A Visitor - Chapter 2

After dinner, James quietly cleaned the dishes, waiting for the unknown visitor to show up. He hadn’t said much to anyone throughout dinner, just sat there lost in his thoughts.

Joey had tried numerous times to break the silence with a few jokes, but when he hadn’t received much response, he ate in silence as well. He must have been able to tell there was something going on with James and Karen, since they barely looked at each other, but he refrained from asking what it was, probably knowing he wouldn’t receive an answer.

But then, as if reading Joey’s thoughts, Karen had said, “James has a visitor coming to speak with him after dinner, so I need everyone to help clean up and to be on their best behavior.”

Subdued mumbles of agreement around the table.

Joey blinked his eyes, as if he were about to cry, but before he could say anything Karen continued, “And Joey, I’ll need you to watch the twins in their room so they won’t be in the way while James and I speak with the visitor, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Joey had replied.

“Thank you.”

Now, as James was finishing up the dishes, he couldn’t help but think about how Joey looked after his visitor was announced. He had come to feel kind of responsible for the younger boy, and he knew that Joey had grown dependent on him, especially at school. Suddenly the doorbell rang, interrupting his reverie.

He could hear Karen out in the living room as she opened the door. “Hello, may I help you?”

A calm, confident voice sounded in return. “Yes. Hello. My name is Robert Blakeney and I’m here to see James Olympia.”

“Please come in,” Karen replied formally.

“Thank you,” said the man in his refined voice.

James knew this would happen one day, but dreaded it all the same. His stomach clenched up tight, twisting and squeezing like a towel being wrung of water.

“James, will you come in here please? There’s someone here to see you,” called Karen.

He dried his hands, took a deep, steadying breath, then walked around the corner to the living room.

There was a tall man standing by the door holding what looked like an expensive briefcase. He had a distinct air of authority about him.

“You must be James.” The man smiled warmly and shook James’s hand.

“Yes, sir.”

“My name is Robert Blakeney, and I’d like to talk with you for a bit, if that is okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

James assumed Blakeney was middle-aged, judging by the silver streaks at the temples of his dark hair. He seemed pleasant, but there was something else there as well, just beneath the calm surface. Relief, maybe?

“Won’t you sit down?” asked Karen.

“Yes, thank you,” replied Blakeney.

The man settled in an armchair while James and Karen sat in a sofa across from him, separated only by a small coffee table.

Karen, being the kind host she was, spoke first. “Would you like some coffee or anything, Mr. Blakeney?”

“If it’s no trouble, I would like coffee please. Black would be fine.”

“No problem at all. I’ll be right back.” She left for the kitchen.

In the brief moment of stillness, James could hear the sounds of Karen grabbing a mug out of the cabinet and pouring coffee. Blakeney cleared his throat. “Well, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here.”

“Yes, sir, I am.”

“Thank you,” Blakeney said to Karen, taking the offered cup of coffee. “I’m the director for a preparatory academy called Mount Olympus. It’s located just outside of Washington D.C. in Alexandria, Virginia. The academy has been around for a long time and is steeped in tradition and academic excellence. One of the benefits of my job is being able to talk to prospective students. Now, normally this would take place in my office, as most students are applicants first, but from time to time I like to visit them in their homes to . . . recruit them, I suppose you could say.” For a moment Blakeney stopped talking and smiled at James. “Most of our students,” he continued, “excel in academics and athletics, but not necessarily both. However, it can be said that all of our students are extraordinarily gifted.”

“Okay . . .” James said slowly, confused. “And . . . this has what to do with me?”

“Well, I hoped it would be obvious that I’m here to offer you the opportunity to attend the academy. A few months ago, your academic and athletic achievements came to my attention. Let me see here . . .” The man pulled out a file folder from his briefcase. “Ah! Here we are. It says here that while your grades in foreign language and mathematics have been low, you’re in the 90th percentile in the country when it comes to history and sciences. Not only that, but your achievements on the lacrosse field while attending Rio Rancho last year were superior as well. All of this adds up to you being a perfect candidate for Mount Olympus.”

James looked at the man incredulously while Karen beamed over at her foster son like an extremely proud mother. “Wow, James! I knew you were smart, but the top ten percent in the country for history and science? Why didn’t you tell me?” she said, amazed.

“I . . . I didn’t know either,” he responded. Then, directing his attention back to Blakeney, he asked, “Are you sure you have the right person?”

