Chapter 28: Stroke

Sunday November 13
I woke to the sound of kittens mewing. I rolled over and saw Precious was awake but ignoring them. All moms did that, I was sure. I got up and put on my running clothes. On the way out, Precious and I both checked, and the kittens seemed to be okay.

They were growing like weeds. I’d dropped not-so-subtle hints that we should keep one, but my parents outvoted me two to one. It made no sense to press the issue because I would be off to make my movies and then on to college in a few months. We all knew who would have to take care of the kitten when I was gone.

Brit and I had been talking to everyone about finding homes for them. So far, there were no takers. It seems Precious’s reputation had preceded her, and no one wanted the ‘cat from hell’ version 2.0. Even the more domesticated version of Precious had me sporting scratches when I didn’t follow her rules. That was after we’d had a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting when I found she’d shredded my favorite pillow. I might have been wrong in my assumption that she’d been a bad kitty.

In a weird reversal, Duke met us at the back door and he was too full of energy. He got down in front of Precious with his butt in the air to get her to play with him. She made a halfhearted swat at him and then they bounded off into the backyard to chase each other.

Peggy came out the back door with Coby and Little David, which explained Duke being loose this morning. She wore her running gear. I took Little David and opened the garage to get their running strollers out. They’d outgrown their tandem one, and I saw that we now had two one-child strollers. The boys seemed to love their morning ride, Coby especially.

We let Precious back into my apartment, and Duke came and sat so he could get his leash put on him.

“Let’s run in the park,” Peggy suggested.

I took it easy on her and set a pace I knew she’d be comfortable with.

“We think we found someone to help me with the little ones,” Peggy told me. “I’m just not sure if you’ll be comfortable with them.”

She had a glint of mischief in her eye. I decided to play her game.

“Whatever you decide I’m sure will be fine.”

“Pam and your mom said I had to get your approval before I had Caryn hire them.”

I rolled my eyes. If they’d gotten past my mom and Pam, I was sure they were okay.

“What’s the catch?” I asked.

“What would you think if we got a manny instead of a nanny?”

I know that in this day and age, I shouldn’t discriminate, but I’d never considered a man for the job. Then I picked up on a vibe that Peggy might ‘like’ this guy. Believe me, I’m usually the last to know anything like this. I was proud of myself for the discovery.

“You know you can’t sleep with the help,” I teased.

“That’s never stopped you,” she shot back.

Curse her and her female logic. Didn’t she realize the rules didn’t apply to me?

“Yeah, whatever,” I dismissed her.

“Aaron has his teaching degree with a minor in early childhood development,” Peggy began her sales pitch.

“I take it he’s attractive,” I teased.

“Your mom thinks so,” she shot back.

I about fell down when I tripped over an invisible crack in the pavement at that one. Maybe Dad needed to get involved in this hiring decision.

“Looks aside, is he the best candidate for the position?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“What does Scarlet think?” I asked.

“She said he was the best one we interviewed.”

“If you’re all happy, then hire him.”

“Thanks. Between hiring Aaron and the new car, it’ll make everything easier.”

“Speaking of easier, tell Caryn to find someone to clean the house and do the laundry. It seems our old housekeeper quit,” I said, knowing full well that our original housekeeper had been Peggy.

“I could still do that,” she said blushing.

“No. You have school and need to watch the kids. Maybe they could cook too,” I said, expanding the new hire’s responsibilities as they occurred to me. “And help out where needed.”

I had visions of after Thanksgiving when Ashley moved here, and all the little ones running around. There would be a constant need to clean up and do laundry. If they could also get dinner started, it would be a bonus. I had a feeling that my mom would soon feel overwhelmed. If that happened, she might go back on our agreement for her and Dad to be in charge of Coby until after I finished college.

We came home to find Wolf with Phil, Roc, and Yuri, raking the yard. Dad was busy on a ladder taking off the screens. It looked like Dad was getting the house ready for winter. I helped Peggy get the boys inside for their breakfast.

I left Duke outside to supervise and went to my apartment to get ready for church. When I came back, I found that my mom had gone to Granny’s West and picked up cinnamon rolls. She’d gotten enough to feed me and the crew working outside.

