Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 20:24:15 -0400
From: Nick <nicksstorypage@gmail.com>
Subject: Chapter 7 What's The Difference Between Me and You?

"Nick? Dad?" the voice said after the answering machine began
recording. "Somebody pick the phone up."

Nick searched the house franticly for the phone. His dad was the last
person to use it, and neither Nick nor his papu could find it. Nick flipped
all of the pillows off of the couch and finally he saw the phone.

"Daddy?" he said hopefully as he pushed the talk button.

"Hey buddy," Jim answered. "Were you guys still sleeping?"

"No, we couldn't find the phone," Nick said, feeling relieved that he
didn't miss his dad's call. "Where are you?"

"I'm at Grandma and Grandpa's house, son," Jim said. "They want to talk to
you when we're finished."

Nick sat on the couch and smiled. "When did you get there, dad?"

"Early in the morning son," Jim answered. "Did you sleep in my bed?"

"Yes sir," Nick said. "I miss you."

"I miss you too baby," Jim said. "I'll be back on Friday though."

Nick grinned and said, "I know. I wanted pancakes this morning."

"Tell papu to make them for you then, Nick," Jim urged. "He knows how."

Nick looked up at his papu and smiled at him right before he told him, "Dad
says you have to make me pancakes." Nick could hear his dad laughing on the
other end of the phone.

"So your papu hasn't burnt my house down, has he," Jim asked sarcastically,
making Nick giggle.

"No, not yet," Nick answered.

"Ok, buddy," Jim said. "Your grandma wants to talk to you, ok?"

"Ok," Nick said. "I love you dad."

"I love you too, babe," Jim said. "I'll call you this afternoon when I know
you're home from school." There was a short pause, then Nick heard Linda's
voice greet him, and he perked up again.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Linda said.

"Good morning, Grandma," Nick answered. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, but I heard you were having a hard time," Linda said.

"I miss my dad," Nick said sadly.

"I know you do, Nick, but he'll be home in no time flat," she said. "What
time do you have to be at school?"

"Eight twenty five," he answered. "But I have to leave earlier so I can
play foursquare first."

Linda laughed and said, "Well, Grandpa was in here but I think he went to
the neighbors. You can say hi to him later, ok?"

"Yes, ma'am," Nick said. "I love you Grandma."

"I love you too, sweetheart," Linda said. "Here's your father."

"Nick?" he heard his dad say. "I need to talk to papu, ok? Go give him the
phone."

"Ok, dad," Nick said sadly. Nick walked into the kitchen where his papu was
making pancakes for him, and he said, "Papu, dad wants to talk to you."

"Thanks, buddy," Jim said as Nick was about to hand the phone over.

"I love you, dad," Nick said as he handed his papu the phone.

Nick wandered back into his dad's room and laid back down on the bed. The
sun wasn't out yet, so he knew that he had plenty of time before he had to
get ready. He put his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. When he
woke up, his papu was shaking him awake, but he felt really tired. His eyes
were bugging him and he felt dizzy and cold as well. He got up from the bed
and stood still for a second and then he lay back down on the bed.

"Polakia, are you ok?" he heard his papu say.

"My eyes hurt, papu," Nick said. Nick had his eyes closed, but he felt his
papu's hand on his forehead and on his cheeks. As soon as he felt his papu
checking his temperature he knew that he was sick, and it was like all of
the things that someone feels when they have the flu came to him at
once. He felt the covers being pulled over him as he laid there, and soon
he heard his papu telling him to open his mouth. Nick opened his eyes and
saw that his papu had a thermometer in his hand, so he opened his mouth and
let him stick it under his tongue. After it was taken out, Nick watched his
papu leave the room again, and his eyes closed, and he fell asleep again.

"Come on, Nick, sit up for me." Nick opened his eyes and saw his papu
standing there with a glass of water and some kind of pill in his hand. "I
want you to take this for your fever. How do you feel?" Nick was miserable
as he sat up and looked around his father's room.

