Zac walked through the empty carpeted halls with consentration. He hadn't let it show, but it hurt. way down inside, the fact that his own family had not wanted him present seemed
somewhat askew. He felt like crying, although, for some reason, they didn't come. No, more angry. As he reached the elevator, he thought. What would they really do? Would they do as he had suggested and actually
gone without him? Surely they wouldn't do that. The doubt in his mind made Zac uneasy. He pushed the button. Standing by the round ash tray in the hall, he waited. When the ding finally came, a man and woman stepped out,
carrying two guitars, probably other performers. Zac stepped into the elevator, by himself. The elevator slowly made it's way to the lobby floor. As they heavy doors slid open, he saw activity. Several of the people working there, were busing around,
making themselves usefull. He looked around, the sign for the pool pointed across the lobby. He walked that way, his shoes squeaking with each step.
He opened the glass door to a large heated pool. It was quite warm in the room, and several people, old and young were playing, or just sitting around it. There were 3 chairs in the corner, no one was sitting in them, and no one would care if he was there.
The slippery concrete around the pool was surrounded by green plastic grass, which had porch tables and chairs, as if outside. People sat talking around them, and mothers read books, glimpsing at their playing offspring.
As zac reached the chair, he looked around. No one fighting here, no one looking as if they were here to get away. He couldn't be the only one.
Zac lowered himself into the white lawn stretcher. sinking down into the plastic, and laying back. Drapping one hand over his eyes, and sighing.
Children giggling and laughing, small chatter, it made him want to sleep. The smell of chlorine was overpowering, and Zac eventually, drifted off for real.
"So what's the scoop?"
Jeremy flipped over on the bed.
"Well, he hasn't come back yet. So I don't know what to do."
"You guys, I'm way sorry..."
Dorin looked at her.
"See, you guys now maybe understand what I was feeling."
"We never said we didn't."
"No, but you didn't seem to actually understand the whole thing."
"Well what's that supposed to mean?"
"I think now you guys realize that you feel like shit after you do something like that."
Mercy thought.
"No, I feel like shit cause it looks to me like we're putting him in the same position as we did back then, only
we are the ones being the aggresors."
Jeremy looked at the Tv again. Mercy was right. Although he had not directly said anything that would have hurt Zac to his face, but he still had agreed.
"I don't know you two, I think we all may owe him an appologie."
"Mey, it works both ways, he can't blow off Door, you and me like that."
"I know, but we need to all sit down and just decide."
Dorin looked at the clock.
"We have about an hour."
"Lets go get Zac."
"Man, I don't see him. Where is he?"
Zac had purposfully chosen a chair in the far back, where it was somewhat secluded, and quiet. No one would spot him there without looking hard, and so far, his siblings had not tried that. The fact that he was lying down, and asleep, did not make things easy.
"I have no idea. What was he wearing?"
The three of them stood on one end of the pool. Their eyes searching over the fairly large room, across the pool, and in tables and chairs.
"Damn! Where is he?"
Jeremy had made up his mind. He was gone. Probably on his way back to tulsa by means of hitchhiking. Crap he thought.
"Okay, Mercy, go that way, Jeremy, you take this side, and I'll go that way, keep an eye on eachother, so if one of us finds him, we can flag eachother down."
The three split up, Mercy going around the pool, to search the right hand side, and Dorin going around the left. Jeremy stayed on his side, more narrow than the other side.
They had not looked more than 5 minutes, when Mercy raised her hand.
Dorin looked at Jeremy and the two made their way through the people to where Mercy stood.
The sight was peacful. Quiet. Serene. Zac, lay curled up, his eyes lightly shut, and his breathing quite slow. He just looked peacful, maybe something he only experienced in slumber.
Jeremy looked at Dorin. Dorin nodded.
Jeremy, as gently as he could, shook Zac. No response. Once more and Zac's almost lifeless body popped into life.
"What do you want."
Zac met non of them in the eyes, he merely bundled his knees to his body and hugged himself.
"Zac..I'm sorry..I.."
Zac shot Mercy an angry glance. He stared back at his feet.
"Zac I mean it."
He shut his eyes tight.
"If you don't have something I care to hear about then leave me alone."
Mercy sat back. She looked out at the pool.
"Why don't you care to hear it?"
"Would you?"
"Zac, yes, I would."
"Well you're not me."
"Right you are."
"So then why are you bothering me?"
"Because Zac I'm sorry."
"Doesn't cut it."
"I didn't mean to say it, sorta slipped."
"So does this mean you were thinking it then, and you just accidentally let me hear it?"
"That's not what I meant."
"Then why say it? There had to be some reason."
By this time Dorin and Jeremy had grown silent, not daring to step into this conversation. Mercy was having her go. She had started this one, she had made this mistake, and now she was paying for it, on a just level.
"Zac, damnit!"
Zac stood up, in the midst of his brothers and Mercy. He did not say one word, and as calmly as his emotions would allow, strode to the door. Ignoring any talk that came from their direction. There was a pause. Mercy sat down where her brother had
been sitting and placed her chin on her hands.
"God damnit. Why is he like this."
"I think that one actually hurt a little."
"Well, I didn't mean it."
"Still hurt."
"What now?"
"How should I know?"
"We gotta do something. I'm not turning around now."
"Lets go back to the room."
"And what do we plan to do then?"
"Good quesion."
"Better start thinking."
"Not just my responsibility."
Dorin had watched his brother and sister ramble on for about 10 minutes. Enough was enough.
