Chapter 2
Kinsey’s ankle was bothering him a great deal today.
It was like the cold had seeped into it, and now there was no way to get it warmed up again.
He’d been in an accident with his brother Wylie about four months ago, and they told him that he’d have trouble with his ankle for the rest of his life. It seemed that was true.
The two of them had been in their grandda’s old truck on the highway.
There was stopped traffic ahead of them, and while waiting for it to move, the semi in front of them stopped dead, another semi behind them rammed them up and under the truck in front of them.
He’d been able to save his brother by shoving him down between the seats, but he’d been hurt badly because he’d tensed up when the accident occurred.
If they had been in a newer truck, they neither one would have survived.
As it was, the metal bent where the plastic would have crushed them.
He was never so happy to be driving an old truck in his life.
He still hadn’t been able to drive on his own yet.
Every time he got behind the wheel of anything, he would get the shakes and not be able to do it.
Using his cane, he walked around the large reception area, meeting and greeting people.
David was there with him as their wives had other things to do, but they were having fun.
It wasn’t often that he was able to go out with the older man, and he thought that they had a good time no matter what was going on.
“Have you talked to your doctor about your ankle?” He said that he’d seen him yesterday. “I hate that they couldn’t do anything more for you. It seems with all of today’s medical miracles that they could fix a man’s ankle so it didn’t hurt so badly.”
“It doesn’t hurt that often. Just when it’s cold out.
I think he said that as the years went on, I’d have better movement with it, but for now, it’s only been a few months, and I think I’m getting around pretty good.
Much better than the alternative.” David shivered when he said that, as if he didn’t want to think about what might have happened.
“I’m better all the time. Yesterday I could barely walk on it, so today is much better. ”
“Just see that you take your time with it. I don’t want anything to happen to you like that again.” He said that he didn’t either, and they left it at that. “I hate these little plates of things to eat. I want a meal.”
“I usually eat before I come to these things anymore. I got tired of starving when I went home.” He said he should have thought of that.
“I didn’t, Meggie did. She and I both go out to dinner when we have to go to one of these functions, so that we’re not starving.
I don’t understand why they don’t have a meal either.
” Another tray with cheese and crackers went by him, and he snagged a couple for the two of them.
“Thanks. You’d think that I would learn how to eat at one of these things.
It’s been a long time in coming that I even want to go.
However, when I found out that you were going alone, I decided that I couldn’t do better than to have you as a friend that I could talk to.
These other people only have their hands out.
” That was true. He’d been hit up for money twice since they’d gotten here an hour ago.
He was getting really good at saying no.
“Alice has one of these to go to next week. I guess Meggie is going with her, too. The two of them get along so well that I sometimes forget that we’ve only known you kids, for a short amount of time. ”
“I forget that too. It’s like I’ve known the two of you all my life.
I wish there were times that you were our parents instead of what we had.
” He told him that it was the second time today that one of them had said that to him.
“We all love you guys. I know that I don’t know where I’d be if you weren’t in our lives right now.
Not just the buying of the farm, but your friendship has gone a long way in keeping us happy. ”
“You’ve made the two of us so happy that at times it’s hard to believe that we’ve not adopted you yet.” They both laughed, and Kinsey moved so that his ankle was in a better position. “There should be more chairs around here for people. You need to sit down.”
“I’m doing all right. I will have a seat when the speaker starts.
If I sit down, I might not get up. I’ve had a long day today.
” He asked him what he’d been doing. “Meggie and I have been working on the nursery. There is so much crap out there that they say you need, but you really don’t.
We’ve been talking to a couple who had purchased everything in the market for their child and found out later that none of it was needed.
I got her a really nice rocking chair just yesterday and had it put in the room.
It’s starting to look like a baby is coming soon. ”
“We got some things for the nursery, too. I think you might have gotten them already.” He said that they’d come just before he left to come here. “Just a few things. Things for the new grandbaby.”
“The box was pretty huge, David.” They both laughed. “I had to have help getting it into the house. So what’s your version of just a few things?”
“You know how it is. You get to the store, and everything is so beautiful that you can’t help but buy things.
I’ve had a hard time just looking at catalogs to see what I can purchase.
It’s our first grandbaby. What do you expect?
” Kinsey was happy that they thought of his baby as a grandchild.
He certainly thought of the man as his father most of the time.
As did his brothers. “This child will want for nothing. I won’t spoil it too much, but I will give it all that I can. ”
“You won’t go against us, will you? I mean, when we say no, that’s the end of it. I don’t want to have to get mean about it, but our word is what we go by.” He said he’d never do that. “Good. That would be bad for us and the baby to have you going against what we say.”
“I understand that more than you can know.” He looked around the room before speaking again. “How about we get out of here? You can say your ankle is hurting too badly, and I’ll have to drive you somewhere. I’d like a cold beer and a pizza. How about you join me?”
“That sounds wonderful.” He limped to the hostess and told her that he was in too much pain to be around much longer.
When she told them both to go, the speaker was running behind anyway; they were on their way to the local pizza shop.
It would give them something to eat, too, besides little cheese and crackers.
They were eating the last of the pizza when David brought up the baby again.
He must have been worried about something because of the way he brought it up.
When he asked if they’d be able to babysit, at least once in a while, he told him he’d be the first person he called when they needed someone to watch over baby Pennington.
“I did wonder about that with us being so much older than you.” Kinsey asked what their age had to do with watching the baby.
“We’re sort of set in our ways, and I’d hate to do something that would bother you and Meggie about the baby, and you cut us off.
You’d give us a chance to watch the baby more than once, won’t you? ”
“I know nothing about children. I have no parental role models but you and Alice to go by. And even though you’ve never had children of your own, I know that I can trust you with my child more than I would anyone my age.
You’ve been good to us, all of us, since you’ve become a part of my life.
And David, I love you like a father. You and Alice have come to mean so much to Meggie and me, and we think of you as our parents.
” He had to wipe away his tears when he thought about how much he loved this man.
“You will have to get used to me calling you dad from now on. I’ve decided that you are my father, no matter what sort of biological genes are between us. ”
“Son, you’ve no idea…You have no idea what you’ve done for this old man.” He took out his handkerchief and wiped his face. “Now you’ve done it. I’ll not be able to stop this stuff until I get a hug from you.”
Kinsey stood up and gave him a much-needed hug.
While they were slapping each other on the back, hugging too, he thought of something that he’d not thought of before.
David meant more to him in his moment than his father and mother combined did in all the years they were alive.
And that was the saddest and happiest thing that he’d thought of since he’d been a kid. Hugging him again, they sat back down.
They finished off their drinks and pizza and headed home.
Kinsey’s ankle was killing him, and he couldn’t wait to get someplace he could take a pain pill and prop his leg up.
He told Dad, he just loved the sound of that coming out of his mouth, that he was going to be down for a couple of days now that it was hurting like it was.
“I wish they could do something about that.” He said that because of the accident, he had bruised his bones in his ankle and foot. “Still. You’d think they could do something about that so that it wouldn’t hurt so badly. You’re going to need a walker when you’re my age, I’m thinking.”
“They told me that I’d have trouble with it for the rest of my life.” He was beginning to feel like even a pain pill wasn’t going to cut it tonight. “I have to go in and rest. Please come inside with me so that you can tell Meggie that I didn’t do anything stupid to be in this much pain.”