Chapter 29 Part 2
Michael read through the instructions for what he guessed was his final leg on the hunt. He was standing next to his workbench in the garage, the thick smell of metal and engine grease heavy in the air. The back door to the garage was open when Michael had reached it and he supposed one of the vineyard workers had been in and out, searching for tools to fix one of the vineyard vehicles.
Michael haphazardly folded the paper back up and stepped out of the garage and into the January cold. He was on his way to the oldest building on the property, a building that had once held the entire vineyard operation but now held only the casks, Paolo’s office and a couple of spaces they rarely used. It was a short walk and Michael stepped into the building, shutting the massive door behind him.
“Paolo?” Michael’s voice echoed up and into the rafters but there was no response and he shrugged. He had figured Paolo would still be there but it seemed he was elsewhere. Michael shoved the paper he was still holding in his hand into one of his pockets and started to walk along the right side of the building.
Every once in a while he would turn his head to look at the wall, the sheer volume of photos making the building into a reluctant art gallery. He passed by one that had Kyle lifted on the shoulders of his teammates. He remembered that day. Kyle was 12 and his team had won the district championships because Kyle had made a quick-thinking defensive play in the bottom of the ninth inning, calmly snaring a ball out of the air and stepping on second base to force the runner out, ending the game.
Kyle, as a player, was known for his excellent defensive work, but Michael had always thought that that play pretty much summed up Kyle as a person too. Kyle was, he reasoned, quick-thinking, calm, intelligent and talented. Just like that play.
Michael had been asked once when he was younger what it was like to have a twin that was so unlike he was, but Michael hadn’t really known how to respond. For one thing, he never really figured it was anyone else’s business and for another, he didn’t really think it mattered anyway. Kyle was Kyle, Michael was Michael. Why were people always trying to confuse the two? Did it really matter that they were different? Where did it say that because you shared a uterus you had to end up exactly the same?
Michael finished his walk to the other end of the room and spied his name on a piece of paper on a door leading into one of the offices they rarely used. As he opened the door and walked in the room, he was met with the sight of a TV set up on an old desk, a DVD player sitting on top. Michael, used to his father, wasn’t surprised to see them and simply sat down in the desk chair, flipping the TV and DVD player on.
His father’s face replaced the DVD start-up menu and Michael leaned back into the chair as his father adjusted himself onscreen. As Michael watched his father settle into the chair he was sitting in - watched him settle into himself - he couldn’t help but admire the man even more than he already did.
Michael liked to play a game with himself sometimes where he imagined that he was born to different people, born into an entirely different world. He never liked to play it for long though, because he would inevitably find himself in a place he thought no one should be; a place no child deserved to grow up in. All he knew was that when the game was over he was happy to be in the warmth of his father’s shadow.
Mike…my oldest. You know, as a parent every little thing your child does right amazes you. Then after a while they start doing so many things right, you stop applauding every little thing. You start focusing on the big stuff because…well…it’s big. So I didn’t cheer when you got an A on a Geometry test the fourth week of November your sophomore year of high school because…frankly…you’d done it before.
Then a few days ago I passed you in the hallway…you made some comment about Kyle in passing…and I watched you walk down the hallway the other way and it hit me that my baby was twenty-two years old and knew how to walk on his own. It seems silly, but somehow I had forgotten what it had felt like to kneel on the floor and hold my hands out to you the day you learned how to walk.
So I wanted to tell you today, Michael, that I’m proud of you.
Michael leaned forward in his chair at the exact same time as Jeff leaned forward in his and any casual observer could clearly see where Michael had gotten some of his more obvious mannerisms. Both of the men rested their forearms on their thighs and both tilted their head to the side, Jeff as he talked, Michael as he listened.
I’m proud of you for that A and I’m proud of you for learning how to walk. I’m proud of you for always taking care of your brothers and sister and I’m proud of how you apply yourself to nearly everything you do. Mostly Michael, I’m just proud that I get to be your dad. Now…if you look in the doorway to your left, I think you’ll see a tall, rather homely-looking man holding a piece of paper in his hand.
Jeff grinned onscreen and Michael swiveled his head to find Paolo leaned on one side of the doorjamb. Paolo righted himself and strode across the room, holding out the thick bundle of folded paper to Michael. Michael took it and looked at Paolo, who gestured to Jeff on the TV screen. Michael turned back to face his father just as Jeff started to speak again.
Now comes the gift. You know, I’ve watched you kids for years, trying to figure out which one of you would take over for me when my time was over, and it didn’t take me long to figure out that it was you. You love this vineyard the same way I do Mike. I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse, but…
Jeff trailed off as he smiled, looking away briefly from the camera, and Michael glanced down at the papers he was holding in his hand.
So this is what I’m giving you…a contract. A job. That’s your gift.
Michael opened up the papers in his hands as his eyes grew wide. Was his dad really doing what he thought he was doing?
I want you to finish school and then spend your summer the way a twenty-two year old should, and when you’re done, I expect you back in this office, showing me everyday how we can improve. With your help, Parker Vineyards will grow by leaps and bounds. I’m excited to see what you and your creativity can do.
So take a look at that contract and if you think it’s fair, sign it. And if there’s something you think we need to change, let me know.
I love you, son. And I’m proud of you. But hopefully, you know that by now.
Jeff signed off then, looking away from the screen as the video clicked off and the TV rested on the startup menu. Michael looked down once again at the papers in his hands, now unfolded but still unexamined. Michael, for his part, had been a bit thrown by his father’s gift, and so hadn’t had the chance to examine the contract yet. It seemed that his dad, no matter how well Michael knew him, could still throw his oldest for a loop once in a while.
This…this job…was exactly what Michael wanted. And he had no idea how his dad knew that.
Michael had been planning on starting a conversation with his dad about working at Parker Vineyards after he graduated, but he hadn’t found the right time. He had been thinking about his future for a while, considering his options, but he always landed back here, his home. Michael liked the idea of branching out on his own, taking a risk by starting a business that might fail, but coming home to the vineyard had always felt…right.
Michael stood from the desk chair and let out a sigh, long and deep. Paolo was long gone from the room, back at his table in a far corner. Michael could see him as he exited the office and Michael stopped for a moment to watch him as he held a glass of red wine up into the light. Paolo studied the wine for a moment before he turned and gave Michael a wide grin and a wink.
“So Mike…you think this wine’s ready to be bottled yet?”
Michael laughed. “From over here, Paolo? I’m not that good. Hell…you’re not that good.”
Paolo wagged his finger at the younger man. “Now now, Michael, doubt your own skills all you like, but never doubt mine.” Paolo turned his eyes back to the glass and said, “It’s not ready yet. Something’s not right with the blend. I’ll have to tweak it a little. So…have you signed the contract yet?”
“Haven’t read it yet.”
Paolo dumped the wine into the clear glass cask at the end of his worn table and turned to look at Michael. “What’re you waiting for? Read it. I won’t intrude. Here.” Paolo tossed an object through the air at Michael, who caught it.
A pen.
Michael looked up at Paolo, an eyebrow raised as he smirked.
“Well, what else are you going to sign it with? Blood?”
-:-:-:-
Kyle put the truck in park and turned the engine off but didn’t get out of the cab of the truck, leaning back in the seat as he surveyed the old baseball diamond in front of him. He had spent many a spring and summer here, knees coated with infield clay and cheeks streaked with eye black to keep the sun’s glare away. Sometimes Kyle wished he were ten again, lost in the outcome of the game, not distracted by his own stats.
Something moved on the pitcher’s mound and Kyle adjusted his body; squinting his eyes to focus on the object. It was a man and as he righted himself, his body in profile, Kyle saw him run some of the dirt from the pitcher’s mound through his fingers, letting it drop slowly back to the ground.
Kyle got out of the cab of the truck and shut the door. The man turned to face Kyle and put his hands in his pockets, obviously waiting for Kyle to reach him. From the parking lot it was difficult to tell who it was, but as Kyle got closer to the mound, his steps increasing in speed as his excitement grew, he recognized someone he had watched play for years.
A decent hitter in his best years but an unparalleled defenseman known for his balletic catches and matador-like snags, J.T. Snow was in many ways the player Kyle aspired to be. Snow was confident, talented and hardworking and though he had never hit as many home runs as the pundits had hoped he would, he and his glove were responsible for saving 15 games a year. At least. And Kyle had been in the seats at Candlestick and Pac Bell Park for many of those saves. Kyle hoped to be that relevant one day.
Kyle’s palms weren’t sweating, but he suddenly felt the urge to wipe them on the side of his pants anyway, just to make sure they weren’t. There was no way he wanted to exchange a sweaty hand with one of his baseball heroes.
J.T. smiled wide and held out his hand to Kyle, who took it earnestly. “Hi Kyle.”
“Hi. You’re J.T. Snow.”
J.T. laughed. “That’s what my wife tells me. How are you?”
“Blown away. I didn’t expect to see you standing here.”
“Well…that’s pretty much how a surprise works.”
Kyle shook his head a little; overwhelmed at the idea that someone he had only watched from afar was standing right in front of him, shaking his hand. “I’m sorry…I don’t mean to sound…uh…ungrateful in any way…because you standing here in front of me is pretty damn amazing…but…what are you doing here?”
J.T. laughed again and shuffled his feet a little. “Your dad called and told me that you were a player and I had to find out for myself how good you were. I mean, your dad told me you were amazing, but you know how dads can be. So I called your coach and had him send me some tape. You are a talented kid, Kyle.”
Kyle tried to process what he had just heard, but there was a little too much information to sort out in a few seconds. Had J.T. Snow really just told Kyle he was a good player? And how did Kyle’s dad have Kyle’s baseball hero’s phone number?
“So I hear you aren’t sure what you’re going to do if you get drafted.”
Kyle shrugged, suddenly just a bit self-conscious. “I don’t even know if I will be drafted. It seems a bit pointless to get ahead of myself.”
“You’ll be drafted, Kyle. And it’ll happen by the middle of the second round, at the latest.” J.T. was taller than Kyle by about 5 inches and the former major league ballplayer’s words seemed to float in the air above Kyle’s head as they left his mouth.
“How do you know that? Thousands of players get drafted every year. Most of them never see the major leagues. How do you know I will?”
J.T. paused for just a moment, looking away briefly before his eyes snapped back to Kyle’s. “You don’t have any bad habits. Every route you take to the ball is the right one. You’re capable of making split-second decisions and making them correctly. You’re a true team player in every sense of the word and you work your ass off any chance you get. But mostly Kyle…mostly I know you’ll be a major league player because you know you’re good…you know you’re talented…and you’ve never let that be an excuse. So, now that your excuses are gone…what are you going to do on draft day?”
Kyle opened his mouth to respond but his stomach had other ideas, growling rather audibly. Kyle grimaced and apologized. “I can’t believe I’m hungry again. We ate a late lunch not that long ago.”
“I’m a little hungry myself. I think I saw a Mexican restaurant a few blocks that way.” J.T. gestured behind himself and a little to his left.
Kyle tried to wave him off. “You really don’t have to do that. Just standing here with you is enough.”
“I’m hungry, Kyle. And apparently, so are you. That’s enough motivation for me.” The two men walked off the mound and out the opening made by the gate of the chain link fence. Kyle moved to get in his car when J.T.’s voice stopped him. “You want the truth Kyle? You want to know why I’m really here, telling you you’re talented?”
Kyle turned to face the older, taller man and lifted his eyebrows in expectation of the answer.
“I was a three sport athlete in high school. Baseball, basketball and football. One day I went to my dad, a former receiver in the NFL, and told him I was worn out. I wanted to quit one of my sports. He said, ‘Okay…but you’re not quitting baseball’. So I kept playing three sports. And when I finished high school, I could have gone to Notre Dame on a football scholarship, but I chose to go to the University of Arizona for baseball instead. You know why?”
Kyle shook his head. “No, why?”
“If I had made it into the NFL, I would have been a backup quarterback at best. But picking a throw from the shortstop in the dirt? That…I was always great at. Never underestimate what a powerful motivator it is to be great at something.”
-:-:-:-
Liz waved the white paper back and forth in the air as she walked, listening as the paper made a fluttering sound. Her hunt had started in the tasting room and from there she had gone to the bathroom just inside the front door of the house, where she was met with another white envelope and another white piece of paper. Her third stop was the gardening shed (she passed Kyle on her way out) and now she was headed to what she anticipated was her final destination.
The breeze was beginning to pick up and some of Liz’s brown hair started to whip gently in front of her face. She wasn’t really bothered by it but she shook her head a little, casually trying to keep her hair at bay. Her attempt was half-hearted but that was okay, because her mind wasn’t really on her hair at the moment.
The end of winter vacation was approaching fast, and that always meant no more dad, no more brothers and no more Napa. But this year, it also meant no more Max, no more Tess and no more Maria. Even though she would never feel comfortable with it, Liz was a pro by now at being away from her family for large stretches of time. But she hadn’t considered how it would feel to have to leave Max, and that was what was really weighing on her mind.
It had been easy to leave Daniel and go to another coast because…well…he was Daniel. Liz hadn’t realized it then, but she had actually liked leaving Daniel. This time she had no idea how she was going to watch Max walk through the airport, away from her, as she was held back at security. If watching her brothers get on their planes pulled her heart from her chest and made her mind fuzzy and unclear, how was she going to feel when she had to say goodbye to the love of her life?
Liz had to mentally roll her eyes at herself. She was being a little dramatic and she knew it. It wasn’t as if Chicago and Manhattan were that far apart, after all. Plus there were those lovely modern conveniences called telephones and the internet that allowed you to stay in touch. No, Liz knew she’d be able to talk with Max enough.
But that whole, “Not being able to touch him” thing?
Yeah. That was going to drive her nuts.
Liz continued to flap the paper absentmindedly back and forth through the air as she walked through the back door into the kitchen. The paper was telling Liz to head upstairs and she would, but first she quickly grabbed a small plastic bottle of apple juice from the fridge.
Liz jogged up the large spiral staircase and took a sip of the juice, pausing as she reached the upstairs landing. She looked at the doors that lined the hallway as she slowly started to walk toward the door closest to the stairs. All the bedroom doors were open, some just a crack, some all the way. And Liz knew she’d miss those doors.
It seemed a silly thing, to miss doors. It wasn’t just that she’d miss walking into her dad’s room and seeing the picture of her mom on his bedside table or walking into Alex’s room when he sat on the floor with his back to his open doorway, working on yet another song. Liz would miss the fact that the doors were open nearly all the time, making the entire upstairs like one giant living space. It was impossible to do that in New York.
Liz put the tips of the fingers of her left hand on Michael’s half-open door and pushed it all the way open. She spied another white envelope in the center of Michael’s quilt covered, queen sized bed and even as something niggled at the back of her mind, telling her she still had further to go on her hunt, she knew it to be false. This was the end of her hunt.
Liz leaned over and picked up the envelope before doing a light belly flop and landing in the middle of Michael’s bed. She stretched her arms out in front of her body as she pulled the paper from the envelope and unfolded it. She bent her legs at the knees and crossed her ankles in the air, waving her linked legs gently back and forth.
Liz started to read the paper, her eyes easily scanning her father’s handwriting. This piece of paper was handwritten while the others had been typed and Liz settled down into the bed as she read. She wondered if everyone had received a handwritten letter at the end of their hunts but pushed the thought out of her mind as she read her father’s words.
Lizzy-
This is the end of the line, but your gift isn’t here. There is a gift, but I’m afraid your mean old man isn’t going to give it to you for a while, and there’s a reason for that. You’re just going to have to trust me when I say that you’ll need this one day, but today is not that day. So sweetheart, do your old man a favor and trust him. Okay?
Liz laughed softly to herself and shook her head. It was just like her dad to throw her a curveball.
But she trusted him, of course she trusted him. She had no reason not to trust him. Every single past experience with her dad had taught Liz that if she couldn’t trust her dad, she couldn’t trust anyone. So if he asked her to trust that there was a reason she wasn’t getting her present now, she would trust him and think nothing else of it.
Now, do your old dad one more favor and turn on Michael’s DVD player.
Love you squirt.
Dad
Liz dropped the paper onto the bed and flopped over on her side before she slid down off her brother’s bed and walked over to a long desk that sat against the wall, where Michael’s TV sat just off-center. It had a DVD player and a VCR sitting on top of it while an Xbox and Playstation sat nearby. Liz clicked on the TV and DVD player and walked backwards before her bottom hit the end of the bed. She shimmied up onto the bed just as her father’s face appeared onscreen.
He smiled at her but said nothing for a minute or so, just looking out from the screen. Liz found it comforting, his smile and the way he was looking at her through the screen, even though she knew it to be semi-illogical. He couldn’t see her, so he wasn’t really looking at her. But at the same time she thought that maybe he was looking at her, just not the way that was easy to explain. Maybe he was looking at her because he was picturing her there, with him, as if she always were. And the more Liz considered that, the more it made sense. If her dad was always with her, why couldn’t she always be with him?
I’ve been taking a trip down memory lane a lot lately, thinking mostly of memories that haven’t graced me in a long time. And I realized that I wanted to share a story with you. It’s a story I probably should have told you a long time ago, but I never seemed to find the right time.
When you were four we took all of you to a Giants game at Candlestick. They were playing the Dodgers and it was a Saturday afternoon game so the park was packed. Right around the third inning you kids got hungry so your mom took Michael and Alex to get sodas and I took you and Kyle to get popcorn and hot dogs.
I was standing there in front of the vendor and I had to take the food from him so I dropped your hand. I took the food from the vendor and when I looked back down at you, you were gone and the crowd was getting thick. I couldn’t see you. And I panicked.
Jeff laughed softly as he looked away and Liz could tell there was still some element of pain in this story for him, as if he was still trying to come to terms with the idea that he had been careless enough to take his eyes off her.
I ran back down to our seats and told your mom and she and I went off in different directions, searching for you. Every second that went by a knot formed in my stomach. I was imagining every single bad scenario under the sun and poor Kyle must have felt like his hand was going to fall off because I was holding onto it so hard. But there was no way I wanted to lose another one of my kids.
Then a page came over the intercom for us, telling us to go to security. So I picked Kyle up and I ran as fast as I could. And when I stepped in the office, the security guard was sitting at his desk and you were sitting on top of it, eating an ice cream cone, your little legs dangling off the side. I put Kyle down and rushed over to you and hugged you for…I don’t know how long.
When I let you go, you smiled this huge smile at me and said, ‘I got lost so I found a security guard and I told him so and he called you. I did exactly what you told me to do. Did I do a good job daddy?’ And every single knot in my stomach unfurled. Jeff brought up two closed fists then opened them quickly, palms out and fingers spread wide as he said the word ‘unfurled’.
Yes, squirt…you did a very…good job.
Jeff started to choke up and he looked away from the screen, stretching his face a little to ward off the oncoming tears, a tactic that never seemed to work. So because Jeff knew it wouldn’t work no matter how much he wanted it to, he turned his face back to the screen without wiping them away, obviously unashamed of his daughter seeing him cry.
Thank you squirt. I don’t think I say that enough to you. Thank you. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you for taking care of us when we needed it. Thank you for not being afraid. Thank you for being you. Thank you for bringing all of us joy, in so many ways, every day.
Thank you, Liz. Thank you, honey.
-:-:-:-
A Parker Family Christmas (M/L, CC, Adult)- AN 10/02 (WIP)
Moderators: Anniepoo98, ISLANDGIRL5, truelovepooh, Forum Moderators
-
OrangeSky
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:04 pm
- Location: Somewhere left of center
- Contact:
Chapter 29 Part 3
Alex and Maria opened the front doors of The Fillmore and were greeted by a smiling woman with grey eyes and a huge mop of curly brown hair. “Welcome to the Fillmore!”
Alex and Maria were all smiles and extended their thanks to her before reaching into the large tub to their right and snagging an apple each. Alex tossed his up in the air and Maria caught it, understanding he was asking her to hold it for him until they got to their seats.
Alex started to swing away and Maria skipped a little to catch back up to him, walking alongside him excitedly. They passed by posters of Pat and grinned at one another, rushing to their seats in the front row.
After they had situated themselves, Maria handed Alex his apple and said, “Front row seats!”
“I know! Is dad amazing or what?”
“Alex…we’re going to be able to see her sweat.”
“I know.”
“Pat Benatar!”
“Pat Benatar!”
Just then Pat walked out on stage and smiled at the crowd, greeting them. She talked for a little less than a minute before launching right into a familiar favorite. As soon as Maria and Alex heard the drummer start, they screamed.
We are young, heartache to heartache we stand
No promises, no demands
Love is a battlefield…
A while later, as Pat was onstage singing We Belong, a woman came up to Alex and Maria. She had a backstage pass hanging around her neck and her blonde hair fell across her face a little as she leaned over to speak. “Hi…I’m Laira.”
“Alex.” He gestured to Maria. “Maria.”
Laira nodded and smiled. “Pat wants to meet you.” Alex and Maria slowly looked at one another before they looked back at Laira with wide eyes.
“She wants to meet us? Shut! Up!”
“She wants to meet us? Shut! Up!”
Laira laughed and righted herself. “Afraid so.”
Alex and Maria stood quickly. “Why would she want to meet us?”
Laira had turned away to lead them in the right direction but as soon as she heard Alex speak, she turned back around and grinned. “Alex…don’t you know better than to question the amazing Pat?”
-:-:-:-
Isabel walked along one side of La Casa de la Vida, rows of rosebushes in shades of white, pink and red lined up against the exterior wall. The rosebushes were tidy and thriving and Isabel knew that to be because California was known for its temperate climate. It made it easy for nearly any plant to grow there. But she also knew that those rosebushes would have probably shriveled and died without their caretaker Alex.
Alex had taken Isabel out and shown her his gardens a few days ago as if he were a proud papa and the zinnias and tulips were his children. Isabel smiled at the recent memory.
She glanced to her right then, taking in the ‘sports area’. It held Kyle’s batting cage, the basketball court and a huge sand pit with poles on two sides. The volleyball net was missing, obviously put away to protect it from the elements when not in use. Isabel could almost see the entire Parker family in bare feet and swimsuits, rejoicing together as Kyle made a particularly clever serve or Alex made a good save. This image made her smile too, and it was this picture that Max got as he rounded the corner of the house.
Max grinned as he caught sight of his sister. She hadn’t noticed him yet, but he didn’t mind. He wanted to study her; wanted to see if the changes she had gone through the last few weeks were obvious on the outside too.
Isabel definitely carried herself differently now, and Max was fairly sure she didn’t know that. Her back was straighter, she held her head higher and her eyes, even, seemed brighter. Isabel was a completely different girl from the last time Max had seen her and he was glad for the change. This Isabel, he thought, would definitely have the courage to stand up to their parents. This Isabel would have the courage to stand up to anyone.
The wind was almost whistling a tune around him so Max started to whistle along with it. There was no distinct harmony, no real meshing of Max and the wind, but that hardly mattered. Max was feeling a lightness he hadn’t felt in a long time, and he knew it had everything in the world to do with the Parkers. The Parkers, simply by being themselves, simply by treating others the way they always had, had turned his sister into the person she was really meant to be. And even if they had never done anything for him he would be happy the rest of his life, just seeing her smile.
“Max!” Max smiled at his sister as she quickened her steps to reach him faster.
“Hey Iz…how’s your hunt going?”
“Good. I’m pretty sure I only have one more stop. How about you?”
“I’m pretty sure I only have one more too. Where’re you headed?” Isabel opened her paper again, just to make sure she was right.
“Jeff’s study.” She looked up from her paper. “You?”
Max lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “The same. You think we have the same gift?”
Isabel shrugged. “Maybe.” The two walked along the side of the house until they reached a set of French doors and opened them, entering the house through the family room. “Can you imagine what it must have been like to grow up here Max?”
“I think that’s what we’ve been doing these last few weeks, Izzy. I think that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.” Max touched Isabel lightly on her elbow and she turned her head and smiled that New Isabel smile at him. They reached the heavy wooden door of Jeff’s study and Isabel put her hand out to open the door but Max stopped her. “Iz…I want to tell you something.”
“Yes Max?”
“Our childhood could have been a whole hell of a lot worse, but it wasn’t because I had you. I just don’t think I’ve ever said thank you for that.”
“Do you remember my sixth birthday Max?” Max did and he nodded to let her know so. “No card, no present…nothing. They forgot. Actually, now that I think about it, that sounds an awful lot like my seventh birthday, my eighth birthday, my ninth birthday…” Isabel laughed a little under her breath, something that Max found surprising. Isabel really had changed. There was no way she would have laughed about that before now. “But my sixth birthday was different because that was the day I realized that even though our parents barely tolerated me, you loved me.
“You bought another birthday card and said it was from them, that it just got lost in the mail. But I knew better. I knew it was from you. And I never said thanks for that. Thanks for trying to protect me Max, even when it didn’t work.”
The two smiled at one another and Isabel put her hand on the door handle, pushing open the heavy walnut door to find Jeff, perched on the edge of his desk, smiling at them. Max and Isabel exchanged quick glances and walked in the room, Max shutting the door behind him. Jeff gestured at the two chairs in front of him and they each took one, Isabel crossing her legs at the ankle and Max leaning forward.
“Welcome to the end of your hunt kids.” Jeff smiled at each in turn and Max and Isabel exchanged a glance once more before they looked back at him, excited and nervous. “So now I bet your wondering what your gift is, hmm? Well, here it is…me.”
Max and Isabel exchanged a confused look as Jeff spread his arms out wide. When he saw their looks he let out a deep laugh that seemed to come from the very tips of his toes. “This is what I’m giving you…me, a family, a home. Because I realized long ago that it was something you deserved. And it’s something I can give you.” Jeff dropped his arms and settled back against the edge of his desk, his smile lightening some, but still brilliant.
“We aren’t all born into our family. Sometimes we find them, but I think a lot of times, we don’t. And sometimes, we’re very, very lucky and our family finds us. Sometimes we meet just one member who’s willing to take a chance on us, let us in, even if they have no idea how much they’re going to love us.”
“Michael.”
“Liz.”
Jeff nodded. “I have never been more grateful that my children are who they are than I have recently. And it should be noted that Michael and Liz are indeed smart people. I’m pretty sure they recognized you as family the first time they met you.” Max and Isabel were struck for a moment by the enormity of that thought and they wondered. Had it been the same for them? Had they felt so comfortable because they knew these people were their family?
“When Nancy died, there were many people in my life who wanted me to date. I knew why…they cared and they didn’t want me to be lonely. But at the same time I knew I couldn’t because it wouldn’t feel right to string anyone along. The hazard of having married and lost your soul mate, I suppose. And yet, I knew something…someone…was missing. It wasn’t until I saw the both of you walking down the escalator at the airport that my heart started to fill up again. And though it had been difficult for me to understand earlier, I understood then and I understood now. I was missing some of my kids.
“When you have children you love them in an entirely different way than you do anyone else. And I had missed the fact long ago that I was missing the two of you and Tess until I lost Nancy. I think because my heart was always bursting out of my chest around her, it was difficult to feel that my heart wasn’t full.”
Tears started to slide down Isabel’s cheeks and Max turned to her with shiny eyes. He put his hand on her elbow, telling her he was here, and Jeff smiled at her, even as his eyes started to water. Isabel had her hand over her mouth and when she spoke, her voice came out thick with her tears. “I’m sorry…can you say that again?”
“What…that you’re my daughter?” Isabel nodded her head quickly up and down but she couldn’t have made eye contact if she tried. Max’s tears were falling freely now but he wasn’t shielding them with his hand. Jeff stood from the desk and lifted Isabel up into a tight hug, stroking her hair as he held her. After a moment he pulled Max from his chair and into the hug too and the three of them stood as one for a while, lost together in warmth.
When they pulled back from each other, Isabel wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, noticing as Max did the same. When Isabel spoke the tears were still there, but this time there was strength too. “I just don’t know how you can love us so much.”
Jeff put his left hand on Isabel’s right cheek and his right hand on Max’s left cheek and said, “Oh sweetheart…I love you because you exist.”
Isabel and Max had been born to people who barely even noticed they were alive. They had gone through a childhood filled with missed birthdays and soccer games. Their parents had never tucked them in at night with a story or a song. Their parents had never cared what they wanted to be when they grew up and they had never cared about what their children loved. And Max and Isabel suddenly understood why that was.
Their real dad had been in Napa, California this whole time.
Isabel and Max turned to face each other and laughed. They were obviously both thinking the same thing: that this was their real family, and their family was, without a doubt, kickass.
“Thank you for finding me, you two. My heart could never have been full without you.”
Isabel and Max felt so right in that moment that they couldn’t help but smile, because sometimes life has a way of paying you back for the hard times, giving you a reward for all your trouble. And when you finally get it, it’s hard not to dwell on how happy you are.
“So…can we call you dad now?” Max turned a bright, laughing smile to Jeff.
Jeff put his hand on Max’s left shoulder and squeezed a little. “I would love it if you called me dad, Max.”
“This has to be the best gift ever.” Isabel laughed.
“Well…there are another couple of components to your gift.” Jeff turned and reached onto the top of his desk, where two white, business-sized envelopes sat with Isabel’s and Max’s names on them. “Here you go…the rest of your gift.”
The each opened their envelopes and started to pull out the contents. A key…a piece of paper with numeric codes on it…a credit card…and another piece of paper with a phone number.
“House key?” Max held up the key and lifted his eyebrows in question.
“Correct. That piece of paper with the codes on it has the alarm code for the house and the code to open the front gate.”
“But a credit card?” Isabel held up the small rectangle of green and white plastic. “You really didn’t have to-”
“Yes, Isabel. I did. How else are you going to come home?” Isabel nodded as she smiled and pocketed the card along with the key and the piece of paper with the codes.
“So what’s this?” Max held up the piece of paper with the phone number on it.
“It’s a phone number, Max.” Max rolled his eyes and Jeff laughed. “Sorry…I just couldn’t resist. That is the phone number to this phone.” Jeff picked a red cell phone up off the top of his desk and handed it to Max. “There are only eight people in the world with the number to that phone, and you’re two of them. It’s the line to my kids. So if you ever need anything, you call that number.
“And here’s my promise to you…I will always pick that phone up. Always.”
Isabel and Max pocketed the number and handed their empty envelopes to Jeff before settling back down into their chairs and Jeff threw away the envelopes before settling back against the edge of his desk. Their collective manners were all just a little easier now and their body language showed that. Max leaned back in his chair and Isabel sat in hers with her feet tucked underneath her, her shoes sitting on the floor. Jeff was leaning back on his hands, his legs crossed at the ankle. And none of them could stop smiling at one another.
For the next few hours they told stories and jokes, laughing in some places, crying in others. Jeff counseled them, giving them needed fatherly encouragement and love and Max and Isabel took it all in. It was easy with him, because it was easy for him. Jeff gave of himself so freely that while Isabel and Max had once wondered how he was able to give so much so easily, now they understood how he could.
It was like a quote Max remembered reading once while he sat in the waiting room at his dentist’s office, waiting for the doctor to call his name: Life shrinks and expands in relationship to one’s own courage.
Jeff certainly was courageous to love so easily and risk being hurt, and it was just one more reason tacked on to the ever-lengthening list of why he admired Liz’s dad.
Correction: It was just one more reason why Max admired his dad.
-:-:-:-
AN: J.T. Snow and Pat Benatar are both real people, and I mean no infringement or offense to them by using them here. But frankly...they're both killer at what they did/do. And I adore both of them. Watching J.T. field and watching Pat sing have both been huge joys in my life.
Alex and Maria opened the front doors of The Fillmore and were greeted by a smiling woman with grey eyes and a huge mop of curly brown hair. “Welcome to the Fillmore!”
Alex and Maria were all smiles and extended their thanks to her before reaching into the large tub to their right and snagging an apple each. Alex tossed his up in the air and Maria caught it, understanding he was asking her to hold it for him until they got to their seats.
Alex started to swing away and Maria skipped a little to catch back up to him, walking alongside him excitedly. They passed by posters of Pat and grinned at one another, rushing to their seats in the front row.
After they had situated themselves, Maria handed Alex his apple and said, “Front row seats!”
“I know! Is dad amazing or what?”
“Alex…we’re going to be able to see her sweat.”
“I know.”
“Pat Benatar!”
“Pat Benatar!”
Just then Pat walked out on stage and smiled at the crowd, greeting them. She talked for a little less than a minute before launching right into a familiar favorite. As soon as Maria and Alex heard the drummer start, they screamed.
We are young, heartache to heartache we stand
No promises, no demands
Love is a battlefield…
A while later, as Pat was onstage singing We Belong, a woman came up to Alex and Maria. She had a backstage pass hanging around her neck and her blonde hair fell across her face a little as she leaned over to speak. “Hi…I’m Laira.”
“Alex.” He gestured to Maria. “Maria.”
Laira nodded and smiled. “Pat wants to meet you.” Alex and Maria slowly looked at one another before they looked back at Laira with wide eyes.
“She wants to meet us? Shut! Up!”
“She wants to meet us? Shut! Up!”
Laira laughed and righted herself. “Afraid so.”
Alex and Maria stood quickly. “Why would she want to meet us?”
Laira had turned away to lead them in the right direction but as soon as she heard Alex speak, she turned back around and grinned. “Alex…don’t you know better than to question the amazing Pat?”
-:-:-:-
Isabel walked along one side of La Casa de la Vida, rows of rosebushes in shades of white, pink and red lined up against the exterior wall. The rosebushes were tidy and thriving and Isabel knew that to be because California was known for its temperate climate. It made it easy for nearly any plant to grow there. But she also knew that those rosebushes would have probably shriveled and died without their caretaker Alex.
Alex had taken Isabel out and shown her his gardens a few days ago as if he were a proud papa and the zinnias and tulips were his children. Isabel smiled at the recent memory.
She glanced to her right then, taking in the ‘sports area’. It held Kyle’s batting cage, the basketball court and a huge sand pit with poles on two sides. The volleyball net was missing, obviously put away to protect it from the elements when not in use. Isabel could almost see the entire Parker family in bare feet and swimsuits, rejoicing together as Kyle made a particularly clever serve or Alex made a good save. This image made her smile too, and it was this picture that Max got as he rounded the corner of the house.
Max grinned as he caught sight of his sister. She hadn’t noticed him yet, but he didn’t mind. He wanted to study her; wanted to see if the changes she had gone through the last few weeks were obvious on the outside too.
Isabel definitely carried herself differently now, and Max was fairly sure she didn’t know that. Her back was straighter, she held her head higher and her eyes, even, seemed brighter. Isabel was a completely different girl from the last time Max had seen her and he was glad for the change. This Isabel, he thought, would definitely have the courage to stand up to their parents. This Isabel would have the courage to stand up to anyone.
The wind was almost whistling a tune around him so Max started to whistle along with it. There was no distinct harmony, no real meshing of Max and the wind, but that hardly mattered. Max was feeling a lightness he hadn’t felt in a long time, and he knew it had everything in the world to do with the Parkers. The Parkers, simply by being themselves, simply by treating others the way they always had, had turned his sister into the person she was really meant to be. And even if they had never done anything for him he would be happy the rest of his life, just seeing her smile.
“Max!” Max smiled at his sister as she quickened her steps to reach him faster.
“Hey Iz…how’s your hunt going?”
“Good. I’m pretty sure I only have one more stop. How about you?”
“I’m pretty sure I only have one more too. Where’re you headed?” Isabel opened her paper again, just to make sure she was right.
“Jeff’s study.” She looked up from her paper. “You?”
Max lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “The same. You think we have the same gift?”
Isabel shrugged. “Maybe.” The two walked along the side of the house until they reached a set of French doors and opened them, entering the house through the family room. “Can you imagine what it must have been like to grow up here Max?”
“I think that’s what we’ve been doing these last few weeks, Izzy. I think that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.” Max touched Isabel lightly on her elbow and she turned her head and smiled that New Isabel smile at him. They reached the heavy wooden door of Jeff’s study and Isabel put her hand out to open the door but Max stopped her. “Iz…I want to tell you something.”
“Yes Max?”
“Our childhood could have been a whole hell of a lot worse, but it wasn’t because I had you. I just don’t think I’ve ever said thank you for that.”
“Do you remember my sixth birthday Max?” Max did and he nodded to let her know so. “No card, no present…nothing. They forgot. Actually, now that I think about it, that sounds an awful lot like my seventh birthday, my eighth birthday, my ninth birthday…” Isabel laughed a little under her breath, something that Max found surprising. Isabel really had changed. There was no way she would have laughed about that before now. “But my sixth birthday was different because that was the day I realized that even though our parents barely tolerated me, you loved me.
“You bought another birthday card and said it was from them, that it just got lost in the mail. But I knew better. I knew it was from you. And I never said thanks for that. Thanks for trying to protect me Max, even when it didn’t work.”
The two smiled at one another and Isabel put her hand on the door handle, pushing open the heavy walnut door to find Jeff, perched on the edge of his desk, smiling at them. Max and Isabel exchanged quick glances and walked in the room, Max shutting the door behind him. Jeff gestured at the two chairs in front of him and they each took one, Isabel crossing her legs at the ankle and Max leaning forward.
“Welcome to the end of your hunt kids.” Jeff smiled at each in turn and Max and Isabel exchanged a glance once more before they looked back at him, excited and nervous. “So now I bet your wondering what your gift is, hmm? Well, here it is…me.”
Max and Isabel exchanged a confused look as Jeff spread his arms out wide. When he saw their looks he let out a deep laugh that seemed to come from the very tips of his toes. “This is what I’m giving you…me, a family, a home. Because I realized long ago that it was something you deserved. And it’s something I can give you.” Jeff dropped his arms and settled back against the edge of his desk, his smile lightening some, but still brilliant.
“We aren’t all born into our family. Sometimes we find them, but I think a lot of times, we don’t. And sometimes, we’re very, very lucky and our family finds us. Sometimes we meet just one member who’s willing to take a chance on us, let us in, even if they have no idea how much they’re going to love us.”
“Michael.”
“Liz.”
Jeff nodded. “I have never been more grateful that my children are who they are than I have recently. And it should be noted that Michael and Liz are indeed smart people. I’m pretty sure they recognized you as family the first time they met you.” Max and Isabel were struck for a moment by the enormity of that thought and they wondered. Had it been the same for them? Had they felt so comfortable because they knew these people were their family?
“When Nancy died, there were many people in my life who wanted me to date. I knew why…they cared and they didn’t want me to be lonely. But at the same time I knew I couldn’t because it wouldn’t feel right to string anyone along. The hazard of having married and lost your soul mate, I suppose. And yet, I knew something…someone…was missing. It wasn’t until I saw the both of you walking down the escalator at the airport that my heart started to fill up again. And though it had been difficult for me to understand earlier, I understood then and I understood now. I was missing some of my kids.
“When you have children you love them in an entirely different way than you do anyone else. And I had missed the fact long ago that I was missing the two of you and Tess until I lost Nancy. I think because my heart was always bursting out of my chest around her, it was difficult to feel that my heart wasn’t full.”
Tears started to slide down Isabel’s cheeks and Max turned to her with shiny eyes. He put his hand on her elbow, telling her he was here, and Jeff smiled at her, even as his eyes started to water. Isabel had her hand over her mouth and when she spoke, her voice came out thick with her tears. “I’m sorry…can you say that again?”
“What…that you’re my daughter?” Isabel nodded her head quickly up and down but she couldn’t have made eye contact if she tried. Max’s tears were falling freely now but he wasn’t shielding them with his hand. Jeff stood from the desk and lifted Isabel up into a tight hug, stroking her hair as he held her. After a moment he pulled Max from his chair and into the hug too and the three of them stood as one for a while, lost together in warmth.
When they pulled back from each other, Isabel wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, noticing as Max did the same. When Isabel spoke the tears were still there, but this time there was strength too. “I just don’t know how you can love us so much.”
Jeff put his left hand on Isabel’s right cheek and his right hand on Max’s left cheek and said, “Oh sweetheart…I love you because you exist.”
Isabel and Max had been born to people who barely even noticed they were alive. They had gone through a childhood filled with missed birthdays and soccer games. Their parents had never tucked them in at night with a story or a song. Their parents had never cared what they wanted to be when they grew up and they had never cared about what their children loved. And Max and Isabel suddenly understood why that was.
Their real dad had been in Napa, California this whole time.
Isabel and Max turned to face each other and laughed. They were obviously both thinking the same thing: that this was their real family, and their family was, without a doubt, kickass.
“Thank you for finding me, you two. My heart could never have been full without you.”
Isabel and Max felt so right in that moment that they couldn’t help but smile, because sometimes life has a way of paying you back for the hard times, giving you a reward for all your trouble. And when you finally get it, it’s hard not to dwell on how happy you are.
“So…can we call you dad now?” Max turned a bright, laughing smile to Jeff.
Jeff put his hand on Max’s left shoulder and squeezed a little. “I would love it if you called me dad, Max.”
“This has to be the best gift ever.” Isabel laughed.
“Well…there are another couple of components to your gift.” Jeff turned and reached onto the top of his desk, where two white, business-sized envelopes sat with Isabel’s and Max’s names on them. “Here you go…the rest of your gift.”
The each opened their envelopes and started to pull out the contents. A key…a piece of paper with numeric codes on it…a credit card…and another piece of paper with a phone number.
“House key?” Max held up the key and lifted his eyebrows in question.
“Correct. That piece of paper with the codes on it has the alarm code for the house and the code to open the front gate.”
“But a credit card?” Isabel held up the small rectangle of green and white plastic. “You really didn’t have to-”
“Yes, Isabel. I did. How else are you going to come home?” Isabel nodded as she smiled and pocketed the card along with the key and the piece of paper with the codes.
“So what’s this?” Max held up the piece of paper with the phone number on it.
“It’s a phone number, Max.” Max rolled his eyes and Jeff laughed. “Sorry…I just couldn’t resist. That is the phone number to this phone.” Jeff picked a red cell phone up off the top of his desk and handed it to Max. “There are only eight people in the world with the number to that phone, and you’re two of them. It’s the line to my kids. So if you ever need anything, you call that number.
“And here’s my promise to you…I will always pick that phone up. Always.”
Isabel and Max pocketed the number and handed their empty envelopes to Jeff before settling back down into their chairs and Jeff threw away the envelopes before settling back against the edge of his desk. Their collective manners were all just a little easier now and their body language showed that. Max leaned back in his chair and Isabel sat in hers with her feet tucked underneath her, her shoes sitting on the floor. Jeff was leaning back on his hands, his legs crossed at the ankle. And none of them could stop smiling at one another.
For the next few hours they told stories and jokes, laughing in some places, crying in others. Jeff counseled them, giving them needed fatherly encouragement and love and Max and Isabel took it all in. It was easy with him, because it was easy for him. Jeff gave of himself so freely that while Isabel and Max had once wondered how he was able to give so much so easily, now they understood how he could.
It was like a quote Max remembered reading once while he sat in the waiting room at his dentist’s office, waiting for the doctor to call his name: Life shrinks and expands in relationship to one’s own courage.
Jeff certainly was courageous to love so easily and risk being hurt, and it was just one more reason tacked on to the ever-lengthening list of why he admired Liz’s dad.
Correction: It was just one more reason why Max admired his dad.
-:-:-:-
AN: J.T. Snow and Pat Benatar are both real people, and I mean no infringement or offense to them by using them here. But frankly...they're both killer at what they did/do. And I adore both of them. Watching J.T. field and watching Pat sing have both been huge joys in my life.
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:04 pm
- Location: Somewhere left of center
- Contact:
LairaBehr4-
And uh...this too -->
Thanks.
Chrissie1218-
Thanks, Chrissie.
Sternbetrachter-
Thanks.
Bixie-
I don't think you'll have to wait too long to find out what the surprise is...at least, I'm fairly certain you won't. I just haven't decided which chapter it's going to be in yet. Her gift does figure into some plotline later, so...
Thanks.
FSU/MSW-94-
clueless- Thanks Clueless.
Natalie36- Thanks Natalie.
katydid-
Thanks Kate.
behralicious87-
Thank you. So much. There is no way I could ever say that enough to any of you.
sprayadhesive-
Because I had the hardest time with Tess. Darn girl just didn't want to talk to me for a while!
It occurred to me after I posted that you all might think that, but it wasn't intentional. I swear!
Thanks.
Cocogurl- Thanks!
confusedfool - Thanks!
Addicted2AmberEyes- Thanks so much!
Rowedog-
And thank you...for all your thoughts...for all your words...for you.
As a side note, I think it's mildly funny that we tied for fic of the month, and both our names are Alison...though you spell yours with one "L" and I spell mine with two. Plus...I prefer to go by Alli, but that hardly matters.
At any rate...I was honored to tie with you. Just wanted to let you know that.
cassie-
Emz80m- Thanks Emma!
thetvgeneral- Laira deserved to see Pat in some way this year, even if it's through a piece of fiction.
Thanks Steph!
AnnViolet-
It is good you bring that up though, because that's what Liz was given when her mom died: her wedding dress. Remember how Kyle got the wedding band and Michael got the engagement ring? Well...that's what Liz got. Someone will mention it later, I'm just not sure when at this point.
Thanks AnnViolet!
killjoy-
Thanks KJ.
Alien_Friend-
The thing about Jeff that I love is that he knows that, and he knows everyone deserves to have that. And he also knows that Max and Isabel need that. So instead of thinking about it, he does something. Simply because he can.
Thanks.
begonia9508- Thanks Eve!
tequathisy-
No...we have a ways to go yet. But we're going to start jumping ahead in time.
Thanks T.
pandas2001- Thanks!
BehrObsession-
You + Me = Same Boat
Thanks.
IzzyEvans2201_PuertoRico-
I'm not sure "Hooked on Alli's fic" works as an excuse when "My dog ate my homework" barely passes muster anymore. Although as a side note, I had a Great Dane when I was young and he did, in fact, eat my homework one day. Needless to say, my teacher didn't believe me. I thought it all quite unjust.
Thanks!
nibbles2-
Thanks B!
Thanks again guys for all the mad love. And to all you lurkers...love you too.
What's that you say? Is it another chapter from Alli? It is indeed!
Lupe's, as far as I know, is not a real place. But Staci Snow is in fact a real woman. A pretty awesome, caring woman who deserves accolades for the great stuff she does for others. And if you caught on that she shares a last name with another person you just read about...well then...you're paying attention.
Chapter 30 (wow...30?) is here guys. Enjoy.
Chapter 30: Hello…Kitty
“You’re not mad at me, are you squirt?” Liz looked up from her seat at the kitchen island; spoonful of cereal paused halfway on its way to her mouth. She had a book open and laying flat on the butcher block countertop and her hand was resting on the pages to prevent them from moving.
“Of course not daddy.” Liz put the spoonful of cereal in her mouth, chewing slowly.
“Good.” Jeff let out a long sigh and walked further into the room, coming closer to his daughter. “I was worried you might be a little upset you had to wait for your gift when no one else had to wait for theirs.”
Jeff took a seat across the island from Liz and she dropped the spoon into her bowl, milk splashing up a little bit as the spoon jostled the contents of the now half-filled bowl. “Well…since I hadn’t expected to get anything at all, I’m not sure it would make much sense for me to be upset. Wanna give me a hint, though?” Liz raised her eyebrows up and down quickly as a devilish grin started to grow on her lips. “Come on…you know you wanna.”
“Sorry, but no.” Jeff smiled and reached across the table for Liz’s book, sliding it towards him so he could see the title. “Pride and Prejudice, hmm?” Liz nodded. The spoon had made its way back into her mouth and she was chewing on another spoonful of cereal. “Lizzy…Apple Jacks for dinner?” He lifted an eyebrow at her and she smiled.
“I will have you know that Apple Jacks are fortified with…” She trailed off as she picked the box up and turned it so the side was close to her face, squinting as she read. “Eleven essential vitamins and minerals to get my day started off right. Plus, milk has calcium to help my bones grow nice and strong.”
“Sweetie…I hate to tell you this, but you’re not growing any more.”
Liz mock gasped as she lowered her spoon into her bowl. “You mean I’m not going to be five foot ten like Heidi Klum? My dreams…they’ve been crushed.”
“Fraid not, little sister.” Kyle stepped into the kitchen, his hands in his pockets, with a grin on his face and Max at his side. “But at least no one asks us short stacks what the weather looks like from up there. So dad…what’s the we-”
Jeff laughed. “Don’t finish that, Kyle.”
Max came up behind Liz and wrapped his arm around her waist, softly pulling his body flush with hers. She leaned into him and put her spoon down before turning her head. He smiled at her, the light in the kitchen bouncing off the golden flecks in his bottomless amber eyes. It seemed a silly thought, but Liz felt like the room suddenly gained a golden glow too. “Heidi Klum’s got nothing on you.”
He dropped his left hand to rest on her thigh and kissed her gently on the lips, smiling a smile meant only for her. And in that smile Liz saw a change in Max. It was the best kind of change, and Liz knew instantly it must have had something to do with his gift, since the last time she had seen him was a few hours earlier outside the front door at the beginning of the hunt.
She brought her left hand up and drew her fingers softly under his chin, running them along his skin softly from the neck up. He had a five o’clock shadow and she ran her fingers along the line of his jaw as he smiled at her softly, not taking his eyes from her for a moment. In fact, if his eyes could handle not blinking, he probably wouldn’t have done that either. And though Liz had no idea what she was looking for, she saw it then, in eyes that wouldn’t move from hers. Max was content.
She kept the tips of her fingers on his jaw and turned her head away to look at her dad who, if she wasn’t mistaken, had a look on his face that mirrored Max’s. And when Isabel stepped into the kitchen with a look that made the three of them triplets, Liz just couldn’t handle it anymore. She had to ask.
“Okay…what was the gift?”
Jeff grinned and stood to grab a glass from a cabinet to his left. “Oh, my perceptive little girl…how I love you.” He took his time getting a glass of filtered water from the refrigerator before settling back down into his seat. “Isabel?”
Isabel grinned. “Only the best gift ever. Right Max?”
“Dad couldn’t have given us a better gift.” He grinned as he looked at his girlfriend and wanted to laugh as a smile slowly started to form on her face.
“You gave them you?” Liz turned to look again at her dad, who was smiling.
“Yes, little girl, I gave them me. And us. And this home. I gave them the only gift that seemed right.”
Liz turned to Kyle, who was grinning just like she was. “It’s official, isn’t it Kyle?”
“Yep. Best dad in the world.”
“Best dad in the world.”
Kyle leaned the upper half of his body over the kitchen island so that he was reasonably close to Liz and said, “So…what’d you get?”
Liz leaned over to match him but didn’t quite slip from Max’s arms. She liked the weight of his hands on her waist and thigh. It was comforting to her in a way she hadn’t felt before, because there was no way she could compare the way Max made her feel to how anyone else made her feel. “Nothing. What about you?”
Kyle recoiled from her and his eyes went wide. “Wait…that’s not right. Nothing? Dad?” Kyle turned his head to face his dad but Liz was the one who spoke again.
“I mean I have a gift…I just don’t get it yet. Dad says it’ll come to me when I need it. So…what’d you get?”
“Are you sitting down?” Liz looked back behind her before turning back to Kyle and raising an eyebrow. “Right…sorry…stupid question. Guess who I just had dinner with at Lupe’s? Go on…guess.”
“No clue.” She leaned further just as he did and their foreheads touched.
“Only the single greatest defensive first baseman ever to play the game.”
“J.T. Snow? No way! Kyle…you must have been on cloud nine!” They drew back from one another and settled onto the separate bar stools, Liz snuggling down again into Max’s arms.
“I don’t think there’s a word for what I was. I probably acted like an idiot but it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Words can’t express how great it really was. He’d actually seen my tape, Lizzy! And he told me what I was doing right and how I could improve…” Kyle trailed off and shook his head. “Come to think of it, I wanted to ask you something dad.”
“Yes?”
“How on earth did you get J.T. Snow’s phone number?”
Jeff set his glass of water down on the wood countertop and turned to face Kyle. “Well, son, I’ve known his wife Staci for years. We worked on the boards of a few charities together. J.T. knows plenty of stories about you kids. I suppose you could say that technically, he’s known all of you for years. I called Staci a while ago for another reason and told her about my dilemma. She passed it on to J.T. and he wanted to help. It was actually his suggestion.”
Kyle turned again to face his sister and said, “Yep…best dad ever.”
Michel and Tess walked into the room then, headed immediately to the fridge. They were in the middle of a conversation and Michael laughed as Tess related what the rest of the people in the kitchen guessed was the end of a story. “So there I stood…in front of the entire senior class…in my underwear.” Michael tossed her a can of soda and she caught it easily.
“Seriously?”
She nodded as she popped the top of the can and swallowed a sip of soda. “I was just really glad I went against my instincts that morning when I got dressed and put on my good stuff. Because the entire senior class seeing me in my Hello Kitty underwear? No way I wanted to know what that would have felt like.”
Michael laughed deeply as he set his can on the island to the right of Max and Liz before sitting down on the barstool. Tess pulled a seat from its normal resting place so she could sit directly next to Kyle, who looped an arm around her shoulders just as she sat down. “I love that story.”
Tess rolled her eyes. “Of course you do, it involves me in my underwear.”
“Soooo?” Kyle drew out the syllable nice and long as he looked at his girlfriend, raising his eyebrows in expectation of her answer.
“An internship at WRAC next semester.” She smiled widely and looked over at Jeff, who winked at her.
“Wait…the internship? The one everyone tries for but is impossible to get? That internship?” Kyle looked back and forth from his girlfriend to his father, completely surprised. “Dad…how did you swing that?”
“Tess did all the hard work…I just made a couple of calls. Your professors called you charismatic, talented, winning and hardworking. I knew with recommendations like that you deserved this internship. So when I discovered that the man who runs the station also happened to be my old freshman roommate from college, well …I just called to catch up. And as I was doing that, I asked him to take a personal look at your tape. He hired you because you were good, Tess. Like I said…I just made a couple of calls. That’s all.”
“You don’t know how much this means to me. Thank you.”
“You’re more than welcome, sweetheart.”
Max looked over his shoulder at Michael. “So what about you Mike?”
Michael pulled a folded up booklet of papers from his back pocket and tossed them across the island at his father. Jeff opened them up and grinned when he saw his son’s signature at the bottom. “Yes?”
Michael nodded. “Yes.” He turned his eyes to meet Max’s and said, “Dad gave me a contract. A job. As soon as next September rolls around, I’m going to be the new Creative Director for Parker Vineyards. And eventually, when he’s ready to retire, I’ll own the controlling stake.”
“Michael, that’s amazing!”
“Yeah…and it’s exactly what I wanted.” Liz noticed that Michael, too, seemed content. He rapped his fingers on the island top, keeping the rhythm of a song only he was hearing. It was so similar to what Alex did when he was restless or bored that Liz couldn’t help the next thought that ran through her head.
“Hey…I wonder where Alex and Maria are.”
-:-:-:-
With one thing or another the days passed, and suddenly it was the afternoon before Kyle was set to leave on his flight back to Michigan. Tess was already gone, having left a few days prior on a plane to Atlanta to visit with her parents before she had to go back to school. Max, Michael and Alex were set to leave on two different planes a day after Kyle, and Liz and Isabel would be the last to depart, their non-stop flight to New York leaving a day after that.
But today they wanted to make sure Kyle was packed, that all his clothes were clean and all his stuff was ready to go. The floor of the laundry room was covered with piles of his clothes, separated by color and wash type, and Maria and Isabel stood at one end of the room as they pulled some of Kyle’s clothes from the dryer. Kyle was standing next to a long table on one wall, folding his clothes and putting them back in one of his suitcases.
A few seconds later they heard a soft plop and looked at the doorway only to find Liz sprawled out on top of a few piles of Kyle’s clothes. She lifted her head but didn’t move her body and blew the hair out of her face, rolling her eyes. “You know…I always forget there’s a step down here. I can go anywhere else in this house blindfolded, but this…I always forget.”
Kyle laughed and stopped what he was doing to walk over to Liz and put his hands under her armpits to lift her straight up in the air from the pile, setting her down on her feet off to the side. “Most people just watch where they’re going.”
“True…but I’ve never been most people. So…can I help?”
Kyle nodded as he said, “Actually…there’s something specific I need you to do. Are you still good at finding things?”
Liz mock sighed and rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips. “Who do you think you’re talking to, hmm?”
“I’ve been trying to find my glove from freshman year since I got home but I haven’t been able to. Think you can find it?”
Liz scoffed. “Please…too easy drill sergeant.” She turned and started to walk away, careful to step up and into the house, when Kyle called after her.
“A hundred says you can’t find it in under a half an hour.”
Liz turned her head with a wicked grin and lifted her eyebrows a few times before saying, “You’re on.” Then she turned and walked swiftly away.
Isabel dumped the load of dry clothes from her arms onto the table in front of Kyle and said, “There’s no way she can find a lost glove you’ve been searching for for four weeks in under thirty minutes. No way.”
“Actually Izzy, Liz can find almost anything.” Maria’s voice came out a little muffled as she pulled wet clothes from the washing machine and put them in the dryer. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she finds it in less than twenty.”
Isabel turned her head from Maria to Kyle. “So you went into the bet knowing you’d lose a hundred dollars to her? Why’d you make the bet then?”
“Because Izzy…finding that glove is worth way more than a hundred bucks to me. I have never had a glove that fit so right. It was like an extension of my own hand. And a middle infielder without a great glove is like the best hitter on your team using a mediocre bat. You’re still good without them, but the perfect tools help you move mountains. Besides…the money goes to charity anyway.” Kyle pulled a stack of shirts away from Isabel, who had started to help him fold while Maria kicked a pile of his clothes closer to the machine. “Thanks for helping me, girls. This is a lot more fun than doing it by myself.”
“Our pleasure, Kyle.” Isabel nodded her agreement to Maria’s statement. “What are the guys doing, anyway?”
“Well, Mike’s the Packing Nazi, so I’m sure he’s scouring my and every other room trying to find absolutely everything I might need before I leave. Alex is downloading the rest of my CD’s to my iPod and preordering the books I need for my classes so they show up before I do. And Max…well…I’m sure he’s trying to help Mike as best he can but only getting in the way. And dad…I think he went to go get everyone lunch.”
“I’m sure Max doesn’t mean to get in Michael’s way.” Isabel passed a stack of pants to Kyle, who started putting them in his suitcase.
“Martha Stewart would get in Mike’s way.” Kyle rolled his eyes. “Just watch…he’ll completely disassemble this suitcase after I’ve packed it, just so he can repack it the way it’s “supposed to be packed”.” Kyle brought his fingers up and made air quotes as he laughed. “But what can I say…it’s Michael’s way of taking care of you. It’s his way of saying he’s going to miss you.”
Isabel considered the statement and nodded. “He does seem to show more than say, doesn’t he?”
“Boy, does he! He may not have told me he loves me yet, but when those lips-”
“Maria!” Kyle turned to face her. “Look…I love you and I love him…but I really don’t want to hear what his lips do to you. Okay?”
Maria rolled her eyes. “You’re such a guy, Kyle.”
“No…I’m a brother. On both counts. And it’s just not somewhere I want to go at the moment, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Thank you. Now…can we change the sub-”
“Go ahead. Tell me I’m amazing.” Liz leaned in the doorway, twirling Kyle’s glove by the wrist strap, her right index finger hooked in the opening. She grinned and lifted her eyebrows quickly up and down. “Go on…you know you wanna.”
Before Kyle could respond, Max came up behind Liz and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his nose into her neck. “You’re amazing.”
Liz turned in his arms and said, “Thank you.” She kissed him softly.
“It’s only the truth.”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Oh geez. Liz…you’re more than amazing. I bow down to you and all of your genius.” Liz turned her head from Max and giggled before tossing Kyle his glove. He caught it easily and grinned at her. “I was never going to find this. Thanks.”
“My pleasure. So you miss Tess, huh?”
Kyle raised an eyebrow. “That obvious, huh?” He sighed. “Yeah…but I’ll see her day after tomorrow. I’ll be all right. So Max…not that I’m not happy to see you down here, but I thought you were helping Mike.”
“I was. He sent me down for your suitcase.” Max laughed as Kyle rolled his eyes and tossed the duffel toward the doorway. Max removed his arms from Liz to catch it and shouldered the bag. “Tell him I already packed it but since I know he’s going to anyway, that he should feel free to repack it as he sees fit.” Kyle rolled his eyes again and Max laughed.
“Will do.” He kissed Liz one more time and walked away from the group, headed upstairs with the duffel.
Liz turned back to face the group in the laundry room and Maria walked over to Liz, holding out her hand. When Liz looked at her quizzically, Maria said, “Well, we don’t want you to trip again, do we? This time there aren’t any clothes to shield your fall.”
Liz mock glared at her as Kyle and Isabel started to laugh.
-:-:-:-
Kyle was lying in the center of his bed, his body horizontal to the headboard, his hands folded behind his head. He was staring at the ceiling, his eyes lost in the glow-in-the-dark stars above. His legs were bent at the knees, his calves hanging off the side of the bed. His suitcases were all packed and by the front door and for Kyle, it all felt too surreal, too wrong. But leaving home always did, so this wasn’t a new feeling for him. Still…he didn’t like it, no matter how normal it was.
The bed shifted next to his right but he didn’t look. It was Liz and he knew that, so there was no reason to look. He kept the same position and he felt Liz shift around next to him. He supposed she was getting herself into a similar position to his.
“So…whatcha doin’?”
“Contemplating my navel.”
“Ooo…sounds like fun.”
“Always.”
A few seconds later Kyle felt the bed shift again and knew Michael had settled down into the spot to his left. He still didn’t remove his eyes from the ceiling, and they traced the constellation Cassiopeia as Michael started to get comfortable.
“So…what are we doing?”
Liz didn’t move her eyes from the ceiling either. “Kyle’s contemplating his navel and I’m trying to solve that whole…world peace problem.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Always.”
“Always.”
Kyle felt the bed shift a final time and knew it to be Alex not just because of the way the bed moved, as if they were all suddenly a boat in a storm, (only Alex made the bed move that way) but because Kyle figured he was the only one left. Who else was going to come jumping on his bed?
“Soooooo…what are we doing?” Alex drew out the “O” as long as he could.
“Kyle is contemplating his navel…apparently…Lizzy is trying to solve world peace…” Liz made an assenting sound. “…and I’m working on perfecting my chili recipe.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Always.”
“Always.”
“Always.”
“Hey…do you remember when we put these stars up?” The other three turned their heads a little to look at Alex, whose eyes were now scanning the ceiling. Michael and Kyle couldn’t really see him due to the fact that Liz’s head was in the way, but that didn’t matter because they knew him well enough to be able to picture the look on his face. It was most likely soft, passive even, his features slack. He always looked that way when he was lost in a memory.
“Sure…what was it? Three weeks after mom died?” Kyle turned his head to look at Michael, who shrugged.
“Sounds about right.”
“Sixteen days.” Liz squirmed around a little as she adjusted her body so that she was more comfortable. “It was sixteen days after mom died. We bought them at the Planetarium gift shop on our trip there with Amy. We spent the entire day doing each other’s ceilings. Remember how we kept telling dad he wasn’t allowed to help?”
Kyle turned his head to Liz. “And how I nearly fell off the stepladder? I remember. Alex…you were supposed to be bracing the ladder for me.”
“How many times must I tell everyone? Shiny objects distract me. I don’t know why people are surprised when I get distracted.”
Michael laughed softly. “We insisted on doing all the constellations in different seasons for each room. We made these huge maps so we knew where each star was supposed to go. And then we spent the next four nights together, each night in a different room, sleeping in sleeping bags like we were camping under the stars.” They all smiled as Michael spoke, and they could almost see smaller versions of themselves standing on stepladders and kneeling on the floor as they looked over large star charts.
Alex laughed and they turned their heads to face him. “I just remembered that dad made us hot dogs and hot chocolate and s’mores, because he said that was the only way to camp. And then he said our way was better because there was no way we would get bitten by mosquitoes.”
