Survival of the Unfit

Chapter 40

Levi

The door opened, a tired Mr. Swanson standing rather shocked with his reading glasses still on. “Levi, hello.”

“Good evening Mr. Swanson,” I politely responded, smiling, trying not to be shy, messing with the letter in my hand. “Er, how are you?” Oh, for god’s sake Levi.

“Good, good,” Mr. Swanson replied to my dumb question nonetheless, opening the door wider. He glanced behind him, and then back to me questionably, voice lowered. “You do know that April’s at work right now?”

I stood up straighter and tried to regain some confidence. “I’m aware. But I came to talk to you, sir.” I wrung my hands together as he pursed his lips. “Very quickly, if you weren’t busy.”

He leaned into me and lowered his voice. “Does this pertain to what I know about you?” 

I nodded my head in response, and he ushered me inside. Shifting my weight from foot to foot, I stood in the living room while he disappeared upstairs. I realized I had dressed in all dark colors unconsciously, and didn’t plan on looking like a punk. 

But he came back down and sat in his recliner at a leisurely pace, leaning back with his hands folded in front of him. He stared at me with intrigue, interest, like an amoeba under a microscope. His eyes were narrowed, and I felt nervous since I hadn’t really planned on being invited into their house. Course I still feared Mr. Swanson more than anything after that first encounter, despite being quick enough on my feet to think of a polite, witty response in time. I just wanted to drop off a letter.

“Levi Wolfe,” Mr. Swanson slowly said, nodding his head thoughtfully. “The hero of the North.”

I swallowed hard. “I don’t take the title lightly.”

Mr. Swanson didn’t respond for a moment, only stared. And then he gestured to the couch and commanded, “Sit.”

I sat and kept my elbows on my knees, hands folded in front of me. I knew I needed to do this. No matter how pissed April would be, how angry or upset or mad or the amount of trouble I’d be in for having this conversation with her father, I knew it had to happen.

“There’s a lot of talk about you down at the station,” Mr. Swanson said, leaning back in his recliner, still staring at me wonderingly. “You do quite a bit of damage on the crime around here. And not just the trait deal either.” He held his hands up and smiled. “You’re famous.”

I wrung my hands together, nervously. “Thank you, sir.”

He waved me off. “Don’t mention it, don’t mention it. But,” he locked his eyes onto mine, and his voice lowered, “Why are you here?”

I exhaled deeply and flicked the letter a few times, staring at it. I didn’t label it, too shy even for that. Adults are scary, even though I am…one. I am…adult. Yes.

“Levi?” Mr. Swanson asked again, leaning forward unsurely.

I shook my head around and held the letter out to him before I could second guess myself. “Can you make sure April gets that after Saturday?” I asked.

He took with a small smile. “Of course.” He picked his book off the bedside table and slipped the letter in between the pages, carefully setting it back on the coffee table. A bittersweet emotion ran through me the more I looked at it, but Mr. Swanson spoke back up. “Why, might I ask?”

And so, with another deep exhale, I told him. “I’m taking a big risk tomorrow night, and the letter…” I drifted off and stared at it once again, peeking out from Stephen King’s Under the Dome. “It’s just important she gets it.”