Part 121
Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 4:14 am
CandyliciousLovah: She’s still looking pretty clueless but she said go for it, lol.
Natalie36: We’ll see how long that lasts.
Earth2Mama: Lol, not exactly what Max was expecting to hear coming out of his little girl’s mouth. We can just imagine the look on his face too.
mary mary: Oh, they do know, it’s so true. And they really do like to try out their new words at the best moments!
Alien_Friend: It is fun to get them all together.
Lol, not exactly what Uncle Kyle had in mind.
We’ll be seeing more with the kids in this part.
Cardinal: Kids always pick up on the one thing you don’t want them to repeat.
Rodney: Lol, isn’t that the truth?
Very true... difficult force to try to control.
begonia9508: Thanks!
Lol, Kyle definitely had his own tricks at their age.
The poor guy just has no idea what’s waiting for him at home.
keepsmiling7: Lol, Kyle certainly had that one right.
That would probably do it for anyone!
Part 121
“Hey, Evans,” Bradley Simmons called across the park to get Nick’s attention. “Nice game.”
“Thanks, man,” the boy called back and jogged over to join his family. The Sunday afternoon game had been very successful for the home team, so everyone was in a real good mood for the barbeque. “When’re the burgers gonna ready?”
“You’d think we never feed him,” Liz rolled her eyes when she overheard her son’s question and saw the greedy look on his face.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ve got tons of food and your boy’s really no different than ours,” Rick’s mother, Anna Winter, told her with a wink.
“Do you think their appetites will slow down once they’re all grown up?”
“I hope so because at some point they’ll start to gain weight,” the other woman chuckled.
Liz glanced at her husband, watching him for a moment as he and some of the other dads laughed at something as they stood gathered around the grill. Up until a few months ago they had jogged together regularly and even though he was in great shape and nowhere close to being overweight, she could tell that he had added a couple of pounds.
Justin wandered around the picnic tables, checking out the food everyone had brought. Some of it looked pretty good and some of it… He leaned over the table to look into a large bowl and made a face. Ben’s mom always brought some weird tofu dish that no one but her ate. Lucky wouldn’t even touch the stuff, and if the dog wouldn’t eat it that had to say something. He snorted and moved on.
“What the hell is that?” Andy asked, pointing at the large green bowl.
“Tofu somethin’-or-other. Ben’s mom made it and if I were you I’d steer clear of it. That’s some nasty shit, man.”
Andy frowned and poked the bowl, grossed out when the strange substance jiggled. “Is it supposed to do that?”
“I don’t know.” He glanced over his shoulder, making sure the woman wasn’t nearby. “Last year Ben said she made a turkey outta that stuff for Thanksgiving.”
“Disgusting. You gotta feel bad for the guy if he’s gotta eat that crap. It doesn’t count if it’s not a real turkey.” He moved away from the strange food and spotted Mom’s banana pudding. “Now that’s more like it.”
“Yo, Evans,” another boy called as he joined them from the opposite side of the table.
Andy looked up and nodded at Rick Winter, one of the guys on the football team. “What’s up, Winter?”
Rick nodded at something behind his teammate as he grinned. “What’s up with your mom an’ Mr. G, dude? They’re lookin’ pretty tight.”
Damn it, he thought when Rick pointed out what he had prayed would just kinda go unnoticed. “Don’t know…” he mumbled.
“You don’t know?” Sam asked when she overheard her boyfriend’s comment as she sat down on the opposite of the table with a plate full of salad.
Andy rolled her eyes at her and glanced at Rick, who was now joined by Daniel, one of the basketball players. “My mom and Michael are together,” he finally said out loud since there was no way around it anyway. “And before anyone asks, NO, I didn’t try to use that as an advantage to get on the team.”
Rick snorted. “Nobody said ya did, Evans.”
“Hell, I couldn’t care less as long as you keep playin’ the way you have been,” Daniel agreed with his friend.
Andy looked up to watch his mom and Michael. They were still holding back, trying to not be too obvious about it, but well… everyone could see they were totally flirting. “She could’ve gotten someone worse I guess,” he said with a shrug.
“Mr. G’s pretty cool,” Daniel said and took a step closer. “I’d exchange him for my stepfather at anytime, but don’t tell him that.”
Sam snorted at that, glad that his teammates were obviously okay with the situation because like Andy she had been a bit worried about their reactions too. You never knew about people and their weird way of thinking. “That went over well,” she whispered at him when the guys went on with another conversation.
Andy just looked at her with the slightest nod before he focused his eyes on her plate. “Why’re you eating all that salad crap? This way you won’t be hungry for the meat anymore.”
She just shrugged. “I like salad and you shouldn’t eat too much red meat anyway.”
“Uh-huh, that you talkin’ or the health nazi?” he asked, nodding at Principal Russell where she was standing next to Sam’s dad, talking to another couple.