Kyle laughed softly. “I’d forgotten he said that.”
There was silence for a few minutes as each Parker kid scanned the constellations above, lost in their own thoughts. Alex was finally the first to speak, but when he did, he said something none of the others had been expecting.
“I’m changing my major and transferring to NYU.” The three others sat up in the bed and stared at him with wide eyes. They didn’t know what to say and Alex sighed before he too sat up. “I don’t want to be stuck doing computers. I like them…but there are plenty of other things that I love more. I want to focus on my music.”
“Alex…I don’t want you to transfer to NYU because you-”
Alex held a hand up to stop his sister from speaking. “I’m not. I promise. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time now. I’ve had all the papers filled out and everything. They were just waiting for my word. I hate living in Boston while you’re in Manhattan, Liz. I…I just…I don’t want to have to deal with it anymore. Not if I don’t have to. And now with Isabel…” Alex trailed off and looked away briefly before his eyes snapped back to hers. “It’s the right choice, Lizzy. I know it is.”
“Didn’t see this one coming, Al.”
“I know Mike, but I can’t live away from Liz any longer. I tried it out, but I don’t really like it. I know you and Kyle can handle it, but…”
Kyle sighed. “We don’t handle it that well, Alex. We just wanted you two to think we did.” Michael nodded. “I nearly transferred to Northwestern, just to be near Mike.”
“And I nearly transferred to Michigan.”
“We talked each other out of it, only because we knew it wasn’t what was best for the other.”
“Kyle needed Michigan’s baseball program.”
“And the University of Chicago’s business program was perfect for Mike.”
Alex shook his head. “Guys…if you’re trying to talk-”
“We’re not.”
“We’re not.”
“Al…we’re just telling you why we didn’t transfer.”
Kyle looked at Michael and nodded his agreement. “And that contrary to popular opinion…we didn’t take being separated all that well either.”
Alex furrowed his eyebrows. “Why didn’t you ever tell us that?”
Michael shrugged. “Our prerogatives as big brothers, I guess. So what’s the new major going to be Alex?”
“I’m going to double major in music and business.” Alex nudged Liz with his right elbow. She had been deep in thought and turned in surprise to him. “You’ve been awfully quiet, Lizzy Bean. Any thoughts?”
Alex chewed his lower lip a little and knit his eyebrows in concern, waiting for Liz to respond. “Actually…I was just thinking that we’re going to have to find another apartment. No way is mine and Izzy’s large enough for the three of us. When are you transferring?”
“As soon as I get back to Boston I’m shipping my stuff. I’ll be a couple days late to classes, but the officials at NYU said that would be okay. Lizzy…are you really okay with my springing all this on you?”
Liz put her hands on the sides of Alex’s face and pulled his face right up in front of hers, so close that Alex and Liz both had to cross their eyes to even partially see the person in front of them. She squished in his cheeks a little with the heels of her hands. “Alex…you’re you. Doesn’t that answer everything?” She let go of his face and shifted so that her legs were crossed in the lotus position and set her right elbow on her thigh, dropping her chin into the palm of her hand. She gnawed a little on her lower lip and said, “I wonder how easy it’s going to be to get out of our lease. And whether we’re going to need two bedrooms or three…”
Michael looked out the window and noticed the sun starting to set. He glanced at the alarm clock on Kyle’s bedside table and, noting the time, spoke. “If I don’t start dinner soon the natives are going to get restless. Any preferences?”
“Breakfast for dinner.”
“Breakfast for dinner.”
“Breakfast for dinner.”
“Well…that solves that problem.”
Okay...so if I actually cried at movies, I'd cry at that scene. I was totally thinking about that scene when I wrote mine. And I will say that that scene has stuck with me for years.I love the song, 'Smile'. That scene in 'My Girl 2' where her mom sings it still makes me cry.
And uh...this too -->
Thanks.
Chrissie1218-
I'm glad because that's exactly what I'm aiming for in this fic. Not all my stuff is written so descriptively (sometimes it doesn't need to be) but in this one I definitely wanted all of you to see what I do.Everything is written in such a descriptive way that I can picture everything as if I were right there.
Thanks, Chrissie.
Sternbetrachter-
That may be the understatement of the century, I'm afraid. But I maintain that it's not my fault. Some of the characters just wouldn't shut up.it's no wonder it took you a bit to write it all
Thanks.
Bixie-
Hmmm...what could it be indeed?Now you keep us hanging here wondering what that surprise of Liz might be since she didn't get hers yet. What could that be
I don't think you'll have to wait too long to find out what the surprise is...at least, I'm fairly certain you won't. I just haven't decided which chapter it's going to be in yet. Her gift does figure into some plotline later, so...
Thanks.
FSU/MSW-94-
Thank you. So much. And I am honored that you think so. Jeff is simply, in many ways, a mixture of things I have longed to hear over my life. Perhaps that's what makes him so universally loved. We all want to hear things like that.I must say this is THE BEST portrayal of Jeff Parker I've ever read in an AU or CC fanfic
And please don't ever doubt that I most definitely appreciate you.It was definitely appreciated!
clueless- Thanks Clueless.
Natalie36- Thanks Natalie.
katydid-
Well that's a compliment if ever there was one!Oh the tears that started to well up!
Thanks Kate.
behralicious87-
I had no idea this story would touch anyone in this way, but you have honored me by saying so.You really havea way of making me think about many things in my life.
Thank you. So much. There is no way I could ever say that enough to any of you.
Don't look now, but so are you.You are amazing.
sprayadhesive-
*Whew!* Good.I was amazed at how well you fit in the gifts. They all just... fit.
Because I had the hardest time with Tess. Darn girl just didn't want to talk to me for a while!
Now... as for Liz's gift... you tease.
It occurred to me after I posted that you all might think that, but it wasn't intentional. I swear!
Thanks.
Cocogurl- Thanks!
confusedfool - Thanks!
Addicted2AmberEyes- Thanks so much!
Rowedog-
Sweetie...if you're there I'm not sure we could ever call it dirty.Ok, I'm coming out of dirty lurkerdom because I can't stay silent any longer.
And thank you...for all your thoughts...for all your words...for you.
As a side note, I think it's mildly funny that we tied for fic of the month, and both our names are Alison...though you spell yours with one "L" and I spell mine with two. Plus...I prefer to go by Alli, but that hardly matters.
At any rate...I was honored to tie with you. Just wanted to let you know that.
cassie-
Wow, Cassie! Thanks!I know that I will continue to re-read this fic for years to come!
Emz80m- Thanks Emma!
thetvgeneral-
Like I told Laira...I just couldn't resist when the opportunity presented itself.loved that laira was at the concert...and working for pat no less!
Laira deserved to see Pat in some way this year, even if it's through a piece of fiction.Thanks Steph!
AnnViolet-
Interesting guess, but no...you're completely off.I wish we got to see what Liz's gift was, but if I had to take a guess I would say it will be her moms wedding dress.
It is good you bring that up though, because that's what Liz was given when her mom died: her wedding dress. Remember how Kyle got the wedding band and Michael got the engagement ring? Well...that's what Liz got. Someone will mention it later, I'm just not sure when at this point.
Thanks AnnViolet!
killjoy-
I wanted to find a way for some needed Maria time, and at the same time I wanted to put her back into a familiar situation. This was a great opportunity for that. And I had fun with it. I also wanted to show through Alex how the rest of the Parker kids feel about the kind of man their dad is, and how he treats the other four. It's simply natural for him to love them, and his biological kids see that quite clearly.I liked how...Alex made Maria realize that his dad was also hers.
Thanks KJ.
Alien_Friend-
It is. That's true. And completely unlike any other feeling you'll ever have. Because there's no way you can anticipate feeling so...right...for lack of a better term. It's happened once to me, and I'll never forget how that felt.We are always searching for things to fill us in life i think and when we can get to place or have some one help us notice that we are enough just as is, it's a surreal feeling.
The thing about Jeff that I love is that he knows that, and he knows everyone deserves to have that. And he also knows that Max and Isabel need that. So instead of thinking about it, he does something. Simply because he can.
Thanks.
begonia9508- Thanks Eve!
tequathisy-
You and me T...we're the same. And I had never written anything that broached this sort of scale of sentimental before. Never.Usually I'm a cynic. I'm the type who rolls my eyes and makes loud scoffing sounds when things get schmaltzy and overly sentimental.
It's so sad to think that their vacation is coming to an end, will that mean the end of this story?
No...we have a ways to go yet. But we're going to start jumping ahead in time.
Well, in some ways I think Maria gets a pretty good side of this because she gets to be near Jeff, and he's going to make sure he spends plenty of time with her now that she's back in town.They'll all be leaving going their seperate ways except Maria who gets left behind.
It is a little, I think. These are people who definitely thrive by being near one another.It' so cruel to break the family up.
Thanks T.
pandas2001- Thanks!
BehrObsession-
Nope. 'Fraid not.Someone already expressed my thoughts on Liz's gift and I'm hoping we're right.
Hahaha...me too.I wanna be a Parker!
You + Me = Same Boat
Thanks.
IzzyEvans2201_PuertoRico-
Please tell me you finished that term paper...It's been so griping that I have to do a term paper and for the last 4 hours I've been reading.
I'm not sure "Hooked on Alli's fic" works as an excuse when "My dog ate my homework" barely passes muster anymore. Although as a side note, I had a Great Dane when I was young and he did, in fact, eat my homework one day. Needless to say, my teacher didn't believe me. I thought it all quite unjust.
Yes you do. And no one knows that better than I.But hey, you play the card you're dealt.
Thanks!
nibbles2-
That's a really lovely way to wrap it all up, B. If there's anyone that Michael aspires to be like, it's his dad.It's cool how Isabel, Max, Maria and Alex all got to spend time with people they admire and look up to and Michael gets to be the person he looks up to by taking over from his father (one day).
You know...when all else fails, I can count on you to come up with fabulous mental images like that.I can just see Michael as the sexy winemaker.
Keep in mind that Tess is a junior in college, not a senior like Kyle, Max and Michael. She would have been there for another year anyway.I wonder what Kyle will think of his father getting his girlfriend a job in a city so far away from him?
Thanks B!
Thanks again guys for all the mad love. And to all you lurkers...love you too.
What's that you say? Is it another chapter from Alli? It is indeed!
Lupe's, as far as I know, is not a real place. But Staci Snow is in fact a real woman. A pretty awesome, caring woman who deserves accolades for the great stuff she does for others. And if you caught on that she shares a last name with another person you just read about...well then...you're paying attention.
Chapter 30 (wow...30?) is here guys. Enjoy.
Chapter 30: Hello…Kitty
“You’re not mad at me, are you squirt?” Liz looked up from her seat at the kitchen island; spoonful of cereal paused halfway on its way to her mouth. She had a book open and laying flat on the butcher block countertop and her hand was resting on the pages to prevent them from moving.
“Of course not daddy.” Liz put the spoonful of cereal in her mouth, chewing slowly.
“Good.” Jeff let out a long sigh and walked further into the room, coming closer to his daughter. “I was worried you might be a little upset you had to wait for your gift when no one else had to wait for theirs.”
Jeff took a seat across the island from Liz and she dropped the spoon into her bowl, milk splashing up a little bit as the spoon jostled the contents of the now half-filled bowl. “Well…since I hadn’t expected to get anything at all, I’m not sure it would make much sense for me to be upset. Wanna give me a hint, though?” Liz raised her eyebrows up and down quickly as a devilish grin started to grow on her lips. “Come on…you know you wanna.”
“Sorry, but no.” Jeff smiled and reached across the table for Liz’s book, sliding it towards him so he could see the title. “Pride and Prejudice, hmm?” Liz nodded. The spoon had made its way back into her mouth and she was chewing on another spoonful of cereal. “Lizzy…Apple Jacks for dinner?” He lifted an eyebrow at her and she smiled.
“I will have you know that Apple Jacks are fortified with…” She trailed off as she picked the box up and turned it so the side was close to her face, squinting as she read. “Eleven essential vitamins and minerals to get my day started off right. Plus, milk has calcium to help my bones grow nice and strong.”
“Sweetie…I hate to tell you this, but you’re not growing any more.”
Liz mock gasped as she lowered her spoon into her bowl. “You mean I’m not going to be five foot ten like Heidi Klum? My dreams…they’ve been crushed.”
“Fraid not, little sister.” Kyle stepped into the kitchen, his hands in his pockets, with a grin on his face and Max at his side. “But at least no one asks us short stacks what the weather looks like from up there. So dad…what’s the we-”
Jeff laughed. “Don’t finish that, Kyle.”
Max came up behind Liz and wrapped his arm around her waist, softly pulling his body flush with hers. She leaned into him and put her spoon down before turning her head. He smiled at her, the light in the kitchen bouncing off the golden flecks in his bottomless amber eyes. It seemed a silly thought, but Liz felt like the room suddenly gained a golden glow too. “Heidi Klum’s got nothing on you.”
He dropped his left hand to rest on her thigh and kissed her gently on the lips, smiling a smile meant only for her. And in that smile Liz saw a change in Max. It was the best kind of change, and Liz knew instantly it must have had something to do with his gift, since the last time she had seen him was a few hours earlier outside the front door at the beginning of the hunt.
She brought her left hand up and drew her fingers softly under his chin, running them along his skin softly from the neck up. He had a five o’clock shadow and she ran her fingers along the line of his jaw as he smiled at her softly, not taking his eyes from her for a moment. In fact, if his eyes could handle not blinking, he probably wouldn’t have done that either. And though Liz had no idea what she was looking for, she saw it then, in eyes that wouldn’t move from hers. Max was content.
She kept the tips of her fingers on his jaw and turned her head away to look at her dad who, if she wasn’t mistaken, had a look on his face that mirrored Max’s. And when Isabel stepped into the kitchen with a look that made the three of them triplets, Liz just couldn’t handle it anymore. She had to ask.
“Okay…what was the gift?”
Jeff grinned and stood to grab a glass from a cabinet to his left. “Oh, my perceptive little girl…how I love you.” He took his time getting a glass of filtered water from the refrigerator before settling back down into his seat. “Isabel?”
Isabel grinned. “Only the best gift ever. Right Max?”
“Dad couldn’t have given us a better gift.” He grinned as he looked at his girlfriend and wanted to laugh as a smile slowly started to form on her face.
“You gave them you?” Liz turned to look again at her dad, who was smiling.
“Yes, little girl, I gave them me. And us. And this home. I gave them the only gift that seemed right.”
Liz turned to Kyle, who was grinning just like she was. “It’s official, isn’t it Kyle?”
“Yep. Best dad in the world.”
“Best dad in the world.”
Kyle leaned the upper half of his body over the kitchen island so that he was reasonably close to Liz and said, “So…what’d you get?”
Liz leaned over to match him but didn’t quite slip from Max’s arms. She liked the weight of his hands on her waist and thigh. It was comforting to her in a way she hadn’t felt before, because there was no way she could compare the way Max made her feel to how anyone else made her feel. “Nothing. What about you?”
Kyle recoiled from her and his eyes went wide. “Wait…that’s not right. Nothing? Dad?” Kyle turned his head to face his dad but Liz was the one who spoke again.
“I mean I have a gift…I just don’t get it yet. Dad says it’ll come to me when I need it. So…what’d you get?”
“Are you sitting down?” Liz looked back behind her before turning back to Kyle and raising an eyebrow. “Right…sorry…stupid question. Guess who I just had dinner with at Lupe’s? Go on…guess.”
“No clue.” She leaned further just as he did and their foreheads touched.
“Only the single greatest defensive first baseman ever to play the game.”
“J.T. Snow? No way! Kyle…you must have been on cloud nine!” They drew back from one another and settled onto the separate bar stools, Liz snuggling down again into Max’s arms.
“I don’t think there’s a word for what I was. I probably acted like an idiot but it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Words can’t express how great it really was. He’d actually seen my tape, Lizzy! And he told me what I was doing right and how I could improve…” Kyle trailed off and shook his head. “Come to think of it, I wanted to ask you something dad.”
“Yes?”
“How on earth did you get J.T. Snow’s phone number?”
Jeff set his glass of water down on the wood countertop and turned to face Kyle. “Well, son, I’ve known his wife Staci for years. We worked on the boards of a few charities together. J.T. knows plenty of stories about you kids. I suppose you could say that technically, he’s known all of you for years. I called Staci a while ago for another reason and told her about my dilemma. She passed it on to J.T. and he wanted to help. It was actually his suggestion.”
Kyle turned again to face his sister and said, “Yep…best dad ever.”
Michel and Tess walked into the room then, headed immediately to the fridge. They were in the middle of a conversation and Michael laughed as Tess related what the rest of the people in the kitchen guessed was the end of a story. “So there I stood…in front of the entire senior class…in my underwear.” Michael tossed her a can of soda and she caught it easily.
“Seriously?”
She nodded as she popped the top of the can and swallowed a sip of soda. “I was just really glad I went against my instincts that morning when I got dressed and put on my good stuff. Because the entire senior class seeing me in my Hello Kitty underwear? No way I wanted to know what that would have felt like.”
Michael laughed deeply as he set his can on the island to the right of Max and Liz before sitting down on the barstool. Tess pulled a seat from its normal resting place so she could sit directly next to Kyle, who looped an arm around her shoulders just as she sat down. “I love that story.”
Tess rolled her eyes. “Of course you do, it involves me in my underwear.”
“Soooo?” Kyle drew out the syllable nice and long as he looked at his girlfriend, raising his eyebrows in expectation of her answer.
“An internship at WRAC next semester.” She smiled widely and looked over at Jeff, who winked at her.
“Wait…the internship? The one everyone tries for but is impossible to get? That internship?” Kyle looked back and forth from his girlfriend to his father, completely surprised. “Dad…how did you swing that?”
“Tess did all the hard work…I just made a couple of calls. Your professors called you charismatic, talented, winning and hardworking. I knew with recommendations like that you deserved this internship. So when I discovered that the man who runs the station also happened to be my old freshman roommate from college, well …I just called to catch up. And as I was doing that, I asked him to take a personal look at your tape. He hired you because you were good, Tess. Like I said…I just made a couple of calls. That’s all.”
“You don’t know how much this means to me. Thank you.”
“You’re more than welcome, sweetheart.”
Max looked over his shoulder at Michael. “So what about you Mike?”
Michael pulled a folded up booklet of papers from his back pocket and tossed them across the island at his father. Jeff opened them up and grinned when he saw his son’s signature at the bottom. “Yes?”
Michael nodded. “Yes.” He turned his eyes to meet Max’s and said, “Dad gave me a contract. A job. As soon as next September rolls around, I’m going to be the new Creative Director for Parker Vineyards. And eventually, when he’s ready to retire, I’ll own the controlling stake.”
“Michael, that’s amazing!”
“Yeah…and it’s exactly what I wanted.” Liz noticed that Michael, too, seemed content. He rapped his fingers on the island top, keeping the rhythm of a song only he was hearing. It was so similar to what Alex did when he was restless or bored that Liz couldn’t help the next thought that ran through her head.
“Hey…I wonder where Alex and Maria are.”
-:-:-:-
With one thing or another the days passed, and suddenly it was the afternoon before Kyle was set to leave on his flight back to Michigan. Tess was already gone, having left a few days prior on a plane to Atlanta to visit with her parents before she had to go back to school. Max, Michael and Alex were set to leave on two different planes a day after Kyle, and Liz and Isabel would be the last to depart, their non-stop flight to New York leaving a day after that.
But today they wanted to make sure Kyle was packed, that all his clothes were clean and all his stuff was ready to go. The floor of the laundry room was covered with piles of his clothes, separated by color and wash type, and Maria and Isabel stood at one end of the room as they pulled some of Kyle’s clothes from the dryer. Kyle was standing next to a long table on one wall, folding his clothes and putting them back in one of his suitcases.
A few seconds later they heard a soft plop and looked at the doorway only to find Liz sprawled out on top of a few piles of Kyle’s clothes. She lifted her head but didn’t move her body and blew the hair out of her face, rolling her eyes. “You know…I always forget there’s a step down here. I can go anywhere else in this house blindfolded, but this…I always forget.”
Kyle laughed and stopped what he was doing to walk over to Liz and put his hands under her armpits to lift her straight up in the air from the pile, setting her down on her feet off to the side. “Most people just watch where they’re going.”
“True…but I’ve never been most people. So…can I help?”
Kyle nodded as he said, “Actually…there’s something specific I need you to do. Are you still good at finding things?”
Liz mock sighed and rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips. “Who do you think you’re talking to, hmm?”
“I’ve been trying to find my glove from freshman year since I got home but I haven’t been able to. Think you can find it?”
Liz scoffed. “Please…too easy drill sergeant.” She turned and started to walk away, careful to step up and into the house, when Kyle called after her.
“A hundred says you can’t find it in under a half an hour.”
Liz turned her head with a wicked grin and lifted her eyebrows a few times before saying, “You’re on.” Then she turned and walked swiftly away.
Isabel dumped the load of dry clothes from her arms onto the table in front of Kyle and said, “There’s no way she can find a lost glove you’ve been searching for for four weeks in under thirty minutes. No way.”
“Actually Izzy, Liz can find almost anything.” Maria’s voice came out a little muffled as she pulled wet clothes from the washing machine and put them in the dryer. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she finds it in less than twenty.”
Isabel turned her head from Maria to Kyle. “So you went into the bet knowing you’d lose a hundred dollars to her? Why’d you make the bet then?”
“Because Izzy…finding that glove is worth way more than a hundred bucks to me. I have never had a glove that fit so right. It was like an extension of my own hand. And a middle infielder without a great glove is like the best hitter on your team using a mediocre bat. You’re still good without them, but the perfect tools help you move mountains. Besides…the money goes to charity anyway.” Kyle pulled a stack of shirts away from Isabel, who had started to help him fold while Maria kicked a pile of his clothes closer to the machine. “Thanks for helping me, girls. This is a lot more fun than doing it by myself.”
“Our pleasure, Kyle.” Isabel nodded her agreement to Maria’s statement. “What are the guys doing, anyway?”
“Well, Mike’s the Packing Nazi, so I’m sure he’s scouring my and every other room trying to find absolutely everything I might need before I leave. Alex is downloading the rest of my CD’s to my iPod and preordering the books I need for my classes so they show up before I do. And Max…well…I’m sure he’s trying to help Mike as best he can but only getting in the way. And dad…I think he went to go get everyone lunch.”
“I’m sure Max doesn’t mean to get in Michael’s way.” Isabel passed a stack of pants to Kyle, who started putting them in his suitcase.
“Martha Stewart would get in Mike’s way.” Kyle rolled his eyes. “Just watch…he’ll completely disassemble this suitcase after I’ve packed it, just so he can repack it the way it’s “supposed to be packed”.” Kyle brought his fingers up and made air quotes as he laughed. “But what can I say…it’s Michael’s way of taking care of you. It’s his way of saying he’s going to miss you.”
Isabel considered the statement and nodded. “He does seem to show more than say, doesn’t he?”
“Boy, does he! He may not have told me he loves me yet, but when those lips-”
“Maria!” Kyle turned to face her. “Look…I love you and I love him…but I really don’t want to hear what his lips do to you. Okay?”
Maria rolled her eyes. “You’re such a guy, Kyle.”
“No…I’m a brother. On both counts. And it’s just not somewhere I want to go at the moment, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Thank you. Now…can we change the sub-”
“Go ahead. Tell me I’m amazing.” Liz leaned in the doorway, twirling Kyle’s glove by the wrist strap, her right index finger hooked in the opening. She grinned and lifted her eyebrows quickly up and down. “Go on…you know you wanna.”
Before Kyle could respond, Max came up behind Liz and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his nose into her neck. “You’re amazing.”
Liz turned in his arms and said, “Thank you.” She kissed him softly.
“It’s only the truth.”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Oh geez. Liz…you’re more than amazing. I bow down to you and all of your genius.” Liz turned her head from Max and giggled before tossing Kyle his glove. He caught it easily and grinned at her. “I was never going to find this. Thanks.”
“My pleasure. So you miss Tess, huh?”
Kyle raised an eyebrow. “That obvious, huh?” He sighed. “Yeah…but I’ll see her day after tomorrow. I’ll be all right. So Max…not that I’m not happy to see you down here, but I thought you were helping Mike.”
“I was. He sent me down for your suitcase.” Max laughed as Kyle rolled his eyes and tossed the duffel toward the doorway. Max removed his arms from Liz to catch it and shouldered the bag. “Tell him I already packed it but since I know he’s going to anyway, that he should feel free to repack it as he sees fit.” Kyle rolled his eyes again and Max laughed.
“Will do.” He kissed Liz one more time and walked away from the group, headed upstairs with the duffel.
Liz turned back to face the group in the laundry room and Maria walked over to Liz, holding out her hand. When Liz looked at her quizzically, Maria said, “Well, we don’t want you to trip again, do we? This time there aren’t any clothes to shield your fall.”
Liz mock glared at her as Kyle and Isabel started to laugh.
-:-:-:-
Kyle was lying in the center of his bed, his body horizontal to the headboard, his hands folded behind his head. He was staring at the ceiling, his eyes lost in the glow-in-the-dark stars above. His legs were bent at the knees, his calves hanging off the side of the bed. His suitcases were all packed and by the front door and for Kyle, it all felt too surreal, too wrong. But leaving home always did, so this wasn’t a new feeling for him. Still…he didn’t like it, no matter how normal it was.
The bed shifted next to his right but he didn’t look. It was Liz and he knew that, so there was no reason to look. He kept the same position and he felt Liz shift around next to him. He supposed she was getting herself into a similar position to his.
“So…whatcha doin’?”
“Contemplating my navel.”
“Ooo…sounds like fun.”
“Always.”
A few seconds later Kyle felt the bed shift again and knew Michael had settled down into the spot to his left. He still didn’t remove his eyes from the ceiling, and they traced the constellation Cassiopeia as Michael started to get comfortable.
“So…what are we doing?”
Liz didn’t move her eyes from the ceiling either. “Kyle’s contemplating his navel and I’m trying to solve that whole…world peace problem.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Always.”
“Always.”
Kyle felt the bed shift a final time and knew it to be Alex not just because of the way the bed moved, as if they were all suddenly a boat in a storm, (only Alex made the bed move that way) but because Kyle figured he was the only one left. Who else was going to come jumping on his bed?
“Soooooo…what are we doing?” Alex drew out the “O” as long as he could.
“Kyle is contemplating his navel…apparently…Lizzy is trying to solve world peace…” Liz made an assenting sound. “…and I’m working on perfecting my chili recipe.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Always.”
“Always.”
“Always.”
“Hey…do you remember when we put these stars up?” The other three turned their heads a little to look at Alex, whose eyes were now scanning the ceiling. Michael and Kyle couldn’t really see him due to the fact that Liz’s head was in the way, but that didn’t matter because they knew him well enough to be able to picture the look on his face. It was most likely soft, passive even, his features slack. He always looked that way when he was lost in a memory.
“Sure…what was it? Three weeks after mom died?” Kyle turned his head to look at Michael, who shrugged.
“Sounds about right.”
“Sixteen days.” Liz squirmed around a little as she adjusted her body so that she was more comfortable. “It was sixteen days after mom died. We bought them at the Planetarium gift shop on our trip there with Amy. We spent the entire day doing each other’s ceilings. Remember how we kept telling dad he wasn’t allowed to help?”
Kyle turned his head to Liz. “And how I nearly fell off the stepladder? I remember. Alex…you were supposed to be bracing the ladder for me.”
“How many times must I tell everyone? Shiny objects distract me. I don’t know why people are surprised when I get distracted.”
Michael laughed softly. “We insisted on doing all the constellations in different seasons for each room. We made these huge maps so we knew where each star was supposed to go. And then we spent the next four nights together, each night in a different room, sleeping in sleeping bags like we were camping under the stars.” They all smiled as Michael spoke, and they could almost see smaller versions of themselves standing on stepladders and kneeling on the floor as they looked over large star charts.
Alex laughed and they turned their heads to face him. “I just remembered that dad made us hot dogs and hot chocolate and s’mores, because he said that was the only way to camp. And then he said our way was better because there was no way we would get bitten by mosquitoes.”
Kyle laughed softly. “I’d forgotten he said that.”
There was silence for a few minutes as each Parker kid scanned the constellations above, lost in their own thoughts. Alex was finally the first to speak, but when he did, he said something none of the others had been expecting.
“I’m changing my major and transferring to NYU.” The three others sat up in the bed and stared at him with wide eyes. They didn’t know what to say and Alex sighed before he too sat up. “I don’t want to be stuck doing computers. I like them…but there are plenty of other things that I love more. I want to focus on my music.”
“Alex…I don’t want you to transfer to NYU because you-”
Alex held a hand up to stop his sister from speaking. “I’m not. I promise. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time now. I’ve had all the papers filled out and everything. They were just waiting for my word. I hate living in Boston while you’re in Manhattan, Liz. I…I just…I don’t want to have to deal with it anymore. Not if I don’t have to. And now with Isabel…” Alex trailed off and looked away briefly before his eyes snapped back to hers. “It’s the right choice, Lizzy. I know it is.”
“Didn’t see this one coming, Al.”
“I know Mike, but I can’t live away from Liz any longer. I tried it out, but I don’t really like it. I know you and Kyle can handle it, but…”
Kyle sighed. “We don’t handle it that well, Alex. We just wanted you two to think we did.” Michael nodded. “I nearly transferred to Northwestern, just to be near Mike.”
“And I nearly transferred to Michigan.”
“We talked each other out of it, only because we knew it wasn’t what was best for the other.”
“Kyle needed Michigan’s baseball program.”
“And the University of Chicago’s business program was perfect for Mike.”
Alex shook his head. “Guys…if you’re trying to talk-”
“We’re not.”
“We’re not.”
“Al…we’re just telling you why we didn’t transfer.”
Kyle looked at Michael and nodded his agreement. “And that contrary to popular opinion…we didn’t take being separated all that well either.”
Alex furrowed his eyebrows. “Why didn’t you ever tell us that?”
Michael shrugged. “Our prerogatives as big brothers, I guess. So what’s the new major going to be Alex?”
“I’m going to double major in music and business.” Alex nudged Liz with his right elbow. She had been deep in thought and turned in surprise to him. “You’ve been awfully quiet, Lizzy Bean. Any thoughts?”
Alex chewed his lower lip a little and knit his eyebrows in concern, waiting for Liz to respond. “Actually…I was just thinking that we’re going to have to find another apartment. No way is mine and Izzy’s large enough for the three of us. When are you transferring?”
“As soon as I get back to Boston I’m shipping my stuff. I’ll be a couple days late to classes, but the officials at NYU said that would be okay. Lizzy…are you really okay with my springing all this on you?”
Liz put her hands on the sides of Alex’s face and pulled his face right up in front of hers, so close that Alex and Liz both had to cross their eyes to even partially see the person in front of them. She squished in his cheeks a little with the heels of her hands. “Alex…you’re you. Doesn’t that answer everything?” She let go of his face and shifted so that her legs were crossed in the lotus position and set her right elbow on her thigh, dropping her chin into the palm of her hand. She gnawed a little on her lower lip and said, “I wonder how easy it’s going to be to get out of our lease. And whether we’re going to need two bedrooms or three…”
Michael looked out the window and noticed the sun starting to set. He glanced at the alarm clock on Kyle’s bedside table and, noting the time, spoke. “If I don’t start dinner soon the natives are going to get restless. Any preferences?”
“Breakfast for dinner.”
“Breakfast for dinner.”
“Breakfast for dinner.”
“Well…that solves that problem.”
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:04 pm
- Location: Somewhere left of center
- Contact:
Rowedog-
Our name is easily nicknamed, I think. I have about a million of 'em. Ace, sport, little wood nymph etc etc etc. And most of them are variants of my name.
Actually...my dad's favorite nickname for me is Smart Alli or Smart Ass, if he's more pissed off. So I guess...in a twisted sort of way...you gave it to me.
Natalie36- Thank you Natalie. I'm honored you think so.
Chrissie1218 - Thanks Chrissie!
cassie-
Thanks Cassie.
Emz80m- Thanks Emma!
Bixie-
Thanks Sandra. In so many ways, people like you are why I write.
LairaBehr4-
Just so you know...I say that many times a day. Wahoo for Laira, I mean.
What is it Ben says? Save that shit for the tourists?
Yeah...something like that.
begonia9508- Thanks Eve!
Actually...I watch Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea when I'm down or sick. Those miniseries move mountains. My best friend when I was little looked like Jonathan Crombie, who played Gilbert Blythe. I always loved him a little more for that.
nibbles2- I would expect nothing less. You know...I truly see your point...I do...but I think there are advantages and disadvantages to everyone's situations. It's true that Maria is now (or very soon) going to be without her friends, but there's nothing that says that...wait. I have to stop myself or I'll say too much.
I know. Evil.
Speaking of GD...how's the next chapter coming along, hmmm?
thetvgeneral- Well, thanks so much Steph!
BehrObsession- Thanks!
behralicious87-
If only real life worked that way and we could stay forever in our favorite place.
Thanks Bridget!
clueless- You're welcome clueless, and thank you!
sprayadhesive-
I want to stress that Maria is plenty smart enough to go wherever she wanted, but that she decided college wasn't the right choice for her.
They're coming. I promise. Not yet, though.
Thanks.
Alien_Friend-
Thanks. A million times over.
FSU/MSW-94-
Yep. My words exactly.
I adore you, La'Shon. Thanks so much.
Cocogurl-
Thanks.
killjoy-
Thanks KJ...giver of ideas.
NUNARFEATHER00-
Thanks so much Joy.
tequathisy-
Tamashii-
Okay Folky Dokies...it's about that time again.
Chapter 31...TA DA!
I actually meant to finish this much sooner...but somehow I got caught in a couple of weeks that seemed to sap all my time. My sister just graduated with her Masters in history...job interviews...work...family time...grad party after grad party after grad party...birthdays...and with all that...haven't had much time for anything else.
My deepest apologies, guys. It was unintentional.
Okay...disclaimers. The movie Major League...not mine. Though it did come out on my birthday when I was like...seven or something. Ooo...dating myself. Always awesome.
The Burial Waltz is mentioned below. There's an actual name for it, but my mother the ex-opera singer couldn't seem to remember the name of it when I asked, so it is what it is. You know that song that always gets played when someone is walking to their death? The one people hum as a joke when someone's in deep you-know-what? Yeah...it's that one.
Chapter 31. Enjoy.
Chapter 31: Juuuust a Bit Outside
Isabel exited the bathroom down the hall from the kitchen and, hearing the laughter bubbling through the swinging door and filtering down the hall towards her, smiled and started to walk faster toward the noise, drawn to the sounds of happiness. Just as she was about to push the door and walk into the kitchen, Isabel felt a hand on her left elbow and she paused and turned her head, though her hand stayed where it was, close to but not touching the swinging door.
“Alex!” She turned confused eyes to the door and then back to her boyfriend. “Why aren’t you inside?”
Alex smiled a little. “I wanted to talk with you about something.”
Isabel dropped her hand from the air and turned her body so that she was facing Alex, moving her body close to his. Alex kept his hand on her elbow and Isabel found that she didn’t mind at all that he was touching her. He held her elbow cupped in the palm of his hand, held it in such a way that told anyone who cared to look could see how comfortable he was touching her. And the very fact that Isabel didn’t mind made her almost tear up. It was remarkable to her, the way she had changed. And Isabel had certainly changed.
“What is it?”
Isabel looked at Alex with bright, open eyes and he smiled wider. “I’m transferring to NYU.”
Isabel gasped and moved closer to Alex, putting her left hand on his chest. He put his left hand over the top of hers, pressing it gently down. “Alex…I don’t want you to-”
“I’m not.” He laughed gently. “It’s the right decision, Izzy. In fact…it’s one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made.”
Isabel took a look at Alex, leaned up against the wall so that he wasn’t reliant on his crutches to hold him up, legs crossed as much as his cast would allow, and knew instantly he was telling the truth. He had a smile on his face that spoke volumes. His shoulders were relaxed and he was, at that moment Isabel thought, more Alex than she had ever seen him before. She knew part of that demeanor would change tomorrow as soon as he watched Kyle walk away into the airport terminal, but Isabel was grateful for this moment right now, seeing Alex as he was. She knew too, that this was the right choice for Alex, transferring to NYU. She also knew that she would want him to transfer, even if it wasn’t what was right for her. Isabel smiled.
“So when can Liz and I expect you in New York?”
Alex smiled widely and said, “A couple of days after I get back to Boston I should have everything packed up and taken care of. Then my feet will be hitting the streets of the Big Apple. But there’s something else I wanted to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
“I wanted to know how comfortable you would be with my living with you and Liz.” Isabel started to open her mouth and Alex hastily added, “If you’re not comfortable living in the same apartment with me, I’d understand completely. I don’t want you to feel rushed or overwhelmed, so I want you to decide what’s going to work for you.”
Isabel shifted a little on her feet, looking over her shoulder into the unoccupied living room. The living room in her parents’ house in Roswell was nearly just as large, but it had none of the same warmth. Isabel’s parents had held all their parties in that room and Isabel and Max had been forced to mingle with her father’s clients, projecting that perfect family image her parents so loved. Even now Isabel could feel the way that room stifled her, making her skin crawl.
She shook her head and turned her eyes back to Alex, who was looking at her earnestly, waiting for her reaction. She loved him for that, that look in his eyes. “Alex…living with you and the rest of your family has felt so normal, that I’ve wondered what it was going to feel like to go back to New York without all of you. Especially you. Having you there is going to make it a lot easier to get on that plane.”
“But I don’t have to live with you and Liz, if you don’t want that. Living in New York is enough for me. I want you to understan-”
“Well…I’m not ready for that…” Isabel blushed as she trailed off, tucking her hair a little behind her hair and looking away from Alex briefly. “But we both know you’ll be spending all your time with me and Liz anyway…so it wouldn’t make any sense for you to have another apartment.”
Alex grinned. Could she be any more precious? “You’re sure?”
Isabel nodded, smiling. “I’m sure.”
Alex righted himself from his position against the wall and wrapped his arms around Isabel, pulling her flush to him. They wobbled a bit before Alex kissed Isabel gently and picked his crutches up from their place against the wall, putting them under his arms and placing his weight on them. Isabel walked in front of him and pushed the door open, standing on the other side as Alex walked into the kitchen before she released her hold on the door, letting it swing gently back an forth on its hinges.
Isabel sat down next to Liz (the seat she had been in before her sojourn to the bathroom) and Alex set his crutches against the wall before hopping on one foot over to the empty seat next to his dad. Jeff looked around the table at everyone before he raised his glass of juice up in the air.
“Everyone situated?” The occupants of the table looked around at one another and alternately shrugged or nodded before looking back at Jeff. “Good.” He looked at Kyle, glass still lifted up high, and nodded. “To Kyle…because he’s nearly a college graduate…because I’ll eat my hat if anyone in the entire NCAA system can play second base better…because he knows how to love us all…and because he knows a good joke when he hears one.”
As Kyle chuckled softly and shook his head, everyone else lifted their glasses and toasted to him.
“Kyle.”
“To Kyle.”
“Kyle.”
“Kyle.”
“To Kyle.”
“Kyle.”
Kyle took a sip of his juice and set the glass back down to the right of his plate. “Why do I feel like I’m at my own wake? Or my retirement…” Kyle trailed off and reached for the plate of sausages in the center of the table. “Oh man, Mike…this looks good.”
“Thanks. Could someone pass the eggs?” Michael motioned to the bowl of scrambled eggs and Max nodded, lifting the bowl over Kyle’s head to hand to Maria, who handed them across the table to Michael. He nodded his thanks as Jeff motioned for the plate of fruit.
“Kyle?”
“Hmm?” Kyle lifted his head and looked across the table at Isabel.
“What does it feel like?” At Kyle’s confused expression, she added, “What does it feel like to…to walk out onto the field at the beginning of the game…to…play…in front of all those people all the time?”
Kyle swallowed and set his fork down on the edge of his plate. “Like it’s something I’ve always done…something I always will do…even though I know that’s wrong.” He reached for a few orange segments and a small bunch of grapes and set them on his plate. “You know what my favorite time in the game is?”
“No…but I bet you’re gonna tell us.” Alex smirked and used the side of his fork to cut a sausage link into smaller pieces, spearing one and dragging it through the maple syrup on his plate before popping the small piece into his mouth.
Isabel and Kyle shook the heads together as they smiled. Liz snorted and put a piece of her waffle into her mouth. “My favorite time is in the middle of the game…when it seems like nothing’s happening but in actuality…everything is. The shortstop and I are talking to each other, trying to organize coverage assignments. The outfielders are positioning themselves for the next batter, who’s about to step into the box. There’s this moment for me when I look around myself and see the crowd and my teammates and the batter stepping into the box and as I start to set my body into position, I know I’m right where I should be. It’s like dad says…sometimes the biggest revelations are also the quietest.”
“I wish I knew what that felt like.”
“Well, Iz…you just haven’t found it yet.”
“It?”
“Yeah, it. Whatever it is that…what’s the term you always use, dad?”
Jeff scrunched his eyebrows and speared a grape with his fork. “Hmm…I believe you’re referring to what I term ‘acknowledging your paradise’, or something that sounds equally urbane.” Jeff smiled and winked at Maria, who giggled in understanding. “When you learn to accept that what makes you happy matters, Isabel, you better understand yourself. Learn to dwell in happiness, sweetheart. It’s really the only way to live.”
Max speared a waffle on the plate just in front of him in the middle of the table as Isabel set her juice glass down. “I guess it’d be easier if I knew what my paradise was.”
Max looked across the table at his sister as he poured syrup on his waffles, the thick, amber colored liquid dropping into squares already mostly full of melted butter. “I think we’re both in the same boat, Izzy. But can you really blame us? I mean…we had to choose from a list of ‘acceptable majors’.” Max mocked the last two words, rolling his eyes.
Isabel nodded. “I know Max…but I’m starting to feel like it’s just a stupid excuse we’ve always used. That it’s always their fault, no matter what the problem is. We could have said no, Max. But we never did.”
“Maybe you didn’t know how, Izzy.” Isabel turned her head to look at Maria, who was sitting across the table from her. Maria shrugged. “My mom taught me that words were powerful. You know what her favorite word is? No. She says it holds more power than any word she’s ever known. I think she’s the real reason I always wanted to be a songwriter. ‘Handle them carefully, Maria, for words have more power than atom bombs’. She’s always loved saying that. But those aren’t her words…someone else said them first. I just don’t remember who.”
“Pearl Strachan.”
Michael looked across the table at Alex, who was chewing on an orange segment. “I should be surprised you know that…but I’m not.”
Alex shrugged. “Amy’s said that…what? Our entire lives? I got curious one day and looked it up. Google is a beautiful thing.”
Maria laughed softly. “Anyway, as I was saying…from what I know of your parents, they don’t really seem the inspiring type. I mean…they never really cared to know you as people.”
“Sometimes people hold more power over us than we’re comfortable with, Isabel.” Jeff set his fork down briefly to reach for the plate of sausage in front of him. “It’s natural to want to please the people we love…make them happy…even if they have absolutely no idea how to love us back. Loving someone? Well…that’s never a crime. Don’t ever think that. Would someone be kind enough to pass me the butter please?”
Liz picked up the butter in front of her place and passed it over to Isabel, who passed it to Michael, who handed it to his dad. The table was quiet for a bit as the occupants dug into their dinner, savoring Michael’s skilled cooking even more now that their respective days with a designated cook (and a good one at that) were numbered.
“So…on a much lighter note…I’ve decided to transfer to NYU.”
-:-:-:-
“I hate this.” The SUV was quiet so Liz’s soft words, though possibly not meant for any ears but her own, echoed in the still air, absorbing into the upholstery as they fell. She was looking out the side window in the very back right of the car, her eyes scanning the overcast world just outside the window. There was a light rain falling and Liz couldn’t help but wonder if it always rained when things you dreaded were coming to pass, or whether it just seemed that way.
Max wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her as much to him as her seatbelt would allow. It was the only kind of comfort he knew how to give her at the moment because, though he knew Kyle’s imminent departure was hurting her, he didn’t really know how she felt. It always pulled at him a little when Isabel left, but they hadn’t grown up the way the Parker kids had, sharing every last detail of their lives, spending nearly every moment together.
A long sigh came from the front of the car and Michael said, “We all hate this, Lizzy.”
“I know Mike…and I’m sorry. I know it’s worse for you than anyone.”
“Which is why I’m glad I’m leaving first. Dad…I don’t know how you do it.” Kyle reached forward from the middle seat and clapped his father on the shoulder and Jeff turned his head just slightly in his son’s direction, careful to keep his eyes on the road.
“Oh…I simply tell myself that my kids are becoming who they are…and that makes me feel better. That where all of you are going is simply a necessary stop before you all come back home. It is an unavoidable evil of being a parent that at some point…you have to watch your kids walk away. Or fly away…as the case may be. But if you think this is rough…now kindergarten…that was hard.”
The rain started to fall a little harder and Jeff turned on the windshield wipers as he merged into the left lane on highway 101. These car rides were always stifling, by far the worst part of their small trips home. It was as if coming home tricked them into feeling as if they had always been in Napa, that they hadn’t been in different states all along, but the car trips back to the airport always made them face the fact that it was all a lie. And they all wanted to hold onto that lie for as long as they could, because it was the best lie that ever could be.
Alex opened his window a crack and closed his eyes in bliss as the cold, moisture-laced air entered through the opening and pierced the air that was smothering all of them. Michael shifted in his seat in the front of the car and turned his head to face the back briefly. “Do you remember Kyle’s first little league game?”
Kyle laughed and grinned just as Jeff started to chuckle and Maria burst out in giggles. Liz laughed and poked Alex in his shoulder and he said, “Please! Anything that could go wrong for him did.”
“What happened?”
Kyle laughed and turned his head briefly to face Max. “Uh…pretty much everything that could. I was so excited I got my first hit that as soon as I touched first base, I kept right on running up the foul line, all the way to the fence. Then I caught a grounder and threw it over the first baseman’s head. The inning after that, I went up to bat before my teammate was actually done with his. And the cherry on top…I slid into second base, but I started so early that I lost momentum before I got to the base. Three feet before I hit the base, to be more specific.”
Michael turned his body around in his seat and grinned at his twin and Max shook his head, laughing. “Why did you keep playing if you were so bad?”
Kyle turned around in his seat. “I wasn’t bad, just excited.” He grinned. “Plus…mom made me finish out the year. She kept saying I wasn’t as bad as I thought I was.”
Alex tapped his chin and looked up at the ceiling of the car. “I wonder if that qualifies as the understatement of the century…”
“Just think, Kyle…” Liz leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her brother, resting her chin on his right shoulder. “Soon you’re going to be fielding liners off the bat of players like David Wright and stepping into the batters box against pitchers like…”
“Roger Clemens?” Max shuddered. “Man…I’d hate to step in the box against him. He reminds me of that guy from Major League.”
“You mean…” Alex inclined his head toward Max and put on a very convincing announcer’s voice, one pretty darn close to Bob Uecker’s. “This guy once threw at his own kid in a father son game.”
“You’ve really been working on perfecting your Uecker, son. It’s not half bad now.”
“What can I say? It’s a talent to be good at meaningless things. One day I’ll be in a bar, and some guy will offer a free drink to anyone who can do a perfect Bob Uecker. And that man…ladies and gentlemen…will be me.”
Liz let go of Kyle and settled back into her seat. “You follow baseball Max?”
“Not really. I’m a guy. I think it’s just sort of…ingrained in our DNA. Knowing sports and athletes is like…knowing how to spit or how to change a tire.” Max shrugged. “I don’t remember acquiring the knowledge but I know it’s there.”
“Airport.”
Isabel’s soft word turned all of their attention to the front of the car as it drove along the highway, past airport hangers and under overpasses. They were all closer to saying goodbye to Kyle than they wanted to be and Liz leaned forward again, wrapping her arms even tighter around Kyle, who turned his head and pressed his forehead to hers.
“What if I didn’t let go? Then you couldn’t get on the plane.”
Kyle sighed. “Lizzy…if we could all stay together…”
Liz, Michael and Alex sighed too, resigned to their collective truth. “I know…” Kyle placed a kiss on her forehead as she whispered, “Just didn’t think it would hurt to put that out there.”
Alex started humming The Burial March just as Jeff exited the freeway, taking the off ramp that lead directly to the airport. Michael drummed his fingers on the side of his door and asked distractedly, “You think there’s a way we could convince the entire Michigan baseball team to work out of Chicago?”
“Might be a tough sell, Mike.” Michael grunted at Max as Jeff steered the car into the short term parking garage. He found a spot relatively close to the exit and turned the SUV into the spot, putting the car into park and turning off the engine. He settled back into his seat but didn’t move to get out of the car. The rest of the occupants of the car must have been on the same wavelength because none of them moved either.
It wasn’t that they were silly enough to think that if they didn’t move Kyle’s departure wasn’t going to happen, but somehow…it made them feel better. Soaking up their last few minutes with Kyle was only natural since this was really all they would have with him. Airport restrictions were not one of the Parker family’s favorite things.
“Okay.” It was always Kyle’s call when they were ready to go, and he opened the door next to him and stood from the car, helping Isabel out before pulling the seat forward to let out Max, Liz and Maria. They all got out of the car and waited for Kyle at the rear of the car. He closed the door on the right side of the SUV and walked slowly to his family.
He stared for a moment at the open rear door, his luggage alone on the carpeted floor of the SUV and briefly…just briefly…considered leaving it there. It looked happy there, didn’t it? And who was he to take away someone or something else’s happiness? Yeah…he’d just leave it there and get back in the car and…
No.
He couldn’t really do that.
But it was just a little fun to imagine he could.
Kyle lifted his black rolling suitcase and set it on the ground wheels-first before pulling his duffle, a bag almost as large as he, out of the car. Michael pulled the duffle from his brother’s hands before Kyle could swing it on his back and Kyle knew better than to argue. It was something Michel needed to do, like packing Kyle’s suitcases or asking him if he remembered his toothbrush, which Kyle knew he would do as soon as Kyle started to walk through security.
Isabel pulled up the handle on the rolling suitcase and pulled it to stop right in front of her, her hands lightly grasping the rectangular handle, looking at Kyle as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to do. Kyle couldn’t help the smile that suddenly sprung up on his face.
With Kyle distracted by Isabel, Max grabbed Kyle’s carryon and slung it over his back, pulling his arms through the straps of the backpack and grabbing the straps just below his armpits with his fingers. He smiled at Kyle in a way that seemed to say, Go ahead…try to take it away from me, and Kyle indulged him. Hell…if his dad had suddenly decided Kyle needed to be carried to security, Kyle probably would have gone along with that too.
Kyle slung an arm each around Liz’s and Maria’s shoulders and reluctantly led the way to the airport entrance. The group exited the parking garage and crossed the roadway, walking, quite possibly, slower than any of them ever had before. Anything to delay the inevitable, they supposed.
They checked his bags at the outside check-in then stepped over to the revolving doors, walking in one by one and allowing the automatic doors to push them into the large, open area of the terminal. As soon as Michael walked out of the door, the last to walk into the airport, they looked around at one another, no one really sure who should be the first to speak. This was it…and they knew that.
Kyle chuckled lightly and gestured over his left shoulder with his thumb. “You know, if I get bored I can always take a trip into the airport museum. I wonder if they ha-”
“Okay…I already checked and your flight’s on time.” Jeff smiled at his son and Kyle smiled back.
“Did you remember your toothbrush?”
Kyle laughed. “Yeah Mike…I remembered my toothbrush. Packed in my carryon, just in case they lose my luggage.”
“You put your glove in your carryon too, right? Because I’m good at finding things, but I’m not su-”
“In my carryon, Lizzy. I checked twice.”
Isabel ran her fingers along the side of her thigh. “Do you have something to keep you occupied? A magazine…a book?”
“I have my iPod, the latest issue of Sports Illustrated and a copy of Mice and Men. I’m covered.”
Kyle watched Alex rub the back of his neck and look away, into the growing crowd of people standing at security. They were taking off their shoes and emptying their pockets and Kyle watched them, wondering what kind of weirdo would carry change in their pockets in the first place. Who needed change on a plane?
“I preordered your books so they should be waiting for you when you get there.”
Kyle nodded at his younger brother, who seemed to want to look anywhere but at Kyle. “Thanks Al.”
Maria coughed a little and shifted her weight. “Give Tess a hug for us okay? And tell her she has to keep up on her self-defense.”
“I promise.”
Max laughed and scratched the back of his head. “I think everyone else covered it all…big families work this way I guess…so…have a great flight. Yeah…sorry. That’s all I got.” Max shrugged and Kyle laughed.
“Thanks Max. I will.”
Kyle considered for a moment, then moved forward and hugged everyone, one by one. He left them all with something, a small piece of Kyle, then grabbed his carryon and walked over to security.
They watched as he removed his shoes and put his carryon on the belt, holding out his ticket and ID to the security attendant.
They watched as he gathered his stuff back up and put his shoes back on.
They watched as he walked away, further down the terminal toward his gate.
And they watched as, at the very last moment they could see him, Kyle turned and waved, shouting out he loved all of them…loud enough for the entire airport to hear…before he grinned and walked away, head high.
Maria watched Kyle put his ticket and ID into his bag, but couldn’t quite focus. She was stuck on what Kyle had told her. Michael needs you. I’m glad you’re back in our lives.
Max watched a piece of his new family put his shoes on and shoulder his carryon, Kyle’s words for him still playing tag in the corners of his mind. I would ask you to take care of Liz…but that seems like a stupid request since I know you always will. But do me a favor and take care of Michael too, alright? He likes to think he doesn’t need it…but he does. And thanks Max…just…thanks.
Jeff watched Kyle and crossed his arms, his heart threatening to crawl out of his throat and run after his son. I’ll never know a better person than you.
Michael shifted his weight back and forth restlessly between his two feet. He didn’t want to keep watching his twin walk away but he had no choice. So he watched. I love you, Mike. And I have a confession to make…if you hadn’t talked to me after that game I blew when I was sixteen…I probably would have quit.
Alex leaned on his crutches, putting most of his weight on them. Generally, Alex wasn’t glad he had to use them, but right now he was. It was comforting to let something else support him, even for just a little while. You were never supposed to be in Boston, baby brother. I’m glad you came to your senses. And dad’s right…follow your dreams. But then, dad’s always right, isn’t he?
Isabel bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, not letting her eyes leave Kyle. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Isabel. What took you so long? And thanks…for loving Alex and Lizzy…and for loving the rest of us too. We must be pretty special if you think enough of us to love us.
Liz hooked her thumbs in the belt loops of her jeans and tried to keep her focus on Kyle for as long as possible. More than anyone I’ve ever known Lizzy…you were always destined to take over the world.
None of them moved for a minute or so…none of them could bear to…and they must have seemed a strange sight.
Or maybe they weren’t…because, after all, wasn’t that what a large portion of people were at the airport to do? Say goodbye to people?
“Well…” Jeff clapped his hands together and turned to face the group. “I say we coat our stomachs with grease and watch some mindless entertainment. Anyone up for burgers and fries and some really bad action movies?”
The junk food wouldn’t change anything but it would help, at least for a little while. It always did.
“Okay…but I get to choose.”
Michael crouched down in front of Liz and she jumped on his back. “No way, Al. You got to choose last time.”
“I did not!”
Alli is the name everyone calls me. It's most often what I ask people to call me. Al...yep I have that one too. Mostly my sister and younger brother call me that, but my mom does too every now and again. Actually, my brother Spencer calls me almost exclusively Al. My dad's a nicknamer, so he calls me nearly everything under the sun. He once used five different nicknames in a week for me. I'm pretty sure that was a record of some sort for him. My childhood nickname was Alli Baba/Alli Bob/Alli Bobby or some other variant thereof. My sister still calls me Bobby.Depending on who's talking to me, I get Ali too.
And Al, but only my immediate family and a few random others seem to call me that. It's cute when my mum calls me it, but I still get a mental picture of Al Bundy and that song by Paul Simon goes on repeat in my head. All I need is someone named Betty to make my nightmare complete
Our name is easily nicknamed, I think. I have about a million of 'em. Ace, sport, little wood nymph etc etc etc. And most of them are variants of my name.
Actually...my dad's favorite nickname for me is Smart Alli or Smart Ass, if he's more pissed off.
Thanks...but I read your author's page and snagged it from there.I think I remember reading that you didn't have the banner for that award. Did you want it? Because I have both saved to my server if you wanted them.
So I guess...in a twisted sort of way...you gave it to me.
Confession time: I must, in some way, be like Kyle...because he's probably the easiest for me to write. He and Alex and Jeff (and Paolo...when he shows up) are my easy characters. They're also my most fun. And the very fact that you see reality in Liz nd Kyle's relationship gives me warm fuzzies.I have to say, I love the way you portray Kyle --and all the characters of course-- but Kyle especially, because he reminds me a little of my brother.
Yes there is.Alison (No matter how you spell it, there's just something special about that name, lol)
Natalie36- Thank you Natalie. I'm honored you think so.
Chrissie1218 - Thanks Chrissie!
cassie-
Is that the only way they survive? Hmm...I am really glad that Alex will be moving closer to Liz. I realise that they are all only home for the holidays, but considering the strong links between the siblings, I am surprised that they can survive with thier weekly phone calls.
Uh...you're right and wrong. You're on the right track...I'll give you that.Still wondering what Liz's gift is. I'm thinking that hers might not be a 'physical' gift.
Thanks Cassie.
Emz80m- Thanks Emma!
Bixie-
I'll be the first to admit that I'm evil...but I promise that was unintentional. Cross my heart and hope to die.You are a tease about Liz's gift, but I will wait patiently.
Thanks Sandra. In so many ways, people like you are why I write.
LairaBehr4-
Well, wahoo for you!Well, wahoo for updates!
Just so you know...I say that many times a day. Wahoo for Laira, I mean.
I wish I could be more eloquent than that, but I think it's all been said already.
What is it Ben says? Save that shit for the tourists?
Yeah...something like that.
Toi aussi.Missing you, dear.
begonia9508- Thanks Eve!
I love them both too...I probably pick that book up a couple of times a year. It never grows old. But that's always true with the best things. That book is on my list of perfect things.And I love Price and prejudice! The book and the BBC filming!
My favorite story to read or see when I feel down.....
Actually...I watch Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea when I'm down or sick. Those miniseries move mountains. My best friend when I was little looked like Jonathan Crombie, who played Gilbert Blythe. I always loved him a little more for that.
nibbles2-
Of course you did...you're you.I do feel sorry for Maria though. (I had to mention her
I would expect nothing less. You know...I truly see your point...I do...but I think there are advantages and disadvantages to everyone's situations. It's true that Maria is now (or very soon) going to be without her friends, but there's nothing that says that...wait. I have to stop myself or I'll say too much.I know. Evil.
Hahaha...that's so true!Had another thought I had to add. I was working on Gold diggers and something struck me. I loved the reaction of the Parker kids when they found out that Michael would be given the controlling stake in the family company and would therefore most likely inherit the vineyard and the family home one day. They were all delighted for him and nobody was jealous or begrudged him getting what he wanted.
That would so never happen in Gold diggers.
Speaking of GD...how's the next chapter coming along, hmmm?
thetvgeneral- Well, thanks so much Steph!
How is she indeed...but now i'm wondering how liz is going to deal with being away from max.
BehrObsession- Thanks!
Hmmm...I hate that Max & Liz are going to be apart for so long. Hopefully, they'll visit each other often.
behralicious87-
It is. That's more than true.I am happy Alex is going to NYU I think its going to be great for Liz and Alex.
Hahaha...I dont want everybody to leave the Parker house. Its so happy and nice there!
If only real life worked that way and we could stay forever in our favorite place.
Thanks Bridget!
clueless- You're welcome clueless, and thank you!
sprayadhesive-
Nowhere.And where does Maria go to school, anyways?
I want to stress that Maria is plenty smart enough to go wherever she wanted, but that she decided college wasn't the right choice for her.
Nope. Guess again.I, too, am thinking that Liz's present has something to do with her mother's wedding (ring/dress/etc).
So is this one, I think. Because someone is getting on a plane.This part was so bittersweet!!
You know...somewhere in the back of my mind I was telling myself there was no way you'd forgotten about them. Guess I was right.PS I'm still waiting for the entrance of Mr. and Mrs. Evans...
They're coming. I promise. Not yet, though.
Thanks.
Alien_Friend-
Isn't it though? A staple of my life, it is.Breakfast for dinner is the best!!!
Thanks. A million times over.
FSU/MSW-94-
Out of the mouths of lovely ladies...I get what Nibbles was referring to, but *I* see Max calling Jeff 'dad' as like a son-in-law kind of thing. We all know Max doesn't think of Liz in a sisterly way and Liz the same for Max . I think also Jeff and Liz's brother's aren't upset about the PDA b/c they love Max and believe he will always treat Liz well. She deserves the best and in Max, she's found it
Yep. My words exactly.
Yep. Also true. Alex was always going to transfer. He and Liz don't do well separated. But then, neither do Michael and Kyle. It's doable for them, but if they don't have to deal with it, they won't.I think even if he had not have met Isabel, he would have still gone b/c first and foremost, he didn't want to be separated from his twin any longer.
Hmmm...someone has a logical thought.Max is a senior, so depending on his major, maybe he can attend NYU for graduate school and live closer to Liz, Isabel, and Alex upon graduation.
I adore you, La'Shon. Thanks so much.
Cocogurl-
It is. And, I think, a pretty special thing. There is no one, even if you fight with one another constantly, no one who will understand you quite like your siblings. They're the only ones who had essentially the same childhood.It's cool to have siblings that you're that connected to.
Thanks.
killjoy-
Hahaha...Papa Jeff is a well-off dude. he can afford the three bedrooms. And for the meantime, they're going to have to share the two bedroom. Take a guess for who's going to share with whom.If Liz,Alex and Isabel move in and if they choose the two bedrooms just which two get to share the bedroom?
Thanks KJ...giver of ideas.
NUNARFEATHER00-
You are a brave soul, then.My kids will probably live with me till they turn 30. I don't think I will be able to let them go that easily. lol
Thanks so much Joy.
tequathisy-
When I read your feedback the first time, I had already had the first part of this chapter written. It's covered...right in the beginning. So I won't say anything else about it.It's a big move for Alex and Isabel to move in with each other after only knowing and dating for a couple of weeks. Especially as they haven't even slept together yet. I love that Alex is moving to New York but maybe he should consider not living with the girls for a while.
Have I ever claimed to be anything else?Evil.
Tamashii-
Glad you're satisfied...and thank you.Liz and Max are so cute together... it's like they have been together for years...
Okay Folky Dokies...it's about that time again.
Chapter 31...TA DA!
I actually meant to finish this much sooner...but somehow I got caught in a couple of weeks that seemed to sap all my time. My sister just graduated with her Masters in history...job interviews...work...family time...grad party after grad party after grad party...birthdays...and with all that...haven't had much time for anything else.
My deepest apologies, guys. It was unintentional.
Okay...disclaimers. The movie Major League...not mine. Though it did come out on my birthday when I was like...seven or something. Ooo...dating myself. Always awesome.
The Burial Waltz is mentioned below. There's an actual name for it, but my mother the ex-opera singer couldn't seem to remember the name of it when I asked, so it is what it is. You know that song that always gets played when someone is walking to their death? The one people hum as a joke when someone's in deep you-know-what? Yeah...it's that one.
Chapter 31. Enjoy.
Chapter 31: Juuuust a Bit Outside
Isabel exited the bathroom down the hall from the kitchen and, hearing the laughter bubbling through the swinging door and filtering down the hall towards her, smiled and started to walk faster toward the noise, drawn to the sounds of happiness. Just as she was about to push the door and walk into the kitchen, Isabel felt a hand on her left elbow and she paused and turned her head, though her hand stayed where it was, close to but not touching the swinging door.
