A Time to Heal - 7. Chapter 7

The professor called wanting to come by the house to talk about Izahk's progress. He arrived just as Izahk was getting ready to go sing to the people who were patients at the nursing home. He drove over once a week to sing for them, He always took flowers or candy as gifts for them. He hugged me goodbye and the professor while clutching the fresh-cut flowers he had cut from the gardens. I saw him pull off in his old truck as the professor and I sat there. In less than ten minutes, I heard the screech of sirens down on the main road. My heart went cold. In a moment of time, I knew that he had wrecked his truck. Then, I looked up to see him walking down the driveway toward us. I dont what happened, but my mind lost control. I screamed at him, "You scared me..I thought you were hurt". I saw his hand with the flowers drop to his side and his lower lip started trembling. Tears flowed from his eyes as he said softly, "I am sorry, sir, I will go away". I turned on my heel walking into the kitchen. I knew immediately, I had been a total jackass to him. My mind was rolling with thoughts. I knew one thing..I had to walk back outside and apologize to him. When I walked through the door out onto the porch, I saw them both about ten feet from the porch. Izahk's head was on the professor's shoulder and he was sobbing. At that point, I would have welcomed being bullwhipped until I was a bloody pulp. The professor was stroking Izahk's hair and ocasionally would kiss the top of his head.

"He doesnt want you to leave. He loves you with all his heart. He was scared..just scared you were hurt. Please dont leave..it will kill him"

I walked over slowly then fell on my knees before Izahk. "I am sorry..so very sorry..I was scared..I was a jackass..cruel to you..please, I beg you..forgive me". I was weeping so hard that I could barely breath. He knelt down with me and said softly, 'I didnt mean to scare you..I am sorry"

"You have no fault..you did nothing wrong..it was all in my mind"

"Can I stay, please, Mr Branson"

"Baby, this is your home..I love you..I cant live without you"

He put his arms around my shoulders saying softly, "I cant live without you either"

Then the professor added, "Izahk said that his truck blew a tire down at the end of the driveway and that as he was walking back up here he heard the sirens". In my mind, all the old fears and hurt ran over my thoughts like a tsunami. I had the hurt of my loss of Joey still buried deeply within my mind and it erupted without warning. "I want you both to come into the parlor, I am going to play something for you. We followed him into the parlor where he instructed us to stand beside him at the piano. We were clutching each other tightly. Then he started softly playing Bring Him Home just as Izahk had played it for Frank. Then his voice sang first softly then into a deep baritone just like Izahk. When he did the final high notes..the room seemed so silent..then he said softly, "Izahk..that is exactly how Mr Branson feels about you".

Then, I heard Izahk say softly, "I wont leave" I think it was then that Izahk realized I truly loved him and would never make him go away.

As we walked the professor to his car, he said, "Mr Branson, I will call you tomorrow".

"Baby, let's go put the spare tire on your truck then you can go to the nursing home in my truck"

"As I was driving his old truck back up the driveway to my house, I thought to myself, "I am going to have to finally face this hurt or it will kill me" Then I said outloud, "I am ready..God help me".

I heard the truck coming up the driveway then heard the screen door bang to find Izahk bounding into the parlor, He was animated announcing excitedly to me, "I am soooooooo happy. Mrs Wilton finally spoke today after I sang to her and gave her a flower. She said, "I love you Tommy". Had I not known from him that she never spoke, I would have found it odd and who was Tommy. He went on to explain that the nurses told him that Tommy was her grandson who had been killed in a logging accident. She thought Izahk was her lost grandson.

"That is wonderful, Baby..simply wonderful. You heal people when you sing and play for them" After supper, I was exhausted telling Izahk to come to bed whenever he felt like it..I had to rest. I could hear him playing the piano in the parlor as my body collapsed. He must have crawled in beside me as he always did, but I never knew it. I awoke to his shaking me gently saying, "Sir..sir, Please wake up you are having a nightmare". It took a minute to return to conscious thought. He wrapped his arms around me as I lay there curled up like a fetus. I think I sobbed for an hour finally falling into exhausted sleep.

The next morning when I came to the kitchen I said to him,"I was dreaming of seeing Joey's body in the casket just before they closed it..that was when I started into my downward spiral of not caring if I lived or died'. He came over softly rubbing my hair as I sat there in my robe". I smell bacon frying..are you fixing breakfast?" He said , yes, and you are going to eat a big breakfast or I will make you stand in the corner. I did a crisp salute. "Yes sir, General Tarlton, sir" His name was Izahk Nigel Tarlton. After breakfast, we loaded the blown tire and wheel into my truck to go get it replaced. He drove. I rested. On our way home, I said, "Baby, I have made the decision to bring Joey back home". He said softly, "Thank you, sir, he needs to be here with us".

I knew it was the right decision. Joey needed to be home with people who loved him.