Sam stuck her tongue out at him. “Totally me. Dad tries to make sure we eat meals that’re nutritionally balanced and when he cooks at least the food doesn’t taste like you’re chewing on an old cardboard box.”
Andy snickered at her description of the principal’s cooking skills. “Well, if I ever get invited over to your house for dinner, do me a favor and make sure your dad does the cooking.” He focused his attention on his girlfriend again. “So, would you be okay with it if they like, I don’t know, moved in together or got married?”
She lifted her head to watch them for a moment before going back to her salad. “Why not? He’s really happy and she’s actually pretty cool. I think everyone’s pretty much gotten over the whole ‘hey, your dad’s dating the principal’ thing so now it’s old news.” She stabbed a piece of lettuce and a cherry tomato, dragging them through the Ranch dressing as she glanced up at him. His chin was resting on his folded arms, his head turned to watch his mom and the guidance counselor. “What about you, Andy?”
“Mom looks happy, doesn’t she?” he mumbled.
“She does,” Sam agreed, “but I didn’t ask about her, did I?”
He turned his head slightly to look at her. “I don’t wanna be in the way. Sometimes it’s still hard to see her with someone other than my dad, but I know she was ready to move on and I don’t want her to hold back because of me…”
“Your mom never wanted to hurt you with it, Andy.”
“I know,” he assured her. “And I’m not holding it against her that she wanted someone new in her life. Telling her it wasn’t okay wouldn’t have made either of us happy.” He looked at Mom when she laughed at something Michael said. And she deserved to be happy, he added in his thoughts.
“So Michael moving in, marriage… maybe a new baby… what would you think about that?”
Andy made a face. “I’d rather think about it when it actually comes up,” he said, knowing that he’d have to deal with it sooner or later and he would try to handle it better than he had handled things after Dad’s accident.
“Well, you have me,” Sam winked, “I’ll keep you in line.”
He snorted. “I’m sure.”
Nick mimicked the sound of a whip cracking and all the guys at the table started laughing. He only laughed harder when his cousin tried to kick him under the table and kicked Justin instead.
“What’s so funny?”
Andy smirked when Sarah came up behind Nick and he started motioning for the guys to play it cool.
“Just givin’ Evans shit for bein’ so whipped,” Rick said as he coated his burger with ketchup.
Sarah rested a hand lightly on her boyfriend’s shoulder and leaned in closer to him. “And why do you think it’s funny that he does things when Sam asks? Or that he listens to what she has to say?”
“Uh…” he tipped his head back to look up at her, grinning at her in the hope that she’d forget all about her questions. “See the game?”
“Don’t try to distract, Nicky,” Sam said, amused.
The boy made a face. “Who said you could call me names?”
“Calling you Nicky isn’t really calling you names,” she denied and jumped up from her seat, when he moved, indicating he planned to go after her. “Leave me alone.”
“Boys,” Rick’s dad shouted from the grill. “Burgers, steaks and dogs are ready.”
“Finally something real to eat,” Andy muttered and got up, taking his plate and then hesitating before leaving. “You want me to get something for you?” he asked his girlfriend.
“Yeah,” Sam sat down again and bit her lip. “I think I’ll take a burger, thanks.”
“Alright,” he nodded and turned to leave, well aware of the glares Jenny and Sarah aimed at the twins since they hadn’t bothered to ask them before taking off. He grinned on his way to the grill – maybe he was a bit whipped, but at least he knew what to do to make his girlfriend happy. And having a happy girlfriend always had its advantages.
*****
Max frowned at the strand of lights when he plugged them in and the bulbs remained dark. Every year this happened, he thought as he started checking the strand one bulb at a time. It never failed. Oh, they could get those newer light strands companies made nowadays. The ones that let you know right away which bulb wasn’t working because it would be the only one on the strand that wasn’t lit up while its companions were all merrily blinking, but no, Liz loved the old strands they’d had for years. It could get aggravating when multiple strands decided to act up but usually Liz was there with him, checking the bulbs and handing them over so he could hang them. She had more patience for that task and he was content to let her have it.
But it was a beautiful day and the weather forecast was calling for an 80% chance of rain for the next couple of days so he didn’t want to wait around. He could feel the change in the weather coming and once it set in they were likely to be seeing the cold for the next few months and he didn’t want to be on a ladder stringing Christmas lights up while it was cold and windy. He twisted a little blue bulb and the strand blinked for a moment before going dark again. “Uh-huh, you’re the culprit, you little bastard,” he muttered under his breath.
“Hey, Dad,” Justin called as feet tramped through the front hall and a moment later the front door slammed shut.
“In the living room,” he hollered back.
The teenager leaned in the doorway, mindlessly bouncing the basketball in his hand against the wood floor.
The sound was annoying. “Justin.”
“Right, sorry. What’re you doin’?”