“Alex!” She turned confused eyes to the door and then back to her boyfriend. “Why aren’t you inside?”
Alex smiled a little. “I wanted to talk with you about something.”
Isabel dropped her hand from the air and turned her body so that she was facing Alex, moving her body close to his. Alex kept his hand on her elbow and Isabel found that she didn’t mind at all that he was touching her. He held her elbow cupped in the palm of his hand, held it in such a way that told anyone who cared to look could see how comfortable he was touching her. And the very fact that Isabel didn’t mind made her almost tear up. It was remarkable to her, the way she had changed. And Isabel had certainly changed.
“What is it?”
Isabel looked at Alex with bright, open eyes and he smiled wider. “I’m transferring to NYU.”
Isabel gasped and moved closer to Alex, putting her left hand on his chest. He put his left hand over the top of hers, pressing it gently down. “Alex…I don’t want you to-”
“I’m not.” He laughed gently. “It’s the right decision, Izzy. In fact…it’s one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made.”
Isabel took a look at Alex, leaned up against the wall so that he wasn’t reliant on his crutches to hold him up, legs crossed as much as his cast would allow, and knew instantly he was telling the truth. He had a smile on his face that spoke volumes. His shoulders were relaxed and he was, at that moment Isabel thought, more Alex than she had ever seen him before. She knew part of that demeanor would change tomorrow as soon as he watched Kyle walk away into the airport terminal, but Isabel was grateful for this moment right now, seeing Alex as he was. She knew too, that this was the right choice for Alex, transferring to NYU. She also knew that she would want him to transfer, even if it wasn’t what was right for her. Isabel smiled.
“So when can Liz and I expect you in New York?”
Alex smiled widely and said, “A couple of days after I get back to Boston I should have everything packed up and taken care of. Then my feet will be hitting the streets of the Big Apple. But there’s something else I wanted to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
“I wanted to know how comfortable you would be with my living with you and Liz.” Isabel started to open her mouth and Alex hastily added, “If you’re not comfortable living in the same apartment with me, I’d understand completely. I don’t want you to feel rushed or overwhelmed, so I want you to decide what’s going to work for you.”
Isabel shifted a little on her feet, looking over her shoulder into the unoccupied living room. The living room in her parents’ house in Roswell was nearly just as large, but it had none of the same warmth. Isabel’s parents had held all their parties in that room and Isabel and Max had been forced to mingle with her father’s clients, projecting that perfect family image her parents so loved. Even now Isabel could feel the way that room stifled her, making her skin crawl.
She shook her head and turned her eyes back to Alex, who was looking at her earnestly, waiting for her reaction. She loved him for that, that look in his eyes. “Alex…living with you and the rest of your family has felt so normal, that I’ve wondered what it was going to feel like to go back to New York without all of you. Especially you. Having you there is going to make it a lot easier to get on that plane.”
“But I don’t have to live with you and Liz, if you don’t want that. Living in New York is enough for me. I want you to understan-”
“Well…I’m not ready for that…” Isabel blushed as she trailed off, tucking her hair a little behind her hair and looking away from Alex briefly. “But we both know you’ll be spending all your time with me and Liz anyway…so it wouldn’t make any sense for you to have another apartment.”
Alex grinned. Could she be any more precious? “You’re sure?”
Isabel nodded, smiling. “I’m sure.”
Alex righted himself from his position against the wall and wrapped his arms around Isabel, pulling her flush to him. They wobbled a bit before Alex kissed Isabel gently and picked his crutches up from their place against the wall, putting them under his arms and placing his weight on them. Isabel walked in front of him and pushed the door open, standing on the other side as Alex walked into the kitchen before she released her hold on the door, letting it swing gently back an forth on its hinges.
Isabel sat down next to Liz (the seat she had been in before her sojourn to the bathroom) and Alex set his crutches against the wall before hopping on one foot over to the empty seat next to his dad. Jeff looked around the table at everyone before he raised his glass of juice up in the air.
“Everyone situated?” The occupants of the table looked around at one another and alternately shrugged or nodded before looking back at Jeff. “Good.” He looked at Kyle, glass still lifted up high, and nodded. “To Kyle…because he’s nearly a college graduate…because I’ll eat my hat if anyone in the entire NCAA system can play second base better…because he knows how to love us all…and because he knows a good joke when he hears one.”
As Kyle chuckled softly and shook his head, everyone else lifted their glasses and toasted to him.
“Kyle.”
“To Kyle.”
“Kyle.”
“Kyle.”
“To Kyle.”
“Kyle.”
Kyle took a sip of his juice and set the glass back down to the right of his plate. “Why do I feel like I’m at my own wake? Or my retirement…” Kyle trailed off and reached for the plate of sausages in the center of the table. “Oh man, Mike…this looks good.”
“Thanks. Could someone pass the eggs?” Michael motioned to the bowl of scrambled eggs and Max nodded, lifting the bowl over Kyle’s head to hand to Maria, who handed them across the table to Michael. He nodded his thanks as Jeff motioned for the plate of fruit.
“Kyle?”
“Hmm?” Kyle lifted his head and looked across the table at Isabel.
“What does it feel like?” At Kyle’s confused expression, she added, “What does it feel like to…to walk out onto the field at the beginning of the game…to…play…in front of all those people all the time?”
Kyle swallowed and set his fork down on the edge of his plate. “Like it’s something I’ve always done…something I always will do…even though I know that’s wrong.” He reached for a few orange segments and a small bunch of grapes and set them on his plate. “You know what my favorite time in the game is?”
“No…but I bet you’re gonna tell us.” Alex smirked and used the side of his fork to cut a sausage link into smaller pieces, spearing one and dragging it through the maple syrup on his plate before popping the small piece into his mouth.
Isabel and Kyle shook the heads together as they smiled. Liz snorted and put a piece of her waffle into her mouth. “My favorite time is in the middle of the game…when it seems like nothing’s happening but in actuality…everything is. The shortstop and I are talking to each other, trying to organize coverage assignments. The outfielders are positioning themselves for the next batter, who’s about to step into the box. There’s this moment for me when I look around myself and see the crowd and my teammates and the batter stepping into the box and as I start to set my body into position, I know I’m right where I should be. It’s like dad says…sometimes the biggest revelations are also the quietest.”
“I wish I knew what that felt like.”
“Well, Iz…you just haven’t found it yet.”
“It?”
“Yeah, it. Whatever it is that…what’s the term you always use, dad?”
Jeff scrunched his eyebrows and speared a grape with his fork. “Hmm…I believe you’re referring to what I term ‘acknowledging your paradise’, or something that sounds equally urbane.” Jeff smiled and winked at Maria, who giggled in understanding. “When you learn to accept that what makes you happy matters, Isabel, you better understand yourself. Learn to dwell in happiness, sweetheart. It’s really the only way to live.”
Max speared a waffle on the plate just in front of him in the middle of the table as Isabel set her juice glass down. “I guess it’d be easier if I knew what my paradise was.”
Max looked across the table at his sister as he poured syrup on his waffles, the thick, amber colored liquid dropping into squares already mostly full of melted butter. “I think we’re both in the same boat, Izzy. But can you really blame us? I mean…we had to choose from a list of ‘acceptable majors’.” Max mocked the last two words, rolling his eyes.
Isabel nodded. “I know Max…but I’m starting to feel like it’s just a stupid excuse we’ve always used. That it’s always their fault, no matter what the problem is. We could have said no, Max. But we never did.”
“Maybe you didn’t know how, Izzy.” Isabel turned her head to look at Maria, who was sitting across the table from her. Maria shrugged. “My mom taught me that words were powerful. You know what her favorite word is? No. She says it holds more power than any word she’s ever known. I think she’s the real reason I always wanted to be a songwriter. ‘Handle them carefully, Maria, for words have more power than atom bombs’. She’s always loved saying that. But those aren’t her words…someone else said them first. I just don’t remember who.”
“Pearl Strachan.”
Michael looked across the table at Alex, who was chewing on an orange segment. “I should be surprised you know that…but I’m not.”
Alex shrugged. “Amy’s said that…what? Our entire lives? I got curious one day and looked it up. Google is a beautiful thing.”
Maria laughed softly. “Anyway, as I was saying…from what I know of your parents, they don’t really seem the inspiring type. I mean…they never really cared to know you as people.”
“Sometimes people hold more power over us than we’re comfortable with, Isabel.” Jeff set his fork down briefly to reach for the plate of sausage in front of him. “It’s natural to want to please the people we love…make them happy…even if they have absolutely no idea how to love us back. Loving someone? Well…that’s never a crime. Don’t ever think that. Would someone be kind enough to pass me the butter please?”
Liz picked up the butter in front of her place and passed it over to Isabel, who passed it to Michael, who handed it to his dad. The table was quiet for a bit as the occupants dug into their dinner, savoring Michael’s skilled cooking even more now that their respective days with a designated cook (and a good one at that) were numbered.
“So…on a much lighter note…I’ve decided to transfer to NYU.”
-:-:-:-
“I hate this.” The SUV was quiet so Liz’s soft words, though possibly not meant for any ears but her own, echoed in the still air, absorbing into the upholstery as they fell. She was looking out the side window in the very back right of the car, her eyes scanning the overcast world just outside the window. There was a light rain falling and Liz couldn’t help but wonder if it always rained when things you dreaded were coming to pass, or whether it just seemed that way.
Max wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her as much to him as her seatbelt would allow. It was the only kind of comfort he knew how to give her at the moment because, though he knew Kyle’s imminent departure was hurting her, he didn’t really know how she felt. It always pulled at him a little when Isabel left, but they hadn’t grown up the way the Parker kids had, sharing every last detail of their lives, spending nearly every moment together.
A long sigh came from the front of the car and Michael said, “We all hate this, Lizzy.”
“I know Mike…and I’m sorry. I know it’s worse for you than anyone.”
“Which is why I’m glad I’m leaving first. Dad…I don’t know how you do it.” Kyle reached forward from the middle seat and clapped his father on the shoulder and Jeff turned his head just slightly in his son’s direction, careful to keep his eyes on the road.
“Oh…I simply tell myself that my kids are becoming who they are…and that makes me feel better. That where all of you are going is simply a necessary stop before you all come back home. It is an unavoidable evil of being a parent that at some point…you have to watch your kids walk away. Or fly away…as the case may be. But if you think this is rough…now kindergarten…that was hard.”
The rain started to fall a little harder and Jeff turned on the windshield wipers as he merged into the left lane on highway 101. These car rides were always stifling, by far the worst part of their small trips home. It was as if coming home tricked them into feeling as if they had always been in Napa, that they hadn’t been in different states all along, but the car trips back to the airport always made them face the fact that it was all a lie. And they all wanted to hold onto that lie for as long as they could, because it was the best lie that ever could be.
Alex opened his window a crack and closed his eyes in bliss as the cold, moisture-laced air entered through the opening and pierced the air that was smothering all of them. Michael shifted in his seat in the front of the car and turned his head to face the back briefly. “Do you remember Kyle’s first little league game?”
Kyle laughed and grinned just as Jeff started to chuckle and Maria burst out in giggles. Liz laughed and poked Alex in his shoulder and he said, “Please! Anything that could go wrong for him did.”
“What happened?”
Kyle laughed and turned his head briefly to face Max. “Uh…pretty much everything that could. I was so excited I got my first hit that as soon as I touched first base, I kept right on running up the foul line, all the way to the fence. Then I caught a grounder and threw it over the first baseman’s head. The inning after that, I went up to bat before my teammate was actually done with his. And the cherry on top…I slid into second base, but I started so early that I lost momentum before I got to the base. Three feet before I hit the base, to be more specific.”
Michael turned his body around in his seat and grinned at his twin and Max shook his head, laughing. “Why did you keep playing if you were so bad?”
Kyle turned around in his seat. “I wasn’t bad, just excited.” He grinned. “Plus…mom made me finish out the year. She kept saying I wasn’t as bad as I thought I was.”
Alex tapped his chin and looked up at the ceiling of the car. “I wonder if that qualifies as the understatement of the century…”
“Just think, Kyle…” Liz leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her brother, resting her chin on his right shoulder. “Soon you’re going to be fielding liners off the bat of players like David Wright and stepping into the batters box against pitchers like…”
“Roger Clemens?” Max shuddered. “Man…I’d hate to step in the box against him. He reminds me of that guy from Major League.”
“You mean…” Alex inclined his head toward Max and put on a very convincing announcer’s voice, one pretty darn close to Bob Uecker’s. “This guy once threw at his own kid in a father son game.”
“You’ve really been working on perfecting your Uecker, son. It’s not half bad now.”
“What can I say? It’s a talent to be good at meaningless things. One day I’ll be in a bar, and some guy will offer a free drink to anyone who can do a perfect Bob Uecker. And that man…ladies and gentlemen…will be me.”
Liz let go of Kyle and settled back into her seat. “You follow baseball Max?”
“Not really. I’m a guy. I think it’s just sort of…ingrained in our DNA. Knowing sports and athletes is like…knowing how to spit or how to change a tire.” Max shrugged. “I don’t remember acquiring the knowledge but I know it’s there.”
“Airport.”
Isabel’s soft word turned all of their attention to the front of the car as it drove along the highway, past airport hangers and under overpasses. They were all closer to saying goodbye to Kyle than they wanted to be and Liz leaned forward again, wrapping her arms even tighter around Kyle, who turned his head and pressed his forehead to hers.
“What if I didn’t let go? Then you couldn’t get on the plane.”
Kyle sighed. “Lizzy…if we could all stay together…”
Liz, Michael and Alex sighed too, resigned to their collective truth. “I know…” Kyle placed a kiss on her forehead as she whispered, “Just didn’t think it would hurt to put that out there.”
Alex started humming The Burial March just as Jeff exited the freeway, taking the off ramp that lead directly to the airport. Michael drummed his fingers on the side of his door and asked distractedly, “You think there’s a way we could convince the entire Michigan baseball team to work out of Chicago?”
“Might be a tough sell, Mike.” Michael grunted at Max as Jeff steered the car into the short term parking garage. He found a spot relatively close to the exit and turned the SUV into the spot, putting the car into park and turning off the engine. He settled back into his seat but didn’t move to get out of the car. The rest of the occupants of the car must have been on the same wavelength because none of them moved either.
It wasn’t that they were silly enough to think that if they didn’t move Kyle’s departure wasn’t going to happen, but somehow…it made them feel better. Soaking up their last few minutes with Kyle was only natural since this was really all they would have with him. Airport restrictions were not one of the Parker family’s favorite things.
“Okay.” It was always Kyle’s call when they were ready to go, and he opened the door next to him and stood from the car, helping Isabel out before pulling the seat forward to let out Max, Liz and Maria. They all got out of the car and waited for Kyle at the rear of the car. He closed the door on the right side of the SUV and walked slowly to his family.
He stared for a moment at the open rear door, his luggage alone on the carpeted floor of the SUV and briefly…just briefly…considered leaving it there. It looked happy there, didn’t it? And who was he to take away someone or something else’s happiness? Yeah…he’d just leave it there and get back in the car and…
No.
He couldn’t really do that.
But it was just a little fun to imagine he could.
Kyle lifted his black rolling suitcase and set it on the ground wheels-first before pulling his duffle, a bag almost as large as he, out of the car. Michael pulled the duffle from his brother’s hands before Kyle could swing it on his back and Kyle knew better than to argue. It was something Michel needed to do, like packing Kyle’s suitcases or asking him if he remembered his toothbrush, which Kyle knew he would do as soon as Kyle started to walk through security.
Isabel pulled up the handle on the rolling suitcase and pulled it to stop right in front of her, her hands lightly grasping the rectangular handle, looking at Kyle as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to do. Kyle couldn’t help the smile that suddenly sprung up on his face.
With Kyle distracted by Isabel, Max grabbed Kyle’s carryon and slung it over his back, pulling his arms through the straps of the backpack and grabbing the straps just below his armpits with his fingers. He smiled at Kyle in a way that seemed to say, Go ahead…try to take it away from me, and Kyle indulged him. Hell…if his dad had suddenly decided Kyle needed to be carried to security, Kyle probably would have gone along with that too.
Kyle slung an arm each around Liz’s and Maria’s shoulders and reluctantly led the way to the airport entrance. The group exited the parking garage and crossed the roadway, walking, quite possibly, slower than any of them ever had before. Anything to delay the inevitable, they supposed.
They checked his bags at the outside check-in then stepped over to the revolving doors, walking in one by one and allowing the automatic doors to push them into the large, open area of the terminal. As soon as Michael walked out of the door, the last to walk into the airport, they looked around at one another, no one really sure who should be the first to speak. This was it…and they knew that.
Kyle chuckled lightly and gestured over his left shoulder with his thumb. “You know, if I get bored I can always take a trip into the airport museum. I wonder if they ha-”
“Okay…I already checked and your flight’s on time.” Jeff smiled at his son and Kyle smiled back.
“Did you remember your toothbrush?”
Kyle laughed. “Yeah Mike…I remembered my toothbrush. Packed in my carryon, just in case they lose my luggage.”
“You put your glove in your carryon too, right? Because I’m good at finding things, but I’m not su-”
“In my carryon, Lizzy. I checked twice.”
Isabel ran her fingers along the side of her thigh. “Do you have something to keep you occupied? A magazine…a book?”
“I have my iPod, the latest issue of Sports Illustrated and a copy of Mice and Men. I’m covered.”
Kyle watched Alex rub the back of his neck and look away, into the growing crowd of people standing at security. They were taking off their shoes and emptying their pockets and Kyle watched them, wondering what kind of weirdo would carry change in their pockets in the first place. Who needed change on a plane?
“I preordered your books so they should be waiting for you when you get there.”
Kyle nodded at his younger brother, who seemed to want to look anywhere but at Kyle. “Thanks Al.”
Maria coughed a little and shifted her weight. “Give Tess a hug for us okay? And tell her she has to keep up on her self-defense.”
“I promise.”
Max laughed and scratched the back of his head. “I think everyone else covered it all…big families work this way I guess…so…have a great flight. Yeah…sorry. That’s all I got.” Max shrugged and Kyle laughed.
“Thanks Max. I will.”
Kyle considered for a moment, then moved forward and hugged everyone, one by one. He left them all with something, a small piece of Kyle, then grabbed his carryon and walked over to security.
They watched as he removed his shoes and put his carryon on the belt, holding out his ticket and ID to the security attendant.
They watched as he gathered his stuff back up and put his shoes back on.
They watched as he walked away, further down the terminal toward his gate.
And they watched as, at the very last moment they could see him, Kyle turned and waved, shouting out he loved all of them…loud enough for the entire airport to hear…before he grinned and walked away, head high.
Maria watched Kyle put his ticket and ID into his bag, but couldn’t quite focus. She was stuck on what Kyle had told her. Michael needs you. I’m glad you’re back in our lives.
Max watched a piece of his new family put his shoes on and shoulder his carryon, Kyle’s words for him still playing tag in the corners of his mind. I would ask you to take care of Liz…but that seems like a stupid request since I know you always will. But do me a favor and take care of Michael too, alright? He likes to think he doesn’t need it…but he does. And thanks Max…just…thanks.
Jeff watched Kyle and crossed his arms, his heart threatening to crawl out of his throat and run after his son. I’ll never know a better person than you.
Michael shifted his weight back and forth restlessly between his two feet. He didn’t want to keep watching his twin walk away but he had no choice. So he watched. I love you, Mike. And I have a confession to make…if you hadn’t talked to me after that game I blew when I was sixteen…I probably would have quit.
Alex leaned on his crutches, putting most of his weight on them. Generally, Alex wasn’t glad he had to use them, but right now he was. It was comforting to let something else support him, even for just a little while. You were never supposed to be in Boston, baby brother. I’m glad you came to your senses. And dad’s right…follow your dreams. But then, dad’s always right, isn’t he?
Isabel bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, not letting her eyes leave Kyle. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Isabel. What took you so long? And thanks…for loving Alex and Lizzy…and for loving the rest of us too. We must be pretty special if you think enough of us to love us.
Liz hooked her thumbs in the belt loops of her jeans and tried to keep her focus on Kyle for as long as possible. More than anyone I’ve ever known Lizzy…you were always destined to take over the world.
None of them moved for a minute or so…none of them could bear to…and they must have seemed a strange sight.
Or maybe they weren’t…because, after all, wasn’t that what a large portion of people were at the airport to do? Say goodbye to people?
“Well…” Jeff clapped his hands together and turned to face the group. “I say we coat our stomachs with grease and watch some mindless entertainment. Anyone up for burgers and fries and some really bad action movies?”
The junk food wouldn’t change anything but it would help, at least for a little while. It always did.
“Okay…but I get to choose.”
Michael crouched down in front of Liz and she jumped on his back. “No way, Al. You got to choose last time.”
“I did not!”
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:04 pm
- Location: Somewhere left of center
- Contact:
Alien_Friend-
Thanks.
tequathisy-
B- Sausages are yummy with syrup.
C- Jeff only drives the SUV when his kids are there. His other cars won't hold everyone. He's a Californian...he has the SUV but also a Prius and a Mini.
Thanks T.
cassie-
Thanks Cass!
LairaBehr4-
But only, you realize, because it's you.
Bixie-
Thanks Sandra!
behralicious87-
And merci.
clueless- Thanks clueless and I love the darn boy too. It's just so gosh darn easy, isn't it?
thetvgeneral-
BehrObsession-
Lorastar-
I think I said I was six, right? I lied...or I just got my information wrong. I was eight.
Wait...was that implied?
Love you.
Chrissie1218-
Thanks Chrissie!
Rowedog-
Jimbob?
Ouch. What do they think he is? A redneck?
Thanks Alison.
killjoy- Thanks KJ.
You know...when I was writing that line, I thought of you. Honestly. Something you said to me long ago (though I don't remember specifically what you said) just made the line come popping out of my head. Look out...you do more than give me challenges, you inspire lines too!
People do indeed surprise you.
Oh...remind me sometime to tell you about my seventh grade science teacher and how he tried to make me eat calamari.
Natalie36- Thanks Natalie and I do too.
spacecowboy- Thanks!
FSU/MSW-94- Thanks, La'Shon.
It is simply one thing I love about you that you seem to be just one little baby step ahead of the story.
And after this chapter...we still aren't done.
Yeah, I know. Evil.
heartless3369- I'm so glad you're liking it and hi! :waves:
Score one more for Alli's team! Yazah!
Cocogurl-
modern_wicca- Thank you!
nibbles2-
Hey Irish lady ...what did you have for breakfast today? Because I had Cheerios.
And don't knock the mocha choca latte people either. Starbucks pays my rent and my medical insurance and my 401K and...
Okay, so I don't drink that junk either. I drink tea. And I can't even remember the last time I ate a doughnut.
And every good American knows you don't eat waffles everyday.
It's every other day.
Geez.
Beware of the wrath of your beta!
sprayadhesive-
And that would be a crime.
Shadowlynxbehr-
confusedfool- Thanks so much!
Grace52373-
Thanks for taking your time and reading my story, Grace.
katydid -
Thanks.
Note: For all you non-baseball watchers/players/fans/whatevers out there, “spikes” is the term baseball players use for their shoes. Football players wear cleats, baseball players wear spikes. N’est pas? All I can say is that all my years of playing baseball has ingrained the lingo in me. And now…I am forcing it on you. You lucky, lucky dogs.
The song used below is not mine. It’s the property of the Beach Boys.
Chapter 32. Enjoy.
Chapter 32: Perfect is a State of Mind
“There’s a huge Daddy-Long-Legs on the side of your house.”
Michael’s back was against one arm of the porch swing, his legs stretched out in front of him. He held Maria’s back flush against his front with an arm around her waist and stroked her upper arm as she looked up at the side of the house. He glanced down at her eyes then looked up at the spider, making its way slowly but carefully along the stucco wall.
It was the first thing either of them had said for a good thirty minutes at least, and even now, Michael wasn’t in a hurry to respond. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, it just felt like there wasn’t anything to say that either of them wanted to hear.
Maria sighed and turned her head away from the wall, dropping her head to rest on Michael’s collarbone. He gripped her a little tighter and she sighed again.
“Do you have to go?”
Michael smiled a little. “Yeah…’fraid so.”
Maria picked a little at the quilt covering their laps. “I know you have to…I just…wish you didn’t. I’m being selfish.”
Michael responded softly, running a few strands of her hair through his fingers. “Do you have any idea how much I want to stay? But I have to go. It’s hard for me too.”
Maria shifted in his lap, turning to face him. The sun was high in the sky and it cast shades of yellow and gold across her face and hair, giving her a sort of glow that Liz would have killed to catch on film. She looked like the sun itself shining in front of him and his heart ripped open. The pieces of his heart moved through his veins and everywhere they went, they soothed, calming Michael’s very being.
So this was what falling in love felt like.
Michael was a bit surprised. He had always figured it would come gradually, taking its time in working its way into his life. That one day he would wake up and just know. That was the way it had happened to his dad, excluding of course, the time part. Instead, the force of his love had exploded his internal organs like a firecracker.
“I’m not sure how I’m going to handle not seeing you until…what? May?”
Michael cradled her face with both his hands, stroking her jaw lightly with the pads of his thumbs as he smiled. “Maria…there’s no way I’m going that long without seeing you. I’ll see you sooner than you think. I promise.”
Maria narrowed her eyes but smiled. “What are you up to Michael Parker?”
“Uh uh. These lips…are sealed. You’ll just have to wait to find out.”
Maria got a devilish grin on her face and started to flex her fingers. “You mean, you won’t even tell me if I do…this?” Her fingers attacked his sides, tickling him furiously, but Michael didn’t even flinch. He grinned at her as she sat up and said, “You’re not ticklish anymore!”
“Scientists claim that fifty-five percent of people grow out of being ticklish by the time they reach adulthood.”
Maria narrowed her eyes at him. “You made that up.”
“Yep.” Maria pouted and he chuckled. “I love you Maria.”
“Do you mean that?”
“You know me better than that.”
It was true, she did. She just wanted to hear him say it again. “I just wanted to hear you say it again.”
“I love you.”
Maria smiled and closed her eyes as his words washed over her. She had wanted to hear those words from him for years and now that she had, she knew it had been worth the wait. But then she had a feeling that Michael Parker would always have been worth the wait. “I guess it’s a really good thing I love you back.”
“You do, huh?” He grinned and kissed her lightly.
“You know me better than that.”
He did. Even though she hadn’t said it, Michael had known for a while that Maria loved him. He didn’t know why she hadn’t said it but he figured she had her reasons, just like he did. And he couldn’t fault her for that.
He brought his lips to hers and kissed her deeply, winding his hands through her hair. She pulled back abruptly, startling Michael a little.
“You know…I know-”
Michael rolled his eyes and pulled his lips back to hers. Maria pulled away again quickly, and he groaned in response, rolling his eyes back in his head.
“I was talking!”
Michael nodded. “Yes, you were. And I appreciate that…but I can’t kiss you through the phone. So I’d like to get in as much kissing now as I can, because it’s going to have to hold me over for at least a little while.”
“Good point. Kiss me.”
-:-:-:-
Kyle knelt down on one knee in the infield and re-tied his left shoelace. He was glad that practice had started the day after he got back. He needed the distraction until Tess got back into Michigan tonight.
“Hey Deuce!” Kyle looked over his left shoulder and grinned as he saw his infield partner, R.J. Conners, jogging toward him.
Kyle righted himself and took R.J.’s hand, pulling the other man closer for a hug. “Hey Ocean…how was your break?”
“Oh you know…SSDD, brother. How about you? Oh what am I saying…you like going home. I always forget.” Kyle knew his family situation was uncommon and so did R.J. They were closer than anyone else on the team – R.J. was probably Kyle’s best friend in Michigan – and that was no mistake on either of their parts. A second baseman and shortstop who didn’t get along would spell trouble for any team. R.J. did like going home to see his family but unlike Kyle, he was always glad when he left for Michigan too.
“So you ready to get dirty?” Kyle grinned and R.J. slapped him on the back.
“Oh you know I am. The start of the season took way too long to get here this year. I’ve been antsy for months to hear coach scream at us for talking too much.”
“Deuce! Ocean! You girls want to stop talking and join the rest of us?”
“See?” R.J. grinned and Kyle laughed. “No more melodious sound in the universe.” The two trotted over to the outfield grass and sat, taking the few empty spots left in the already formed half-circle.
Their coach started in on his standard, pre-season speech and Kyle looked over at R.J. and rolled his eyes. R.J. grinned. They liked their coach’s speech. It meant they were about to get the fronts of their jerseys dirty; it meant they were about to run their guts out. It meant they would take endless grounders and do more infield drills than they really cared to think about. But more than anything, it meant they could breathe in the smell of the grass again, and step into the batters box against a guy they owned and swing away, sometimes with the game on the line.
Their coach finished his speech and the players stood, leaving their gloves and spikes where they were. They knew the drill. It was time to run. Time to build their endurance back up.
Kyle and R.J. pulled off their hats and tossed them on top of their gloves and jogged toward the warning track, the dirt track that encircled the field. They easily took the front of the pack, falling quickly into a familiar rhythm. Their feet hit the track at the same time and their pace matched, stride for stride. R.J. was taller than Kyle by 3 or 4 inches at least, but still he kept the same pace. It had to have been more difficult for him to hold back instead of using his full stride, but Kyle knew he insisted on their keeping the same pace.
Kyle didn’t mind.
R.J. reminded him in some ways of Alex, and there was no time when that would be a bad thing. Physically they didn’t look alike at all, except for the fact that they were both tall. But they had the same goofy sense of humor and their laughs had the same sort of sparkling quality to it, as if the very sound of it could brighten someone’s day. They both had infectious personalities and they both had an ease about them that made others instantly comfortable.
R.J. looked a lot like a surfer. He had a natural tan and an obvious athlete’s build and his blonde hair and blue eyes made him look every bit the classic All-American Boy. Much like Kyle, Baseball had come easy to him to him at every level, but unlike Kyle, R.J. was still unsure whether he wanted to be drafted or not. Kyle had talked to R.J. about that just 4 days ago.
“So how’s Chloe?”
“Growin’ like a frickin’ weed. She’s going to be tall. And she went out on her first date. I wanted to murder the kid on sight, Deuce.”
Kyle laughed as they ran behind home plate. “It was bound to happen eventually.”
“She’s twelve! She doesn’t need to date.”
“That’s about when it starts, Ocean. Just wait until she gets old enough for something else.”
R.J. broke his stride just a bit. “Oh…now that was uncalled for!”
-:-:-:-
“You sure you don’t want to just…drop everything and move to Chicago?” Max gazed into Liz’s eyes.
She mocked back, “You sure you don’t want to just…drop everything and move to New York?”
He chuckled. “Touché.”
Liz stood abruptly from her seat at the kitchen table and started pacing quickly around the kitchen. Max watched her with amusement, leaned back in his chair. She was upset, and he knew he shouldn’t be smiling, but he couldn’t help himself. She just looked so damn adorable that he wanted to gather her up and kiss her senseless.
“This is just…ah! I hate this!”
“Come here.” Max beckoned to her and she stopped her pacing but didn’t move to him. He repeated his phrase, this time much firmer. “Come here.”
Liz walked over to him and put her hand in his and he pulled her into his lap, resting his forehead against hers. She sighed and closed her eyes, his skin both warm and cool against hers. Max’s touch instantly started to calm her and she could feel her muscles relaxing. Liz started to breathe deeply, in and out, and after a bit Max’s breathing started to match hers.
“You’re so calm. I hate you just a little bit for that right now. ”
Max chuckled and brought his lips to her forehead, resting them there in a sort of open mouthed kiss.
“It’s not funny, mister. Months…that’s how long it’ll be before we see each other again. Months!” Her eyebrows were furrowed and she stuck her bottom lip out just a little and the image of her so resembled a small child, Max couldn’t help but laugh loudly.
Max had been dreading this moment for a while now, and he imagined the full force of it would hit him when he was on the plane, where he was oh-so close but unable to even see that woman he was fond of referring to as the love of his life, much less touch her or comfort her.
But Liz, right in this moment, was unwittingly making the parting just a tad bit easier for him. When he was sitting on that plane, his seatbelt fastened and his tray table locked, he would think of her right now, at this moment, and he would smile. And that, combined with every other solid memory of her, would make the flight back to Chicago and away from her if not short, bearable.
Max laughed again as she playfully smacked him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry!” Liz mock-glared at him and he said, laughing, “I am…but you just looked so damn adorable I couldn’t help myself.”
Liz groaned and threw her head back, which though most likely unintended, made Max want to latch his lips onto her neck and not let go. “Months…months without you…this…is…going…to…suck.”
“You survived without me before.” Liz knew Max was trying to be helpful, trying to soothe her a little but frankly, he wasn’t doing that great of a job.
“Maybe…but that was before I had the whole…Max Experience.” Liz waved her arms vaguely in circles, her palms facing the floor. “Because your body is just a little bit hot and you are just the smallest bit smart and charming and amazing.”
“Just a little bit, huh?” Max smirked.
Liz nodded gravely. “ ‘Fraid so. Just a little bit.”
“Don’t suppose there’s any hope for me to grow in your esteem.”
“ ‘Fraid not.”
“Hmm.” Max abruptly pulled Liz off his lap and set her down on her feet. He stood and walked past her, then twirled around quickly, extending his hand to her. “May I have this dance?”
He was grinning the sort of infectious grin that Liz had come to know only he was capable of, his eyes crinkling at the corners and his eyes bright and mischievous, and she smiled. “Not to sound like a cheesy romantic comedy, but…there’s no music.”
If possible, Max’s grin grew larger. “Hmm…isn’t there?” He lifted his eyebrows once and turned quickly on his heel, walking over to the stereo that had Liz’s iPod docked in it. She had brought it down that morning when she helped Michael make breakfast but hadn’t remembered to remove it. Max ran his finger in light circles on the click wheel.
“Hmm…what song? Got it.” He walked over to Liz and extended his hand just as a familiar song started. “Now milady…may I have this dance?”
Liz closed her eyes briefly and let out a light giggle as she heard the liquid harmonies of the Beach Boys. She took his hand and he pulled her close to him, resting his head on the side of hers as the first verse started.
Max started to sing to her and she giggled, pulling her head away from the side of his.
Well, it’s been building up inside of me
For oh, I don’t know how long
I don’t know why, but I keep thinking
Something’s bound to go wrong
Max grinned as he sang, very much on key. Having not heard him sing before, Liz had no idea that he could, and laughed a laugh full of joy that started deep inside her body. It was so Max for him to find some different way to comfort her, telling her through a song they were going to be fine. Thing was, Don’t Worry Baby had always been one of those songs her dad sang under his breath, a song he knew so well it just popped up at unexpected times. And there was no way that Max knew that. But if anything, she loved him just as much for not knowing that, but still putting on a familiar song for her, simply by the influence of his own instincts.
But she looks in my eyes
And makes me realize
When she says
Don’t worry baby
Everything will turn out all right
Don’t worry baby
Max held Liz close and turned them quickly in a circle before releasing her and spinning her with one hand. She laughed as he brought her body back to hers and held her hand to his body with one of his, his other hand wrapped around her back.
I guess I should have kept my mouth shut
When I start to brag about my car
But I can’t back down now
Because I’ve pushed the other guys too far
She makes me come alive
And makes me wanna cry
When she says
They spun and laughed, swayed and laughed, danced and laughed.
Don’t worry baby
Everything will turn out all right
Don’t worry baby
Max was a more than capable dancer and Liz let him guide her around the kitchen. Liz knew then that this was what she would think of as he walked away from her and into the airport terminal. She would think of how it felt for Max to hold her in his arms, leading her and she would hear Max’s voice, deep and playful as he sang to her.
She told me baby when you race today
Just take along my love with you
If you knew how much I loved you baby
Nothing could go wrong with you
Max sang out the next line loudly, throwing his head back to let his voice jump off the ceiling. Liz smacked his arm, though she laughed lightly.
Oh what she does to me
But just when Liz was afraid he was going to shout the next line, his voice softened to a light croon and he caressed her eyes with his.
When she makes love to me
And she says
All the next words were hers, and Max wanted her to know that. So he stopped playing around and just slowly rocked her back and forth, refusing to look away from her.
Don’t worry baby
Everything will turn out all right
Don’t worry baby
Everything will turn out all right
Don’t worry baby
Jeff had been on his way to the family room when he heard the music and laughter coming from the kitchen. He peeked his head in through the doorway, smiling as Max twirled his daughter around the kitchen island. He felt a bit like a voyeur, but he couldn’t help but want to be near happiness that innocent and bright.
When the song ended, he rapped his knuckles lightly on the doorframe, intending to grab their attention but not startle them. It worked and they turned with bright smiles to face him.
“We have to hit the road soon. Are you ready?”
“Oh ye of the two-in-one question. Yeah…” Liz looked at Max, who smiled at her. “We’re ready.”
-:-:-:-
“Boy am I glad I’m going to see you in a few days because if I weren’t…ooo…this would be hard. I have no idea how the rest of them are doing it.” Alex pulled Isabel closer into his side. They were in the media room, half-watching some Hugh Grant movie. Isabel had told him which one it was, but he had been focusing on how much he wanted to kiss her and completely missed what she had said.
“I’m so glad you’re moving to New York, Alex. You need Liz and she needs you. It was the right thing to do.”
Alex sighed as Isabel snuggled down into him. “And having you there in the mornings when I wake up…not to mention finally focusing on my music…heaven. You know…I’m so at ease with my decision, it almost feels like it was too easy. But that’s what I get for falling in love, huh?”
Isabel put her chin on Alex’s arm and looked up at him with a twinkle in her eyes. “Yep…that’s what you get. But you know, you were destined to fall in love with me…I’m amazing.”
Alex laughed and kissed her. “That you are.”
Isabel laughed. “I would never have said something like that before I came to Napa.”
“Thank god for change.”
“How are they handling it, do you think?”
“To quote Kyle, who would be quoting Buddha…He who has one hundred people he loves has one hundred woes and he who loves no one has no woes…or something like that. Or wait…is it fifty people and fifty woes? Or maybe it’s forty people and forty woes. I can never remember.” Isabel laughed and rolled her eyes as Alex started to get lost in his thoughts.
“You were saying?”
Isabel laughed again as Alex snapped back to attention, obviously unaware his attention had ever strayed. “Hm? Oh…you know, it’s like dad says. When you open yourself up and love someone, you open yourself up for a lot of other emotion too. He calls it…getting on the highway. They don’t want to handle it, but they will. Because when you get on the highway, you have to keep in mind that there are cars going in the opposite direction than you and that some of the cars on your side of the road want to go faster than you do. Plus, there’s road hazards…construction…CHP officers…”
Isabel cocked an eyebrow at Alex and he said, “I know, I know…it’s not his best analogy. But give the man a break…he has a lot of great ones.”
Jeff’s voice came from the doorway and they both shifted in their seats so they could face him. “He’s right…I have many analogies that are far superior to that one. Well…are we about ready?”
“Soon, I think.”
Jeff nodded at his son. “In the car in ten minutes, okay?” They nodded and Jeff left the room, they supposed to find the others and let them know the departure time as well.
“This is going to be amazing, Alex. You’re sure, right? Absolutely, one hundred percent sure? Because if you’re not, I don’t-”
“Izzy…” Alex held his hands up as if surrendering and laughed. “I’m sure. I will never regret this decision. Hell…you can carve it in stone if you want. You can stop asking.”
Isabel shook her head, her cheeks starting to turn an interesting shade of pink. She looked down at her lap. “Sorry…it’s just-”
“You’ve spent your entire life being told what to do so you want to make sure I know that the choices in my life are mine to make. And that, no matter what, you’re never going to push me. Because you just want what’s best for me.” Isabel looked up at him. “Thank you, Izzy.”
Isabel shrugged. “It’s easy to worry about you.” She looked away from him briefly and furrowed her eyebrows. “What are they doing?”
Alex rose from the couch just as Isabel did and looked out the French doors. Max and Liz had their heads thrown back and they could just hear the last vestiges of some sound coming from both their mouths. Before Alex and Isabel reached the doors, they saw Michael and Maria running over, laughing about something or another. Isabel turned to look at Alex and Alex burst out laughing. He knew what they were doing.
“I know what they’re doing. It’s something Kyle used to do all the time. Not sure how much he does it now, though.”
“What are they doing?” Alex put a hand on the left side of the French door and pushed it open, stepping through and into the sunshine. The deck was still a little wet from the rain the day before and Alex was notably more cautious than he would normally be as he turned around to face Isabel.
He grinned. “They’re laughing at the sky.”
“Why would they be doing that?” Isabel pushed the right side door of the French doors open and stepped out onto the deck. After she shut the doors behind them, she turned to face Alex, who had a huge grin on his face.
“Kyle used to do it when he was standing in the infield, waiting for the next batter to reach the plate. He said that every time he realized his life was perfect, he would tilt his head back and laugh at the sky. And it just so happened that a lot of the time, he thought his life was perfect when he was standing on the baseball diamond. I’m pretty sure he said it came from Buddha, that Buddha was the one who said it first.”
Alex swung away from her quickly and toward the group standing on the grass and Isabel was forced to hurry to catch up. Max and Liz were mid-laugh and Michael had just finished his, the final sounds of a deep chuckle leaving his throat. Maria was still giggling, as if laughing once had opened some sort of door that held all of her laughter in and the rest of it was just starting to trickle out.
Alex threw his head back and let out a bright, sparkling laugh and everyone felt it bounce off of them and into the air. When he finished he looked around the circle and said, “Okay…did anyone call Kyle?”
Liz held up her phone. “I did. While you were laughing.”
Hey guys. Now, you do realize that once we do this every single one of my teammates is going to think I’m some sort of freak, right? I’m standing in the middle of the outfield and no one’s gone into the locker room yet.
“Kyle…you are a freak, just like the rest of us.” Michael lifted his right eyebrow and looked at the phone, as if Kyle could see him at that moment. There was a long pause from the phone and everyone turned their attention to it.
Right…good point. Well…shall we begin?
“But…” Isabel interjected and everyone turned to her but she seemed to lose her words for a moment.
But what, Iz?
“All of you are being separated, if you aren’t already. I just…don’t…”
“Perfect, Isabel, is more a state of mind than what the dictionary professes it to be.” Jeff came up behind the group and wrapped an arm around Isabel’s shoulders. She turned to look at him and smiled. “It’s a choice, and if you choose to view your life as perfect then, more often than not, it becomes so.”
“I like that.” Isabel smiled at Jeff.
“So Isabel, I have a question for you.” He moved around behind her and rested his hands gently on her shoulders. “Right now…not ten minutes from now, not tomorrow but right now…is your life perfect?”
“I-I…”
“Close your eyes. Don’t force it. And when it comes to you, you know what to do.” Isabel closed her eyes and felt Jeff remove his hands from her shoulders. She heard Kyle laugh from the speaker of Liz’s cell phone and she heard Alex once again, just to her right. She heard Michael’s deep, hearty laugh across from her and she heard their dad’s similar, inviting laugh. And she heard Max, Maria and Liz laugh all at the same time, Maria’s musical one twinkling long after the other two had finished.
Was her life perfect?
She had Alex and Liz and Max and their dad and Maria and Kyle and Michael and Tess and Paolo and Claudia and David and NYU and Napa and Liz’s pictures and Michael’s dinners and Alex’s music and Max’s ear and –
Isabel threw her head back and laughed.
-------------
Here are the quotes that Alex tries to quote (bless his heart) from Buddha, in their entirety:
“When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.”
“He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.”
You too, huh?That Jeff Parker and his life lessens. I love that man more with every chapter.
Uh...maybe. Hey...look at it this way...you can ask but that doesn't necessarily mean I'll give it to you.ok is it too soon to ask for more! ... ok i guess it could be a bit too soon.
Thanks.
tequathisy-
A- Good for you.Finally, I've found something that isn't perfect about the Parker Clan. Actually, two things in one chapter.
First: Sausages with maple syrup. Wrong, wrong, wrong. And also, yuck.
Second: They drive an SUV. A gas guzzling, envoirnment killing, bad for the earth, danger to pedestrians, symbol of all that is wrong in modern society SUV.
B- Sausages are yummy with syrup.
C- Jeff only drives the SUV when his kids are there. His other cars won't hold everyone.
He's a Californian...he has the SUV but also a Prius and a Mini.
You have a bit of a reprieve here. Tell your little heart to hang in there. I'd miss it too much.What a sad good bye and there's till more to come. I don't think my little heart will be able to take them all.
Thanks T.
cassie-
Hahahaha...man...that is so true. Man are they needy!No one in this family would settle for just a goodbye.
Thanks Cass!
LairaBehr4-
If you insist...Okay, that's all I've got.
Hey, go easy on a girl. It's early.
But only, you realize, because it's you.
Bixie-
I maintain it is a lovely combination, thankyouverymuch. And yes...I do indeed eat my breakfast sausages with the syrup left over on my plate. I mean, I don't actually pour syrup over them or anything...First of all Alli, sausages with maple syrup EEEEWWWWWW What a combi is that? How did you come up with that and don't tell me that you eat that yourself YUCK
I'd like to tell you I knew exactly when that was happening, but I'm afraid I don't. Sooner rather than later, that's all I can say. One of them will happen within the next...oh...four or five chapters I think.I'm still sitting here and patiently waiting for some things to happen. 1. Max and Isabel confront their parents and 2. Liz's gift. Just to name a few.
Thanks Sandra!
behralicious87-
Darnit Bridget...I still say you can be.I STILL want to be in the Parker family, darn it.
And merci.
clueless- Thanks clueless and I love the darn boy too. It's just so gosh darn easy, isn't it?
thetvgeneral-
Thanks Steph and I'm pretty sure you can take it...but that's only because we'd miss you if you were gone.i agree with cassie...i don't know if i can take anymore. but i'm already anticipating the next part!
BehrObsession-
Thanks and I, with my magic Parker Family wand hereby dub you a Parker. Ta Da!!!I know I've said it before, but I wanna be a Parker!
Lorastar-
Like I would expect anything less of you.hmm...so i know how old you are now. haha. i looked up major league to see when it was released.
I think I said I was six, right? I lied...or I just got my information wrong. I was eight.
So are you.you are amazing!
Wait...was that implied?
I hereby call this meeting of Family Dysfuntion Anonymous to order...i wish my siblings were that nice to me.
Love you.
Chrissie1218-
Hah! Someone else sees reason!I have to say sausages with maple syrup is THE only way to eat sausages! The Parkers have great taste.
Oh you caught that, huh? I'm glad because that was oh-so intentional.I love how Max and Isabel just jumped right in as part of the family, carrying his bags.
Thanks Chrissie!
Rowedog-
I hear the trick with Vegemite is that it has to be spread really thin, and that Americans think it's disgusting because we spread everything too thick.I'd attack you over eating sausages with maple syrup too... but I eat vegemite. I love that stuff... as gross as it may be to the rest of the world. So I sympathise.
Jimbob?
Ouch. What do they think he is? A redneck?
Thanks Alison.
killjoy- Thanks KJ.
You know...when I was writing that line, I thought of you. Honestly. Something you said to me long ago (though I don't remember specifically what you said) just made the line come popping out of my head. Look out...you do more than give me challenges, you inspire lines too!
I can. In fact I never doubt now that something will. I had no idea everyone would love that Kyle was the rock either.Well I can't judge someone on the fact they like syrup on their sausages....and dear god I can't believe this discussion has came out of this last update
People do indeed surprise you.
Oh...remind me sometime to tell you about my seventh grade science teacher and how he tried to make me eat calamari.
Natalie36- Thanks Natalie and I do too.
spacecowboy- Thanks!
Me too! Isn't it funny how certain food habits get ingrained in us? I always eat my salad first...always...and I always buy the same brand name condiments. I'm just so used to them now, I couldn't switch brands even if I wanted to.I have to say eating sausages with maple syrup is the best part of having pancakes. I always save them to eat last.
FSU/MSW-94- Thanks, La'Shon.
Maybe Kyle will get drafted by a California Baseball Team
It is simply one thing I love about you that you seem to be just one little baby step ahead of the story.
To know we aren't even done with the good-bye's is hard though
And after this chapter...we still aren't done.
Yeah, I know. Evil.
heartless3369- I'm so glad you're liking it and hi! :waves:
Popping out of lurkdom to say that I have to agree with Chrissie1218...sausages HAVE to be eaten with maple syrup.
Score one more for Alli's team! Yazah!
Hmm...interesting theory, but no. Jeff certainly has a hand in making sure they all stay connected but in the end it'll be Michael who helps Max most. (Helps that he lives with the guy, I guess.)I'm also curious if Liz's gift from her father might have something to do with dealing with their separation....
Cocogurl-
Well, thanks so much! That's incredibly high praise, Coco!I'm totally addicted to this story!
modern_wicca- Thank you!
nibbles2-
Hopefully I know what you mean or that doesn't say much about me.And no offence to Kyle because I lub him but he's not going to be the hardest goodbye. They're still to come of go. You know what I mean.
Hey Irish lady
...what did you have for breakfast today? Because I had Cheerios.And don't knock the mocha choca latte people either. Starbucks pays my rent and my medical insurance and my 401K and...
Okay, so I don't drink that junk either. I drink tea. And I can't even remember the last time I ate a doughnut.
And every good American knows you don't eat waffles everyday.
It's every other day.
Geez.
I am going to be sending you a very sternly worded, yet hopefully inspirational email.Hopefully by starting an international breakfast war attention will be diverted from the fact that, no, I haven't so much as written a word for the next chapter of Gold diggers.
Beware of the wrath of your beta!
sprayadhesive-
Hah! I knew the right people were on my side.Hey, I happen to like sausages with maple syrup, contrary to popular opinion on this feedback. Don't knock it until you try it, people!!
Nor did I have even the slightest hope that you would. It wouldn't, after all, make you you.And, I'm like an elephant, I never forget.
And that would be a crime.
Shadowlynxbehr-
I'm glad you recognized what I was talking about. I worried that people wouldn't.You know when Alex started humming the burial songie....I almost lost it...
You can and you will!And I agree with all the others who said they might not be able to handle anymore goodbyes....I certainly can't....but I'm gonna
confusedfool- Thanks so much!
Grace52373-
You are a brave, brave soul Grace. Although, come to think of it, you got to breeze right by the chapters where everyone wanted to kill me and right into the more palatable parts, so maybe you're just smarter.I just finished reading all 31 chapters!
I'm really glad because it was always my intention to at least try and get everyone's point of view across.I also love how each character is giving their own time in the spotlight so to speak.
How great s that? You have your very own Grandma Claudia! She sounds like an amazing woman.In effect she was our grandma Claudia!
Thanks for taking your time and reading my story, Grace.
katydid -
I am told that curiosity is a natural thing.I still want to know what Liz got
If you feel you must, Kate, then you must. But it's really not necessary. Cuz the last time I checked...this was feedback.again I will apologize for my lack of FB
Thanks.
Note: For all you non-baseball watchers/players/fans/whatevers out there, “spikes” is the term baseball players use for their shoes. Football players wear cleats, baseball players wear spikes. N’est pas? All I can say is that all my years of playing baseball has ingrained the lingo in me. And now…I am forcing it on you. You lucky, lucky dogs.
The song used below is not mine. It’s the property of the Beach Boys.
Chapter 32. Enjoy.
Chapter 32: Perfect is a State of Mind
“There’s a huge Daddy-Long-Legs on the side of your house.”
Michael’s back was against one arm of the porch swing, his legs stretched out in front of him. He held Maria’s back flush against his front with an arm around her waist and stroked her upper arm as she looked up at the side of the house. He glanced down at her eyes then looked up at the spider, making its way slowly but carefully along the stucco wall.
It was the first thing either of them had said for a good thirty minutes at least, and even now, Michael wasn’t in a hurry to respond. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, it just felt like there wasn’t anything to say that either of them wanted to hear.
Maria sighed and turned her head away from the wall, dropping her head to rest on Michael’s collarbone. He gripped her a little tighter and she sighed again.
“Do you have to go?”
Michael smiled a little. “Yeah…’fraid so.”
Maria picked a little at the quilt covering their laps. “I know you have to…I just…wish you didn’t. I’m being selfish.”
Michael responded softly, running a few strands of her hair through his fingers. “Do you have any idea how much I want to stay? But I have to go. It’s hard for me too.”
Maria shifted in his lap, turning to face him. The sun was high in the sky and it cast shades of yellow and gold across her face and hair, giving her a sort of glow that Liz would have killed to catch on film. She looked like the sun itself shining in front of him and his heart ripped open. The pieces of his heart moved through his veins and everywhere they went, they soothed, calming Michael’s very being.
So this was what falling in love felt like.
Michael was a bit surprised. He had always figured it would come gradually, taking its time in working its way into his life. That one day he would wake up and just know. That was the way it had happened to his dad, excluding of course, the time part. Instead, the force of his love had exploded his internal organs like a firecracker.
“I’m not sure how I’m going to handle not seeing you until…what? May?”
Michael cradled her face with both his hands, stroking her jaw lightly with the pads of his thumbs as he smiled. “Maria…there’s no way I’m going that long without seeing you. I’ll see you sooner than you think. I promise.”
Maria narrowed her eyes but smiled. “What are you up to Michael Parker?”
“Uh uh. These lips…are sealed. You’ll just have to wait to find out.”
Maria got a devilish grin on her face and started to flex her fingers. “You mean, you won’t even tell me if I do…this?” Her fingers attacked his sides, tickling him furiously, but Michael didn’t even flinch. He grinned at her as she sat up and said, “You’re not ticklish anymore!”
“Scientists claim that fifty-five percent of people grow out of being ticklish by the time they reach adulthood.”
Maria narrowed her eyes at him. “You made that up.”
“Yep.” Maria pouted and he chuckled. “I love you Maria.”
“Do you mean that?”
“You know me better than that.”
It was true, she did. She just wanted to hear him say it again. “I just wanted to hear you say it again.”
“I love you.”
Maria smiled and closed her eyes as his words washed over her. She had wanted to hear those words from him for years and now that she had, she knew it had been worth the wait. But then she had a feeling that Michael Parker would always have been worth the wait. “I guess it’s a really good thing I love you back.”
“You do, huh?” He grinned and kissed her lightly.
“You know me better than that.”
He did. Even though she hadn’t said it, Michael had known for a while that Maria loved him. He didn’t know why she hadn’t said it but he figured she had her reasons, just like he did. And he couldn’t fault her for that.
He brought his lips to hers and kissed her deeply, winding his hands through her hair. She pulled back abruptly, startling Michael a little.
“You know…I know-”
Michael rolled his eyes and pulled his lips back to hers. Maria pulled away again quickly, and he groaned in response, rolling his eyes back in his head.
“I was talking!”
Michael nodded. “Yes, you were. And I appreciate that…but I can’t kiss you through the phone. So I’d like to get in as much kissing now as I can, because it’s going to have to hold me over for at least a little while.”
“Good point. Kiss me.”
-:-:-:-
Kyle knelt down on one knee in the infield and re-tied his left shoelace. He was glad that practice had started the day after he got back. He needed the distraction until Tess got back into Michigan tonight.
“Hey Deuce!” Kyle looked over his left shoulder and grinned as he saw his infield partner, R.J. Conners, jogging toward him.
Kyle righted himself and took R.J.’s hand, pulling the other man closer for a hug. “Hey Ocean…how was your break?”
“Oh you know…SSDD, brother. How about you? Oh what am I saying…you like going home. I always forget.” Kyle knew his family situation was uncommon and so did R.J. They were closer than anyone else on the team – R.J. was probably Kyle’s best friend in Michigan – and that was no mistake on either of their parts. A second baseman and shortstop who didn’t get along would spell trouble for any team. R.J. did like going home to see his family but unlike Kyle, he was always glad when he left for Michigan too.
“So you ready to get dirty?” Kyle grinned and R.J. slapped him on the back.
“Oh you know I am. The start of the season took way too long to get here this year. I’ve been antsy for months to hear coach scream at us for talking too much.”
“Deuce! Ocean! You girls want to stop talking and join the rest of us?”
“See?” R.J. grinned and Kyle laughed. “No more melodious sound in the universe.” The two trotted over to the outfield grass and sat, taking the few empty spots left in the already formed half-circle.
Their coach started in on his standard, pre-season speech and Kyle looked over at R.J. and rolled his eyes. R.J. grinned. They liked their coach’s speech. It meant they were about to get the fronts of their jerseys dirty; it meant they were about to run their guts out. It meant they would take endless grounders and do more infield drills than they really cared to think about. But more than anything, it meant they could breathe in the smell of the grass again, and step into the batters box against a guy they owned and swing away, sometimes with the game on the line.
Their coach finished his speech and the players stood, leaving their gloves and spikes where they were. They knew the drill. It was time to run. Time to build their endurance back up.
Kyle and R.J. pulled off their hats and tossed them on top of their gloves and jogged toward the warning track, the dirt track that encircled the field. They easily took the front of the pack, falling quickly into a familiar rhythm. Their feet hit the track at the same time and their pace matched, stride for stride. R.J. was taller than Kyle by 3 or 4 inches at least, but still he kept the same pace. It had to have been more difficult for him to hold back instead of using his full stride, but Kyle knew he insisted on their keeping the same pace.
Kyle didn’t mind.
R.J. reminded him in some ways of Alex, and there was no time when that would be a bad thing. Physically they didn’t look alike at all, except for the fact that they were both tall. But they had the same goofy sense of humor and their laughs had the same sort of sparkling quality to it, as if the very sound of it could brighten someone’s day. They both had infectious personalities and they both had an ease about them that made others instantly comfortable.
R.J. looked a lot like a surfer. He had a natural tan and an obvious athlete’s build and his blonde hair and blue eyes made him look every bit the classic All-American Boy. Much like Kyle, Baseball had come easy to him to him at every level, but unlike Kyle, R.J. was still unsure whether he wanted to be drafted or not. Kyle had talked to R.J. about that just 4 days ago.
“So how’s Chloe?”
“Growin’ like a frickin’ weed. She’s going to be tall. And she went out on her first date. I wanted to murder the kid on sight, Deuce.”
Kyle laughed as they ran behind home plate. “It was bound to happen eventually.”
“She’s twelve! She doesn’t need to date.”
“That’s about when it starts, Ocean. Just wait until she gets old enough for something else.”
R.J. broke his stride just a bit. “Oh…now that was uncalled for!”
-:-:-:-
“You sure you don’t want to just…drop everything and move to Chicago?” Max gazed into Liz’s eyes.
She mocked back, “You sure you don’t want to just…drop everything and move to New York?”
He chuckled. “Touché.”
Liz stood abruptly from her seat at the kitchen table and started pacing quickly around the kitchen. Max watched her with amusement, leaned back in his chair. She was upset, and he knew he shouldn’t be smiling, but he couldn’t help himself. She just looked so damn adorable that he wanted to gather her up and kiss her senseless.
“This is just…ah! I hate this!”
“Come here.” Max beckoned to her and she stopped her pacing but didn’t move to him. He repeated his phrase, this time much firmer. “Come here.”
Liz walked over to him and put her hand in his and he pulled her into his lap, resting his forehead against hers. She sighed and closed her eyes, his skin both warm and cool against hers. Max’s touch instantly started to calm her and she could feel her muscles relaxing. Liz started to breathe deeply, in and out, and after a bit Max’s breathing started to match hers.
“You’re so calm. I hate you just a little bit for that right now. ”
Max chuckled and brought his lips to her forehead, resting them there in a sort of open mouthed kiss.
“It’s not funny, mister. Months…that’s how long it’ll be before we see each other again. Months!” Her eyebrows were furrowed and she stuck her bottom lip out just a little and the image of her so resembled a small child, Max couldn’t help but laugh loudly.
Max had been dreading this moment for a while now, and he imagined the full force of it would hit him when he was on the plane, where he was oh-so close but unable to even see that woman he was fond of referring to as the love of his life, much less touch her or comfort her.
But Liz, right in this moment, was unwittingly making the parting just a tad bit easier for him. When he was sitting on that plane, his seatbelt fastened and his tray table locked, he would think of her right now, at this moment, and he would smile. And that, combined with every other solid memory of her, would make the flight back to Chicago and away from her if not short, bearable.
Max laughed again as she playfully smacked him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry!” Liz mock-glared at him and he said, laughing, “I am…but you just looked so damn adorable I couldn’t help myself.”
Liz groaned and threw her head back, which though most likely unintended, made Max want to latch his lips onto her neck and not let go. “Months…months without you…this…is…going…to…suck.”
“You survived without me before.” Liz knew Max was trying to be helpful, trying to soothe her a little but frankly, he wasn’t doing that great of a job.
“Maybe…but that was before I had the whole…Max Experience.” Liz waved her arms vaguely in circles, her palms facing the floor. “Because your body is just a little bit hot and you are just the smallest bit smart and charming and amazing.”
“Just a little bit, huh?” Max smirked.
Liz nodded gravely. “ ‘Fraid so. Just a little bit.”
“Don’t suppose there’s any hope for me to grow in your esteem.”
“ ‘Fraid not.”
“Hmm.” Max abruptly pulled Liz off his lap and set her down on her feet. He stood and walked past her, then twirled around quickly, extending his hand to her. “May I have this dance?”
He was grinning the sort of infectious grin that Liz had come to know only he was capable of, his eyes crinkling at the corners and his eyes bright and mischievous, and she smiled. “Not to sound like a cheesy romantic comedy, but…there’s no music.”
If possible, Max’s grin grew larger. “Hmm…isn’t there?” He lifted his eyebrows once and turned quickly on his heel, walking over to the stereo that had Liz’s iPod docked in it. She had brought it down that morning when she helped Michael make breakfast but hadn’t remembered to remove it. Max ran his finger in light circles on the click wheel.
“Hmm…what song? Got it.” He walked over to Liz and extended his hand just as a familiar song started. “Now milady…may I have this dance?”
Liz closed her eyes briefly and let out a light giggle as she heard the liquid harmonies of the Beach Boys. She took his hand and he pulled her close to him, resting his head on the side of hers as the first verse started.
Max started to sing to her and she giggled, pulling her head away from the side of his.
Well, it’s been building up inside of me
For oh, I don’t know how long
I don’t know why, but I keep thinking
Something’s bound to go wrong
Max grinned as he sang, very much on key. Having not heard him sing before, Liz had no idea that he could, and laughed a laugh full of joy that started deep inside her body. It was so Max for him to find some different way to comfort her, telling her through a song they were going to be fine. Thing was, Don’t Worry Baby had always been one of those songs her dad sang under his breath, a song he knew so well it just popped up at unexpected times. And there was no way that Max knew that. But if anything, she loved him just as much for not knowing that, but still putting on a familiar song for her, simply by the influence of his own instincts.
But she looks in my eyes
And makes me realize
When she says
Don’t worry baby
Everything will turn out all right
Don’t worry baby
Max held Liz close and turned them quickly in a circle before releasing her and spinning her with one hand. She laughed as he brought her body back to hers and held her hand to his body with one of his, his other hand wrapped around her back.
I guess I should have kept my mouth shut
When I start to brag about my car
But I can’t back down now
Because I’ve pushed the other guys too far
She makes me come alive
And makes me wanna cry
When she says
They spun and laughed, swayed and laughed, danced and laughed.
Don’t worry baby
Everything will turn out all right
Don’t worry baby
Max was a more than capable dancer and Liz let him guide her around the kitchen. Liz knew then that this was what she would think of as he walked away from her and into the airport terminal. She would think of how it felt for Max to hold her in his arms, leading her and she would hear Max’s voice, deep and playful as he sang to her.
She told me baby when you race today
Just take along my love with you
If you knew how much I loved you baby
Nothing could go wrong with you
Max sang out the next line loudly, throwing his head back to let his voice jump off the ceiling. Liz smacked his arm, though she laughed lightly.
Oh what she does to me
But just when Liz was afraid he was going to shout the next line, his voice softened to a light croon and he caressed her eyes with his.
