Finding John
Chapter Ten
Jack must have heard me crying, because a few seconds later, he ran into the room, his little paws making a clacking noise against the tile floor. Being the loving dog he is, he jumped up onto my lap, put his paws on my shoulders, and started licking the tears off of my face. I let out a small laugh, wondering why having your pet’s tongue touch your skin makes everything feel better. Was it because that was their way of telling you that they love you? Their way of kissing you?
Before my thoughts could go any further, I heard a key being put into the lock on the front door. A few seconds later, the door opened. Figuring it was Sara, I picked up Jack and set him down on the floor. He scampered away, probably curious to see who was at the door. I slowly walked towards the front door.
But when I got there, it wasn’t Sara who was standing in front of me. “Dad?”
He smiled back at me. “I’m back, John.”
I ran up to him and hugged him. “Never leave me again, dad. Please.”
“Never,” he said. I pulled away and he pushed the hair out of my face in a fatherly gesture. “John, I’m sorry I left. I don’t know what I was thinking. It was an impulse thing, you know? I felt compelled to do it. But I’m back, and I promise that I won’t leave you again. I can’t imagine what I put you through.”
“Oh, dad,” I said. “It’s okay. I understand. I--I love you.”
My dad leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “I love you, too, John. I love you, too.”
---
I was actually looking forward to lunch the next day. Sara had told me earlier in the day that she invited a few people to eat with us. I saw it as an opportunity to make some new friends, something I hadn’t done in a long time.
Sara met me at my locker after fourth period, and we walked to lunch together. After getting our food, we walked to our normal table, where three people were waiting: an African-American guy, who was wearing Kicks and an Escape The Fate t-shirt; a girl with long blonde hair, who, without saying anything, I could tell had the intelligence of a peanut; and a guy with medium-length black hair who had multiple piercing in his ears, and snakebites. None of them really seemed like my type of people, nor Sara’s for that matter, but it didn’t matter.
We sat down, and I immediately noticed that my assumption about the blonde girl was correct. The first thing out of her mouth was, “So, like, what’s up with Mr. Emmons? Does he seriously think that red plus blue equals purple? I mean, you call yourself an Art teacher?” I almost spit out my chocolate milk, which wouldn’t have been pretty.
The African-American, apparently named James, calmly told the blonde girl that red plus blue does equal purple. It seemed as if James was used to this type of comment from the blonde girl.
It soon became apparent that I was not included in their conversations, while Sara was. So I zoned them out and ate my lunch quietly.
A few minutes later, I felt a sudden shift in the table, like someone had sat down across from me. When I looked up, Alex was there. He smiled at me, then motioned toward the other members of the table with his head. I rolled my eyes, and then laughed.
I was about to say something, but then I realized that, with Alex and I, sometimes words simply weren’t needed.
Before my thoughts could go any further, I heard a key being put into the lock on the front door. A few seconds later, the door opened. Figuring it was Sara, I picked up Jack and set him down on the floor. He scampered away, probably curious to see who was at the door. I slowly walked towards the front door.
But when I got there, it wasn’t Sara who was standing in front of me. “Dad?”
He smiled back at me. “I’m back, John.”
I ran up to him and hugged him. “Never leave me again, dad. Please.”
“Never,” he said. I pulled away and he pushed the hair out of my face in a fatherly gesture. “John, I’m sorry I left. I don’t know what I was thinking. It was an impulse thing, you know? I felt compelled to do it. But I’m back, and I promise that I won’t leave you again. I can’t imagine what I put you through.”
“Oh, dad,” I said. “It’s okay. I understand. I--I love you.”
My dad leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “I love you, too, John. I love you, too.”
---
I was actually looking forward to lunch the next day. Sara had told me earlier in the day that she invited a few people to eat with us. I saw it as an opportunity to make some new friends, something I hadn’t done in a long time.
Sara met me at my locker after fourth period, and we walked to lunch together. After getting our food, we walked to our normal table, where three people were waiting: an African-American guy, who was wearing Kicks and an Escape The Fate t-shirt; a girl with long blonde hair, who, without saying anything, I could tell had the intelligence of a peanut; and a guy with medium-length black hair who had multiple piercing in his ears, and snakebites. None of them really seemed like my type of people, nor Sara’s for that matter, but it didn’t matter.
We sat down, and I immediately noticed that my assumption about the blonde girl was correct. The first thing out of her mouth was, “So, like, what’s up with Mr. Emmons? Does he seriously think that red plus blue equals purple? I mean, you call yourself an Art teacher?” I almost spit out my chocolate milk, which wouldn’t have been pretty.
The African-American, apparently named James, calmly told the blonde girl that red plus blue does equal purple. It seemed as if James was used to this type of comment from the blonde girl.
It soon became apparent that I was not included in their conversations, while Sara was. So I zoned them out and ate my lunch quietly.
A few minutes later, I felt a sudden shift in the table, like someone had sat down across from me. When I looked up, Alex was there. He smiled at me, then motioned toward the other members of the table with his head. I rolled my eyes, and then laughed.
I was about to say something, but then I realized that, with Alex and I, sometimes words simply weren’t needed.