The Rules of the Game - in Five Different Languages

Next morning Phillip woke to the shrill, synthesized ring of a cordless phone. Seven o'clock on a lazy summer morning, it had to be..."Dad!" he yelled excitedly. "The opera was amazing. That building, it's like a palace. I've never seen anything...Oh I'm sorry." he said as Maya came out of the kitchen and took the phone from him.

It was Mr. Edwards, the landscaper. He was going to do some work on the front lawn while his parents were away on business. Phillip sat down at the dining room table, that huge oblong, monstrosity, meant for board meetings or maybe a gathering of the Knights of the Round Table. It was like an old fashioned electronic, ping pong game with Phillip, the little white dot in the middle of a big gray screen.

Maya had gone back to the kitchen and returned with a glass of orange juice. "I make eggs." she said. "You like toast?"

"Did my parents call?"

"They call Marie at the office. Everyone okay."

"Oh" Phillip said quietly.

"You come, eat in the kitchen. Yes?"

"Oh no. You're busy. I'd..."

"Come." she said waving him on. Phillip sat down at the table as Maya began cleaning the counters. He looked rather tired.

"So, you have fun last night?" Maya asked.

Phillip looked wide awake now. "Oh it was unbelievable. The opera house, it's the most beautiful building I've ever seen..."

"Yes?"

"Yeah and the singers. They sing so loud and so high and so low and they hold notes forever. It rained, there was lots of traffic and there was almost a fire..."

"A fire? no.."

"Well sort of...Chloe just said it made it more interesting...and oh, the curtain on the stage was like..." and so it went on till breakfast was over.

Craig was standing by the kitchen door when he heard Nancy coming downstairs. He came up from behind, put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. He led her to the kitchen door, still nibbling her ear. "Look" he said in that hushed, sing song voice he saved for sharing delights with her.

Chloe was in the kitchen.. "Un Bel Di Vedremo...da da da da da da...." she sang.

"She's forgetting the words, Nancy. She's... waltzing."

Nancy broke away from Craig and moved to the door.

"No, don't go in there." he whispered grabbing her by the arm. "Looks like our man, Phillip didn't disappoint. " Craig said waving the program Chloe had left on the living room coffee table. "Ah, orchestra center." he said pulling out the ticket that was still inside.

"What is it?" he said, disappointed. He was sure Nancy would be thrilled to see Chloe so happy.

"What is it? " she repeated as though it was too obvious to be dignified with an answer. Nancy headed straight for the kitchen.

"Don't..." Craig said ringing his hands as Nancy ran past "go in there" his voice trailed off. He just leaned back against the living room wall.

Chloe, who was still twirling around the room as she made tea, stopped in her tracks, her mouth still open for her next note, her arms still out, ready for the next step.

"So, you had a good time last night."

"Yes. I guess so." Chloe said in a muted tone.

"Money talks, doesn't it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just...with boys like Phillip, spending money comes easy and they'll..."

"They'll what?"

"The opera, a fancy dinner, a big city...quite impressive. Oh every boy has his routine..."

"Actually I don't think he ever..."

"Honey, what I'm trying to say, is just be careful. Okay? Guys like Phillip..."

"Nancy, spare me all right? I'm no pushover..."

"No, you're not that. You are a challenge, though."

"I...Just stop it. Anyway, it wasn't just expensive...Phillip went to a lot of trouble. Why would he.."

"Sweetheart, a challenge is very exciting, until you've conquered it." Nancy patted Chloe's back. She pulled away and waved Nancy off. When Nancy came out she met Craig who'd been watching and listening from the doorway. Chloe was sitting in the kitchen now, staring at her cold tea, her head down, her hand laying across her forehead.

'It had to be done." she told Craig. "The nerve of that boy, trying to buy her affection."

"Right. And those tickets you bought for the opera, last week, the ones you were going to surprise Chloe with..."

