The Memoirs of Elikai: The Children of the Solstice

Chapter V: Grenoff High

When I entered the kitchen, I met the gaze of a boy with navy blue eyes sitting at the oak dining room table. We stared at each other for a moment without saying anything. My aunt turned and saw my startled look.

"Oh, Danny, there's someone I want you to meet," my aunt said excitedly, and she led me to the table where the boy sat. "This is Jesse Daniels. He lives just down the road from here on the Daniels' farm, and I have been meaning to introduce you two for a long time."

Our gaze held as he gave me a wide grin. He was about my age, but his build was that of someone who obviously worked outside. His cowboy hat rested on the dining room table, and his hair was a warm chestnut brown with a classic military cut, buzzed sides and a short top. He had a cluster of freckles on his short nose that reached out under his cheerful eyes.

"Finally, I've been waitin' to meet you for quite a while," he said with a thick Southern drawl, and I nervously glanced at Aunt Shannon, giving her a confused expression. I looked back at him again without saying anything.

He smiled and chuckled shyly, saying "Sorry, I should explain. Shannon and Alex have told me all 'bout you, and I feel like I already know you like a close friend. My name's Jesse." He stood up and reached across the table to shake my hand. I grasped his large calloused hand in mine, and I could see the muscles moving under his plain blue V-neck shirt that matched his eyes.

"Nice to meet you," I replied. I let go of Jesse's hand and quickly moved my gaze back to my aunt, looking for an explanation.

"Sorry, Danny, I forgot to tell you. Jesse is our babysitter for Alvaro." I looked at him, and the memory of his name came back. I remembered my mom telling me that my aunt and uncle had finally found a babysitter for my cousin. My eyes fall upon Alvaro, who was sitting behind the kitchen island, playing quietly with his blocks.

"Ah, so you are the one Alvaro is so fond of," I said, returning his smile. "I have to admit, I was surprised to hear that he was comfortable around someone outside of our family."

He nodded, and we all turned to look at the small boy who was ignoring us. I moved to the table and sat down in front of my breakfast.

"Yeah, he certainly is one of a kind," Jesse said warmly.

The conversation brought back the sparse memories I had of Alvaro. About a year or two after my aunt and uncle were married, they tried to have children, but every time failed. Finally, after extensive visits to the doctor, they found out that my aunt could not bear children. Instead of being defeated, my aunt believed that it was the will of the light telling her to find a child in need of a loving home. Shortly after, they found Alvaro. All they knew about him was that his unwed mother had died giving birth to him. He had been just a newborn baby when they had adopted him from an orphanage in upstate New York.

Alvaro was unlike any other child any of us had ever met, mostly because he refused to speak, and he had a stillness in his nature. He was not mute, he just had nothing he needed to say. Out of the seven years my aunt and uncle had taken care of him, he had spoken out loud only five times, briefly conversing with only the three people in the dining room, and my uncle. I believed the only person he had spoken twice to was my aunt, but one of those times had been an emergency.

Alvaro turned to look at us, and the young child stared directly at me with his bright hazel eyes.

There were times when, if the light was just right, I could see flecks of yellow in his eyes. He had straight black hair, and a soft Latin complexion to match. My aunt said he was going to be a heartbreaker when he grew up.

One thing I had always found to be curious about Alvaro was the fact that he didn't like to be touched. At first, he could only be handled by Uncle Alex, then Aunt Shannon. It was not for a very long time that they found anyone else that he was comfortable being touched by, and it turned out that person was Jesse.