Their Family Legacy

“I’m fine. Thank you. I shouldn’t have packed the box so full. I was in a hurry to get all the junk out of the house.”

The twins looked at each other and nodded. “It was heavy.”

“Well, here’s a thought. Why not call upon a friend and neighbor to help with the heavy stuff?”

A curt reply was on the tip of her tongue, but she clamped her mouth shut when she saw the teasing glint in his eyes.

“Mom, can we go now? You said if we helped with the box, we could go to Steve and Johnny’s.”

There was no reason to prolong their agony. “Yes. Fine. I’ll clean this up.”

The twins ran off and Annie realized Jake still held her arm in his hand. The current coursing through her veins at his touch alarmed her, and she tugged her arm free and took a step backward. “I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse.”

He gave her an indulgent smile, though she didn’t know why.

“Let’s get this mess cleaned up. Do you have another box?”

She nodded, using the opportunity to escape his presence and regain her equilibrium. When she returned with two more boxes, Jake was hunkered down, looking at the papers that had been in the container. He glanced up at her, his brows knitted together. “What is this stuff?”

Annie set the boxes down and then sat on the steps. “It’s all the pictures and drawings my aunt had on her bedroom walls.”

“All of this? It must be everything Bobby Lee ever did since kindergarten.”

She sighed. “Probably. His room hadn’t been touched since he died.”

Jake lowered his head. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

The odd tone in his voice pricked her irritation. Was he judging? He had no right. “Bobby Lee was Aunt Margaret’s whole life and he was my best friend growing up. We did everything together. He was smart, funny, athletic and a born leader. Aunt Margaret would tell my mom about all his accomplishments. President of his class, football hero, valedictorian. Everyone loved him. I can understand how losing him must have been crippling. My mom was afraid her sister would never recover.” It struck her that her mother had been right. Judging from the things she was discovering in this house, her aunt had never accepted her son’s death.

Annie faced Jake, expecting to find a look of remorse, guilt or sorrow. What she saw was an expression of puzzlement and concern, which didn’t make any sense. What had she expected? A spiritual confession or for him to fall on his knees, begging for her forgiveness?

“Any more boxes you need hauled away?”

“No. I can handle the rest. But thank you.”

Jake quickly loaded the boxes, secured the flaps and placed them at the curb before facing her. “If you have any more heavy lifting to do, call me. I don’t mind.”

She nodded. Fat chance. She’d needed him today, but she could have done it without him. She watched him walk across the street before going back inside. A pile of boxes and bags stared her in the face. It was going to take weeks to clear out the junk and the furniture. Not to mention pulling up the old carpet and refinishing the floors and taking down the old wallpaper.

Suddenly updating the house felt like an impossible task. She was used to doing things on her own and never asking for help. But Jake was right about one thing. She couldn’t do it alone. The boys weren’t strong enough and she lacked the skills. She could afford to hire someone to redo the entire house, but she couldn’t bring herself to spend money on such things even when there was more than enough.

She picked up another box and took it out to the street. Denise crossed the lawn as she was returning to the porch.

“Hey, was that Jake I saw over here a few minutes ago?”

Annie nodded. She’d only told her friend the bare minimum about her relationship with Jake. That they worked at the same school and were on a committee together. The rest was private matter between the two of them. Not for public consumption. “He helped me clean up a mess.”

“That was nice of him.”

“Yes. I guess.”

Denise studied her. “Do you have something against him? You always act weird whenever he’s mentioned.”

Had her feelings been so apparent? “No. Of course not. It’s just that I don’t know him very well.”

“I can assure you, he’s a great guy and a good role model for the kids. You’ve seen how much they all love playing games with him this summer. Most of the parents on the street think he’s a godsend. He keeps the kids entertained and outside instead of holed up inside, playing video games.”

She couldn’t argue with that. “I know.”

“Did I mention he’s also very involved with the youth at our church? Speaking of which, I’m hoping you’ll attend with us this Sunday.”

“Yes. We will. I want the twins to get involved again.”

“Great. The kids will be happy to hear that. I’ll see you then.” Denise started to leave but then glanced back. “Cut Jake some slack, okay? He’s a great guy when you get to know him.”

Annie nodded, unable to speak around the lump in her throat. To everyone else, Jake was a person to admire. They didn’t know what she knew.

How would they feel if they knew the truth? No. She couldn’t do that. Ever. If Jake had been a hardened criminal, she could have explained and everyone would understand her concern. But Jake was the hero of the neighborhood, a good guy with a heart for kids and helping others. She didn’t want to ruin that for him. She might not be able to end his sentence, but she could keep the accident and his part in it to herself. Jake didn’t deserve to have his past dug up and put on display. He’s paid long enough. She tried to imagine being forced to pay a debt over and over for the rest of your life. Her issues with him were her own.

What if she discovered Jake was a good guy? If the man had gotten his life together, made a contribution to society and became an upstanding citizen, then what purpose did the sentence serve? Did her aunt have any idea about Jake the man? Or had she only wanted to see the young man he’d been when he’d made a very bad decision?