Colorado Christmas by C. C. Coburn

his classmates picked on him. Will’s heart had gone out to the little guy. Nick would be an easy target for bullies. It made Will doubly determined to spend time with him, to try to build up his self-confidence so he wouldn’t be such an obvious mark.
    “Maybe we could start those swimming lessons during the holidays,” Will said.
    “I don’t know if I can get to the pool. My mom is looking for an after-school and vacation caregiver for me, but she hasn’t got anyone yet. The problem is, she expects everyone to be as good at everything as she is, so I don’t think she’s ever going to find anyone,” he said and sighed like an old man.
    Will fought to keep a straight face. The kid was eight going on eighty.
    “I wish she could find someone who’s fun to be with.” His features brightened as he gazed up at Will. “Someone like you would be perfect. ”
    Jessie waded over to them. “Hey there, Nicolas. Will. You two are becoming friends, aren’t you?”
    Nick giggled and held out his hands to Jessie.
    “You’re doin’ so well, buddy,” Will told him. “You’ll be swimming in no time.”
    Nicolas squealed with delight. “D’you really think so?”
    “If only all my clients had such a positive attitude, my job would be a breeze,” Jessie said, grasping Nick’s hands. She eased him off the side of the pool and into the water.
    “Will you be here when I’m done?” he called as he was towed down the pool.
    “Sure, buddy.”
    Will watched Jessie taking him through his routine for a few minutes. The kid had spunk. He wanted to try everything, too, even though his physical disability precluded him from most sporting activities. Will believed the unbeatable combination of enthusiasm and determination would see Nick learn to swim—and ski. The ski boots would support his legs in asimilar fashion to his leg braces, and if they didn’t, Will was sure he’d be able to rig something that would work.
    Of course, first he’d have to get over his stupid fear of going up the mountain and, second, he’d have to speak to Nick’s mom. The little guy said she didn’t like him doing anything too physical in case he got hurt. Will wondered why, if she was so protective, she wasn’t at the pool every afternoon, supervising his therapy.
     
    W ILL MANAGED FIFTY LAPS without expiring, then joined Nick at the conclusion of his therapy session.
    “Maybe you could apply for the job,” Nick suggested as they sat together on the edge of the pool. “I don’t want to go to the vacation program run by the town.”
    Will pulled his feet out of the pool and wrapped his arms around his knees. “Why not?”
    “’Cause…the bullies will be there,” he said, wiping his face with a corner of his towel and draping it around himself as if seeking protection.
    “I’m sure the program’s got good supervisors,” Will said in an attempt to quell his anxiety.
    “Yeah, right! Just like they’ve got good teachers who always see what the bullies are doing at school.”
    Will had never been bullied, thanks to having older brothers who’d looked out for him. But he was aware that bullies targeted kids who were smaller, physically weaker and unlikely to tell on them for fear of retribution. It wasn’t Nick’s fault he was so smart he was several years ahead of his age group. And it wasn’t Nick’s fault that he had a physical disability. But the combination would be irresistible to schoolyard thugs. Unfortunately, no amount of lecturing about ignoring the bullies was going to work for a kid like Nick, because they’d zero in on his physical disability and taunt him about it till they completely broke his spirit.
    Unable to bear the fear in his eyes, Will put a comforting hand on Nick’s thin shoulder. “You know,” he said, “bullies are weakpeople who’re trying to make other kids feel worse than they do—the bullies, I mean—about themselves. For instance, some kids come from really unhappy homes where bad things