Show 09 faw i F FICTION I 1 ON THE JAGGED SCAR S H ai by DONALD HUNTER I 1 I 1 tom and his dad had always been pals so much so that when the old man suddenly become became sullen and morose toward his son tom attributed it to his growing up and he began to find life almost unbearable thair T HE towheaded tow headed boy with the hair close cropped know what it was the old man spent hours just gazing off into space he sat on the top front porch step his cane between his knees his feet planted on the second step and the cane end set on the bottom one with his hands crossed over the cane head the right hand band carefully covered the jagged scar across the back of the left one other times when the boy was around he always seemed busy reading the newspaper he kept it folded so he could hold it with one hand the scarred hand band concealed in his lap of course he had never been very talkative stoic like the hill people he came from he never mentioned his troubles when hed chopped his hand with an ax out in the back yard hed sneaked through the kitchen hiding the mangled bloody member behind him sc the boys mother see the boy had bad stood in the front room wide eyed and anxious with tear fear when the old man saw him dont tell your mother boyl hed warned before he went into the bedroom to tear up a an n old sheet for wrapping his hand but the boys mother had noticed she sensed the strange atmosphere the unusual actions shed followed him into the bedroom and the boy haa bad heard the old man shushing shu shing her while she bawled him out for hiding the thing he kept saying it was nothing and afterwards he be never talked about it never complained pla ined he just never let anyone see the jagged scar across the back of his hand if he could help it now the old man was withdrawn he get near him a amore talk to hi him M once hed been able to get a kind word out of the old man hed say good tom or not the way that ought to 0 be done son and though there very many words between them they were the kind that made the boy feel good and know that everything was all right now it was diff different erent the old man seem to have time f for or him he want to take their long silent walks together anymore like he used to and he move around much he even seemed to reent recent the boys presence like when hed stumbled that time I 1 in n the front room and caught himself on hij hi cane he growled at the bo boy Y leaving him speechless and hurt but he old not like grampa and and the old mare down on the farm still the last time hed brought his report card home from school happily expecting the old man to say as he sometimes did good son good that youre getting your learning and smile at him quietly he done it hed only glanced at the card on one side then turned it over and said something that sounded like humph Hump hl and handed it back to him shortly the boy had worked extra hard that last month to get the grades up hoping the old man might break through to him again he understand that short humph there was something wrong and the boy wondered it if it could be him his mother seemed to act the same way toward him cut him off short when hed tried awkwardly to ask her about how dad was treating him he called him the old man when he was with the other boys his age not with any disrespect but he always called him dad around his mother oh leave your father alone cant you she said and he went away sensing an even greater wrong even little rosemary the girl he talked to bayly in the school yard sometimes seemed to be treating him different lately wrong with you shed ask right in the middle of his wondering what was wrong with the old man and his mom oh nothing nothing hed say quickly why well you dont talk near so much anymore shed say and you seem so far away likel he wondered if just not paying any attention to her while he was thinking about his dad and mom made her think there was something wrong with him or if maybe there was really something wrong with him he hated the thought but it kept cropping up in his mind maybe he was adopt adopted edl maybe the old man and his mom were not really his father and mother but had just adopted him and he was just now finding it out the thought frightened him and he buried it deep in his mind if it was true hed be like the old man hide his hurt hed never let them know he be knew his father called him boy now instead of tom or son like he had and he was sharp almost harsh sometimes H IJ I J E WAS bouncing his ball oft off the 1 side of the house when the old man came around from the backyard in an excess of boyish joy he forgot for a moment what the situation was between them he threw the ball to the old man instead of catching it and firing it back so it would sting his hands the old man ignored it he did nothing till the ball hit him and bounced ounce harmlessly off his shoulder he tensed then lifted his cane stop that infernal nonsense boyl he yelled the boy could feel his own lip tremble as he stared at the old mans angry face he took a deep breath his young chest swelling quickly with the sharp intake of air he held it stiffened his lip he would not cry crying grown up the thought struck him then that maybe that was the whole thing that was wrong he was growing up he wanted to turn down that thought right away it if this was wl what at it was like i this was growing up then he want to be big he want to be it hurt too much why it be like it used to be with the old man and him but if that was it if it was just growing up then it never would be like that again and rosemary she would never treat him the sarrie same again either ah knew just getting big you had to be hard cold without love understanding feeling or there was something wrong in just growing up the boy started to rub his knuckle into his eye but stopped A bleak chill was settling in his heart as he watched the old man go in the front door but he followed him some strange knowingness urging him to get his answer confirmed to make sure that was it the old man was bent over rumbling fum around on the floor for the worn leather change purse hed dropped when the boy walked in his hand closed on the purse and he straightened quickly here boy he said hurriedly digging into the pouch run down to the corner and get me a daperl he often asked him to do that and the boy felt a rise of that good feeling at anything he could d do 0 old man he held out his S X 4 il alez 1 7 s 30 VP oh leave your father alone cant you she said and he went away sensing an even greater wrong hand and the old man laid three coins in his bis palm now hurry boyl he urged harshly the boy felt disappointment at the sharp urgent tone until he glanced down at the coins suddenly he stood very still two dimes and a penny lay in his hand to pay for the three cent paper waves of coldness washed u up his spine as the bitter acid of knowledge bit into his nerve ends and settled in his brain he made no outcry not even the sound of a murmur passed his tight lips but hot liquid emotion scalded two lines of silent tears down his cheeks as he gazed knowingly at last up into his fathers slowly blinding eyes okay dad he said his voice stumbling over his heart okay dad I 1 |