock sticks in my throat as I look at the boy with Aaron. Jeremy has my red hair, freckles, and blue eyes, but the expression on his face is one Aaron has worn many times before. Jeremy seems to be looking through me, as if he knows my hidden secrets. Then he speaks. "Hello, Mommy." The rock shifts, and I sit crying. The speech is garbled, but I understand him perfectly. I can't tell if Aaron told him what to say or not, but the words tear at my heart. "Oh, Jeremy!" I rush toward him. "Let me hold you." He allows me to hug him but squirms when I try to pick him up. "He doesn't like strangers," Aaron says. "I try to take him places to get him used to people, but I haven't had a lot of time. I guess I haven't paid as much attention to him as I should." I stand up from kneeling in front of Jeremy and look into the face of the boy I once loved, even though we both had been barely teenagers. "I'm sure you did your best, seeing as how you've been in school," I reply. "It's not easy caring for a child with cerebral palsy," Aaron answers, "but I do what I can. Dad's been a big help." He looks at his father gratefully. Mr. Michaels shrugs. "It's not easy," he agrees, "but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Jeremy is a very special boy."
Copyright reserved. No part(s) of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form by any means without the written permission of the author. |