“Is that a trick question or do you really not know?” He shook his head and dug around in the sack from the hardware store, pulling out one of the little packages of replacement bulbs.
“Well, where’s Mom? You get all pissed when you do the lights.”
“That’s a bad word,” Kara said as she squeezed between her brother and the doorframe to run into the room. She turned to give him a disapproving look. “You’re all icky.”
Max glanced up at his son, taking in the sweat-stained tank top and the damp hair that was standing up in short spikes. Before he could say anything Nick crowded into the doorway and hung over Justin’s right shoulder.
“Hey, Dad, are we outta bologna?”
“Yeah, we haven’t made it to the grocery store yet. Have a ham sandwich.” He rolled his eyes when the boy made a face. He checked his watch. “Go order a pizza.” He chuckled when the boys took off in search of the number for the local pizza place and was tearing the package open when he realized Andy was standing there watching him. “How’s it goin’, Andy?”
“Uncle Max,” he said slowly.
His nephew looked like his own boys, sweaty and rumpled. “You played a great game the other night.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, it was okay.”
“Andy.” He shifted to look at the boy, raising his right leg and bending it at the knee so he could rest his forearm on it. “Your dad wanted you to be happy more than anything. He pushed you to be the best and I know he wasn’t crazy about basketball, but the night before he – “
“I’m gonna go help the guys.”
Max sighed and shook his head, rolling one of the tiny bulbs between his thumb and forefinger as his thoughts took him back to that night.
They had been silent for a while, each lost in his own thoughts in the wake of Andrew’s revelation that he and Maria were considering a trial separation. He had gotten up to stoke the fire and make a pot of coffee. It was mainly something to do to keep him busy because he didn’t know what to say to help his big brother.
“Max, what do you think of basketball?”
He had leaned back on his heels when Andrew’s quiet voice cut through the stillness. “Say what?”
“Basketball, what do you think about it?”
He had stared at his brother uncomprehendingly. “I think it’s a sport I don’t mind playin’ in the driveway or at the park but I’d never be interested in playin’ it for any other reason. Why?”
“I always thought Andy would play football, you know? Be the high school football star like his old man. He’s got the ability and the kid throws a sweet pass but there’s no passion for the sport.” He had shaken his head and uncapped the flask in his hand to take a drink. “He could be better than I ever was if he just applied himself.”
Max had settled back into his spot and stretched his long legs out, crossing his feet at the ankles. “Hell, Drew, Andy’s always had a preference for basketball.”
“Yeah, just thought he’d outgrow that.” He had sighed and run a hand through his hair as he tipped his head back to stare up at the sky. “Maria says I need to accept it and support him.”
“She’s right.”
Andrew had lowered his head slowly and his gaze had leveled on his younger brother. “It feels like he’s slipping away.”
“He’s growin’ up, Drew. We were the same way at his age.”
“Yeah, I guess. You’re lucky, your boys love football.”
Max had chuckled and shrugged. “They do,” he agreed.
“Yeah, I know,” Andrew said with a snort. “They could be into cooking or some shit like that and you’d be proud.”
“Does it really matter as long as they’re happy?” Max had asked.
He sighed. “I wanted to have the kinda relationship with him that I had with Dad, you know?”
“Hell, big brother, aim higher than that. You’ve always had the best relationship with our parents but if you think about it you’ll remember that Dad was most supportive when we were doin’ what he thought was best. Andy loves basketball and you basically hate it, but maybe you should just accept that at least you have a common love of sports. The boy loves you, Drew, he practically worships the ground you walk on, and he’ll do anything he can to please you.” He had stretched his leg out to nudge his brother. “Don’t be like Dad, be better than that.”
Andrew had stared into the fire thoughtfully. He had never understood the point of basketball. Football, hockey, and baseball, those were real sports. Basketball ranked up there with things like golf and tennis, and he didn’t understand the point. He had glanced at his brother and caught Max watching him. “You’re right,” he had admitted finally. “Andy enjoys basketball and it makes him happy, and that’s the most important thing.”
But Andrew had missed the opportunity to share that with his son.
“Daddy?”
Max blinked, bringing his gaze back into focus and he lifted his head to look at Kara. She was leaning against his shoulder, her face close to his as she stared at him.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, baby girl, I’m fine.”
“You look sad.”
“Just old memories.” He shook them off and smiled reassuringly at her. “We’re just about ready to put the lights up,” he said as he threaded the thin wires through the little plastic holder, seating the bulb and then pressing the wires into place. He pressed the holder into place and the strand of lights lit up. He smiled when Kara squealed in delight and clapped her hands.
“They’re pretty!” she exclaimed. “But these are the little ones, Daddy. They don’t go outside.”
“No, but they do go around the windows inside the house so I figured it’d save time to just get them all ready now.”