"I want my daddy," Nick said as he tried to lay back down, but his papu
supported his head.

"Come on, polakia, I need you to take this," big Nick said sternly. Nick
let him put the pill in his mouth, then he took a drink of the water and
swallowed it. "You're staying home today."

"Will you call my dad and tell him I'm sick," Nick asked.

"Sure I will," his papu answered softly. "Right now I want you to get
comfortable. Do you want me to make you a bed on the couch instead?" Nick
shook his head and laid back down.

"Papu, will you stay in here with me for a little bit," Nick asked with his
eyes closed.

"Ok," he heard his papu say and then he felt him lay down next to him and
wrap his arms around him.

"I love you, my little polakia," he said.

"I love you too, papu," Nick said and then he fell asleep.

The next time Nick opened his eyes, he could hear the bell from his school
ringing, and his papu was still holding him on the bed, but he was
sleeping. Nick slowly crawled out of the bed and made his way to the
bathroom. When he was done, he went back into the room and curled back up
under his papu's arm and fell back to sleep.

Sometime in the afternoon, Nick woke up again, but this time he was
alone. He could hear voices coming from the living room and he could smell
pot smoke. He knew that no one, not even his papu, smoked weed anywhere in
the house. He got up and went to the bathroom, then he made his way into
the living room, where he caught his two uncles, Brandon and Alex and one
of their friends getting high. The three of them froze when they saw him
standing there.

"Where's my papu at Uncle Brandon," Nick asked.

"He had to go to somewhere for work," Brandon said. "So we're watching you
until he gets back. Are you feeling ok?" Brandon got up and walked toward
Nick, reaching down to feel his forehead when he got close enough. Nick
leaned into his uncle, who led him back into the bedroom and helped him
into bed.

"Uncle Brandon, did my dad call yet?" Nick asked.

"Not yet," Brandon said. "He'll call soon."

"Can I call him?" Nick asked. Brandon shrugged and got up.

"I'll bring you the phone, dude," he said. "I don't want you to get up,
ok?"

"Ok," Nick said. Brandon got up and walked out of the room to get the
phone. When he got back, he handed Nick the phone.

"Do you want me to dial it for you?" he asked.

"No, thank you," Nick said smiling. "I know how."

Nick dialed his Grandparents number as Brandon walked out of the room and
headed back to the living room.

"Hello?" he heard Tom say.

"Grandpa!" Nick said happily when he heard Tom's voice.

"Hey Kiddo," Tom said. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I'm sick," Nick said. "Papu made me stay home. I have a fever."

Tom and Nick talked for a few minutes and then Tom got Jim, who sounded
surprised when he got on the phone.

"Son, what's wrong?" Jim asked as he came on the line.

"I'm sick, daddy," Nick said. "Didn't papu call you and tell you?"

"No he didn't," Jim said sounding ticked off. "Let me talk to him."

"He's not here," Nick said. "Uncle Brandon and Uncle Alex are watching me."

"What?" Jim said, sounding upset. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know, daddy," Nick said, sensing that his dad was concerned. "I
woke up and he was gone and they were here with their friend."

"Where are they now, honey?" Jim asked, sounding even more upset than he
was a second ago.

"They're smoking in the living room," he tattled.

"They're what?" Jim asked. Nick could feel his fury through the phone.

"They're smoking in the living room," he repeated.

"Where are you, babe?" Jim asked

"I'm alone in your room," Nick said. "I have a fever too, dad. I want you
to come home."

"Nick, can you do daddy a favor?" Jim asked.

"Yes sir," Nick said, knowing what was coming next.

"I want you to get Uncle Brandon on the phone for me, ok?" Jim said. Nick
put the phone down on the bed and hollered for his uncle, who came to see
what he needed.

