all ages
This story was inspired by the discussion we had a few months back on the Debate Board about Jim and Dan fighting. When everyone started saying that the two would never fight, this idea came to me. It takes the tainted timeline into account, assuming that Jim and Brian are really juniors in the first few books. It’s set in late summer after Dan arrives, right before Jim and Brian start their senior year.
The Fight
by Mark
The remains of a hot dog dinner lay scattered around the boys sitting by the fire. The coals had almost died down enough to start making the s’mores for dessert.
And that was the only reason to keep the fire going at all. The heat was soaring with the humidity right behind it. Even camping in the woods, the boys would have trouble getting to sleep because of the heat.
Still, the four friends were enjoying their camping trip. They’d set off in Brian’s jalopy for the remotest part of the Wheelers’ game preserve they could easily access for a little male bonding. As they sat between courses, the topic of conversation turned to a recurring topic – Brian and Jim’s plans for college next year.
“I just don’t know if I can take any more of these college applications.” Jim shifted on his log. “The essays are just so long, and they’re different enough that I can’t just submit the same ones.”
Brian grinned at his friend. “It must be so hard to decide between Princeton and Yale and Harvard. I think I’m lucky all Moms and Dad can afford right now is Westchester Community College.”
“Well, I just want to go to the best place so I can open my school for boys,” Jim replied evenly.
“You know, maybe some of us don’t care about your future college plans or your stupid school for orphan boys.”
Dan’s comment brought a sudden hush to the four friends. The popping of the fire they sat around was the only sound for the next few seconds.
“Dan?” Mart asked quietly.
“You know, I’m sick of it. I’m sick of this whole thing.” Dan’s voice got louder with each sentence. “I mean, what’s the difference between the two of us? Jim was adopted by a rich family, and I am the ward of my uncle. I have to work for them, yet I have to listen to Jim ramble on and on about his future college plans knowing full well I won’t even get to go to college. And why should he be any better off than I am?”
“Dan, I’m….”
But Dan just interrupted Jim. “We’re supposed to be friends, yet in the six months I’ve been here, you have yet to ask me anything about my family.” He was standing now. “I’m supposed to be part of this club, but I have to beg to get off working for my ‘brother’ Jim to join you guys on trips. And what do I get for my pleading? A chance to listen to Jim go on and on about college!”
Jim’s face was getting red by this point. As he started to yell, he stood to better look Dan in the eye. “Now listen, Mangan. I may have caught a few lucky breaks in the last year, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t, too. We’ve both been through more than anyone should have to face. But for you to imply that I lord it over you somehow is over the top.”
By now, the two boys were standing nose-to-nose. The two Beldens were still on their logs. Brian was concerned, but Mart’s mouth was hanging open, his shock clear on his face.
“No it’s not, and you know it.” And with that, Dan shoved Jim.
At that point, instinct took over for both of them. Jim’s fist flew out and punched Dan square in the jaw. Dan was only a moment behind with a quick punch to Jim’s stomach. As Jim doubled over, Dan’s knee came up and met his chin. Jim’s mouth came together with a decided snap, but he lunged forward and rammed into Dan below the belt.
As soon as the confrontation turned physical, the Beldens were on their feet. With both boys now in serious pain, it didn’t take much to separate them.
“Are you two crazy?” Brian demanded as Jim struggled half-heartedly to get away from his grip. “Dan, this could get you sent back to reform school so fast it would make your head spin. And Jim, this is how you settle your differences? Did you learn nothing from Jonesy?”
Dan, in serious male pain, was decidedly less willing to struggle against Mart, but he still looked furious. Mart shook his friend. “He’s right, you know. This fighting isn’t going to settle anything. And the results could be much worse than a pity party for one night.”
There was silence for a few minutes. Finally Jim looked at his opponent of a moment ago. “They’re right, you know. This is going to solve nothing for either of us and it will just cause more problems.”
Dan only grunted.
“I’m sorry, Dan. I truly am.”
Dan brooded in silence for a few more moments. When Mart gave a little shake, he looked up. Jim looked miserable, and it finally broke through Dan’s fog. “Yeah, me too. Friends?” He offered his right hand, which Jim accepted for a hearty handshake. “Any damage?”
“My jaw’s a little rattled, but it’ll be fine. And you?”
“I’m glad I’m sitting down for the moment. And I think I’m going to have a bruise tomorrow where you punched me. Too bad I walked into that tree in the middle of the night, isn’t it?”
Jim looked sick as Dan created that excuse. “Yeah, it sure is,” he mumbled.
The four settled back around the fire. But conversation turned to awkward silence. I can’t wait to get home, Mart thought.
But Brian’s thoughts were much more troubled. What will it take to truly get these two past what’s happened tonight? Finally, he spoke. “Anyone ready for dessert?”
* * *
Jim was in the stable whistling off-key when he heard Spartan clopping up the trail. At least, he assumed it was Spartan, since all the other horses were present, and he didn’t think Di was coming over. He knew he was right when he heard Dan calling, “Uncle Bill? You around?”
