“Ten minutes, tops.”
Lisa took her phone out and found Valerie Reed’s number. As she waited for an answer, she kept a tight grip of Solomon’s hand and made sure he was still breathing right.
“Straight to voice mail,” she said, still holding the phone up to her ear.
“Shit shit shit,” Solomon said, rocking back and forth.
“Dr. Reed, this is Lisa. We have your son. We’re on our way. Please call back if you can.”
“Great,” Clark said. “Now we’re kidnappers.”
“She’s gonna die without ever knowing,” Solomon said.
Solomon tried to focus on breathing. And counting, which he’d never stopped doing in his head that whole time. He would take a slow breath, exhale when he got to five, and then do it again. Over and over until he felt the van stop.
“We’re here!” Clark said.
“Don’t open the doors,” Solomon whispered, trying to stay calm.
“They’re sealed till you say so, pal,” Clark said.
“What do you want to do, Sol?” Lisa asked.
“Can you go find them? See if she’s okay? Joan Reed.”
“Joan. Got it,” she said, standing up. “Don’t turn around.”
She opened the curtain and squeezed by Clark as he made his way to the back. He sat down beside Solomon, who stared straight ahead and pretended not to be there. So, Clark just looked all around and then back at his friend before letting out a loud sigh and turning his way.
“What?” Solomon asked.
“You’re out here, man. Weird, right?”
“You’re supposed to be distracting me.”
“Oh . . . umm . . .”
“Are you and Lisa okay?”
“To be determined,” Clark said.
“Thanks,” Solomon said. “For this.”
“Wesley Crusher, right? Always saves the day.”
“I can’t get out of the van, Clark.”
“I know, Sol. But you made it pretty damn far.”
Then Clark’s phone rang and right when he answered, Solomon grabbed it from him.
“Mom? Is she okay? What’s going on?”
“She’s in surgery. She’s pretty beat up and she’s got a few broken bones, but she’s going to be fine. Where are you?”
“Outside,” he said, choking back tears. “In the parking lot.”
“By the ER,” Clark whispered.
“By the ER. Mom? Is Dad okay?”
“We’re both fine. Lisa just ran up. I can’t believe this.”
“Me neither,” he said. “You’ll tell her I was here?”
“As soon as she’s awake. First I’m coming to you. Don’t move.”
They sat there alone in the dark for a while and after a few minutes, despite still counting in his head and trying to focus on his breathing, Solomon looked all around, smiled a little, and then turned to his friend.
“We’re okay, Clark,” he said, giving him the best smile he could manage. “We’re good.”
Suddenly, they heard the front door of the van creak open and then, as soon as he turned around, Solomon saw his mom climbing her way toward him. She asked Clark to give them a minute and once they were alone, she scooted a little closer and looked Solomon right in the eyes.
“Your grandma’s tough,” she said. “A month from now, she’ll be bragging about her new car and her new hip.”
He smiled for his mom, but he still couldn’t relax enough to show much emotion. He traced the yellow squares behind her with his eyes until she moved even closer, blocking his view entirely. She didn’t break down crying or tell him she was proud of him or promise him that everything was going to be okay. She just looked right at him the only way she ever had, like he was the only other person in the world. And then she patted him on one leg and said, “Let’s get you home.”
When Lisa was back, she sat in front of him and went to hold his hand like before. But he quickly drew it away and instead leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. It was quiet and brief, but that was all it needed to be. Then he let go, grabbed her hand, and looked her right in the eyes as the engine started and shook the van around them.
Back at the house, they waited until the garage door was completely shut before letting Solomon out. Then Lisa and Clark followed behind him without saying a word. He walked straight through the laundry room to the living room, opened the sliding glass door, and walked out into the backyard. And by the time Lisa had turned on the outdoor lights, he’d already jumped into the pool with all his clothes on.
A few seconds later, he shot up from under the water in a big, loud splash. “Did that just happen?” he yelled, wiping water out of his eyes.