"My daddy wants to talk to you," Nick said handing his uncle the
phone. Nick could hear Jim's explosion from the bed and he saw his uncles
face turn to panic as Jim screamed into the phone. Brandon quickly left the
room and closed the door on his way out and Nick settled back down on the
bed and fell asleep.

When Nick opened his eyes it was later in the afternoon. His papu was back
from wherever he went and he looked worried as he looked down at his
grandson.

"What's wrong, papu?" Nick asked

"Nothing polakia," he answered.

"Are you sure," Nick asked. "You look like something's wrong."

"Nick, I talked to your dad, and he told me what happened," his papu
finally said. "What did you see Uncle Brandon and Uncle Alex doing in the
living room?"

"Smoking," Nick said. "Not cigarettes, though." The elder Nick sighed and
looked around the room. He had a sick look on his face, and Nick didn't
understand why at first, but finally his papu spoke.

"So you know what it was that they were smoking, don't you?," he said.

Nick nodded and looked down, a little embarrassed because he knew that he
had tattled on his uncles.

"Are Uncle Brandon and Uncle Alex mad at me?," Nick asked.

"For what?" he said.

"Because I told my dad," Nick admitted to his papu.

"No, they aren't," he said. "I think they're a little embarrassed that you
saw them, and that they did it in the house. They know better."

"Are they still here?" Nick asked. Nick's papu shook his head then he
reached for Nick's hand and helped him out of the bed. He walked Nick to
the bathroom and waited for him to finish, then he took Nick into the
living room and they sat together on the recliner.

"Let's call your dad," his papu said as they got comfortable.

Nick dialed the number and waited. Linda answered, and then Tom got on and
talked to him. Nick was shocked to find out that they both knew what
happened. After a while Jim got on the phone and then he asked Nick to give
the phone to his papu. While he laid in his papu's lap, he could hear his
dad lecturing him about common sense and right and wrong. Nick felt really
bad for his papu, so while Jim was talking down to him on the phone, Nick
made sure he gave him a long hug and a kiss. Finally, Nick got the phone
back and he talked to Jim one last time for the day, then they hung up.

"Papu," Nick said as they sat quietly in the recliner. "I love you."

"I love you too my little polakia," he answered. Nick knew that he got his
papu in trouble with his dad, and he felt bad about it now. He wished that
he had just gone back to bed and minded his own business.

"Is my dad mad at you?" Nick finally asked, looking at his papu's face for
an answer

"I think so, buddy," he said. "But he has a right to be mad. You shouldn't
have to see stuff like that."

"I'm sorry, papu," Nick said, feeling guilty.

"Don't you be sorry for anything, Nick," he said. "You did the right
thing.'

Nick stayed quiet and thought for a while about the day, and he got tired
again. As his eyes got heavy he felt his papu hoist him up and carry him
back to bed.

Nick woke up at night, and he could hear loud yelling coming from the back
yard.

"That's the reason he's taking my grandson and moving as far away as he
can, goddamnit!," Nick heard his papu shouting. "How in the hell is he
supposed to want us to be in Nick's life if he can't even trust us to do
the right thing? Answer me!"

Nick heard his Uncle Alex trying to reason with big Nick, but it wasn't
working. "Dad, please," he heard Alex pleading. "He was sleeping. We didn't
know he was going to wake up. If we did we would've come to the back yard."

Nick could still hear the voices, but they seemed to get quieter and soon
Nick started to drift off again. The next time he woke up, his papu was
shaking him awake.

"Come on Nick," he heard him say. "You need to get in the tub." Nick could
feel his papu lift him off of the bed, and he knew he was being carried
into the bathroom, but he didn't know why. He was freezing cold, and he
just wanted to go back to sleep. He could hear the bath water running, and
when he was set on the floor, he felt his pajamas being peeled off of him.

"I'm going to put you in the water now, polakia," he heard his papu saying
as he was lifted then lowered into the tub.