She walked around him to look at the strands of lights all lying on the floor in neat coils. “Do you gotta put all these up?”
“Yeah, but it won’t be too bad.” He had already been up on the ladder and checked all of the fasteners he had installed the year before. He’d only had to replace a couple and after the hours he’d put in last year he knew hanging the lights would take considerably less time than it normally did.
“I can help you.”
“Pizza’s here!” Nick yelled from the kitchen. “Hey, Dad, where’s the money?”
Max shifted and pulled his wallet out to slide out a few bills and hand them to Kara. “Take this to your brother and then you have something to eat.”
“Can’t I eat with you?”
“Alright, but after lunch I want you to stay with the boys while I put the lights up, okay?”
She sighed. “Okay.”
“Go on now. And tell Justin to come in here for a minute.” He smiled when she scampered off to the kitchen, hollering for her brother before she had even made it out of the room.
“What’s up, Dad?” Justin asked a moment later, the words mumbled around a mouthful of pizza.
“Did you even wait to get in the house with that pizza before you started eating?” He shook his head when his son just shrugged. “After lunch I want you boys to keep an eye on Kara so I don’t have to worry about her being underfoot while I’m up on the roof.”
“But Dad, we were gonna watch the game.” He took another bite of his pizza and nodded when Dad just looked at him. “Okay, we’ll watch her too. When’s Mom gonna be home?”
“Her drama class lets out around 3pm.”
“Cool, so when she gets home we can take off?” Maybe they could go over to Andy’s house and catch the next game without any interruptions.
Max laughed and nodded. “Yeah, as long as Mom doesn’t have anything for you to do you can take off.” He listened to the grumbling as the boy turned to leave but before long Justin was busy discussing which of them had the best jump shot.
*****
Max leaned forward and pressed the cord into the fastener, his left hand gripping the ladder as he stretched out and snapped a few more into place. There had to be an easier way to do this, he thought as he climbed back down. He made the climb once more and repeated the process, cursing under his breath when the wind caught the strand, making it swing back and smack into the ladder.
“Damn it,” he muttered when a green bulb shattered on impact and he pulled it up so he could unscrew what was left of the bulb. He shook his head and snapped the strand into place before climbing down and cleaning up the shards on the ground. He carried it all inside and disposed of it, washing his hands, and then going into the living room to find a box of replacement bulbs. The television was playing loudly and he watched the halftime report for a few minutes before grabbing the bulb he needed and heading back outside.
He could hear the kids out in the backyard as he walked into the kitchen to grab a drink before heading back outside. He was humming under his breath when he stepped out on the front porch and barely missed being knocked over when he crossed the yard and Justin ran past him to catch the ball his cousin had just thrown.
“Did you see that catch, Dad?” the teenager shouted as he held the ball over his head and grinned widely.
“Yeah, I saw it.” He glanced at the other two boys as they came into view and he frowned when he didn’t see his youngest. “Where’s your sister?”
“Uh…” Justin looked at Nick.
“She was with us just a second ago, right?”
“Damn it, I told you to watch her!” Max ran to the corner of the house and his heart stopped in his chest when he saw Kara nearly a quarter of the way up the ladder he had extended to reach the highest point of the roof. He was suddenly staring down at his brother as he slipped from his grasp and his blood roared through his veins, the sound blocking everything else out. He rushed forward, panic making him blind to the fact that screaming her name would startle her. All he saw was her jerking around to look at him, her eyes wide as she made a grab for the rail and missed, upsetting her balance.
His eyes widened as she fell backwards, her little limbs flailing as she tried uselessly to catch herself. He felt her land in his arms, pulled her in tight against his chest, and sank to the ground.
“Dad?” Nick moved closer to Dad, not knowing how to handle the situation. His entire body was shaking uncontrollably and Kara was screaming and crying, trying to get free. “Dad, you gotta let her go,” he said as he tried to pry his sister free from Dad’s iron grip. “Dad, Kara’s scared, let go of her.” He didn’t think she was being hurt, was pretty sure she was just scared by the fall and Dad’s reaction, but he didn’t know what to do when he couldn’t get Dad to respond. “Justin, go call Mom!”
“Maybe I could help get her loose – “
“Go call Mom now!” He crouched down so he could see Kara’s face. “Kara, hey, baby girl, look at me.” He reached out to touch her face and jumped back when Dad struck out, pushing him away.
Justin turned and ran into the house while Andy looked on. “What’s wrong with him?” he asked, uneasy with his uncle’s behavior. Kara was crying harder and his uncle was rocking back and forth, his eyes staring straight ahead but somehow he didn’t think he was seeing Nick. The look in Uncle Max’s eyes was… empty and it terrified him. He had seen that look before and he stood there, rooted to the spot, unable to help his cousins or run away.
“Mom should be here in about five minutes,” Justin said as he ran back outside. “What should we do?”
