KIDZ

Chapter 3

“Come in, Mr. Samuels.”

Curtis walked through the door of the principal’s office of his high school. The principal, Mr. Jeffries, pointed to a chair on one side of his desk, before going around and sitting behind his big desk. Curtis sat down worried about why he had been called in to speak to the principal.

“Um…am I in some sort of trouble?” Curtis asked hesitantly. He had never been in the principal’s office before. Even when he first came to Alleghany High he had been in the guidance counselor’s office. He had seen the principal at assemblies and occasionally around the school. This was the first time he had actually been face to face with the man.

“Have you done something I should know about?” Mr. Jeffries asked, a little smile crinkling the corners of his mouth.

“Not that I know of,” Curtis replied with a frown. Although he knew he hadn’t done anything bad, stranger things had happened than a black kid getting accused of wrongdoing.

“That’s good.” Mr. Jeffries paused for a moment. “Are you ready to graduate?” he asked after a minute.

“Oh yes, sir!” Curtis replied quickly. “Um, I didn’t mean that to sound quite the way it did,” he hastily added. He didn’t want the principal to think he wanted to escape from Allegheny. “I’ve really liked it here.”

“You’ve done well at Allegheny High, Mr. Samuels.”

“Thank you, sir.” For the first time since he had entered the office, Curtis smiled. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad.

“Where have you applied for college?”

“Um, I applied to Penn and Carnegie-Mellon.”

“What are you looking to do?”

Curtis frowned. This very question had been bothering him for months. “I…I’m not sure. I think I either want to be a vet or a fireman.”

“The vet part I can understand, but … a fireman?” Mr. Jeffries asked surprised that this would be on Curtis’ short list of possible careers.

“Yes, sir, my grandfather was a fireman. I’d kind of like to follow in his footsteps.”

“I see…”

“But my one dad is a vet and the other works with him in the veterinary clinic.”

“And you might like to follow in their footsteps too.”

“Yes.”

“You realize that it’s quite a challenging course to be a vet.”

“Yes, sir, but it’s also hard to be a fireman.”

“Of course,” Mr. Jeffries agreed. He consulted a piece of paper for a moment. I see that you have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity.” Curtis nodded. “Very commendable. And you work in the science labs here helping to keep everything in order.”

“Yes, sir,” Curtis said. He was wondering what this was all about. “Is there a reason you’re going over all this with me?”

“There’s a very good reason, Curtis. You are on the short list of candidates to be valedictorian this year.”

Curtis’ eyes got very large. “Me?” he asked his voice barely squeaking out.

Mr. Jeffries chuckled. “Yes you, Curtis. Since you’ve been at Allegheny, we’ve kept an eye on you. You had some catching up to do, but you worked hard and your marks are outstanding.”

“But … there’s lots of other kids with as good marks as I have … and they’ve been here since freshman year. I don’t know why you’d want me to be valedictorian.”

“Curtis, you represent the best of human nature,” Mr. Jeffries said sincerely. “You had some very hard knocks to overcome, but you worked hard, studied hard and made a success of yourself. And then you started giving back to the school and your community. To my way of thinking that makes you a prime candidate to be valedictorian.”

“Wow!” Curtis replied. He thought for a moment. “You really mean what you just said?”

“I certainly do.”

“So, I might be chosen as valedictorian?”

“You just might.”

“When…when will I know?”

“If you say you’re interested in assuming the responsibility of being valedictorian and speaking for your graduating class, then we should have an answer for you in a couple of days. I have two more candidates to interview,” Mr. Jeffries added.

“Thanks, thanks so much for considering me for this. I would love to be valedictorian.”

“Then I will let you know very soon.” Mr. Jeffries stood and held his hand out for Curtis to shake it.

“I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe this is happening,” Curtis said as he shook the hand.

“Believe it,” Mr. Jeffries said as Curtis went out the door. He smiled to himself. Curtis Samuels was the kind of kid who made his job worthwhile. He wondered if any of the other candidates for valedictorian would be as worthy.

 

*****
 

“JR, hi, over here!”

“I’m here, so what’s up?” JR asked as she slid into a booth at the local McDonalds. “Your phone call didn’t tell me much other than to meet you here. Lucky that Daddy was still at the store and can hold down the fort until I get there.”

“Sorry to screw up your schedule but I wanted to tell you this in person.”

“Tell me what?” JR asked before she took a sip of the cola that Curtis had bought for her.

“I got called into the principal’s office today.”

“You did?” JR asked her eyes getting very large. “What did you do?”

“I got good marks, did some community service and have a great work ethic.”

“Huh?”

“I’m on the list to be class valedictorian at graduation,” Curtis said with a big grin.

“Really?” JR’s question didn’t seem as full of excitement as Curtis had expected.

“Yes, I can hardly believe it.”

“Me either.”

“What does that mean? Don’t you think I deserve to be under consideration for valedictorian?” Curtis asked. He wasn’t sure he liked JR’s lack of enthusiasm. In fact it hurt a lot that she didn’t seem pleased for him. She actually seemed to be acting like she wished he had never been singled out for this honor.

