Chapter 14 - The Milestone
On a crisp October afternoon, one year after the truth had been revealed on the kitchen floor, Evan came home from school with an official envelope from the high school athletic department.
He burst through the front door, his sneakers thumping against the hardwood hallway.
"Mom! Mom, look at this!" he shouted.
I came out of the home office, wiping my hands on a dish towel. "What is it?"
He handed me the paper. It was an acceptance letter for the county's Junior Competitive Mountain Biking Team—a selective regional team that traveled across the state to compete on specialized trail courses.
"They had open trials last weekend," Evan admitted, flushing slightly. "I didn't want to tell you until I knew if I made it."
"Evan! That’s incredible!" I pulled him into a tight hug.
"The coach said my bike was in perfect mechanical condition," Evan smiled proudly. "And he said I had more endurance on the uphill climbs than almost anyone else."
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I looked at him, remembering the long, steep hill he had climbed every Saturday after working five hours at the diner.
"You've been training for this for a long time, Evan," I said softly. "Even when you didn't know it."