When she makes love to me
And she says
All the next words were hers, and Max wanted her to know that. So he stopped playing around and just slowly rocked her back and forth, refusing to look away from her.
Don’t worry baby
Everything will turn out all right
Don’t worry baby
Everything will turn out all right
Don’t worry baby
Jeff had been on his way to the family room when he heard the music and laughter coming from the kitchen. He peeked his head in through the doorway, smiling as Max twirled his daughter around the kitchen island. He felt a bit like a voyeur, but he couldn’t help but want to be near happiness that innocent and bright.
When the song ended, he rapped his knuckles lightly on the doorframe, intending to grab their attention but not startle them. It worked and they turned with bright smiles to face him.
“We have to hit the road soon. Are you ready?”
“Oh ye of the two-in-one question. Yeah…” Liz looked at Max, who smiled at her. “We’re ready.”
-:-:-:-
“Boy am I glad I’m going to see you in a few days because if I weren’t…ooo…this would be hard. I have no idea how the rest of them are doing it.” Alex pulled Isabel closer into his side. They were in the media room, half-watching some Hugh Grant movie. Isabel had told him which one it was, but he had been focusing on how much he wanted to kiss her and completely missed what she had said.
“I’m so glad you’re moving to New York, Alex. You need Liz and she needs you. It was the right thing to do.”
Alex sighed as Isabel snuggled down into him. “And having you there in the mornings when I wake up…not to mention finally focusing on my music…heaven. You know…I’m so at ease with my decision, it almost feels like it was too easy. But that’s what I get for falling in love, huh?”
Isabel put her chin on Alex’s arm and looked up at him with a twinkle in her eyes. “Yep…that’s what you get. But you know, you were destined to fall in love with me…I’m amazing.”
Alex laughed and kissed her. “That you are.”
Isabel laughed. “I would never have said something like that before I came to Napa.”
“Thank god for change.”
“How are they handling it, do you think?”
“To quote Kyle, who would be quoting Buddha…He who has one hundred people he loves has one hundred woes and he who loves no one has no woes…or something like that. Or wait…is it fifty people and fifty woes? Or maybe it’s forty people and forty woes. I can never remember.” Isabel laughed and rolled her eyes as Alex started to get lost in his thoughts.
“You were saying?”
Isabel laughed again as Alex snapped back to attention, obviously unaware his attention had ever strayed. “Hm? Oh…you know, it’s like dad says. When you open yourself up and love someone, you open yourself up for a lot of other emotion too. He calls it…getting on the highway. They don’t want to handle it, but they will. Because when you get on the highway, you have to keep in mind that there are cars going in the opposite direction than you and that some of the cars on your side of the road want to go faster than you do. Plus, there’s road hazards…construction…CHP officers…”
Isabel cocked an eyebrow at Alex and he said, “I know, I know…it’s not his best analogy. But give the man a break…he has a lot of great ones.”
Jeff’s voice came from the doorway and they both shifted in their seats so they could face him. “He’s right…I have many analogies that are far superior to that one. Well…are we about ready?”
“Soon, I think.”
Jeff nodded at his son. “In the car in ten minutes, okay?” They nodded and Jeff left the room, they supposed to find the others and let them know the departure time as well.
“This is going to be amazing, Alex. You’re sure, right? Absolutely, one hundred percent sure? Because if you’re not, I don’t-”
“Izzy…” Alex held his hands up as if surrendering and laughed. “I’m sure. I will never regret this decision. Hell…you can carve it in stone if you want. You can stop asking.”
Isabel shook her head, her cheeks starting to turn an interesting shade of pink. She looked down at her lap. “Sorry…it’s just-”
“You’ve spent your entire life being told what to do so you want to make sure I know that the choices in my life are mine to make. And that, no matter what, you’re never going to push me. Because you just want what’s best for me.” Isabel looked up at him. “Thank you, Izzy.”
Isabel shrugged. “It’s easy to worry about you.” She looked away from him briefly and furrowed her eyebrows. “What are they doing?”
Alex rose from the couch just as Isabel did and looked out the French doors. Max and Liz had their heads thrown back and they could just hear the last vestiges of some sound coming from both their mouths. Before Alex and Isabel reached the doors, they saw Michael and Maria running over, laughing about something or another. Isabel turned to look at Alex and Alex burst out laughing. He knew what they were doing.
“I know what they’re doing. It’s something Kyle used to do all the time. Not sure how much he does it now, though.”
“What are they doing?” Alex put a hand on the left side of the French door and pushed it open, stepping through and into the sunshine. The deck was still a little wet from the rain the day before and Alex was notably more cautious than he would normally be as he turned around to face Isabel.
He grinned. “They’re laughing at the sky.”
“Why would they be doing that?” Isabel pushed the right side door of the French doors open and stepped out onto the deck. After she shut the doors behind them, she turned to face Alex, who had a huge grin on his face.
“Kyle used to do it when he was standing in the infield, waiting for the next batter to reach the plate. He said that every time he realized his life was perfect, he would tilt his head back and laugh at the sky. And it just so happened that a lot of the time, he thought his life was perfect when he was standing on the baseball diamond. I’m pretty sure he said it came from Buddha, that Buddha was the one who said it first.”
Alex swung away from her quickly and toward the group standing on the grass and Isabel was forced to hurry to catch up. Max and Liz were mid-laugh and Michael had just finished his, the final sounds of a deep chuckle leaving his throat. Maria was still giggling, as if laughing once had opened some sort of door that held all of her laughter in and the rest of it was just starting to trickle out.
Alex threw his head back and let out a bright, sparkling laugh and everyone felt it bounce off of them and into the air. When he finished he looked around the circle and said, “Okay…did anyone call Kyle?”
Liz held up her phone. “I did. While you were laughing.”
Hey guys. Now, you do realize that once we do this every single one of my teammates is going to think I’m some sort of freak, right? I’m standing in the middle of the outfield and no one’s gone into the locker room yet.
“Kyle…you are a freak, just like the rest of us.” Michael lifted his right eyebrow and looked at the phone, as if Kyle could see him at that moment. There was a long pause from the phone and everyone turned their attention to it.
Right…good point. Well…shall we begin?
“But…” Isabel interjected and everyone turned to her but she seemed to lose her words for a moment.
But what, Iz?
“All of you are being separated, if you aren’t already. I just…don’t…”
“Perfect, Isabel, is more a state of mind than what the dictionary professes it to be.” Jeff came up behind the group and wrapped an arm around Isabel’s shoulders. She turned to look at him and smiled. “It’s a choice, and if you choose to view your life as perfect then, more often than not, it becomes so.”
“I like that.” Isabel smiled at Jeff.
“So Isabel, I have a question for you.” He moved around behind her and rested his hands gently on her shoulders. “Right now…not ten minutes from now, not tomorrow but right now…is your life perfect?”
“I-I…”
“Close your eyes. Don’t force it. And when it comes to you, you know what to do.” Isabel closed her eyes and felt Jeff remove his hands from her shoulders. She heard Kyle laugh from the speaker of Liz’s cell phone and she heard Alex once again, just to her right. She heard Michael’s deep, hearty laugh across from her and she heard their dad’s similar, inviting laugh. And she heard Max, Maria and Liz laugh all at the same time, Maria’s musical one twinkling long after the other two had finished.
Was her life perfect?
She had Alex and Liz and Max and their dad and Maria and Kyle and Michael and Tess and Paolo and Claudia and David and NYU and Napa and Liz’s pictures and Michael’s dinners and Alex’s music and Max’s ear and –
Isabel threw her head back and laughed.
-------------
Here are the quotes that Alex tries to quote (bless his heart) from Buddha, in their entirety:
“When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.”
“He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.”
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:04 pm
- Location: Somewhere left of center
- Contact:
Okay all...thank you.
I could use a million words to tell you all how I feel, but sometimes those extra words are pointless. Sometimes...thank you on its own says more.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you for every bump. Thank you for every piece of feedback. Thank you for every kind thought you may have had of me. Not one ounce of that was ever overlooked, I assure you.
The interesting thing about this chapter is that I felt like something was off with it for a while, but I couldn't figure out what that was. Initially I thought it was in the beginning somewhere, because I had changed that a few times. But a day or so ago it suddenly hit me that the beginning wasn't it. What had really been bothering me was that Kyle wasn't in the chapter at all. And now...he is.
And so we have chapter 33. Enjoy.
Psst...
Love you all.
Chapter 33: (No) Urge for Going
Parkers hate goodbyes.
It was about as obvious a statement as there was, but Alex still couldn’t help the thought from running through his mind as he stared at the board announcing arrivals and departures, wondering how many people passed through the airport on a given day.
Alex had it easy, and he knew that. He knew if it weren’t for his codependence and his utter inability to tear himself away from his twin sister that this goodbye with Isabel, standing on the well-worn carpet at San Francisco Airport, could have been much harder. Not that he was complaining. Alex had never been one to shirk an, if not exactly good at the very least less painful, thing. All the same, Alex knew Liz was having a hard time of it and so was Michael. And if that didn’t exactly make him feel guilty, it did make him feel a little unsettled.
Isabel noticed but chose not to comment. She was just about used to the way the Parker kids were (because Isabel couldn’t help but think of them as one unit, even when separated) and she quickly observed that these weren’t Alex’s nerves, or at the very least, that he wasn’t nervous for his own sake. These nerves were for Michael and Liz and to a lesser extent, for Maria and Max.
Isabel, for her part, may have felt sadness for the others but its size was so small in comparison to the joy she was feeling that she wasn’t allowing the sadness any head room. There was only a small place she allowed it in her heart, the place she figured it belonged anyway. Even then…even then…it wasn’t really pressing on her mind. She and Liz wouldn’t be separated at all and in just a few days she’d see Alex again. What right did she have to complain? If anything, Jeff and Maria had received the short end of the stick. Michael had no girlfriend but he had Max. And if having Max wasn’t the same as having Kyle or Liz or Alex, their relationship had its own special weight. Everyone else was pretty much the same. Kyle may not have had his twin brother, but he had the love of his life. And Liz and Alex had each other, even if they didn’t have the rest of their family. A kindergartener could do that math.
Liz put her head down on Max’s chest, her ear resting just to the right of center. Neither of them was saying anything, mostly because everything had already been said. For now they were enjoying the feel of the other in their arms as they swayed gently back and forth. The couples around them were trying to say goodbye to one another but Max and Liz paid them little mind, preferring to spend the time dancing to the familiar music still playing in their heads.
Liz’s eyes wandered until they locked on a mother and father standing in the security line, holding their daughter’s hands. Every few seconds or so they would move their arms as of they were one unit, lifting their giggling and kicking daughter from the floor.
Liz smiled in Max’s shirt and he turned his head to look at her. He saw her face and grinned, his eyes seeking out the source of her smile. When he saw what she was looking at he laughed softly into her hair, making her shift a little in surprise.
Jeff watched Max and Liz sway back and forth, the gentle rhythm of it lulling him into a peaceful frame of mind. In a moment he would have his final – for now – goodbye to more of his children but these moments now weren’t his; not to have and not to observe. So he forced himself to look away from Max and Liz, his eyes traveling down the terminal in search of a more public sight. He found it in a group of Japanese businessmen, talking rapidly back and forth to one another. Just behind them stood a man and a woman in front of two sulking teenagers who looked as if they wanted nothing to do with their parents. The parents looked like they’d do just about anything to get home. Jeff smiled and sent up a silent prayer for his family, even as he laughed softly behind his hand.
Michael was at a bit of a loss. He had always been able to explain everything. To him everything, even the most unexplainable of phenomena, had an explanation. He liked the solid, straying away (whether unconsciously or not) from the flighty. He liked explanations. They made order of the world. And Michael liked order.
But explaining how he was going to tear himself away from Maria? There was no explanation for that, because he had been trying to get his feet to move for the last five minutes and had had no success at all in even moving something as small and insignificant as his big toe. If it were possible, Michael would stay right where he was, standing in the middle of the lobby at SFO. But really, even though Michael wanted it to happen, it still wasn’t all that likely. For one thing, the maintenance workers would have to clean the spot he was standing on eventually.
“Okay.” Liz’s abrupt word broke them all from a kind of hazy spell, almost as if they were trying to tell themselves today wasn’t goodbye. But Liz’s small word shook them all of any delusions they may have been harboring about whether a college would suddenly notice if a certain student or five went missing.
“Okay…I have to do this now or I’m never going to and then NYU may wonder why I’m missing. But I don’t want to.”
Max tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her right ear. “I know. Neither do I.”
Liz sighed and if it wasn’t exactly sad, it was at the very least a bit sorrowful and a lot resigned. “I know. Just thought I’d…put that out there. In the universe, you know. Let the cosmos do with it what they will.”
Max leaned down and grabbed his carryon, slinging it over his back before he bent down and kissed Liz soundly one last time, her lips sparkling in his wake. “I’m sure the cosmos heard you.”
Isabel and Alex had already finished their goodbyes so Max pulled Isabel into a deep hug, kissing her once on the crown of her head. He whispered something soft into her ear and the Evans kids grinned at one another before Max moved over to Maria, forcing Maria and Michael to break from one another for a moment or so. The short blonde pulled Max into a hug long before he could even open his arms and they both laughed as they embraced.
As Max approached Jeff, he was greeted by a sudden, overwhelming appreciation for the man. How he let his kids go - how he watched them get on planes time and again - was news to Max. Max shifted his body just a bit, centering his bag on his back, and opened his arms just as Jeff did.
When Jeff’s head was next to Max’s, the older man whispered, “I’m not actually letting any of you go, you know. I could never do that. I don’t have it in me. The real world and I have an understanding. They just have you on loan for a while.” Max pulled back from Jeff, smiling, and Jeff said, “That’s how I do it, son. That’s how.”
Max, having finished his goodbyes for the time being, stood off to the side as he watched Alex reach for his dad. Alex hopped a little on his left foot, attempting to keep his balance without his crutches. Isabel was holding onto them for the moment, standing next to Liz. Alex and his dad hugged, then let go – earlier than probably either of them wanted to – and they stepped back from one another, studying each other’s faces for a moment or so. Jeff took the thumb and index finger of his right hand and lifted Alex’s chin up just a little before he took those same fingers and tweaked the twenty year old’s nose lightly.
“Ah geez, dad…get off.” Alex laughed and swatted his dad’s hand away, rolling his eyes as he turned to hug his twin sister. “I’ll see you in about a week, roomie.” Alex snorted and chuckled and Liz rolled her eyes, though she grinned all the same.
“I have this terrible image of the day I’m sure I’m going to regret sharing a room with you. Again.”
“You two shared a room?” Isabel was clearly surprised and very amused.
“Most twins don’t really like to be separated, Izzy. Mom and dad moved us to different rooms about five months before mom died. It was just after our ninth birthday. Michael and Kyle moved when they were ten.”
“Ten and a half, if you want to be technical.” Jeff took Alex’s bag from Liz, who had hoisted it up from its spot on the floor.
“Actually, if you really want to be technical…Kyle and I moved to different rooms at ten years, seven months and thirteen days. But that’s only if you want to be technical.” Michael turned his attention back to Maria, leaning in closer to her as he spoke in a voice only she could hear.
“You know…” Jeff trailed off and tapped his chin thoughtfully. “There’s no way I could love that boy more, but sometimes he just misses the point entirely.” Isabel and Liz giggled.
“You had a point, oh peerless one?” Jeff raised an eyebrow at his daughter, his lips twitching almost uncontrollably at the corners.
“Don’t I always?”
“Yah.”
“Okay then. My point is this: there was no way we were going to separate either set before they were ready for it, Isabel. Even if we’d tried to put them in different rooms, they would have found a way to get to one another. And they did, for a while. We kept finding them in each other’s rooms. And for a bit there we thought it had been a bad decision to move them. But they wanted to and in the end we had to listen to them. It would have been foolish not to.
“They’re far more aware of what they need than anyone else would be, so I’ve always tried to take my cues from them. Making sure they have what they need has always been my biggest priority. They needed to learn just the smallest piece of independence when they were nine, just like Alex needed to go to MIT.”
Isabel spoke slowly, her eyes narrowed a bit. “So Alex had to go to MIT for a while so he…could eventually transfer to…NYU?”
“You got it.”
“I’m confused.”
Alex laughed. “Yeah…dad has that effect on a lot of people. What he means is that I had to be away from Liz so I’d understand that I needed to be near her.”
“Alex had to make sure that he was making the right choice by making the wrong one.” Liz spoke up as Isabel handed Alex back his crutches.
“So making the wrong choice was the…right choice?”
“Uh…yeah, I guess. In a nutshell.”
Isabel shook her head. “You’re all insane. And none of you make sense.”
“Izzy…come on.” Liz wrapped her arms around Isabel’s waist, bringing the two girls closer together. “Would you love any of us nearly so much if we actually made sense?”
“Yes. I’d just be able to understand you,” Isabel deadpanned.
“Well…the fine young lady has a point. Let us all allow her that.”
Nearby, but not quite in listening distance, Michael and Maria had been standing close together, wondering how to go about saying goodbye. Neither wanted to say goodbye so neither did, allowing their tongues to settle on a phrase much clumsier in its meaning but far less trying on the heart.
“I’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
They both laughed softly, looking away. It would hurt to say anything more honest, like the fact they were saying goodbye, even if it was just for a short time. Length of time away didn’t make the word less true. But it did give their time, at the very least, a tentative end point. And while that thought wasn’t exactly comforting, it helped.
In the end Michael settled on a method tried and true, a method passed down through the generations, a method Max had already used on Liz.
He kissed her.
He kissed her long and deep.
Basically, he only stopped because he needed oxygen.
It may not have been a very eloquent response to his situation, but Maria sure seemed to like it.
And anything Maria liked, Michael was all for.
Michael picked up his carryon, an old dark blue canvas backpack from junior high that he just couldn’t seem to part with, and slung his arm around Maria. Maria drew herself into his side just a little and the two walked over to the group.
“Alright dad.” Michael dropped his arm from around Maria and started toward his father.
“Ah, my oldest. Always to the point. One of your best and worst qualities, I think.” Jeff pulled Michael into the strongest of hugs and Michael responded in kind.
“So which is it now? Best or worst?”
“Jury’s still out, I think.”
“You think too much.”
They released one another and Michael shot a glance at Max and Alex, who were waiting patiently for Michael to finish.
“Well…this is it, I guess.” Alex shifted his weight a little and Liz rolled her eyes, laughing.
“Thank you Captain Obvious.”
“Yeah, yeah…alright…we’re going.” The three men walked away until they were in the security line, readying themselves to be checked, poked and prodded. Max had a fleeting thought that his last visit to the doctor hadn’t been this personal, but it left as soon as he passed through the metal detector and started putting his shoes back on.
They were walking away, trying desperately the entire trip not to look behind them when one little voice, carrying over everyone else’s in the terminal, made them all turn.
“Love you!”
“Love you little Lizzy.” Michael winked at her, sure she knew he was doing it whether she could see the tiny action or not, and turned back away with a smile in his heart.
“Love you, Lizzy Bean.” Alex blew her a kiss and turned away, moving with Michael.
“Don’t worry, baby. Everything? Well…you know it’ll turn out all right, don’t you?” Max grinned, hand over his heart. “I love you!” Max turned for the last time, walking away from them all, speeding up just a little to catch up with Michael and Alex. Liz’s twinkling laugh made his steps lighter, his heart beat faster.
“Well…” Jeff sighed. “Three more down…two to go. Who wants cheesy romantic comedies and ice cream?”
“Daddy…you are exactly the right kind of dad for girls. You should have had more of us.” Liz rested her head on her dad’s upper right arm and he moved it immediately so he could wrap his arm around her.
“What? Four of you aren’t enough?”
“I’m pretty sure she means biological kids, papa bear.”
Jeff turned mock-confused eyes to Maria. “There’s a difference between biological and non-biological kids? Dear god…why didn’t anyone tell me that?”
“Ha ha, dad.”
“Now…does anyone know where I can find three amazing women to escort a haggard old man home?”
“Dad? You’re weird.”
But even as she said it, Liz smiled.
-:-:-:-:-
Kyle had missed this.
Football was fine and all – Kyle would never deny that he loved the way it felt to intercept a pass in front of a gloating receiver – but it wasn’t baseball. It didn’t have the same frenzied serenity or the same team camaraderie, mostly because a football team had too many players for Kyle’s liking. It didn’t even smell the same.
Yes…Kyle had missed this. He had missed baseball. And he always seemed to realize that on the first day of practice, when any doubts he may have been harboring about his own abilities or his drive to play were squashed under his own feet as he ran laps around the field, his shoes pounding the clay of the warning track into submission. Nothing else he had done in his life had ever come close to bringing him this kind of joy, this level of bliss.
Why in the hell had he ever considered giving this up?
But baseball, Kyle realized, had always been a bit more to him. It wasn’t just about the smell or his teammates or the way the uniform always seemed to fit him perfectly, straight out of the box. Baseball, in many ways, was Kyle’s version of walking meditation, just like music was for Alex. It provided something for Kyle’s mind to focus on when he wanted to get it off of other things.
He just wished he could focus on baseball right now.
Kyle sat on the wooden bench in front of his locker, tying the lace of his right shoe as he dressed after lunch. When he finished he stood and turned to face the interior of his locker, his eyes straying lazily over his street clothes, hung up on hangers and hooks and over his toiletries, sitting on the shelf above. As he tucked his dark green Under Armor shirt into his white baseball pants, he stared at his watch on the shelf, the second hand ticking away almost mockingly at Kyle.
Kyle had been so focused on his watch that he hadn’t heard R.J. calling him.
“Yo…Deuce. You all right?” Kyle turned in surprise when R.J., who had a locker to Kyle’s right, slapped his hand on Kyle’s shoulder.
“Yeah, fine. Why?”
“Oh…nothing. I’ve just been calling your name for about five minutes, that’s all.”
“Okay…so I’m a little out of it.”
R.J. turned his body back so that he was facing the interior of his own locker and tucked his shirt in before buckling his black belt. “You want to tell a buddy slash infield partner slash teammate slash human being why that is?”
Kyle glanced at his watch again before looking at R.J. “It’s two twenty-five.”
R.J. considered Kyle’s statement for a moment or so, his eyes furrowed in confusion, before he turned to Kyle and said slowly, “And two twenty-five is…the time you…uh…yeah. I got nothin’.”
Kyle laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Ocean. I’m fine.”
R.J. leaned against the wood that divided the two lockers from one another as Kyle sat back down on the bench with a roll of athletic tape in his hand. “You sure? Because you know…a distracted second baseman is an ineffective second baseman.”
Kyle snorted and rolled his eyes at R.J., who was trying very hard not to laugh at his own joke. “You’re such a geek.”
“Yeah, well…you know…”
“Mike is getting on a plane in about fifty minutes and Alex should be getting on his in about ten.”
R.J. sat down next to his infield partner. “Ah…I get it. Your…what do you call it? Twin thing, right?”
“Yeah. Look, I know it’s weird…but…it’s what you do when you love someone more than you love yourself. You worry.” Kyle started wrapping tape around the middle and ring fingers of his right hand, taping them together to brace them. Kyle had caught a relay throw from the center fielder earlier in the day in the wrong part of his glove, dinging up his hand a little in the process.
“Hey…I get it, I do. Or…I get you, which is the important thing. Now…tell me you aren’t curious as to why I was trying to get your attention for five straight minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why?” Kyle stood and tossed the partially used roll of athletic tape back onto the shelf of his locker.
R.J. grinned mischievously. “I finally know how to get back at Wilkes for that prank he pulled on us last year. You ready for it?”
Kyle grinned as he stared at Wilkes, who was getting dressed across the room. “Lay it on me.”
-:-:-:-
Alex, Max and Michael ambled on through the airport terminal, closing the distance between their differing gates. They were looking around as they moved in silence but were paying very little attention to anything but the feeling of their own footsteps; the feeling of the person next to them. None of them really knew what to say because, well, was there really anything to say?
All three knew the basics: they’d miss one another, they were sad to be leaving home.
“Airports suck.” Alex speaking startled Max a little but Michael was unfazed. He had been expecting it.
Michael kept his face turned down the terminal, his eyes wandering over large groups of people who were trying, many of them in vain, to form some sort of bubble of space in a public place. “No they don’t, Al. Objects don’t have their own inherent value. It’s what they mean to our lives that make them suck. The situation sucks, not the place.” Alex lifted an eyebrow just as Michael turned to look at his younger brother. Michael smiled. “Sorry. Last face to face big brother time for a while. Had to make good use of it.”
“Okay…so the situation is an unfortunate one, but an airport is merely the location of said unfortunate situation. Better?”
“Yes.”
“My gate.” Alex gestured over his shoulder and the three stopped.
“I thought it would take longer. Hmm…” Michael frowned and glanced at the offending gate as he trailed off.
Max grimaced, clearly reading Michael’s body language correctly. He wasn’t ready yet. Max wasn’t sure why that would be; still he stopped himself from asking, though he wanted to.
“Alex…” That was all that was said between them, just one word. Max stepped forward and the two embraced, and in that embrace was unspoken questions and assurances, well-wishes and affection. The two stepped back from one another and Alex looked to Michael, whose head was turned as he once again looked down the corridor.
“Mike?” Michael turned his head and looked at his younger brother, who was standing with his back bent and his butt stuck out a bit as he leaned forward, his weight on his crutches. Michael looked at him for just one second more before walking forward and pulling Alex into a hug. Michael hugged his brother much longer than Max had and Alex knew why that was, but he would never say it out loud, in a public place, where people were waiting to catch planes and drinking coffee and doing crossword puzzles.
Alex headed away toward his gate and Michael and Max started down the terminal again.
“Love you!”
Michael paused, smiling softly and shaking his head. He flipped his head over his shoulder and grinned when he saw Alex leaning on his crutches, grinning too. Michael shot a glance at Max, who also couldn’t seem to keep himself from grinning, and yelled, “Love you too, dork!”
Max and Michael turned their heads away from Alex and he shouted, “Don’t think I didn’t mean you too, Max!”
Max grinned and turned his head one more time to Alex. “Love you too, Alex.”
Max and Michael were off for the final time as they heard a voice come over the intercom and announce a boarding call for Alex’s flight. Max and Michael walked down the corridor, passing five more gates before they reached theirs. There were almost no seats left and none together, but Max was able to charm an old lady into moving down one chair so that he and Michael could sit together. They dropped down into their seats, sending the woman grateful smiles, and readied themselves to wait out the forty or so minutes before the call came to board.
Max was rifling through his carryon, searching for a stick of gum, when Michael spoke.
“Airports suck.”
Max stopped his search and lifted an eyebrow at Michael. “I thought you said objects didn’t suck. That what an object meant to us was what gave it meaning.”
Michael mock-glared at Max. “That was big brother speak for Alex. You didn’t have to listen. I’m not your big brother.”
“No…just my brother,” Max said easily. “So those words were only for Alex, huh?”
Michael, for all his faults, was not daft. He knew what Max was getting at. “Oh geez…stop psychoanalyzing me. Alex needed words of reassurance, so I gave them to him. That’s all.”
Max held up his hands in surrender. “If you say so. Forget I said anything.” He started searching through his bag again.
Michael sighed and settled into the back of his molded plastic chair. “Airports still suck.”
I could use a million words to tell you all how I feel, but sometimes those extra words are pointless. Sometimes...thank you on its own says more.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you for every bump. Thank you for every piece of feedback. Thank you for every kind thought you may have had of me. Not one ounce of that was ever overlooked, I assure you.
The interesting thing about this chapter is that I felt like something was off with it for a while, but I couldn't figure out what that was. Initially I thought it was in the beginning somewhere, because I had changed that a few times. But a day or so ago it suddenly hit me that the beginning wasn't it. What had really been bothering me was that Kyle wasn't in the chapter at all. And now...he is.
And so we have chapter 33. Enjoy.
Psst...
Love you all.
Chapter 33: (No) Urge for Going
Parkers hate goodbyes.
It was about as obvious a statement as there was, but Alex still couldn’t help the thought from running through his mind as he stared at the board announcing arrivals and departures, wondering how many people passed through the airport on a given day.
Alex had it easy, and he knew that. He knew if it weren’t for his codependence and his utter inability to tear himself away from his twin sister that this goodbye with Isabel, standing on the well-worn carpet at San Francisco Airport, could have been much harder. Not that he was complaining. Alex had never been one to shirk an, if not exactly good at the very least less painful, thing. All the same, Alex knew Liz was having a hard time of it and so was Michael. And if that didn’t exactly make him feel guilty, it did make him feel a little unsettled.
Isabel noticed but chose not to comment. She was just about used to the way the Parker kids were (because Isabel couldn’t help but think of them as one unit, even when separated) and she quickly observed that these weren’t Alex’s nerves, or at the very least, that he wasn’t nervous for his own sake. These nerves were for Michael and Liz and to a lesser extent, for Maria and Max.
Isabel, for her part, may have felt sadness for the others but its size was so small in comparison to the joy she was feeling that she wasn’t allowing the sadness any head room. There was only a small place she allowed it in her heart, the place she figured it belonged anyway. Even then…even then…it wasn’t really pressing on her mind. She and Liz wouldn’t be separated at all and in just a few days she’d see Alex again. What right did she have to complain? If anything, Jeff and Maria had received the short end of the stick. Michael had no girlfriend but he had Max. And if having Max wasn’t the same as having Kyle or Liz or Alex, their relationship had its own special weight. Everyone else was pretty much the same. Kyle may not have had his twin brother, but he had the love of his life. And Liz and Alex had each other, even if they didn’t have the rest of their family. A kindergartener could do that math.
Liz put her head down on Max’s chest, her ear resting just to the right of center. Neither of them was saying anything, mostly because everything had already been said. For now they were enjoying the feel of the other in their arms as they swayed gently back and forth. The couples around them were trying to say goodbye to one another but Max and Liz paid them little mind, preferring to spend the time dancing to the familiar music still playing in their heads.
Liz’s eyes wandered until they locked on a mother and father standing in the security line, holding their daughter’s hands. Every few seconds or so they would move their arms as of they were one unit, lifting their giggling and kicking daughter from the floor.
Liz smiled in Max’s shirt and he turned his head to look at her. He saw her face and grinned, his eyes seeking out the source of her smile. When he saw what she was looking at he laughed softly into her hair, making her shift a little in surprise.
Jeff watched Max and Liz sway back and forth, the gentle rhythm of it lulling him into a peaceful frame of mind. In a moment he would have his final – for now – goodbye to more of his children but these moments now weren’t his; not to have and not to observe. So he forced himself to look away from Max and Liz, his eyes traveling down the terminal in search of a more public sight. He found it in a group of Japanese businessmen, talking rapidly back and forth to one another. Just behind them stood a man and a woman in front of two sulking teenagers who looked as if they wanted nothing to do with their parents. The parents looked like they’d do just about anything to get home. Jeff smiled and sent up a silent prayer for his family, even as he laughed softly behind his hand.
Michael was at a bit of a loss. He had always been able to explain everything. To him everything, even the most unexplainable of phenomena, had an explanation. He liked the solid, straying away (whether unconsciously or not) from the flighty. He liked explanations. They made order of the world. And Michael liked order.
But explaining how he was going to tear himself away from Maria? There was no explanation for that, because he had been trying to get his feet to move for the last five minutes and had had no success at all in even moving something as small and insignificant as his big toe. If it were possible, Michael would stay right where he was, standing in the middle of the lobby at SFO. But really, even though Michael wanted it to happen, it still wasn’t all that likely. For one thing, the maintenance workers would have to clean the spot he was standing on eventually.
“Okay.” Liz’s abrupt word broke them all from a kind of hazy spell, almost as if they were trying to tell themselves today wasn’t goodbye. But Liz’s small word shook them all of any delusions they may have been harboring about whether a college would suddenly notice if a certain student or five went missing.
“Okay…I have to do this now or I’m never going to and then NYU may wonder why I’m missing. But I don’t want to.”
Max tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her right ear. “I know. Neither do I.”
Liz sighed and if it wasn’t exactly sad, it was at the very least a bit sorrowful and a lot resigned. “I know. Just thought I’d…put that out there. In the universe, you know. Let the cosmos do with it what they will.”
Max leaned down and grabbed his carryon, slinging it over his back before he bent down and kissed Liz soundly one last time, her lips sparkling in his wake. “I’m sure the cosmos heard you.”
Isabel and Alex had already finished their goodbyes so Max pulled Isabel into a deep hug, kissing her once on the crown of her head. He whispered something soft into her ear and the Evans kids grinned at one another before Max moved over to Maria, forcing Maria and Michael to break from one another for a moment or so. The short blonde pulled Max into a hug long before he could even open his arms and they both laughed as they embraced.
As Max approached Jeff, he was greeted by a sudden, overwhelming appreciation for the man. How he let his kids go - how he watched them get on planes time and again - was news to Max. Max shifted his body just a bit, centering his bag on his back, and opened his arms just as Jeff did.
When Jeff’s head was next to Max’s, the older man whispered, “I’m not actually letting any of you go, you know. I could never do that. I don’t have it in me. The real world and I have an understanding. They just have you on loan for a while.” Max pulled back from Jeff, smiling, and Jeff said, “That’s how I do it, son. That’s how.”
Max, having finished his goodbyes for the time being, stood off to the side as he watched Alex reach for his dad. Alex hopped a little on his left foot, attempting to keep his balance without his crutches. Isabel was holding onto them for the moment, standing next to Liz. Alex and his dad hugged, then let go – earlier than probably either of them wanted to – and they stepped back from one another, studying each other’s faces for a moment or so. Jeff took the thumb and index finger of his right hand and lifted Alex’s chin up just a little before he took those same fingers and tweaked the twenty year old’s nose lightly.
“Ah geez, dad…get off.” Alex laughed and swatted his dad’s hand away, rolling his eyes as he turned to hug his twin sister. “I’ll see you in about a week, roomie.” Alex snorted and chuckled and Liz rolled her eyes, though she grinned all the same.
“I have this terrible image of the day I’m sure I’m going to regret sharing a room with you. Again.”
“You two shared a room?” Isabel was clearly surprised and very amused.
“Most twins don’t really like to be separated, Izzy. Mom and dad moved us to different rooms about five months before mom died. It was just after our ninth birthday. Michael and Kyle moved when they were ten.”
“Ten and a half, if you want to be technical.” Jeff took Alex’s bag from Liz, who had hoisted it up from its spot on the floor.
“Actually, if you really want to be technical…Kyle and I moved to different rooms at ten years, seven months and thirteen days. But that’s only if you want to be technical.” Michael turned his attention back to Maria, leaning in closer to her as he spoke in a voice only she could hear.
“You know…” Jeff trailed off and tapped his chin thoughtfully. “There’s no way I could love that boy more, but sometimes he just misses the point entirely.” Isabel and Liz giggled.
“You had a point, oh peerless one?” Jeff raised an eyebrow at his daughter, his lips twitching almost uncontrollably at the corners.
“Don’t I always?”
“Yah.”
“Okay then. My point is this: there was no way we were going to separate either set before they were ready for it, Isabel. Even if we’d tried to put them in different rooms, they would have found a way to get to one another. And they did, for a while. We kept finding them in each other’s rooms. And for a bit there we thought it had been a bad decision to move them. But they wanted to and in the end we had to listen to them. It would have been foolish not to.
“They’re far more aware of what they need than anyone else would be, so I’ve always tried to take my cues from them. Making sure they have what they need has always been my biggest priority. They needed to learn just the smallest piece of independence when they were nine, just like Alex needed to go to MIT.”
Isabel spoke slowly, her eyes narrowed a bit. “So Alex had to go to MIT for a while so he…could eventually transfer to…NYU?”
“You got it.”
“I’m confused.”
Alex laughed. “Yeah…dad has that effect on a lot of people. What he means is that I had to be away from Liz so I’d understand that I needed to be near her.”
“Alex had to make sure that he was making the right choice by making the wrong one.” Liz spoke up as Isabel handed Alex back his crutches.
“So making the wrong choice was the…right choice?”
“Uh…yeah, I guess. In a nutshell.”
Isabel shook her head. “You’re all insane. And none of you make sense.”
“Izzy…come on.” Liz wrapped her arms around Isabel’s waist, bringing the two girls closer together. “Would you love any of us nearly so much if we actually made sense?”
“Yes. I’d just be able to understand you,” Isabel deadpanned.
“Well…the fine young lady has a point. Let us all allow her that.”
Nearby, but not quite in listening distance, Michael and Maria had been standing close together, wondering how to go about saying goodbye. Neither wanted to say goodbye so neither did, allowing their tongues to settle on a phrase much clumsier in its meaning but far less trying on the heart.
“I’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
They both laughed softly, looking away. It would hurt to say anything more honest, like the fact they were saying goodbye, even if it was just for a short time. Length of time away didn’t make the word less true. But it did give their time, at the very least, a tentative end point. And while that thought wasn’t exactly comforting, it helped.
In the end Michael settled on a method tried and true, a method passed down through the generations, a method Max had already used on Liz.
He kissed her.
He kissed her long and deep.
Basically, he only stopped because he needed oxygen.
It may not have been a very eloquent response to his situation, but Maria sure seemed to like it.
And anything Maria liked, Michael was all for.
Michael picked up his carryon, an old dark blue canvas backpack from junior high that he just couldn’t seem to part with, and slung his arm around Maria. Maria drew herself into his side just a little and the two walked over to the group.
“Alright dad.” Michael dropped his arm from around Maria and started toward his father.
“Ah, my oldest. Always to the point. One of your best and worst qualities, I think.” Jeff pulled Michael into the strongest of hugs and Michael responded in kind.
“So which is it now? Best or worst?”
“Jury’s still out, I think.”
“You think too much.”
They released one another and Michael shot a glance at Max and Alex, who were waiting patiently for Michael to finish.
“Well…this is it, I guess.” Alex shifted his weight a little and Liz rolled her eyes, laughing.
“Thank you Captain Obvious.”
“Yeah, yeah…alright…we’re going.” The three men walked away until they were in the security line, readying themselves to be checked, poked and prodded. Max had a fleeting thought that his last visit to the doctor hadn’t been this personal, but it left as soon as he passed through the metal detector and started putting his shoes back on.
They were walking away, trying desperately the entire trip not to look behind them when one little voice, carrying over everyone else’s in the terminal, made them all turn.
“Love you!”
“Love you little Lizzy.” Michael winked at her, sure she knew he was doing it whether she could see the tiny action or not, and turned back away with a smile in his heart.
“Love you, Lizzy Bean.” Alex blew her a kiss and turned away, moving with Michael.
“Don’t worry, baby. Everything? Well…you know it’ll turn out all right, don’t you?” Max grinned, hand over his heart. “I love you!” Max turned for the last time, walking away from them all, speeding up just a little to catch up with Michael and Alex. Liz’s twinkling laugh made his steps lighter, his heart beat faster.
“Well…” Jeff sighed. “Three more down…two to go. Who wants cheesy romantic comedies and ice cream?”
“Daddy…you are exactly the right kind of dad for girls. You should have had more of us.” Liz rested her head on her dad’s upper right arm and he moved it immediately so he could wrap his arm around her.
“What? Four of you aren’t enough?”
“I’m pretty sure she means biological kids, papa bear.”
Jeff turned mock-confused eyes to Maria. “There’s a difference between biological and non-biological kids? Dear god…why didn’t anyone tell me that?”
“Ha ha, dad.”
“Now…does anyone know where I can find three amazing women to escort a haggard old man home?”
“Dad? You’re weird.”
But even as she said it, Liz smiled.
-:-:-:-:-
Kyle had missed this.
Football was fine and all – Kyle would never deny that he loved the way it felt to intercept a pass in front of a gloating receiver – but it wasn’t baseball. It didn’t have the same frenzied serenity or the same team camaraderie, mostly because a football team had too many players for Kyle’s liking. It didn’t even smell the same.
Yes…Kyle had missed this. He had missed baseball. And he always seemed to realize that on the first day of practice, when any doubts he may have been harboring about his own abilities or his drive to play were squashed under his own feet as he ran laps around the field, his shoes pounding the clay of the warning track into submission. Nothing else he had done in his life had ever come close to bringing him this kind of joy, this level of bliss.
Why in the hell had he ever considered giving this up?
But baseball, Kyle realized, had always been a bit more to him. It wasn’t just about the smell or his teammates or the way the uniform always seemed to fit him perfectly, straight out of the box. Baseball, in many ways, was Kyle’s version of walking meditation, just like music was for Alex. It provided something for Kyle’s mind to focus on when he wanted to get it off of other things.
He just wished he could focus on baseball right now.
Kyle sat on the wooden bench in front of his locker, tying the lace of his right shoe as he dressed after lunch. When he finished he stood and turned to face the interior of his locker, his eyes straying lazily over his street clothes, hung up on hangers and hooks and over his toiletries, sitting on the shelf above. As he tucked his dark green Under Armor shirt into his white baseball pants, he stared at his watch on the shelf, the second hand ticking away almost mockingly at Kyle.
Kyle had been so focused on his watch that he hadn’t heard R.J. calling him.
“Yo…Deuce. You all right?” Kyle turned in surprise when R.J., who had a locker to Kyle’s right, slapped his hand on Kyle’s shoulder.
“Yeah, fine. Why?”
“Oh…nothing. I’ve just been calling your name for about five minutes, that’s all.”
“Okay…so I’m a little out of it.”
R.J. turned his body back so that he was facing the interior of his own locker and tucked his shirt in before buckling his black belt. “You want to tell a buddy slash infield partner slash teammate slash human being why that is?”
Kyle glanced at his watch again before looking at R.J. “It’s two twenty-five.”
R.J. considered Kyle’s statement for a moment or so, his eyes furrowed in confusion, before he turned to Kyle and said slowly, “And two twenty-five is…the time you…uh…yeah. I got nothin’.”
Kyle laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Ocean. I’m fine.”
R.J. leaned against the wood that divided the two lockers from one another as Kyle sat back down on the bench with a roll of athletic tape in his hand. “You sure? Because you know…a distracted second baseman is an ineffective second baseman.”
Kyle snorted and rolled his eyes at R.J., who was trying very hard not to laugh at his own joke. “You’re such a geek.”
“Yeah, well…you know…”
“Mike is getting on a plane in about fifty minutes and Alex should be getting on his in about ten.”
R.J. sat down next to his infield partner. “Ah…I get it. Your…what do you call it? Twin thing, right?”
“Yeah. Look, I know it’s weird…but…it’s what you do when you love someone more than you love yourself. You worry.” Kyle started wrapping tape around the middle and ring fingers of his right hand, taping them together to brace them. Kyle had caught a relay throw from the center fielder earlier in the day in the wrong part of his glove, dinging up his hand a little in the process.
“Hey…I get it, I do. Or…I get you, which is the important thing. Now…tell me you aren’t curious as to why I was trying to get your attention for five straight minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why?” Kyle stood and tossed the partially used roll of athletic tape back onto the shelf of his locker.
R.J. grinned mischievously. “I finally know how to get back at Wilkes for that prank he pulled on us last year. You ready for it?”
Kyle grinned as he stared at Wilkes, who was getting dressed across the room. “Lay it on me.”
-:-:-:-
Alex, Max and Michael ambled on through the airport terminal, closing the distance between their differing gates. They were looking around as they moved in silence but were paying very little attention to anything but the feeling of their own footsteps; the feeling of the person next to them. None of them really knew what to say because, well, was there really anything to say?
All three knew the basics: they’d miss one another, they were sad to be leaving home.
“Airports suck.” Alex speaking startled Max a little but Michael was unfazed. He had been expecting it.
Michael kept his face turned down the terminal, his eyes wandering over large groups of people who were trying, many of them in vain, to form some sort of bubble of space in a public place. “No they don’t, Al. Objects don’t have their own inherent value. It’s what they mean to our lives that make them suck. The situation sucks, not the place.” Alex lifted an eyebrow just as Michael turned to look at his younger brother. Michael smiled. “Sorry. Last face to face big brother time for a while. Had to make good use of it.”
“Okay…so the situation is an unfortunate one, but an airport is merely the location of said unfortunate situation. Better?”
“Yes.”
“My gate.” Alex gestured over his shoulder and the three stopped.
“I thought it would take longer. Hmm…” Michael frowned and glanced at the offending gate as he trailed off.
Max grimaced, clearly reading Michael’s body language correctly. He wasn’t ready yet. Max wasn’t sure why that would be; still he stopped himself from asking, though he wanted to.
“Alex…” That was all that was said between them, just one word. Max stepped forward and the two embraced, and in that embrace was unspoken questions and assurances, well-wishes and affection. The two stepped back from one another and Alex looked to Michael, whose head was turned as he once again looked down the corridor.
“Mike?” Michael turned his head and looked at his younger brother, who was standing with his back bent and his butt stuck out a bit as he leaned forward, his weight on his crutches. Michael looked at him for just one second more before walking forward and pulling Alex into a hug. Michael hugged his brother much longer than Max had and Alex knew why that was, but he would never say it out loud, in a public place, where people were waiting to catch planes and drinking coffee and doing crossword puzzles.
Alex headed away toward his gate and Michael and Max started down the terminal again.
“Love you!”
Michael paused, smiling softly and shaking his head. He flipped his head over his shoulder and grinned when he saw Alex leaning on his crutches, grinning too. Michael shot a glance at Max, who also couldn’t seem to keep himself from grinning, and yelled, “Love you too, dork!”
Max and Michael turned their heads away from Alex and he shouted, “Don’t think I didn’t mean you too, Max!”
Max grinned and turned his head one more time to Alex. “Love you too, Alex.”
Max and Michael were off for the final time as they heard a voice come over the intercom and announce a boarding call for Alex’s flight. Max and Michael walked down the corridor, passing five more gates before they reached theirs. There were almost no seats left and none together, but Max was able to charm an old lady into moving down one chair so that he and Michael could sit together. They dropped down into their seats, sending the woman grateful smiles, and readied themselves to wait out the forty or so minutes before the call came to board.
Max was rifling through his carryon, searching for a stick of gum, when Michael spoke.
“Airports suck.”
Max stopped his search and lifted an eyebrow at Michael. “I thought you said objects didn’t suck. That what an object meant to us was what gave it meaning.”
Michael mock-glared at Max. “That was big brother speak for Alex. You didn’t have to listen. I’m not your big brother.”
“No…just my brother,” Max said easily. “So those words were only for Alex, huh?”
Michael, for all his faults, was not daft. He knew what Max was getting at. “Oh geez…stop psychoanalyzing me. Alex needed words of reassurance, so I gave them to him. That’s all.”
Max held up his hands in surrender. “If you say so. Forget I said anything.” He started searching through his bag again.
Michael sighed and settled into the back of his molded plastic chair. “Airports still suck.”
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:04 pm
- Location: Somewhere left of center
- Contact:
Check it out! Personalized feedback again!
LairaBehr4-
Gotta love Kyle.
Chrissie1218- I'm glad Chrissie!
Psst...how are you?
Sternbetrachter- Thanks!
FSU/MSW-94- Oh, thanks La'Shon.
Yeah, I know. You don't have to say it. Evil.
Natalie36- Thanks Natalie! It's unfortunate, but you know...in way it's okay. Because it's only temporary.
sprayadhesive- I don't think I've ever told you this (or maybe I have and I'm simply one nut short) but I LOVE your alias. It just murders me.
thetvgeneral- Hey Steph! *waves*
Cocogurl- Yay! I am! It's true! And thank you. I promise to try not to take so long in the future. And I do mean try.
Bixie-
Thanks Sandra!
Alien_Friend- Thanks sweetie!
What can I say? The man is love and goodness and sweetness and amazingness personified.
I'm pretty sure amazingness isn't a word, but you understand my point.
tequathisy-
And yet, even though you didn't want to read it, you did. And I'm glad. I like your opinion.
Ms_BuffyAnneSummers- Thank you thank you thank you!
katydid- Thanks Kate!
I'm glad I got Kyle in there too. Just wasn't right without him. *shrugs*
Rowedog- Thanks Alison!
I'm glad. Because if it made you sad all the time, well...that would really kinda suck.
Color me shocked. I thought those went extinct in the late 80's.
clueless- Hi clueless! *waves* Thanks!
begonia9508- Thank you Eve. And you speak lovely truths.
Emz80m- Thanks Emma!
LadyBold1979-
Thanks Bernita!
BehrObsession-
Thanks!
nibbles2- Bad BB! Bad girl!
So how's the next chapter of GD coming?
Michelle in Yonkers-
They're not perfect! Isn't that fan-frickin-tastic? I love that they're not perfect. It means I'm doing my job. Nobody likes a perfect character. Nobody. Perfect people are boring.
I should probably clarify this with you, because that wasn't what I had intended to get across, but I realize now how it seems that way, even when in my mind it wasn't that way. (I'm pretty sure that made sense. ) Remember that in the same chapter both Michael and Jeff refer to the fact that Jeff doesn't interfere in their squabbles. He wants them to solve their problems on their own, because he thinks they have it in them to do so. You'll notice that Jeff essentially tells Liz that she really didn't do anything wrong, because that's certainly what he believes. She didn't. And he would be a hypocrite to think otherwise, you're right about that. But peacekeepers like Liz often get so used to their roles that it becomes second nature for them to apologize, even for something that's not their fault, if it keeps the peace. She's just falling back on routine.
It's a fault of hers, that's all.
The thing about guys is that really...apologies for them aren't the same. Michael said he was sorry, Max said his piece and took Michael's apology and that was it. They don't draw it out because that's just the way they are. They're over it. So they apologized and they were done with it.
They are because through it all, they had each other. And even having one person who understands what it's like to grow up in the same family will do wonders for your perspective and your ability to just...be alive. Max and Isabel are going to stick up for themselves very soon.
Hahahaha! One more for Alli's camp! Oh yeah!
So there you have it.
You should have seen me at the beginning of the story. I was a posting fiend! It probably helped that I had the first eight parts or so written, but still...a fiend, I was!
killjoy-
Raychelxluscious- I'm glad you're popping out of lurkerdom! You should pop out more often and say hi to us!
Lurkers...hi guys! Big kisses.
So it's safe to say that Alli feels some massive love from all of you, pretty much all the time. I can't say enough how much I value all of you.
But look! I cut down the time between chapters to less than 1 month! Progress, right? I'm hoping to keep gradually cutting it down (maybe by a week or so each time) so that we're back to my posting once every week and a half or two weeks, which would be a lot better for everyone's sanity, I think. And yes...I am in fact including myself in that.
Thank you again for all who voted for me. Really, those awards are because of you, more than anything else.
Without any further ado (too late) we have chapter 34. Enjoy.
Chapter 34: Someone’s Staring at You in Personal Growth
Michael let out a deep sigh as he opened the door to his apartment but stalled at the front door, pulling off his boots with his toes. He left his luggage right there in front of the door and walked into the kitchen. He really needed a beer.
Max groaned as he walked through the door and right into Michael’s luggage and boots. “Mike…seriously, man. Couldn’t you…Mr. Clean…have at least pushed your crap off to the side so I could walk through the door?” Max kicked Michael’s luggage out of the way and dropped his to the right, leaving just enough space to shut the door.
“Here.” Michael walked out of the kitchen and pushed an open bottle of beer into Max’s hand.
“Okay…complaint retracted.” Michael nodded and Max kicked off his shoes, following Michael to the couch. Michael leaned back into the couch and switched on the TV, flipping through the channels until he found a hockey game.
“I can’t believe school starts again in a couple of days.”
“Yeah, well…we’re almost done. The end’s in sight.” Max glanced at Michael and tapped the bottom of his bottle on the arm of the sofa.
“Yep. Have you thought about what you’re going to do after we graduate?”
Max shifted a little, bringing his right leg up to rest on his knee. “No. Not in depth, anyway. Maybe grad school, maybe work.”
“Let me guess…this grad school or this work would be located in New York?” A commercial came on and Michael changed the station.
“Well…it’s not going to be anywhere else, is it?” Max grinned at Michael and he grinned back.
“So…” Michael trailed off and glanced at Max from the corner of his eye. “You gonna make it to spring break okay?”
Max sighed and snorted. “I doubt it.”
“Yeah…” Michael drawled slowly. “I know how you feel.”
They sat in silence for about ten minutes, their eyes shifting back and forth as they watched the hockey players skate from one end of the ice to another, chasing what Alex used to call a Ho-Ho. It was silly, but Alex, in his defense, had been four at the time. Still, silly or not, Michael couldn’t help but think of the puck as a Ho-Ho. Every once in a while he imagined a player bending down and picking up the puck, holding it in his hand before he took a giant bite out of it. Then Alex would jump out of nowhere and shout, “See! I told you it was a Ho-Ho!”
“It’s too quiet.”
Michael turned to look at Max. “Yeah…it always feels that way to me too when I leave home. It fades. You’ll get used to it.”
“It’s like I keep expecting to look to my right and see Kyle meditating or Alex sitting there with his guitar in his lap.”
“Look…you’ll never like it and it’ll never feel normal. It’ll just be like a…buzzing in the back of your mind. You won’t always notice it, but it’s always there. Like I said…after a while you just get used to it being there.” Michael threw back about a quarter of his beer in one large swallow.
“Hey Mike?”
“Yeah?” Michael turned his eyes away from the TV once again.
“Uh…thanks.”
“My pleasure.” He turned his eyes away from Max to the Ranger player on TV who looked like he was about to score. “Just make sure to name me your best man, alright?”
“Who else would I choose?” Max lifted an eyebrow at Michael, who just shrugged. “Just so you know…I’m not going to ask her yet.”
“I know.”
“I’m going to ask her when she’s ready.”
“I know.”
“And when I’m ready.”
“I know.”
“And when everyone else is ready.”
“Max?”
“Yeah?”
“We’re ready.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
-:-:-:-
Tess nudged the front door to the apartment open with her hip, her hands full to the brimming with handles of suitcases, carryons and bags full of…
Well, Tess wasn’t really certain at the moment what they were full of (her dad had helped her pack and he wasn’t the best of packers, plus her parents had gotten the idea in their heads that their daughter had needed about 40 presents for Christmas). All she knew was that she wanted whatever was in her arms out of them as soon as possible. Her poor limbs felt like they were about to fall off.
As soon as she was clear of the doorway, she dropped everything in her arms onto the nearby sofa, rolling her shoulders back in bliss. That helped to ease the ache a little and Tess slowly unraveled her blue scarf from around her neck, dropping it too on top of the sofa.
Tess was happy to be back in Michigan. It hadn’t been her first choice of schools (she had wanted the University of Washington, her parents had wanted a Southern school like Emory or the University of Georgia – they wanted her closer to home – so they’d struck a compromise of sorts), but she had enough clarity now to see that it had been the best choice of all. After all, Kyle wasn’t in Washington and he wasn’t in Georgia.
It had taken her a while to get used to the weather and the utter nervousness of living in a new place but in the end she found she had fallen a little in love with Michigan for its own sake, and not just because it was where Kyle was. Though, she realized, that was certainly reason enough. Michigan had been the place where she had truly been allowed to be as much herself as she wanted to be, and you couldn’t have something that life-changing happen to you without taking a piece of the place where it had happened with you.
Tess pulled open the refrigerator door and looked around at the contents for a few seconds before she settled on one of many small bottles of orange juice. Kyle liked to drink one before practice and one after, so they always had a bunch of them on hand at any one time. The fridge was pretty empty and Tess made a mental note to make a grocery list that night.
Tess twisted open the plastic cap on her juice and turned around, leaning against the fridge. There was already a healthy stack of dishes in the sink and Tess sighed. Kyle was not the best at remembering to do the dishes.
She left the kitchen and walked over to the sofa. She didn’t really want to deal with her bags now, but she figured she probably should. If she didn’t she might just leave them where they were for a week, and that probably wouldn’t work. They’d need their couch eventually.
As she bent at the waist to pick up a couple of books that had fallen out of one of her bags she caught sight of an open gym bag near the bathroom door, dirty clothes spilling out of it and onto the floor. Tess smiled and shook her head, dropping the books back onto the top of the pile. She walked back into the kitchen and grabbed another small bottle of orange juice from the fridge. She made a quick path to the bedroom, stopping only briefly to pull off her shoes.
Tess walked through the bedroom door and spied her boyfriend, asleep on his stomach on the left side of their bed. Kyle was breathing slow and deep and his right arm was out of sight, tucked under his pillow and supporting his head. His left arm was dangling off the edge of the bed and his head was turned the opposite direction from Tess so she couldn’t see him, but it was easy for her to imagine the sweet boyish quality it always took on in slumber. The very picture of it made her smile.
Tess had been drawn to Kyle from the get-go, and part of the reason for that had been that boyish part of him, that certain ability he had to take any situation and find the pure, unadulterated joy in it. It was easy for him to see the good in things and Tess liked that about him. She liked that for the first time in her life spending time with a guy, being with a guy, was easy. It wasn’t that they didn’t have their differences, their disagreements. It was simply that Tess didn’t have to stroke an ego or deal with jealousy. If Kyle was certain of anything outside himself, outside his own family, he was certain of his relationship with Tess. And she knew this because Kyle wasn’t shy about telling her how he felt. Kyle may have been a guy, but he was still a Parker.
Tess set the bottles of orange juice down on the bedside table and sat down on the bed, pulling her left leg underneath her. Her movements shifted the bed just a little and Kyle sighed softly but otherwise didn’t move. Tess smiled at him, his face young and slack in sleep.
Tess laid her hand gently on Kyle’s lower back. He sighed and stirred, sleepily shifting his body and turning his head so that he could see who had caused him to wake up. He smiled at Tess and sank his head back into his pillow. She smiled back, her left hand rubbing light circles on his lower back.
“Hello, pretty lady. Where you been all my life?”
“The airport.” Tess smiled wider as the expression on Kyle’s face changed.
“The airport? Why would you…” He trailed off and the look on his face changed from pure confusion to almost panicked understanding. “Shit! I was supposed to pick you up from the airport!” Kyle moved quickly so that he was on his knees on the bed, now as awake as he could be. He dragged his hand through his hair and Tess ran her hand up his arm lightly. “How did you get home?”
Tess reached to her right and picked up the two bottles of orange juice, handing the unopened one to her boyfriend. She took a sip of her own and shrugged. “Showed a little leg. Oh those truckers…” Kyle sputtered and coughed on his juice and Tess laughed, thumping him gently on the back to help his coughing.
“Do you really want to give the man you love a heart attack?”
“Please,” Tess scoffed. “As if I’d actually take a ride from a trucker. I have higher standards than that. At the very least he’d have to be a biker.”
Kyle groaned. “Not funny.”
“I don’t know…I’m pretty sure it was.” Tess leaned forward and kissed him on the tip of his nose. “Missed you.”
Kyle softened and twisted the plastic top back onto his bottle of juice, setting it aside before he wrapped his arms around Tess, pulling her to him. “Missed you too. How did you get home?”
“Georgia. I knew today was your first day of practice and that you’d be distracted. And I also knew you’d need a nap after practice because your coach would insist on working you guys like crazy today. So I called Georgia when you didn’t show up.”
“Tess…I really am sorry.” He tightened his arms just a bit around her. “I can’t believe I fell asleep and forgot to pick you up.”
“Kyle…it’s fine. I promise. I already had Georgia on standby, so she wasn’t inconvenienced at all. How was practice?”
“Same as it always is.”
“Amazing then.”
“It never seems to hit me how great it is until I’m on my fifth lap during the run.” Kyle released Tess so he could pick his bottle of orange juice back up. He untwisted the small orange cap and took a sip.
“Maybe that’s a good thing.” Tess shrugged and shifted so that she was now sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing Kyle, who had settled back against the headboard. “Maybe you appreciate it more.”
“Maybe.” Kyle smiled at her and ran his hand lovingly across her thigh. He focused on his own hand for a moment, the way his skin tone contrasted with the blue of Tess’ jeans. “I’m going through withdrawals already.”
“We expected that, right?” Tess put her hand on top of Kyle’s and his hand stilled its movements.
“Yeah, I just…hate it.” He sighed but smiled as he looked up at Tess. “We need groceries, by the way.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I noticed. I also noticed the dishes in the sink. You and RJ must have been really distracted last night, huh?”
“So…how were your parents?”
“Nice try, rock.”
Kyle groaned. “You really are going to use that on me for the rest of our lives, aren’t you?”
Tess snorted and laughed. “What do you think?”
“Yeah.” Tess laughed at the resigned look on Kyle’s face. He sighed and rolled his eyes as he sing-songed, “I promise I’ll do the dishes today.”
Tess leaned forward and kissed him softly. “Thank you.”
“Welcome. So…how were your parents? And dare I ask…Cassandra?”
“Fine. Cassandra’s better, I think.” Kyle lifted his eyebrows in disbelief. “I didn’t say she was good or reformed or even all that nice…but she really is better. I think she’s starting to understand that her actions have consequences. At any rate, mom and dad have grounded her for…oh…just about the rest of her life. So she’ll be spending a lot of quality time at home from now on.”
“I’m sorry. Can’t say she doesn’t deserve it, though.”
Tess sighed and shifted so that she was sitting in Kyle’s lap. He opened up his arms and she pulled them around her body, resting her head on his chest. “Yeah. I wish she and I could communicate the way you and Michael and Liz and Alex do, but I doubt that’s ever going to happen.”
“Probably not, but you never know. People can surprise you.”
“Yeah.”
-:-:-:-
Alex groaned. He was really, really, really getting tired of this broken leg.
He had been trying for the last ten minutes or so to find some sort of way to configure his luggage so that he could, god forbid, actually carry some of it more than a distance of a few feet. Right now he was more than a little glad that he had called his roommate Craig ahead of time and asked him to pick him and his mound of luggage up.
“Alex? Hey…Alex!” Alex looked up and saw Craig at the entrance to the airport, waving at Alex as he jogged closer. Alex breathed out a sigh of relief and thanked the heavens for Craig’s very existence. “Were you actually trying to carry your luggage yourself? With a broken leg?”
“Yeah, well…it seemed a courageously independent thought at the time. Now it just seems…”
“Stupid? Foolhardy? Pointless? Idiotic? Moronic? Fruitless? Futile?”
“Yeah…that.”
Craig bent down and quickly arranged Alex’s luggage so he could carry all of it out at once and helped Alex slip his carryon onto his back.
Craig and Alex walked out of the airport and onto the snow coated sidewalk. It wasn’t snowing right then, which was a bit of a blessing for both of them at the moment, but judging from the look of the undisturbed snow, it probably had stopped fairly recently. They made their way carefully to Craig’s car and started to unload the luggage.
Craig’s car was an old, beaten-down, army green van with rust on the hood that had seen - the whole band liked to imagine - many a great time. Craig had been given the van from a cousin when he declared, on his 14th birthday, “I’m going to start a band.”
The van had a storied mythology, some even claiming that it had once been used by Black Flag for a tour or two. No one was sure if the story held any semblance of truth or not, but the story gave the van an undeniable coolness factor, even in the face of its sometime inability to start or its dogged determination to break down at the most inopportune moments. So they had put a Black Flag bumper sticker on the back bumper, partially to help keep the bumper attached and partially to honor the groundbreaking California punk band who had really known how to make a noise or two.
They also decided the van needed a name, so after much deliberation, they decided as a group to name it Rollins, after Black Flag lead singer Henry Rollins.
Craig yanked hard on the side door and it pulled open with a loud, scraping sound. He started to load Alex’s luggage into Rollins.
“Thanks for picking me up, Craig.”
“Hey…no problem. So you’re sure, right? You’re transferring to NYU?”
“Yeah…I’m sure.” Alex smiled and shifted his crutch from under his left armpit so he could pull the first strap of his backpack off.
“Man…” Craig sighed and hauled the last of Alex’s suitcases into the van. “We’re really going to miss you. Where are we going to find another guitarist?”