"That's different Craig. I did that out of love. I wanted Chloe to ...and now Phillip...he doesn't even care about...he ruined everything. Not that it matters. If Phillip does something for Chloe it's wonderful, if I do it....she won't even give me a chance."

"Nancy, this is not about chances. You can't force someone to be your friend. It doesn't work that way. Now Chloe does love you. I've seen it. What you need to do is stop trying to make things happen. It makes her uncomfortable around you. Just act naturally and the rest will take care of itself."

Nancy flipped through the address book lying on the little table by the phone.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "My emergency listings from work. That's Dr. Huntingdon, Jason's father. The Salem High class directory." he said as he picked up the lists that fell out of the address book. "You're not..."

"Phillip and his buddies are taking my Chloe for a ride and I'm going to prove it. I will not let her be used by them." she said as she started to dial the phone.

"Are you listening to yourself?"

"I know, everything I do is wrong."

"I love you Nancy. I just don't want you to get hurt and I don't want Chloe to get hurt either."

"Craig, you don't understand but I do. I'm her mother and I know my own daughter, all five feet six inches of her."

"She's 5'8" Nancy." Craig said and walked away.

Philip was definitely beginning to make Shawn nervous these days. The guy was whistling. Working and whistling. Oh man.

"Phil, yo Phil." Shawn yelled. "I take it things went well on your big date last night." He put his arm around Phillip's shoulders . Phillip was trying very hard not to smile but Shawn could see those lips curling up, those jaws moving...yep.

There it was.

"Yeah it went all right." Phillip shrugged.

"Uh yeah. I can tell." Shawn laughed though he did notice something, something in Phillip's expression. "What's the matter? Come on Phil. "

"Nothing."

"I know what kind of diapers you wore man, blue with Cookie Monsters on them. You can't get anything past me."

"Just Jason."

"Oh. That scene at the pub. He's just trying to get to you, but he can't if you don't let him."

"He wants Chloe to tutor him."

"What?"

"I told him I'd ask her."

"You're out of your mind. He doesn't want Chloe's help. He's been feeling kind of low lately and he wants to feel like a big guy by getting to you."

"What harm can it do to ask Chloe? She'd never do it anyway. You're the one who told me not to antagonize him.

Don't kick a man when he's down you said."

"Don't involve Chloe, okay? She probably will tell him to shove it and not too politely. Who knows how he'll react? "

"Look if I let him think he's winning, maybe he'll leave Chloe alone. Maybe...."

"He's jerking your chain man."

"Like you're one to talk."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Phillip said as he looked over at Belle Black. "Not a thing."

"I don't get it..."

"Just a matter of the pot calling the kettle a chain jerker... Hey, there's Chloe...Gotta go."

"Hey wait." Shawn shouted after the long gone Phillip. "What do you mean?"

Chloe sat down next to Belle, who being the least able of the tool carriers, often took long involuntary breaks from her labor.

"Hey Belle."

"Hi Chloe." Belle said quietly. She and Chloe were still a little cool to each other. They had been since the day Phillip asked Chloe out. "Did you have a nice time?"

"Yeah." Chloe said, her expressionless face slowly adjusting itself till an unwilling smile came out. "I...Belle...about..."

"I'm sorry." Belle said suddenly. "I don't know what came over me. I was in a bad mood or..."

"No Belle...I understand..." she said glancing back at Shawn. "Anyway you were...hey what's a friendship if you can't call -em like you see -em right?"

"Right." Now Belle smiled too. "Oops...I think I better get back to work and you...you have a visitor."

It was Phillip. He approached Chloe very carefully knowing that it was after...moments like last night that Chloe...

"Phillip, come to brighten up my meager little day?"

Yes, Chloe still knew how to use that 22 caliber rifle she had for a tongue and no it wasn't about to pass any ballistics tests, but there was something different about her today. Her eyes, her voice - more like Alice Kramden than Lizzie Borden.

"So you're just going to stand there like a lump of clay?" she asked.

