Brownsville Tales, Jayden, 3

He wasn't a friend, he hardly even knew him, but they were in the same class, so he knew who he was.

Cade Caldwell was the same age as he was, but smaller – small, quiet, pale-faced and blond. He was also about to be thrown off the boardwalk and into the muddy water below it by Richard McGovern, Brandon Kirk and Jerry Moore. All of them were way bigger and stronger than he was, but he didn't care about that, he was outraged – how would they like it?

“Hey! That's not fair!” Jayden yelled as he rushed forward to help the crying boy. “Let go of him!”

He slammed into McGovern and knocked him clean off the boardwalk and into the dirty water. The other two let go of Cade and turned on Jayden. He was not as easy a target, but he was going to lose, there were two of them and only one of him and they were inching him towards the edge.

However, he was not alone, Cade was still there and he was wild! He pushed Kirk from behind and he went in with McGovern. Jerry Moore saw that he was alone now and he couldn't win, so he jumped in with his mates.

Suddenly Mrs. Fortune was there, kneeling down and helping the bullies up out of the water. She told Dave to go and get Mrs. Paterson and she asked Cade what had happened?

He went all red and quiet, so Jayden answered for him. “They fell in,” he said. “Come on, Cade. Let's go.” He pulled his arm and they walked away, down the track and around the corner.

“Thanks for saving me, umm, Jayden?”

“Yeah, Jayden. Jayden Collis and you're welcome. Thanks for saving me too. You want to be friends?”

“Oh, yeah – best friends.”

“Me too - we will be then. Best friends.”

And they were from that day on. It's easy to make friends when you're 5 years old. It's easy to lose them too, but they didn't do that. Neither of them wanted to lose his mate and they made sure it didn't happen. Even when they had a fight, and they had some doozies at times, they both made sure it was over before the day was ended.

They were together constantly, both in school and out of it too and bullies were never a problem – they stayed away from a united front. They both lived in the same neighbourhood, so that made it easy and they were in and out of each other's houses all the time.

They had other friends of course, lots of them, but only one best friend, closer than a brother.

The years went by quickly and they both grew, inside and out, closer together as friends and bigger in their bodies. By nine years old, Cade was taller but Jayden was still stockier and stronger and he made sure that Cade knew that. They still fought sometimes, but never that seriously and never for long. Neither of them wanted to lose his 'Brother'. Then they did. Dammit.

It wasn't Jayden's fault and it wasn't Cade's either; it was Cade's dumb-as father. He got himself a new job and it was in Australia – hundreds and thousands of kilometers away – halfway around the world almost. That was so not fair!

Jayden hit the roof when Cade came around and told him that they were moving away, a long way away, forever. He screamed and he yelled and he said that they wouldn't let it happen. Him and Cade would run away and live in the bush and fuck them! He was so angry and getting more and more wound-up.

He was just getting his second wind when Cade did something really mean – he grabbed him and he held him until he settled and they cried on each others' shoulders. He didn't want to, big boys don't cry, but he did. He sobbed and wailed like a baby. He couldn't help it, his world was falling apart and there was nothing they could do about it.

In the month that followed, he tried to pretend it wasn't happening. But it was and Cade kept making him face it.

Finally, the day came and Cade and his family left. They came around to say goodbye. Their two families all stood saying their farewells; they'd all got to know each other over the years. Cade went along the line until, at last, he came to Jayden.

They both stood there trying not to cry. Cade kept it in but Jayden didn't, he couldn't. He grabbed hold of him and wailed until his mother peeled him off and Cade escaped. He gave a funny little grin, got into the car and closed the door. The rest of his family got in with him and they left.

The car rolled away down the street and Jayden made a huge fool of himself. He would've fallen on the ground if his mother wasn't holding him up. He bawled and wailed so loud the whole neighbourhood could hear and he didn't care.

It was the worst day of his life; he'd lost his best friend forever.

The car was well gone and way out of sight before he began to accept that they'd really gone and Cade wasn't running back to tell him it was all a joke. His wails faded to heart-felt sobs and tears kept pouring down his wet and freckled face.

“Come on, Darling.” His mother, with one arm around him, shepherded him into the house. “We'll go and have a drink. I've got some of that strawberry shortcake that you like so much.”

“I don't want any blimmin' shortcake!” He ran into his room, slammed the door and threw himself face-down on the bed.

He lay there, sobbing into his pillow, but the rage he'd felt at his loss was fading already. He tried to hang on to it, kicked his feet and wailed a bit, but it was no use – it had gone.

Now he was thinking about the way he'd carried on, in front of his brothers even – they were never going to let him foreget that. He made a right fool of himself, crying like a big baby. Cade didn't. He hadn't cried at all until their faces were buried on each other's shoulders.

It looked like Cade wasn't anywhere near as upset as he was. Damm him anyway! Who'd he think he was, acting all grown-up and everything? If he was trying to make Jayden look bad, well - it worked.

He knew what he was doing – talking himself into getting angry with Cade so he wouldn't have to look at how stupid he'd looked himself. But he did it anyway – it helped.

He lay in his room for the rest of the morning. Sooner or later he'd have to go out and face his family, he'd rather it was later. He just knew how they were all going to be. His mother would be all kind and caring and soppy, but his dad would tell him to harden-up and be a man. Granddad would crack a joke and try to make him smile and his brothers – well. If they laughed at him they were going to be sorry! A bloody nose or two would put a stop to that.

At first, he thought he'd stay and hide in his room forever, but his mother and his grumbling, empty stomach called him out of there at lunchtime. His brothers didn't say anything, they'd probably been told not to, but the adults were all just how he knew they would be. His sister said nothing either, but she was just little and if it didn't affect her, she didn't care.

He sat shovelling the food into his mouth. The sooner he could get out of there and back to his room, the better.

“Slow down, Jayden,” his mother protested. “You'll give yourself a guts-ache. There's no hurry to be finished.”

“There's not,” he nodded. “I've got all day, nothing to do and no-one to do it with.”

“No Cade, you mean. That's going to be a big adjustment for you. You'll just have to find a new bestfriend.”

“I don't want a new bestfriend. I want Cade.”

“Cade has gone, Jayden. They're probably in Auckland by now.”

“He said that he's coming back.”

“Maybe. But it's not up to him, is it? His dad will be working over there, so that's where they'll all be living from now on. But, who knows what the future might bring? They might come back one day, they might not.”

“Cade could come back for the holidays. He could stay with us.”

“He could, if he wanted to, but I doubt it. It's a long way from Australia.”