“I don’t know,” Nick shouted, his fear emerging as anger.
Natalie36: We’ll see how long that lasts.
Earth2Mama: Lol, not exactly what Max was expecting to hear coming out of his little girl’s mouth. We can just imagine the look on his face too.
mary mary: Oh, they do know, it’s so true. And they really do like to try out their new words at the best moments!
Alien_Friend: It is fun to get them all together.
Lol, not exactly what Uncle Kyle had in mind.
We’ll be seeing more with the kids in this part.
Cardinal: Kids always pick up on the one thing you don’t want them to repeat.
Rodney: Lol, isn’t that the truth?
Very true... difficult force to try to control.
begonia9508: Thanks!
Lol, Kyle definitely had his own tricks at their age.
The poor guy just has no idea what’s waiting for him at home.
keepsmiling7: Lol, Kyle certainly had that one right.
That would probably do it for anyone!
Part 121
“Hey, Evans,” Bradley Simmons called across the park to get Nick’s attention. “Nice game.”
“Thanks, man,” the boy called back and jogged over to join his family. The Sunday afternoon game had been very successful for the home team, so everyone was in a real good mood for the barbeque. “When’re the burgers gonna ready?”
“You’d think we never feed him,” Liz rolled her eyes when she overheard her son’s question and saw the greedy look on his face.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ve got tons of food and your boy’s really no different than ours,” Rick’s mother, Anna Winter, told her with a wink.
“Do you think their appetites will slow down once they’re all grown up?”
“I hope so because at some point they’ll start to gain weight,” the other woman chuckled.
Liz glanced at her husband, watching him for a moment as he and some of the other dads laughed at something as they stood gathered around the grill. Up until a few months ago they had jogged together regularly and even though he was in great shape and nowhere close to being overweight, she could tell that he had added a couple of pounds.
Justin wandered around the picnic tables, checking out the food everyone had brought. Some of it looked pretty good and some of it… He leaned over the table to look into a large bowl and made a face. Ben’s mom always brought some weird tofu dish that no one but her ate. Lucky wouldn’t even touch the stuff, and if the dog wouldn’t eat it that had to say something. He snorted and moved on.
“What the hell is that?” Andy asked, pointing at the large green bowl.
“Tofu somethin’-or-other. Ben’s mom made it and if I were you I’d steer clear of it. That’s some nasty shit, man.”
Andy frowned and poked the bowl, grossed out when the strange substance jiggled. “Is it supposed to do that?”
“I don’t know.” He glanced over his shoulder, making sure the woman wasn’t nearby. “Last year Ben said she made a turkey outta that stuff for Thanksgiving.”
“Disgusting. You gotta feel bad for the guy if he’s gotta eat that crap. It doesn’t count if it’s not a real turkey.” He moved away from the strange food and spotted Mom’s banana pudding. “Now that’s more like it.”
“Yo, Evans,” another boy called as he joined them from the opposite side of the table.
Andy looked up and nodded at Rick Winter, one of the guys on the football team. “What’s up, Winter?”
Rick nodded at something behind his teammate as he grinned. “What’s up with your mom an’ Mr. G, dude? They’re lookin’ pretty tight.”
Damn it, he thought when Rick pointed out what he had prayed would just kinda go unnoticed. “Don’t know…” he mumbled.
“You don’t know?” Sam asked when she overheard her boyfriend’s comment as she sat down on the opposite of the table with a plate full of salad.
Andy rolled her eyes at her and glanced at Rick, who was now joined by Daniel, one of the basketball players. “My mom and Michael are together,” he finally said out loud since there was no way around it anyway. “And before anyone asks, NO, I didn’t try to use that as an advantage to get on the team.”
Rick snorted. “Nobody said ya did, Evans.”
“Hell, I couldn’t care less as long as you keep playin’ the way you have been,” Daniel agreed with his friend.
Andy looked up to watch his mom and Michael. They were still holding back, trying to not be too obvious about it, but well… everyone could see they were totally flirting. “She could’ve gotten someone worse I guess,” he said with a shrug.
“Mr. G’s pretty cool,” Daniel said and took a step closer. “I’d exchange him for my stepfather at anytime, but don’t tell him that.”
Sam snorted at that, glad that his teammates were obviously okay with the situation because like Andy she had been a bit worried about their reactions too. You never knew about people and their weird way of thinking. “That went over well,” she whispered at him when the guys went on with another conversation.
Andy just looked at her with the slightest nod before he focused his eyes on her plate. “Why’re you eating all that salad crap? This way you won’t be hungry for the meat anymore.”
She just shrugged. “I like salad and you shouldn’t eat too much red meat anyway.”
“Uh-huh, that you talkin’ or the health nazi?” he asked, nodding at Principal Russell where she was standing next to Sam’s dad, talking to another couple.
