The Challenge(14)
“What’s all that for?” he asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
“We’re going swimming again today. I said I’d bring the lunch. It’s the least I can do. They’ve all been so nice to me.” She had emptied their fridge and cupboards to do it. She made chicken and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She’d asked and no one had a peanut allergy, and they said they liked it. Peter was going to bring some cake. Matt said he’d bring whatever he could. The boys had all been talking about a camping trip they always went on together at the end of the summer, and Juliet wished she could be with them. But she’d be back in New York by then, getting ready to start her new school.
She waited until her dad had eaten a piece of toast and finished his coffee, and then he drove her to the Pollocks’.
“I might stay there for dinner and play video games tonight,” she told her father. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to come home.” He had nothing else to do and was happy to provide chauffeur service. He loved having her around. It gave his life meaning. The house was so empty without her, and so alive now that she was there.
“Be careful,” he warned her, out of habit, when she got out of his truck and picked up the bags of sandwiches.
“We’re just going for a swim, Dad.” She smiled at him. “Like we did before.” She’d been on the swim team at school, and she swam as well as the boys did. She was wearing a T-shirt, with a sweatshirt over her shoulders in case it got chilly that night before she came home. She had on a bathing suit and jeans since they’d be riding to a waterfall in the foothills of Granite Peak that the boys had told her about. They said it was a fantastic place to swim and she’d love it, and that it was an easy ride to get there, low on the mountain. The water came down from higher up. She could hardly wait.
Out of sympathy for what they were going through, Peter had told Noel to bring Justin if he wanted to come. They all loved going to the waterfall. The water was cold on a hot day. Justin accepted readily. He couldn’t stand sitting in the house with the hospice nurses anymore. They were nice, but they were an outward sign that his father was going to die soon, and he was drained from waiting for it to happen. He didn’t even realize it, but he needed some time off to just be a kid again.
Marlene had an important meeting at her office with a new client that day. Bob didn’t want her to cancel it. She hated to leave Bob alone with the nurses, so Pattie Brown agreed to come over to sit with him while Marlene was out. He could talk if he wanted to, or just sleep. As a nurse, Pattie would know what to do if she needed to call 911 for him, or summon Marlene from the office. Bob had always loved Pattie and her sense of humor, so he was happy to have her come.
Pattie told Matt the bad news at breakfast. She was going to spend the day at the Wylies’ with Justin and Noel’s dad, Bob.
“I know you hate it, Matt, but I can’t do anything about it. I don’t know what you have planned today, but you have to take Benjie with you. I can’t leave him alone, and I can’t take him to the Wylies’. It’s too sad over there now, and he’ll get restless sitting around. You have to keep Benjie with you.” Matt groaned.
“Why can’t he stay with Dad? We’re all going swimming again, and having a picnic.”
“Your father’s too busy to watch him, and swimming and a picnic will be perfect. He’ll love it. Just keep an eye on him. Anne will take care of him when you go back to Peter’s house. There’s nothing else I can do about him today. I owe this to Marlene. She doesn’t want Bob to be alone with just the hospice nurses. I promised her.”
“Okay, okay,” Matt said grudgingly, and he still looked upset about it when he got to Peter’s, after Pattie dropped them off on her way to the Wylies’. “He always ruins everything,” Matt said to Peter about Benjie. Peter thought about it and consoled his friend.
“No, he doesn’t. He can swim. We’ll take him to the waterfall with us. I’ll put him on an easy horse on a lead line, and he’ll be fine. We’ll all help you watch him. We could go another day, but Juliet already made lunch for all of us,” Peter said, smiling. Justin and Noel had just arrived, and there was a holiday feeling to the excursion. Peter was excited about showing Juliet the waterfall, since she’d never seen it.
Tim was the last to arrive on his bike. Justin and Noel had come by bike too, and were grateful for the outing, and the distraction. Juliet was playing guessing games with Benjie as they headed to the stables and saddled the horses. Pitt was at a horse auction, and had taken Anne with him right after breakfast. Everyone was busy. Peter put the lead line on Benjie’s horse himself, and one of the stable hands handed it to him once he’d mounted his horse. He had chosen Black Diamond, a horse that was so slow and old but sure-footed that Peter liked to tease him and say he was dead. But he was exactly what Benjie needed so he couldn’t get into any mischief while he was riding. Nothing was going to make Black Diamond move faster than the snail’s pace that was his preferred speed, and he was never skittish around other horses. Peter knew Benjie was completely safe riding him, and for extra protection, he had put a strap around Benjie’s waist and attached it to the saddle. He rode beside him as they left the main courtyard that led to the trail they would be taking to get to Granite Peak. They would be going higher than they had last time, up to where the waterfall was, which was at a higher elevation than the lake. But not so high as to be dangerous. The upper elevations of the mountain attracted the most serious and experienced mountain climbers, but they weren’t going far and it was one of their favorite destinations for a hot day. They all loved the waterfall, and it was safe there.