Alex handed his carryon to Craig, who put it along with the other luggage before slamming the side door of Rollins shut. “Guitarists are a dime a dozen. You’ll find another one. Besides…we both know this was always your band.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Alex opened the door and got in as Craig walked around the van, jangling his keys back and forth in his restless hands. Alex pulled his door shut just as Craig pulled his open and stepped up and into the van. “So are you going to start your own band or go solo or what?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t decided what I want to do yet.”
Craig turned the key in the ignition and coaxed Rollins into starting, even though it sounded like the aging van really didn’t want to. “I envy you a little, man. If you do decide to start a band, you have the single greatest musician pool on the planet to choose from.”
“True. But Lizzy can play, so in the meantime I don’t really have to look for anyone if I don’t want to.” Craig nodded his assent as Rollins started to make an unfamiliar sound or five. Alex and Craig both tried to keep Rollins on the road, patting the dash and sweet-talking it. Rollins seemed to protest for a bit but kept going, much to the relief of both men.
“Hey Craig?” Craig looked over at Alex briefly in question before his eyes focused back on the road. “Do you ever wonder why Rollins gives us so much trouble?”
“Other than the fact he’s old?” Alex nodded. “I’m guessing you have a theory.”
“Well, maybe Rollins is a girl and she’s pissed off because we think she’s a guy. I mean…maybe she’s pissed off because we’re calling her Rollins and she thinks that’s a guy’s name. Maybe her name is-”
“Rollina?” Craig and Alex looked at one another for a second before they burst out laughing. Alex laughed harder as Craig leaned forward in the driver’s seat and started rubbing his hand on the dash. “Is that it Rollina? Are you mad at us? Are you mad at me and poor Alex for thinking you’re a guy? We’re sorry, Rollina. Forgive us?”
And Alex had to admit that though he was glad to be moving to New York, he would miss Craig and he would miss the band.
And he would miss Rollins, or Rollina, even though the van didn’t always get them where they needed to go.
But sometimes, Alex supposed, a van wasn’t just a van.
-:-:-:-
“Okay ladies…” Jeff turned in his seat so he could face both Liz, who was in the front, and Maria and Isabel, who were in the back. “Does everyone know their job?”
“I’m pretty sure we’ve got it dad.”
“Okay…then there’s only one thing left to do, you know that right?” Isabel and Maria looked at one another in confusion but Liz and their dad both had wide grins on their faces. Liz unlatched her seatbelt then reached behind herself and grabbed the door handle, obviously waiting for…something. “Lizzy?”
“Last one there is a rotten egg!” She pushed the car door open and jumped out and her dad followed just seconds later, both slamming their doors closed. Isabel and Maria sat in the car for a few moments, puzzled, before they both realized that they needed to get out of the car.
The two girls jumped out of the car and ran into the house through the wide-open front door. Isabel took a second and closed the door behind her before she set off at a run for the media room. Her job had been to collect the DVDs they would watch, so she grabbed a giant stack of romantic comedies, pulling them quickly from their normal places and stacking them haphazardly in her arms, many of them threatening mutiny. It seemed a lot of them would rather be on the floor.
At the same time, Liz, who had been put in charge of snacks, was just hanging up the phone in the kitchen. She had ordered pizzas and was about to dash across the room to the pantry on the other side for bags of chips and pretzels. Just then Maria came sliding into the kitchen and Liz laughed as her feet stumbled just a bit on a turn around the island. Maria braced herself on the handle of the refrigerator, yanking it open and laughing right along with Liz.
“Laugh all you like, but you are not beating me upstairs!” Maria, in charge of beverages, looked around herself frantically for some sort of container to carry the drinks upstairs and let out a whoop of triumph when she spied a re-usable cotton grocery bag near the back door. She grabbed it and started shoveling bottles and cans from the fridge into the bag.
“Yeah? We’ll see about that!” Liz’s voice sounded a little further off than normal, blocked as it was by the walls of the pantry. “We’ll just see about that!” Liz’s voice regained its normal volume as she came out of the pantry, arms laden down with bags of snacks.
The two girls paused and looked at one another for a second before they both looked at the open doorway, then back at one another. Suddenly they both made for the swinging kitchen door and burst through it at the same time, running like mad for the staircase. When the two laughing girls reached the base of the stairs, they both saw Isabel about halfway up and started to make a mad dash up the stairs. Isabel heard them coming up behind her quickly and she sped up, taking the stairs two at a time.
Liz shouted up at Isabel, “Hey! Dirty pool, Izzy! You’re taller than we are. We can’t take the stairs two at a time.”
“Yeah!”
Isabel turned her head and smiled sweetly at the other two girls. “Not my fault the two of you are vertically challenged. See you in dad’s room.” She blew them a kiss and winked at them before turning and running up the stairs.
Maria and Liz stopped briefly and looked at one another. “Lizzy…you have created a monster.”
“You speak the truth, friend.”
When the two finally made it up to Jeff’s room they found a triumphant Isabel sitting cross legged on the bed, holding the DVD player remote. She turned her head and said, “Hi girls. Nice of you to join us.”
Maria and Liz took one look at each other before dropping their bags to the ground and running over to Isabel, jumping onto her, tickling her with all their might. Isabel collapsed back onto the bed giggling, begging them to stop tickling her.
“Should we stop, Maria?”
“I don’t know, Lizzy. I think she deserves a little punishment for calling us vertically challenged, don’t you think?”
“Stop! Stop!” Isabel was barely able to get the request out through her giggles.
Maria leaned back and said, “Fine, we’ll stop. But only because you look like you’re about to pee your pants if we don’t.”
Jeff walked in the room then, his arms laden down with pillows and blankets from the various bedrooms. “So…who won?”
“Izzy.”
“Izzy.”
“I did.”
“But she only won because she insulted us and it surprised us.” Liz mock-pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.
“What did she say?” Jeff laughed and dumped the bedding from his arms onto his bed.
“She called us vertically challenged.”
“She called us vertically challenged.”
Jeff thought for a moment. “Girls…I’m pretty sure it can’t be considered an insult if it’s actually true.” He clapped his hands once as Isabel laughed. “Okay Isabel…what movie are we watching first?”
Isabel put in 10 Things I Hate About You and right around the time Patrick walked into Club Skunk, the pizza arrived.
The group spent the time over the pizza fleshing out Isabel’s choices of major and, feeling as if for maybe the first time in her life that she could make her own choice on this, Isabel started to compile a mental list of choices, many of them on her parents’ “unacceptable” majors list.
Maria chose Music and Lyrics and when Alex and Sophie started to record the demo for their song, everyone decided they needed ice cream.
Over ice cream Maria talked about her music; where she was planning to go with it, exactly what she wanted to do. Maria felt emboldened, like she knew she’d succeed, no matter how poor the normal rate of success for musicians was. In those moments she felt pretty darn near invincible.
By the time Lloyd Dobler sat down at the dinner table with Diane Court and her father in Say Anything, Liz’s choice, and started to go on about not wanting to “buy anything processed or process anything bought, sold or made”, everyone had changed positions. Jeff was still leaned back against his headboard, his long legs stretched out in front of him, but Isabel and Maria had relocated from the bed to the floor and Liz was now laying horizontal to her dad, her head resting on a pillow on his legs.
When they stood to stretch, use the bathroom and put in a new movie, Liz talked about how now that she knew what she wanted to be, that the hardest part of her life would be living without Max. And while she knew it wouldn’t be forever, she still knew it would hurt for the time being. They listened and told her it would be over before she knew it and that when she and Max were finally reunited, it would feel like they’d never been apart at all. And they told her that if nothing else, they all understood.
When Jeff’s choice - When Harry Met Sally – was about halfway through, it became apparent that everyone was fighting to stay awake. Liz was watching through sleepy eyes as her dad ran his left hand gently down Liz’s hair. Isabel and Maria, Jeff suspected, were already asleep and Liz soon would be. He looked down at his daughter, fighting to stay awake, and smiled. Sometimes she so resembled the five year old she had once been that it made his heart ache just the smallest bit for the past.
Liz yawned and Jeff felt himself start to yawn just as she was finishing. He directed his eyes back to the screen and Liz felt her eyes start to close against her will. She had stayed awake through the entire film, but now with a minute or so left to go…she was drifting off.
I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.
--------
Disclaimer: The last line is from When Harry Met Sally, and if you haven’t seen that movie, well…shame on you.
LairaBehr4-
Does that include an author finally having the time to respond personally to feedback? 'Cuz I think that may be up there on that whole...miracles list.Ha! Miracles DO happen!
Hahahaha...Oh look, there's Kyle.
Gotta love Kyle.
Chrissie1218- I'm glad Chrissie!
Psst...how are you?
Sternbetrachter- Thanks!
FSU/MSW-94- Oh, thanks La'Shon.
I'll let you in on a little secret...Max hasn't decided about that which means I haven't decided about that.I am happy though, that soon they'll all gather for Kyle, Max and Michael's graduations, and hopefully (hint-hint) Max will be applying to grad schools in NY
Yeah, I know. You don't have to say it. Evil.
That he is. I adore him too. But then, he makes it easy.I still adore Jeff too, he is a perfect Daddy
Natalie36- Thanks Natalie! It's unfortunate, but you know...in way it's okay. Because it's only temporary.
sprayadhesive- I don't think I've ever told you this (or maybe I have and I'm simply one nut short) but I LOVE your alias. It just murders me.
I suppose it helps that you won't have to imagine them apart since I'm going to take care of that part for you.They're all so cute. I can't imagine the parts with them apart.
thetvgeneral- Hey Steph! *waves*
You know...I actually like airports, but I know I'm part of a achingly small minority.yep airports do suck.
Cocogurl- Yay! I am! It's true! And thank you. I promise to try not to take so long in the future. And I do mean try.
Bixie-
You guys are all beyond sweet. I promise not to worry you so much in the future.And indeed don't stay away so long next time. We were getting worried.
Thanks Sandra!
Alien_Friend- Thanks sweetie!
I'm glad you liked it. He always seems to say something everyone likes.Too bad Jeff has to loan his kids out to the real world from time to time. That was my favorite Jeff Parker line this time around lol.
What can I say? The man is love and goodness and sweetness and amazingness personified.
I'm pretty sure amazingness isn't a word, but you understand my point.
tequathisy-
Ouch. It was that long huh? Sorry, T.It's funny, after waiting so long -two months- for a new part I didn't want to read it because I knew it would be so sad.
And yet, even though you didn't want to read it, you did. And I'm glad. I like your opinion.
Ms_BuffyAnneSummers- Thank you thank you thank you!
katydid- Thanks Kate!
I'm glad I got Kyle in there too. Just wasn't right without him. *shrugs*
Rowedog- Thanks Alison!
It always makes me happy whenever I read a new part
I'm glad. Because if it made you sad all the time, well...that would really kinda suck.
You mean I actually have a patient reader?I love the entire family. But I love them more as a whole rather than separate pieces. *Sigh* But all good things come to an end, so I'll be waiting patiently to see how they deal with everything.
Color me shocked.
I thought those went extinct in the late 80's.clueless- Hi clueless! *waves* Thanks!
begonia9508- Thank you Eve. And you speak lovely truths.
Emz80m- Thanks Emma!
LadyBold1979-
Wow...if that's not a compliment, I don't know what is!I don't usually read AU w/o Aliens stories, but yours is truly charming! Can't wait for more!
Thanks Bernita!
BehrObsession-
Yeah...it was easier for me to write these ones too. Maybe that's because I had already written one, but who knows with me.The goodbye's went better than I thought they would.
Thanks!
nibbles2- Bad BB! Bad girl!
So how's the next chapter of GD coming?
Michelle in Yonkers-
And it's possible, in fiction as in life, to love a character despite his not being perfect. None of them are, and nobody is.
They're not perfect! Isn't that fan-frickin-tastic? I love that they're not perfect. It means I'm doing my job. Nobody likes a perfect character. Nobody. Perfect people are boring.
And that Jeff expected her to? To apologize to him and to Michael?
I should probably clarify this with you, because that wasn't what I had intended to get across, but I realize now how it seems that way, even when in my mind it wasn't that way. (I'm pretty sure that made sense.
) Remember that in the same chapter both Michael and Jeff refer to the fact that Jeff doesn't interfere in their squabbles. He wants them to solve their problems on their own, because he thinks they have it in them to do so. You'll notice that Jeff essentially tells Liz that she really didn't do anything wrong, because that's certainly what he believes. She didn't. And he would be a hypocrite to think otherwise, you're right about that. But peacekeepers like Liz often get so used to their roles that it becomes second nature for them to apologize, even for something that's not their fault, if it keeps the peace. She's just falling back on routine.It's a fault of hers, that's all.
You're right. You're completely, unabashedly, right. But that's the way it is, sometimes.I didn't think Michael's apology was sufficient, or Liz's was necessary. That's the part that bothered me.
He did. The same day.And did Michael apologize to Max? It was hurried, too, I guess, because I don't remember.
The thing about guys is that really...apologies for them aren't the same. Michael said he was sorry, Max said his piece and took Michael's apology and that was it. They don't draw it out because that's just the way they are. They're over it. So they apologized and they were done with it.
And Max and Isabel must be pretty resilient, that they are not more messed up than they are, and can actually accept love and happiness.
They are because through it all, they had each other. And even having one person who understands what it's like to grow up in the same family will do wonders for your perspective and your ability to just...be alive. Max and Isabel are going to stick up for themselves very soon.
BTW, OrangeSky -- as someone who grew up in Maine, I have to say that maple syrup is good on -- and in -- everything!
Hahahaha! One more for Alli's camp! Oh yeah!
You're going to laugh, but that's where the whole idea for this story came from. I thought one day...what if Michael and Liz and Kyle and Alex were siblings? Wouldn't that be interesting...A town full of "only children": Liz, Maria, Alex, Michael, Kyle... Apparently only aliens could have more than one.
So there you have it.
Do you kid?Now how about going for "Most Frequent Updater" That would add a nice feather in your cap.
Kidding! (sorta)
You should have seen me at the beginning of the story. I was a posting fiend! It probably helped that I had the first eight parts or so written, but still...a fiend, I was!
killjoy-
Apparently not, friend. Welcome to the "We like to sit in the dark so you can freakin' deal with it" camp. Glad to have you.Hahaha I thought I was the only one who did that
Raychelxluscious- I'm glad you're popping out of lurkerdom! You should pop out more often and say hi to us!
Lurkers...hi guys! Big kisses.
So it's safe to say that Alli feels some massive love from all of you, pretty much all the time. I can't say enough how much I value all of you.
But look! I cut down the time between chapters to less than 1 month! Progress, right? I'm hoping to keep gradually cutting it down (maybe by a week or so each time) so that we're back to my posting once every week and a half or two weeks, which would be a lot better for everyone's sanity, I think. And yes...I am in fact including myself in that.
Thank you again for all who voted for me. Really, those awards are because of you, more than anything else.
Without any further ado (too late) we have chapter 34. Enjoy.
Chapter 34: Someone’s Staring at You in Personal Growth
Michael let out a deep sigh as he opened the door to his apartment but stalled at the front door, pulling off his boots with his toes. He left his luggage right there in front of the door and walked into the kitchen. He really needed a beer.
Max groaned as he walked through the door and right into Michael’s luggage and boots. “Mike…seriously, man. Couldn’t you…Mr. Clean…have at least pushed your crap off to the side so I could walk through the door?” Max kicked Michael’s luggage out of the way and dropped his to the right, leaving just enough space to shut the door.
“Here.” Michael walked out of the kitchen and pushed an open bottle of beer into Max’s hand.
“Okay…complaint retracted.” Michael nodded and Max kicked off his shoes, following Michael to the couch. Michael leaned back into the couch and switched on the TV, flipping through the channels until he found a hockey game.
“I can’t believe school starts again in a couple of days.”
“Yeah, well…we’re almost done. The end’s in sight.” Max glanced at Michael and tapped the bottom of his bottle on the arm of the sofa.
“Yep. Have you thought about what you’re going to do after we graduate?”
Max shifted a little, bringing his right leg up to rest on his knee. “No. Not in depth, anyway. Maybe grad school, maybe work.”
“Let me guess…this grad school or this work would be located in New York?” A commercial came on and Michael changed the station.
“Well…it’s not going to be anywhere else, is it?” Max grinned at Michael and he grinned back.
“So…” Michael trailed off and glanced at Max from the corner of his eye. “You gonna make it to spring break okay?”
Max sighed and snorted. “I doubt it.”
“Yeah…” Michael drawled slowly. “I know how you feel.”
They sat in silence for about ten minutes, their eyes shifting back and forth as they watched the hockey players skate from one end of the ice to another, chasing what Alex used to call a Ho-Ho. It was silly, but Alex, in his defense, had been four at the time. Still, silly or not, Michael couldn’t help but think of the puck as a Ho-Ho. Every once in a while he imagined a player bending down and picking up the puck, holding it in his hand before he took a giant bite out of it. Then Alex would jump out of nowhere and shout, “See! I told you it was a Ho-Ho!”
“It’s too quiet.”
Michael turned to look at Max. “Yeah…it always feels that way to me too when I leave home. It fades. You’ll get used to it.”
“It’s like I keep expecting to look to my right and see Kyle meditating or Alex sitting there with his guitar in his lap.”
“Look…you’ll never like it and it’ll never feel normal. It’ll just be like a…buzzing in the back of your mind. You won’t always notice it, but it’s always there. Like I said…after a while you just get used to it being there.” Michael threw back about a quarter of his beer in one large swallow.
“Hey Mike?”
“Yeah?” Michael turned his eyes away from the TV once again.
“Uh…thanks.”
“My pleasure.” He turned his eyes away from Max to the Ranger player on TV who looked like he was about to score. “Just make sure to name me your best man, alright?”
“Who else would I choose?” Max lifted an eyebrow at Michael, who just shrugged. “Just so you know…I’m not going to ask her yet.”
“I know.”
“I’m going to ask her when she’s ready.”
“I know.”
“And when I’m ready.”
“I know.”
“And when everyone else is ready.”
“Max?”
“Yeah?”
“We’re ready.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
-:-:-:-
Tess nudged the front door to the apartment open with her hip, her hands full to the brimming with handles of suitcases, carryons and bags full of…
Well, Tess wasn’t really certain at the moment what they were full of (her dad had helped her pack and he wasn’t the best of packers, plus her parents had gotten the idea in their heads that their daughter had needed about 40 presents for Christmas). All she knew was that she wanted whatever was in her arms out of them as soon as possible. Her poor limbs felt like they were about to fall off.
As soon as she was clear of the doorway, she dropped everything in her arms onto the nearby sofa, rolling her shoulders back in bliss. That helped to ease the ache a little and Tess slowly unraveled her blue scarf from around her neck, dropping it too on top of the sofa.
Tess was happy to be back in Michigan. It hadn’t been her first choice of schools (she had wanted the University of Washington, her parents had wanted a Southern school like Emory or the University of Georgia – they wanted her closer to home – so they’d struck a compromise of sorts), but she had enough clarity now to see that it had been the best choice of all. After all, Kyle wasn’t in Washington and he wasn’t in Georgia.
It had taken her a while to get used to the weather and the utter nervousness of living in a new place but in the end she found she had fallen a little in love with Michigan for its own sake, and not just because it was where Kyle was. Though, she realized, that was certainly reason enough. Michigan had been the place where she had truly been allowed to be as much herself as she wanted to be, and you couldn’t have something that life-changing happen to you without taking a piece of the place where it had happened with you.
Tess pulled open the refrigerator door and looked around at the contents for a few seconds before she settled on one of many small bottles of orange juice. Kyle liked to drink one before practice and one after, so they always had a bunch of them on hand at any one time. The fridge was pretty empty and Tess made a mental note to make a grocery list that night.
Tess twisted open the plastic cap on her juice and turned around, leaning against the fridge. There was already a healthy stack of dishes in the sink and Tess sighed. Kyle was not the best at remembering to do the dishes.
She left the kitchen and walked over to the sofa. She didn’t really want to deal with her bags now, but she figured she probably should. If she didn’t she might just leave them where they were for a week, and that probably wouldn’t work. They’d need their couch eventually.
As she bent at the waist to pick up a couple of books that had fallen out of one of her bags she caught sight of an open gym bag near the bathroom door, dirty clothes spilling out of it and onto the floor. Tess smiled and shook her head, dropping the books back onto the top of the pile. She walked back into the kitchen and grabbed another small bottle of orange juice from the fridge. She made a quick path to the bedroom, stopping only briefly to pull off her shoes.
Tess walked through the bedroom door and spied her boyfriend, asleep on his stomach on the left side of their bed. Kyle was breathing slow and deep and his right arm was out of sight, tucked under his pillow and supporting his head. His left arm was dangling off the edge of the bed and his head was turned the opposite direction from Tess so she couldn’t see him, but it was easy for her to imagine the sweet boyish quality it always took on in slumber. The very picture of it made her smile.
Tess had been drawn to Kyle from the get-go, and part of the reason for that had been that boyish part of him, that certain ability he had to take any situation and find the pure, unadulterated joy in it. It was easy for him to see the good in things and Tess liked that about him. She liked that for the first time in her life spending time with a guy, being with a guy, was easy. It wasn’t that they didn’t have their differences, their disagreements. It was simply that Tess didn’t have to stroke an ego or deal with jealousy. If Kyle was certain of anything outside himself, outside his own family, he was certain of his relationship with Tess. And she knew this because Kyle wasn’t shy about telling her how he felt. Kyle may have been a guy, but he was still a Parker.
Tess set the bottles of orange juice down on the bedside table and sat down on the bed, pulling her left leg underneath her. Her movements shifted the bed just a little and Kyle sighed softly but otherwise didn’t move. Tess smiled at him, his face young and slack in sleep.
Tess laid her hand gently on Kyle’s lower back. He sighed and stirred, sleepily shifting his body and turning his head so that he could see who had caused him to wake up. He smiled at Tess and sank his head back into his pillow. She smiled back, her left hand rubbing light circles on his lower back.
“Hello, pretty lady. Where you been all my life?”
“The airport.” Tess smiled wider as the expression on Kyle’s face changed.
“The airport? Why would you…” He trailed off and the look on his face changed from pure confusion to almost panicked understanding. “Shit! I was supposed to pick you up from the airport!” Kyle moved quickly so that he was on his knees on the bed, now as awake as he could be. He dragged his hand through his hair and Tess ran her hand up his arm lightly. “How did you get home?”
Tess reached to her right and picked up the two bottles of orange juice, handing the unopened one to her boyfriend. She took a sip of her own and shrugged. “Showed a little leg. Oh those truckers…” Kyle sputtered and coughed on his juice and Tess laughed, thumping him gently on the back to help his coughing.
“Do you really want to give the man you love a heart attack?”
“Please,” Tess scoffed. “As if I’d actually take a ride from a trucker. I have higher standards than that. At the very least he’d have to be a biker.”
Kyle groaned. “Not funny.”
“I don’t know…I’m pretty sure it was.” Tess leaned forward and kissed him on the tip of his nose. “Missed you.”
Kyle softened and twisted the plastic top back onto his bottle of juice, setting it aside before he wrapped his arms around Tess, pulling her to him. “Missed you too. How did you get home?”
“Georgia. I knew today was your first day of practice and that you’d be distracted. And I also knew you’d need a nap after practice because your coach would insist on working you guys like crazy today. So I called Georgia when you didn’t show up.”
“Tess…I really am sorry.” He tightened his arms just a bit around her. “I can’t believe I fell asleep and forgot to pick you up.”
“Kyle…it’s fine. I promise. I already had Georgia on standby, so she wasn’t inconvenienced at all. How was practice?”
“Same as it always is.”
“Amazing then.”
“It never seems to hit me how great it is until I’m on my fifth lap during the run.” Kyle released Tess so he could pick his bottle of orange juice back up. He untwisted the small orange cap and took a sip.
“Maybe that’s a good thing.” Tess shrugged and shifted so that she was now sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing Kyle, who had settled back against the headboard. “Maybe you appreciate it more.”
“Maybe.” Kyle smiled at her and ran his hand lovingly across her thigh. He focused on his own hand for a moment, the way his skin tone contrasted with the blue of Tess’ jeans. “I’m going through withdrawals already.”
“We expected that, right?” Tess put her hand on top of Kyle’s and his hand stilled its movements.
“Yeah, I just…hate it.” He sighed but smiled as he looked up at Tess. “We need groceries, by the way.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I noticed. I also noticed the dishes in the sink. You and RJ must have been really distracted last night, huh?”
“So…how were your parents?”
“Nice try, rock.”
Kyle groaned. “You really are going to use that on me for the rest of our lives, aren’t you?”
Tess snorted and laughed. “What do you think?”
“Yeah.” Tess laughed at the resigned look on Kyle’s face. He sighed and rolled his eyes as he sing-songed, “I promise I’ll do the dishes today.”
Tess leaned forward and kissed him softly. “Thank you.”
“Welcome. So…how were your parents? And dare I ask…Cassandra?”
“Fine. Cassandra’s better, I think.” Kyle lifted his eyebrows in disbelief. “I didn’t say she was good or reformed or even all that nice…but she really is better. I think she’s starting to understand that her actions have consequences. At any rate, mom and dad have grounded her for…oh…just about the rest of her life. So she’ll be spending a lot of quality time at home from now on.”
“I’m sorry. Can’t say she doesn’t deserve it, though.”
Tess sighed and shifted so that she was sitting in Kyle’s lap. He opened up his arms and she pulled them around her body, resting her head on his chest. “Yeah. I wish she and I could communicate the way you and Michael and Liz and Alex do, but I doubt that’s ever going to happen.”
“Probably not, but you never know. People can surprise you.”
“Yeah.”
-:-:-:-
Alex groaned. He was really, really, really getting tired of this broken leg.
He had been trying for the last ten minutes or so to find some sort of way to configure his luggage so that he could, god forbid, actually carry some of it more than a distance of a few feet. Right now he was more than a little glad that he had called his roommate Craig ahead of time and asked him to pick him and his mound of luggage up.
“Alex? Hey…Alex!” Alex looked up and saw Craig at the entrance to the airport, waving at Alex as he jogged closer. Alex breathed out a sigh of relief and thanked the heavens for Craig’s very existence. “Were you actually trying to carry your luggage yourself? With a broken leg?”
“Yeah, well…it seemed a courageously independent thought at the time. Now it just seems…”
“Stupid? Foolhardy? Pointless? Idiotic? Moronic? Fruitless? Futile?”
“Yeah…that.”
Craig bent down and quickly arranged Alex’s luggage so he could carry all of it out at once and helped Alex slip his carryon onto his back.
Craig and Alex walked out of the airport and onto the snow coated sidewalk. It wasn’t snowing right then, which was a bit of a blessing for both of them at the moment, but judging from the look of the undisturbed snow, it probably had stopped fairly recently. They made their way carefully to Craig’s car and started to unload the luggage.
Craig’s car was an old, beaten-down, army green van with rust on the hood that had seen - the whole band liked to imagine - many a great time. Craig had been given the van from a cousin when he declared, on his 14th birthday, “I’m going to start a band.”
The van had a storied mythology, some even claiming that it had once been used by Black Flag for a tour or two. No one was sure if the story held any semblance of truth or not, but the story gave the van an undeniable coolness factor, even in the face of its sometime inability to start or its dogged determination to break down at the most inopportune moments. So they had put a Black Flag bumper sticker on the back bumper, partially to help keep the bumper attached and partially to honor the groundbreaking California punk band who had really known how to make a noise or two.
They also decided the van needed a name, so after much deliberation, they decided as a group to name it Rollins, after Black Flag lead singer Henry Rollins.
Craig yanked hard on the side door and it pulled open with a loud, scraping sound. He started to load Alex’s luggage into Rollins.
“Thanks for picking me up, Craig.”
“Hey…no problem. So you’re sure, right? You’re transferring to NYU?”
“Yeah…I’m sure.” Alex smiled and shifted his crutch from under his left armpit so he could pull the first strap of his backpack off.
“Man…” Craig sighed and hauled the last of Alex’s suitcases into the van. “We’re really going to miss you. Where are we going to find another guitarist?”
Alex handed his carryon to Craig, who put it along with the other luggage before slamming the side door of Rollins shut. “Guitarists are a dime a dozen. You’ll find another one. Besides…we both know this was always your band.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Alex opened the door and got in as Craig walked around the van, jangling his keys back and forth in his restless hands. Alex pulled his door shut just as Craig pulled his open and stepped up and into the van. “So are you going to start your own band or go solo or what?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t decided what I want to do yet.”
Craig turned the key in the ignition and coaxed Rollins into starting, even though it sounded like the aging van really didn’t want to. “I envy you a little, man. If you do decide to start a band, you have the single greatest musician pool on the planet to choose from.”
“True. But Lizzy can play, so in the meantime I don’t really have to look for anyone if I don’t want to.” Craig nodded his assent as Rollins started to make an unfamiliar sound or five. Alex and Craig both tried to keep Rollins on the road, patting the dash and sweet-talking it. Rollins seemed to protest for a bit but kept going, much to the relief of both men.
“Hey Craig?” Craig looked over at Alex briefly in question before his eyes focused back on the road. “Do you ever wonder why Rollins gives us so much trouble?”
“Other than the fact he’s old?” Alex nodded. “I’m guessing you have a theory.”
“Well, maybe Rollins is a girl and she’s pissed off because we think she’s a guy. I mean…maybe she’s pissed off because we’re calling her Rollins and she thinks that’s a guy’s name. Maybe her name is-”
“Rollina?” Craig and Alex looked at one another for a second before they burst out laughing. Alex laughed harder as Craig leaned forward in the driver’s seat and started rubbing his hand on the dash. “Is that it Rollina? Are you mad at us? Are you mad at me and poor Alex for thinking you’re a guy? We’re sorry, Rollina. Forgive us?”
And Alex had to admit that though he was glad to be moving to New York, he would miss Craig and he would miss the band.
And he would miss Rollins, or Rollina, even though the van didn’t always get them where they needed to go.
But sometimes, Alex supposed, a van wasn’t just a van.
-:-:-:-
“Okay ladies…” Jeff turned in his seat so he could face both Liz, who was in the front, and Maria and Isabel, who were in the back. “Does everyone know their job?”
“I’m pretty sure we’ve got it dad.”
“Okay…then there’s only one thing left to do, you know that right?” Isabel and Maria looked at one another in confusion but Liz and their dad both had wide grins on their faces. Liz unlatched her seatbelt then reached behind herself and grabbed the door handle, obviously waiting for…something. “Lizzy?”
“Last one there is a rotten egg!” She pushed the car door open and jumped out and her dad followed just seconds later, both slamming their doors closed. Isabel and Maria sat in the car for a few moments, puzzled, before they both realized that they needed to get out of the car.
The two girls jumped out of the car and ran into the house through the wide-open front door. Isabel took a second and closed the door behind her before she set off at a run for the media room. Her job had been to collect the DVDs they would watch, so she grabbed a giant stack of romantic comedies, pulling them quickly from their normal places and stacking them haphazardly in her arms, many of them threatening mutiny. It seemed a lot of them would rather be on the floor.
At the same time, Liz, who had been put in charge of snacks, was just hanging up the phone in the kitchen. She had ordered pizzas and was about to dash across the room to the pantry on the other side for bags of chips and pretzels. Just then Maria came sliding into the kitchen and Liz laughed as her feet stumbled just a bit on a turn around the island. Maria braced herself on the handle of the refrigerator, yanking it open and laughing right along with Liz.
“Laugh all you like, but you are not beating me upstairs!” Maria, in charge of beverages, looked around herself frantically for some sort of container to carry the drinks upstairs and let out a whoop of triumph when she spied a re-usable cotton grocery bag near the back door. She grabbed it and started shoveling bottles and cans from the fridge into the bag.
“Yeah? We’ll see about that!” Liz’s voice sounded a little further off than normal, blocked as it was by the walls of the pantry. “We’ll just see about that!” Liz’s voice regained its normal volume as she came out of the pantry, arms laden down with bags of snacks.
The two girls paused and looked at one another for a second before they both looked at the open doorway, then back at one another. Suddenly they both made for the swinging kitchen door and burst through it at the same time, running like mad for the staircase. When the two laughing girls reached the base of the stairs, they both saw Isabel about halfway up and started to make a mad dash up the stairs. Isabel heard them coming up behind her quickly and she sped up, taking the stairs two at a time.
Liz shouted up at Isabel, “Hey! Dirty pool, Izzy! You’re taller than we are. We can’t take the stairs two at a time.”
“Yeah!”
Isabel turned her head and smiled sweetly at the other two girls. “Not my fault the two of you are vertically challenged. See you in dad’s room.” She blew them a kiss and winked at them before turning and running up the stairs.
Maria and Liz stopped briefly and looked at one another. “Lizzy…you have created a monster.”
“You speak the truth, friend.”
When the two finally made it up to Jeff’s room they found a triumphant Isabel sitting cross legged on the bed, holding the DVD player remote. She turned her head and said, “Hi girls. Nice of you to join us.”
Maria and Liz took one look at each other before dropping their bags to the ground and running over to Isabel, jumping onto her, tickling her with all their might. Isabel collapsed back onto the bed giggling, begging them to stop tickling her.
“Should we stop, Maria?”
“I don’t know, Lizzy. I think she deserves a little punishment for calling us vertically challenged, don’t you think?”
“Stop! Stop!” Isabel was barely able to get the request out through her giggles.
Maria leaned back and said, “Fine, we’ll stop. But only because you look like you’re about to pee your pants if we don’t.”
Jeff walked in the room then, his arms laden down with pillows and blankets from the various bedrooms. “So…who won?”
“Izzy.”
“Izzy.”
“I did.”
“But she only won because she insulted us and it surprised us.” Liz mock-pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.
“What did she say?” Jeff laughed and dumped the bedding from his arms onto his bed.
“She called us vertically challenged.”
“She called us vertically challenged.”
Jeff thought for a moment. “Girls…I’m pretty sure it can’t be considered an insult if it’s actually true.” He clapped his hands once as Isabel laughed. “Okay Isabel…what movie are we watching first?”
Isabel put in 10 Things I Hate About You and right around the time Patrick walked into Club Skunk, the pizza arrived.
The group spent the time over the pizza fleshing out Isabel’s choices of major and, feeling as if for maybe the first time in her life that she could make her own choice on this, Isabel started to compile a mental list of choices, many of them on her parents’ “unacceptable” majors list.
Maria chose Music and Lyrics and when Alex and Sophie started to record the demo for their song, everyone decided they needed ice cream.
Over ice cream Maria talked about her music; where she was planning to go with it, exactly what she wanted to do. Maria felt emboldened, like she knew she’d succeed, no matter how poor the normal rate of success for musicians was. In those moments she felt pretty darn near invincible.
By the time Lloyd Dobler sat down at the dinner table with Diane Court and her father in Say Anything, Liz’s choice, and started to go on about not wanting to “buy anything processed or process anything bought, sold or made”, everyone had changed positions. Jeff was still leaned back against his headboard, his long legs stretched out in front of him, but Isabel and Maria had relocated from the bed to the floor and Liz was now laying horizontal to her dad, her head resting on a pillow on his legs.
When they stood to stretch, use the bathroom and put in a new movie, Liz talked about how now that she knew what she wanted to be, that the hardest part of her life would be living without Max. And while she knew it wouldn’t be forever, she still knew it would hurt for the time being. They listened and told her it would be over before she knew it and that when she and Max were finally reunited, it would feel like they’d never been apart at all. And they told her that if nothing else, they all understood.
When Jeff’s choice - When Harry Met Sally – was about halfway through, it became apparent that everyone was fighting to stay awake. Liz was watching through sleepy eyes as her dad ran his left hand gently down Liz’s hair. Isabel and Maria, Jeff suspected, were already asleep and Liz soon would be. He looked down at his daughter, fighting to stay awake, and smiled. Sometimes she so resembled the five year old she had once been that it made his heart ache just the smallest bit for the past.
Liz yawned and Jeff felt himself start to yawn just as she was finishing. He directed his eyes back to the screen and Liz felt her eyes start to close against her will. She had stayed awake through the entire film, but now with a minute or so left to go…she was drifting off.
I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.
--------
Disclaimer: The last line is from When Harry Met Sally, and if you haven’t seen that movie, well…shame on you.
Last edited by OrangeSky on Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:04 pm
- Location: Somewhere left of center
- Contact:
Sternbetrachter-
thetvgeneral-
Thanks, Steph.
FSU/MSW-94- Thanks La’Shon!
tequathisy-
begonia9508- Thanks Eve!
Bixie- Thanks Sandra! On two counts.
Chrissie1218- Thanks Chrissie! That’s such a sweet thing to hear…er…read.
BehrObsession- I would say I have a time frame for when they’re all back together, but…no. I mean, this is me we’re talking about here.
Thanks.
sprayadhesive-
Hahahaha…
Oh man…that’s good.
LairaBehr4-
chanks_girl- Thanks!
clueless- Thanks!
Natalie36- It felt only right to reciprocate your feedback with:
killjoy-
Here’s your mini tutorial on Black Flag:
Black Flag originated in Southern California in 1976. (They lasted until 1986.) The thing about them is that they are huge…and I mean huge…reasons why so many indie bands strike out on their own, booking their own tours and cutting their own records. Black Flag did it first. And that was a big deal at the time. No one else had really attempted it before.
Black Flag is widely considered to be the first hardcore punk band, and they led the way in creating the West Coast punk sound. They refused to stick to what was already being done and started incorporating heavy metal, jazz, classical and backbeat into their music. They had more complicated songs, departing from the classic three chord style of much of punk. They’re also responsible for really influencing punk subculture.
But ultimately, it was their groundbreaking ideas about what a band should be able to do – how they should able to control much of their own fates – that makes them noteworthy. It was how they paved the way for the indie bands of the future that really makes them different.
Plus…their music kicks major ass.
katydid- Thanks Kate! And you’re welcome.
fadedblue-
Thank you, Phyllis.
Alien_Friend-
Go rent it now, lady! And shame on you!
It suits. It really does.
Michelle in Yonkers-
As always, Michelle…thank you. You know why.
You know, I’ve also long thought there should be an award for “Best Unique Family” or something of the like. (And not because my Parkers are, admittedly, unique. I’ve long thought that when I was reading other stories with unconventional familial situations.)
Rowedog-
I try…I swear I try…
Thanks Alison.
Emz80m- Thanks Emma!
crc1228-
nibbles2-
We had a Tess POV and a Maria POV – briefly – in the hunt chapter. But other than that, yes, you are indeed right.
Also…I love that you say cheers.
I just do.
Thanks, BB.
Cocogurl- Thanks!
Lorastar- Laura…my lovely, lovely Laura…glad to see you back home.
Aurorabee-
Maiqu- Thank you, and I am completely honored that you think so.
Addicted2AmberEyes- Thank you!
Synera-
Thank you for coming out of lurkdom to tell me how you feel.
roswell3053- I’m not sure why either. What’s wrong with you?
Thank you.
Big thanks also go out to any and all lurkers. You guys rock.
Look at me! Posting! And it's just over two weeks since I last posted. Maybe I really am getting better. And Alli did something this time that she considers to be quite smart: she responded to feedback ahead of time in a text document, so that she wouldn't have to do it right before she posted, when she never seems to have the time. Also...something else happened that's pretty darn amazing. I won a runner-up award at Roswellian Chronicles for story you'd most like to see posted at...uh...Roswellian Chronicles.
Nifty neat-o banner, too.
Without further ado...(yeah, yeah...I know...too late), chapter 35. Enjoy.
Chapter 35: World's Greatest Dad
Liz woke the next morning and flipped over, her eyes immediately meeting the familiar blue polka dotted curtains that hung in her bedroom window. She did a mental double take. The last she remembered, she had fallen asleep with her head on her dad’s legs, watching When Harry Met Sally.
How many times had Liz fallen asleep in the same position and still ended up in her own bed in the morning?
She had lost count.
Liz and her brothers had spent so many nights falling asleep in their dad’s room that way, that it seemed they never actually used the media room to watch movies any more. Not as a family.
Had they, since their mom died?
Liz didn’t know that either. She couldn’t remember. She just remembered the feeling of waking up in her own bed in the morning, safe and warm. And she had her dad to thank for that.
Her dad must have carried her to bed last night.
She stretched her arms above her head slowly and softly bumped the wrist of her right hand on her headboard. This was the last opportunity she would have for a while to wake up in her own bed, lazily greeting the morning with no thoughts of classes or homework; no obligations. So it was understandable that she wanted to relish the feeling for as long as she could. Still, she felt a little like a cat, stretching in lazy Sunday sunshine.
Eventually Liz got out of bed and headed downstairs. Staying in bed had been a good idea until she realized that today was her last day with her dad, and well…after that, getting out of bed became a no-brainer.
Liz passed Isabel’s closed door and stretched her arm out, running her fingers along the stucco wall. The door to Max’s room was wide open and Liz sighed a little. Kyle’s and Alex’s doors were also open but Michael’s – the last room before the stairs – its door was closed. Liz figured that was where Maria was sleeping.
Liz stifled a yawn and removed her fingers from the wall with a wide swing of her arm. She was about to walk down the stairs when her eye caught the banister. A wide grin took hold of her face and she jumped onto the banister on the right side of the stairs.
The ride down was smooth, Liz’s hair snapping left and right behind her. Her landing was smooth too – as if there were any chance it wouldn’t have been – and as soon as her bare feet touched hardwood, she turned around to face the banister. She gave it a sort of proud, appraising look and grinned widely, almost as if to herself, before she patted the smooth end of the wood and turned to skip with swinging arms into the kitchen.
Liz’s dad – because in that moment, that was the only way she was capable of seeing him – was in his usual seat at the island, his back to the swinging kitchen door, one foot on the floor, one foot on the rail of his barstool as he read the front page of the newspaper. He was leaning on his left elbow, the index and middle fingers of his right hand tracing soft, short, invisible lines on his temple. He was the picture of everyday, and Liz loved him right then for being, on her last day in Napa, exactly who he was. She couldn’t have appreciated his small idiosyncrasies more.
Liz impulsively rushed forward and wrapped her small arms as far as they would go around her father’s frame, the side of her face pressed into the black cotton of his polo shirt covered back.
Jeff hadn’t heard her come in and started but, quickly realizing who it was, relaxed into her arms. He lifted his left arm up off the island and kept it raised in the air about shoulder height so he could see his daughter’s face. He smiled at her scrunched up eyes and dropped his left arm to rest his hand on her head. His right hand released its hold on the newspaper and dropped to rest on top of her hands, barely clasping one another over his stomach.
“Good morning, my Lizzy girl,” he whispered.
“Good morning, daddy.” Her voice was barely audible through the fabric of his shirt.
His large hand stroked her hair softly. “How did you sleep?”
“Like a baby. Thanks for carrying me to bed.” Her head shifted a little, but she didn’t remove it from his back.
“My pleasure. It’s not every day a father has the chance to pretend his grownup daughter is still a little girl. Thank you for the opportunity.” He squeezed her hands lightly with his right and Liz removed her face from the soft familiarity of her dad’s shirt.
Liz pulled her hands away from his waist and moved around to the other side of the island, sitting down on a barstool. “So…do you want to do the crossword puzzle together?” Liz lifted her eyebrows and bit her lip hopefully and Jeff lifted his eyes to her.
He smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.” He pulled out the Datebook section of the San Francisco Chronicle, sliding it gently across the island and into her outstretched fingers, taking out the appropriate section of the Napa Valley Register for himself. Liz wrapped her bare feet around two legs of the stool, bracing herself as she lifted herself out of her seat to reach for the cup that held the pens and pencils at the end of the island.
“Now…let’s see…what’s obvious?” He was talking to himself and Liz knew that, because tradition stated that each start by filling in what they knew, trying to get as may key places filled in as possible, before they start to brainstorm together.
Liz tapped her right cheek with the eraser of her black mechanical pencil as she chewed on her bottom lip in thought. Every once in a while she filled in an answer, mentally stepping back after each one to survey the progress on her puzzle.
When she had about 20 answers filled in correctly – she would have found it was precisely 22, if she had stopped to count – Liz lifted her head and saw that her dad’s head was still bent. Of course, being that he had spent 26 more years on the planet than she had, it was understandable that he was better at crossword puzzles than she was, and that meant he had more to fill in at the beginning.
Liz stood from her barstool and got a glass from one of the cabinets behind her before walking over to the fridge and reaching in for the orange juice. She may as well get a drink while she waited.
She was sipping from her glass lazily, her eyes running over the empty spots in her puzzle, when she heard her dad set down his pencil and take a sip from his World’s Greatest Dad mug. She looked up and he smiled at her.
“Ready squirt?”
“Yep. Go ahead.” Liz set her glass down and picked her pencil back up. She heard her dad do the same across from her.
“Okay…Somewhere Only We Know artist.”
“Daddy…you couldn’t get that one? Don’t you remember me singing that everywhere a few years ago?” Liz tapped the newspaper under her hand with the eraser of her pencil as she twiddled it quickly back and forth between the pointer and middle fingers of her right hand.
“Yes sweetheart, I do. But I don’t know who sang it. You know how I am with pop culture. I can never seem to keep it all straight.”
Liz nodded. That was true. “Keane. Kay…ee…ay…en…ee. I need…Israeli invented gun.”
“Uzi.”
“Really?” Liz lifted her eyebrows in surprise and looked at her dad, who nodded. “Hmm…” She filled in the empty space.
Isabel walked through the swinging kitchen door then, just as Jeff was asking, “Do you have the answer for the Italian volcano? I need that one.”
“Etna. Who’s Adam’s grandson?”
“Enos. It’s spelled ee…tee…en…ay, right?”
“Good morning.”
“Morning Izzy.”
“Good morning Isabel.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Excellent. Thank you.”
Liz gave a little murmur of assent and filled in “Enos” as Jeff filled in “Etna”. “How did you sleep, Iz?”
“Really well, considering we have to go back to New York today. I wish I could stay here forever.” Isabel frowned and reached up and into the same cabinet that Liz had taken her glass from earlier and pulled out a glass of her own. She sat down on the barstool to Liz’s right and reached for the orange juice sitting in the center of the island.
Liz smiled widely, partially from Isabel’s statement and partially from the unconscious ease that Isabel moved with in the house now. Isabel and self-consciousness didn’t belong in the same breath anymore. Not in La Casa de la Vida.
“I think I, more than anyone, wish none of you had to leave, Isabel.” Jeff took the last sip of coffee that remained in his cup and stood to refill it. “But at the same time, much as I want to keep you all here, I think it’s good for all of you to leave. Appreciation for a place, for a family, doesn’t always come cheap. Often it’s hardship that shows us the value of what we already possess.”
Isabel allowed his words to wash over her for a moment. He was right. Getting here – getting to Napa – had been hard but, ultimately, worth it. It was as if she had lived her entire life in dirty, smoggy air and one day, by chance, the rain had come, giving Isabel the grace of her first real breath of air.
Maria walked into the kitchen yawning with her arms stretched above her head, dressed in a pair of Michael’s pajamas that he had obviously decided to leave at home. They were too large for her, but she looked adorable as she dropped her arms and her hands disappeared into the too-long flannel sleeves. “Good morning everybody.”
“Morning Maria.”
“Morning.”
“Good morning sweetheart. How did you sleep?”
“Really, really well. Thank you for letting me sleep in Michael’s room last night.” Maria, too, walked over to the cabinet behind Liz and pulled down a glass.
“You’re welcome. But really, there was nowhere else to put you.” Maria smiled and nudged her shoulder with his as she sat down next to him. He smiled at her.
“So…what does everyone want for breakfast? I was thinking we could go out to eat.”
“Daddy?” Jeff lifted his eyebrows at Liz, indicting he was listening to her, and lifted his coffee cup to his mouth. “Do you think you could make the special breakfast?”
It was a certainty that every Parker kid, as healthy as they were, got sick at one time or another. And it was another certainty that when they did, they would go to their daddy with stuffed noses and warm foreheads, asking for the special breakfast.
Jeff could have taken credit for the origin of the special breakfast since no one was really sure exactly when it was started or who had started it, but he decided to leave it to the mystery of history. Besides, special breakfasts had been going on the in the Parker family long before Jeff had even been born.
Just as no one was really sure when the tradition had started, no one was really sure what the original breakfast had been. Since each generation liked to adapt the breakfast to suit their own needs – their own likes and dislikes – it was almost a certainty that the special breakfast of today bore no resemblance whatsoever to the original, whatever it had been. So although Jeff refused to take credit for the idea, he was willing to take credit for adapting the idea to suit his own kids.
What Liz was asking for were breakfast burritos, made only the way her daddy could, with her grandma’s secret recipe salsa. It was one of the dishes Michael was incapable of replicating. He had asked his dad once why that was, and Jeff had said, “Simple, son. You don’t have kids yet. And you won’t be able to make it correctly until your child comes to you with a fever and asks you to make them feel better. When your baby does, it’ll just come to you, like magic.”
None of his kids had been sick while they were home, so they hadn’t asked for the breakfast, but Jeff didn’t wonder at the reason Liz was doing it now. The special breakfast, after all, was designed to make you feel better.
“I think I can do that, squirt.”
-:-:-:-
“Parker!”
Kyle paused, his hand reaching for a box of Cheerios, to look down the cereal aisle toward the person who had just called his name. “Hey coach.”
There’s something strange about seeing someone outside of where you know them, like seeing your preacher walk into the dry cleaner you use or your professor walk into the coffee shop you work at. Your mind wants to keep people in very delineated spaces, and when they move out of them, it startles you just a bit. Kyle was having that problem. There was something so strange to him about seeing his coach, Rich Maloney, in normal clothes, standing next to boxes of Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks.
“So the funniest thing happened to me over break. Know what that was?”
Kyle turned to face his manager and lowered his arm to his side. He looked slightly to the left and pursed his lips a little before he regained eye contact with the man in front of him who looked…well…Kyle wasn’t really sure how to pinpoint that look. “Just …gonna take a wild guess here, so bear with me…you got a call from a…former major league first baseman who wanted to see some of my tape?”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah. How ‘bout that, huh?”
“Yeah. How ’bout that?”
Rich Maloney stared at Kyle for a while then slipped his hands into his pockets easily. Kyle felt almost like the other man was waiting for him to speak but thought better of it. Most of the coaches in his life had been fond of the long pause. And Kyle had learned long ago that what his coaches had really been looking for was attention, not conversation. So he waited; something he was very good at. If Kyle had anything, he had patience.
“You’re my best player. You should know that. You’re a leader…and sometimes a long time will go by before I get another one of those, so…” He started to walk away but stopped. “But don’t let it go to your head, okay kid?” He smirked at Kyle. “I have to go meet my wife in the produce section.” Kyle stood there, looking at the space his coach had occupied long after he left it, trying to wrap his head around the fact that his coach was about to buy apples and lettuce. Something about that seemed strange to him.
That was how Tess found him, a minute or so later.
“You know…if I’d known that sending you to get Cheerios would end in an expedition to the tip of Everest, I would have sent a Sherpa with you.” Tess stopped the shopping cart next to Kyle. “You look a little dazed. One might even say confused. What’s up?”
Kyle laughed as his eyes focused on his girlfriend. “I love you, you know?”
“You better. Otherwise what in the hell am I doing buying food for RJ too?” Tess gestured to the bags of pizza rolls and boxes of frozen mini pizza bagels.
“That was sweet of you.” Kyle pulled a box of Cheerios off the shelf and tossed it into the cart before wrapping his arms around her and planting a kiss on her lips.
“I consider it more an act of self-preservation. He practically lives with us anyway, especially during the season.” Kyle smiled. There something about the way “the season” fell so comfortably from her lips that made him feel…blessed. And he instantly imagined Tess using that same phrase when they were in their late 20’s, maybe on the phone to Liz. “Oh you know how Kyle is during the season, he never cleans up after himself.”
The thought of it made him indescribably happy.
-:-:-:-
“Where did all of this crap come from?” Alex looked around himself from his seat on the floor, piles of clothes and books and other miscellaneous items surrounding him. Craig walked into Alex’s soon to be former bedroom, took one look at Alex, and laughed. He looked like the piles were about to swallow him whole. “No, seriously. Where in the hell did I get all this crap from? I don’t remember buying half of it…”
“That’s always the way it is.” Craig leaned against the doorframe, watching Alex and sipping from a can of orange soda in his left hand.
“Is that my orange soda?”
“Yep. You want help?” Alex narrowed his eyes briefly, focusing on the soda can, but in the end gave it up. He did need help. Now wasn’t the time to get territorial about his groceries.
“Yeah. I do.” Alex sighed and appeared to sink down a little further into the piles. “Where am I supposed to start?”
“At the beginning?”
Alex glared at him. “Har-dee-har-har. You’re very helpful.” He sighed and looked dejectedly at the piles and piles and piles of stuff cluttering the small room. “You know…the idea is always easier than the execution.”
Craig righted himself from the doorframe and set the almost empty orange soda can on top of Alex’s now empty dresser. “Uh…how about we start by putting books and other stuff like that you won’t need right away into boxes?”
“Yeah…yeah…” Alex perked up a bit. Having some sort of direction at that moment seemed to suit him. He started making piles of things he could box up and ship right away to Liz and, per another one of Craig’s suggestions, stuff he could just ship home to his dad in Napa.
Craig took a seat on the only empty spot on the floor that seemed large enough to sit in and got to work, dividing books into piles. “Do you have any boxes?”
“Uh…” Alex trailed off and craned his neck, looking every which way for the pile of flat cardboard boxes. “Somewhere…in all this…stuff.”
Noticing that Alex couldn’t find them, Craig stood and scanned the room from his new vantage point. He spotted the boxes and motioned to Alex that he would grab them. He stepped with his left leg over a towering pile of CDs, slowly and carefully placing first the ball of his foot, then the heel down in a tiny bare spot. Craig was lifting his right leg over the CDs when he lost his balance and fell right into a few large stacks of books.
“Ow.”
Alex grimaced. “Craig? You…okay?”
Craig stayed where he was; prone on the toppled over stacks of books, pointy corners jabbing him every which way. He took a second to speak and when he did his voice came out distorted. But that probably had a lot to do with the fact that his face was squashed up against a hardback copy of Single and Multivariable Calculus. “Alex? Give me a minute, man.”
“No problem. Take your time.” Alex went about putting books into more piles along the wall, trying to clear space and organize the mayhem as best as possible. After about a minute, Alex looked up from his work and said, “Hey…Craig? Thanks.”
Craig groaned.
Or maybe it was a murmur. Alex couldn’t tell.
Craig was still face down on top of the books.
-:-:-:-
Max and Michael walked into the packed University of Chicago bookstore and stopped. They turned their heads to look at one another and sighed loudly. Not only were they about to pay out the nose for books they’d only use for one course, but it was going to take forever for them to get to the register to actually pay for them.
Good thing they hadn’t made any plans. They were going to be here a while.
Max jerked his head, indicting he was heading to the “B” section and Michael nodded, pointing with his finger to indicate he was heading for the rows that covered the end of the alphabet. Max walked along the rows, zigzagging here and there through students who were crouched, picking up books off of shelves. Max smiled and nodded his head in greeting at a guy he’d had a class with his sophomore year. Max would have probably struck up a small conversation, but he couldn’t remember the guy’s name and honestly, all the guy looked interested in doing was getting his books and getting out.
Not that Max could blame him.
Max crouched down in front of the business section and pulled the three books off the bottom shelf that he’d need for the last business class he’d ever take at the University of Chicago. He pulled another set of the three books off the shelf for Michael – they were taking the same class – and left the aisle for another, going in search of books for his three other classes.
Max had always looked forward to September. Unlike a lot of kids, Max liked school. He didn’t love it like some, but he did like learning who had fallen at the battle of Appomattox and what the square root of 64 was and how to conjugate the verb “etre”.
Plus…Max hated silence. And schools were never silent.
School had been Max’s escape for years. When a teacher was asking you to name all the prepositions is alphabetical order, how could you even think about the fact that your parents were gone on yet another business trip? You couldn’t. Or at least, not at the same time.
But when Max went home at night, that’s what he got: silence.
An empty house, absentee parents and a meek Isabel.
Any sound moved through that house as if the walls were made of paper. Isabel never really said much, as if she were afraid their parents were going to walk through the front door right then and yell at her for playing in the front hall when she should have been in her room. Max couldn’t wait to get out of there.
It had been a, mostly, easy choice for Max to choose the University of Chicago. It was a well-respected university, far from his parents that gave him plenty of options and put him in the position to do exactly what he had always set out to do: get out of Roswell. All Max had to do was finish four years and he would be out from under his parents’ thumbs for good. Finally.
Isabel had been the one complication in the plan, because there was no way he could leave her behind. He just couldn’t bear to leave her to that. And he had almost stayed.
But Isabel made him go, reminding him that she only had a couple more years and then she’d be free for most of the year too. She promised she’d be fine.
So though Max felt bad, he left. And Isabel had been right…she was fine. Somehow she had stuck it out and a couple of years after Max left, she was on her own plane, this one to New York.
Still, neither Max nor Isabel had a life until they met the Parkers. Meeting the Parkers, living with the Parkers, had been like coming up for air after spending a lifetime underwater. And Max had no idea how he was ever going to thank them for that, for letting him breathe.
“Max!”
Max turned to look behind him and saw Darren, sort of a friend of a friend, smiling at him. Max didn’t know Darren all that well – they had mainly run into one each other at parties and things like that – but Max wasn’t a rude guy. He figured he’d make small talk for a few minutes, then excuse himself to go find Michael.
“Hey Darren. How was your break?” Max shifted the stack of six books into the crook of his left arm.
Darren was a relatively short guy – shorter than Kyle – with the appearance of an eager puppy, bouncing and happy. Max had a fleeting urge to throw a tennis ball and see if Darren chased after it. “Good. Really good. How was yours?”
“Great, thanks. So…what classes are you taking?”
Darren bounced from foot to foot, a bundle of nervous energy. “Oh, you know. Just the same old stuff. Can you believe we’ll be graduating soon? I mean…don’t you wish you could just…stay in college forever? It’s like they say…best years of our lives, right?” Max tried to interject and tell him that the best years of their lives were supposedly in high school, but Darren wasn’t leaving Max much room to respond. “Are we ever going to have a better time than this?” Max wanted to tell him that the best times of his life had been in a little town named Napa over the break, but thought better of it. Darren didn’t appear to be the most reciprocal of conversationalists. “No, we aren’t. So Max…what are you doing tomorrow night?”
“Probably calling his girlfriend, Morris.” Michael walked up behind Max and looked over his friend’s shoulder. “Did you pick up my business books for me?”
“Yeah.” Max shifted so that his attention was now on Michael. “Here.” Max tipped Michael’s books into Michael’s waiting hands.
“Thanks.”
Max shrugged. “No problem.”
“Max…you have a girlfriend? Since when?” Max turned to face Darren and furrowed his eyebrows. He had momentarily forgotten Darren was there.
“Since break. Why?”
“Never mind,” Darren grumbled. He had stopped bouncing and the smile was gone from his face. “Uh…have a nice semester, Max. If I don’t see you again.”
Darren turned and walked away before Max had a chance to respond. He turned to Michael, confused and asked, “What the hell was that?”
Michael stared at him for a moment, an amused smile starting to grow on his face. “Are you completely delusional?”
“Uh…maybe?”
“Here…I picked up your art history book for you.” Michael handed a thick paperback book to Max, who took it and put it on top of the growing stack of books in his arms.
“Thanks. Now…what are you talking about, Mike?”
Michael motioned for Max to follow him down an aisle and the two men walked on, craning their necks to read the names on the paper slips that announced which books belonged to which class. Max and Michael passed by a shelf of books that held dozens of copies of King Lear, and Michael said, “He only acts that way around you.”
Max really had no idea what Michael was getting on about. “Mike…what are you talking about?”
Michael looked up as they reached the end of the row and both stepped out of it and into a common walkway. “Max…” Michael picked up a copy of a book for a music appreciation class at the end of a row and turned it over, speed reading the back before he set the book back in its place. He looked at Max and said, “He thinks you’re hot.”
“Oh…” Max nodded, then did a double take. “Wait...what?”
Michael laughed loudly. “I wonder what Liz will say when I tell her her boyfriend is a gay man’s fantasy.”
“Not funny.” Max groaned and shook his head.
“No…no…” Michael laughed and started walking again. “It really is.”
“Are you serious?”
Michael snorted. “Why do you think he’s always so happy to see you?”
Max scoffed. “He’s happy to see everyone. That’s just the way he is.”
“Uh…no. It’s not. The guy’s quiet…borderline sullen, even.” Michael stopped and turned to face Max. “You know…I guess I can kinda see where he’s coming from. You’re so…pretty.” Michael’s lips started twitching and tears started to form. About a second later, a long, loud laugh erupted from his throat. “Sorry, Max. I just couldn’t help myself.”
Michael started to walk down the aisle and Max stood there, balancing his stack of books in his arms, glaring at Michael’s back as he left the aisle. “Yeah…you really sound sorry.”
Michael’s head popped back into the aisle, grin firmly fixed on his face. “Sorry, Max. What was that?”
“I said you’re a jackass.”
Michael seemed to think about that for a moment. “And?”
“Nothing.” Max shook his head, laughed, and started down the aisle toward a still grinning Michael. “Just that. You’re a jackass.”
“This is going to make the best story for me to tell your kids one day.” Michael chuckled.
Max stopped, a horrified look creeping onto his face. “You are not going to tell my four year old kids about the day their dad was hit on by a guy! Geezus…what kind of uncle are you, anyway?”
“The fun kind.”
-:-:-:-
One more time.
One more time that he had to stand there, on carpet he was far too well acquainted with, and say goodbye. Only this time, one girl was two.
Frankly, Jeff was more than a little tired of the whole business. But it was pointless to complain. Complaining wouldn’t make him feel better and, most of all, it wouldn’t change one little thing.
Although, he was seriously considering writing a letter to the officials of the San Francisco Airport, so he could ask them to change their carpet.
“Daddy?” Jeff smiled at Liz. “Do we really have to grow up? I mean…is there a rule somewhere that says we have to?”
“Squirt…if the four of you hadn’t been willing to grow up, you would never have met Max. He’s more than worth the pain of growing up, isn’t he?” Jeff gave Liz a sly smile and she grinned.
“Yeah…he kinda is.”
“Yeah,” Jeff breathed out and smiled.
“Well…I hate to say this, but I think we have to go.” Isabel spoke softly, her head tilted down as she gripped the handle of her carryon. Maria walked over and wrapped her arm around the taller girl, squeezing her affectionately. Isabel met Maria’s eyes and the two girls smiled at one another before Isabel unclasped her hand from the black canvas handle of her carryon and put both of her arms around Maria.
Liz walked over to the other two girls and the tiny girl wrapped her arms as far as they would go around the other two, who immediately started giggling.
“Maria…you better call us.”
“The same goes for you two.”
Isabel broke from the two and turned to look at Jeff, who was smiling at them. She spared Maria and Liz one more glance before walking over to him. Maria and Liz stayed in conversation. “And keep up with your self defense, okay?”
“I promise. Oh! Did I tell you? They want me to sing in another showcase!”
Liz grinned. “No, you didn’t tell me that! When did you find out?”
A few feet away, Isabel walked up to a smiling Jeff and, before she even knew what she was doing, wrapped her arms tightly around him, resting her head on his chest. Jeff pulled his left arm around her shoulders and rested his hand on her head before he pulled his right arm around her, resting it on the middle of her back.
Isabel took in a deep breath and let out her words in a soft hiss. “Thank you. I’ll never be able to say that enough. Thank you.”
Jeff inclined his head so that his forehead was touching the top of her head. “The same goes for me. Thank you, Isabel. Thank you so much.”
Eventually they pulled away from one another and Isabel sniffled, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Jeff framed her face with his big hands and smiled. “You are amazing, Isabel. Please don’t ever think otherwise.”
All Isabel could do was smile.
Liz walked over and said, “Well…we have to, right? No choice?”