Sam stuck her tongue out at him. “Totally me. Dad tries to make sure we eat meals that’re nutritionally balanced and when he cooks at least the food doesn’t taste like you’re chewing on an old cardboard box.”
Andy snickered at her description of the principal’s cooking skills. “Well, if I ever get invited over to your house for dinner, do me a favor and make sure your dad does the cooking.” He focused his attention on his girlfriend again. “So, would you be okay with it if they like, I don’t know, moved in together or got married?”
She lifted her head to watch them for a moment before going back to her salad. “Why not? He’s really happy and she’s actually pretty cool. I think everyone’s pretty much gotten over the whole ‘hey, your dad’s dating the principal’ thing so now it’s old news.” She stabbed a piece of lettuce and a cherry tomato, dragging them through the Ranch dressing as she glanced up at him. His chin was resting on his folded arms, his head turned to watch his mom and the guidance counselor. “What about you, Andy?”
“Mom looks happy, doesn’t she?” he mumbled.
“She does,” Sam agreed, “but I didn’t ask about her, did I?”
He turned his head slightly to look at her. “I don’t wanna be in the way. Sometimes it’s still hard to see her with someone other than my dad, but I know she was ready to move on and I don’t want her to hold back because of me…”
“Your mom never wanted to hurt you with it, Andy.”
“I know,” he assured her. “And I’m not holding it against her that she wanted someone new in her life. Telling her it wasn’t okay wouldn’t have made either of us happy.” He looked at Mom when she laughed at something Michael said. And she deserved to be happy, he added in his thoughts.
“So Michael moving in, marriage… maybe a new baby… what would you think about that?”
Andy made a face. “I’d rather think about it when it actually comes up,” he said, knowing that he’d have to deal with it sooner or later and he would try to handle it better than he had handled things after Dad’s accident.
“Well, you have me,” Sam winked, “I’ll keep you in line.”
He snorted. “I’m sure.”
Nick mimicked the sound of a whip cracking and all the guys at the table started laughing. He only laughed harder when his cousin tried to kick him under the table and kicked Justin instead.
“What’s so funny?”
Andy smirked when Sarah came up behind Nick and he started motioning for the guys to play it cool.
“Just givin’ Evans shit for bein’ so whipped,” Rick said as he coated his burger with ketchup.
Sarah rested a hand lightly on her boyfriend’s shoulder and leaned in closer to him. “And why do you think it’s funny that he does things when Sam asks? Or that he listens to what she has to say?”
“Uh…” he tipped his head back to look up at her, grinning at her in the hope that she’d forget all about her questions. “See the game?”
“Don’t try to distract, Nicky,” Sam said, amused.
The boy made a face. “Who said you could call me names?”
“Calling you Nicky isn’t really calling you names,” she denied and jumped up from her seat, when he moved, indicating he planned to go after her. “Leave me alone.”
“Boys,” Rick’s dad shouted from the grill. “Burgers, steaks and dogs are ready.”
“Finally something real to eat,” Andy muttered and got up, taking his plate and then hesitating before leaving. “You want me to get something for you?” he asked his girlfriend.
“Yeah,” Sam sat down again and bit her lip. “I think I’ll take a burger, thanks.”
“Alright,” he nodded and turned to leave, well aware of the glares Jenny and Sarah aimed at the twins since they hadn’t bothered to ask them before taking off. He grinned on his way to the grill – maybe he was a bit whipped, but at least he knew what to do to make his girlfriend happy. And having a happy girlfriend always had its advantages.
*****
Max frowned at the strand of lights when he plugged them in and the bulbs remained dark. Every year this happened, he thought as he started checking the strand one bulb at a time. It never failed. Oh, they could get those newer light strands companies made nowadays. The ones that let you know right away which bulb wasn’t working because it would be the only one on the strand that wasn’t lit up while its companions were all merrily blinking, but no, Liz loved the old strands they’d had for years. It could get aggravating when multiple strands decided to act up but usually Liz was there with him, checking the bulbs and handing them over so he could hang them. She had more patience for that task and he was content to let her have it.
But it was a beautiful day and the weather forecast was calling for an 80% chance of rain for the next couple of days so he didn’t want to wait around. He could feel the change in the weather coming and once it set in they were likely to be seeing the cold for the next few months and he didn’t want to be on a ladder stringing Christmas lights up while it was cold and windy. He twisted a little blue bulb and the strand blinked for a moment before going dark again. “Uh-huh, you’re the culprit, you little bastard,” he muttered under his breath.
“Hey, Dad,” Justin called as feet tramped through the front hall and a moment later the front door slammed shut.
“In the living room,” he hollered back.
The teenager leaned in the doorway, mindlessly bouncing the basketball in his hand against the wood floor.
The sound was annoying. “Justin.”
“Right, sorry. What’re you doin’?”