"Why?" was all Nick could seem to get out as he found himself in the
tub. Then he said, "I'm cold."

Nick opened his eyes but his papu was gone, then he reappeared with the
phone to his ear.

"I'm thinking about taking him to the emergency room if it gets any
higher," his papu said.

Nick sat in the water for a long time and then he was lifted out of the tub
and dried off. His papu took him into the living room, and dressed him in
clean pajamas and then he wrapped him in a blanket and carried him out the
front door.

* * *

Nick sat on the cold table in the hospital as the doctor felt his forehead
and his cheeks and said something to the nurse. He was cold and he wanted
to take the gown that he was wearing off and put his own clothes back on,
but he never got the chance. Eventually, someone came along and asked him
to hold out his arm, and when he did, they used a cotton ball to clean the
area, and while Nick held his papu's hand, they stuck a needle in his arm
and took some blood from him. They gave him a small blanket to cover up
with and closed the curtain, leaving him and his papu alone.

"I want to go home," Nick whined as he laid there.

"I know you do," his papu said. "But your fever is high and you needed to
come to the hospital."

As Nick lay there, his papu held his hand and ran his fingers through his
hair trying to make him feel better, but it wasn't working. After a while,
the doctor returned and spoke to big Nick. After that, Nick was put on a
different bed that they used to move him to a room. His papu was with him
the whole time, and Nick was starting to get scared.

"How long do I have to be here," he asked. No one answered him, so he asked
again. Finally, his papu spoke up.

"They just want to make sure your fever goes down," he said. "I'm not going
to leave you, ok?"

When they got to his room, he was moved to a different bed, and what
happened next was something he would never forget.

One of the nurses came into the room and put an IV in his arm, and Nick
screamed from the pain of the needle going into him while his papu held him
down. While Nick was crying, all he could think about was how bad he wished
his dad was there with him. He had never felt so scared in his life, and
even the fact that his papu was there with him wasn't making him feel
better. Eventually, he fell asleep.

For the next few days, Nick was in the hospital. The IV that he had in his
arm didn't hurt anymore, but it was still too much for Nick to look at, and
he just tried to ignore it. On Friday, the day Nick was supposed to go with
his papu to pick up his dad from the airport, Nick went home. On the way,
he asked what time they were going to leave for Sacramento to get his dad.

"We aren't," his papu said. "Your uncles are going to pick him up."

"Why?" Nick said as he started to cry. "I want to see him."

"Nick, don't cry, buddy," his papu said. "He's going to be home soon. He
might get there right after we do."

"Do you promise," Nick asked, still crying.

"I promise," his papu said. "Look, we'll call your Uncle Brandon on the
phone and see if his flights landed yet, ok?"

"Ok," Nick said sadly. When they got home, Nick went straight to his dad's
bed where he laid down and waited for his dad to come home. When his papu
walked in with the phone in his hand, he had a smile on his face. "It's for
you," he said.

Nick took the phone and held it up to his ear.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi Buddy," he heard his dad say on the other end. "We're on our way right
now."

Nick smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

He talked to his dad for a while on the phone, then they hung up and Nick
anxiously waited on the couch. When he heard his uncle's stereo, he knew
his dad was home. He jumped up off the couch and opened the front door as
fast as he could to run outside, but Jim was already on the porch, ready to
open the door himself.

"Daddy!" Nick said as he ran into his dad's hug. Jim lifted him off the
ground and hugged him hard. Nick was actually so happy to see his dad that
he started crying.

"I missed you so much daddy," Nick said. "Don't go away again." Jim kissed
Nick on the cheek and carried him inside while he spoke.

"I missed you too, babe," he said. "I'm not leaving you anywhere anymore,
either buddy. Dad was gone too long, I know."

"I was sick," Nick said as he clung to his dad as hard as he could with his
arms and his legs. "I wanted you to take care of me. I was scared at the
hospital."

"I know you were, baby," Jim said. "I was so worried about you. I hated not
being here to take care of you."