Isabel stepped back to Maria and Maria once again wrapped her arm around the taller girl. Isabel returned the gesture, pulling Maria further into her side.
Liz scrunched her nose up and Jeff smiled at his daughter affectionately. “No choice.”
“Damn. I was hoping that might have changed sometime in the last couple of minutes. Not that lucky, huh?”
“Guess not.” Jeff opened his arms and Liz walked into them, relishing her dad’s familiar warmth. She closed her eyes as she took in the softness of his shirt against her face and the smell of laundry detergent that lingered on his clothes. “Oh my incredible little girl. How I’ll miss you.”
They stood there a long time, letting the hushed, echoing chatter from other families around them saying goodbye rise to the high ceilings above them. “Did you know the Eskimos have fifty-two words for snow?”
Jeff smiled softly down at his daughter, still encased in his arms. “Do they now?”
“Mmmhmm.” Liz stared blankly down the terminal. “Don’t you think there should be just as many words for love in English?”
Jeff kissed the top of her head and she closed her eyes briefly at the contact. “I do, indeed.”
Liz pulled back from him and shifted the strap of her messenger bag. “Well…here we go. Izzy?” Liz turned to look at Isabel, who picked up her carryon and smiled.
“I’m ready.”
The two girls walked over to the security line and Jeff walked over to Maria, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Maria?”
“Hmm?” Maria turned to look at Jeff, who was smiling down at her.
“Thank you for not getting on a plane, too.”
Maria laughed and turned to watch as Liz and Isabel finished putting their shoes back on. They said something to one another, then turned and shouted, “Love you both!” before they turned and walked away.
Jeff kept his eyes on them until they were out of sight, then turned to Maria. “So…do you have any plans tonight?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Well in that case, perhaps I may be so bold as to request the pleasure of your company for dinner tonight.”
“It would be my pleasure.” Maria hooked her arm in Jeff’s and the two walked out through the revolving doors and into the brisk January afternoon, Maria talking rapidly about her next gig, Jeff listening with rapt attention.
-:-:-:-
Deep in Terminal B, Isabel and Liz sat in contoured plastic chairs, waiting for their flight number to be called. Liz was resting her head on Isabel’s shoulder, a bit worn out by the realization that they were all separated now, divided among various states. She didn’t know why it had hit her now, right at this exact moment, instead of the moment when she could no longer see her dad or Maria, but it was hitting her now all the same. She didn’t suppose she had any other choice than to just let it pass. So let it pass, she would.
Isabel looked from face to face, trying to guess how many of them were feeling the way she and Liz were. She reasoned it had to be a fairly high number, but it was just a guess. There was a feeling in the airport of inconstancy, restlessness and general anxiety. It was easy to see that many of the people in chairs around the girls wanted to be anywhere but there at that moment.
“Liz?” Isabel’s voice was so soft that at first, Liz didn’t hear her. Isabel had to repeat herself, albeit slightly louder this time. “Liz?”
Liz shifted and lifted her head off of Isabel’s shoulder. “Yeah?”
Isabel didn’t know how it had happened. She had just been sitting there, minding her own business, when an anvil fell on her chest. Suddenly, everything that had happened to her in her life, the good and the bad, came back to her at once. It was so much that she almost couldn’t breathe, but breathe she did. And when she realized she was capable of breathing, even with all that pressure on her chest, she smiled, tears in her eyes, as she looked at Liz.
Airports, by nature, are way stations. They are simply places you stop on your way to getting somewhere else. They don’t usually have any significance at all. But Isabel knew that her path to her real life hadn’t followed any sort of previously established pattern, so she was prepared to accept it when she realized that this airport wasn’t just a way station to her. It had brought her family to life.
“Thank you for being my family, Liz.”
Glad I could inspire you. And thank you.have to keep that one in mind ... and already know on whom to use it
thetvgeneral-
My dad is not known as a movie lover, but the things he does love are quality stuff. And this line…I’ve heard this line since the movie came out. Whenever he’s thought about changing jobs and someone asks him what he wants to do, he says, “I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that…I’m thinking about kickboxing…”ok that's is like my favorite movie...and the best line from the movie!!
Thanks, Steph.
FSU/MSW-94- Thanks La’Shon!
tequathisy-
Uh…no. But they’ll get there eventually. Promise.Can we just skip the parts where they're not together and go straight to the reunions? Please?
Uh…yeah. I’m not that foolish.just in case you're labouring under the illusion we're all patiently waiting for an update like Rowedog
begonia9508- Thanks Eve!
Bixie- Thanks Sandra! On two counts.
Chrissie1218- Thanks Chrissie! That’s such a sweet thing to hear…er…read.
BehrObsession- I would say I have a time frame for when they’re all back together, but…no. I mean, this is me we’re talking about here.
Thanks.
sprayadhesive-
You know…I hadn’t actually thought about that, but they are both internalizers, aren’t they?Max and Michael. Those two... both the internalize-ers in one apartment? Healthy stuff, there. hahahaha
Hahahaha…
Oh man…that’s good.
LairaBehr4-
*crickets*Something about this exchange seems aaaaawwwful familiar ...
chanks_girl- Thanks!
clueless- Thanks!
Natalie36- It felt only right to reciprocate your feedback with:
killjoy-
Knew you would.As you know I loved your whole Kyle/Tess scene.Loved every bit of it. The way Tess made Kyle spit his OJ everywhere had me LMAO.
I have a Pathfinder that goes by the name of Lola. I assure you…not just a guy thing.Alex and his friend naming their van is a guy thing to do alright. Done it myself.
Nah…I won’t yell at you for that one. Most people, I would venture to say, have no idea who Black Flag were. That’s why I labeled them as a “groundbreaking California punk band”.I know I'm going to get yelled at again for this...but once again you named a singer/band I've never heard of. Uhhh who is Black Flag?
Here’s your mini tutorial on Black Flag:
Black Flag originated in Southern California in 1976. (They lasted until 1986.) The thing about them is that they are huge…and I mean huge…reasons why so many indie bands strike out on their own, booking their own tours and cutting their own records. Black Flag did it first. And that was a big deal at the time. No one else had really attempted it before.
Black Flag is widely considered to be the first hardcore punk band, and they led the way in creating the West Coast punk sound. They refused to stick to what was already being done and started incorporating heavy metal, jazz, classical and backbeat into their music. They had more complicated songs, departing from the classic three chord style of much of punk. They’re also responsible for really influencing punk subculture.
But ultimately, it was their groundbreaking ideas about what a band should be able to do – how they should able to control much of their own fates – that makes them noteworthy. It was how they paved the way for the indie bands of the future that really makes them different.
Plus…their music kicks major ass.
katydid- Thanks Kate! And you’re welcome.
fadedblue-
Wow…brave soul. And I’ve been known to exercise my sarcasm bone on occasion (no comments from the peanut gallery), but I really do mean that.i did, however, read everything you had posted (28 chapters maybe?) in one sitting!
Answer me this…how on earth did they lose to the team they did??? Who was it…Appalachian State??? Oy.i'm glad it isn't football season in your story anymore otherwise i'd be depressed, haha.
Thank you, Phyllis.
Alien_Friend-
I’m honored but I’m afraid if you’re not a fan of philosophy (and not a whole lot of people are) then that’s probably obvious. (Your reaction, not my being honored, obviously.) Although I do have this great philosophy book called Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar. Totally not kidding. It’s hysterical.This such a breath of fresh air compared to crap i have to read for philosophy right now
*gasps*I am one of the unfortunate few to have not seen When Harry Met Sally
Go rent it now, lady! And shame on you!
Odd, maybe. But still wicked awesome. There’s something tangibly warm and comfortable about it, and you can’t help but like someone that makes you feel that way. I defy anyone to try hating a Novelette. And Novy is such an adorable nickname.Anyhoo oh you wanted to know my name, it's Novelette. Odd name yes.
It suits. It really does.
Michelle in Yonkers-
And I’m afraid you need to include me in that too.They're more real than people I know -- than me, even.
I love love love that line. I’m fond of saying it at random times; totally unexpected times. In fact, I have been known to look at my mother and say, “Mom? (Insert blank stare and a few eye blinks here from me as she looks at me, waiting for me to finish.) Someone’s staring at you in personal growth.” Then walk away or look away. I actually used it on her in a bookstore once, and she looked. Classic.I rolled on the floor laughing when I saw your chapter title!
Yeah…uh…Michelle? Love? Not sure anyone on the planet’s really surprised by that.You may have, but it ain't me, darlin'!
You pick. I wrote it to mean both. Obviously teasingly on the second part.Max and Michael were hilarious! I wasn't sure if Michael was trying to reassure Max that he was finally cool about the success of his matchmaking, or that he was warning him about a possible shotgun in his future
As always, Michelle…thank you. You know why.
Yes, WB/CW/whatever the hell you call yourself now! Take that!And to think, WB said that "happiness is boring."
Take that in your eye, WB!
Thank you.They should have a category for "Story you'd like to live in."
You know, I’ve also long thought there should be an award for “Best Unique Family” or something of the like. (And not because my Parkers are, admittedly, unique. I’ve long thought that when I was reading other stories with unconventional familial situations.)
Rowedog-
Well then…you have me there. I’m not the most patient person in the world, and I’m afraid I’m never going to be. *sigh*Colour me crazy, but I realise just how long it takes to write those freaking words and to get the part just how you want it. So I pine for a new part in patience knowing that you'll give us both quality AND quantity. Plus, I'm a pretty patient person when I wanna be.
I try…I swear I try…
Thanks Alison.
Emz80m- Thanks Emma!
crc1228-
Well, thank you Christy! That’s lovely to hear.I love the interactions of your characters! You've really have made them your own.
nibbles2-
I’m very glad you like my Tess. She is wonderfully fun to write.It was cool to see Tess's POV too, I think it's the first time we've seen a POV from somebody who isn't a Parker or Evans and we haven't really seen a whole lot of Tess either, and I love this Tess.
We had a Tess POV and a Maria POV – briefly – in the hunt chapter. But other than that, yes, you are indeed right.
Glad to be of service.Love the movie list too, that's my plans for the weekend sorted out, cheers.
Also…I love that you say cheers.
I just do.
Thanks, BB.
Cocogurl- Thanks!
Lorastar- Laura…my lovely, lovely Laura…glad to see you back home.
Aurorabee-
No…thank you, Anne.I'm not sure I can even articulate how much I love this story, these characters, your writing. It's all so special. Your story has made me laugh aloud, chuckle to myself, wipe tears from my eyes, feel my heart ache, and reflect on things in my own life in a new way. Amazing. Thank you.
Maiqu- Thank you, and I am completely honored that you think so.
Addicted2AmberEyes- Thank you!
Synera-
I’m pretty sure you have, but I may be mistaken.Did I mention that I love this.
Thank you for coming out of lurkdom to tell me how you feel.
roswell3053- I’m not sure why either. What’s wrong with you?
Thank you.
Big thanks also go out to any and all lurkers. You guys rock.
Look at me! Posting!
And it's just over two weeks since I last posted. Maybe I really am getting better. And Alli did something this time that she considers to be quite smart: she responded to feedback ahead of time in a text document, so that she wouldn't have to do it right before she posted, when she never seems to have the time. Also...something else happened that's pretty darn amazing. I won a runner-up award at Roswellian Chronicles for story you'd most like to see posted at...uh...Roswellian Chronicles. Nifty neat-o banner, too.
Without further ado...(yeah, yeah...I know...too late), chapter 35. Enjoy.
Chapter 35: World's Greatest Dad
Liz woke the next morning and flipped over, her eyes immediately meeting the familiar blue polka dotted curtains that hung in her bedroom window. She did a mental double take. The last she remembered, she had fallen asleep with her head on her dad’s legs, watching When Harry Met Sally.
How many times had Liz fallen asleep in the same position and still ended up in her own bed in the morning?
She had lost count.
Liz and her brothers had spent so many nights falling asleep in their dad’s room that way, that it seemed they never actually used the media room to watch movies any more. Not as a family.
Had they, since their mom died?
Liz didn’t know that either. She couldn’t remember. She just remembered the feeling of waking up in her own bed in the morning, safe and warm. And she had her dad to thank for that.
Her dad must have carried her to bed last night.
She stretched her arms above her head slowly and softly bumped the wrist of her right hand on her headboard. This was the last opportunity she would have for a while to wake up in her own bed, lazily greeting the morning with no thoughts of classes or homework; no obligations. So it was understandable that she wanted to relish the feeling for as long as she could. Still, she felt a little like a cat, stretching in lazy Sunday sunshine.
Eventually Liz got out of bed and headed downstairs. Staying in bed had been a good idea until she realized that today was her last day with her dad, and well…after that, getting out of bed became a no-brainer.
Liz passed Isabel’s closed door and stretched her arm out, running her fingers along the stucco wall. The door to Max’s room was wide open and Liz sighed a little. Kyle’s and Alex’s doors were also open but Michael’s – the last room before the stairs – its door was closed. Liz figured that was where Maria was sleeping.
Liz stifled a yawn and removed her fingers from the wall with a wide swing of her arm. She was about to walk down the stairs when her eye caught the banister. A wide grin took hold of her face and she jumped onto the banister on the right side of the stairs.
The ride down was smooth, Liz’s hair snapping left and right behind her. Her landing was smooth too – as if there were any chance it wouldn’t have been – and as soon as her bare feet touched hardwood, she turned around to face the banister. She gave it a sort of proud, appraising look and grinned widely, almost as if to herself, before she patted the smooth end of the wood and turned to skip with swinging arms into the kitchen.
Liz’s dad – because in that moment, that was the only way she was capable of seeing him – was in his usual seat at the island, his back to the swinging kitchen door, one foot on the floor, one foot on the rail of his barstool as he read the front page of the newspaper. He was leaning on his left elbow, the index and middle fingers of his right hand tracing soft, short, invisible lines on his temple. He was the picture of everyday, and Liz loved him right then for being, on her last day in Napa, exactly who he was. She couldn’t have appreciated his small idiosyncrasies more.
Liz impulsively rushed forward and wrapped her small arms as far as they would go around her father’s frame, the side of her face pressed into the black cotton of his polo shirt covered back.
Jeff hadn’t heard her come in and started but, quickly realizing who it was, relaxed into her arms. He lifted his left arm up off the island and kept it raised in the air about shoulder height so he could see his daughter’s face. He smiled at her scrunched up eyes and dropped his left arm to rest his hand on her head. His right hand released its hold on the newspaper and dropped to rest on top of her hands, barely clasping one another over his stomach.
“Good morning, my Lizzy girl,” he whispered.
“Good morning, daddy.” Her voice was barely audible through the fabric of his shirt.
His large hand stroked her hair softly. “How did you sleep?”
“Like a baby. Thanks for carrying me to bed.” Her head shifted a little, but she didn’t remove it from his back.
“My pleasure. It’s not every day a father has the chance to pretend his grownup daughter is still a little girl. Thank you for the opportunity.” He squeezed her hands lightly with his right and Liz removed her face from the soft familiarity of her dad’s shirt.
Liz pulled her hands away from his waist and moved around to the other side of the island, sitting down on a barstool. “So…do you want to do the crossword puzzle together?” Liz lifted her eyebrows and bit her lip hopefully and Jeff lifted his eyes to her.
He smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.” He pulled out the Datebook section of the San Francisco Chronicle, sliding it gently across the island and into her outstretched fingers, taking out the appropriate section of the Napa Valley Register for himself. Liz wrapped her bare feet around two legs of the stool, bracing herself as she lifted herself out of her seat to reach for the cup that held the pens and pencils at the end of the island.
“Now…let’s see…what’s obvious?” He was talking to himself and Liz knew that, because tradition stated that each start by filling in what they knew, trying to get as may key places filled in as possible, before they start to brainstorm together.
Liz tapped her right cheek with the eraser of her black mechanical pencil as she chewed on her bottom lip in thought. Every once in a while she filled in an answer, mentally stepping back after each one to survey the progress on her puzzle.
When she had about 20 answers filled in correctly – she would have found it was precisely 22, if she had stopped to count – Liz lifted her head and saw that her dad’s head was still bent. Of course, being that he had spent 26 more years on the planet than she had, it was understandable that he was better at crossword puzzles than she was, and that meant he had more to fill in at the beginning.
Liz stood from her barstool and got a glass from one of the cabinets behind her before walking over to the fridge and reaching in for the orange juice. She may as well get a drink while she waited.
She was sipping from her glass lazily, her eyes running over the empty spots in her puzzle, when she heard her dad set down his pencil and take a sip from his World’s Greatest Dad mug. She looked up and he smiled at her.
“Ready squirt?”
“Yep. Go ahead.” Liz set her glass down and picked her pencil back up. She heard her dad do the same across from her.
“Okay…Somewhere Only We Know artist.”
“Daddy…you couldn’t get that one? Don’t you remember me singing that everywhere a few years ago?” Liz tapped the newspaper under her hand with the eraser of her pencil as she twiddled it quickly back and forth between the pointer and middle fingers of her right hand.
“Yes sweetheart, I do. But I don’t know who sang it. You know how I am with pop culture. I can never seem to keep it all straight.”
Liz nodded. That was true. “Keane. Kay…ee…ay…en…ee. I need…Israeli invented gun.”
“Uzi.”
“Really?” Liz lifted her eyebrows in surprise and looked at her dad, who nodded. “Hmm…” She filled in the empty space.
Isabel walked through the swinging kitchen door then, just as Jeff was asking, “Do you have the answer for the Italian volcano? I need that one.”
“Etna. Who’s Adam’s grandson?”
“Enos. It’s spelled ee…tee…en…ay, right?”
“Good morning.”
“Morning Izzy.”
“Good morning Isabel.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Excellent. Thank you.”
Liz gave a little murmur of assent and filled in “Enos” as Jeff filled in “Etna”. “How did you sleep, Iz?”
“Really well, considering we have to go back to New York today. I wish I could stay here forever.” Isabel frowned and reached up and into the same cabinet that Liz had taken her glass from earlier and pulled out a glass of her own. She sat down on the barstool to Liz’s right and reached for the orange juice sitting in the center of the island.
Liz smiled widely, partially from Isabel’s statement and partially from the unconscious ease that Isabel moved with in the house now. Isabel and self-consciousness didn’t belong in the same breath anymore. Not in La Casa de la Vida.
“I think I, more than anyone, wish none of you had to leave, Isabel.” Jeff took the last sip of coffee that remained in his cup and stood to refill it. “But at the same time, much as I want to keep you all here, I think it’s good for all of you to leave. Appreciation for a place, for a family, doesn’t always come cheap. Often it’s hardship that shows us the value of what we already possess.”
Isabel allowed his words to wash over her for a moment. He was right. Getting here – getting to Napa – had been hard but, ultimately, worth it. It was as if she had lived her entire life in dirty, smoggy air and one day, by chance, the rain had come, giving Isabel the grace of her first real breath of air.
Maria walked into the kitchen yawning with her arms stretched above her head, dressed in a pair of Michael’s pajamas that he had obviously decided to leave at home. They were too large for her, but she looked adorable as she dropped her arms and her hands disappeared into the too-long flannel sleeves. “Good morning everybody.”
“Morning Maria.”
“Morning.”
“Good morning sweetheart. How did you sleep?”
“Really, really well. Thank you for letting me sleep in Michael’s room last night.” Maria, too, walked over to the cabinet behind Liz and pulled down a glass.
“You’re welcome. But really, there was nowhere else to put you.” Maria smiled and nudged her shoulder with his as she sat down next to him. He smiled at her.
“So…what does everyone want for breakfast? I was thinking we could go out to eat.”
“Daddy?” Jeff lifted his eyebrows at Liz, indicting he was listening to her, and lifted his coffee cup to his mouth. “Do you think you could make the special breakfast?”
It was a certainty that every Parker kid, as healthy as they were, got sick at one time or another. And it was another certainty that when they did, they would go to their daddy with stuffed noses and warm foreheads, asking for the special breakfast.
Jeff could have taken credit for the origin of the special breakfast since no one was really sure exactly when it was started or who had started it, but he decided to leave it to the mystery of history. Besides, special breakfasts had been going on the in the Parker family long before Jeff had even been born.
Just as no one was really sure when the tradition had started, no one was really sure what the original breakfast had been. Since each generation liked to adapt the breakfast to suit their own needs – their own likes and dislikes – it was almost a certainty that the special breakfast of today bore no resemblance whatsoever to the original, whatever it had been. So although Jeff refused to take credit for the idea, he was willing to take credit for adapting the idea to suit his own kids.
What Liz was asking for were breakfast burritos, made only the way her daddy could, with her grandma’s secret recipe salsa. It was one of the dishes Michael was incapable of replicating. He had asked his dad once why that was, and Jeff had said, “Simple, son. You don’t have kids yet. And you won’t be able to make it correctly until your child comes to you with a fever and asks you to make them feel better. When your baby does, it’ll just come to you, like magic.”
None of his kids had been sick while they were home, so they hadn’t asked for the breakfast, but Jeff didn’t wonder at the reason Liz was doing it now. The special breakfast, after all, was designed to make you feel better.
“I think I can do that, squirt.”
-:-:-:-
“Parker!”
Kyle paused, his hand reaching for a box of Cheerios, to look down the cereal aisle toward the person who had just called his name. “Hey coach.”
There’s something strange about seeing someone outside of where you know them, like seeing your preacher walk into the dry cleaner you use or your professor walk into the coffee shop you work at. Your mind wants to keep people in very delineated spaces, and when they move out of them, it startles you just a bit. Kyle was having that problem. There was something so strange to him about seeing his coach, Rich Maloney, in normal clothes, standing next to boxes of Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks.
“So the funniest thing happened to me over break. Know what that was?”
Kyle turned to face his manager and lowered his arm to his side. He looked slightly to the left and pursed his lips a little before he regained eye contact with the man in front of him who looked…well…Kyle wasn’t really sure how to pinpoint that look. “Just …gonna take a wild guess here, so bear with me…you got a call from a…former major league first baseman who wanted to see some of my tape?”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah. How ‘bout that, huh?”
“Yeah. How ’bout that?”
Rich Maloney stared at Kyle for a while then slipped his hands into his pockets easily. Kyle felt almost like the other man was waiting for him to speak but thought better of it. Most of the coaches in his life had been fond of the long pause. And Kyle had learned long ago that what his coaches had really been looking for was attention, not conversation. So he waited; something he was very good at. If Kyle had anything, he had patience.
“You’re my best player. You should know that. You’re a leader…and sometimes a long time will go by before I get another one of those, so…” He started to walk away but stopped. “But don’t let it go to your head, okay kid?” He smirked at Kyle. “I have to go meet my wife in the produce section.” Kyle stood there, looking at the space his coach had occupied long after he left it, trying to wrap his head around the fact that his coach was about to buy apples and lettuce. Something about that seemed strange to him.
That was how Tess found him, a minute or so later.
“You know…if I’d known that sending you to get Cheerios would end in an expedition to the tip of Everest, I would have sent a Sherpa with you.” Tess stopped the shopping cart next to Kyle. “You look a little dazed. One might even say confused. What’s up?”
Kyle laughed as his eyes focused on his girlfriend. “I love you, you know?”
“You better. Otherwise what in the hell am I doing buying food for RJ too?” Tess gestured to the bags of pizza rolls and boxes of frozen mini pizza bagels.
“That was sweet of you.” Kyle pulled a box of Cheerios off the shelf and tossed it into the cart before wrapping his arms around her and planting a kiss on her lips.
“I consider it more an act of self-preservation. He practically lives with us anyway, especially during the season.” Kyle smiled. There something about the way “the season” fell so comfortably from her lips that made him feel…blessed. And he instantly imagined Tess using that same phrase when they were in their late 20’s, maybe on the phone to Liz. “Oh you know how Kyle is during the season, he never cleans up after himself.”
The thought of it made him indescribably happy.
-:-:-:-
“Where did all of this crap come from?” Alex looked around himself from his seat on the floor, piles of clothes and books and other miscellaneous items surrounding him. Craig walked into Alex’s soon to be former bedroom, took one look at Alex, and laughed. He looked like the piles were about to swallow him whole. “No, seriously. Where in the hell did I get all this crap from? I don’t remember buying half of it…”
“That’s always the way it is.” Craig leaned against the doorframe, watching Alex and sipping from a can of orange soda in his left hand.
“Is that my orange soda?”
“Yep. You want help?” Alex narrowed his eyes briefly, focusing on the soda can, but in the end gave it up. He did need help. Now wasn’t the time to get territorial about his groceries.
“Yeah. I do.” Alex sighed and appeared to sink down a little further into the piles. “Where am I supposed to start?”
“At the beginning?”
Alex glared at him. “Har-dee-har-har. You’re very helpful.” He sighed and looked dejectedly at the piles and piles and piles of stuff cluttering the small room. “You know…the idea is always easier than the execution.”
Craig righted himself from the doorframe and set the almost empty orange soda can on top of Alex’s now empty dresser. “Uh…how about we start by putting books and other stuff like that you won’t need right away into boxes?”
“Yeah…yeah…” Alex perked up a bit. Having some sort of direction at that moment seemed to suit him. He started making piles of things he could box up and ship right away to Liz and, per another one of Craig’s suggestions, stuff he could just ship home to his dad in Napa.
Craig took a seat on the only empty spot on the floor that seemed large enough to sit in and got to work, dividing books into piles. “Do you have any boxes?”
“Uh…” Alex trailed off and craned his neck, looking every which way for the pile of flat cardboard boxes. “Somewhere…in all this…stuff.”
Noticing that Alex couldn’t find them, Craig stood and scanned the room from his new vantage point. He spotted the boxes and motioned to Alex that he would grab them. He stepped with his left leg over a towering pile of CDs, slowly and carefully placing first the ball of his foot, then the heel down in a tiny bare spot. Craig was lifting his right leg over the CDs when he lost his balance and fell right into a few large stacks of books.
“Ow.”
Alex grimaced. “Craig? You…okay?”
Craig stayed where he was; prone on the toppled over stacks of books, pointy corners jabbing him every which way. He took a second to speak and when he did his voice came out distorted. But that probably had a lot to do with the fact that his face was squashed up against a hardback copy of Single and Multivariable Calculus. “Alex? Give me a minute, man.”
“No problem. Take your time.” Alex went about putting books into more piles along the wall, trying to clear space and organize the mayhem as best as possible. After about a minute, Alex looked up from his work and said, “Hey…Craig? Thanks.”
Craig groaned.
Or maybe it was a murmur. Alex couldn’t tell.
Craig was still face down on top of the books.
-:-:-:-
Max and Michael walked into the packed University of Chicago bookstore and stopped. They turned their heads to look at one another and sighed loudly. Not only were they about to pay out the nose for books they’d only use for one course, but it was going to take forever for them to get to the register to actually pay for them.
Good thing they hadn’t made any plans. They were going to be here a while.
Max jerked his head, indicting he was heading to the “B” section and Michael nodded, pointing with his finger to indicate he was heading for the rows that covered the end of the alphabet. Max walked along the rows, zigzagging here and there through students who were crouched, picking up books off of shelves. Max smiled and nodded his head in greeting at a guy he’d had a class with his sophomore year. Max would have probably struck up a small conversation, but he couldn’t remember the guy’s name and honestly, all the guy looked interested in doing was getting his books and getting out.
Not that Max could blame him.
Max crouched down in front of the business section and pulled the three books off the bottom shelf that he’d need for the last business class he’d ever take at the University of Chicago. He pulled another set of the three books off the shelf for Michael – they were taking the same class – and left the aisle for another, going in search of books for his three other classes.
Max had always looked forward to September. Unlike a lot of kids, Max liked school. He didn’t love it like some, but he did like learning who had fallen at the battle of Appomattox and what the square root of 64 was and how to conjugate the verb “etre”.
Plus…Max hated silence. And schools were never silent.
School had been Max’s escape for years. When a teacher was asking you to name all the prepositions is alphabetical order, how could you even think about the fact that your parents were gone on yet another business trip? You couldn’t. Or at least, not at the same time.
But when Max went home at night, that’s what he got: silence.
An empty house, absentee parents and a meek Isabel.
Any sound moved through that house as if the walls were made of paper. Isabel never really said much, as if she were afraid their parents were going to walk through the front door right then and yell at her for playing in the front hall when she should have been in her room. Max couldn’t wait to get out of there.
It had been a, mostly, easy choice for Max to choose the University of Chicago. It was a well-respected university, far from his parents that gave him plenty of options and put him in the position to do exactly what he had always set out to do: get out of Roswell. All Max had to do was finish four years and he would be out from under his parents’ thumbs for good. Finally.
Isabel had been the one complication in the plan, because there was no way he could leave her behind. He just couldn’t bear to leave her to that. And he had almost stayed.
But Isabel made him go, reminding him that she only had a couple more years and then she’d be free for most of the year too. She promised she’d be fine.
So though Max felt bad, he left. And Isabel had been right…she was fine. Somehow she had stuck it out and a couple of years after Max left, she was on her own plane, this one to New York.
Still, neither Max nor Isabel had a life until they met the Parkers. Meeting the Parkers, living with the Parkers, had been like coming up for air after spending a lifetime underwater. And Max had no idea how he was ever going to thank them for that, for letting him breathe.
“Max!”
Max turned to look behind him and saw Darren, sort of a friend of a friend, smiling at him. Max didn’t know Darren all that well – they had mainly run into one each other at parties and things like that – but Max wasn’t a rude guy. He figured he’d make small talk for a few minutes, then excuse himself to go find Michael.
“Hey Darren. How was your break?” Max shifted the stack of six books into the crook of his left arm.
Darren was a relatively short guy – shorter than Kyle – with the appearance of an eager puppy, bouncing and happy. Max had a fleeting urge to throw a tennis ball and see if Darren chased after it. “Good. Really good. How was yours?”
“Great, thanks. So…what classes are you taking?”
Darren bounced from foot to foot, a bundle of nervous energy. “Oh, you know. Just the same old stuff. Can you believe we’ll be graduating soon? I mean…don’t you wish you could just…stay in college forever? It’s like they say…best years of our lives, right?” Max tried to interject and tell him that the best years of their lives were supposedly in high school, but Darren wasn’t leaving Max much room to respond. “Are we ever going to have a better time than this?” Max wanted to tell him that the best times of his life had been in a little town named Napa over the break, but thought better of it. Darren didn’t appear to be the most reciprocal of conversationalists. “No, we aren’t. So Max…what are you doing tomorrow night?”
“Probably calling his girlfriend, Morris.” Michael walked up behind Max and looked over his friend’s shoulder. “Did you pick up my business books for me?”
“Yeah.” Max shifted so that his attention was now on Michael. “Here.” Max tipped Michael’s books into Michael’s waiting hands.
“Thanks.”
Max shrugged. “No problem.”
“Max…you have a girlfriend? Since when?” Max turned to face Darren and furrowed his eyebrows. He had momentarily forgotten Darren was there.
“Since break. Why?”
“Never mind,” Darren grumbled. He had stopped bouncing and the smile was gone from his face. “Uh…have a nice semester, Max. If I don’t see you again.”
Darren turned and walked away before Max had a chance to respond. He turned to Michael, confused and asked, “What the hell was that?”
Michael stared at him for a moment, an amused smile starting to grow on his face. “Are you completely delusional?”
“Uh…maybe?”
“Here…I picked up your art history book for you.” Michael handed a thick paperback book to Max, who took it and put it on top of the growing stack of books in his arms.
“Thanks. Now…what are you talking about, Mike?”
Michael motioned for Max to follow him down an aisle and the two men walked on, craning their necks to read the names on the paper slips that announced which books belonged to which class. Max and Michael passed by a shelf of books that held dozens of copies of King Lear, and Michael said, “He only acts that way around you.”
Max really had no idea what Michael was getting on about. “Mike…what are you talking about?”
Michael looked up as they reached the end of the row and both stepped out of it and into a common walkway. “Max…” Michael picked up a copy of a book for a music appreciation class at the end of a row and turned it over, speed reading the back before he set the book back in its place. He looked at Max and said, “He thinks you’re hot.”
“Oh…” Max nodded, then did a double take. “Wait...what?”
Michael laughed loudly. “I wonder what Liz will say when I tell her her boyfriend is a gay man’s fantasy.”
“Not funny.” Max groaned and shook his head.
“No…no…” Michael laughed and started walking again. “It really is.”
“Are you serious?”
Michael snorted. “Why do you think he’s always so happy to see you?”
Max scoffed. “He’s happy to see everyone. That’s just the way he is.”
“Uh…no. It’s not. The guy’s quiet…borderline sullen, even.” Michael stopped and turned to face Max. “You know…I guess I can kinda see where he’s coming from. You’re so…pretty.” Michael’s lips started twitching and tears started to form. About a second later, a long, loud laugh erupted from his throat. “Sorry, Max. I just couldn’t help myself.”
Michael started to walk down the aisle and Max stood there, balancing his stack of books in his arms, glaring at Michael’s back as he left the aisle. “Yeah…you really sound sorry.”
Michael’s head popped back into the aisle, grin firmly fixed on his face. “Sorry, Max. What was that?”
“I said you’re a jackass.”
Michael seemed to think about that for a moment. “And?”
“Nothing.” Max shook his head, laughed, and started down the aisle toward a still grinning Michael. “Just that. You’re a jackass.”
“This is going to make the best story for me to tell your kids one day.” Michael chuckled.
Max stopped, a horrified look creeping onto his face. “You are not going to tell my four year old kids about the day their dad was hit on by a guy! Geezus…what kind of uncle are you, anyway?”
“The fun kind.”
-:-:-:-
One more time.
One more time that he had to stand there, on carpet he was far too well acquainted with, and say goodbye. Only this time, one girl was two.
Frankly, Jeff was more than a little tired of the whole business. But it was pointless to complain. Complaining wouldn’t make him feel better and, most of all, it wouldn’t change one little thing.
Although, he was seriously considering writing a letter to the officials of the San Francisco Airport, so he could ask them to change their carpet.
“Daddy?” Jeff smiled at Liz. “Do we really have to grow up? I mean…is there a rule somewhere that says we have to?”
“Squirt…if the four of you hadn’t been willing to grow up, you would never have met Max. He’s more than worth the pain of growing up, isn’t he?” Jeff gave Liz a sly smile and she grinned.
“Yeah…he kinda is.”
“Yeah,” Jeff breathed out and smiled.
“Well…I hate to say this, but I think we have to go.” Isabel spoke softly, her head tilted down as she gripped the handle of her carryon. Maria walked over and wrapped her arm around the taller girl, squeezing her affectionately. Isabel met Maria’s eyes and the two girls smiled at one another before Isabel unclasped her hand from the black canvas handle of her carryon and put both of her arms around Maria.
Liz walked over to the other two girls and the tiny girl wrapped her arms as far as they would go around the other two, who immediately started giggling.
“Maria…you better call us.”
“The same goes for you two.”
Isabel broke from the two and turned to look at Jeff, who was smiling at them. She spared Maria and Liz one more glance before walking over to him. Maria and Liz stayed in conversation. “And keep up with your self defense, okay?”
“I promise. Oh! Did I tell you? They want me to sing in another showcase!”
Liz grinned. “No, you didn’t tell me that! When did you find out?”
A few feet away, Isabel walked up to a smiling Jeff and, before she even knew what she was doing, wrapped her arms tightly around him, resting her head on his chest. Jeff pulled his left arm around her shoulders and rested his hand on her head before he pulled his right arm around her, resting it on the middle of her back.
Isabel took in a deep breath and let out her words in a soft hiss. “Thank you. I’ll never be able to say that enough. Thank you.”
Jeff inclined his head so that his forehead was touching the top of her head. “The same goes for me. Thank you, Isabel. Thank you so much.”
Eventually they pulled away from one another and Isabel sniffled, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Jeff framed her face with his big hands and smiled. “You are amazing, Isabel. Please don’t ever think otherwise.”
All Isabel could do was smile.
Liz walked over and said, “Well…we have to, right? No choice?”
Isabel stepped back to Maria and Maria once again wrapped her arm around the taller girl. Isabel returned the gesture, pulling Maria further into her side.
Liz scrunched her nose up and Jeff smiled at his daughter affectionately. “No choice.”
“Damn. I was hoping that might have changed sometime in the last couple of minutes. Not that lucky, huh?”
“Guess not.” Jeff opened his arms and Liz walked into them, relishing her dad’s familiar warmth. She closed her eyes as she took in the softness of his shirt against her face and the smell of laundry detergent that lingered on his clothes. “Oh my incredible little girl. How I’ll miss you.”
They stood there a long time, letting the hushed, echoing chatter from other families around them saying goodbye rise to the high ceilings above them. “Did you know the Eskimos have fifty-two words for snow?”
Jeff smiled softly down at his daughter, still encased in his arms. “Do they now?”
“Mmmhmm.” Liz stared blankly down the terminal. “Don’t you think there should be just as many words for love in English?”
Jeff kissed the top of her head and she closed her eyes briefly at the contact. “I do, indeed.”
Liz pulled back from him and shifted the strap of her messenger bag. “Well…here we go. Izzy?” Liz turned to look at Isabel, who picked up her carryon and smiled.
“I’m ready.”
The two girls walked over to the security line and Jeff walked over to Maria, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Maria?”
“Hmm?” Maria turned to look at Jeff, who was smiling down at her.
“Thank you for not getting on a plane, too.”
Maria laughed and turned to watch as Liz and Isabel finished putting their shoes back on. They said something to one another, then turned and shouted, “Love you both!” before they turned and walked away.
Jeff kept his eyes on them until they were out of sight, then turned to Maria. “So…do you have any plans tonight?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Well in that case, perhaps I may be so bold as to request the pleasure of your company for dinner tonight.”
“It would be my pleasure.” Maria hooked her arm in Jeff’s and the two walked out through the revolving doors and into the brisk January afternoon, Maria talking rapidly about her next gig, Jeff listening with rapt attention.
-:-:-:-
Deep in Terminal B, Isabel and Liz sat in contoured plastic chairs, waiting for their flight number to be called. Liz was resting her head on Isabel’s shoulder, a bit worn out by the realization that they were all separated now, divided among various states. She didn’t know why it had hit her now, right at this exact moment, instead of the moment when she could no longer see her dad or Maria, but it was hitting her now all the same. She didn’t suppose she had any other choice than to just let it pass. So let it pass, she would.
Isabel looked from face to face, trying to guess how many of them were feeling the way she and Liz were. She reasoned it had to be a fairly high number, but it was just a guess. There was a feeling in the airport of inconstancy, restlessness and general anxiety. It was easy to see that many of the people in chairs around the girls wanted to be anywhere but there at that moment.
“Liz?” Isabel’s voice was so soft that at first, Liz didn’t hear her. Isabel had to repeat herself, albeit slightly louder this time. “Liz?”
Liz shifted and lifted her head off of Isabel’s shoulder. “Yeah?”
Isabel didn’t know how it had happened. She had just been sitting there, minding her own business, when an anvil fell on her chest. Suddenly, everything that had happened to her in her life, the good and the bad, came back to her at once. It was so much that she almost couldn’t breathe, but breathe she did. And when she realized she was capable of breathing, even with all that pressure on her chest, she smiled, tears in her eyes, as she looked at Liz.
Airports, by nature, are way stations. They are simply places you stop on your way to getting somewhere else. They don’t usually have any significance at all. But Isabel knew that her path to her real life hadn’t followed any sort of previously established pattern, so she was prepared to accept it when she realized that this airport wasn’t just a way station to her. It had brought her family to life.
“Thank you for being my family, Liz.”
Last edited by OrangeSky on Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:04 pm
- Location: Somewhere left of center
- Contact:
LairaBehr4- *music plays*
La la la la la la la la la means, I love you!
Too true.
Aurorabee- Thanks Anne!
FSU/MSW-94-
Maiqu- It was kind of priceless, wasn't it? Oh...if only Michael knew that guys had crushes on him too...
Chrissie1218- I love that you check the site so you can read my story before you go to bed.
Alien_Friend-
Sternbetrachter-
sprayadhesive-
Rowedog-
begonia9508- Oh yes...Max is hot for anyone, Eve. I think we all agree on that point.
Natalie36- I'm glad that you like it so much, Natalie.
roswell3053- I'm really glad everybody liked a guy hitting on Max. One of my more fun creations, I think. Poor Darren.
tequathisy- Isn't that what Spray's been asking me for for a long time?
Synera-
chanks_girl- Thanks!
Cocogurl-
Michelle in Yonkers-
I would...never!
I would say something much more intelligent but I don't think I have it in me right now.
I know everyone's excited to know that.
nibbles2- Well, I'm glad to bring it to you, but I'm not sure how long it'll be until the reunions. Sorry.
Ms_BuffyAnneSummers- Well, thanks!
BehrObsession-
thetvgeneral-
fadedblue-
You were...abducted by angry...cheese makers?
erinkatie-
All bumps and congrats are highly appreciated. Love you guys!
And to any lurkers...hi!
Okay...I know it's later than any of us would like and I know that sucks, but at least I give you long chapters, right? Another long one for all of you.
And in case you've been wondering (don't know why you would, but...) this fic has now reached 403 pages and it's not stopping anytime soon. (This chapter is 19 1/3 pages long.)
Wow!
Big thanks to Laira, because I asked her for her favorite Joni song and she gave me Big Yellow Taxi. Thank you Laira my love.
Disclaimers go to the use of Big Yellow Taxi and Imagine. Neither song belongs to me. They belong to Joni Mitchell and John Lennon, respectively.
And this chapter is dedicated to Sprayadhesive...because she's been waiting a really long time for Max to do this.
Chapter 36: Monday, You Can Fall Apart…
It was one of those weeks that seemed like any other, but that was at the beginning of the week, on Monday, and we all know how good Mondays are at fooling us. Mondays are a bit puckish in nature. Sometimes they tell the truth, sometimes they don’t. But more often than not, Monday will tell us a partial truth and we become convinced, in all our human shortsightedness, that it’s a full truth.
Still…we like to believe Mondays. It may be a bit silly, but it’s also a bit comforting. Mondays, after all, happen every week, without fail. We can have a bad Monday one week and the next week have one that’s unbelievable. Monday is a fresh start…a new beginning...promise just waiting to be fulfilled.
Monday makes us believe.
So that was exactly what Alex, Maria, Tess and Max did.
They believed in their Monday.
On Monday morning, Alex Parker found a book he thought he’d lost months ago and put it on the very top of his last suitcase.
On Monday at noon, Maria DeLuca broke her heel walking out of a restaurant with her mom.
On Monday afternoon, Tess Harding, on the first day of her new internship, dropped an armful of files all over the floor, right in front of her boss.
On Monday night, Max Evans finally beat his best friend at Guitar Hero.
So which Monday was telling the truth?
Which Monday was telling a lie?
Which Monday was telling a partial truth?
And which Monday wasn’t saying anything at all?
Tuesday
“Is everyone there?” Alex Parker shifted a little on the hard piano bench, speaking into his flipped open cell phone. It was resting on top of the piano, a faint blue glow emitting from the small screen. He could hear various sounds of movement coming from the phone: the sounds of doors opening and closing, the rustle of clothing, the murmur of far off voices.
“Here.” Liz checked in and Alex heard her move from the sounds of the street to a much quieter, more insular world. He heard someone playing Mozart in the background and Liz greeted someone, the store owner or manager maybe – Liz failed to completely cover the mouthpiece of her phone – just as Michael began to speak.
“Here.”
Kyle yawned and said, “Al…I’m here too. But remind me…why are we doing this again? You’re leaving for New York today. Hi Lizzy…hey Mike.”
“Morning Kyle.”
“Hey.”
Alex rolled his shoulders back and sat up straight on the bench. “It’s the last time the four of us will be in four places. I just…wanted to.”
Liz coughed, clearing her throat of the morning haze. “Someone sounds like he just woke up.”
Kyle grunted in response and Alex smiled widely as he heard a door close softly.
Michael sighed on his end of the phone and said, “We’re doing it because Alex wants to, Kyle. And isn’t it a little late for you to be just waking up on a Tuesday?”
“Class was cancelled this morning – my professor had food poisoning or something - and no practice this afternoon. I wanted to take advantage.”
Liz said, “That’s right…your first game is in two days. How you feeling?”
“Good…good. Same as I always do at the beginning of the season. New. No bruises, no strained ligaments, a couple of banged up fingers. Okay…so…almost new.”
“Nervous?” That was Michael.
Alex wasn’t sure why Michael always asked that question, especially when he already knew the answer. The twin thing had certain…advantages, after all. No one knew Kyle the way Michael did. And Michael knew the last thing Kyle felt before a season was nerves. So why was he asking?
“Nah. Anxious, though. Just want the season to start. So Alex…what’s the song of the day?”
“Methinks I’ll allow you to guess.”
Michael groaned. “I hate…guessing.”
Liz said, “Oh come on, Mike…where’s your sense of adventure?”
“In the garage next to Alex’s old model cars.”
Kyle laughed. “Okay…I’ll guess first. Uh…I’m a Little Teapot?”
Alex chuckled. “Uh…no. Not even close.”
Michael said, “Piano Man?”
“Closer - not that that was hard – but no. Lizzy?”
“Hmm…” Liz rustled on her end of the line. “Should I use my powers of twin observation, or should I play fair?”
“I say play dirty. It’s only fair,” Michael said.
“Mike? If you play dirty, how is th-” Kyle seemed to think better of what he was about to say, because he immediately added, “Nah…never mind. Play dirty, Lizzy. Play dirty.”
“Well, when allowed to use the aforementioned twin thing, I say…” She hummed a bit, mostly to herself, as she thought the question over. Her brothers waited patiently, or, as patiently as they were able. Michael tapped his fingers on the piano bench, Kyle softly pressed first one key down on his piano, then another, and Alex moved his fingers gently in the air, seeking out familiar chord changes, making no noise.
Finally, Liz spoke. “Okay…so my gut is telling me…Imagine.”
Alex let out a noise of approval. “And the twin thing once again goes against the laws of nature. Very nice, Lizzy.”
Kyle said, “I wonder what would happen if scientists ever got wind of what we can do.”
“We’d be dissected like we were aliens from another planet,” Michael said. “You have an order in mind, Al?”
“Birth order. Mike first verse…Kyle second…I’ll take the chorus and Lizzy…last verse is yours.”
All four shifted on their piano benches so that they were sitting up straight, shoulders back and fingers resting loosely on the keys. “Count us in, Alex.”
“One…two…one two three four.”
They played as one and the sound became a surround of tinkling keys and simple melody. They had played this song many a time before, and not just because it was easy. It had been one of their mother’s favorite songs. It was the first song Nancy had taught Jeff to play on the piano. When she met him, he had only been able to play the guitar.
Michael started to sing and Alex wished he could see him. When Michael played and sang a song he knew well, he allowed himself to be just the smallest bit vulnerable. And Alex liked that view of him. When he saw it, he felt like he was getting a gift.
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Ah ah ah ah ah
Kyle played the piano pretty much like he did everything else. If he saw value in it, he spent time on it. Unlike baseball he’d never be great at it, but there was real emotion there, real soul. And that couldn’t be taught, no matter what anyone else said.
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You hoo oo oo oo
Music brought Alex to life.
He knew that sounded trite, cliché…but he just didn’t care. Every note, every chord made his heart just a little lighter and by the end of a song, Alex Parker could walk on the tops of clouds.
He had always been great at music, just like his mom. They just…heard it differently. They could see it…taste it…feel the way it rolled off their shoulders and hit the ground like raindrops.
He missed hearing her play. He missed her voice.
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you will join us
And the world will be as one
Liz liked seeing things from another person’s perspective. She always had. She liked observing them, seeing something that everyone else missed. But then, she had spent most of her life trying to look at the world from a slightly different angle than anyone else. It was what photographers did.
The Parker kids’ mom used to say that it was a precious gift to know how to see. And Liz had that. It was part of the reason she had always been able to keep the family together, even when threatened by death. And she played that ability through her fingers and into the air, this ability to see.
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You hoo oo oo oo
Alex came in one more time; the song dripping off his nose, sliding down to the tips of his hair, pooling under his feet.
He was walking on the clouds again.
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you will join us
And the world will live as one
5 hours, 14 minutes and 32 seconds later, Alex stepped on a plane headed for New York.
-:-:-:-
Wednesday
Maria jogged up to the restaurant through the misty rain. She saw Jeff waiting for her outside of the restaurant, hands clasped in front of him. She smiled and shook her head a little, unsettling some of the rain that had fallen on her blonde hair. She pulled her jacket a little tighter in the cold and hopped up onto the sidewalk.
“Hi!”
“Hello, my lovely girl. Thank you for meeting me for lunch.” Jeff pulled her close.
“Oh…my pleasure. You know…I went to lunch with my mom on Monday next door at The Farmhouse and broke my heel coming out. Funny that you wanted to have lunch here.”
“It is an interesting coincidence, I agree. Are you ready to go in?” Jeff opened the door when Maria nodded and held it open so she could walk into the restaurant.
They both pulled their jackets off and greeted the host, who immediately picked up two menus and led them across the restaurant to a table closer to the back, near a window. Jeff thanked the host and smiled at him, and the host bowed slightly in response.
They settled into their seats and into themselves as they looked over the menu. A waiter walked over quickly and stopped in front of their table, clasping his hands behind his back.
“Hi…how are we doing today?”
“Well…thank you.”
Maria smiled up at him. “Good, thanks.”
“That’s good to hear.” He smiled. “I’m Frank and I’ll be your server today. Can we get you a drink to start with?”
Frank could, and Jeff placed an order for a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale while Maria decided on an iced tea with lemon. They weren’t ready to order, so Frank excused himself to give them more time, walking to the other side of the restaurant to grab their drinks.
Jeff held the menu in his left hand, glancing up and down the columns. He looked up when he was finished, folding the menu and laying it flat on the white tablecloth.
“I can’t decide between the sun-dried tomato panini and the…minestrone soup and salad. Hmm…” Maria screwed her face up a little as she pondered her choices. She looked up at Jeff, who had settled back in his chair. “What are you going to get?”
“The penne with winter vegetables.”
He smiled fondly at her as she scrunched her nose up and shook her head. “That doesn’t help.”
He laughed. “And if I had chosen one of your two picks then that would have helped?”
“Of course it would have. Then I would have just chosen the other one.”
“Oh the wisdom of youth.”
Frank walked back over with their drinks and placed them in front of their plates, stepping back a moment later and once again pulled out his order pad. “Have we decided?”
Jeff looked across the table, raised his eyebrows and asked, “Maria?”
“The panini with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil.” She also ordered a side salad, dressing on the side, before folding up her menu and handing it over.
When Frank looked at Jeff, Jeff sat up and handed over his menu, saying, “I’ll have the penne with winter vegetables.”
“One of my favorites.” Frank smiled and tucked the menus under his left arm, walking away.
Jeff took a sip of his beer and looked at Maria, who pushed the lemon down further into her iced tea, crushing the slice a bit with the end of her straw.
“So, tell me…how’s rehearsal for the new showcase coming?”
“Coming…but not as well as I’d like.”
“What’s the trouble?” Jeff set his ale down to the right of his plate.
“I want to do a new song, but…nothing’s coming. Nothing seems right.”
Jeff seemed to think for a moment. Then he stood and said, “I think…I’m not sure…but I think I may be able to help. Excuse me for just a moment.” Jeff dropped his napkin at his place and walked quickly across the restaurant and out the door.
Maria watched the door in anticipation, feeling the seconds tick by. What could he possibly have that would change anything?
Maria started to knead her napkin a little, running the white fabric between her fingers. Just as she was about to get up from her seat and walk out the restaurant door in search of him – even though he had been gone a mere five minutes or so – Jeff walked back through the door, a guitar case in tow.
His right hand was clasped around the handle of the black case; his left was cradling the neck. He moved fluidly through the tables but stopped as soon as he reached Maria’s side. He seemed to hesitate a moment, tapping his fingers on the neck of the guitar case. “I’ve been meaning to give this to you for a few weeks now…really…as soon as I saw you in that tree farm. Because you were meant to have it, and…” He trailed off and looked down at the guitar case. “She wanted you to have it.”
Jeff held the guitar case out to Maria and she took it, laying it on the floor so she could open it. She flipped the sliver clasps open and lifted the case, revealing the contents with a gasp.
“I can’t take this. This is…no. I can’t.”
“Maria…she wanted you to have it.”
Maria shook her head quickly, back and forth. “No. It belongs to Liz. Or Alex. Or Kyle. Or Michael.”
Jeff crouched down and put his hand on Maria’s arm. “No, Maria. They have plenty to remember their mother by. This…this was always going to be yours.”
Maria picked the guitar up out of its old, worn down case and cradled it gently in her hands. Put this guitar in a lineup with hundreds of others, and Maria would have been able to pick it out instantly. Nancy had handed every one of her kids this guitar, positioned their fingers on the frets, and showed them how to play. And that included Maria.
She could never have hoped for this guitar, this instrument that held a small, lingering piece of Nancy. Never. She would never presume to believe it hers. But here Jeff was, handing it over with a wink and a smile.
“I do have one request, though.” Jeff’s soft voice infiltrated Maria’s thoughts and she looked up. “Play me something?”
Maria smiled. It was a simple request, really. Nothing excessive, nothing she wouldn’t do anyway. And just like him.
Maria nodded and pulled the guitar up to rest on her right thigh. She had to think for just a moment before she placed her fingers and started to strum the strings quickly.
Jeff smiled as he settled into his chair on the other side of the table.
Maria strummed aggressively, pushing the guitar to limits it hadn’t felt since it had been put away, years ago. She smiled as the song’s natural spirit infused the world around her.
It seemed natural to play Joni on this guitar. Nancy would certainly have approved of this song.
And it seemed funny, but in a way Maria felt that maybe the woman who had been her second mom was singing right along with her.
Because call her crazy, but she swore she could hear Nancy’s voice coming from the guitar too.
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot…spot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They took all the trees
And put them in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to seem 'em
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Hey farmer, farmer
Put away that DDT now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Late last night
I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
I said
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Maria ended the song in giggles and the restaurant erupted in claps; forks and knives, spoons and napkins falling down onto plates.
Maria grinned down at the guitar and ran her fingers along the smooth wood. It was almost like she had just greeted an old friend.
“Oh yes…that guitar was meant to be yours.” Maria looked up and Jeff gestured to the clapping patrons of the restaurant. “Are you going to tell me that fifty-four people are wrong? Maria my darling girl…you were born to be a star.”
-:-:-:-
Wednesday Night
Tess had a feeling. There was no other way to describe it.
She’d had it since she stepped out of the media building about 3 minutes ago.
And it wasn’t a comfortable feeling.
Tess looked down at her watch and started to walk a little faster. 9:22 PM. Tess hated the campus at night.
It was fairly well lit, but there was at least one section that wasn’t, and she was about to walk right through it to get to her car. It was a shortcut and she didn’t have to take it, but walking around would take her another 6 minutes or so, and she was anxious to get home. She was sacrificing comfort for speed and as she stepped onto the unlit path, she wasn’t sure how good an idea that had been.
Tess sped up even more and pulled the strap of her bookbag tighter to her body. Her breath came out in short pants, the heat of it condensing in the air to form clouds in front of her face even as the icy air bit at her cheeks. Her eyes strained in front of her, looking left and right, hoping to find nothing but trees and snow. But even though that was all she saw, even though she got exactly what she had hoped for, it didn’t settle her stomach any. The quiet spurred her onward, and she counted her steps, hoping she’d catch sight of the parking lot soon.
Tess wasn’t a chicken, but there was something about what could be waiting in the cold night that made her skin crawl in expectation.
Saying she didn’t like it would be an understatement. She just wanted to get to her car. Yesterday.
Tess’ feet crunched the fresh snow under her feet and as she walked over a small ridge, she spied the lights of the parking lot ahead.
Then suddenly, Tess was jerked to a stop by two arms, wrapped around her small body.
She felt herself panic for the briefest of seconds. Her breathing accelerated, her body went rigid and then…then she pictured Liz standing in the middle of the playroom in Napa in her bare feet.
And she didn’t have to think anymore.
“No!”
Tess brought her left leg up and stamped down hard on her attacker’s instep. She felt his grip loosen and she took that opportunity to jam her left elbow into the left side of his abdomen then up into his nose. His arms released from her middle completely and he staggered backward from her, falling down into the snow as he blinked back tears. Tess whirled around and kicked his groin as hard as she could. 5 years of soccer hadn’t gone to waste.
Imagine how proud her dad would be when she told him that.
Tess now had the opportunity to really get a look at her attacker. He was crumpled in a ball in the snow, pathetically trying to clutch his nose and groin at the same time. His face was laced in pain and Tess felt a wave of triumph bubble up within her. She didn’t know him but he looked a little familiar, like a person does when you pass them at the same time every day in the hall or eat lunch at the same time in the same restaurant, between classes.
Tess saw a security truck slowly working its way down a row of the nearby parking lot and she ran over to the truck, waving her arms. The truck stopped and she recognized the security guard that stepped out of the truck and zipped up his jacket. Tess had a lot of classes in the media building and Wilson was its normal security guard. He was an older man who treated all of the students with a sort of quiet kindness, often offering to walk or drive many of them to their cars late at night. Tess usually refused, but tonight she would have taken him up on the offer, had she seen him before she left the building. But Wilson had been nowhere in sight.
“Tess? Are you alright?”
“Wilson, I’m so glad to see you! There’s a man over there in the snow, and he attacked me.” Tess gestured and Wilson’s eyes went wide.
He ran over to the body, Tess close behind him, and stopped when he reached the still folded body of her attacker. Wilson looked at him a moment then turned to look at Tess. “Are you sure he attacked you?”
Tess smiled and laughed softly, despite herself. “Yeah…I’m sure.”
“Well…remind me never to get on your bad side.” He smiled at her and she smiled back.
“Well if you think that’s something, you should see what my almost sister-in-law can do.”
Wilson got on his radio and called the security office, who called the police, and about 30 minutes later Tess was sitting at a desk with an officer, giving her statement.
When Kyle burst through the station house doors a bit later looked frenzied and scared, Tess rushed right up to him and pulled him into a hug, saying, “I did it! I did it, Kyle! It just…came to me!”
The panic Kyle felt at getting a call from the police, a call telling him Tess was there, at the station house, was starting to melt away now that he could see her in front of him, obviously without a scratch on her. She was happy – ecstatic even – and Kyle felt a smile start to worm its way onto his lips. “Honey…what did you do?”
“I sang!”
“Huh?” There was a connection that Kyle obviously wasn’t making.
“He attacked me…grabbed me from behind…and I barely even had to think at all. It was like I knew what to do all along! Can I borrow your cell phone?”
Kyle – lost in the idea that some guy had grabbed the woman he loved – didn’t really hear Tess. “Some guy grabbed you?”
“Yeah, and I’m fine.” Tess put her warm hands on Kyle’s cold face, drawing him a little closer. “Isn’t that great?”
Kyle smiled at Tess, feeling the warmth from her hands start to work its way into his skin. “Yeah, it is.” He pulled her close, hugging her for a long, long time. Tess let him. He needed it. When he pulled away he kissed her gently. “Did I hear you ask for my cell phone?”
Tess laughed. “Yeah.”
Kyle handed it over. “What happened to yours?”
“I think it fell in the snow somewhere.” She flipped the phone open and scrolled through the contacts. When she reached the right one she hit the OK button and put the phone up to her ear, listening for the ring.
The phone rang once…twice…three times before someone picked up the other end.
“Kyle…I love you…but I was sleeping. Really well, too.”
Tess smiled at the groggy fondness in Liz’s voice. “It’s Tess, Liz.”
Liz’s voice immediately changed to contain an edge of alarm. “Tess? Why are you calling from Kyle’s phone? Is he okay? Are you okay?”
“He’s fine…I’m fine…we’re fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but I just had to call you.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I did it, Liz. Some guy attacked me tonight and I did exactly what you told me. I barely even had to think about it. I just…did it.”
Kyle watched from his seat in a wooden chair along the wall, elbow on the arm of the chair, chin resting in the palm of his hand. He smiled as he watched his girlfriend on the phone to his sister. He couldn’t help it.
Tess was pacing quickly back and forth, waving her hands through the air excitedly as she talked quickly through the phone. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but that didn’t matter. He was simply relieved she was okay. He’d have to talk to her about not scaring him to death anymore, though. He probably couldn’t handle another call like that. Not anytime soon.
“You’re okay, right? You’re okay?”
Tess grinned and turned her eyes to lock with Kyle’s. He was smiling at her. “I’m okay. And I felt so…empowered. I didn’t know I had it in me.”
“I did.”
-:-:-:-
Friday
Max Evans hadn’t begun the week thinking that anything out of the ordinary was going to happen. But then, why would he? The very definition of out of the ordinary was unexpected, unforeseen, uncommon. And what reason would he have to suspect that something unexpected, unforeseen, uncommon was going to happen?
None.
It’s not like finally beating Michael at Guitar Hero carried a sign with it that said “Because you creamed your best friend, your cold, self-absorbed parents will show up on your doorstep.”
Maybe he needed a rhyme, a proverb to remind him that weeks don’t always end up the way they start.
If a Monday shows promise, Maxes be cautious.
Eh…it needed work.
It wasn’t exactly up there with “Red sky at morning, sailors take warning”, yet.
“It’s rude to leave your guests standing in the hallway, Maxwell.”
“Is it still considered rude if the guests are uninvited, father? Isn’t that the more socially unacceptable offense? Showing up at someone’s door unbidden?”
“Max?”
Max turned his head to look at Michael, who had an unreadable expression on his face.
[/i]Shit[/i].
He had forgotten Michael was standing there.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to head out to the bookstore. Call me if you need anything.”
Max nodded just as his father said, “By all means, stay. Your father is quite skilled at butting in where he doesn’t belong. Wouldn’t you like to continue the family tradition?”
Michael smiled and Max wanted to laugh, despite the tension. He knew Michael well enough to know that wasn’t just a smile.
“Perhaps my father was raised to believe that when someone comes into his home that is hurt or neglected in any way, it falls on him to do something about that. And perhaps he raised me to understand where my place is and where it isn’t. But…I could be wrong.” Michael turned and pulled his phone out of his pocket, holding it up in the air in front of Max and nodding at him. “Max.”
Max understood. Call if he needed anything.
Max nodded at Michael and Michael walked down the hallway and toward the stairs, finally disappearing out of sight about 20 seconds later.
“Well…are you going to open the door and let us in, Maxwell? Or would you like to continue this conversation with the bums in the hallway?”
Max really hated the way his name fell off his father’s tongue. And more than that, he hated that his father persisted in using his full first name; a name full of pomposity that smelled of blue blood and country clubs.
“You mean the non-existent bums? Those bums?” Max put his key in the lock and opened up the door, flipping the light switch on as he walked into the apartment. He dropped his bag near the front door and pulled his jacket off, dropping it over the back of the couch.
Diane Evans sat down gingerly on the edge of the sofa, looking around herself constantly as if she were afraid some rodent of unusual size was going to jump out at her from a dark corner. There was no mistaking how she felt about her son’s living space, if the way she was frowning and crinkling her nose was any indication.
Philip Evans was pacing back and forth in front of the apartment windows, making it a point not to touch anything. When he accidentally brushed up against a bookcase, he rubbed the point of contact furiously, trying to dispel nonexistent filth. Max shook his head slowly from side to side and walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. He had a feeling he was going to need it.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me.”
Max walked out of the kitchen with his glass of water just as his father was attempting to walk into it. “I wasn’t walking away from you. I was getting a glass of water.” Max brushed by his father and sighed.
Max didn’t want to be here, having this conversation. He was sure there were far fewer painful things that he could be doing, like pulling out all his teeth with a pair of pliers. Maybe if he just closed his eyes and thought of Napa, pictured the trees and the vines, he’d be through it in no time. And he needed to get through it.
Because if there was one thing Max knew for sure, it was that this conversation had to happen. He had been waiting years for this, and though he had always desperately longed for some other childhood, some other parents, the people in front of him were what he had been given. And at some point or another, he had to make his peace with that.
