Theo was beyond thrilled. Whatever was planned for his weekend would simply get shoved aside. Then Cal dropped his head and said, “Shoot. My grandmother is coming this weekend, and there’s no way I can leave town.”
“Sorry,” the Major said. “Woody, Hardie, and Theo — you guys call the other eighth graders and see who can go. We need to get this organized as quickly as possible.”
“What about the rest of the troop?” Theo asked.
“Well, I’ll promise the younger guys that this will become an annual hike, sort of a reward after the tests. For the older guys, I’ll find some way to make it up. I don’t foresee a problem.”
“Who cares about the older guys?” Woody said. “Let’s go.”
“Get it planned,” the Major ordered. “Use your checklists and don’t forget anything. You’ll be in the woods with no way out except on foot. Planning is crucial.”
Theo was required by family tradition to stop by his uncle Ike’s office every Monday afternoon for a visit. If Ike was in a good mood, the time was enjoyable. If Ike was in a bad mood, Theo didn’t stay very long. There was about a fifty-fifty split in Ike’s moods. He had once been a respected lawyer who specialized in tax matters. Now he kept the books for a few clients and didn’t make much money. He had once worked from a nice office over at Boone & Boone. Now he worked in a dump above a Greek deli and had no secretary. He once was married and had two children. Now he was divorced and the kids, now adults and Theo’s first cousins, never made it back to Strattenburg and had nothing to do with their father. According to Theo’s mother, Ike had once been quite stylish, with dark suits and fine silk ties. Now he wore faded jeans, sandals, and T-shirts, and he kept his long gray hair pulled tightly in a ponytail. As Theo was learning, the old version of Ike was far different from the one he knew.
And that was fine. Theo adored his uncle Ike, and the feeling was mutual.
Since Theo had spent Monday afternoon with the Holland family, he decided to stop by Ike’s on Tuesday after the quick and pleasant meeting with the Major. As always, Ike was at his desk, surrounded by piles of paperwork, with Bob Dylan playing softly on the stereo and a can of beer beside his phone. “Well, how’s my favorite nephew?” he asked, the same question every time.
Theo often wondered how and why adults got in the habit of asking the same questions over and over, but he knew there was no clear explanation. “I’m doing lousy, and I’m your only nephew.”
“Oh, that’s right. A full week of testing for robots. What a stupid idea. Back when I was a kid, teachers were allowed to teach, but now...” He held up his hands and said, “Sorry, I think we had this discussion last week.”
“We did. A drunk guy tried to break in our house last night,” Theo said with a smile. Before each visit he always tried to think of something interesting to tell Ike.
“Well, do tell,” Ike said as he sipped his beer.
With great enthusiasm, Theo told the story of the Holland family and Mr. Holland’s near-assault on the Boone household. He managed to make the event somewhat more frightening than it had really been, but he knew Ike appreciated a good story. Ike himself had said that he’d never heard a story he couldn’t improve with a little exaggeration.
Theo went on, “And Mom says they’ll keep him in jail for a few days and charge him with a felony.”
“What a creep, but he’s lucky the cops didn’t blow his head off.”
“Maybe so, Ike, and I know you don’t care much for policemen, but believe me it was a relief to see those blue lights last night.”
“I suppose so.”
“Anyway, my mom is trying to figure out how to protect the family. She thinks the guy needs some help with his drinking problem.”
“I’d say,” Ike said as he sipped more beer. According to a few things Theo had overheard, Ike had his own issues with drinking, and that was one reason his parents had little to do with him. That and the blowup of the law firm many years ago. The adults never talked about what happened, but Theo was determined to find out one day.
They talked some more. Theo said he had to go, since it was Tuesday and his family spent the evening at the homeless shelter.
Chapter 6
By Thursday afternoon, the third day of testing, Theo’s brain was fried, and he didn’t care what happened with his scores. He left the school and rode his bike around town, trying to clear his head. At four, he met April at Guff’s Yogurt Shop for his usual double serving of chocolate covered with crushed Oreos. April, a person who tried to avoid doing anything the same way twice and was always exploring, ordered a single of mixed boysenberry and mango. She ate less than half of it and offered the rest to Theo, who took one bite and slid it back across the table. They talked about how awful the testing was going and how they couldn’t wait until Friday afternoon. They talked about the ninth grade. Theo was not looking forward to it at all. April was eager to move on and get out of middle school. She wanted the next few years to speed along so she could leave home. Theo thought that was so sad.
He eventually arrived at Boone & Boone, but with no homework to do he played video games in his office and got bored. Around five, his mother tapped on his door and asked him to step into the conference room. He said, “Sure, Mom, what’s up?”
“You’ll see,” she said. “Follow me.”
When he walked into the room he was startled to see Pete sitting at one end of the long table with his parents. Mr. Boone and Elsa were also seated. When Mrs. Boone and Theo sat down, she said, “Mr. Holland has something to say.”
He slowly stood up, though standing was not necessary. He was obviously troubled and nervous. He cleared his throat, looked at each of them, and began, “Look, I’m just gonna come right out and say this. I have a drinking problem, and tomorrow I’m going to an alcohol treatment place for thirty days. Mrs. Boone here has worked out a deal with the police, and if I stop drinking and stay sober, all the charges will be dismissed. I promise I’m going to do that.” His voice cracked, and he looked at Mrs. Holland, who was wiping tears from her cheeks. “I love my family and I’m not going to lose them. I promise.” His voice cracked again. The guy was really struggling, and Theo felt sorry for him. However, he couldn’t help but flash back to Monday night, or early Tuesday morning, the last time he had seen Mr. Holland, drunk and staggering around the front yard. What a change!
Theo glanced at Pete, who was also wiping his eyes.
Mr. Holland continued: “I want to apologize to all of you for what happened. I’m really embarrassed by it but just happy no one got hurt. I ask for your forgiveness.” Each of the three Boones nodded their forgiveness. “And I want to thank Mrs. Boone for taking control and helping us out of this mess. I promise nothing like this will happen again, and I promise to get help and protect my family.”
His hands were shaking and his eyes were moist. “Thank you,” he said, and sat down.
Mrs. Boone said, “Your apology is accepted, and I’m just happy to do my job.”
“Thank you,” he said. The three Hollands were now holding hands.
“We will help any way we can,” Mr. Boone said. The Hollands nodded awkwardly. The whole scene was awkward, and Theo had had enough. On the one hand, he felt sorry for Pete for having to suffer through his father’s craziness, but on the other hand he was relieved that there might just be a happy ending.
They eventually stood and said thanks again, then good-bye. On the front porch, Theo shook hands with Pete and wished him luck. The Hollands walked down the front sidewalk together and disappeared down the street.