Chapter 3

I was a very active kid, always getting in trouble. My parents’ divorce did not help matters. Dad went to live to Portland, while Mom stayed in Middletown and I split time with each of them.

When I was in Middletown I used to spend a lot of time outdoors, riding my bike with my friends there. However, my best childhood friend lived in Portland. A boy named Jonathan James Reynolds or J.J. for short. He had two sisters. Wendy, who was two years older than we were, and Lizzie, who was three years younger.

Wendy was really cool, and she used to hang with us too. Lizizie, on the other hand, was a very shy girl, and preferred to stay indoors reading books.

Mr. Reynolds was a surgeon, so he was hardly ever home. Mrs. Reynolds was really nice. She always invited us in to swim in the pool they had in the back yard. I always thought they were insanely rich because of that.

J.J. and I were very active kids and we got into our share of trouble. Nothing serious, of course, we used to ride our bikes, explore abandoned houses, and throw rocks at the windows.

One day, one of the neighbors called the police, we were around ten years old. Both our parents were called. Dr. Reynolds accused me of being ‘a bad influence’ and forbid his son to hang out with me.

That was the beginning of the end of our friendship.

“It’s not fair,” I said to Dad. “J.J. is my best friend. We didn’t do anything really serious.”

Dad tried calling Dr. Reynolds, but he hung up the phone. We tried to talk with Mrs. Reynolds but she refused to hear us. Even a kid like me could see that the poor woman lived in terror of contradicting her husband’s orders.

Dr. Reynolds was a very strict person who ruled his family like an old Roman Caesar. His way or not way at all. His word was law. He had an obsessive need to control not only his family, but everyone around him.

Every morning before his kids left for school, their beds had to be made with hospital corners and without creases.

If they were ever caught leaving a dirty dish anywhere in the house, or not hanging up their jackets when they came in the door, they had to do extra chores for a week. There were more rules about grades and J.J. had a hard time with that because he wasn’t as book smart as Wendy or Lizzie.

Of course, J.J. defied his father orders every time he could, which not only got him into trouble, but me too. Every time he could, he escaped from his house to hang with me.

One day, Dr. Reynolds had enough, and sent J.J. to a military school while the rest of the Reynolds family moved away to Arizona.

“Was it because of me?” I asked my father. “Is this my fault? Am I the reason they moved?”

“Of course not, Nicky,” Dad replied ruffling my hair. “Dr. Reynolds was wrong to say that to you. He’s just upset and wants someone to blame.”

Mom made an effort to keep in touch with Mrs. Reynolds, and she knew that the girls had been enrolled in an expensive private school which required them to wear uniforms and play instruments in the school band. However, after a while, we lost touch with the Reynolds’ family completely.

Suddenly, I felt my grandma’s presence at my side and her voice sounded clearly in my mind. “It’s not your time yet. You still have things to do, Nicky.”