Page 12 of Librarian for the Jock

Chapter Twelve

CHET

As I jogged through the quiet streets of Hawthorn Hideaway the next morning, my mind drifted back to last night's dinner. The laughter, the warmth of the conversation, and the way everyone made me feel like part of the family—it was exactly what I needed, especially after that horrible conversation after church.

I thought, too, about the jewelry that Brad and I had lost when we were kids. It was a small thing, but the way Paige mentioned it, I could tell it still bothered her. Honestly, it bothered me now, too. How could we have been so careless? Yes, we were young and ignorant, but that necklace had meant a lot to her, and we had just buried it and forgotten about it. The guilt gnawed at me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to make it right somehow.

I forced myself not to dwell on it for the time being and went back to the fun memories of the family dinner. The highlight was Paige, of course. She had been so angry at me after church, but somehow she’d softened during the evening. I could still hear her beautiful laugh in my mind. I also loved seeing the sparkle in her eyes as she looked affectionately at each of her family members throughout the evening.

I had always liked Brad’s family, but last night brought up new feelings. I felt love in my heart for the McDermott family growing. It was a new feeling for me, and I really liked it.

Lost in my thoughts, I almost missed seeing Mr. Saavedra, my neighbor, out in an empty field wearing headphones and holding a strange futuristic device in his hand. The sight pulled me out of my reverie, and I slowed down, curiosity piqued. What was he holding? What was he doing?

“Morning, Mr. Saavedra!” I called out, jogging up to him.

He looked up and pulled off his headset, a twinkle in his eye. “Morning, Chet! Just out here doing a bit of treasure hunting.”

I glanced at the device in his hand. It was a long pole with a circular disc at the end and a small control box at the top near the handle with a screen. Wires snaked around it, and it emitted a soft, rhythmic beeping sound. It seriously looked like something out of a science fiction movie.

“Treasure hunting?” I asked, intrigued. “What kind of treasure are you looking for with that... contraption?”

Mr. Saavedra chuckled. “Oh, you know, the usual—old coins, lost jewelry, relics from the past. You’d be surprised what people have buried or lost over the years.”

I nodded, trying to wrap my head around it. “So, this thing helps you find metal objects underground?”

“Exactly,” he said. “This is a metal detector. The disc at the bottom sends out a magnetic field, and when it encounters metal, it disrupts the field and sends a signal to the control box here. That’s what causes the beeping.”

I was curious. “Say, Mr. Saavedra, have you ever come across anything particularly valuable in your treasure hunts?”

He smiled knowingly. “Well, let’s just say I’ve stumbled upon a few interesting finds over the years. Like old aluminum trade tokens, copper wheat cents, lead bullets I like to imagine were from the Civil War, lost wedding rings, and necklaces. So many neat things. You never know what’s lurking beneath the surface.”

“Wow, that’s really cool, Mr. Saavedra! What a fascinating hobby. I’ve never heard of a trade token or a wheat cent.”

“I didn’t know what they were either, until I found them! Whenever I find something new, I always go to the library and do some research about this area and what it is I might have found. It’s so much fun. I have even found a few arrowheads. Imagine Native Americans living around here. I assume they were part of a nomadic tribe.”

I listened raptly as he spoke about his finds. Wait, did he also say jewelry? Necklaces? A thought sparked in my mind. A metal detector! Could that be the key to finding Paige’s lost jewelry? The idea filled me with excitement and a sense of purpose. Maybe, just maybe, I could make things right.

“Did I hear you say you found lost rings and necklaces, too?” I eagerly asked. “Did you ever connect the owners to the lost jewelry?”

“Oh yes! Lost jewelry is my favorite find because when I return it back to the owner, or the owner’s family, there are almost always tears of joy and so much gratitude. Many have said that I was the answer to their prayers.” He paused, and a soft look of love filled his face as his thoughts flitted to his late wife. “My beloved wife was an angel to many. She had the gift of listening and knew exactly when people were praying for help. Through her service, she answered many, many prayers. I feel closest to her when I am able to help others.” His eyes filled with tears, but a soft smile lifted the corners of his lips.

