At the age of twelve, Taylor James Cooper was quite a restless boy. His zest for adventure was remarkable. He was the same boy that had climbed the tree at the festival a mere five years back, but much more profound in spirit and vigor. He spent the greater part of his days climbing, fishing, hunting – and participating in basically anything else that required little responsibility and much restlessness.
Robert shared this zest for adventure, and the two boys were always going off together, be it into the woods or under the water or wherever else the day might lead them. The two had a constant battle of strength and agility going, often competing to see who could catch the bigger fish, climb the bigger tree, or corner the bigger frog. Day in and day out, be the trophy a rock or a snake, the two rarely separated.
…………………………………………..
Brianna heard the ruckus of feet and then a door banging open. She stepped out from the kitchen and saw the two boys standing there, huffing and puffing, Robert’s hand to his chest.
Taylor was thin, but strong. He had high, glorious cheekbones that made his dark, sea-blue eyes even more profound. His black hair was long and wavy, and seemed to jump from every corner of his head. It hung down past his eyes, and ran all the way to his satin red lips and shiny white teeth.
As for Robert, the past five years had not been quite as good to him. He was shorter than Taylor, yet heavier, with a rounder face. Despite constant activity, he was still chubby, lined with baby fat. The only similarity amongst the two, in fact, was the smile on their faces.
“I win,” Taylor said.
“No fair,” Robert returned, “you have less to carry.” He patted his chubby stomach and the two of them laughed.
“What’s with you two?” Brianna shouted. “- Runnin’ in here like animals! I oughta string ya up!”
“Sorry, Mother.”
Brianna resigned herself.
“Well, I made ya some soup,” she said. “Why don’t ya siddown?”
“No, thanks,” Robert said. “I really must be going.”
Brianna eyed the two of them suspiciously.
“Say,” she asked, “what happened to Rosemarie?”
The two turned and looked at each other. Then, as if on cue, both burst out in a fit of laughter.
“My God,” Brianna said, “what have you boys done?”
“Nothing,” Taylor answered between snickers. “Nothing at all.”
Brianna folded her arms.
“She’ll find her way home,” Taylor said.
His mother sighed and allowed her arms to fall back to their sides.
Robert nodded. “I have to go,” he said. “Take care, Mrs. Cooper.” He turned and walked out the door and down the hill, still laughing all the way.
Brianna shook her head.
“What?” Taylor asked innocently.
“You know what,” his mother said. “What you two do to that poor girl is despicable.” Taylor shrugged. “Now, sit down and I’ll bring ya your soup.”
She walked into the kitchen and Taylor sat himself down at the table. A moment later Brianna returned with a large spoon and a bowl, both of which she placed down in front of him. But Taylor hardly noticed. His eyes were busy darting around the room, apparently searching for something.
“Mother…have you seen my book?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact. You left it on the table. I put it in your room for you.”
Taylor rose up, but Brianna’s hand stopped him short.
“After lunch,” she said.
Slowly he gravitated back down into the seat, disappointed but obedient. Brianna planted herself down in the chair beside him and took up one of Tibbie’s shirts that she was in the process of sewing.
“What you readin’ about this time?” she asked.
Taylor scooped some soup into his mouth.
“The Great War,” he said. (This was the common title given to the last war between Belsden and Dermer. Why it was called the Great War, nobody knew; for war itself can never be great.)
“Did ya get that from Sir Roth?”
“Uh-huh.” He scooped some more soup into his mouth.
“Mighty nice of’m t’lend ya all those books,” Brianna remarked. “Hope he’s not puttin’ himself out too much.”
“Well, they’re actually for Robert,” Taylor said. “But since I like to read so much more than he does, the duke lets me borrow’m. Robert only likes the ones about adventure.”
“I see.”
Brianna gazed at her boy with pride. He was a beautiful child. At one point she had wondered if he was too beautiful, too much of a blessing. He was her treasure, and she loved him with all her heart.
“Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?” she asked.
He paused and gave her a funny look.
“It’s the truth,” she said.
Taylor scooped some more soup into his mouth, then put the spoon down beside the bowl. He clasped his hands together and stared down at the table. There was something on his mind.
“Mother,” he said at last, “how come I don’t look like you or Dad?”
“Whataya mean?” she said. “Of course you look like us.”
“No, I don’t. We don’t match at all. I mean, Robert looks like his dad, and Rosemarie looks somewhat like her mom, but I don’t look anything like either one of you. I’m taller than Dad and I’m only twelve.”
“Well, maybe you got my height.”
“I don’t think so,” Taylor said, “cause I don’t much look like you either.”
“Well, I guess we just gave you the good traits.”
Taylor thought about this.
“I dunno. It just seems strange.”
Brianna quickly changed the topic.
“Listen,” she said, “me and your father are going someplace with the Stockwells tonight, so Soothie is going to make you dinner, all right?”
Taylor sighed.
“What’s the matter? You always love spending time with your Aunt Soothie.” (Since Taylor had grown up with Soothie, he looked at her as just as much an aunt to him as Rosemarie did to her.)
“That’s true…but…her cooking…”
“I’m sure it won’t be too bad. Just go by hers later, all right?”
“I will.”
She had successfully managed to change the topic. It was a conversation that Brianna dreaded ever having, but she knew that it would have to happen eventually. She realized that Taylor was too smart not to ask questions, and that he would want to have answers.
What Brianna didn’t know was that it was actually Robert that had prompted Taylor to start asking questions. He had noticed the drastic difference between Taylor and his parents long ago, and had asked Taylor about it earlier in the week. Of course, when he did, Taylor had no answer for him. And when Taylor inquired of Brianna, she truly had no answer for him either. Except one, that is, and she couldn’t show him that. Not yet, at least. Could she?
She decided to tell Tibbie about it that night on the way to the Stockwells’ and see what he thought. It was a nice night, so the two walked instead of taking the wagon, going slowly over the hill and round the bend, just as they had done many times before. Brianna rambled on as much as she could, while Tibbie just listened and nodded occasionally, not passing a single remark until she was completely finished.
“Well,” he said at last, “the boy does have a right to know. But if we tell him now, then it’ll do nothing but give him a feeling of complete helplessness, I’m afraid. Eventually, when the time comes, we will tell him and he will be able to do with the information as he wishes. But, until then, we must keep it between us.”
Brianna said not a word in response. She knew that Tibbie was right, and at the same time she wasn’t in any hurry to give-up her boy to a lost cause. “When the time comes,” though. The words rung in her ears like a bell on Christmas. “When the time comes.” Oh, how she prayed that the time would never come!
Chapter 8
Age and
Maturity