Jim stepped out of Starlight’s stall. “Something came up. He took his half day off a day early.”
“Oh.”
The silence hung between them.
It had been three days since their fight. They had managed to avoid each other since. Jim didn’t know who knew what, but he had a feeling it was probably the worst kept secret not told to Bobby. Frankly, he’d felt miserable for multiple reasons. He’d behaved like Jonesy, and there had been some truth in what Dan had been yelling at him. Jim took a deep breath. “Out patrolling?”
“Yeah. With the weather being so hot, I try to stay indoors during the afternoon. Hit the trail again after an early dinner and ride for a couple hours until dark.”
“I was about to give Starlight a workout.” Jim indicated the stall over his shoulder. “Mind if I tag along?”
Dan shrugged. “Sure.”
“I’ll just be a minute,” Jim called as he grabbed the last of the tack and disappeared into the stall. It was just a couple minutes later that he emerged with the horse. “All set.”
They started off in silence. The tension was almost as thick as the humid air.
Jim wiped his brow. “I’ll sure be glad when this heat wave breaks.” Dan, in the lead, only grunted.
Finally, after another half a mile, the trail widened out, and Jim pulled up next to Dan. “Tell me about your parents,” he said quietly.
Dan was silent for a moment or two. “They were absolutely wonderful. Dad worked at the docks in the city. He would come home from work dead tired, but he always made time for me. He helped with homework. I remember building the standard volcano science fair project with him. And Mom worked so hard to make that apartment home. You couldn’t ask for better parents.”
A small grin lit his face. “I remember one Christmas. Money must have been tight. It usually was. But Dad came home Christmas Eve with one present for me. I could hardly sleep all night with anticipation. And it was the GI Joe figure I was dying for. I only realized later that this was the only present anyone received that year. I had a little bit of turkey for dinner, but that was it.”
Then a cloud seemed to pass over Dan’s face. “Everything changed 18 months ago. Mom was diagnosed with cancer. We didn’t have the money for treatment, so Dad started working extra shifts to try to make ends meet. It was a year ago this week….” Dan stopped. Jim let him fight his emotions in silence. When he picked up the story, his voice was quieter and huskier. “It was a year ago this week that he died. He’d borrowed a neighbor’s car so he could get back from a 2 A.M. shift. Stupid drunk driver hit him head on. And naturally, the other guy walked away with hardly a scrape.”
Dan swallowed hard, wiped at his eyes, and continued, “That’s when Mom lost her fight with cancer. I could see it in her eyes when the policeman told us about Dad. A month later, she was gone.”
“Dan, I’m sorry. You’re right. We should have asked sooner.”
Dan gave Jim a wry smile. “I really am sorry about much of what I said. This week has been harder on me than I thought it would be. I was having a major pity party and took it out on you. You took the brunt of every frustration I’ve felt for the last six months. It could just as easily been Brian or Mart.
“Anyway, you know the rest. I was put in a foster home but ran away the first time they whipped me. Ironically enough, I did deserve to be punished. Joined up with Luke and that gang and was arrested for armed robbery. Of an undercover police officer, if you can believe my stupidity. For some unknown reason, the judge decided to release me to Uncle Bill instead of sending me to jail. And here I am.”
There was silence as both boys were lost in thought. Finally, Dan broke it. “What about your parents? I mean, I know about Jonesy, but what were your real parents like? And why did your mom marry that creep?”
Jim smiled as he thought back over happier times. “Our families sound so much alike. Although we were better off financially than it sounds like you were, even if we were hardly rich. Dad ran a tight ship on the farm. It was loads of work, but tons of fun, too. And every Sunday was father/son time. We’d hunt, fish, whatever we felt like doing. And he and I even made that same volcano science fair project.” Both boys laughed.
“Dad got tuberculosis when I was in late elementary school. It hit him hard. Or maybe it was trying to keep the farm running while fighting it. Mom and I tried to do what we could, but she’d always been weak, and they both insisted I not neglect my studies. Eventually, it got the better of Dad, but by then, the farm wasn’t profitable, and there were loads of debts. Jonesy and Dad had been rivals for Mom in high school, and Jonesy came back into Mom’s life almost immediately. She figured we had a better future with him than on our own, so she married him within a year. But she was so broken-hearted over losing Dad, she just grew weaker until she passed away.
“Jonesy really wasn’t so bad at first. He truly loved Mom and tried to treat me well. But when it was obvious that she still loved Dad and always would, he started taking his anger out on me. Never when Mom was nearby. Of course, once she died, it just became worse. And you know the story from there.”
Dan had to swallow around the lump in his throat. “We have more in common than I ever imagined.”
“I know.” The silence was becoming decidedly more comfortable. Jim swallowed, and then spoke again. “Listen, Dan, I need to apologize, too. You had some very good points. None of us have considered what you’ve gone through. We’ve just been so concerned about the next project or the next mystery we’ve given you little thought. And we jet off on vacation and leave you behind, too. I’m sorry for my insensitivity. You’ve gone through more than your fair share in the last two years. If you ever need to talk, I’m willing to listen. And you were right. I did get the better end of the deal. Heck, if you’d shown up a few months before I did, our positions might be reversed.”