"You guys, Zac has long since realized that things have never been great. He's realized that maybe he's going to have it tough. I think he can handle this why not?"
The three looked at eachother. Dorin stood.
"He's our brother...he's not happy...lets do something about it."
He heard the door open. Silence followed, and then the door closed. He heard trapsing feet across the carpet, and kept his eyes intently on the ceiling. The bed moved, and Jeremy was at his side, leaning over him, staring in his eyes.
He watched as Jeremy lowered his head, as if he was going to say something, and then kiss him on the forehead, jumping back while laughing at the same time.
Zac sat up. Rubbing his forehead.
"Gross, what's your problem man?"
Jeremy sat on the other bed, right across from Zac. Mercy and Dorin sat at the foot.
"Dunno. Just thought you needed it."
"How do you figure?"
"Well, your going to need to take a shower in order to get it off now aren't you."
"Ha ha ha, funny Jeremy. Good bye all."
Zac layed back down, staring again at the ceiling.
He again felt a movement on the bed.
Jeremy leaned over him, and stuck his wet finger in his ear.
"Wet willie."
Jeremy jumped back, this time according to Zac's sudden response.
"MAN! Knock it off! This is nasty! Gross!"
Jeremy laughed.
"Had to do it. Neccesity."
"Neccesity my ass."
"Your ass has neccesity?"
"Leeme alone."
This time Zac did not lay down, but sat on the other side of the bed.
A rustling on the bed, then Zac spun around to meet his brother.
Not his brother. Mercy sat on the bed, her legs folded under her, and smiling.
"It was a big bad misunderstanding. That's all. No hard feelings?"
Zac frowned.
"No hard feelings? How can you even ask that?"
"Well, I didn't mean it to sound the way it did. Didn't realize I needed to stick a foot in my mouth."
Zac thought.
"You might want to get the spit out of your ear now."
As hard as Zac tried he could not help but smile. It was one of those instances, where he knew he should be serious, but he couldn't, he had to smile.
"It's going to dry in there, and that's going to be gross. Much worse then the actual means of getting it in there."
Zac rolled his eyes.
Dorin walked over to him and pulled him off the bed. Zac, standing on his feet looked shocked.
"Oh, wondering what I'm doing? Just taking your shirt off you so I can throw you in the shower, I kinda like it, don't want it ruined."
Zac stood unbelieving. Dorin would not throw him in the shower. Nope, not with his clothes on. He was wrong.
Jeremy helped Dorin pull the shirt off Zac, and Mercy walked to the bathroom. Zac could hear the squeaks as she turned the shower nobs. A grin spread across Jeremy's face.
"It'll make you smell good anyway. You reek."
"Oh thanks....I think."
Dorin smiled.
"He Mey! Is it on!"
Zac shook his head, still not beleiving they would do it.
Jeremy grabbed Zac's arm.
"It'll be good for ya buddy."
With a grin and a chuckle, Dorin grabbed the other arm, and they both reached down for a leg. Lifting him up, Mercy grabbed his shoes and pulled them off.
"You guys aren't going to do this."
"Experience it bud."
They walked with him into the bathroom and opened the shower curtain. With one mighty heave, zac was in the shower, with pants on, socks on, and the water freezing cold.
Zac's body froze, he stood there, wide eyes, taking sharp breaths. He tried to step out.
"He he he, nope, sorry, you stink, and I'm sure that you aren't clean yet."
Zac started shivering.
"You are all going to pay for this...some way or another."
"Yup, we believe you, matter of fact, we're sure you are."
Dorin and jeremy laughed.
"Hurry up dude, we don't have much time."
Zac turned off the shower. He reached out, and found a towel, wrapping himself in it, he walked out into the living space.
"What am I supposed to wear?"
"Whatever you want."
Zac walked to the suitcases.
Rumaging through it he found something normal, something just fine.
"Okay, we have time left, we'll go there, do the interview, come back, have dinner, maybe practice a little, and then sleep. Or a movie. We'll see.
Zac dressed in the bathroom. Feeling clean. He walked out, found a different pair of shoes and sat down.
"Where is this interview again? And do we have to tell them everything?"
Mercy stepped out of the shower. She dripped on the cold tile floor and reached for a towel. All the while in the shower, she had thought about her comment. She had not meant it to seem nearly as bad as she was sure it had sounded. She didn't want to hurt zac, she was just a little angry at him.
She wiped the steam off the miror. Her hair was dripping wet, and was hanging down against her cheeks, her eyes staring dully back at her. For some reason, she never looked as bright in spirit as her brothers. She couldn't she would try, but it just didn't happen. Drying herself off, she threw the towel around
herself and opened the door. Jeremy and Dorin had already taken their showers, and were fully dressed, with brushed hair, and looking good. They had on clean clothing, baggy pants, t-shirts, their wallet chains...not much change, just cleaner.
The blast of hot air made Mercy's shirt cling to her. After the freshness of the shower, and then the heat of this, she was drawn back by the change.
Zac sat on the bed. The curtains sat open, sunlight shining through. Zac was thoroughly hurt. He lay down, staring at the ceiling.
He had thought about not going. Just telling them they would be drummerless, and staying in the hotel the rest of the weekend. But now he thought otherwise. He would do this, and he would do it well, if not for his own benifit.
Zac's invigorating shower had lead to one where they let him turn on the hot water. He undressed, in the shower, and threw his sopping clothing at his brothers, who stood gaurding him.
The shower felt good, after a long drive, and the steamy pool room, he was happy.