The man chuckled. “Yes, James, I’m sure I have the right young man. So, what do you think?”

“Well, uh, it seems . . . kinda . . . crazy,” stammered James.

“I suppose I would feel the same if the situation were reversed. Here.” Blakeney handed over a pamphlet. “This is some information about the academy. Take a look.”

James gasped at the picture of the school on the front. “Whoa! This is a school? It looks like a huge, white stone mansion or some kind of monument or something.”

Blakeney nodded. “Yes, it does look like that. The building is made of granite, actually, and the correct term for the style would be Greek revival. The school was built a long time ago and space has been added as needed.” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “We have some very supportive alumni.”

As James looked through the information, Karen asked a few questions of her own, but he was hardly paying attention. “Wait, this looks really expensive,” he interrupted. “I can’t afford the tuition and I could never ask Karen to help me in that way.”

Before Karen could say anything in response, Blakeney replied, “I understand. That is why we are offering you a full scholarship. All tuition costs, material costs, and uniform costs will be fully covered. And as you can see there, we have an excellent dining hall, so you won’t have to worry about meals. Legally speaking, the school will be your guardian until you turn eighteen next January. Then, under law, of course, you will be an adult.” He paused for a moment, then, with a big smile he asked, “So, what do you say? Would you like to be a Mount Olympus Eagle?”

James couldn’t even form a reply before Karen jumped in. “This sounds like a great opportunity for you, James.”

Blakeney responded for him. “It is. In fact, many of our students go on to attend some of the top colleges across the country.”

He sat quietly as this exchange took place. Finally, he asked, “Can I think about it some?”

“Of course you can. I’ll be catching a flight back to Washington on Sunday morning, so I will need an answer by tomorrow night. Then I can either confirm or cancel the extra plane ticket. If you decide to come, I will need to contact our lawyers to finish up the legal paperwork. I wrote the number to my hotel room on the back of the pamphlet there. I look forward to hearing from you, James.”

With the meeting over, everyone stood up, exchanged handshakes, and started for the front door. As the three of them reached it, Blakeney looked at James. “I do hope you accept our invitation. I believe you could gain much by finishing out your high school career with us.” To Karen, he said, “Thank you so much for your hospitality.”

“It was my pleasure, Mr. Blakeney.”

She opened the door. “Drive safely and have a good night.”

“Thank you,” he replied, stepping through the doorway.

James and Karen watched him walk down the sidewalk to the driveway and get into his car. As he was pulling out, she waved, then closed the door.

She studied James, trying to judge his expression for any hint of his thoughts. “The school sounds really good. It would be a great opportunity for you.”

“I know, I just want to think about it, okay?”

She nodded. “All right, but know that even if you say no, there is no guarantee how long the state will keep you here. You know as well as I do that they could decide to move you to a different foster home at any time, so just . . . keep that in mind when you make your decision.”

“I’m going to go to my room and . . . I don’t know. I just . . . want to be alone for a while.”

He gave Karen a slight smile, then headed down the hall to his bedroom. When he entered his room, he shut the door and gazed around. By the color of the light streaming through the window, the sun had to be setting. James knew exactly where he wanted to be. Hurrying now, he changed back into jeans and a T-shirt, pulled on his hoodie, opened the window, and climbed out.

One of his favorite things at this time of day was climbing on the roof and watching the sun set. He had a perfect west-facing view, as their neighborhood was on the upper east side of the valley. There was a mesa on the west side, but after that, nothing but flat land as far as you could see. The view was like something out of a postcard, and completely unobstructed, as there were few trees.

James climbed up onto the roof and breathed deeply, basking in the scent of the creosote bushes, yucca plants, and burnt desert sands. He settled in as the setting sun gilded the land gold, alone with his thoughts. And he thought about everything: the school, the opportunities, moving again, Karen, Joey…he honestly didn’t know what to do. Part of him thought it all sounded great and he really wanted to go, but part of him was reluctant to leave Joey and Karen.

As he watched the sun sink below the seemingly endless horizon, he knew Karen was right; he didn’t know how long he would get to stay here before the state moved him again. For that matter, Joey could be moved at any time too.

James continued to ponder as the sky slowly turned from red, to purple, then finally to blue as the sun fell beneath the mesa and twilight descended. The air grew cooler as the sky darkened and he huddled in on himself to ward off the chill. Finally, when night had fully invaded, he got down from the roof and climbed back through his window. He had made his decision.