Justin
watched JC staring at the sandwich. He sat down at the table next him, watching
JC’s face scrunch into a look of dissatisfaction.
“What’s
wrong?” Justin asked.
Wide
blue eyes looked up at Justin. “There’s crusts.” JC pushed the plate
toward Justin. “I don’t like crusts.”
Justin’s
own eyes closed with a sigh. How could he have forgotten the crusts? “I’m
sorry, Josh,” Justin said, reaching over for a knife and quickly slicing off
the offending ends of the bread. “Is that better?”
Sunshine
poured from JC’s smile. “Thank you,” he said, taking a huge bite of the pb&j
sandwich. “Can we watch TV?” JC asked, gulping down some milk before
finishing his sandwich.
Justin
ate his own sandwich a bit slower. “Yes, we can watch television,” he said,
smiling at JC as he drained his milk, leaving a moustache on JC’s upper lip.
Justin handed JC a napkin just as the phone rang.
“Hi,
Mom,” Justin said into the receiver.
“How
are you today, Justin?” Lynne asked.
Justin
shook his head at his mother’s question. She called everyday, asking the same
thing, and Justin told her the same thing, everyday. “I’m fine, Mom,” he
assured her, reaching out a hand to JC’s head, running it over the soft curls.
JC’s head turned at the touch.
“You’re
tired of me asking everyday, aren’t you?” Lynne asked.
Justin
sighed. “I just don’t want you to worry about me so much. Josh and I are
fine, Mom.”
“It’s
a big responsibility, Justin,” she warned.
“But
not one I can’t handle. You did by yourself, why can’t I?”
“That
was different.”
“No,
it’s not.”
“Is
that your mom?” JC asked. Justin nodded. JC shrugged, returning to his pudding
cup, dipping a finger in the small container to extract every bit of pudding.
“Look,
Mom, I have to go,” Justin said. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Justin
hung up the phone and moved back to JC. “Go wash up and pick out a movie to
watch,” he said, taking the pudding cup away and taking he dishes to the sink.
JC
scrambled out of this chair fast, knocking the chair over in his haste. Justin
straightened the chair, leaning against it for a moment as his mother’s words
came back to him, causing himself to experience a moment of doubt. Can he do
this? he wondered.
The
sounds of “The Lion King” came pouring from the living room. “Come on,
it’s started!” JC called from the other room. Justin straightened up and
left the kitchen, spying JC as he sat on the floor, his attention focused on the
television. Yes, he could do this, Justin realized. There was nothing he
wouldn’t do for Josh.
“Come
on, big guy,” Justin said, shaking the sleeping JC awake. “Time for bed.”
JC
sat up, rubbing his tired eyes and yawned. “Don’t wanna,” he said, lying
back down on the floor.
“No,
sir,” Justin said, pulling JC up off the floor. “You need to get to bed, and
you’re too big to carry. Now march!” he ordered, pushing the grumbling JC
down the hall.
Justin
waited as JC changed into his pajamas in the bathroom. Soon he reappeared and
crawled into the bed. “Read me a story, please?”
Justin
reached for “The Velveteen Rabbit,” the book JC demanded to hear every night.
But
he didn’t fall asleep like usual. Instead, JC looked at Justin with serious
eyes. “What is it?’ Justin asked.
“Can
I see the picture again?” JC asked.
Justin
nodded, taking his wallet out of his back pocket. “Here it is,” he said,
handing it to JC, searching JC’s face.
“That’s
me!” JC exclaimed. “And that’s you!” he said, pointing.
Justin
nodded. “Yes, that you, and me,” he agreed. “And Lance, Chris, and
Joey,” Justin explained, pointing to the three other people in the photograph.
“I
know that,” JC yawned, eyes closing. “Will you sing to me?” he asked,
snuggling down against his pillow.
“Of
course I will,” Justin said. Softly he began to sing.
When
the visions around you,
Bring tears to your eyes
And all that surround you,
Are secrets and lies
I'll be your strength,
I'll give you hope,
Keeping your faith when it's gone
The one you should call,
Was standing here all along..
And
I will take
You in my arms
And hold you right where you belong
Till the day my life is through
This I promise you
This I promise you
Justin
saw JC’s even breathing and knew he was asleep. He gently removed the
photograph from JC’s hand and just before he turned off the light, his gaze
fell on the picture he held, a picture from another time, another life. Another
JC. The soft glow of the nightlight illuminated JC’s face as Justin bent down
and kissed JC’s head, touching softly the scar that traversed JC’s entire
skull.