Page 75 of Reckoning

Morning dawned, and Abel was up early. He had a job to finish at the garage, and then needed to let Curly know they had family business to attend back home and would be gone for the rest of the week.

Lilith had biscuits coming out of the oven when Abel came in for his first cup of coffee. “Think Curly is going to be mad?” she asked.

Abel shrugged. “Don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. I haven’t told him that we’re leaving Star Ridge at Christmas either.” And then he winked.

She smiled. Their long-awaited escape date was almost here.

A short while later, Abel was gone, and Micah and Tate were still in bed. She buttered herself a biscuit, poured a cup of coffee, and went to the porch swing out back to watch the awakening day.

When Tate woke up, it was after eight, and he’d had something of an epiphany as he was sleeping. Now he needed to see if it could factor into his life. He showered, shaved, and dressed in record time, but the house was quiet, and he noticed his dad’s truck was already gone.

He saw his mother sitting outside, so he poured a cup of coffee and made a bacon biscuit before going out to join her.

“Mornin’, Mom. Feels like another hot day,” he said, and sat down in one of the chairs and put his coffee aside to take a bite. “Good biscuit.”

“Want some eggs to go with it?” she asked.

“No, ma’am. I’m going to Briar’s in a bit. Can’t leave without goodbye.”

“It’s just a few days,” Lilith said.

“In a few months, we’re about to be walking separate paths. Not going to be as easy to see her then, but she knows that. We’ve been talking about this happening for more than four years. Neither of us like it, but it’s what has to happen next. I need to call the school superintendent this morning. Hope he has a landline number. I don’t have access to his cell number.”

“Anything wrong?” she asked.

“No…more the opposite, but I need to confirm something. I’ll call the school. I think teachers are already working. Someone there can help.”

Lilith smiled. “I’m just going to stay out here and enjoy the morning a little longer.”

He kissed the top of her head before going back inside, then finished off the biscuit and his coffee as he was looking up the phone number. He found the main number at the school and called it.

It rang four times and then someone answered. “Star Ridge Public Schools. This is Della.”

“Miss Della, this is Tate Bandy. By any chance is Mr. Autry in his office?”

“I think so. Give me a second to connect,” she said.

Tate waited a few seconds, then got an answer.

“Hello, Vernon Autry speaking.”

“Mr. Autry, this is Tate Bandy. I have a question about my school credits. When they were being counted for an early graduation at the end of this year, did they also include the seven months of school I had in first grade when I started at the age of six? I caught West Nile virus then and nearly died. I was out of school a whole year afterward. When I went back, the teachers told my parents that it would be simpler for me to just start first grade over at the age of eight, rather than try to catch up. And I was wondering, if all of that time had been omitted, and if they added it into what I have accumulated the last eleven years, would I already qualify for a diploma now?”

Vern Autry was stunned. “I don’t think I knew all this,” he said. “You started school at the Holy Waters school, didn’t you?”

“Yes, sir, and was there again until it blew away. But I know all those records were recovered from a computer storage system, because I heard the teachers talking about it. So, all of that should be on record too.”

“I’m going to have to do some digging. I need to contact the school counselor for help with this. Are you asking if you already qualify for a diploma without attending another semester?”

“Yes, sir. That’s what I’m asking. I’m going to be twenty years old in January.”

“I understand your concerns. Can you give us a few days to investigate this?” Mr. Autry asked.

“Yes, sir. My family and I are leaving for Tennessee tomorrow, and we’ll be back in five days,” Tate said.

“Excellent. That will give us time to come to a decision. Call me when you’re back, and safe travels,” Autry said.

“Thank you, sir,” Tate said, and went back outside.