“Of course you deserve it,” JR amended. “I know how hard you work.”

“Then why don’t you seem very happy for me?”

JR sighed and frowned. “I guess … I … I really am happy for you. I guess it’s an honor.”

“It is an honor.”

“Sure,” JR said flatly. “Have you told your dads?”

“Not yet. I wanted to tell you first.”

“Oh. When do you find out if you actually are valedictorian?”

“A couple of days.” Curtis studied JR’s face. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but something obviously was. JR’s reaction to his news made him wonder.

“I better get back to the comic book store,” JR said, suddenly standing up. “Congratulations.” With that she turned and walked out of McDonalds.

Curtis watched her go. She hadn’t given him a peck on the cheek or a hug or anything. Something was definitely wrong.

 

*****
 

“Hi, Honeybun,” Michael said with a big smile as his daughter entered the shop. “Did you get your errand done?”

“Yeah,” JR said tersely as she went behind the counter. “Do I need to restock anything this afternoon?”

“Is something wrong, JR?”

JR heaved a sigh. “No, nothing.”

“When you say that, I know there really is something wrong,” Michael said staring at his daughter.

“Daddy…”

“You know you can tell me anything.”

JR looked up into her father’s eyes. She saw worry and concern in them, and that caused her eyes to fill with tears. “I met Curtis at McDonalds,” she began. Michael waited. “He … may be valedictorian at graduation.”

“That’s good news, isn’t it?” Michael asked as he studied the anguish in JR’s eyes.

“Yeah, but…”

“But what?”

“He’s real smart, Daddy, much smarter than me. He’s probably going to Penn and I’ll never see him again.”

Michael moved behind the counter taking his daughter into his warm embrace. “You’re just as smart as Curtis, and he … likes you a lot. You’ll see him whenever he comes home.”

JR sniffled and shook her head against her father’s chest. “He’ll meet other really smart girls and I won’t be enough for him.”

“You’re very smart at a lot of things that Curtis can’t do,” Michael said gently. “You’re so good at business. Curtis knows nothing about business.”

JR looked up at her father. “But what if he meets another girl that he likes better than me?”

“I don’t think he’s likely to find anyone he likes better than you. I see the way he looks at you.”

“Really?” JR asked with a little smile. The tears were no longer falling.

“And if he did find someone else, well, you’d find someone even better.”

“You sure know how to sweet talk a girl,” JR said with a laugh. “I love you so much, Daddy.”

“And I love you more than you’ll ever know, sweetheart,” Michael replied.

The crisis seemed to have been averted.

 

*****
 

Patrick wiped his sweaty palms on the tops of his jeans as John parked his Navigator in front of a modest looking ranch house in the suburbs of Pittsburgh.

“What are you so nervous about?” John asked his son.

“I’m not nervous,” Patrick snapped back. John arched a brow. “I just don’t want to look like I don’t know anything,” Patrick confessed.

“And what are you supposed to know?” John inquired as he switched off the ignition and slightly turned to face his son.

“I don’t know! About buildings and things,” Patrick said with exasperation. He huffed then crossed his arms on his chest reminding John of Michael. John chuckled, getting a glare from his son.

“All you need to know is that we’re making an inspection,” John patiently explained. He suspected that his son was not only nervous about being his “shadow” for the summer, but hormones were beginning to surge. Plus, “Aunt Claire” wasn’t the easiest person to deal with.

“You are my assistant; that’s why in your backpack is a pad, pencils, a flashlight and a tape measure.”

Patrick maneuvered his pack onto his lap to look through it. “What’s this?” Patrick asked as he held up a folded metal tool.

“A multi-tool,” John stated as he took it out of his son’s hand. He carefully opened the tool to demonstrate the multiple functions. “I never leave home without it,” John smiled at his son. “This one’s yours,” John said to Patrick as he handed back the tool. Patrick beamed a smile at his father then carefully placed it back in his bag as if it was treasure.

“What we’re going to do is walk through the house and poke into the dark corners, under the sinks and in the basement. Your job is to jot down my findings as I call them out to you. Normally, I’d do that myself.” John pulled out a battered notebook from his back pocket. “Since you’re with me, you can do that while I concentrate on the inspection. Does this sound like something you can do?”

“Yeah, I can do that!” Patrick smiled.

“Good. Now, I don’t want you to concentrate on the fact that we’re related to these people. I know Claire can be a bit over the top and I haven’t spoken to John since the funeral. Even then it was a limited conversation. We’ll just treat this like any other job. Okay?” John ruffled his son’s soft hair.

“Okay, Dad,” Patrick stated with more confidence. He took a deep breath then followed his father out of the truck and to the front door of the house.

“Hi, Claire,” John said politely as Claire opened the door. “You remember Patrick, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do,” Claire said a bit hesitantly. “He’s grown so tall,” she stated as she took in the handsome young man. Patrick stood his ground, refusing to be nervous.