“Is that a trick question or do you really not know?” He shook his head and dug around in the sack from the hardware store, pulling out one of the little packages of replacement bulbs.
“Well, where’s Mom? You get all pissed when you do the lights.”
“That’s a bad word,” Kara said as she squeezed between her brother and the doorframe to run into the room. She turned to give him a disapproving look. “You’re all icky.”
Max glanced up at his son, taking in the sweat-stained tank top and the damp hair that was standing up in short spikes. Before he could say anything Nick crowded into the doorway and hung over Justin’s right shoulder.
“Hey, Dad, are we outta bologna?”
“Yeah, we haven’t made it to the grocery store yet. Have a ham sandwich.” He rolled his eyes when the boy made a face. He checked his watch. “Go order a pizza.” He chuckled when the boys took off in search of the number for the local pizza place and was tearing the package open when he realized Andy was standing there watching him. “How’s it goin’, Andy?”
“Uncle Max,” he said slowly.
His nephew looked like his own boys, sweaty and rumpled. “You played a great game the other night.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, it was okay.”
“Andy.” He shifted to look at the boy, raising his right leg and bending it at the knee so he could rest his forearm on it. “Your dad wanted you to be happy more than anything. He pushed you to be the best and I know he wasn’t crazy about basketball, but the night before he – “
“I’m gonna go help the guys.”
Max sighed and shook his head, rolling one of the tiny bulbs between his thumb and forefinger as his thoughts took him back to that night.
They had been silent for a while, each lost in his own thoughts in the wake of Andrew’s revelation that he and Maria were considering a trial separation. He had gotten up to stoke the fire and make a pot of coffee. It was mainly something to do to keep him busy because he didn’t know what to say to help his big brother.
“Max, what do you think of basketball?”
He had leaned back on his heels when Andrew’s quiet voice cut through the stillness. “Say what?”
“Basketball, what do you think about it?”
He had stared at his brother uncomprehendingly. “I think it’s a sport I don’t mind playin’ in the driveway or at the park but I’d never be interested in playin’ it for any other reason. Why?”
“I always thought Andy would play football, you know? Be the high school football star like his old man. He’s got the ability and the kid throws a sweet pass but there’s no passion for the sport.” He had shaken his head and uncapped the flask in his hand to take a drink. “He could be better than I ever was if he just applied himself.”
Max had settled back into his spot and stretched his long legs out, crossing his feet at the ankles. “Hell, Drew, Andy’s always had a preference for basketball.”
“Yeah, just thought he’d outgrow that.” He had sighed and run a hand through his hair as he tipped his head back to stare up at the sky. “Maria says I need to accept it and support him.”
“She’s right.”
Andrew had lowered his head slowly and his gaze had leveled on his younger brother. “It feels like he’s slipping away.”
“He’s growin’ up, Drew. We were the same way at his age.”
“Yeah, I guess. You’re lucky, your boys love football.”
Max had chuckled and shrugged. “They do,” he agreed.
“Yeah, I know,” Andrew said with a snort. “They could be into cooking or some shit like that and you’d be proud.”
“Does it really matter as long as they’re happy?” Max had asked.
He sighed. “I wanted to have the kinda relationship with him that I had with Dad, you know?”
“Hell, big brother, aim higher than that. You’ve always had the best relationship with our parents but if you think about it you’ll remember that Dad was most supportive when we were doin’ what he thought was best. Andy loves basketball and you basically hate it, but maybe you should just accept that at least you have a common love of sports. The boy loves you, Drew, he practically worships the ground you walk on, and he’ll do anything he can to please you.” He had stretched his leg out to nudge his brother. “Don’t be like Dad, be better than that.”
Andrew had stared into the fire thoughtfully. He had never understood the point of basketball. Football, hockey, and baseball, those were real sports. Basketball ranked up there with things like golf and tennis, and he didn’t understand the point. He had glanced at his brother and caught Max watching him. “You’re right,” he had admitted finally. “Andy enjoys basketball and it makes him happy, and that’s the most important thing.”
But Andrew had missed the opportunity to share that with his son.
“Daddy?”
Max blinked, bringing his gaze back into focus and he lifted his head to look at Kara. She was leaning against his shoulder, her face close to his as she stared at him.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, baby girl, I’m fine.”
“You look sad.”
“Just old memories.” He shook them off and smiled reassuringly at her. “We’re just about ready to put the lights up,” he said as he threaded the thin wires through the little plastic holder, seating the bulb and then pressing the wires into place. He pressed the holder into place and the strand of lights lit up. He smiled when Kara squealed in delight and clapped her hands.
“They’re pretty!” she exclaimed. “But these are the little ones, Daddy. They don’t go outside.”
“No, but they do go around the windows inside the house so I figured it’d save time to just get them all ready now.”
She walked around him to look at the strands of lights all lying on the floor in neat coils. “Do you gotta put all these up?”