"Look at my hair," Nick said, talking about the mess on top of his head
that Jim normally brushed everyday.

"Hasn't papu been brushing it for you?" Jim asked.

"Kind of, but not as good as you do it," Nick said. "I'm glad your back."

"Me too, buddy," Jim said. "I missed you so much. But guess what?"

"What?" Nick asked.

"I don't have to go back until we move there," Jim said. "So you don't have
to worry about us being away from each other anymore, ok?"

Nick lifted his head up and smiled at his dad, touching his face with his
hands.

"I love you, daddy," he said.

"I love you too, honey," Jim said kissing him on the cheek again.

Nick and his dad stayed close for the rest of the afternoon, and finally
Jim told Nick that he needed to lay down for a nap.

"You're still sick, son," Jim said. "I want you to get some rest. You can
sleep with me tonight."

Jim tucked Nick into his own bed and Nick fell asleep right away. When he
woke up he could hear his dad coughing in the backyard and talking to his
brothers and father. Nick got out of his bed and went into the bathroom,
where he put the seat down on the toilet so he could stand up on it and
look out the window. He saw his dad with a tray in his lap rolling a joint
while his uncle Alex waited patiently for him to take the joint that was
already burning from him and hit it. Finally, Jim took the joint and took a
long hit. He let the smoke roll out of his mouth, then he took it all back
in. While he still had the first hit in his lungs, he hit the joint a
second time, causing him to cough again. Then he passed the joint to his
dad, who did the same thing with it that Jim did.

Nick climbed down and went into the living room and turned on the TV. He
sat quietly on the couch and watched cartoons while he waited for his dad,
his uncles and his papu to come back inside. When they did, he visited with
them all for a while. He noticed that his uncles were being especially nice
to him, and they had been all week. While he was in the hospital, his Uncle
Alex brought him presents everyday, and his Uncle Brandon sat with him and
fed him when the nurses would bring him his meals, which he wasn't planning
on eating. Brandon even made a special trip to get him some frozen yogurt
so that he would eat on his first day in the hospital.

Finally everyone left, and it was just Nick and his dad for the first time
since his dad got home. Jim locked the door and sat down on the couch next
to Nick, feeling his forehead and kissing it.

"How do you feel," he asked.

"Sick," Nick fibbed. He was actually feeling better, but he wanted his dad
to spoil him as much as possible.

"I'm sorry you're sick, babe," Jim said as he lifted his son up onto his
lap. Nick snuggled up to his dad and looked up at him.

"Do you want to take a shower with daddy tonight," Jim asked. Nick nodded
slowly and he could tell that Jim was still worried about him. They sat on
the couch for a while longer, then Jim got up to make dinner. They went
into the kitchen together and Jim looked for something to cook. When he saw
that there was nothing to eat, he cussed and called for a pizza.

While they ate, Nick and Jim talked about Virginia. Jim told Nick about his
new school and the house that they were going to live in as soon as it was
ready, and about his job. He was still going to be a driver for Schwans,
but only for a while. Soon he would be going back to school and starting a
new job. Jim told Nick that at first when they moved, they would be staying
with Nick's grandparents, Tom and Linda, but that it would only be for a
week or two. Then they could move into their house.

"Dad," Nick started. "Are we moving to Virginia because you hate papu?"

"No sweetheart," Jim answered, kind of shocked by the question. "What makes
you think that?"

"I heard papu yelling at Uncle Alex," Nick said. "He said that you were
taking me and moving as far away as you could because you can't trust
them."

"Well, papu's wrong if he thinks that, son," Jim said. "That is not the
reason we're moving."

"Why then," Nick asked. Jim sighed and smiled at his son.

"Because if we move, I can do better things for both of us, son," Jim
said. "I want to be home for you and I want to be able to give you more."

"But I have a lot of things, dad," Nick said. "I'm going to miss my papu."