“Patrick is my assistant for the summer,” John said proudly as he clapped his son on the shoulder and then gently prodded Patrick’s elbow.

“Nice to see you again, Aunt Claire,” Patrick said as he stuck out his hand. Claire politely returned the gesture.

“I didn’t know school was out already,” Claire murmured as Patrick gently shook her hand.

“I just have a couple of finals but I’m done,” Patrick told her.

“And he did very well,” John beamed like a proud papa. Claire narrowed her eyes a bit but said nothing as she showed them into the house. “Is John here?” John asked as he began to look around the empty room.

“No, he’s at work and his wife is packing up their apartment. They’d like to be all moved in by August,” Claire explained.

“I got the impression John and Mary were in a rush to move in,” John said as he pulled a small flashlight out of his pocket to peer into a closet.

“Uh, they were able to work out a deal with their landlord,” Claire said softly.

“That’s good,” John said as a dismissal then he turned toward Patrick. “Patrick, take out your pad,” John instructed as he became all business. For the next few hours, John and Patrick made a thorough inspection of the house.

 

*****
 

“Hey, Curtis, dinner is almost ready,” Hector said as Curtis entered the house. “Curtis?” Hector repeated when he got no response. “Are you all right?”

“Oh, um, yeah, I’m fine.”

“Then you can set the table,” Hector informed him.

“Is dad still working?”

“He’s finishing up a few things in the clinic, making sure the animals are all set for the night.”

“Oh.”

“He should be in here for dinner in just a minute or two.”

“Oh.”

“Curtis, the dishes, setting the table?” Hector said with a question in his voice.

“Oh, yeah, right.” Curtis walked over to the cupboard where the plates were stored. He opened the door and stared into the cupboard.

Just then Raphael entered from the clinic. “Hi, Curtis, how was school?” He got no reply. Raphael looked over at Hector who shrugged saying that he didn’t know what was wrong. Raphael walked over to his son and placed his hand on Curtis’ shoulder. “What’s up with you?”

Curtis jumped at the touch and the sound of his father’s voice. “Um, nothing,” was his lame reply.

“We both know there’s something.” Raphael looked at Hector for confirmation. “And so does Hector, so leave the dishes and come sit down for a minute.” Curtis reluctantly followed his father to the kitchen table. His other father turned dinner onto low and sat down with them. Both men waited for Curtis to speak.

“I … I have some news,” Curtis began.

“You know you can tell us anything,” Hector said encouragingly.

Curtis nodded. “I’ve been told I’m a candidate to be class valedictorian.”

“That’s wonderful!” Raphael enthused.

“That’s amazing. We’re so proud of you, son,” Hector added squeezing Curtis’ arm.

“Yeah,” Curtis mumbled.

Raphael frowned. “Don’t you want to be valedictorian? Are you afraid to speak in front of such a large group?”

“I … I’m not afraid of speaking at graduation.”

“Then what is it?” Raphael asked again. “There’s definitely something wrong.”

“I’m honored that they’re even considering me to be valedictorian,” Curtis stated. He decided he might as well get it all out. Since he had become part of this family, he had learned that his fathers, particularly Raphael, could be relentless when they thought he was in some kind of trouble or needed their help.

Hector jumped in when Curtis paused. “I think it’s a great honor. We’re very proud, aren’t we, Raph?”

“Very proud,” Raphael agreed. “But I think there’s more to the story.” He looked meaningfully at his son.

“They might not choose me, you know,” Curtis said in a soft voice.

“The fact that they are considering you means that you have done very well, son,” Raphael said sincerely. “You had it a lot tougher than most kids, and you’ve made a success of yourself.”

In spite of how he was feeling, Curtis smiled at his father’s words. “Thanks, Dad. I would really like to be valedictorian, but when I told JR about it…”

“What happened with JR?” Hector asked, sensing this might be the source of his son’s distress.

“She didn’t seem happy for me at all. She seemed kind of pissed off, and then she got up and left.”

“Just like that?” Raphael asked.

“Yeah, no hug or telling me ‘that’s great’ or anything. I practically had to force a ‘congratulations’ out of her. Why would she do that?” Curtis asked. He was clearly mystified.

“Could she be jealous?” Hector volunteered.

“Why would me being valedictorian make her jealous?”

“It is a form of recognition that she isn’t getting,” Raphael said gently. “She’s not as good a student as you are.”

“Dad!” Curtis objected. “You know JR’s smart, even if she doesn’t get fabulous marks.”

“You know it and I know it, but maybe JR doesn’t know it,” Raph added.

Curtis thought about that. “Maybe,” he said after a minute.

“Whatever it is, there is only one way to deal with it,” Hector informed his son.

“What way?” Curtis asked.

“Get her to tell you,” Hector replied as he got up to finish dinner and get it on the table.

“You need to talk to her, Curtis,” Raphael reinforced.

“I’ll try, but she didn’t seem to want to talk to me.”

“Find a way. Communication is very important,” Raphael stated before getting up to set the table.

“Easier said than done,” Curtis mumbled. He knew how stubborn JR could be.
 

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