“Now…what are you doing here?”
Philip eyed the peeling paint on the wall next to him with distaste and barked, “Don’t speak to me in that tone of voice boy. Are you forgetting who pays for…this?” He gestured around lightly. “The University of Chicago…your…apartment…your books…the beer in that ancient thing you call a fridge?”
Max leaned against the back of the sofa and calmly took a sip of his water. He would not allow his parents to dictate this conversation. He had waited for this; it didn’t matter that the situation wasn’t particularly ideal. He had a plan – it may have been a haphazard one he had thrown together within the last two minutes – but it was a plan none the less.
Max would allow his father to yell at him, scream at him, belittle him all he liked. And he would not rise to the occasion. When his father called him directionless and weak, he would say nothing.
That’s all he had to do.
And when his father had finished yelling, when there was finally a break in the noise, Max would start to talk.
And no matter what, he wouldn’t stop.
Because Max knew this to be a situation of now or never, even if he hated the very idea of it, right down to the tips of his toes. What he wanted was something else, some other reality. He wanted parents who knew his favorite color; he wanted people who had taken the time to talk to his second grade teacher on parent-teacher night.
Wishful thinking. Wishful fucking thinking.
“I don’t like the direction you’re headed, Maxwell. This…lollygagging…is fine when you’re a freshman or sophomore, but you’re a senior. And I expect you to know better. You’ll be starting law school in the fall, and you can’t expect to get by on nothing, can you? Do you know I called Robert Morgan at Columbia and he told me you hadn’t even called him about entrance in the fall? You’re lucky David and I go way back, otherwise you’d have a lot of ground to make up. This is your future, Maxwell. Where is your head, boy?” Philip walked up to Max and got directly in his face, but Max refused to be bullied. It wasn’t his turn yet.
“I have allowed you many things, Maxwell. Maybe your mother and I gave you too much. Perhaps I have…somehow…given you the idea that you can simply skate through your life. Well…forget it. If you’re going to become a senior partner at Evans and Bruer, you need to get your head on straight and stop associating with that…family.”
Max stood from the back of the couch and said softly, and with a severity that he hadn’t known he had, “Enough.”
“You have the audacity to te-”
“Enough. That’s…enough. You’ve said what you needed to say. Now…it’s my turn.” Max took a deep breath and set his glass down on the kitchen table. “I deserved better than you, and so did Isabel. We deserved better. And the Parkers…they’ve finally given that to us. And even with all of your anger…even with your inability to actually parent us, we didn’t hate you. And that…I can’t really figure out. Because I should. By all rights…I should. Isabel, I can’t speak for.
“I’m not sure how you did it, but I don’t really…care to know anymore. I used to, but that was before I grew up. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately. I’m sorry I disappointed you, even though I never knew how to make you proud. I’m sorry I wasn’t what you wanted, what you had envisioned. But this is who I am. And I know you don’t like it, but I’m not going to change, father.” Max walked across the apartment so he could face both his parents and found his mother looking away from him. That was typical behavior for her, a shrinking violet in a silent room. Diane could give furniture lessons on how to be still.
“And I didn’t forget to call Robert Morgan. I’m not going to Columbia. In fact…I’m not going to law school at all. I don’t want your firm, ever.”
“We had an agreement.”
Max sighed. Yeah…pliers would be more fun. “No…you gave an order and I followed it because I had no choice in the matter.”
“You had a choice,” he spat out.
“No…I really didn’t.”
Redwood trees…endless grape vines…dancing with Liz…Christmas morning…lunch with Grandma Claudia and Grandpa David. Close your eyes and think of Napa, Max.
“Because you and I both know you aren’t really big on choices, not for your kids.” Max sighed and shifted. “And since I know you respond to ultimatums, here’s mine: Unless your words are kind or supportive, I don’t want them. Right now I don’t want you in my life, and I sure don’t need you. I haven’t needed you in a long time.
“You barely even noticed Isabel and I were there, except when it served your purpose. We aren’t toys, father. I’ll say it again: we deserved better. It took me a long time to figure that out, but now that I have, there’s no way I can have you in my life. Either of you.”
Diane Evans lifted her head slowly and finally looked at her son, but looked away quickly. Philip Evans walked across the small room slowly, his eyes locked with his son’s. He stopped in front of Max and said with glittering eyes, a cruel twist to his mouth, “You make that choice and the money goes with me.”
“I don’t need your money.”
“Your landlord and the University of Chicago beg to differ.”
“I’ll get a loan. Or a job. I’ll be fine.”
“You continue with this and that’s it…you’re dead to us.”
“Fine.”
“You’ll never see your sister again.”
A phrase like that would have, in past years, made Max pause. But the thing about spending most of your childhood with one person was this: you knew them. And even in the face of Philip’s bold confidence, Max knew who Isabel would pick. Because Philip had no idea who his daughter was now, had no idea that she had grown into the person she was meant to be all along. But more than anything, he had no idea that this person he thought he had know all along was different than he always supposed.
Isabel had guts. And this time, she wouldn’t be afraid to say no.
“Isabel’s a smart girl. I’m sure she can make the decision for herself, no matter what it is.”
“If that’s your decision then.”
“It is.”
“Fine. Diane…let’s go.” Philip turned on his heel and walked to the door, pulling it open with a jerk. Diane stood slowly and walked across the apartment. Max watched her the entire time, willing her to look at him just once, but she never did. The thought that even though she was leaving her son behind forever, that she wouldn’t look at him once…that saddened him more than anything else.
The door slammed with a bang and Max continued to watch it long after he heard his father’s heavy footsteps walk down the hallway and out of his life.
He felt a sudden, heavy ache in his throat and Max sank down on the windowsill. He should have felt better and he did, in some ways, but in other, rather unexpected ways, Max felt a lot older and much more tired than he had 30 minutes ago, when he was walking the stairs with Michael, up to their apartment. He had longed to say these things to his father for ages but now that he had, he simply felt tired and used up. He needed to be soothed and reassured.
He knew who he was going to call, long before his hand reached for the phone.
By all rights, he should have called Isabel first, given her enough time so that she could prepare for the arrival of their parents on her doorstep, but Max felt the need to be selfish, just once. He would call her as soon as he got off the phone.
Max held the phone to his ear and waited for the person on the other end to pick up.
Ring…ring…
-:-:-:-
In the main building at Parker Vineyards, Jeff Parker looked down at the picture of Max flashing on his red, kids-only cell phone and picked it up immediately. “Hi Max…hold on a sec, okay?”
“Sure.”
Jeff held the phone against his body and shouted, “Paolo! Do you know where I put the statement on Parker Vineyards charity donations for last year?”
“Right side of the desk in your home office.”
“Thanks!” Jeff put the phone back up to his ear and started to walk down the right side of the main building, along the wall. “Okay Max…I’m all yours. How are you?”
“Uh…do you have an easier question?”
“Max, what’s wrong?”
Max hesitated on his end. “Do you have a minute to talk?”
“For you Max, I have all the time in the world.”
So Max told Jeff that his parents had shown up at his doorstep just a little bit ago, without calling first. And he told him that he was calm and rational, but still wanted to tear his hair out.
He told him that his mother wouldn’t look at him, and he wondered why he still cared when she obviously didn’t.
But mostly, Max wondered aloud why he didn’t feel better, when he obviously should.
Jeff settled into the large leather chair in his home office, looking out the window and into the backyard. The trees still held remnants of the morning rain. “I had the hardest time when Nancy died. Everyone was trying to tell me that they were sorry and that it would go away one day, but that was the last thing I wanted to hear. I just wanted…her. And I couldn’t have her.
“Everywhere reminded me of her and at one point, it just got to be too much and I collapsed onto the porch swing and started to cry. The pain was just…unbearable. And then I felt Liz climb onto the swing and into my lap and she put her head over my heart and I just…cried. Then my boys climbed onto the swing and put their arms around me and their heads on my arms and if it’s possible to have four children in your lap at one time, we accomplished that. And I felt it then. I had pain…that was certain. But Nancy wasn’t gone. She was in those four kids I love so much. And that made the pain lessen.
“I can’t pretend to understand how you’re feeling, Max. It’s a pain I’ve never had. But I promise you this: It’s not a lie when I say you’ll be okay. And it’s not a lie to have the pain in the first place. And no matter what…I’m here.”
-:-:-:-
An hour later, sitting cross-legged on his beaten down blue sofa, Max hung up with his dad Jeff and called his sister Isabel.
La la la la la la la la la means, I love you!
Too true.
No thanks. Why would we sue a grad student? That's just cruel and unusual punishment.I'm blind. So sue me.
Aurorabee- Thanks Anne!
FSU/MSW-94-
Yeah...I got a nice long laugh from that too.Max and crush-boy at the University bookstore was priceless
Maiqu- It was kind of priceless, wasn't it?
Oh...if only Michael knew that guys had crushes on him too... Chrissie1218-
I fondly disagree.Checking this site before going to bed is never a good idea when one of my favorite stories is updated.
I love that you check the site so you can read my story before you go to bed.Alien_Friend-
Yay! I did!Yay you updated!!
I have to take a philosophy class for my major and I'm not particularly fond of any of the options, but I think I'm going to settle for Ethics. I think that'll be alright. I feel your pain, sister friend.I'll have to look that book up. Sounds like a hoot. I dropped that class. Realized metaphysics wasn't for me. I figured since I am doing a specialist in philosophy I probably should like the kind philosophy I'm learning.
Sternbetrachter-
Well, aren't you sweet? Thanks!love the last line
sprayadhesive-
Would I expect anything less of AngstyGirl? I think not.I love how... homey this feels. And I'm being very serious with that statement.
Uh...yeah. 'Fraid so.But MUST we have everyone seperated for long?
Rowedog-
Oh yeah...much amusement on my part.And I loved Max being a gay man's fantasy, so funny!
Aww...thanks, Alison! You really know how to make a girl's day!Thank you for writing this, this fic has to be one of my absolute favourites!
begonia9508- Oh yes...Max is hot for anyone, Eve. I think we all agree on that point.
Natalie36- I'm glad that you like it so much, Natalie.
roswell3053- I'm really glad everybody liked a guy hitting on Max. One of my more fun creations, I think. Poor Darren.
tequathisy-
Hmm...Clueless Max, he's so cute. The insight into his family life was so sad, I hope he and Isabel confront their parents soon.
Isn't that what Spray's been asking me for for a long time?
It does indeed.Where the others are just starting out, Tess and Kyle have become comfortable in theirs and are in a serious relationship rather than beginning one. Does that make sense?
Synera-
I'm glad you think they're real. I strive very hard for that.I loved Tess's comment about that Kyle better love her or why was she buying food for RJ. It's situations like that make them so real.
chanks_girl- Thanks!
Cocogurl-
I have a better question: Why isn't everyone's father like that?Why can't my father be like that? *Sigh*
Michelle in Yonkers-
*gasp*Hey! No fair taking potshots at me, in your fb roster at the beginning of the chapter!
I would...never!
Indeed.There seems to be always a tug-of-war between seeking one's fortune, and surrounding yourself with those you love. Following your dreams and following your heart will sometimes pull you in different directions.
I would say something much more intelligent but I don't think I have it in me right now.
In the next chapter.I still can't wait to see what Liz's treasure hunt present is
I know everyone's excited to know that.
nibbles2- Well, I'm glad to bring it to you, but I'm not sure how long it'll be until the reunions. Sorry.
Ms_BuffyAnneSummers- Well, thanks!
BehrObsession-
No...they certainly won't. And thank you!The Evans won't recognize Max & Isabel the next time they meet.
thetvgeneral-
As do I. As do I.and i for one love insanity!!!!
fadedblue-
Wait, wait...uh...let me guess.shoot, how did i miss this update?
You were...abducted by angry...cheese makers?
erinkatie-
I heart you too, sweets.you are so good als.
i heart you long time.
All bumps and congrats are highly appreciated. Love you guys!
And to any lurkers...hi!
Okay...I know it's later than any of us would like and I know that sucks, but at least I give you long chapters, right? Another long one for all of you.
And in case you've been wondering (don't know why you would, but...) this fic has now reached 403 pages and it's not stopping anytime soon.
(This chapter is 19 1/3 pages long.)Wow!
Big thanks to Laira, because I asked her for her favorite Joni song and she gave me Big Yellow Taxi. Thank you Laira my love.
Disclaimers go to the use of Big Yellow Taxi and Imagine. Neither song belongs to me. They belong to Joni Mitchell and John Lennon, respectively.
And this chapter is dedicated to Sprayadhesive...because she's been waiting a really long time for Max to do this.
Chapter 36: Monday, You Can Fall Apart…
It was one of those weeks that seemed like any other, but that was at the beginning of the week, on Monday, and we all know how good Mondays are at fooling us. Mondays are a bit puckish in nature. Sometimes they tell the truth, sometimes they don’t. But more often than not, Monday will tell us a partial truth and we become convinced, in all our human shortsightedness, that it’s a full truth.
Still…we like to believe Mondays. It may be a bit silly, but it’s also a bit comforting. Mondays, after all, happen every week, without fail. We can have a bad Monday one week and the next week have one that’s unbelievable. Monday is a fresh start…a new beginning...promise just waiting to be fulfilled.
Monday makes us believe.
So that was exactly what Alex, Maria, Tess and Max did.
They believed in their Monday.
On Monday morning, Alex Parker found a book he thought he’d lost months ago and put it on the very top of his last suitcase.
On Monday at noon, Maria DeLuca broke her heel walking out of a restaurant with her mom.
On Monday afternoon, Tess Harding, on the first day of her new internship, dropped an armful of files all over the floor, right in front of her boss.
On Monday night, Max Evans finally beat his best friend at Guitar Hero.
So which Monday was telling the truth?
Which Monday was telling a lie?
Which Monday was telling a partial truth?
And which Monday wasn’t saying anything at all?
Tuesday
“Is everyone there?” Alex Parker shifted a little on the hard piano bench, speaking into his flipped open cell phone. It was resting on top of the piano, a faint blue glow emitting from the small screen. He could hear various sounds of movement coming from the phone: the sounds of doors opening and closing, the rustle of clothing, the murmur of far off voices.
“Here.” Liz checked in and Alex heard her move from the sounds of the street to a much quieter, more insular world. He heard someone playing Mozart in the background and Liz greeted someone, the store owner or manager maybe – Liz failed to completely cover the mouthpiece of her phone – just as Michael began to speak.
“Here.”
Kyle yawned and said, “Al…I’m here too. But remind me…why are we doing this again? You’re leaving for New York today. Hi Lizzy…hey Mike.”
“Morning Kyle.”
“Hey.”
Alex rolled his shoulders back and sat up straight on the bench. “It’s the last time the four of us will be in four places. I just…wanted to.”
Liz coughed, clearing her throat of the morning haze. “Someone sounds like he just woke up.”
Kyle grunted in response and Alex smiled widely as he heard a door close softly.
Michael sighed on his end of the phone and said, “We’re doing it because Alex wants to, Kyle. And isn’t it a little late for you to be just waking up on a Tuesday?”
“Class was cancelled this morning – my professor had food poisoning or something - and no practice this afternoon. I wanted to take advantage.”
Liz said, “That’s right…your first game is in two days. How you feeling?”
“Good…good. Same as I always do at the beginning of the season. New. No bruises, no strained ligaments, a couple of banged up fingers. Okay…so…almost new.”
“Nervous?” That was Michael.
Alex wasn’t sure why Michael always asked that question, especially when he already knew the answer. The twin thing had certain…advantages, after all. No one knew Kyle the way Michael did. And Michael knew the last thing Kyle felt before a season was nerves. So why was he asking?
“Nah. Anxious, though. Just want the season to start. So Alex…what’s the song of the day?”
“Methinks I’ll allow you to guess.”
Michael groaned. “I hate…guessing.”
Liz said, “Oh come on, Mike…where’s your sense of adventure?”
“In the garage next to Alex’s old model cars.”
Kyle laughed. “Okay…I’ll guess first. Uh…I’m a Little Teapot?”
Alex chuckled. “Uh…no. Not even close.”
Michael said, “Piano Man?”
“Closer - not that that was hard – but no. Lizzy?”
“Hmm…” Liz rustled on her end of the line. “Should I use my powers of twin observation, or should I play fair?”
“I say play dirty. It’s only fair,” Michael said.
“Mike? If you play dirty, how is th-” Kyle seemed to think better of what he was about to say, because he immediately added, “Nah…never mind. Play dirty, Lizzy. Play dirty.”
“Well, when allowed to use the aforementioned twin thing, I say…” She hummed a bit, mostly to herself, as she thought the question over. Her brothers waited patiently, or, as patiently as they were able. Michael tapped his fingers on the piano bench, Kyle softly pressed first one key down on his piano, then another, and Alex moved his fingers gently in the air, seeking out familiar chord changes, making no noise.
Finally, Liz spoke. “Okay…so my gut is telling me…Imagine.”
Alex let out a noise of approval. “And the twin thing once again goes against the laws of nature. Very nice, Lizzy.”
Kyle said, “I wonder what would happen if scientists ever got wind of what we can do.”
“We’d be dissected like we were aliens from another planet,” Michael said. “You have an order in mind, Al?”
“Birth order. Mike first verse…Kyle second…I’ll take the chorus and Lizzy…last verse is yours.”
All four shifted on their piano benches so that they were sitting up straight, shoulders back and fingers resting loosely on the keys. “Count us in, Alex.”
“One…two…one two three four.”
They played as one and the sound became a surround of tinkling keys and simple melody. They had played this song many a time before, and not just because it was easy. It had been one of their mother’s favorite songs. It was the first song Nancy had taught Jeff to play on the piano. When she met him, he had only been able to play the guitar.
Michael started to sing and Alex wished he could see him. When Michael played and sang a song he knew well, he allowed himself to be just the smallest bit vulnerable. And Alex liked that view of him. When he saw it, he felt like he was getting a gift.
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Ah ah ah ah ah
Kyle played the piano pretty much like he did everything else. If he saw value in it, he spent time on it. Unlike baseball he’d never be great at it, but there was real emotion there, real soul. And that couldn’t be taught, no matter what anyone else said.
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You hoo oo oo oo
Music brought Alex to life.
He knew that sounded trite, cliché…but he just didn’t care. Every note, every chord made his heart just a little lighter and by the end of a song, Alex Parker could walk on the tops of clouds.
He had always been great at music, just like his mom. They just…heard it differently. They could see it…taste it…feel the way it rolled off their shoulders and hit the ground like raindrops.
He missed hearing her play. He missed her voice.
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you will join us
And the world will be as one
Liz liked seeing things from another person’s perspective. She always had. She liked observing them, seeing something that everyone else missed. But then, she had spent most of her life trying to look at the world from a slightly different angle than anyone else. It was what photographers did.
The Parker kids’ mom used to say that it was a precious gift to know how to see. And Liz had that. It was part of the reason she had always been able to keep the family together, even when threatened by death. And she played that ability through her fingers and into the air, this ability to see.
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You hoo oo oo oo
Alex came in one more time; the song dripping off his nose, sliding down to the tips of his hair, pooling under his feet.
He was walking on the clouds again.
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you will join us
And the world will live as one
5 hours, 14 minutes and 32 seconds later, Alex stepped on a plane headed for New York.
-:-:-:-
Wednesday
Maria jogged up to the restaurant through the misty rain. She saw Jeff waiting for her outside of the restaurant, hands clasped in front of him. She smiled and shook her head a little, unsettling some of the rain that had fallen on her blonde hair. She pulled her jacket a little tighter in the cold and hopped up onto the sidewalk.
“Hi!”
“Hello, my lovely girl. Thank you for meeting me for lunch.” Jeff pulled her close.
“Oh…my pleasure. You know…I went to lunch with my mom on Monday next door at The Farmhouse and broke my heel coming out. Funny that you wanted to have lunch here.”
“It is an interesting coincidence, I agree. Are you ready to go in?” Jeff opened the door when Maria nodded and held it open so she could walk into the restaurant.
They both pulled their jackets off and greeted the host, who immediately picked up two menus and led them across the restaurant to a table closer to the back, near a window. Jeff thanked the host and smiled at him, and the host bowed slightly in response.
They settled into their seats and into themselves as they looked over the menu. A waiter walked over quickly and stopped in front of their table, clasping his hands behind his back.
“Hi…how are we doing today?”
“Well…thank you.”
Maria smiled up at him. “Good, thanks.”
“That’s good to hear.” He smiled. “I’m Frank and I’ll be your server today. Can we get you a drink to start with?”
Frank could, and Jeff placed an order for a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale while Maria decided on an iced tea with lemon. They weren’t ready to order, so Frank excused himself to give them more time, walking to the other side of the restaurant to grab their drinks.
Jeff held the menu in his left hand, glancing up and down the columns. He looked up when he was finished, folding the menu and laying it flat on the white tablecloth.
“I can’t decide between the sun-dried tomato panini and the…minestrone soup and salad. Hmm…” Maria screwed her face up a little as she pondered her choices. She looked up at Jeff, who had settled back in his chair. “What are you going to get?”
“The penne with winter vegetables.”
He smiled fondly at her as she scrunched her nose up and shook her head. “That doesn’t help.”
He laughed. “And if I had chosen one of your two picks then that would have helped?”
“Of course it would have. Then I would have just chosen the other one.”
“Oh the wisdom of youth.”
Frank walked back over with their drinks and placed them in front of their plates, stepping back a moment later and once again pulled out his order pad. “Have we decided?”
Jeff looked across the table, raised his eyebrows and asked, “Maria?”
“The panini with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil.” She also ordered a side salad, dressing on the side, before folding up her menu and handing it over.
When Frank looked at Jeff, Jeff sat up and handed over his menu, saying, “I’ll have the penne with winter vegetables.”
“One of my favorites.” Frank smiled and tucked the menus under his left arm, walking away.
Jeff took a sip of his beer and looked at Maria, who pushed the lemon down further into her iced tea, crushing the slice a bit with the end of her straw.
“So, tell me…how’s rehearsal for the new showcase coming?”
“Coming…but not as well as I’d like.”
“What’s the trouble?” Jeff set his ale down to the right of his plate.
“I want to do a new song, but…nothing’s coming. Nothing seems right.”
Jeff seemed to think for a moment. Then he stood and said, “I think…I’m not sure…but I think I may be able to help. Excuse me for just a moment.” Jeff dropped his napkin at his place and walked quickly across the restaurant and out the door.
Maria watched the door in anticipation, feeling the seconds tick by. What could he possibly have that would change anything?
Maria started to knead her napkin a little, running the white fabric between her fingers. Just as she was about to get up from her seat and walk out the restaurant door in search of him – even though he had been gone a mere five minutes or so – Jeff walked back through the door, a guitar case in tow.
His right hand was clasped around the handle of the black case; his left was cradling the neck. He moved fluidly through the tables but stopped as soon as he reached Maria’s side. He seemed to hesitate a moment, tapping his fingers on the neck of the guitar case. “I’ve been meaning to give this to you for a few weeks now…really…as soon as I saw you in that tree farm. Because you were meant to have it, and…” He trailed off and looked down at the guitar case. “She wanted you to have it.”
Jeff held the guitar case out to Maria and she took it, laying it on the floor so she could open it. She flipped the sliver clasps open and lifted the case, revealing the contents with a gasp.
“I can’t take this. This is…no. I can’t.”
“Maria…she wanted you to have it.”
Maria shook her head quickly, back and forth. “No. It belongs to Liz. Or Alex. Or Kyle. Or Michael.”
Jeff crouched down and put his hand on Maria’s arm. “No, Maria. They have plenty to remember their mother by. This…this was always going to be yours.”
Maria picked the guitar up out of its old, worn down case and cradled it gently in her hands. Put this guitar in a lineup with hundreds of others, and Maria would have been able to pick it out instantly. Nancy had handed every one of her kids this guitar, positioned their fingers on the frets, and showed them how to play. And that included Maria.
She could never have hoped for this guitar, this instrument that held a small, lingering piece of Nancy. Never. She would never presume to believe it hers. But here Jeff was, handing it over with a wink and a smile.
“I do have one request, though.” Jeff’s soft voice infiltrated Maria’s thoughts and she looked up. “Play me something?”
Maria smiled. It was a simple request, really. Nothing excessive, nothing she wouldn’t do anyway. And just like him.
Maria nodded and pulled the guitar up to rest on her right thigh. She had to think for just a moment before she placed her fingers and started to strum the strings quickly.
Jeff smiled as he settled into his chair on the other side of the table.
Maria strummed aggressively, pushing the guitar to limits it hadn’t felt since it had been put away, years ago. She smiled as the song’s natural spirit infused the world around her.
It seemed natural to play Joni on this guitar. Nancy would certainly have approved of this song.
And it seemed funny, but in a way Maria felt that maybe the woman who had been her second mom was singing right along with her.
Because call her crazy, but she swore she could hear Nancy’s voice coming from the guitar too.
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot…spot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They took all the trees
And put them in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to seem 'em
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Hey farmer, farmer
Put away that DDT now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Late last night
I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
I said
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Maria ended the song in giggles and the restaurant erupted in claps; forks and knives, spoons and napkins falling down onto plates.
Maria grinned down at the guitar and ran her fingers along the smooth wood. It was almost like she had just greeted an old friend.
“Oh yes…that guitar was meant to be yours.” Maria looked up and Jeff gestured to the clapping patrons of the restaurant. “Are you going to tell me that fifty-four people are wrong? Maria my darling girl…you were born to be a star.”
-:-:-:-
Wednesday Night
Tess had a feeling. There was no other way to describe it.
She’d had it since she stepped out of the media building about 3 minutes ago.
And it wasn’t a comfortable feeling.
Tess looked down at her watch and started to walk a little faster. 9:22 PM. Tess hated the campus at night.
It was fairly well lit, but there was at least one section that wasn’t, and she was about to walk right through it to get to her car. It was a shortcut and she didn’t have to take it, but walking around would take her another 6 minutes or so, and she was anxious to get home. She was sacrificing comfort for speed and as she stepped onto the unlit path, she wasn’t sure how good an idea that had been.
Tess sped up even more and pulled the strap of her bookbag tighter to her body. Her breath came out in short pants, the heat of it condensing in the air to form clouds in front of her face even as the icy air bit at her cheeks. Her eyes strained in front of her, looking left and right, hoping to find nothing but trees and snow. But even though that was all she saw, even though she got exactly what she had hoped for, it didn’t settle her stomach any. The quiet spurred her onward, and she counted her steps, hoping she’d catch sight of the parking lot soon.
Tess wasn’t a chicken, but there was something about what could be waiting in the cold night that made her skin crawl in expectation.
Saying she didn’t like it would be an understatement. She just wanted to get to her car. Yesterday.
Tess’ feet crunched the fresh snow under her feet and as she walked over a small ridge, she spied the lights of the parking lot ahead.
Then suddenly, Tess was jerked to a stop by two arms, wrapped around her small body.
She felt herself panic for the briefest of seconds. Her breathing accelerated, her body went rigid and then…then she pictured Liz standing in the middle of the playroom in Napa in her bare feet.
And she didn’t have to think anymore.
“No!”
Tess brought her left leg up and stamped down hard on her attacker’s instep. She felt his grip loosen and she took that opportunity to jam her left elbow into the left side of his abdomen then up into his nose. His arms released from her middle completely and he staggered backward from her, falling down into the snow as he blinked back tears. Tess whirled around and kicked his groin as hard as she could. 5 years of soccer hadn’t gone to waste.
Imagine how proud her dad would be when she told him that.
Tess now had the opportunity to really get a look at her attacker. He was crumpled in a ball in the snow, pathetically trying to clutch his nose and groin at the same time. His face was laced in pain and Tess felt a wave of triumph bubble up within her. She didn’t know him but he looked a little familiar, like a person does when you pass them at the same time every day in the hall or eat lunch at the same time in the same restaurant, between classes.
Tess saw a security truck slowly working its way down a row of the nearby parking lot and she ran over to the truck, waving her arms. The truck stopped and she recognized the security guard that stepped out of the truck and zipped up his jacket. Tess had a lot of classes in the media building and Wilson was its normal security guard. He was an older man who treated all of the students with a sort of quiet kindness, often offering to walk or drive many of them to their cars late at night. Tess usually refused, but tonight she would have taken him up on the offer, had she seen him before she left the building. But Wilson had been nowhere in sight.
“Tess? Are you alright?”
“Wilson, I’m so glad to see you! There’s a man over there in the snow, and he attacked me.” Tess gestured and Wilson’s eyes went wide.
He ran over to the body, Tess close behind him, and stopped when he reached the still folded body of her attacker. Wilson looked at him a moment then turned to look at Tess. “Are you sure he attacked you?”
Tess smiled and laughed softly, despite herself. “Yeah…I’m sure.”
“Well…remind me never to get on your bad side.” He smiled at her and she smiled back.
“Well if you think that’s something, you should see what my almost sister-in-law can do.”
Wilson got on his radio and called the security office, who called the police, and about 30 minutes later Tess was sitting at a desk with an officer, giving her statement.
When Kyle burst through the station house doors a bit later looked frenzied and scared, Tess rushed right up to him and pulled him into a hug, saying, “I did it! I did it, Kyle! It just…came to me!”
The panic Kyle felt at getting a call from the police, a call telling him Tess was there, at the station house, was starting to melt away now that he could see her in front of him, obviously without a scratch on her. She was happy – ecstatic even – and Kyle felt a smile start to worm its way onto his lips. “Honey…what did you do?”
“I sang!”
“Huh?” There was a connection that Kyle obviously wasn’t making.
“He attacked me…grabbed me from behind…and I barely even had to think at all. It was like I knew what to do all along! Can I borrow your cell phone?”
Kyle – lost in the idea that some guy had grabbed the woman he loved – didn’t really hear Tess. “Some guy grabbed you?”
“Yeah, and I’m fine.” Tess put her warm hands on Kyle’s cold face, drawing him a little closer. “Isn’t that great?”
Kyle smiled at Tess, feeling the warmth from her hands start to work its way into his skin. “Yeah, it is.” He pulled her close, hugging her for a long, long time. Tess let him. He needed it. When he pulled away he kissed her gently. “Did I hear you ask for my cell phone?”
Tess laughed. “Yeah.”
Kyle handed it over. “What happened to yours?”
“I think it fell in the snow somewhere.” She flipped the phone open and scrolled through the contacts. When she reached the right one she hit the OK button and put the phone up to her ear, listening for the ring.
The phone rang once…twice…three times before someone picked up the other end.
“Kyle…I love you…but I was sleeping. Really well, too.”
Tess smiled at the groggy fondness in Liz’s voice. “It’s Tess, Liz.”
Liz’s voice immediately changed to contain an edge of alarm. “Tess? Why are you calling from Kyle’s phone? Is he okay? Are you okay?”
“He’s fine…I’m fine…we’re fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but I just had to call you.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I did it, Liz. Some guy attacked me tonight and I did exactly what you told me. I barely even had to think about it. I just…did it.”
Kyle watched from his seat in a wooden chair along the wall, elbow on the arm of the chair, chin resting in the palm of his hand. He smiled as he watched his girlfriend on the phone to his sister. He couldn’t help it.
Tess was pacing quickly back and forth, waving her hands through the air excitedly as she talked quickly through the phone. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but that didn’t matter. He was simply relieved she was okay. He’d have to talk to her about not scaring him to death anymore, though. He probably couldn’t handle another call like that. Not anytime soon.
“You’re okay, right? You’re okay?”
Tess grinned and turned her eyes to lock with Kyle’s. He was smiling at her. “I’m okay. And I felt so…empowered. I didn’t know I had it in me.”
“I did.”
-:-:-:-
Friday
Max Evans hadn’t begun the week thinking that anything out of the ordinary was going to happen. But then, why would he? The very definition of out of the ordinary was unexpected, unforeseen, uncommon. And what reason would he have to suspect that something unexpected, unforeseen, uncommon was going to happen?
None.
It’s not like finally beating Michael at Guitar Hero carried a sign with it that said “Because you creamed your best friend, your cold, self-absorbed parents will show up on your doorstep.”
Maybe he needed a rhyme, a proverb to remind him that weeks don’t always end up the way they start.
If a Monday shows promise, Maxes be cautious.
Eh…it needed work.
It wasn’t exactly up there with “Red sky at morning, sailors take warning”, yet.
“It’s rude to leave your guests standing in the hallway, Maxwell.”
“Is it still considered rude if the guests are uninvited, father? Isn’t that the more socially unacceptable offense? Showing up at someone’s door unbidden?”
“Max?”
Max turned his head to look at Michael, who had an unreadable expression on his face.
[/i]Shit[/i].
He had forgotten Michael was standing there.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to head out to the bookstore. Call me if you need anything.”
Max nodded just as his father said, “By all means, stay. Your father is quite skilled at butting in where he doesn’t belong. Wouldn’t you like to continue the family tradition?”
Michael smiled and Max wanted to laugh, despite the tension. He knew Michael well enough to know that wasn’t just a smile.
“Perhaps my father was raised to believe that when someone comes into his home that is hurt or neglected in any way, it falls on him to do something about that. And perhaps he raised me to understand where my place is and where it isn’t. But…I could be wrong.” Michael turned and pulled his phone out of his pocket, holding it up in the air in front of Max and nodding at him. “Max.”
Max understood. Call if he needed anything.
Max nodded at Michael and Michael walked down the hallway and toward the stairs, finally disappearing out of sight about 20 seconds later.
“Well…are you going to open the door and let us in, Maxwell? Or would you like to continue this conversation with the bums in the hallway?”
Max really hated the way his name fell off his father’s tongue. And more than that, he hated that his father persisted in using his full first name; a name full of pomposity that smelled of blue blood and country clubs.
“You mean the non-existent bums? Those bums?” Max put his key in the lock and opened up the door, flipping the light switch on as he walked into the apartment. He dropped his bag near the front door and pulled his jacket off, dropping it over the back of the couch.
Diane Evans sat down gingerly on the edge of the sofa, looking around herself constantly as if she were afraid some rodent of unusual size was going to jump out at her from a dark corner. There was no mistaking how she felt about her son’s living space, if the way she was frowning and crinkling her nose was any indication.
Philip Evans was pacing back and forth in front of the apartment windows, making it a point not to touch anything. When he accidentally brushed up against a bookcase, he rubbed the point of contact furiously, trying to dispel nonexistent filth. Max shook his head slowly from side to side and walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. He had a feeling he was going to need it.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me.”
Max walked out of the kitchen with his glass of water just as his father was attempting to walk into it. “I wasn’t walking away from you. I was getting a glass of water.” Max brushed by his father and sighed.
Max didn’t want to be here, having this conversation. He was sure there were far fewer painful things that he could be doing, like pulling out all his teeth with a pair of pliers. Maybe if he just closed his eyes and thought of Napa, pictured the trees and the vines, he’d be through it in no time. And he needed to get through it.
Because if there was one thing Max knew for sure, it was that this conversation had to happen. He had been waiting years for this, and though he had always desperately longed for some other childhood, some other parents, the people in front of him were what he had been given. And at some point or another, he had to make his peace with that.
“Now…what are you doing here?”
Philip eyed the peeling paint on the wall next to him with distaste and barked, “Don’t speak to me in that tone of voice boy. Are you forgetting who pays for…this?” He gestured around lightly. “The University of Chicago…your…apartment…your books…the beer in that ancient thing you call a fridge?”
Max leaned against the back of the sofa and calmly took a sip of his water. He would not allow his parents to dictate this conversation. He had waited for this; it didn’t matter that the situation wasn’t particularly ideal. He had a plan – it may have been a haphazard one he had thrown together within the last two minutes – but it was a plan none the less.
Max would allow his father to yell at him, scream at him, belittle him all he liked. And he would not rise to the occasion. When his father called him directionless and weak, he would say nothing.
That’s all he had to do.
And when his father had finished yelling, when there was finally a break in the noise, Max would start to talk.
And no matter what, he wouldn’t stop.
Because Max knew this to be a situation of now or never, even if he hated the very idea of it, right down to the tips of his toes. What he wanted was something else, some other reality. He wanted parents who knew his favorite color; he wanted people who had taken the time to talk to his second grade teacher on parent-teacher night.
Wishful thinking. Wishful fucking thinking.
“I don’t like the direction you’re headed, Maxwell. This…lollygagging…is fine when you’re a freshman or sophomore, but you’re a senior. And I expect you to know better. You’ll be starting law school in the fall, and you can’t expect to get by on nothing, can you? Do you know I called Robert Morgan at Columbia and he told me you hadn’t even called him about entrance in the fall? You’re lucky David and I go way back, otherwise you’d have a lot of ground to make up. This is your future, Maxwell. Where is your head, boy?” Philip walked up to Max and got directly in his face, but Max refused to be bullied. It wasn’t his turn yet.
“I have allowed you many things, Maxwell. Maybe your mother and I gave you too much. Perhaps I have…somehow…given you the idea that you can simply skate through your life. Well…forget it. If you’re going to become a senior partner at Evans and Bruer, you need to get your head on straight and stop associating with that…family.”
Max stood from the back of the couch and said softly, and with a severity that he hadn’t known he had, “Enough.”
“You have the audacity to te-”
“Enough. That’s…enough. You’ve said what you needed to say. Now…it’s my turn.” Max took a deep breath and set his glass down on the kitchen table. “I deserved better than you, and so did Isabel. We deserved better. And the Parkers…they’ve finally given that to us. And even with all of your anger…even with your inability to actually parent us, we didn’t hate you. And that…I can’t really figure out. Because I should. By all rights…I should. Isabel, I can’t speak for.
“I’m not sure how you did it, but I don’t really…care to know anymore. I used to, but that was before I grew up. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately. I’m sorry I disappointed you, even though I never knew how to make you proud. I’m sorry I wasn’t what you wanted, what you had envisioned. But this is who I am. And I know you don’t like it, but I’m not going to change, father.” Max walked across the apartment so he could face both his parents and found his mother looking away from him. That was typical behavior for her, a shrinking violet in a silent room. Diane could give furniture lessons on how to be still.
“And I didn’t forget to call Robert Morgan. I’m not going to Columbia. In fact…I’m not going to law school at all. I don’t want your firm, ever.”
“We had an agreement.”
Max sighed. Yeah…pliers would be more fun. “No…you gave an order and I followed it because I had no choice in the matter.”
“You had a choice,” he spat out.
“No…I really didn’t.”
Redwood trees…endless grape vines…dancing with Liz…Christmas morning…lunch with Grandma Claudia and Grandpa David. Close your eyes and think of Napa, Max.
“Because you and I both know you aren’t really big on choices, not for your kids.” Max sighed and shifted. “And since I know you respond to ultimatums, here’s mine: Unless your words are kind or supportive, I don’t want them. Right now I don’t want you in my life, and I sure don’t need you. I haven’t needed you in a long time.
“You barely even noticed Isabel and I were there, except when it served your purpose. We aren’t toys, father. I’ll say it again: we deserved better. It took me a long time to figure that out, but now that I have, there’s no way I can have you in my life. Either of you.”
Diane Evans lifted her head slowly and finally looked at her son, but looked away quickly. Philip Evans walked across the small room slowly, his eyes locked with his son’s. He stopped in front of Max and said with glittering eyes, a cruel twist to his mouth, “You make that choice and the money goes with me.”
“I don’t need your money.”
“Your landlord and the University of Chicago beg to differ.”
“I’ll get a loan. Or a job. I’ll be fine.”
“You continue with this and that’s it…you’re dead to us.”
“Fine.”
“You’ll never see your sister again.”
A phrase like that would have, in past years, made Max pause. But the thing about spending most of your childhood with one person was this: you knew them. And even in the face of Philip’s bold confidence, Max knew who Isabel would pick. Because Philip had no idea who his daughter was now, had no idea that she had grown into the person she was meant to be all along. But more than anything, he had no idea that this person he thought he had know all along was different than he always supposed.
Isabel had guts. And this time, she wouldn’t be afraid to say no.
“Isabel’s a smart girl. I’m sure she can make the decision for herself, no matter what it is.”
“If that’s your decision then.”
“It is.”
“Fine. Diane…let’s go.” Philip turned on his heel and walked to the door, pulling it open with a jerk. Diane stood slowly and walked across the apartment. Max watched her the entire time, willing her to look at him just once, but she never did. The thought that even though she was leaving her son behind forever, that she wouldn’t look at him once…that saddened him more than anything else.
The door slammed with a bang and Max continued to watch it long after he heard his father’s heavy footsteps walk down the hallway and out of his life.
He felt a sudden, heavy ache in his throat and Max sank down on the windowsill. He should have felt better and he did, in some ways, but in other, rather unexpected ways, Max felt a lot older and much more tired than he had 30 minutes ago, when he was walking the stairs with Michael, up to their apartment. He had longed to say these things to his father for ages but now that he had, he simply felt tired and used up. He needed to be soothed and reassured.
He knew who he was going to call, long before his hand reached for the phone.
By all rights, he should have called Isabel first, given her enough time so that she could prepare for the arrival of their parents on her doorstep, but Max felt the need to be selfish, just once. He would call her as soon as he got off the phone.
Max held the phone to his ear and waited for the person on the other end to pick up.
Ring…ring…
-:-:-:-
In the main building at Parker Vineyards, Jeff Parker looked down at the picture of Max flashing on his red, kids-only cell phone and picked it up immediately. “Hi Max…hold on a sec, okay?”
“Sure.”
Jeff held the phone against his body and shouted, “Paolo! Do you know where I put the statement on Parker Vineyards charity donations for last year?”
“Right side of the desk in your home office.”
“Thanks!” Jeff put the phone back up to his ear and started to walk down the right side of the main building, along the wall. “Okay Max…I’m all yours. How are you?”
“Uh…do you have an easier question?”
“Max, what’s wrong?”
Max hesitated on his end. “Do you have a minute to talk?”
“For you Max, I have all the time in the world.”
So Max told Jeff that his parents had shown up at his doorstep just a little bit ago, without calling first. And he told him that he was calm and rational, but still wanted to tear his hair out.
He told him that his mother wouldn’t look at him, and he wondered why he still cared when she obviously didn’t.
But mostly, Max wondered aloud why he didn’t feel better, when he obviously should.
Jeff settled into the large leather chair in his home office, looking out the window and into the backyard. The trees still held remnants of the morning rain. “I had the hardest time when Nancy died. Everyone was trying to tell me that they were sorry and that it would go away one day, but that was the last thing I wanted to hear. I just wanted…her. And I couldn’t have her.
“Everywhere reminded me of her and at one point, it just got to be too much and I collapsed onto the porch swing and started to cry. The pain was just…unbearable. And then I felt Liz climb onto the swing and into my lap and she put her head over my heart and I just…cried. Then my boys climbed onto the swing and put their arms around me and their heads on my arms and if it’s possible to have four children in your lap at one time, we accomplished that. And I felt it then. I had pain…that was certain. But Nancy wasn’t gone. She was in those four kids I love so much. And that made the pain lessen.
“I can’t pretend to understand how you’re feeling, Max. It’s a pain I’ve never had. But I promise you this: It’s not a lie when I say you’ll be okay. And it’s not a lie to have the pain in the first place. And no matter what…I’m here.”
-:-:-:-
An hour later, sitting cross-legged on his beaten down blue sofa, Max hung up with his dad Jeff and called his sister Isabel.
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:04 pm
- Location: Somewhere left of center
- Contact:
Re: A Parker Family Christmas (M/L, CC, Adult)- Ch36 Pg9 11/16
chanks_girl-
Alien_Friend-
I do. I can play the piano...fair to middlin' and I'm just starting to teach myself how to play the guitar. But I've been a singer all my life. My mom was an opera singer, so I used to sit backstage at the San Francisco Opera House and listen and watch and I think that maybe opera is one of the easiest kinds of music to feel in your bones.
RiceKrispy-
Maiqu- Thanks!
begonia9508- Thanks Eve!
Rowedog-
Kisses Alison.
Natalie36- Thanks!
confusedfool- Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. (One for every post )
LairaBehr4-
Emz80m-
FSU/MSW-94-
What if Diane was already ashamed of herself before Max walked up the stairs?
killjoy-
It seemed so anti-Tess to be upset about a thing like that. That's not to say I don't think she was scared or upset, just that she would be so excited that she could accomplish something as big as that, that that emotion would override the panic.
tequathisy-
sprayadhesive-
Michelle in Yonkers- Yes, that's the expression.
As for Diane...she will not see the light here. She just won't. But you may be surprised by her later this year in another fic, a quasi-sequel.
And that's all I'm saying about that.
Chrissie1218- Thanks Chrissie!
Cocogurl- I am glad to be back. Thank you.
Synera-
roswell3053- Thanks!
nibbles2-
You know...I always compare the sibling relationships in APFC to the ones in GD. In GD they'd all be fighting left and right over that guitar...hahaha!
thetvgeneral- If you think about it, you didn't really miss it because it was still there. So, maybe you didn't know it was there at the same time everyone else did, but like the best kind of train (one that doesn't exist, frankly) it waited for you.
Aurorabee- I'm pretty sure you're doing just fine.
clueless- Thank you!
Ms_BuffyAnneSummers- Thanks!
lilah- Thanks!
tabby- Well, then...welcome to the madness that is all of us here. Grab a seat...I think you'll have a good time. Goodness knows we all do.
Ellie-
dreamsatnight- Welcome to our collective insanity!
katydid-
Okay...so maybe it's...Kate's fault I haven't written more!
Oh...if only she would feedback more, maybe I could find the inspiration to write! Woe is me! (Or, if you prefer the grammaticlly correct version...Woe is I!)
Behrgirl21-
Okay all...I am happy to bring you another chapter in APFC. Another long chapter in APFC.
I just want you all to know that I wish the only thing I had to get accomplished in a day was to write my stories, but I'm not that lucky. I am, however, lucky to have all of you. Just know that I think about my stories all the time, even when I don't have the time to write them.
The title comes from the theme song of an old TV show. Other than that, I don't think there's anything else to disclaim. So without further ado...on with chapter 37. Enjoy.
Chapter 37: A Horse is a Horse
Kyle Parker did not like bad news. He didn’t like ominous sounding voices that said things like, “I’m sorry to tell you…” or “Are you sitting down?” or “Are you the father of Elizabeth and Alexander?”
And he especially didn’t like voices that woke him up just after ten o’clock the night before the first game of the season that said, “Mr. Parker? This is Officer Robinson with the Ann Arbor police department.”
Above all, Kyle did not like his concentration screwed up before the first game of the season.
It wasn’t that Kyle was selfish…
Okay, so he was a little selfish. And he would admit that, though probably only to those closest to him.
It was more that Kyle didn’t like to worry. It didn’t suit him. He was a consoler, not a worrier; a waiting ear, not a nervous wreck. And he had enough to concern himself with. Tomorrow was the first game of the season. And now…he couldn’t sleep.
Kyle turned his head slowly to the other side and looked at the illuminated alarm clock.
3:24 AM.
He sighed softly and turned his head the other direction to look at Tess, who was sound asleep. One of her blonde curls had fallen across her face and her nose twitched now and again as the hair hit it, but she didn’t wake. Kyle was more grateful than he could say that she was sleeping soundly, that what had happened to her earlier that night had only made her stronger and more confident. It could have easily gone in a completely different direction.
Kyle slid slowly out of bed and walked across the bedroom. His feet passed through a soft blue ray of light, shining down on the floor from the nightlight on the wall nearest him. It was Tess’ nightlight. When they moved in together and she’d put it in the wall, he’d laughed and asked her if she was afraid the bogeyman was going to get her. She in return told him that he could laugh all he liked, but it wasn’t like that. It was simply that without a light, she had a tendency to run into things. Kyle hadn’t really believed her at first – who would? – but soon came to realize that she was telling the truth when he woke up three times that first week to a loud crash and some very colorful words. Tess hadn’t been lying. She did need that nightlight.
Kyle walked into the kitchen and pulled a cup down from the cabinet just to the left of the sink. The cup was one of those plastic souvenir ones you got from theme parks and stadiums when you bought a soda that cost you an arm and a leg. This one was from some fast food place nearby that R.J. was fond of frequenting. He’d left the cup here last semester. Kyle filled the cup about halfway from the tap.
Kyle hopped up onto the counter near the sink and leaned back against the cabinets, taking slow sips from the cup, held loosely in his left hand. This was the first time he hadn’t been able to sleep before a big game and though he’d like to blame the trouble surrounding Tess for that, he just couldn’t. It wasn’t true.
The truth was that he didn’t really know why he was awake and sitting on his kitchen counter, sipping room-temperature water from a faded plastic cup at nearly four in the morning. He could try to blame it on his nerves, but that was about as valid as the Tess excuse. Kyle Parker didn’t get nervous, not about playing a game. He never had. He’d seen teammates at all levels throw up, talk nervously and fidget constantly with their uniforms but Kyle had never been one of those people. He just wasn’t. And trying to tell himself he was now was more than a bit pointless.
The easiest way to solve this problem would be to call Michael, but Kyle wasn’t about to do that. Even if – well…when, really – Michael solved his problem, Kyle would still be awake after, thinking about it. And then they’d both be awake, and there was really no point in that.
Kyle sighed and swung his legs a little, back and forth. If his problem wasn’t Tess and it wasn’t nerves, what else could it be?
Kyle quickly ran down the list.
Tess? No.
Nerves? No.
Maybe he couldn’t sleep because Michael was in Chicago. Valid…but no. It was always a terrible loss for the two of them to be separated, but it had never affected his sleep pattern before. No reason for that to change now.
Insomnia? Uh…no. Not even remotely.
“Kyle? Honey? You okay?” Tess’ voice came from inside the bedroom and Kyle looked at the doorway and took a quick sip of water.
“Yeah,” he called back. “Fine.”
“You coming back to bed?”
Kyle hopped down off the counter and dumped the remaining water out of the cup, watching as it swirled down the drain. He set the cup down on the counter with a light tap and moved his head slowly back and forth, hearing his neck pop slightly as he walked out of the kitchen.
As he walked through the bedroom doorway and smiled at his girlfriend, who was trying to take over sole possession of their covers, he couldn’t help the thought that nagged the back of his mind. Why was he having trouble sleeping?
Whatever the problem, Kyle was able to get a few hours of sleep, waking only because he felt Tess get out of bed somewhere around 7 AM. Kyle cleared his throat and rubbed his nose with a jerk and Tess let out a soft laugh. “What?” Kyle grumbled a little – though he smiled – and tried to burrow his head a little further into the pillow.
“Oh nothing. You’re just too cute for words is all.”
“Am I?” Kyle grinned and lifted his head from his pillow, sleepy eyes fixing at once on the beautiful blonde leaning against the doorframe.
“Mmmhmm…you are. And then some.” She crossed her arms and her feet. “So…trouble sleeping last night, huh?”
Kyle flipped over and lifted himself up on his elbows. “And if I knew why that was, I would tell you in a heartbeat. Went over anything I could think of but nothing was right.”
“So it’s not me then?”
Kyle pulled the covers off and stood up from the bed. “No…although…I would have loved to see the look on his face when you nailed him.” Kyle walked over and rubbed her arms, squeezing them gently just above the elbows. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, taking in the sweet smell of Tess in the early morning. “And you nailed him gooooood.”
Tess laughed and nuzzled her nose into the side of her face. “Are you nervous at all?”
“Nah. No reason to be.” He pulled back a little and clasped his fingers behind her back. “I’m just doing the same thing I’ve done every spring for the last seventeen years.”
“Is it amazing? That feeling of standing there and just having a whole ballpark cheering for you?” Tess ran her fingers gently along his hairline. “I’ve always wanted to know how it felt.”
“It’s…indescribable, really.”
“You excited, though?”
“Oh yeah.” He nodded, yawned and padded away into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He walked back out of the bathroom seconds later, the green plastic handle of his toothbrush jutting out of his mouth. “Hey…did dad call yesterday?”
Tess thought a moment as she moved from the doorway of the bedroom and into the living area. “No…don’t think so. Why?”
“No reason.” Kyle walked back into the bathroom and spit out his mouthful of foam.
A loud, resounding knock came from the front door and Kyle stuck his head out of the bathroom just as Tess stuck her head out the kitchen doorway, both staring at the front door as if the wood itself had just knocked and not a person behind it. After a moment – and another loud knock – they nodded at each other and started toward the door. There was really only one person it could be.
Kyle continued to brush his teeth, making soft circles in his mouth, and stood right side hipshot as Tess clicked the deadbolt off and twisted the doorknob, opening the door to reveal a bright R.J. on the other side.
R.J. grinned and blew past them and into the living area, dropping his bag down on the floor with a thud. He threw his arms out and said, “Good morning beautiful people! How are we on this fine day?”
Tess shut the door and said, “You know…if I didn’t actually know you, I’d think there was no way someone like you could exist. I’m making breakfast. Do you want some?”
“Ooo…please! What are we having?”
Tess walked away and said with a grin, “Food.”
R.J. though for a moment then asked, “What kind of food?”
“Good food!”
R.J. looked at Kyle. “I asked for that, didn’t I?”
“Yes. Yes you did.”
“Thought so. So…you ready?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Kyle walked away and into the bathroom, spitting out the remainder of the toothpaste foam in his mouth and rinsing his mouth out with a handful of cool water from the tap.
R.J. leaned against the wall, putting his right foot flat against the white paint. He crossed his arms. “Wait, wait…I know this one. Because you…were kidnapped by…pygmies?”
Kyle laughed and as he turned, threw a hand towel at R.J., who caught it easily.
“Breakfast!”
“Ooo…breakfast!” R.J. tossed the hand towel back at Kyle. “Deuce? Is it wrong that I’m a little in love with your girlfriend?”
Kyle stared at him for a moment before he walked out of the bathroom. “Nooooo, Ocean. Not in the slightest.”
“Well…you didn’t have to take that tone!”
-:-:-:-
“Ten minutes guys. Ten minutes.” One of the Michigan coaches walked slowly through the locker room, making sure every player heard him. A good idea, seeing as quite a few of them had their earbuds in, and were paying him absolutely no mind.
Kyle looked up and gave a brief nod to his assistant coach as the older man walked by and Kyle resumed tying his spikes. To his right R.J. was pulling his socks up. Kyle stood and looked at the shelf at the top of his locker. It was where the players put all their personal effects during a game, things like cell phones, rings and wallets. The light at the top of Kyle’s cell phone was flashing gently and Kyle picked up his phone. He had a video message. He flipped it open and sat down on the bench, trying to come up with who the message could be from. Maybe it was from his dad…
It wasn’t, but the message on the other end made him smile very, very widely.
Hi Kyle!
Hi Kyle!
Liz and Isabel grinned and waved at him widely from the tiny screen of his phone. They were still in their pajamas.
We wish we could be there-
But we can’t.
We can’t.
So we’re sending you this message telling you…
We love you!
We love you!
And we know you’re going to knock the crap out of that ball today.
Kyle grinned and let out a small laugh. R.J. leaned over his shoulder and asked, “Who’s that from?”
Kyle grinned and spared R.J. a brief look. “My sisters.”
“I thought you only had one sister. Liz.”
“Okay…so it’s my sister and her best friend who I happen to love like a sister and who Alex is completely in love with. He’s going to marry her one day.”
“So…your sister?”
“My sister.”
So Kyle…we want you to remember a few things for us, okay?
Just a few.
When you’re striding toward the pitcher, don’t open your hips too early. I know how tempted you can be.
Always watch the ball into your glove.
Keep your eye on the baserunner at all times.
And most importantly-
Most especially-
We want you to remember this…above anything else.
No matter what, Kyle…
The two girls looked at one another and grinned, putting their arms around each other’s shoulders then turned back so that they were facing forward.
Keep your eye on the ball!
Keep your eye on the ball!
Kyle and R.J. laughed and Kyle adjusted the phone just a little bit to cut down on the glare.
And just remember that win or lose-
Though we’re pretty darn sure you’ll win-
Of course.
Naturally.
Win or lose…no matter what…we love you.
So much.
And we are unbelievably proud of you and everything you can do.
So…
Good luck!
Good luck!
And if you feel like it-
But only if you feel like it-
Knock one out of the park for us!
Knock one out of the park for us!
Isabel and Liz blew Kyle kisses through the tiny cell phone screen, grinning and waving rapidly at him, full of confidence in everything Kyle was capable of doing.
Bye!
Bye!
Kyle flipped the cell phone shut and held it to his lips for a moment before he stood and set it back on the shelf. He felt much more at ease than he had just a minute before, even if his problem wasn’t fully rectified.
“Alright guys…game time. Let’s go.”
Kyle buttoned up his jersey quickly and tucked it into his pants before he buckled his belt. He tucked his glove under his arm and pulled his hat on, shifting it so that it sat securely on his head and waited for R.J. to stand. The two walked out of the locker room and into the sunlight with the rest of their team to a loud chorus of applause.
R.J. leaned into Kyle and said, out of the corner of his mouth, “You know…I don’t play for this…but I have to admit…it really is a nice perk.”
Kyle grinned and the two took their places along the third base line for the national anthem, pulling their hats off and holding them over their hearts. Kyle watched the stadium flag whipping gently above them as a group of four singers from the music program at Michigan attempted to sing the Star Spangled Banner. They were okay through most of the song but struggled toward the end, but Kyle could have cared less. He wasn’t paying them much attention anyway.
What in the heck was different today? Something was different than it had been the same time last year and it wasn’t being separated from Michael or Alex and Liz or anything like that. He just couldn’t put his finger on it, whatever that it might be. It was as if he wasn’t really ready to play because something hadn’t been accomplished yet. That was how it felt…like he was waiting for something to happen.
The anthem ended, the players were announced, and Kyle and R.J. trotted out to their places on the field with their teammates. They were tossing the ball around the infield – Kyle had just relayed it to the pitcher – when R.J. said, “Hey Deuce…Tess is waving at you.”
Kyle looked briefly at R.J. then turned and looked up and into the stands for Tess, who was grinning and waving. She pointed to her side and lifted the man up out of his seat to her right and Kyle grinned as his dad waved at him along with Tess.
“Geezus…I’m such an idiot. Of course. Of course.”
Of course.
-:-:-:-
Three days since Max’s phone call, and Isabel’s parents still hadn’t shown up at her apartment.
Isabel was glad Max had called to let her know their parents were on the warpath, glad that she’d have a lot more time to formulate a plan than he’d had, but a piece of her wanted them to show up just after he called, when she’d had just enough time to form a game plan, but not enough time to over think it. She hated the waiting. Over the last few days Isabel had changed her normal routine, anticipating her parents any moment. But she had seen neither hide nor hair of them, and the waiting was beginning to border on painful.
“Iz…you need to calm down. Take a deep breath. You know they’re going to come. You just have to let them.” Liz walked out of the kitchen in her stocking feet and handed Isabel a cup of tea.
“I know, I know…I just wish they’d get here already so I can get it over with. It’s like they’re torturing me. Intentionally.” Isabel sat down on the couch and Liz sat down beside her, tucking her feet underneath her body.
“Actually, considering what we know about your parents…that’s probably exactly what they’re doing.” Liz blew on her hot tea and took a slow sip.
Isabel set her tea down on the coffee table and pulled a soft, sage green blanket off the back of the sofa to cover her legs. “Yeah.” She sighed and took a sip of her tea.
Liz smiled at her, her mug cupped protectively between her two hands. “You’re going to be fine, Isabel. You can do it.”
“Well, that’s the funny thing…I know I’m going to be fine and I know I can do it…I just…” She trailed off and tapped the bottom of her mug with her open palm. “I don’t…want to have to.”
Liz thought a moment, her eyes gently focused on the woman across from her, and said, “Isabel…have you ever heard the story of the scorpion and the frog?”
“I don’t think so.” Isabel took a sip of her tea.
“It’s one of dad’s favorites. There’s a frog, sitting by a riverbank one day. A scorpion walks up and asks the frog to take him across the river. Frog says…no way, you’re a scorpion. You’ll sting me. The scorpion says…why would I do that? I sting you and we both drown. So the frog thinks about it for a minute and finally agrees to take the scorpion across the river. Scorpion hops on frog’s back and when they’re halfway across the river, stings the frog. Frog says…why did you do that? We’re both going to drown! Scorpion says…I can’t help it. I’m a scorpion.” Liz took a long, slow sip of her tea. “I think most people have at least a small capacity to change. We have the power to go above and beyond our circumstances, the power to change our own lives, if we’re willing to put in the hard work. But I think some people…a very small group of people…I think some people are going to be who they are, no matter what their circumstances. Like dad.”
“Yeah…but dad’s amazing. My father, on the other hand…” Isabel lifted her eyebrows and sighed.
“And that’s the hard part. But even with all that bad stuff…look at you, Isabel. You’re amazing. You’re gorgeous and sweet and fun and loving and giving and that has everything to do with you and nothing to do with your parents. You’re like dad…you were born to be good.”
The two girls smiled at one another and Liz adjusted herself so that her legs were stretched out in front of her, forcing Isabel to adjust a little herself to accommodate Liz. Liz poked the side of Isabel’s thigh with her big toe and Isabel squirmed a little and scrunched her nose up. She was in the middle of a large gulp of tea from the cup in her hand when a loud, harsh knock sounded on the front door of the apartment.
Isabel looked into Liz’s eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “Well…it’s showtime.”
“Showtime.” Liz took Isabel’s mug with her right hand and set them down on the coffee table. Isabel pulled the blanket off her legs and they both stood and walked over to the door as another knock came, this one much louder and more insistent than the first. They stopped by the door and Liz asked, “Do you want me to leave you alone? I can go into my bedroom if you want.”
Isabel stopped her with a hand on the arm. “Can you stay? If you’re here, there’s…I can do it.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. They’re not even getting through the front door.” Isabel squared herself and stood in front of the doorknob. Liz stood to the right, so that when the door was opened just a bit, she wouldn’t be seen. Still, Isabel would know she was there, and that was all that mattered.
With a final look at Liz and one last deep breath, Isabel opened the door just enough so that a section of her body could be seen, but not enough to allow the larger Philip to get through.
“Isabel.”
“Father.”
“Would you like to let me in, Isabel?”
“No, father,” she breathed out.
“Excuse me?”
“No. You cannot come in.” This time Isabel was much more firm, much more insistent.
Behind the door Liz smiled widely. She couldn’t help but enjoy this.
On the other side of the door, Philip Evans tried to open the door with a little force, but the door only moved a small distance before stopping. Isabel’s foot was in the way, and so was Liz’s body.
“Let…me…in, Isabel.”
“No.”
“You are just like your brother,” he spat out.
“That’s maybe the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. Thank you.” Isabel smiled and looked behind her father to where her mother was standing. Diane Evans was avoiding all eye contact and Isabel felt sorry for her, right in that moment. Perhaps in years past – had Isabel tried – perhaps then she could have had a relationship with her mother. But Isabel hadn’t tried, mainly because she thought it a fruitless endeavor. And she wasn’t really wrong about that.
Philip growled a little under his breath and Isabel wanted to grin in triumph, but she held off. “Are you really so…simple?” He spat out the last word and Isabel felt just a little dirtier than she had moments before. “How do you think you’ll survive without my money? Huh? Do you think some…happy little college fairy pays for all of this? Because if you do, little girl, you’ve got another thing coming.”
Isabel felt her confidence waver a bit and she reached to her right, grasping for Liz’s hand. She caught it and held on and Liz squeezed it lightly to pass on her assurance. Isabel took another deep breath. “I’m not stupid. I know it costs money to go to college. I’ll be fine.”
“Will you now?” His laugh was humorless and it chilled Liz and Isabel just the smallest bit. There was no kindness in that laugh, not even the smallest bit. “And how do you propose to be…fine, is it?”
Isabel squeezed Liz’s hand a little tighter and the other girl put her left hand on top of Isabel’s, so that both of Liz’s hands were holding Isabel’s one. “I made an appointment to talk to someone in the financial office tomorrow, so I can figure out my options. I doubt I’ll be able to get any aid based on need, but I can try for some scholarships based on my achievements and I’ll probably have to carry some heavy loans…but I can handle it. A lot of other students do. Everyday. And now…I’m no different from them.”