“Mr. Saavedra, thank you for sharing your story with me. I think you can be an answer to my prayers right now.” I told him about how Brad and I had lost Paige’s jewelry when we were children and how much the jewelry had meant to her.

He smiled, clearly delighted to be of assistance. “Of course, Chet! Anything for the beautiful Ms. Paige. She has helped me in so many of my searches. You need to find her lost jewelry! I’d be happy to show you how this metal detector works, and you can borrow it anytime.”

We made arrangements for me to borrow his metal detector later that afternoon. I thanked him profusely and finished my run. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of hope. This could be my chance to make things right with Paige, to show her that I cared. It was about more than just the jewelry—it was about gaining her trust.

Brad and I met up after he was done with work, and I told him my plan. We still had a few hours of daylight left. I figured he could get some steps in and we’d look for Paige’s jewelry at the same time. With the metal detector in my hand, we headed toward the home he grew up in before we checked out other areas we had liked to adventure to.

My heart was filled with hope that today we’d be able to right this childish mistake from our childhood. I didn’t know if Paige’s image of me would change, but making an effort to find her jewelry was the right thing to do. I hated knowing that I was the cause of such a sad memory from her past.

We started by going back and forth from the right side of the yard to the left. I didn’t realize how big Brad’s yard was until then! As Brad and I scoured the backyard with the metal detector, the rhythmic beeping mingled with our laughter as we reminisced about our childhood adventures. It was amazing how being in a specific location could bring back so many memories.

"Hey, remember that time we tried to build a treehouse in the old oak tree?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "How could I forget? We thought we were master carpenters with those tiny nails and rubber mallets we stole—I mean, borrowed—from your dad’s tool shed."

"Yeah, we didn’t even have a proper blueprint. We just hammered random pieces of wood together."

“How about that wobbly ladder we attempted?”

Brad started belly laughing. “Oh my gosh, once we started climbing that thing, I was so terrified, but I refused to admit it. I thought that ladder would be the end for me.”

Now I was laughing uncontrollably. “I was terrified too. I thought it was just me. I didn’t want to say anything because the ladder build was my idea. It totally needed more than two small nails per piece of wood! I went up that thing after you so fast that most of the steps fell off shortly after my foot moved to the next rung.”

Brad shook his head. “It’s amazing we didn’t make any trips to the emergency room because of that treehouse! Remember? The whole thing collapsed the moment we tried to climb into it, leaving us clinging to the tree like monkeys."

I grinned. “I can still hear the sound of all our hard work crashing to the ground. Who was it who finally found us screaming for help and hugging the branches for dear life?”

“It was actually Paige who found us stuck in the tree,” Brad said. “She was laughing on the ground while we were bawling our eyes out in the tree. If I remember correctly, she called us baby monkeys for the rest of the summer. Let’s not remind her of that memory!”

I nodded my head vigorously. “I agree, I prefer not to have a monkey nickname of any sort again. I also remember that your dad wasn't too happy about the mess we left.”

“Yeah, my dad was pretty furious. Now that he’s gone, I even miss him being mad at me.”

We went silent for a moment, thinking about Brad’s dad. When I’d found out about his passing, I’d been off at college. I cried and hid in my dorm room all night. He had been my summer dad. He passed during football season, so I wasn’t able to come back to Hawthorn for the funeral, but I’d called Brad to check on him and let him know how sorry I was. It had been a hard time for us both.

“He was a really good guy,” I finally said. “He helped us build a real and sturdy treehouse after our failed attempt. I have so many memories around that treehouse. Is it still there?”

“It actually is, although it probably needs some love and care. I know Brandon and Jenny used to sneak up there when they were younger. I always made sure that they knew their grandpa built it. I think knowing that made them love it even more.”

Brad and I reminisced a lot that night as we looked around the yard with the metal detector.We found a spoon, bottle caps, coins, and a lost hammer, but no jewelry. Even though I was hopeful that our hidden treasure was in the yard, I also knew that our young pirate minds would probably never have hidden treasure that close to civilization. But where in the world had we hidden it?

When we ran out of sunlight, we had to give up and make plans to try again the next night, and I headed home.