From Ant to Eagle(21)

As much as Aleta and I had grown closer, Sammy and I had grown apart.

For a while, he’d kept up with the basketball; determined to complete his daily mission.

Each day he got a little closer until one afternoon I’d come home to find him sitting on the basketball in the middle of the backyard waiting for me. He was practically vibrating he was so excited.

“One hundred!” he shrieked as soon as he saw me.

I made a big deal out of it and gave him his Badger Level, only to find out he didn’t know what a Badger was, and since I didn’t really know what one looked like either I had to make it up. For a short while things had seemed like they were back to normal but then later that night he’d asked me quietly in bed, “Cal, can I come with you and Aleta tomorrow?”

And I’d had to say no.

“Okay,” he’d said in a sad little voice that had made my stomach hurt.

So, for the next few weeks he’d continued to play basketball and I’d continued to spend time with Aleta. Except when I’d come home in the afternoon there was no more excitement in his eyes, there were no more stories of his day, there were no more counts of how many baskets he’d sunk—just sad little eyes watching me walk past.

And my stomach would feel hungry.

Sad hungry.

IT WAS SOMETIME in early August that Mom had finally had enough.

I knew she was waiting for me the moment I opened the screen door to the kitchen. I saw her sitting at the table with eyes that said I’d done something wrong.

I tried to walk past. I tried to avoid the look.

“Calvin,” she said, using my full name, which was never a good sign. “I need to talk with you.”

I knew what the talk was going to be about. She’d hinted at it a few times over the weeks before when she’d asked, “Where are you going? Is Sammy going with you?”

But Dad had intervened. “Oh, leave the boy alone. I seem to recall another love-struck couple spending more than their fair share of time sneaking off when they were just getting to know each other.”

Then he’d wrap his arms around Mom and her serious face would melt and I would be allowed to slip away without a lecture.

But on this particular day, Dad wasn’t there to bail me out.

Mom started every lecture with the same question.

“What do you think I want to talk about?” she asked, her eyes narrow and piercing.

So I went through my usual rigmarole of playing dumb. Normally it was something like, “Is it the fact that I’m wearing my shoes inside?” when really I knew it was the black mark on the back deck I’d left when I’d tried to teach Sammy how to light a campfire.

That day it was, “Umm, did I leave my pajamas on the floor?”

“Calvin,” she said, looking over my shoulder, “look at your brother.”

I turned around to see Sammy doing what he’d been doing endlessly for the last few weeks—shooting the basketball.

“He’s getting better, huh?” I said.

He was. In the few seconds I watched, he made both his shots.

“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the fact that he’s been all alone for the last three weeks shooting that basketball so that he can impress you and you come home and barely acknowledge him.” I considered telling her that he wasn’t shooting to impress me but I didn’t want to divulge any information about the Levels. After an uncomfortable few seconds, she continued, “Your father and I agreed to give you some time to get to know Aleta. We understand that it’s nice to have friends your own age and I’m happy you’re getting along so well but look at Sammy—he misses you. There is no one to play with when you’re gone and Dad is at work. Can’t you take him with you?”

I groaned. “Mommmm, it’s so lame that I have to take my brother with me. And besides, Aleta might not want him around. And it’s a really long walk to the Secret Spot.”

“The Secret Spot?” Mom asked.

Crust—I’d accidentally let it slip.

“Well, it’s not actually a Secret Spot,” I said, backtracking. “It’s just…It’s just…”

There was no obvious explanation that came to mind. Everything I said would either get me in trouble for being selfish or give Mom too much information about our Secret Spot.

“Please, Calvin,” Mom said, “he looks up to you so much. It may not seem like it right now, but when you’re older, you’re going to realize how important he is.”

I fidgeted with my shirt not looking directly at her but I knew she wasn’t going anywhere until I said yes. I slouched my shoulders, I rolled my eyes, I groaned as dramatically as I could. I wanted Mom to feel like I was doing her a really big favour but deep down I knew she was right.

“Fiiiine. I’ll take him with me tomorrow,” I said, stomping out of the kitchen and up the stairs to my room.

I thought about what I’d tell Aleta the next day when I brought Sammy. Deep down I knew she wouldn’t care but I wanted her to care. I wanted her to feel protective over our Secret Spot. I wanted it so badly that I started to convince myself that she would care. I started to worry about how I would tell her the news.

But then the next morning, I found out that all my worrying was for nothing. Sammy was still in bed long after I’d finished breakfast and Mom went up to check on him. When she came back down, she had a worried expression.