THE DOCK BOY

The school bus doors close behind me. Kids from my neighborhood hang out the window and yell HAGS. I

wave back and slip my backpack over my shoulder. A shiny penny sparkles at me in the driveway. I

remember my mom telling me pennies were from heaven and look toward the sky. Maybe things will start

to turn around for the better around here. Maybe it all starts with believing.        

          “Hey, Squirt.” Dad steps off the porch with a box secured with duct tape and string, as if it holds all

the secrets to the universe.

          “Hi, Dad.” I pick up the penny and stuff it into my pocket.

          “How was your last day of school?” He secures the mystery box in the back of our Prius wagon next

to a large black case and his computer.

          “Okay, I guess.” I sit down on the porch step. “It was our last day, so we just clean out our lockers.” 

          “Oh, right.” He peers over his shoulder at me. “Did you get your grades yet?”

          My shoulders fall. “I won’t know for a few weeks, Dad.” I get up and slip on my backpack all the way.

“How soon are we leaving?”

            “As soon as you pack your things. We need to leave here by three to meet Uncle Russ at the bus

station.” Dad turns to me. “Then I’ll drive to the airport to catch my flight out of Boston.” His lips

tighten.          

          I can see it in his eyes. It’s been hard with mom gone, for both of us. I mean, I miss her so much it

hurts bad. But he’s had to be both parents lately.

            “Why can’t I go with you?” I swallow that sad, empty feeling that creeps up. Kind of like I’ve had a

bad cold for the last six months. “I could be your assistant or something?” 

          “An oceanographic research ship in the middle of the Atlantic is no place for an eleven-year-old. 

I’ll be home before you know it.” He turns away to rearrange his gear again. “Plus, you’ll be fine at Russ’s

place. You love the Cape.”

            “You can’t blame a kid for trying.” I head inside.

            I grab my phone from the pocket of my backpack and head up to my room. There’s a message

on Snapchat from Kyle on the beach in Maine already, and a group text from Miles about coming over to

watch movies later tonight.

          “Hi, Sox buddy.” I tap the water bottle inside his cage, plop on my bed, and plot how I could be a

property manager for our house while he’s gone.

          The front door slams. “Twenty minutes!” Dad yells up.

          “Working on it!” I roll off my bed onto the floor and dig through my closet for my duffle bag. I open

my dresser and grab a handful of t-shirts, shorts, and one pair of swim trunks.

            “Don’t forget your toothbrush!” Dad reminds me.

            I make a slight detour to the bathroom for the usual hygiene essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, and

face wash. I decide at the last minute to throw in my summer required reading, Red Sox hat, and phone.

           “Can’t forget about you, Sox.” I throw in a bag of alfalfa pellets, zip up my duffle bag, and head

downstairs. Dad stands at the door, air tanks strapped to his back, struggling to open it while holding his

diving bag.

          “Need a hand, Dad?” I try not to laugh and set my stuff down.

          “How can you tell?”

          I open the door for him.

          “Leave on a few lights and lock the door, will you?”

          “Sure thing. I’ll be right there.” I head back upstairs to my room. “I forgot a few more things.”

          “Time’s ticking, Squirt!” Dad heads to the car.

 

 

 

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