Chapter 23

I picked her up early the next morning and we went to our last class of the year. There was no final exam for PE and I thought a lot of people would skip. All the teachers’ cars were in the lot, undoubtedly trying to wrap up all their paperwork for the year. Mr. Trent told us the three best things about being a teacher were June, July, and August and I doubt if he’d get much of an argument.

Everyone that had PE last period gathered around their teacher. They each had a stack of yearbooks to hand out. Everyone got one. I think Porter-Gaud decided years ago that they’d just factor the price of the yearbook into tuition. Guys were passing their books around so everyone could sign theirs. It seemed like a silly tradition to me. A couple of guys asked me to sign theirs so I did. I signed my name, with ‘Aquaman’ beneath it and they seemed happy with that.

I’d had swimming and baseball and both coaches were in the bleachers. Coach Hamilton waved and Coach Miller sort of sent me that way with a hand motion. They were both talking to guys one at a time.

When Coach Hamilton finished with Gizmo, he motioned me over. “Hey, Aquaman.”

“Hey, sir.”

He motioned for me to have a seat. “When you came into my office last year and said what you were going to do, it gave me a pretty good laugh.”

“About that...”

“Hang on. Take a guess at who the last person to do that was.”

“No idea. Randy?”

“No. I’ll give you a hint. It was twelve years ago.”

“Franklin?”

“Franklin! I thought he was a cocky, ignorant sophomore. He almost pulled it off, though. Almost. So, when you came into my office, twelve years later and did the same damned thing, I wasn’t sure if he’d put you up to it, or if you were another cocky, ignorant sophomore. I’ll be damned if you didn’t do what you said.”

“If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have done that.”

“Really? Too bad. Son, you gave notice and then followed through. I’m not going to take down my picture of Charlie Hustle and put yours up, but you had a heck of a year.”

“Thanks. I’ve tried not to say what I’m going to do. I just try to do it. I’m not sure what got into me that day.”

“You ought to let it get into you a little more often. I’ll be more than happy to have you back next year. Randy’s got something he wants to say to you. Happy to have a swimmer on the team. That’s all I’ve got, Pierce.”

“Thanks, sir. I had fun,” I said. I stood and we shook hands.

“Winning is fun,” he replied, smiling.

I walked over to Randy. He was standing in the bleachers, watching everyone talking with their regular PE coach. “Hey, Randy. Off to Arizona State?”

“Sun Devils. Go Devils. Yeah. I’m looking forward to it but not until after the summer. I just wanted to say thanks.”

“What for?”

“I have a full ride to ASU. We won some games by mercy rule but we won some close ones, too. You’d think colleges would just look at a pitcher’s ERA or something but wins matters, too. Most of the close wins we had, you were in the middle of making it happen. So, thanks for that.”

“You would have got a scholarship with or without me, Randy. I appreciate it but that scholarship is all yours.”

“Maybe, but it doesn’t hurt to back up good pitching with hot bats.”

“I had fun.”

“Oh, yeah, another thing. That first day that you knocked the cover off what I was throwing, you came in and told me about getting coached by a pro. That was a big deal to me so, thanks for that, too.”

“That was Coach’s idea. Yeah, I can imagine that would have been a bit disconcerting.”

“You have no idea.” He thanked me again, gave me a manly hug, and he went down to the field.

Coach Miller was talking with Ryan. I thought that would be interesting. I waited my turn. Down on the field, they had started a game of kickball, something I hadn’t done since fifth grade. It actually looked like it would be a lot of fun and who cared who won? I looked back and Coach was talking with Gil. I hadn’t even noticed him waiting. Strange day.

I watched Jake Gealy kick the ball halfway to Savannah, then casually jog the bases. The guys in the field might play a little deeper next time he was up. Coach Miller motioned to me.

“Have a seat, Aquaman.” I sat, straddling a bench a yard or so away. “Can you act?”

That came out of nowhere. “What do you mean, sir?”

“It looks to me like you’ve got your work cut out for you next year. Physics, Econ, Calculus, Advanced Comp, Computer Science, and drama. Can you act?”

“Everyone says I should never play poker.”

“Drama might be your toughest class, then,” he said, but I knew he was kidding. He probably knew about my reading of Benedick in Shakespeare class. “You’ve signed up for quite a load. Are you going to have the time for swimming?”

“I’m planning on it. I hope so. I wasn’t really thinking about those classes collectively when I signed up for them.”

“Uh-huh. There’s something you might want to consider when you register for college courses. Did Jim Throbeaux try to recruit you when you went up to Coastal?”

“Yes, sir. He gave me some options. He was at State Finals.”

“Yup, like a shark in a fish market. We talked briefly that day. He never misses. So, what are your athletic plans for next year, young man?”

“Well, I’m certainly not going to tell you how fast I’m going to swim.”

“Ha. Seemed to work pretty well this year,” he laughed.