Chloe did shoot from the hip, literally - but she was a straight shooter, she said what she meant and she meant what she said. He pictured his folks, Sami, Brandon, Austin, Lucas and Nicole gathered around the dining room table at his house. Most people weren't like that.

"No." he said with a little stutter. He turned around and picked up a large, gift wrapped box which he handed to Chloe.

She almost seemed upset.

"You don't like compliments. You don't like gifts." Philip said annoyed. "My kind of gal" and he burst into a smile. "Happy Belated Birthday."

Chloe opened the wrapping. "A board game?" she said. She looked around the box. "It's used."

"Well I couldn't find it down at Toy Castle so...this is mine, from when I was a kid."

"Yeah." Chloe said. "So long ago. Must have had a hard time finding it."

"See there are all these paintings and you have to bid on them."

"Very nice..."

"All the paintings? They're real. Well not the ones in the game but...they're real paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago. I was thinking the next time...you know...when we go to Chicago again...we could..."

She started to smile but quickly stopped. "Hmmm. the opera, the museum, then the ballet, a jazz club maybe...then what? No more oohs and aahs. I guess it'll be Belle's turn and then Mimi and Jan..."

"Jan..." A look of disgust came across Phillip's face. "Better make sure I don't run out of places...Let's see...after Chicago I guess we'll have to do LA. Then San Francisco, New York, Can't forget the Paris Opera, Milan, Rome, Athens, of course, Covent Garden - I love London - lots of great cities in this world..."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. And when you're eighty? About time for Russia. Moscow, St. Petersburg. We'll just have to push your walker on wheels up those nasty steps at the Maryinsky Theater. Of course you'll give them hell for not having a ramp.."

Chloe was staring at him. He'd said something wrong again. Where was Shawn when you needed him? But Chloe wasn't thinking about Shawn. She was looking at Phillip who spoke as naturally as if he'd been wondering about the weather today. Phillip wasn't sure what it was he'd said but for once it must have been the right thing. Chloe looked - happy.

"Chloe, there's something I want to tell you. I'm not sure I should..." He said hesitantly.

"That's never stopped you before. Out with it."

"This is going to sound so strange. Jason asked me...he...I don't know why even...he wants you to tutor him in chemistry....Now I told him you wouldn't do it but I did say I'd ask ...."

"What?"'

"I know."

Chloe examined Phillip's face very carefully. He looked nervous and it wasn't about her reaction either. He was worried about something...scared...I'll talk to him." she said.

"I don't think..."

"I can spend an hour in the guy's living room. If he acts like a jerk...I'll leave."

"You sure about this?"

"Actually I'm a little curious. Don't look so shocked. I can handle myself."

"Yeah, I know." he said.

"How about we round up Belle and Shawn and go over to the pub? We can give this ratty old thing "she held up her present " a spin before the game board starts decomposing."

"Okay"

Phillip, Chloe, Shawn and Belle sat around a booth at the Brady pub, drinking their sodas and trying to concentrate.

"Oh I used to love this game." Shawn's grandmother said as she passed by.

"Come join us Mrs. Brady." Chloe said.

"Oh I couldn't do that."

"Why don't you take my place for a minute?" Phillip said getting up. "I have to take care of something."

Phillip walked over to Jason who seemed to have moved in to the pub as of late. His Bride of Frankenstein to be was nowhere in sight. He told Jason what Chloe had said.

"I knew it." Jason said. "Oh and while you're at it, get that creepy mother of hers to quit calling my house and bugging my mom. My folks are down on me enough as it is.."

Phillip did not like the look on Jason's face. "I have no control over Mrs. Wesley and I don't think Chloe does either. Besides, what's she going to find out from your folks?"

"Nothing but it's making them suspicious. Okay? I don't need that."

"Just be happy she said yes. And if you're thinking that...she won't help you cheat you know."

"Didn't think she would."

"Good." Phillip said.

"So who's winning?" he said as he returned to the table.

Home Page    Fan Fics by Others    Summer Song Chapter Six