The Stolen - Jason Pinter [19]
Again I got that feeling. There was more to what Danny
Linwood was saying than even he knew.
I noticed Shelly Linwood's lip trembling. She was
aching to say something, gather her son up and hold him.
My heart hurt for her.
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57
"How did you find out what actually happened?"
"I still don't know what happened," Danny said, anger
rising.
"I didn't mean...Who told you that you'd been gone?"
"My mom," he said, looking at Shelly. "She took me in
here, sat me down where you're sitting. James and Tasha
and my dad were with her. Then Mom told me."
"What did you think when she told you?"
"I didn't believe her," he said. "I thought it was, like,
April Fools' or something."
"How did you realize she was telling the truth?"
"My dad showed me the Derek Jeter baseball rookie
card he bought me for my birthday a while ago. He told
me to look at the back. He said he'd bought the card the
year I was born, 1996, Derek Jeter's rookie year. Jeter
was twenty-two. Then he showed me a brand-new Jeter
card. From this year. And on the back of that card, Jeter
was thirty-three."
"How did you feel?"
"Scared. Upset. I mean, he'd been my favorite player
and I didn't get to watch him grow up."
"What did you think about what your parents told you?"
I clarified.
"Really scared," Danny said. "I cried, I think, because
I didn't know what else to do. But I didn't really know
why. I mean, I didn't feel sick, I wasn't hurt, it's not like
I missed anyone, it was just...like, weird. Like you know
when you wake up from a nap and you're not really sure
what time it is?"
I nodded. The past few months of my life could have
been accurately described that way.
"Do you think it'll be hard going back to school?
Starting your life again? Just being a kid?"
58
Jason Pinter
Danny chewed his lip, looked at his mother. I could tell
it was killing her to stay quiet, but she also knew her son
needed to heal. And talking would help that process.
"I don't feel different. And I probably won't until I go
back and, like, see people. Or like today when I want to
watch a show but don't recognize anything that's on. I
don't even really recognize myself, if that makes sense."
"In what way don't you recognize yourself?"
"Just, ways."
"Like what?"
He eyed his mother, a look of worry on his face. "I don't
know if I can say with my mom here."
"Say whatever you need to, baby," Shelly added, for
once chiming in at the right time.
"Well...I don't think I remember having hair down
there."
I snorted a laugh without thinking. Shelly's face
turned beet-red.
I said, "Moms don't usually like hearing things like
that."
Danny shrugged. "She told me to say whatever I
needed to."
"She sure did."
"How's your mom taking it?" I said. I looked at Shelly.
She knew I needed this from him, as well.
"I don't know. Fine, I guess. I mean, she's always
hugging me and kissing me. I mean, like the kids don't
have enough to make fun of already, I don't want to show
up at school covered in lipstick."
"She missed you is all," I said.
"Yeah, I know, but she could back off a little bit."
"I was your age once," I said. "I kind of wish my mom
was more like yours."
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59
Danny laughed. "Yeah, right," he said. "I guess she's
just glad to have me back." Shelly was nodding, her face
in the pillow. Danny looked somewhat at ease. I knew that
likely wouldn't last long.
"My mom told me you got in trouble a while ago,"
Danny said. "She looked you up in the newspapers when
she found out you were coming. Was she telling the truth?
Were you in trouble?"
I felt the air rush from my lungs. I nodded. "Yeah, she's
telling the truth."
"What did you do?"
I took a breath. "Some people thought I hurt someone," I said.
Danny looked at me, riveted.
"Did you?"
"Not on purpose," I said.
"What did it feel like?"
I thought for a moment, then said, "Probably a little like
what you're going through. I felt like a stranger everywhere I went. Like nobody knew who I really was, they
just saw what they read about or watched on TV."