“Yeah, but it won’t be too bad.” He had already been up on the ladder and checked all of the fasteners he had installed the year before. He’d only had to replace a couple and after the hours he’d put in last year he knew hanging the lights would take considerably less time than it normally did.
“I can help you.”
“Pizza’s here!” Nick yelled from the kitchen. “Hey, Dad, where’s the money?”
Max shifted and pulled his wallet out to slide out a few bills and hand them to Kara. “Take this to your brother and then you have something to eat.”
“Can’t I eat with you?”
“Alright, but after lunch I want you to stay with the boys while I put the lights up, okay?”
She sighed. “Okay.”
“Go on now. And tell Justin to come in here for a minute.” He smiled when she scampered off to the kitchen, hollering for her brother before she had even made it out of the room.
“What’s up, Dad?” Justin asked a moment later, the words mumbled around a mouthful of pizza.
“Did you even wait to get in the house with that pizza before you started eating?” He shook his head when his son just shrugged. “After lunch I want you boys to keep an eye on Kara so I don’t have to worry about her being underfoot while I’m up on the roof.”
“But Dad, we were gonna watch the game.” He took another bite of his pizza and nodded when Dad just looked at him. “Okay, we’ll watch her too. When’s Mom gonna be home?”
“Her drama class lets out around 3pm.”
“Cool, so when she gets home we can take off?” Maybe they could go over to Andy’s house and catch the next game without any interruptions.
Max laughed and nodded. “Yeah, as long as Mom doesn’t have anything for you to do you can take off.” He listened to the grumbling as the boy turned to leave but before long Justin was busy discussing which of them had the best jump shot.
*****
Max leaned forward and pressed the cord into the fastener, his left hand gripping the ladder as he stretched out and snapped a few more into place. There had to be an easier way to do this, he thought as he climbed back down. He made the climb once more and repeated the process, cursing under his breath when the wind caught the strand, making it swing back and smack into the ladder.
“Damn it,” he muttered when a green bulb shattered on impact and he pulled it up so he could unscrew what was left of the bulb. He shook his head and snapped the strand into place before climbing down and cleaning up the shards on the ground. He carried it all inside and disposed of it, washing his hands, and then going into the living room to find a box of replacement bulbs. The television was playing loudly and he watched the halftime report for a few minutes before grabbing the bulb he needed and heading back outside.
He could hear the kids out in the backyard as he walked into the kitchen to grab a drink before heading back outside. He was humming under his breath when he stepped out on the front porch and barely missed being knocked over when he crossed the yard and Justin ran past him to catch the ball his cousin had just thrown.
“Did you see that catch, Dad?” the teenager shouted as he held the ball over his head and grinned widely.
“Yeah, I saw it.” He glanced at the other two boys as they came into view and he frowned when he didn’t see his youngest. “Where’s your sister?”
“Uh…” Justin looked at Nick.
“She was with us just a second ago, right?”
“Damn it, I told you to watch her!” Max ran to the corner of the house and his heart stopped in his chest when he saw Kara nearly a quarter of the way up the ladder he had extended to reach the highest point of the roof. He was suddenly staring down at his brother as he slipped from his grasp and his blood roared through his veins, the sound blocking everything else out. He rushed forward, panic making him blind to the fact that screaming her name would startle her. All he saw was her jerking around to look at him, her eyes wide as she made a grab for the rail and missed, upsetting her balance.
His eyes widened as she fell backwards, her little limbs flailing as she tried uselessly to catch herself. He felt her land in his arms, pulled her in tight against his chest, and sank to the ground.
“Dad?” Nick moved closer to Dad, not knowing how to handle the situation. His entire body was shaking uncontrollably and Kara was screaming and crying, trying to get free. “Dad, you gotta let her go,” he said as he tried to pry his sister free from Dad’s iron grip. “Dad, Kara’s scared, let go of her.” He didn’t think she was being hurt, was pretty sure she was just scared by the fall and Dad’s reaction, but he didn’t know what to do when he couldn’t get Dad to respond. “Justin, go call Mom!”
“Maybe I could help get her loose – “
“Go call Mom now!” He crouched down so he could see Kara’s face. “Kara, hey, baby girl, look at me.” He reached out to touch her face and jumped back when Dad struck out, pushing him away.
Justin turned and ran into the house while Andy looked on. “What’s wrong with him?” he asked, uneasy with his uncle’s behavior. Kara was crying harder and his uncle was rocking back and forth, his eyes staring straight ahead but somehow he didn’t think he was seeing Nick. The look in Uncle Max’s eyes was… empty and it terrified him. He had seen that look before and he stood there, rooted to the spot, unable to help his cousins or run away.
“Mom should be here in about five minutes,” Justin said as he ran back outside. “What should we do?”
“I don’t know,” Nick shouted, his fear emerging as anger.