Page 8 of S.O.S. Billboard

There was a moment of silence before…

“Nothing. Forget it.”

Damn.Billboard would have to let that go. It wasn’t exactly the time to pry since he was attempting to build trust with the boy, so he changed tracks.

“Hey Ethan? What about self-defense?” BB asked casually.

“Uh, what about it?” came the slightly confused reply.

“Well, you’ve got your evasion techniques down pretty good, but what if, like me, a bad guy is able to follow your trail. Don’t you think having a few skills that will help you fight someone off would also be a good thing?”

“You… You can teach me that stuff?” Ethan’s voice came back cautiously excited.

“I sure can. I have mad skills, you know,” he said somewhat pompously, which got the laugh he wanted from Ethan. “I’m not kidding,” he added. “One of my teammates, Prez, has two daughters, Rainie and Lakisha who are fourteen. We taught them everything they need to know about staying safe.”

“Do they… Do they have survival skills, too?” Now Ethan sounded hopeful. It suddenly occurred to Billboard that perhaps the boy was a little too “outside the box” to have made many good friends, and was looking for similarly aged kids with whom to share his adventures.

“They havesome,” Billboard admitted. “But nothing like you.” He was being honest with Ethan. “I’ll bet if we get approval from their parents, we can show Rainie and Lakisha some of the things we both know, then they can fill you in on some hand-to-hand.” And they would, with relish. The pair—ever since their kidnapping by a deranged zealot—were all about situational awareness. Which made Billboard think…

Mizzay’s niece, Rory—of whom their office manager now had custody—might also like to participate. Rory was just Ethan’s age, and he could easily see the pair becoming friends.

“There’s also Rory,” Billboard put in lightly. “She’s another of my co-workers’ kids. She’s twelve, and she’s always up for an adventure.”

Yeah.Rory had been held by the terrorists, too, and it had taken some intense therapy, but the girl was feeling more intrepid every day. Living with Mizzay, Billboard figured, was an excellent example of what strength looked like, because Mizzay was one of the toughest women he knew.

“They won’t think I’m…weird?” Ethan asked, and Billboard’s heart almost broke at the hope in that question. Clearly, the boy was misunderstood by his peers.

BB, himself, had been teased unmercifully at Ethan’s age, and he would have killed for just one good friend.

“Are you kidding?” BB scoffed. “Once the three of them hear that you sent me crashing into a hidden hole, and that I spent a really long time tracking you, they’ll be falling all over themselves to be your friend.”

The girls were amazing examples of what goodness and kindness should look like in today’s oft-time jaded youth. Once they heard that Ethan had no friends, they’d make him feel included, no matter what.

The bushes quivered, then the branches parted to reveal a small, but very good-looking boy. His big brown eyes, behind large, black-framed glasses, blinked toward Billboard in seeming astonishment as he took him in.

“You’re huge,” he finally said.

Billboard shrugged, maintaining his relaxed position on the boulder. “That’s why I’m called, Billboard. Because I’m pretty big. But I wasn’t always. As a matter of fact, all the way through high school, I was what people called a pipsqueak. It wasn’t until I joined the Marines that I bulked up.” He chuckled. “Do you know that at the last school reunion I attended, nobody even knew who I was?” Which was for the best. He’d never hadanything in common with his schoolmates, and he’d simply gone to confirm that he’d remembered those years correctly.

His foray into nostalgia was a one-and-done. As far as Billboard was concerned, he never had to attend another reunion as long as he lived.

Ethan took a few steps more in BB’s direction. “So I might…?”

“You never know, kid. You could grow up to be as big as me, or bigger. But I’ll tell you something.” He tapped his temple. “It’s what’s up here that really makes the difference, and you’ve got that totally nailed. So don’t listen to the haters. They’re probably just intimidated by how smart you are.”

In retrospect—and with a little help from Doc Ed—Billboard had figured that out abouthisyoung self.

“Yeah. I guess.” Ethan kicked at a rock, and his blond hair—a little long in the front—fell across his eyes. He swept it back in a well-practiced motion. “So, can you start teaching me fighting stuff, like right now?” he added, hopefully.

It was tempting, but Billboard needed to be the adult here and get Ethan home safely. “Not today, Ethan. Right now, I need to call your mother and my office, and tell them I’ve located you.” He didn’t say “found”, because Ethan had truly never been lost.

“I get it.” Ethan kicked another rock. “Can I… Can I talk to Mom and apologize?”

Billboard nodded solemnly, reaching into his pocket to extract his phone. “That might be a good idea, for starters. Although I’m pretty sure it won’t get you out of any punishment she has planned.”

“Nope,” Ethan agreed, before a grin finally broke out across the boy’s face. “But it might make it easier.”

Billboard chuckled. “It might.”

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