"I know you are, son," Jim said. "I'm going to miss him too, but we're
still going to see each other all the time."

"How," Nick asked.

"We'll visit each other," Jim said. "Trust me, I know that your papu can't
go very long without seeing his polakia." Nick smiled at his dad. He knew
that what his dad was saying was true. His papu wouldn't go very long
without a visit, and Nick knew that his dad wouldn't be able to go long
without a visit either.

Finally, they finished eating and Jim put away the left over pizza. Nick
waited at the table while he did that, then he followed his dad into the
bathroom so they could take a shower. After a long shower, they got out and
dried off. Jim took Nick into his room with him wrapped in a large towel
and set him on the bed while he got ready himself. Then he went into Nick's
room and got his pajamas. He came back into the room and Nick laid still
while his dad dressed him. Then they went into the living room to watch TV
on the couch together. Nick's eyes started to get heavy, but he fought to
keep them open. But as soon as he heard his fathers loud snoring, he gave
up and fell asleep.

When Nick woke up, he was in bed next to his dad, who was snoring
again. Nick crawled out of the bed to go to the bathroom. When he was
finished, he went back into the room and lay back down. While he was lying
there, he thought about the week he had just been through, and he was glad
that his dad was home. He knew that if his dad had been there, half of what
happened wouldn't have. His papu would never have left him alone with his
uncles because his dad wouldn't have gone to work if he knew that Nick had
a fever. Nick wondered to himself what kind of father his papu was when his
dad was growing up and why his dad seemed to make better decisions than his
papu or his oma did. Then Nick started thinking about his oma, wondering if
she ever thought about him at all, or if she even missed him. He knew that
his dad told her that they were moving, but he didn't know what she said
about it.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Nick heard from the bed as he looked at the
ceiling.

"I was just thinking," he answered.

"About what, buddy?" Jim asked.

"Just everything, dad," Nick said. "I was thinking about papu and oma and
Uncle Alex and Uncle Brandon and you and everything."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jim offered. Instead of answering, Nick
rolled over into his dad and started to cry. Jim wrapped his arms around
him and asked him why he was crying.

"I know what's wrong," Nick said as he wept. "It's everyone, isn't it?"

"What do you mean, son?" Jim asked as he rocked Nick in the bed.

"That's why we're moving," Nick said. "It's everyone here."

Jim sat up in the bed and pulled Nick up with him, holding him tighter and
letting him cry. After a while, Nick was able to calm down and he reached
up and touched his dad's face. It was still dark in the room, but Nick
could read the worry on his dad's face.

"Am I right, dad?" Nick asked.

"Yes, son, you are," Jim said quietly. "Son, I love our family, but we both
deserve to have a better life. Your papu has Uncle Brandon and Uncle Alex
to worry about, and I have you to worry about. I can't be there to clean up
after my brothers anymore."

"And papu?" Nick asked.

"Yes Nick, and papu," Jim said sadly. Nick felt so bad for his dad, and for
the first time, he understood his decision to move. It was as if someone
had hit a switch, and it all made sense to him. Jim wasn't moving them just
because. He was moving them because he had to. Because if he didn't, things
would always be the way they were. What Nick went through the week before
was something his dad dealt with all the time, and Nick never realized that
before.

"It's going to be better in Virginia, dad?" Nick asked.

"Yes baby, it is," Jim said. "I wouldn't move us if it wasn't."

"Can I take my clothes and my toys with me, and Pooh Bear?" Nick asked.

"Well, of course you can, son," Jim said. "We'll take everything we want to
take with us."

"When are we moving?" Nick asked.

"Probably in two weeks, son," Jim said. Nick clung to his dad and thought
about it. At first he thought that it would be too soon, but the thought
that his dad would be there to make everything ok changed his mind..

"I can't wait, dad," he finally said.

"Me either Nick," Jim spoke. "We're going to be ok. I promise."



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