“I like playing and I like winning. Swimming and baseball both seem like a pretty good place to do that.”

“Don’t get a big head, but you’re a big part of why swimming and baseball had winning seasons.”

“I know I had a good season but our pitchers were amazing.”

“They were. All four of them did fine.”

“I kind of screwed up when we played Northwoods,” I confessed. I felt like I could tell Coach Miller things I wouldn’t tell someone else.

“That’s not how I heard it. What happened?”

“How I screwed up wouldn’t show up in the stats. I did great on paper. Coach Hamilton told me once that I needed to swing with confidence. When we played Northwoods, I discovered the difference between being confident, cocky, and arrogant.”

“Uh-huh. Go on.”

“Northwoods’ pitcher has the basics down but he’s also got a lot of room for improvement. At least I thought so. I could have walked a couple of times but I fouled off two or three pitches just so I would have a chance to do more than bring in one run with a walk. I was definitely cocky.”

“But not arrogant.”

“I don’t think so. Fine line, huh Coach?”

“Can be. Are you cured?”

“I hope so. I hit a grand slam and felt like crap at the same time.”

“Yeah, you’re cured. In swimming you learn to just worry about what’s going on in your own lane. That’s all you’re in charge of. It’s tougher to stay in your own lane in a team sport, but it can be done. How often did an umpire make a call that pissed you off?”

“I lost count.”

“Not surprising. Anyone try to bean you?”

“A couple of times.”

“Sort of like when Mr. Gealy tried to lay you out in PE?”

“Yes, sir, a lot like that.”

“There’s a lot said for learning to stay in your own lane. But when someone tries to swim in your lane, you need a strategy to deal with that, but that’s a whole ‘nuther issue. You got a lot of good experience this year, and some of it even has to do with sports.”

“Yes, sir.”

“When a new recruit goes to Parris Island, do you think he learns more about the Marines or about himself? Hopefully, he learns about himself. I have a hunch you learned a lot about yourself this swim season. I also have a hunch you learned a few things about yourself by playing baseball that you wouldn’t learn in swimming, just by the nature of the sport. What do you think?”

“I think that’s true. Yes, sir, that’s definitely true.”

“Then your time has been well spent. I looking forward to having you spend a bit more with us next year, Aquaman.”

“Thank you, sir. Me too.”

“Good. Try to relax a bit this summer. Take care of Mrs. Diedrich’s home, but take some time off, too. Come back rested and ready to go,” he said. We stood and shook hands. Bobby was next. How did he know about Mrs. Diedrich’s home? Holy cow. He knew my schedule for next year, and he knew about my summer job. How? He’s got spies everywhere, my inner voice said in its best Maxwell Smart voice.

I could choose to join the kickball game or find Kim. Kickball looked like fun but it wasn’t really a fair contest. She was finished with her talk with Coach Z and almost ready to leave. “Before we go, I’d like to swing by Mrs. Augustine’s office and tell her thanks. I don’t think anyone has bugged her more this year than I have.”

“Unless it was me. Good idea. Are you looking to get your yearbook signed?”

“Not really. People just write stupid stuff. Besides, I’ll see most of the people next year, and anyone I care about, I’ll see again anyway.”

“Pretty much how I look at it.”

We stopped outside her office and looked in. Her usually neat and orderly office looked like a hurricane had stopped by for coffee. She looked up from her work, saw us, breathed a deep sigh, and smiled.

“Come on in, if you can. What a disaster.”

“What’s going on? I kind of thought you would be one of the first ones out of here,” I said.

“Nope. I’m the last. Always the last. Last minute schedule changes for next year, students wanting to apply to a different college, or another college, because they didn’t get their first choice and they’ve had second thoughts about their second choice. It’s like I’m the only cashier at Walmart on Christmas Eve.”

“Oh, man. I’m really sorry,” Kim said.

“Don’t be. It comes with the territory and I’ve just learned to expect it. Fortunately, college admissions offices don’t close up shop when their school year is over. What can I do for you?”

“We just came by to say, thanks. We bugged you a bunch and asked for a lot and you always came through and helped us figure things out.”

“Aw, thanks so much, Honey. That’s just my job. The thing that’s nice about having this job at Porter-Gaud is that I get to work with kids with ambition. That makes it easy. Well, easier, at any rate.”

“Well, you might just be doing your job, but we appreciate it,” I said.

“Thank you. Oh, I bet you didn’t know this. How could you? On applications for new students, there’s a block asking how they came to choose us. We have seven or eight applications for new students that specifically mentioned seeing your interview on the news and another half dozen that saw It’s Academic.”

“I bet they were all guys,” I said. “If you were a guy and saw that Kim went here, you’d want to come here, too.”

“Sweet. It’s a mix, silly boy. Word of mouth is always the best advertising. I don’t think we’ve ever had free advertising from Debby Dare of Live Five News before.” She pointed at her TV with the built-in VCR. “I have a copy of it, ready to show prospective students.”

