Chapter 5
The late morning was overcast, but the weatherman said the sky would clear in the afternoon. Jonas was walking down Main Street toward the playground near the school. A block ago, he had found a broken branch from a maple tree and stripped the twigs and leaves from it. As he walked along, he tapped the stick against the sidewalk to keep a rhythm. He didn’t have any particular song in mind, just a familiar beat that kept him at a steady pace as he walked to the playground. Dolores had given him permission to go to the playground and said that she would pick him up at 3:00 pm when she was off.
Jonas stopped in front of the guitar shop because he saw an empty cigarette pack lying on the ground. He stood in front of it and balanced his weight between his feet by shaking his hips side to side. He held the stick like a golf club, slowly drawing it back and swinging. “Fore!” he called out to the surprise of Reverend Chambers, who was walking toward him.
“Easy there, fella.” said the old man as the cigarette pack flew past his knee.
“Oh, sorry.” said Jonas.
“Heh. Well that ain’t too bad a shot you got there. Where you headed?”
“The park near the school.”
“Oh yeah? Mind if I join you? I’m just out for my daily walk.”
“I guess.” Jonas said and resumed tapping the sidewalk with his stick.
“They say it’s supposed to clear up, but I don't know” the old man looked up skeptically at the thin gray clouds. “Who knows? Maybe it will be pretty nice later.”
“Yeah,” Jonas replied warily.
“You know, I never caught your last name.” Rev. Chambers said.
“Pike. Jonas Pike.” he replied.
The reverend thought for a moment as they continued their stroll. “I used to know some Pikes here in town. They used to go the church I used to pastor a long time ago. What were their names?”
“Me and mom go to the Allardale Pentecostal Assembly out there by the edge of town.”
“Oh, I know that place,” Reverend Chambers said, forgetting he had told Jonas the entire story earlier. “It’s a good church, good people there.”
“I like it, I guess. Ain’t never been nowhere else to compare it, though."
"I'll tell you, any church is better than going to no church. I mean me and the good Lord got our issues to work out and all, but – wait a minute. Y'know, I think I know your momma. Is her name Dolores?"
Jonas looked up at him, squinting in the glare of the sunlight. "Yes, sir. Dolores Pike. She's about as tall as you, with brown hair."
"Oh, definitely. I knew her back when she was still in school. Your grandpa and grandma and your momma used to go to the church I pastored. Good folks, they are. How are they doing?"
"Grandma died a couple years ago. I never met Grandpa. Momma says when she had me, Grandpa moved to Florida. Ain't heard from him since."
"Well I'm sorry to hear that, son. And your momma? She doing OK?"
"I guess. She's always workin'."
"Oh. So, you just wander the streets all day? Your momma don't mind?"
"Nah, she said I could go to the park. She's gonna pick me up there at three if you wanna say hi."
"Oh, I don't think I can stay that long. I have some errands to run, and the cat is gonna need let out. I gotta finish my morning walk if I expect to get it all done today. I'm gonna get goin' Jonas. But if you could tell her I said hello, I'd appreciate it. You're momma's a good woman. You better be listenin' to her."
"I will, take care." Jonas replied. He watched Rev. Chambers walk a few steps, then he commenced tapping the stick against the cement, then a storefront step, a parking meter, a lamppost, and a trash can as he continued toward the park.
The sun was starting to peek through the low hanging clouds, and as Jonas reached the park, he took off his sweatshirt and hung it over the back of a park bench near the swings. He always avoided the slide and the monkey bars, deeming himself too mature. The swings, however, were all his. He loved the rush of the wind on his face as he swung. As the swing approached its most forward position and temporarily stopped before retreating towards the rear, his stomach felt light and his skin tingled. He felt as if he were floating above the town. Sometimes he would imagine that he could just keep going up, the swing left riderless behind him as he soared high above Allardale. With each swing back, he would close his eyes and prepare for the swoop forward. Back and forth, back and forth, his legs would fold and extend with a steady rhythm. Jonas swung for hours, entirely consumed by his daydreams of flying.
A few kids came to the playground throughout the day. Some had their parents in tow, other kids around Jonas' age came by in groups of three or four. Even a group of three teenagers came by to smoke a joint in the tree line. All of them eventually left, but Jonas remained. By three o'clock, Jonas had pretended to fly all around Allardale and all parts of Weir County. His flight came to an abrupt end with a honk from Dolores' blue sedan.
“Jonas,” she shouted out the window. “C'mon baby, it's time for dinner.”
Jonas lowered his toes on the back swing and a cloud of dust shot out from the fronts of his shoes. The swing began its forward motion and he again lowered his feet and dragged them along the dirt gully directly underneath the swing where dark, musty mulch had once been. He finally stopped the swing, grabbed his sweatshirt from the bench and ran toward the car.
“Hey, ma.” he said as he shut the car door.
“Hey, sweetie. How was your day?”
He kissed her on the cheek. “It was good. I met that old man from the graveyard today.”
“What old man?”
“Remember? The one I thought was a zombie?”
She frowned. “Yeah, well you be careful hon, not everybody is a nice person...”
“I know, momma, but he knows you. He said you and grandma and grandpa used to go to his church before I was born.”
She paused and turned to look squarely at Jonas. “Now, I'm only gonna say this once, and I want you to listen to me, Jonas. You stay away from that man. He's a thief and a liar, and you got no business talking to people who steal and lie. Y'understand?” She stared at Jonas, who stared back at her from the passenger seat perplexed.
“Yes, ma'am,” he moaned as lowered his head. “But he seemed really nice. He said good things about you and grandma.”
“Jonas, I don't care if he said we were the smartest, prettiest people in the world. You just stay away from him.” She gave him one last stern look, put the car into drive, and drove off from the playground.
Once home, Dolores walked to the edge of the kitchen table, and with a half leaning, half squatting motion she placed two grocery bags onto it. Jonas was carrying the keys and her purse, which he placed on the kitchen counter next to the fridge.
“Go get washed up and I'll let you help with the chicken.” She couldn't stop thinking about Rev. Chambers. What did he want with Jonas anyway? She knew he probably didn't mean any harm and was just being polite, but it didn't change the hate she had for him. In Dolores' eyes, the good reverend was still just a liar and a thief. And she certainly didn't appreciate him talking to Jonas.