I run to the field and join the team of Rick, Zac, Ben, Todd, and Chris. Chris punts the ball across to the goal, but Tay passes it to Sara, who passes it to Jaime.
The game continues until Mrs. Hanson
comes out and sends everybody home, we
agree that the score is nine to seven,
my team won. Zac and I head to the
house, Tay follows after kissing Sara
good-bye. Rick picks up the soccer
ball, waves to Mrs... Hanson, and runs
down the street. The other boys all run
in separate directions, and the yard is
left empty.
A car pulls in the driveway, and Ike
gets out and waves to the driver. The
car pulls away and he walks up to the
door, Zac yells to him from the
yard.
"Hey, Ike!" he yells to his older
brother. Ike waves to Zac and runs
over. We all head in throung the
backdoor.
The whole family sits at the table; Zoe,
Mackie, Avery, Jessica, Zac, Taylor,
Isaac, Mom and Dad H., and me. There's
blows and spoons in the middle of the
table. Time for dessert. The way it
works here is you have dinner, go out
and play, then everyones comes in again
for dessert, you stay inside and watch
TV or whatever, then you go to bed. Mom
dishes it out, and the younger kids dig
in, getting chocolate syrup smudged over
their faces. Tay eats while reading,
and Zac's playing with his food.
Zac looks up from his ice-cream.
"Hey, Tay, are you going to practice
with us tonight" he asks.
Tay nods, "Yeah, I'm going to practice.
And I want you and Ike to take a look at
something I wrote yesterday. It's not a
full song, but it's a few verses."
Ike looks surprised, "You've finally
going to practice with us?" He sighs,
"We have to get in gear, Tay, including
you. This isn't going to work if you
keep running off to call your girlfriend
and Zac storms off all p.o.ed."
Zac stares at his bowl. "Yeah Tay, we
can't be a band if our keyboardist and
one of our vocalists keeps running off
with his girlfriend." "And the drummer
keeps getting mad and frustrated with
his brother," their mother adds.
"All
right," Tay says, "I know. I spend too
much time with Sara an not enough time
with you. I know, alright? I'm sorry.
I know all my parts!"
"Yeah, which is good, Tay. But you have
to know them with us. Not only as a
band member..." Zacs sulks.
"But as my brother, too!" his little
eight year old sister, Avie, pouts. Tay
looks frustrated, "All right! I know,
it's just..." he shakes his head.
"Just what? Tay, this is your family,
friends and your carrer," his mom chimes
in.
Taylor looks angry, "Come on, it's not
like I've forgotten about you!"
"Close enough," Rick adds from the
doorway.
"Hey , Rick" Tay looks up at his
friend.
"Hate to say it, but they're all right.
You don't play soccer or basketball with
us unless she's busy, and you're letting
your career suffer," Rick looks so
serious and so sad.
Taylor looks annnoyed, "I..."
He looks at everone in the room. Avery
and Mackie are playing with each other's
ice-cream. Zac is staring at his plate,
Isaac is eating qietly. His mom and dad
look at him, concerned. Rick and I just
look hurt.
He shakes his head. As is on que, the
phone rings, and of course, it's Sara.
Walker picks it up.
"Sorry, Sara. He has to practice right
now. Yeah, I'll tell him you called,
okay. Yeah, bye." He hangs up and
turns to Tay. "she called."
Tay sighs and turns to his brothers.
"let's get practicing."
Rick smiles, "i just wanted to stop by
and return this," handing Tay a
Game-BoyR cartridge.
Tay smiles and turns it over in his
hands, "Thanks."
Rick leaves, through the back door, and
Zac and Ike drag Tay to the upstairs
room where the drums, quitars, and
keyboards are kept. Avery and Jessie
clear the table and I help Mamma wash
the dishes.
Notes from the keyboards and quitar
chords float from upstairs, accompanied
by Zac's drum beats. Taylor's voice
blends in and soon it's a three part
harmony. Their mother smiles softly.
"I'm glad they finally said something to
him. But I doubt he'll listen. He'll
shape uo for a week or so, they'll let
up on him, and it'll go back to the way
it was until he sees, or admits to
seeing, what's going on," she sighs.
"You're probably right. Why's he
letting her do this?" I ask.
"Maybe he likes her that much, I hope
not, poor boy. Or there's another
reason. I don't know," she shakes her
head. "I just don't."
I scrub the bowl in my hands, thinking,
trying to understand, I sigh, I love
him, and I don't want her to hurt him.
I wonder why he's doing this, is he that
much of a fool? What reasons could
there be? Do I really want to
know?
"Mom, why don't you tell him he can't
see her?" I ask, suddenly hit with the
idea.
She shakes her head, "he's got to
learn."
I drift off into the thoughts of what he
would learn, or would he ever?
The phone rings, bringing me back to
earth. I pick it up, and it's Sara. I
look over at Mom, and mouth to her that
it's Sara. She shakes her head, sadly
and angrily.
"Hi, Sara." I say into the reciever.
"Hi, is Taylor, there?" she asks
sweetly. I'm tempted to say 'no. he's
at his other girlfriend's house, sorry'
but I'd get in trouble for that one.
"Sorry, he's rehearsing," I say
softlly.
"Oh," she says like she's thinking.
Stop before it starts to hurt.
"Can you have him call me when he's
done? I have to talk to him." she
sounds like a ditz, what a surprise.
"Sure," I say, The phone beeps, meaning
someone else is calling. "Bye,
Sara."