“No way!” Kim said, picking up the tape. Mrs. Augustine raised her eyebrows and smiled. “I’m gonna cry.”

“We better leave or Kim’s going to get all mushy.”

“I would think that’s a good thing. You two have a wonderful summer.”

“Anyone else you need to see?” I asked as we left Mrs. Augustine’s office.

“No. That’s it. I’m done with this school year. Graduation tomorrow and I want to go to that. You know what? I feel like after cheer competition. Not, like, right after, but the next day. We worked for it for so long and so hard and then when it was done, it was like there was a big hole in my life that I didn’t know what to do with,” Kim said. I knew just what to do with it.

We drove back to my house with the top down. We didn’t talk. We didn’t need to. Kim talked to Mom out by the pool for a couple of minutes while I gathered supplies and loaded the car. I went out to talk to Mom while Kim used the restroom.

“Big plans for the afternoon?”

“Really big plans. I have an air mattress, bug spray, a picnic lunch and drinks. I’m going to drive out to Fort Johnson Road, and Kim and I are going to relax. Remember when Kim snuck in and needed to be told ‘everything’s going to be alright’? I think she’s close to that again so we’re going to do a little prevention.”

“That’s sweet, Buddy. She’ll like that. I know she will. Spring snake season is winding down but still be careful and don’t forget to check for ticks when you get back.”

“Yes, ma’am. We’ll check each other,” I said as I walked away.

“I don’t think so. Kim can check herself just fine.”

“Party pooper,” I hollered over my shoulder.

We drove out to the property and I parked in the shade. I didn’t know how long we’d be there and it was already starting to heat up. I hooked up the pump to the car’s cigarette lighter and filled the air mattress. I pulled sandwiches and drinks out of the little picnic cooler and set them on top.

We made small talk as we ate. She remarked that the egg salad sandwiches were just what she needed. We finished eating, then laid back. I pulled her to me and she nestled in against me.

“You had a good year, Kim. No, that’s not right. You had a great year. I’m really proud of you.”

“Really?” she asked, quietly.

“Are you kidding? Absolutely. You got in A in every class, including the dreaded precalculus. You led your cheer team to their best performance ever. And then, you decided to run and had great times. You took care of your mom when she had surgery, and had a lot of great input during our trip to Atlanta.”

“Hmm.”

“You trusted me to go to Nashville, and that’s not a small thing. You got Angela on a horse, helped look for lost kids, did great at barrel racing. Dang, Kim, I’m just getting started and you already have a crazy good list. Oh, I forgot all about the bridal show. You had a killer year.”

“It was pretty busy, wasn’t it?”

“I think it bordered on frantic. I’m so proud of you. Riding bareback down the beach at a gallop, learning Spanish so we could talk in a not-so-secret code.”

“Yeah, that didn’t exactly work out the way I planned.”

“And yesterday, Veronica, who might know a thing or two about hotness, is smacking your butt because it’s amazing. Any way you want to measure this year, you had a good one.”

“And we didn’t get into any traffic accidents, so that was good.”

“Kids from Shakespeare class are going to remember your Beatrice zinging insults at Benedick for a long time. Mrs. Middleton will remember it for a long time.”

“That was pretty fun, wasn’t it?”

We spent another hour rehashing the successes of the year. We’d both had so many, it was easy to do. She wiggled a little and then sat up, suddenly.

“Okay. That was good medicine. I’m ready to go. Plus, it’s hot. We should go back to your house and go swimming.”

“Sounds good to me. Can I smack your butt if we do?”

“Just once.”

We went back to my house, changed to swim and went out back. Mom and Karen were in the pool. It didn’t look like I was going to get the chance to smack her butt, and it was very disappointing.

“Nice lunch?” Mom asked.

“Just what I needed. Perfect. Was that your idea?”

“Nope. That was all him. Mr. Sensitivity.”

“Can I smack your butt, now?”

“Great. No, Mr. Sensitivity, you may not smack her butt.”

“Veronica got to.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t. Way to blow all your sensitivity points, Mr. Dufus.”

“What good are points if you don’t get to redeem them?” It was a losing argument but it was fun. We dove in and cooled off. It’s nice to have a pool, especially when the temperatures climbed above ninety and the humidity in the pool or out of the pool were about the same.

“Is there anything left for you two?” Karen asked.

“Graduation ceremony tomorrow. I want to see what Lani has to say,” I said.

“You’d better take notes,” Mom said and I knew she thought I’d be doing it the following year. I wasn’t looking forward to that possibility. Last year, it had been Jaqueline Meribel, who had the top GPA and SAT score. Marci scored a perfect sixteen hundred and she was graduating but her GPA wasn’t as high as Lani’s and that counted the most. Who else might be a better valedictorian than me? Anyone. The problem was, both my grades and SAT scores were off the charts.