“I don’t know about that. There is the whole situation with Uncle Bill and my criminal past.”
“I guess you’re right. But we’re going to have more in common in the future than you realized, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was getting something for Dad from his study yesterday when I saw a folder with your name on it on top of his desk. I was curious, so I opened it.”
Dan hooted with laughter. “Trixie’s rubbing off on you, isn’t she?”
Jim blushed. “I guess so. Although, I was also concerned that it might have something about our fight in it. Anyway, it looks like he’s set up a college fund for you.”
“You serious? How much?”
“Let me put it to you this way. If you want to be roommates at Yale in three years, let me know.”
“No way!”
“Seriously. I think he’s not the only one who realized you wouldn’t get there without some serious outside help.”
Dan pulled at his shirt, trying to get the wet shirt away from his skin for a moment. “But why?”
“You’ve more than proved you’ve changed since you got here. Dad is big on second chances. I bet as long as you keep proving yourself, he’ll be more than happy to give it to you.”
“Ok, now I feel about ant-sized for what I said a few days ago.”
“Don’t worry about it. You didn’t know. Heck, I didn’t know. And don’t say anything. I’m not sure who else knows about this. Probably not even Regan.”
“My lips are sealed.”
By this time, they had ridden through the preserve and come out by the lake. The sun was just about to set, but the heat was still strong, and both boys were sweating profusely.
As they reached the fork in the path that would take Dan home and Jim back to the stable, Jim reined in his horse. “So, is this it for the night?”
“Unless you want to join me in a quick dip in the lake. I’ve gotten so I do this before I head home. Cools me off and helps me sleep better.”
“Your uncle will kill me for having Starlight out so late.”
Dan looped the reigns over a sturdy tree and hopped off. “Not if he knows you and I were out together. I doubt he knows for sure what happened, but he’s been worried about us just the same. Beside, it’s a nice wide trail. And I snagged this from the tack room while you finished putting the saddle on.” He pulled a flashlight out of one saddlebag and tossed it to a surprised Jim than headed over to a deck chair and began to remove his shoes.
“You sure did think ahead, didn’t you?”
“I figured we’d both been doing a lot of thinking. And if I was wrong, I could always use it as a weapon.”
“What?!”
Dan laughed. “I’m kidding! I already had one of my own, so this would make us evenly matched.” He pulled his shirt over his head.
Jim laughed at his friend’s joke. “Okay, you talked me into it.” He slid off his mount and looped the reins next to Dan’s. “Let me guess. You’ve got my trunks in the other saddle bag?”
Dan looked around them and gave Jim a wicked grin. “Who needs trunks?” He then unfastened his jeans and slid them and his boxers off with one movement.
Jim raised an eyebrow and grinned. “I guess you’ve got a point.” He pulled off his shirt on the way to another chair and hurriedly removed the rest of his clothes while Dan dove into the water. “How is it?”
“Perfect. There’s just something about swimming down here as dusk turns to dark that is pure magic. Maybe it’s cause I’m from the city and all this nature stuff is new to me.”
“Don’t think so.” Jim did a perfect dive into the lake and surfaced before continuing. “We had a little pond on my farm. I used to sneak out of the house and go skinny-dipping like this during the summer. I’m surprised I never got caught.”
“Or maybe your dad knew, but figured he’d let you have some fun. He sounds like a great guy.”
“He was. Not unlike your dad.”
The friends floated in the water for a few minutes, lost in thought about their fathers and happier times in their childhood. Finally Jim, then Dan, climbed out and lay down on the deck chairs. The silence between them was now fully companionable.
Finally, Jim turned his head. “I’m assuming you didn’t bring towels, hence the reason we’re drip drying.”
“You guessed it. And it gives me a chance to admire the stars. Something else I never could do in the city.”
“You miss city life?”
“I thought I would, but in reality, I don’t. It was crowded and noisy. And I certainly don’t miss the people. My so-called friends were nothing compared to you guys. I miss the convenience if you need to buy something, though. There were so many stores just down the street from where we lived. I was forever running errands for Mom. There was something exciting about it, I guess. But you all provide plenty of excitement to make up for it.”
“That’s all Trixie’s doing.”
“Not to hear her tell the story. She says it all started when Honey moved in and they found you.”
After another minute or two, Jim sat up. “Well, I need to go or your uncle will have my head no matter what my excuse is.”
“Yeah. Morning patrol comes awfully early. Thanks for the company tonight.” Dan reached for his shirt.
Jim looked over from fastening his pants. “My pleasure. So we’re good?”
“Hey, I don’t skinny dip with anyone but my best friends.”
Jim laughed as he tied his shoes. “You are coming to the picnic down here tomorrow with everyone, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Dan swung aboard Spartan. “Night.”
“Night,” Jim replied as he started Starlight toward home. As he went down the trail, he started whistling. This time, it was definitely on key.
The End
Thanks to Susansuth and my friend Matt for editing this for me. They make me look much smarter then I really am.