“Do you know what you are, little girl? You’re ungrateful. Everything your mother and I have done for you…you would throw that away for some family you just met? Because it’s them, isn’t it? That’s what it comes down to. Them.”
Isabel sighed. She could have been angry, but she wasn’t. All she felt was overwhelming sadness and the aching urge to cry. “No…it’s not the Parkers. Not at all. And I wasn’t going to bring them up, but now that you mention them, I have something else to say.”
“And what is that?” Philip breathed hard and quick through his nose, a bull desperate to charge.
Isabel began to cry, the tears making slow, silent tracks on her cheeks. “Shame on you. Shame on you for refusing to treat me like your daughter. Shame on you for forcing me to live twenty years without knowing what a family really was. Shame on you for holding your money over my head. Shame on you for every harsh word, every hard look. Shame on you for making me look to other people for love and kindness and compassion. Shame…on…you.”
“You think your pretty words mean anything?”
“Yes…I do. And I want you to leave now.”
Philip pushed against the door forcefully one last time and though the door shook a little, it did not budge. Isabel and Liz were not about to let it. “Fine. Diane! Let’s go. Now!” Philip swung on his heel and pulled Diane after him, and though Isabel watched them as they walked away, they never once looked back. Isabel wondered exactly how it was that anyone could leave their child behind forever and not look back. But perhaps what Isabel failed to really understand that that was indeed what had always set her apart from her parents. An ability, and a willingness, to care.
Isabel finally shut the door and turned, releasing Liz’s hand and putting her back on the door. The hard wood felt good against her back and she slid down the wood until she was seated on the floor. She bumped her head gently against the door just as Liz slid down the door to sit next to her. Isabel stared in front of her at nothing in particular for a little while, and after a moment felt Liz’s hand slip into hers again. Isabel smiled and turned her head, still on the door, to look at her best friend.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“You okay?”
“I think so. Thanks for holding my hand.”
“No other place my hand would rather be.”
“Liar.” Isabel laughed. “You’d rather it were holding Max.”
“Most of the time, yes…that would be true. But today it’s not. Today this hand only wants to be held by you.” Liz rested her head gently against Isabel’s and Isabel breathed out a soft sigh.
Isabel wasn’t entirely sure, but she thought she may have finally accepted the idea that her parents simply weren’t going to change. Because right then she had pain in her heart and an ache in her head, but she was okay. She would survive this. And through it all, she would have a family by her side. Because while Philip had finally been given what he deserved, so had Isabel.
She would be okay.
Of course she would.
-:-:-:-
Isabel stepped around the open apartment door and closed it with her hip, her eyes focused on the pile of mail in her hands. She called out, “Hey Liz…I’m back from class.” and pulled her hat off of her head, setting it on a table near the door and shrugging her coat off as best she could just after. Turned toward the wall, Isabel said, “Well…it looks like you may have already won a million dollars.” She rifled through the mail and turned around, walking toward the other side of the apartment. “I wonder why Publisher’s Clearing House never wants to give me a million dollars. I could really use it. Hmm…” Isabel scrunched up her nose slightly. “I’m afraid the rest of the mail is downhill from there. Did you want to see-”
Isabel tripped before she could finish her sentence and fell onto the couch cushions, which was lucky. About a half a foot further to the right and she would have fallen into a table instead. She looked down at the mail, now strewn across a small section of their floor, and at the person, laying flat on their back in the middle of the floor. “Liz? What are you doing on the floor?”
Liz gave no response but continued to stare at the ceiling above her, blinking her eyes slowly every once in a while. Her arms were lying flat on the floor and close to her side, palms down.
“Li-iz,” Isabel sing-songed. “Earth to Liz.” Isabel stood from the couch and stepped over the mail. She stopped right next to Liz’s right shoulder and stared down at her from high above, but if Liz noticed, she gave no indication. Actually, she wasn’t doing much at all. Except blinking. On that she cornered the market.
Isabel sat down on the floor next to Liz’s shoulder, crossing her legs Indian style. Not knowing what else to do, she sat there and just watched Liz for a minute or two. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at all. There were no tears, no wide eyes from shock and no broken bones, bruises or blood that she could see. Liz looked…fine. But Isabel was the queen of not being fine but looking fine, so though she didn’t know exactly what was wrong with Liz, she knew something was.
Isabel watched Liz. And watched. And watched. And all the while prayed that somehow, she’d see what was wrong so that this time, instead of Liz helping her, she could help Liz.
Then she saw it. And it seemed so obvious that Isabel couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it to begin with. Liz wasn’t breathing like she should be.
“Liz? I know something’s wrong.” Liz blinked once, slowly, and Isabel stood. Isabel walked over to a nearby table and picked the cordless phone up off its dock, dialing Max’s cell phone. It went directly to voicemail, so she hung up and dialed the number for Max and Michael’s apartment. After three rings, Michael picked up. “Hey Michael, it’s Izzy. Is Max there?”
“Hey, Iz. Uh, no…he’s in class. Did you try his cell phone?”
Isabel sighed. “Yeah…it’s turned off.”
Michael paused on the other end of the phone. “Are you okay, Iz?”
“I’m fine. Liz isn’t. I thought Max might be able to get through to her.”
“Liz isn’t okay? Why?”
“That’s part of the problem. She won’t talk.” Isabel turned around and looked at Liz, who hadn’t moved at all. Not that Isabel was surprised. “All she’s doing is lying in the middle of the floor, staring at the ceiling. And blinking. She’s doing a lot of blinking.”
Michael made a noise on the other line that Isabel couldn’t place. “Did you call Alex?”
“His phone is off. He’s meeting with his advisor today to find out what he needs to do to make sure he’s on track. You know…so he doesn’t lose any time with his major switch. I should call Kyle too.” Isabel sat back down next to Liz, but this time she sat down on the floor at the top of Liz’s head.
“No…his phone’s off. He has a game today.”
“Does no one in this family keep their phones on?”
Michael laughed softly, though it sounded more like he was simply exhaling a louder breath than normal. “Maria’s is off right now too. I can tell you that. I don’t know if Tess’ is.”
“Okay…I was kidding…” Isabel trailed off and looked down at Liz, brushing her hand gently over the brunette’s hair. “Michael…I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”
“Put the phone on speaker and set it down.”
Isabel did as she was told and set the phone down on the floor.
“Hey Lizzy…I hear you’re not doing so well today. Want to take pity on me…maybe…and tell me what’s wrong?” No response. “Isabel…did you see her this morning?”
“Yeah. She was fine.”
“So where did she go today?”
Isabel scrunched her eyebrows together. “Uh…she had her photography class today, but that’s all.”
“So something happened in photography class today, huh Lizzy?” Liz turned her head to look at the phone.
Isabel said excitedly, “She moved her head, Mike!”
Isabel heard Michael move on the other line. “Okay…” And then, “Oh…I get it.” And much quieter, “I get it, Lizzy. Did your teacher tell you your work needed…work?”
Liz’s entire expression changed, but it was Isabel who said, “I don’t get it. Don’t all artists get bad reviews at one time or another?”
“Yeah…and Liz has had them, but not from people who make their living knowing what they’re talking about. That’s the difference.”
“Pedestrian and trite. He called my work pedestrian and trite.” Liz’s voice was hoarse and she grimaced a little, trying to keep her emotions in a little.
“Your teacher?”
Liz sighed. “No. The guest speaker.”
“Who was the guest speaker?”
“Bernard Mütter.”
Isabel said, “Wait…the famous fashion photographer?”
“Yeah.”
“You listened to him? I know I don’t know all that much about photography, but-”
Liz tilted her head back to look at Isabel and Isabel in turn put her hands on the side of Liz’s head. “Isabel…he’s a world-renowned photographer known for his contrast and his uncanny ability to capture the female form. He’s famous for a reason.”
“Yeah…but he’s a one-trick pony. All he does is the same thing over and over and over again. Hold on.” Isabel stood quickly and rushed out of the living room and into her bedroom. Liz watched her go, head tilted back. To her, Isabel was running upside down on the ceiling. Isabel came back into the room and plopped down into her previous spot and held out an open magazine over Liz’s face. “See?” She picked up another magazine, flipped to a page and said, “Anything look familiar? Just the same old thing. Pretty girl with a rough background. It may be shot well, but there’s no originality there, Liz. Like I said…one-trick pony. He wouldn’t know art if it slapped him over the head.”
“I appreciate what you’re saying, Iz…but his feedback does matter. He became famous for a reason.”
Michael said, “Hold on…I’m gonna call dad.” There was silence while Michael dialed his dad, conferencing him in and then Michael said, “Dad?”
“I’m here, Mike. What’s up?”
“Lizzy’s having a bit of a bad day, dad. Thought you might be able to help.”
“Is that right, squirt? You having a bad day?”
Liz sighed and said, “A famous photographer came into class today and he looked at my work and called it…trite and…pedestrian.”
“Okay, so now you have doubts about your abilities, abilities which few have ever questioned, including you. I think the trouble here, sweetheart, is that you’re putting all your eggs in one basket, so to speak. You’re weighing his opinion so heavily that it’s as if he’s the only one who’s ever reviewed your work at all.”
“Dad…he knows what he’s talking about.”
“Why? Because he’s famous? Being famous doesn’t guarantee that you’re more knowledgeable or less of a jerk, honey. It just means more people know there’s a face attached to your name, that’s all. You know that.” Even when he was admonishing, Jeff Parker had an unparalleled way of speaking with complete kindness. “I think it’s time for your gift.”
Liz sat up and a shocked Isabel backed up just a bit. “Really?”
“Really. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right back.”
Liz stared at the phone and Isabel stared at Liz and had Michael been sitting in the room with them and not on the couch in his apartment in Chicago, he probably would have been staring at the both of them, watching their faces.
Michael was worried for Liz, she knew that. She could read it in the undertones of his vowels and in his silence. But in a way, she supposed he had been built for that. It was what Michael had been made for, in a way. He worried for you when you didn’t have the ability to worry for yourself. And Liz was grateful for that.
After a few minutes, Jeff came back with, “Okay, it’s all set. You’re having lunch tomorrow at Tavern on the Green.”
“Dad…I know you love me, but I think buying me Tavern on the Green is a bit much.”
Jeff chuckled on the other line and said, “Yes…that would be a bit much. No…twelve thirty…Tavern on the Green. Give the host your name and he’ll lead you to your gift. Oh, and…make sure to bring your portfolio.”
“So my gift’s a person?”
“Your gift’s a person.”
“And this person, they-”
“Eh…that’s all I’m going to say. You’ll find out tomorrow.”
“Okay, okay…I can wait.” Liz sighed but smiled and Isabel nudged Liz’s left knee with her right from her seat next to the other girl on the floor.
“That’s my girl. Do you understand now, Liz? Do you understand why I had you wait?”
Liz paused. She thought she knew why, but it was one of those answers that felt tenuous and soft, and if she didn’t grab for it right then, she might lose it forever. “I know you said I didn’t need it yet, I just…maybe I don’t understand why.”
“I do.” This was the first time Michael had spoke in a long while and it made Liz sit up a little straighter. “Dad…do you want me to…”
“Go ahead Mike.”
“We all have doubts, right? We doubt whether we’re good enough or whether someone likes us or whether we can win. We doubt little things all the time, like…should I have turned right instead of left at the last light or…maybe I should have ordered the salmon instead of the steak. And you’ve had plenty of those little doubts about your photography…like, I don’t know…you question whether you should have cropped a picture differently or maybe you question whether you should have taken the shot at a different time of day…but you’ve never had the big question before today. You’ve never doubted whether you were any good because…there was no reason to.
“The rest of us though…we were doubting ourselves that day on the hunt. Maria doubted whether she really was good enough to make it in music. Alex too. Kyle…he didn’t doubt that he was good, but he was seriously doubting whether he wanted it enough. And I don’t know, but…maybe that’s worse, in a way. Tess…she doubted whether she was qualified enough, whether she stood out enough from the rest of the pack. And Max and Isabel…they were doubting whether they’d feel like they ever belonged anywhere again.
“You are a good photographer, Lizzy. Anyone with sense knows that. It’s just…you’ve finally had the rug pulled out from under you. And call me crazy, I guess…but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you love something, when you’re great at something, every once in a while you have to fail at it. You have to question why you’re doing it in the first place. Failure means you’re not complacent. And the last thing you want to be with something you love is complacent.
“So I know it may hurt to hear, but I’m glad he told you that Lizzy. Because…” Michael paused and cleared his throat a little and sighed. “Because if you got complacent with your art, in a way it would be like losing mom again. Um…” Michael paused again and Liz pictured his rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not sure if you know this, but you get the same look in your eyes when you’re taking a picture you know is going to work as she did when she sat down at the piano and started to play a song that just…flowed out of her fingers.” Michael’s voice grew softer and he said, “And I would hate to see you lose that.”
It was, in a way, the single sweetest thing anyone could have ever said to her.
-:-:-:-
The next day, Liz walked through the front door of Tavern on the Green at exactly 12:25 PM and walked up to the host. The host smiled, Liz gave her name and the host immediately turned and asked Liz to follow him. Liz did and before long, he stopped in front of a table and Liz simply lost the ability to speak.
The man at the table stood, smiled and held out his hand, which Liz took, but more out of habit than any actual thought. The host left them alone and the man said, “Liz, right?”
Liz nodded and when she could finally find her voice, said, “You’re…Jacob Ramirez.”
Jacob Ramirez was a tall, handsome, tan man. He had large brown eyes and black hair with a practiced ease to it. The tips of his hair stopped just short of the bottom of his earlobes. He laughed and said, “I am.”
Liz was rarely awestruck. Having the kind of family standing she was graced enough to enjoy meant that, on occasion, she spent time with people who were regularly talked about on TV and written about in newspapers. She had learned to take it all in stride from a very early age. But Jacob Ramirez was a complete other story to her. He was her model for success.
Ramirez had made his name doing the covers for fashion magazines but he always seemed to find plenty of time to shoot the subjects he really loved to capture, which for him were honest portraits of rural life. Liz wanted that kind of freedom in her work, and she had admired him since she first saw his work in a gallery her freshman year of high school. The way he seemed to capture the soul of every person he shot was…remarkable.
“I…have admired you for…so long and I can’t believe I actually get to meet you.”
“Thank you, thank you. Please…sit.” He gestured to the chair on the other side of the table and Liz sat, placing her portfolio on the chair to her left. “Is that your portfolio?” Jacob gestured to the chair and Liz glanced at it before looking up to meet his eyes.
“It is.”
“Well, hand it over.” Jacob held out his hand with a smile.
Liz started. “I didn’t think you’d want to see it right away.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Uh…no. No, of course not.” Liz picked up her portfolio and handed it over to Jacob.
Jacob sat back in his chair and opened up the black case. He slowly turned the pages but made no sound, no motion that would indicate what he felt about any of the pictures until he reached one. His eyes flitted back and forth over the picture, taking in the light and dark, hard and soft. After a while he looked up at Liz and, flipping the portfolio around so she could see the picture, said, “Tell me about this picture.”
It was a black and white picture of Kyle when he was 16. He was standing in the batters box, his right hand clasped around the grip of his bat. The bat was pointed down, the tip of it stopping short of touching the ground by about an inch or so. Kyle was looking out at the field, a reflection of the sun dancing off the crown of his batting helmet. The expression in Kyle’s eyes was still something Liz couldn’t really grasp, couldn’t really touch. He was surrounded by streaks of light that in the real world, in the world of color, had been people, members of the other team, celebrating their victory. It was the day Kyle had struck out.
“That’s my brother Kyle. It was the championship game and he came up with the game on the line and…struck out. And that had never happened to him before.” Liz leaned forward a little. “He um…wasn’t moving. It was like he just…couldn’t or didn’t want to, because if he did, it made that last swing real and he just…for a few moments at least…couldn’t believe that it was real. He stood in that batters box a long time. I don’t think he’s ever seen that picture.”
“This is a great picture, Liz…I wish I’d taken it.”
Liz looked into his honest eyes and had to work to catch her breath. Was she dreaming? Because it really felt like she was. “Thank you. I don’t know…what else to say.”
“You clearly have a good eye for composition and texture and, looking through your photos, I can tell you that…it’s rare, Liz, to capture human emotion as well as you do.”
Liz sighed. “Not everyone sees it the way you do, I guess.”
Jacob snorted and shut the portfolio, laying it down on the table. “Bernard Mütter is a hack parading as something special. I wouldn’t take what he has to say to heart.” At Liz’s questioning look, he added, “Your dad told me.”
Liz shifted a little in her chair and asked, “How do you know my dad?”
“I don’t. Not really. My dad knows your dad. My dad grew up in California and before he moved to St. Louis to take care of his sick uncle, he worked at Parker Vineyards as a laborer for thirteen years. He loved working for your dad.”
The waiter came over and Liz and Jacob placed their orders. The waiter set down a glass of water each and walked away. Liz laughed and said, “I can’t help but be amazed at the people my dad seems to know.”
“Well…you shouldn’t be. Your dad is a very kind man, and kind men have a way of making friends wherever they go. Your dad’s the reason my great uncle could get medical treatment and he’s the reason I could afford to do my photography my way.”
“What do you mean?” Liz took a sip of her water.
Jacob cleared his throat and smiled. “There was a time when I, hardheaded as I was, didn’t want to ask for anyone’s help. I was a starving artist, dammit, and I wanted people to know that. My dad…was afraid I wouldn’t be able to support myself and didn’t want to see me give up, so he contacted your dad and told him about me. I was the first artist every sponsored by the Nancy Parker Foundation, the first artist sponsored after your mom died. So…I know your dad, but…not really.”
They ate, exchanging stories and jokes and pieces of their lives and soon, Liz came back with, “You know, if every famous person were as easy to meet as you, they wouldn’t have such a bad reputation.”
“I’m hardly all that famous, but…thank you. So you think school is going to be rough this semester?”
Liz wrinkled her nose a little and said, “Nah…I think this semester may actually be sorta light.”
“I’m glad to hear that, because I wanted to ask you if you think you could take on another responsibility.”
“Another responsibility?”
Jacob put his fork down on his plate gently and wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin from his lap. “I need a new assistant, Liz. And I would love it if you would say yes.”
When one famous photographer tells you your work should be sold on discount at Wal-Mart and another famous photographer tells you he wishes your work were his own, who do you believe?
Well…the second one, of course.
And it’s not because the second one believes in you and the first one wants you to fail, though that would be a good enough reason. No, you believe in the second one because if you’re smart at all, then you know that it doesn’t really matter what anyone thinks about you or your work, and that goes for the good as well as the bad. Because as a smart person, you know you have to believe in yourself first before anyone else will give you the time of day. That’s just the way it goes.
So even though Liz was lying on the floor because she felt as though she couldn’t bear Bernard Mütter’s words, the realistic answer was that she could. If she had really taken the time to mull his condemnation over in her mind, she would have seen the words for what they were. Because Liz was a smart girl.
It was because she was a smart girl that she could see through the transparency of his words now, as if they were air. She could see that they meant nothing. They had no weight next to Michael’s and no substance next to Jacob’s. They were simply letters of the alphabet, strung together. They had no more meaning than the babbling words of a baby, just learning to talk. And because Liz could see past those words, she was no longer lying in the middle of the floor, staring at the ceiling. She was fine.
Of course she was.
Smart girls usually are.
Hahahaha...yes...yes they do.Finally, the Evans parents suck.
Alien_Friend-
Do you play any instruments? The thought occurred to me while I was reading that scene, you write those music scenes so well I just wondered if you had any experience with it.
I do. I can play the piano...fair to middlin' and I'm just starting to teach myself how to play the guitar. But I've been a singer all my life. My mom was an opera singer, so I used to sit backstage at the San Francisco Opera House and listen and watch and I think that maybe opera is one of the easiest kinds of music to feel in your bones.
RiceKrispy-
Hahahaha...that is fan-frickin'-tastic! I'm all for that. I love oranges.In honor of your awesome writing, I'm going to start the OrangeSky religion, and we'll leave oranges in your mailbox everyday in the hopes that you'll save us and give us a new part.
Maiqu- Thanks!
begonia9508- Thanks Eve!
Rowedog-
And I say...from experience...yes, that's true.Gotta say, I loved that Max finally did it, that he finally broke the ties even though it must be a scary thing for him to do. Especially considering how much he probably wanted his parents to change, to be the type of parent that Jeff is. You'd never stop wanting that from your parents, no matter how you rationalise it and how much they've hurt you in the past.
Kisses Alison.
Natalie36- Thanks!
confusedfool- Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. (One for every post
)LairaBehr4-
Because...like Jude, you were watching Veronica Mars?There was a part? When was there a part?! And HOW did I miss it?!?!?!?!
Emz80m-
Well...Philip is, sadly, a little ridiculous. Thanks Emma!I can't believe how cold the Evans were, and to actually think that Phillip thought Isabel would choose him over Max is just ridiculous.
FSU/MSW-94-
That's an interesting point, because she is, but I hadn't really thought of her that way, not while I was writing her. I'm afraid to tell you that Philip will never be ashamed of himself, he just can't be. It's against who he has become. But here's a little food for thought:Phillip and Diane should be ashamed of themselves. Diane was actually behaving like a timid Stepford Wife, it was scary
What if Diane was already ashamed of herself before Max walked up the stairs?
killjoy-
Now for Tess I have to say cool that she was able to defend herself like that.But the part I thought was great was the fact instead of being upset and scared over the attack she was bouncing around over joyed that she did what she did
It seemed so anti-Tess to be upset about a thing like that. That's not to say I don't think she was scared or upset, just that she would be so excited that she could accomplish something as big as that, that that emotion would override the panic.
tequathisy-
Hahahaha...they are. It's true.The Parker Kids are dorks - sweet, wonderful, adorable dorks. I love them in all their dorkish glory.
I shall just agree with your brilliance, and move on.I'm really glad that Max kept his cool with his parents and didn't really lay into them as much as they would have deserved it. If he had gone crazy or lost his temper then his parents cold have dismissed him as being irrational or that he didn't really mean it.
Uh...yeah. Way off. Good news is that you don't have to guess for much longer. It's at the end of this chapter.I wonder does it somehow relate to the Evans showing up and maybe that's why Jeff couldn't give it to her before. (i'm probably way off.)
sprayadhesive-
And I was happy to do it.yessss you finally gave me what i've been waiting for.
Michelle in Yonkers-
He is. And I'm afraid he doesn't get better here.Gawd! When Père Evans opens his mouth, a little light bulb comes on. The man is cold.
Hahahaha!!!it felt so good to see Phillip get his ass handed to him (is that the expression?)
Yes, that's the expression. As for Diane...she will not see the light here. She just won't. But you may be surprised by her later this year in another fic, a quasi-sequel.
And that's all I'm saying about that.
Chrissie1218- Thanks Chrissie!
Cocogurl- I am glad to be back. Thank you.
Synera-
Thank you! That's what I want, so I'm glad you feel I'm accomplishing it.You do an excellent job making it so real that I can picture it in my head.
roswell3053- Thanks!
nibbles2-
I wanted to how that, so I'm glad that's what came out of it.Although Maria's loss doesn't compare to the Parker's, Nancy was oviously a significant figure in her young life and it's nice to see that she got something of her too. And as one day, I'm sure that Maria will be using it to sing to Nancy's grandchildren it's very fitting.
You know...I always compare the sibling relationships in APFC to the ones in GD. In GD they'd all be fighting left and right over that guitar...hahaha!
thetvgeneral- If you think about it, you didn't really miss it because it was still there. So, maybe you didn't know it was there at the same time everyone else did, but like the best kind of train (one that doesn't exist, frankly) it waited for you.
Aurorabee-
I do. I just finished reading Brave New World (for the fifth time) and right toward the end there's this section of narration that just kills me. And it's so good, I have to go back and reread it two more times. But though I hope Huxley's words stay with me, that I'll remember them, I never do. Still, I like to think they're there somewhere, floating in my mind.It's weird how words that are so perfect can break my heart a little, but not in a bad way. Do you know what I mean?
Yeah...I was proud of him too, mainly because I started the conversation thinking he was going to be angry. But he kept his head and said what he needed to say and that is, maybe, the single greatest thing he could have done for himself.Of all the things he could have said, Max said this. I'm so proud of him!
Anne...I have to say I have a good feeling about you as a mom.She's only three now, but if I want her to grow into the type of strong, loving people you've written the Parker kids to be, I need to make mental notes of your Jeff Parker.
I'm pretty sure you're doing just fine.clueless- Thank you!
Ms_BuffyAnneSummers- Thanks!
lilah- Thanks!
tabby- Well, then...welcome to the madness that is all of us here. Grab a seat...I think you'll have a good time.
Goodness knows we all do. Ellie-
You're right...though I hadn't thought of it in that way specifically. They do like each other and now I can see that even if Michael wouldn't have wanted anything to do with them, the rest of them would have found a way to pull him in.Love is usually part of the package but there's really something magic there when you can all say you truly like each other and you'd be close even if you hadn't been related.
dreamsatnight-
I think you're the third person that's told me this and all I can think is...wow! There is no way I could read all 404 pages of this in one sitting. No way. You have incredible stamina. And thank you for giving my (not so) little fic a chance.so i read it all. mostly in one sitting.
Welcome to our collective insanity!katydid-
*thinking*Okay, it's been forever since I've left feedback
Okay...so maybe it's...Kate's fault I haven't written more!
Oh...if only she would feedback more, maybe I could find the inspiration to write! Woe is me! (Or, if you prefer the grammaticlly correct version...Woe is I!)
Behrgirl21-
Yes, I agree that Michelle is certainly surpassed in guilt trips, that others are allowed to try their powers as well. (Preferrably not on me, but you will do what you must.) And I have to say you're very creative in your attempts. The use of the masses...well thought out choice.So I LOVE this fic and I think I'll leave the guilt trips to Michelle but I've been patiently waiting for a new part, like, forever so I think I shall start a little protest! Yep, this is me standing here with my little imaginary boards saying "Chapter please!" and chanting, "What do we want?" to which everyone should reply "New Chapters!" and I'll ask, "When do we want them?" to which all your fans say "NOW!"
Okay all...I am happy to bring you another chapter in APFC. Another long chapter in APFC.
I just want you all to know that I wish the only thing I had to get accomplished in a day was to write my stories, but I'm not that lucky. I am, however, lucky to have all of you. Just know that I think about my stories all the time, even when I don't have the time to write them.
The title comes from the theme song of an old TV show. Other than that, I don't think there's anything else to disclaim. So without further ado...on with chapter 37. Enjoy.
Chapter 37: A Horse is a Horse
Kyle Parker did not like bad news. He didn’t like ominous sounding voices that said things like, “I’m sorry to tell you…” or “Are you sitting down?” or “Are you the father of Elizabeth and Alexander?”
And he especially didn’t like voices that woke him up just after ten o’clock the night before the first game of the season that said, “Mr. Parker? This is Officer Robinson with the Ann Arbor police department.”
Above all, Kyle did not like his concentration screwed up before the first game of the season.
It wasn’t that Kyle was selfish…
Okay, so he was a little selfish. And he would admit that, though probably only to those closest to him.
It was more that Kyle didn’t like to worry. It didn’t suit him. He was a consoler, not a worrier; a waiting ear, not a nervous wreck. And he had enough to concern himself with. Tomorrow was the first game of the season. And now…he couldn’t sleep.
Kyle turned his head slowly to the other side and looked at the illuminated alarm clock.
3:24 AM.
He sighed softly and turned his head the other direction to look at Tess, who was sound asleep. One of her blonde curls had fallen across her face and her nose twitched now and again as the hair hit it, but she didn’t wake. Kyle was more grateful than he could say that she was sleeping soundly, that what had happened to her earlier that night had only made her stronger and more confident. It could have easily gone in a completely different direction.
Kyle slid slowly out of bed and walked across the bedroom. His feet passed through a soft blue ray of light, shining down on the floor from the nightlight on the wall nearest him. It was Tess’ nightlight. When they moved in together and she’d put it in the wall, he’d laughed and asked her if she was afraid the bogeyman was going to get her. She in return told him that he could laugh all he liked, but it wasn’t like that. It was simply that without a light, she had a tendency to run into things. Kyle hadn’t really believed her at first – who would? – but soon came to realize that she was telling the truth when he woke up three times that first week to a loud crash and some very colorful words. Tess hadn’t been lying. She did need that nightlight.
Kyle walked into the kitchen and pulled a cup down from the cabinet just to the left of the sink. The cup was one of those plastic souvenir ones you got from theme parks and stadiums when you bought a soda that cost you an arm and a leg. This one was from some fast food place nearby that R.J. was fond of frequenting. He’d left the cup here last semester. Kyle filled the cup about halfway from the tap.
Kyle hopped up onto the counter near the sink and leaned back against the cabinets, taking slow sips from the cup, held loosely in his left hand. This was the first time he hadn’t been able to sleep before a big game and though he’d like to blame the trouble surrounding Tess for that, he just couldn’t. It wasn’t true.
The truth was that he didn’t really know why he was awake and sitting on his kitchen counter, sipping room-temperature water from a faded plastic cup at nearly four in the morning. He could try to blame it on his nerves, but that was about as valid as the Tess excuse. Kyle Parker didn’t get nervous, not about playing a game. He never had. He’d seen teammates at all levels throw up, talk nervously and fidget constantly with their uniforms but Kyle had never been one of those people. He just wasn’t. And trying to tell himself he was now was more than a bit pointless.
The easiest way to solve this problem would be to call Michael, but Kyle wasn’t about to do that. Even if – well…when, really – Michael solved his problem, Kyle would still be awake after, thinking about it. And then they’d both be awake, and there was really no point in that.
Kyle sighed and swung his legs a little, back and forth. If his problem wasn’t Tess and it wasn’t nerves, what else could it be?
Kyle quickly ran down the list.
Tess? No.
Nerves? No.
Maybe he couldn’t sleep because Michael was in Chicago. Valid…but no. It was always a terrible loss for the two of them to be separated, but it had never affected his sleep pattern before. No reason for that to change now.
Insomnia? Uh…no. Not even remotely.
“Kyle? Honey? You okay?” Tess’ voice came from inside the bedroom and Kyle looked at the doorway and took a quick sip of water.
“Yeah,” he called back. “Fine.”
“You coming back to bed?”
Kyle hopped down off the counter and dumped the remaining water out of the cup, watching as it swirled down the drain. He set the cup down on the counter with a light tap and moved his head slowly back and forth, hearing his neck pop slightly as he walked out of the kitchen.
As he walked through the bedroom doorway and smiled at his girlfriend, who was trying to take over sole possession of their covers, he couldn’t help the thought that nagged the back of his mind. Why was he having trouble sleeping?
Whatever the problem, Kyle was able to get a few hours of sleep, waking only because he felt Tess get out of bed somewhere around 7 AM. Kyle cleared his throat and rubbed his nose with a jerk and Tess let out a soft laugh. “What?” Kyle grumbled a little – though he smiled – and tried to burrow his head a little further into the pillow.
“Oh nothing. You’re just too cute for words is all.”
“Am I?” Kyle grinned and lifted his head from his pillow, sleepy eyes fixing at once on the beautiful blonde leaning against the doorframe.
“Mmmhmm…you are. And then some.” She crossed her arms and her feet. “So…trouble sleeping last night, huh?”
Kyle flipped over and lifted himself up on his elbows. “And if I knew why that was, I would tell you in a heartbeat. Went over anything I could think of but nothing was right.”
“So it’s not me then?”
Kyle pulled the covers off and stood up from the bed. “No…although…I would have loved to see the look on his face when you nailed him.” Kyle walked over and rubbed her arms, squeezing them gently just above the elbows. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, taking in the sweet smell of Tess in the early morning. “And you nailed him gooooood.”
Tess laughed and nuzzled her nose into the side of her face. “Are you nervous at all?”
“Nah. No reason to be.” He pulled back a little and clasped his fingers behind her back. “I’m just doing the same thing I’ve done every spring for the last seventeen years.”
“Is it amazing? That feeling of standing there and just having a whole ballpark cheering for you?” Tess ran her fingers gently along his hairline. “I’ve always wanted to know how it felt.”
“It’s…indescribable, really.”
“You excited, though?”
“Oh yeah.” He nodded, yawned and padded away into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He walked back out of the bathroom seconds later, the green plastic handle of his toothbrush jutting out of his mouth. “Hey…did dad call yesterday?”
Tess thought a moment as she moved from the doorway of the bedroom and into the living area. “No…don’t think so. Why?”
“No reason.” Kyle walked back into the bathroom and spit out his mouthful of foam.
A loud, resounding knock came from the front door and Kyle stuck his head out of the bathroom just as Tess stuck her head out the kitchen doorway, both staring at the front door as if the wood itself had just knocked and not a person behind it. After a moment – and another loud knock – they nodded at each other and started toward the door. There was really only one person it could be.
Kyle continued to brush his teeth, making soft circles in his mouth, and stood right side hipshot as Tess clicked the deadbolt off and twisted the doorknob, opening the door to reveal a bright R.J. on the other side.
R.J. grinned and blew past them and into the living area, dropping his bag down on the floor with a thud. He threw his arms out and said, “Good morning beautiful people! How are we on this fine day?”
Tess shut the door and said, “You know…if I didn’t actually know you, I’d think there was no way someone like you could exist. I’m making breakfast. Do you want some?”
“Ooo…please! What are we having?”
Tess walked away and said with a grin, “Food.”
R.J. though for a moment then asked, “What kind of food?”
“Good food!”
R.J. looked at Kyle. “I asked for that, didn’t I?”
“Yes. Yes you did.”
“Thought so. So…you ready?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Kyle walked away and into the bathroom, spitting out the remainder of the toothpaste foam in his mouth and rinsing his mouth out with a handful of cool water from the tap.
R.J. leaned against the wall, putting his right foot flat against the white paint. He crossed his arms. “Wait, wait…I know this one. Because you…were kidnapped by…pygmies?”
Kyle laughed and as he turned, threw a hand towel at R.J., who caught it easily.
“Breakfast!”
“Ooo…breakfast!” R.J. tossed the hand towel back at Kyle. “Deuce? Is it wrong that I’m a little in love with your girlfriend?”
Kyle stared at him for a moment before he walked out of the bathroom. “Nooooo, Ocean. Not in the slightest.”
“Well…you didn’t have to take that tone!”
-:-:-:-
“Ten minutes guys. Ten minutes.” One of the Michigan coaches walked slowly through the locker room, making sure every player heard him. A good idea, seeing as quite a few of them had their earbuds in, and were paying him absolutely no mind.
Kyle looked up and gave a brief nod to his assistant coach as the older man walked by and Kyle resumed tying his spikes. To his right R.J. was pulling his socks up. Kyle stood and looked at the shelf at the top of his locker. It was where the players put all their personal effects during a game, things like cell phones, rings and wallets. The light at the top of Kyle’s cell phone was flashing gently and Kyle picked up his phone. He had a video message. He flipped it open and sat down on the bench, trying to come up with who the message could be from. Maybe it was from his dad…
It wasn’t, but the message on the other end made him smile very, very widely.
Hi Kyle!
Hi Kyle!
Liz and Isabel grinned and waved at him widely from the tiny screen of his phone. They were still in their pajamas.
We wish we could be there-
But we can’t.
We can’t.
So we’re sending you this message telling you…
We love you!
We love you!
And we know you’re going to knock the crap out of that ball today.
Kyle grinned and let out a small laugh. R.J. leaned over his shoulder and asked, “Who’s that from?”
Kyle grinned and spared R.J. a brief look. “My sisters.”
“I thought you only had one sister. Liz.”
“Okay…so it’s my sister and her best friend who I happen to love like a sister and who Alex is completely in love with. He’s going to marry her one day.”
“So…your sister?”
“My sister.”
So Kyle…we want you to remember a few things for us, okay?
Just a few.
When you’re striding toward the pitcher, don’t open your hips too early. I know how tempted you can be.
Always watch the ball into your glove.
Keep your eye on the baserunner at all times.
And most importantly-
Most especially-
We want you to remember this…above anything else.
No matter what, Kyle…
The two girls looked at one another and grinned, putting their arms around each other’s shoulders then turned back so that they were facing forward.
Keep your eye on the ball!
Keep your eye on the ball!
Kyle and R.J. laughed and Kyle adjusted the phone just a little bit to cut down on the glare.
And just remember that win or lose-
Though we’re pretty darn sure you’ll win-
Of course.
Naturally.
Win or lose…no matter what…we love you.
So much.
And we are unbelievably proud of you and everything you can do.
So…
Good luck!
Good luck!
And if you feel like it-
But only if you feel like it-
Knock one out of the park for us!
Knock one out of the park for us!
Isabel and Liz blew Kyle kisses through the tiny cell phone screen, grinning and waving rapidly at him, full of confidence in everything Kyle was capable of doing.
Bye!
Bye!
Kyle flipped the cell phone shut and held it to his lips for a moment before he stood and set it back on the shelf. He felt much more at ease than he had just a minute before, even if his problem wasn’t fully rectified.
“Alright guys…game time. Let’s go.”
Kyle buttoned up his jersey quickly and tucked it into his pants before he buckled his belt. He tucked his glove under his arm and pulled his hat on, shifting it so that it sat securely on his head and waited for R.J. to stand. The two walked out of the locker room and into the sunlight with the rest of their team to a loud chorus of applause.
R.J. leaned into Kyle and said, out of the corner of his mouth, “You know…I don’t play for this…but I have to admit…it really is a nice perk.”
Kyle grinned and the two took their places along the third base line for the national anthem, pulling their hats off and holding them over their hearts. Kyle watched the stadium flag whipping gently above them as a group of four singers from the music program at Michigan attempted to sing the Star Spangled Banner. They were okay through most of the song but struggled toward the end, but Kyle could have cared less. He wasn’t paying them much attention anyway.
What in the heck was different today? Something was different than it had been the same time last year and it wasn’t being separated from Michael or Alex and Liz or anything like that. He just couldn’t put his finger on it, whatever that it might be. It was as if he wasn’t really ready to play because something hadn’t been accomplished yet. That was how it felt…like he was waiting for something to happen.
The anthem ended, the players were announced, and Kyle and R.J. trotted out to their places on the field with their teammates. They were tossing the ball around the infield – Kyle had just relayed it to the pitcher – when R.J. said, “Hey Deuce…Tess is waving at you.”
Kyle looked briefly at R.J. then turned and looked up and into the stands for Tess, who was grinning and waving. She pointed to her side and lifted the man up out of his seat to her right and Kyle grinned as his dad waved at him along with Tess.
“Geezus…I’m such an idiot. Of course. Of course.”
Of course.
-:-:-:-
Three days since Max’s phone call, and Isabel’s parents still hadn’t shown up at her apartment.
Isabel was glad Max had called to let her know their parents were on the warpath, glad that she’d have a lot more time to formulate a plan than he’d had, but a piece of her wanted them to show up just after he called, when she’d had just enough time to form a game plan, but not enough time to over think it. She hated the waiting. Over the last few days Isabel had changed her normal routine, anticipating her parents any moment. But she had seen neither hide nor hair of them, and the waiting was beginning to border on painful.
“Iz…you need to calm down. Take a deep breath. You know they’re going to come. You just have to let them.” Liz walked out of the kitchen in her stocking feet and handed Isabel a cup of tea.
“I know, I know…I just wish they’d get here already so I can get it over with. It’s like they’re torturing me. Intentionally.” Isabel sat down on the couch and Liz sat down beside her, tucking her feet underneath her body.
“Actually, considering what we know about your parents…that’s probably exactly what they’re doing.” Liz blew on her hot tea and took a slow sip.
Isabel set her tea down on the coffee table and pulled a soft, sage green blanket off the back of the sofa to cover her legs. “Yeah.” She sighed and took a sip of her tea.
Liz smiled at her, her mug cupped protectively between her two hands. “You’re going to be fine, Isabel. You can do it.”
“Well, that’s the funny thing…I know I’m going to be fine and I know I can do it…I just…” She trailed off and tapped the bottom of her mug with her open palm. “I don’t…want to have to.”
Liz thought a moment, her eyes gently focused on the woman across from her, and said, “Isabel…have you ever heard the story of the scorpion and the frog?”
“I don’t think so.” Isabel took a sip of her tea.
“It’s one of dad’s favorites. There’s a frog, sitting by a riverbank one day. A scorpion walks up and asks the frog to take him across the river. Frog says…no way, you’re a scorpion. You’ll sting me. The scorpion says…why would I do that? I sting you and we both drown. So the frog thinks about it for a minute and finally agrees to take the scorpion across the river. Scorpion hops on frog’s back and when they’re halfway across the river, stings the frog. Frog says…why did you do that? We’re both going to drown! Scorpion says…I can’t help it. I’m a scorpion.” Liz took a long, slow sip of her tea. “I think most people have at least a small capacity to change. We have the power to go above and beyond our circumstances, the power to change our own lives, if we’re willing to put in the hard work. But I think some people…a very small group of people…I think some people are going to be who they are, no matter what their circumstances. Like dad.”
“Yeah…but dad’s amazing. My father, on the other hand…” Isabel lifted her eyebrows and sighed.
“And that’s the hard part. But even with all that bad stuff…look at you, Isabel. You’re amazing. You’re gorgeous and sweet and fun and loving and giving and that has everything to do with you and nothing to do with your parents. You’re like dad…you were born to be good.”
The two girls smiled at one another and Liz adjusted herself so that her legs were stretched out in front of her, forcing Isabel to adjust a little herself to accommodate Liz. Liz poked the side of Isabel’s thigh with her big toe and Isabel squirmed a little and scrunched her nose up. She was in the middle of a large gulp of tea from the cup in her hand when a loud, harsh knock sounded on the front door of the apartment.
Isabel looked into Liz’s eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “Well…it’s showtime.”
“Showtime.” Liz took Isabel’s mug with her right hand and set them down on the coffee table. Isabel pulled the blanket off her legs and they both stood and walked over to the door as another knock came, this one much louder and more insistent than the first. They stopped by the door and Liz asked, “Do you want me to leave you alone? I can go into my bedroom if you want.”
Isabel stopped her with a hand on the arm. “Can you stay? If you’re here, there’s…I can do it.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. They’re not even getting through the front door.” Isabel squared herself and stood in front of the doorknob. Liz stood to the right, so that when the door was opened just a bit, she wouldn’t be seen. Still, Isabel would know she was there, and that was all that mattered.
With a final look at Liz and one last deep breath, Isabel opened the door just enough so that a section of her body could be seen, but not enough to allow the larger Philip to get through.
“Isabel.”
“Father.”
“Would you like to let me in, Isabel?”
“No, father,” she breathed out.
“Excuse me?”
“No. You cannot come in.” This time Isabel was much more firm, much more insistent.
Behind the door Liz smiled widely. She couldn’t help but enjoy this.
On the other side of the door, Philip Evans tried to open the door with a little force, but the door only moved a small distance before stopping. Isabel’s foot was in the way, and so was Liz’s body.
“Let…me…in, Isabel.”
“No.”
“You are just like your brother,” he spat out.
“That’s maybe the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. Thank you.” Isabel smiled and looked behind her father to where her mother was standing. Diane Evans was avoiding all eye contact and Isabel felt sorry for her, right in that moment. Perhaps in years past – had Isabel tried – perhaps then she could have had a relationship with her mother. But Isabel hadn’t tried, mainly because she thought it a fruitless endeavor. And she wasn’t really wrong about that.
Philip growled a little under his breath and Isabel wanted to grin in triumph, but she held off. “Are you really so…simple?” He spat out the last word and Isabel felt just a little dirtier than she had moments before. “How do you think you’ll survive without my money? Huh? Do you think some…happy little college fairy pays for all of this? Because if you do, little girl, you’ve got another thing coming.”
Isabel felt her confidence waver a bit and she reached to her right, grasping for Liz’s hand. She caught it and held on and Liz squeezed it lightly to pass on her assurance. Isabel took another deep breath. “I’m not stupid. I know it costs money to go to college. I’ll be fine.”
“Will you now?” His laugh was humorless and it chilled Liz and Isabel just the smallest bit. There was no kindness in that laugh, not even the smallest bit. “And how do you propose to be…fine, is it?”
Isabel squeezed Liz’s hand a little tighter and the other girl put her left hand on top of Isabel’s, so that both of Liz’s hands were holding Isabel’s one. “I made an appointment to talk to someone in the financial office tomorrow, so I can figure out my options. I doubt I’ll be able to get any aid based on need, but I can try for some scholarships based on my achievements and I’ll probably have to carry some heavy loans…but I can handle it. A lot of other students do. Everyday. And now…I’m no different from them.”
“Do you know what you are, little girl? You’re ungrateful. Everything your mother and I have done for you…you would throw that away for some family you just met? Because it’s them, isn’t it? That’s what it comes down to. Them.”
Isabel sighed. She could have been angry, but she wasn’t. All she felt was overwhelming sadness and the aching urge to cry. “No…it’s not the Parkers. Not at all. And I wasn’t going to bring them up, but now that you mention them, I have something else to say.”
“And what is that?” Philip breathed hard and quick through his nose, a bull desperate to charge.
Isabel began to cry, the tears making slow, silent tracks on her cheeks. “Shame on you. Shame on you for refusing to treat me like your daughter. Shame on you for forcing me to live twenty years without knowing what a family really was. Shame on you for holding your money over my head. Shame on you for every harsh word, every hard look. Shame on you for making me look to other people for love and kindness and compassion. Shame…on…you.”
“You think your pretty words mean anything?”
“Yes…I do. And I want you to leave now.”
Philip pushed against the door forcefully one last time and though the door shook a little, it did not budge. Isabel and Liz were not about to let it. “Fine. Diane! Let’s go. Now!” Philip swung on his heel and pulled Diane after him, and though Isabel watched them as they walked away, they never once looked back. Isabel wondered exactly how it was that anyone could leave their child behind forever and not look back. But perhaps what Isabel failed to really understand that that was indeed what had always set her apart from her parents. An ability, and a willingness, to care.
Isabel finally shut the door and turned, releasing Liz’s hand and putting her back on the door. The hard wood felt good against her back and she slid down the wood until she was seated on the floor. She bumped her head gently against the door just as Liz slid down the door to sit next to her. Isabel stared in front of her at nothing in particular for a little while, and after a moment felt Liz’s hand slip into hers again. Isabel smiled and turned her head, still on the door, to look at her best friend.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“You okay?”
“I think so. Thanks for holding my hand.”
“No other place my hand would rather be.”
“Liar.” Isabel laughed. “You’d rather it were holding Max.”
“Most of the time, yes…that would be true. But today it’s not. Today this hand only wants to be held by you.” Liz rested her head gently against Isabel’s and Isabel breathed out a soft sigh.
Isabel wasn’t entirely sure, but she thought she may have finally accepted the idea that her parents simply weren’t going to change. Because right then she had pain in her heart and an ache in her head, but she was okay. She would survive this. And through it all, she would have a family by her side. Because while Philip had finally been given what he deserved, so had Isabel.
She would be okay.
Of course she would.
-:-:-:-
Isabel stepped around the open apartment door and closed it with her hip, her eyes focused on the pile of mail in her hands. She called out, “Hey Liz…I’m back from class.” and pulled her hat off of her head, setting it on a table near the door and shrugging her coat off as best she could just after. Turned toward the wall, Isabel said, “Well…it looks like you may have already won a million dollars.” She rifled through the mail and turned around, walking toward the other side of the apartment. “I wonder why Publisher’s Clearing House never wants to give me a million dollars. I could really use it. Hmm…” Isabel scrunched up her nose slightly. “I’m afraid the rest of the mail is downhill from there. Did you want to see-”
Isabel tripped before she could finish her sentence and fell onto the couch cushions, which was lucky. About a half a foot further to the right and she would have fallen into a table instead. She looked down at the mail, now strewn across a small section of their floor, and at the person, laying flat on their back in the middle of the floor. “Liz? What are you doing on the floor?”
Liz gave no response but continued to stare at the ceiling above her, blinking her eyes slowly every once in a while. Her arms were lying flat on the floor and close to her side, palms down.
“Li-iz,” Isabel sing-songed. “Earth to Liz.” Isabel stood from the couch and stepped over the mail. She stopped right next to Liz’s right shoulder and stared down at her from high above, but if Liz noticed, she gave no indication. Actually, she wasn’t doing much at all. Except blinking. On that she cornered the market.
Isabel sat down on the floor next to Liz’s shoulder, crossing her legs Indian style. Not knowing what else to do, she sat there and just watched Liz for a minute or two. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at all. There were no tears, no wide eyes from shock and no broken bones, bruises or blood that she could see. Liz looked…fine. But Isabel was the queen of not being fine but looking fine, so though she didn’t know exactly what was wrong with Liz, she knew something was.
Isabel watched Liz. And watched. And watched. And all the while prayed that somehow, she’d see what was wrong so that this time, instead of Liz helping her, she could help Liz.
Then she saw it. And it seemed so obvious that Isabel couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it to begin with. Liz wasn’t breathing like she should be.
“Liz? I know something’s wrong.” Liz blinked once, slowly, and Isabel stood. Isabel walked over to a nearby table and picked the cordless phone up off its dock, dialing Max’s cell phone. It went directly to voicemail, so she hung up and dialed the number for Max and Michael’s apartment. After three rings, Michael picked up. “Hey Michael, it’s Izzy. Is Max there?”
“Hey, Iz. Uh, no…he’s in class. Did you try his cell phone?”
Isabel sighed. “Yeah…it’s turned off.”
Michael paused on the other end of the phone. “Are you okay, Iz?”
“I’m fine. Liz isn’t. I thought Max might be able to get through to her.”
“Liz isn’t okay? Why?”
“That’s part of the problem. She won’t talk.” Isabel turned around and looked at Liz, who hadn’t moved at all. Not that Isabel was surprised. “All she’s doing is lying in the middle of the floor, staring at the ceiling. And blinking. She’s doing a lot of blinking.”
Michael made a noise on the other line that Isabel couldn’t place. “Did you call Alex?”
“His phone is off. He’s meeting with his advisor today to find out what he needs to do to make sure he’s on track. You know…so he doesn’t lose any time with his major switch. I should call Kyle too.” Isabel sat back down next to Liz, but this time she sat down on the floor at the top of Liz’s head.
“No…his phone’s off. He has a game today.”
“Does no one in this family keep their phones on?”
Michael laughed softly, though it sounded more like he was simply exhaling a louder breath than normal. “Maria’s is off right now too. I can tell you that. I don’t know if Tess’ is.”
“Okay…I was kidding…” Isabel trailed off and looked down at Liz, brushing her hand gently over the brunette’s hair. “Michael…I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”
“Put the phone on speaker and set it down.”
Isabel did as she was told and set the phone down on the floor.
“Hey Lizzy…I hear you’re not doing so well today. Want to take pity on me…maybe…and tell me what’s wrong?” No response. “Isabel…did you see her this morning?”
“Yeah. She was fine.”
“So where did she go today?”
Isabel scrunched her eyebrows together. “Uh…she had her photography class today, but that’s all.”
“So something happened in photography class today, huh Lizzy?” Liz turned her head to look at the phone.
Isabel said excitedly, “She moved her head, Mike!”
Isabel heard Michael move on the other line. “Okay…” And then, “Oh…I get it.” And much quieter, “I get it, Lizzy. Did your teacher tell you your work needed…work?”
Liz’s entire expression changed, but it was Isabel who said, “I don’t get it. Don’t all artists get bad reviews at one time or another?”
“Yeah…and Liz has had them, but not from people who make their living knowing what they’re talking about. That’s the difference.”
“Pedestrian and trite. He called my work pedestrian and trite.” Liz’s voice was hoarse and she grimaced a little, trying to keep her emotions in a little.
“Your teacher?”
Liz sighed. “No. The guest speaker.”
“Who was the guest speaker?”
“Bernard Mütter.”
Isabel said, “Wait…the famous fashion photographer?”
“Yeah.”
“You listened to him? I know I don’t know all that much about photography, but-”
Liz tilted her head back to look at Isabel and Isabel in turn put her hands on the side of Liz’s head. “Isabel…he’s a world-renowned photographer known for his contrast and his uncanny ability to capture the female form. He’s famous for a reason.”
“Yeah…but he’s a one-trick pony. All he does is the same thing over and over and over again. Hold on.” Isabel stood quickly and rushed out of the living room and into her bedroom. Liz watched her go, head tilted back. To her, Isabel was running upside down on the ceiling. Isabel came back into the room and plopped down into her previous spot and held out an open magazine over Liz’s face. “See?” She picked up another magazine, flipped to a page and said, “Anything look familiar? Just the same old thing. Pretty girl with a rough background. It may be shot well, but there’s no originality there, Liz. Like I said…one-trick pony. He wouldn’t know art if it slapped him over the head.”
“I appreciate what you’re saying, Iz…but his feedback does matter. He became famous for a reason.”
Michael said, “Hold on…I’m gonna call dad.” There was silence while Michael dialed his dad, conferencing him in and then Michael said, “Dad?”
“I’m here, Mike. What’s up?”
“Lizzy’s having a bit of a bad day, dad. Thought you might be able to help.”
“Is that right, squirt? You having a bad day?”
Liz sighed and said, “A famous photographer came into class today and he looked at my work and called it…trite and…pedestrian.”
“Okay, so now you have doubts about your abilities, abilities which few have ever questioned, including you. I think the trouble here, sweetheart, is that you’re putting all your eggs in one basket, so to speak. You’re weighing his opinion so heavily that it’s as if he’s the only one who’s ever reviewed your work at all.”
“Dad…he knows what he’s talking about.”
“Why? Because he’s famous? Being famous doesn’t guarantee that you’re more knowledgeable or less of a jerk, honey. It just means more people know there’s a face attached to your name, that’s all. You know that.” Even when he was admonishing, Jeff Parker had an unparalleled way of speaking with complete kindness. “I think it’s time for your gift.”
Liz sat up and a shocked Isabel backed up just a bit. “Really?”
“Really. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right back.”
Liz stared at the phone and Isabel stared at Liz and had Michael been sitting in the room with them and not on the couch in his apartment in Chicago, he probably would have been staring at the both of them, watching their faces.
Michael was worried for Liz, she knew that. She could read it in the undertones of his vowels and in his silence. But in a way, she supposed he had been built for that. It was what Michael had been made for, in a way. He worried for you when you didn’t have the ability to worry for yourself. And Liz was grateful for that.
After a few minutes, Jeff came back with, “Okay, it’s all set. You’re having lunch tomorrow at Tavern on the Green.”
“Dad…I know you love me, but I think buying me Tavern on the Green is a bit much.”
Jeff chuckled on the other line and said, “Yes…that would be a bit much. No…twelve thirty…Tavern on the Green. Give the host your name and he’ll lead you to your gift. Oh, and…make sure to bring your portfolio.”
“So my gift’s a person?”
“Your gift’s a person.”
“And this person, they-”
“Eh…that’s all I’m going to say. You’ll find out tomorrow.”
“Okay, okay…I can wait.” Liz sighed but smiled and Isabel nudged Liz’s left knee with her right from her seat next to the other girl on the floor.
“That’s my girl. Do you understand now, Liz? Do you understand why I had you wait?”
Liz paused. She thought she knew why, but it was one of those answers that felt tenuous and soft, and if she didn’t grab for it right then, she might lose it forever. “I know you said I didn’t need it yet, I just…maybe I don’t understand why.”
“I do.” This was the first time Michael had spoke in a long while and it made Liz sit up a little straighter. “Dad…do you want me to…”
“Go ahead Mike.”
“We all have doubts, right? We doubt whether we’re good enough or whether someone likes us or whether we can win. We doubt little things all the time, like…should I have turned right instead of left at the last light or…maybe I should have ordered the salmon instead of the steak. And you’ve had plenty of those little doubts about your photography…like, I don’t know…you question whether you should have cropped a picture differently or maybe you question whether you should have taken the shot at a different time of day…but you’ve never had the big question before today. You’ve never doubted whether you were any good because…there was no reason to.
“The rest of us though…we were doubting ourselves that day on the hunt. Maria doubted whether she really was good enough to make it in music. Alex too. Kyle…he didn’t doubt that he was good, but he was seriously doubting whether he wanted it enough. And I don’t know, but…maybe that’s worse, in a way. Tess…she doubted whether she was qualified enough, whether she stood out enough from the rest of the pack. And Max and Isabel…they were doubting whether they’d feel like they ever belonged anywhere again.
“You are a good photographer, Lizzy. Anyone with sense knows that. It’s just…you’ve finally had the rug pulled out from under you. And call me crazy, I guess…but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you love something, when you’re great at something, every once in a while you have to fail at it. You have to question why you’re doing it in the first place. Failure means you’re not complacent. And the last thing you want to be with something you love is complacent.
“So I know it may hurt to hear, but I’m glad he told you that Lizzy. Because…” Michael paused and cleared his throat a little and sighed. “Because if you got complacent with your art, in a way it would be like losing mom again. Um…” Michael paused again and Liz pictured his rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not sure if you know this, but you get the same look in your eyes when you’re taking a picture you know is going to work as she did when she sat down at the piano and started to play a song that just…flowed out of her fingers.” Michael’s voice grew softer and he said, “And I would hate to see you lose that.”
It was, in a way, the single sweetest thing anyone could have ever said to her.
-:-:-:-
The next day, Liz walked through the front door of Tavern on the Green at exactly 12:25 PM and walked up to the host. The host smiled, Liz gave her name and the host immediately turned and asked Liz to follow him. Liz did and before long, he stopped in front of a table and Liz simply lost the ability to speak.
The man at the table stood, smiled and held out his hand, which Liz took, but more out of habit than any actual thought. The host left them alone and the man said, “Liz, right?”
Liz nodded and when she could finally find her voice, said, “You’re…Jacob Ramirez.”
Jacob Ramirez was a tall, handsome, tan man. He had large brown eyes and black hair with a practiced ease to it. The tips of his hair stopped just short of the bottom of his earlobes. He laughed and said, “I am.”
Liz was rarely awestruck. Having the kind of family standing she was graced enough to enjoy meant that, on occasion, she spent time with people who were regularly talked about on TV and written about in newspapers. She had learned to take it all in stride from a very early age. But Jacob Ramirez was a complete other story to her. He was her model for success.
Ramirez had made his name doing the covers for fashion magazines but he always seemed to find plenty of time to shoot the subjects he really loved to capture, which for him were honest portraits of rural life. Liz wanted that kind of freedom in her work, and she had admired him since she first saw his work in a gallery her freshman year of high school. The way he seemed to capture the soul of every person he shot was…remarkable.
“I…have admired you for…so long and I can’t believe I actually get to meet you.”
“Thank you, thank you. Please…sit.” He gestured to the chair on the other side of the table and Liz sat, placing her portfolio on the chair to her left. “Is that your portfolio?” Jacob gestured to the chair and Liz glanced at it before looking up to meet his eyes.
“It is.”
“Well, hand it over.” Jacob held out his hand with a smile.
Liz started. “I didn’t think you’d want to see it right away.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Uh…no. No, of course not.” Liz picked up her portfolio and handed it over to Jacob.
Jacob sat back in his chair and opened up the black case. He slowly turned the pages but made no sound, no motion that would indicate what he felt about any of the pictures until he reached one. His eyes flitted back and forth over the picture, taking in the light and dark, hard and soft. After a while he looked up at Liz and, flipping the portfolio around so she could see the picture, said, “Tell me about this picture.”
It was a black and white picture of Kyle when he was 16. He was standing in the batters box, his right hand clasped around the grip of his bat. The bat was pointed down, the tip of it stopping short of touching the ground by about an inch or so. Kyle was looking out at the field, a reflection of the sun dancing off the crown of his batting helmet. The expression in Kyle’s eyes was still something Liz couldn’t really grasp, couldn’t really touch. He was surrounded by streaks of light that in the real world, in the world of color, had been people, members of the other team, celebrating their victory. It was the day Kyle had struck out.
“That’s my brother Kyle. It was the championship game and he came up with the game on the line and…struck out. And that had never happened to him before.” Liz leaned forward a little. “He um…wasn’t moving. It was like he just…couldn’t or didn’t want to, because if he did, it made that last swing real and he just…for a few moments at least…couldn’t believe that it was real. He stood in that batters box a long time. I don’t think he’s ever seen that picture.”
“This is a great picture, Liz…I wish I’d taken it.”
Liz looked into his honest eyes and had to work to catch her breath. Was she dreaming? Because it really felt like she was. “Thank you. I don’t know…what else to say.”
“You clearly have a good eye for composition and texture and, looking through your photos, I can tell you that…it’s rare, Liz, to capture human emotion as well as you do.”
Liz sighed. “Not everyone sees it the way you do, I guess.”
Jacob snorted and shut the portfolio, laying it down on the table. “Bernard Mütter is a hack parading as something special. I wouldn’t take what he has to say to heart.” At Liz’s questioning look, he added, “Your dad told me.”
Liz shifted a little in her chair and asked, “How do you know my dad?”
“I don’t. Not really. My dad knows your dad. My dad grew up in California and before he moved to St. Louis to take care of his sick uncle, he worked at Parker Vineyards as a laborer for thirteen years. He loved working for your dad.”
The waiter came over and Liz and Jacob placed their orders. The waiter set down a glass of water each and walked away. Liz laughed and said, “I can’t help but be amazed at the people my dad seems to know.”
“Well…you shouldn’t be. Your dad is a very kind man, and kind men have a way of making friends wherever they go. Your dad’s the reason my great uncle could get medical treatment and he’s the reason I could afford to do my photography my way.”
“What do you mean?” Liz took a sip of her water.
Jacob cleared his throat and smiled. “There was a time when I, hardheaded as I was, didn’t want to ask for anyone’s help. I was a starving artist, dammit, and I wanted people to know that. My dad…was afraid I wouldn’t be able to support myself and didn’t want to see me give up, so he contacted your dad and told him about me. I was the first artist every sponsored by the Nancy Parker Foundation, the first artist sponsored after your mom died. So…I know your dad, but…not really.”
They ate, exchanging stories and jokes and pieces of their lives and soon, Liz came back with, “You know, if every famous person were as easy to meet as you, they wouldn’t have such a bad reputation.”
“I’m hardly all that famous, but…thank you. So you think school is going to be rough this semester?”
Liz wrinkled her nose a little and said, “Nah…I think this semester may actually be sorta light.”
“I’m glad to hear that, because I wanted to ask you if you think you could take on another responsibility.”
“Another responsibility?”
Jacob put his fork down on his plate gently and wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin from his lap. “I need a new assistant, Liz. And I would love it if you would say yes.”
When one famous photographer tells you your work should be sold on discount at Wal-Mart and another famous photographer tells you he wishes your work were his own, who do you believe?
Well…the second one, of course.
And it’s not because the second one believes in you and the first one wants you to fail, though that would be a good enough reason. No, you believe in the second one because if you’re smart at all, then you know that it doesn’t really matter what anyone thinks about you or your work, and that goes for the good as well as the bad. Because as a smart person, you know you have to believe in yourself first before anyone else will give you the time of day. That’s just the way it goes.
So even though Liz was lying on the floor because she felt as though she couldn’t bear Bernard Mütter’s words, the realistic answer was that she could. If she had really taken the time to mull his condemnation over in her mind, she would have seen the words for what they were. Because Liz was a smart girl.
It was because she was a smart girl that she could see through the transparency of his words now, as if they were air. She could see that they meant nothing. They had no weight next to Michael’s and no substance next to Jacob’s. They were simply letters of the alphabet, strung together. They had no more meaning than the babbling words of a baby, just learning to talk. And because Liz could see past those words, she was no longer lying in the middle of the floor, staring at the ceiling. She was fine.
Of course she was.
Smart girls usually are.
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.