The Between Years

keep, he decided. He'd only promised that Kenny would see Carol again. He'd said nothing of how soon, and hadn't uttered a word about her coming to live in the house (or them returning to the Crescent Park bungalow). Just how he'd master that feat continued to stump him, and he worried he wouldn't have enough time to cook up something clever.

    The stroll into the kitchen reminded him that he needed to set an example for Kenny. He'd read a parenting book in which the author said that kids won't always do what you tell them, but they will always do what they see you do. Randy took that truth to heart and wanted to be the best role model a child could ask for.

    He opened the fridge, grabbed a can of Canada Dry ginger ale and cracked it open. On the first pull, he remembered the bags full of goodies he'd bought on the way home from work that he'd forgotten in the back seat. Technically it wasn't on the way home, he corrected himself. Wal-Mart was situated on the other end of town, but he'd driven up there because he couldn't resist the urge. He likened it to the way a drug addict must crave their next fix. In Kenny's first six months on this earth, Randy found himself regularly scouring Wal-Mart's aisles, always wanting to buy this toy or that. Something to treat Kenny with for being the greatest boy in the world, even if he wasn't old enough to know he was receiving a treat. Educational toys and books only. He wouldn't dream of buying his boy anything less.

    Randy slipped his shoes on, strolled out to the car, and opened the back door. Inside he'd left two bags, one with small soccer ball and nylon t-shirts and shorts within. The second bag was filled with books, both the picture books he'd once read to Kenny, some primary grade books, and a coloring book for fun. If his assumption was correct, there was a chance he could start teaching Kenny to read and write on his own. The mere thought of that warmed his heart.

    In the dining room, he took another pull on his ginger ale, and dumped the bags' contents out onto the table. Should he wrap them? He wondered. Then he hoped the surprise alone would be enough to enrapture him. Surely, he would love it! For the first time, he could offer Kenny a gift and bask in his joyous expression. With any luck, he would love his gift enough to forget all about Carol.

    But he knew he couldn't pull a fast one on him so easily. Kenny had already proven how perceptive he was. Any son of his would be able to see through any transparency a mile away because Randy Fuller didn't raise any fools. He would know emotional bribery when he saw it too. Except these gifts weren't really an attempt at emotional bribery. He simply wanted to spoil his son like he had before, and to make sure he was ahead of the educational curve.

    Maybe next week he would pick up a bathing suit and water wings so he could take him swimming. He reflected on the joy that summer afternoons in his father's pool had brought him and he wanted Randy to experience the same joy. On the other hand, maybe he would take him for a dip in the Niagara River. The possibilities were endless.

    If he took Kenny to the family pool, he would have to do so in secret, he decided. Then he remembered that Kenny would ask about his grandparents eventually, and he would be lost for a story. Most of all, he would have a hell of a time keeping Kenny a secret from them since they would be along soon to start cleaning up the house and dividing the assets. He'd witnessed the same sequence of events at his other grandparents' house. The relatives all tromped through the place and removed everything bit by bit until the walls were bare and the rooms were empty. They would see that his Nana's room had been completely made-over into a four year old's room. All of her belongings-particularly the valuables-were now missing and Randy couldn't account for them. And he certainly couldn't return the room to its former self in time for relatives that could rear their heads at any time. And, truth be known, he didn't want to.

    Staring into his father's eyes and lying was something he was ill prepared to do, even if he so desired it. The old man was so kind, gentle and unquestioning that he hated to risk betraying his trust. This was the man who'd turned over the keys to their ancestral home without asking a word about his and Carol's problems. He'd done it out of love. If anything, Randy wanted to break the truth to his dad first because he knew he wouldn't