“Go tell them breakfast is ready,” she ordered.

I was impressed when they just dropped their rakes and came into the house. Nice.

“Hey, David, did you hear who we’re playing?” Roc asked.

“I didn’t look,” I admitted.

“McHenry. They’ve won their last six games by margins of at least three touchdowns. They said in the paper that this is probably the game that will determine the next state champion.”

“Wesleyan also won in a shootout, 37–33,” Wolf shared.

I’d made it known I wanted a shot at them. Wolf and I got big smiles on our faces. Then he decided to end our friendship.

“I hear that you and Brook are evil,” he threw out.

I blinked at him and took a big bite of cinnamon roll.

My mom cocked her head, and her eyes narrowed. All I could figure was that Brook had talked to Tami, who in turn spoke to Sarah about what we said to the guy who’d hit on my girlfriend.

“What are you talking about?” Phil asked.

It was evident that the guys all knew and were tormenting me. It wouldn’t be near as much fun for them when I got my revenge.

“What is he talking about?” Mom asked.

I gave the guys a withering look and then turned to my mom and smiled. She raised her eyebrows to let me know that I’d better come clean.

“We stayed after dinner at the T-Bird so we could listen to the band and dance. I took time away from Brook to give the other girls the thrill of dancing with me,” I said with a straight face.

“I think I’d better turn my sarcasm dial to stun,” Yuri said.

Ignoring his rude comment, I continued.

“Brook did the same and danced with some of these lowlifes.”

“Hey,” Phil complained.

“I had to save her when a college guy decided to take advantage of her good nature,” I said with my best angelic face.

“You thought Brook needed saving?” Peggy asked.

Obviously, she didn’t think so.

“She would do the same for me,” I reasoned.

“Doubtful,” Phil said, earning him a beatdown later today.

“So, why are you evil?” Mom asked. “That doesn’t sound like a big deal.”

“It’s what David said to him that made him comment that both Brook and David are crazy,” Wolf said.

Maybe there would be two beatdowns. I’d all but talked my way out of this mess before he threw me to the wolves ... again. I decided to come clean. It was either that, or Tami would tell my mom, and then there’d be hell to pay.

“He’d put his arm around her and was guiding her back to his table, so I stopped them. Brook told me that he’d invited us back to his place for a party. I don’t think he meant us, but it made him pause when she included me. I asked her if it would be one of those times when I would have to sit and watch...”

“You guys do that kind of thing?” Phil interrupted me.

“ ... or if I had to hold him down while she used a strap-on on him.”

Both Peggy and Dad choked on something, while Mom was expressionless.

“You have a strap-on?” Mom asked.

There was stunned silence for all of two seconds, and then the table burst out laughing.

“I’d be willing to loan it out to your girlfriends and hold you down,” I said to the guys.

“Lighten up,” Dad ordered. “That was funny. I take it he didn’t accept your offer.”

“No. He called us crazy and scurried off before we could have any more fun at his expense.”

When Mom and I returned from church, we found Scarlet and Carol there.

“Can you come over and help me today?” Scarlet asked. “Ashley ordered furniture, and it came Saturday. I need help putting it together and moving it where it belongs.”

“Just be back for dinner. Your brother and his family are coming over,” Mom told me.

On my way out, I grabbed Wolf in case we had to move anything heavy. He was confident the other three could help my dad finish up the yard and install the storm windows.

I hadn’t been to Scarlet’s condo yet. It was on the floor immediately above Pam’s place and was situated at the front of the building. You walked into a nice-sized living room with the kitchen and master bedroom to the right. The other three bedrooms were off to the left.

“How are you doing this?” I asked.

“Ashley and I will share the master. Allen and Dawson will share a room, and Carol will have her own. We plan to use the last bedroom as a playroom. That way we don’t have toys spread out all over the house,” Scarlet explained.

I wished her luck with that plan.

In the middle of the living room were boxes and furniture. Scarlet soon had us busy putting everything where it belonged. I was glad I’d brought Wolf because he would actually read the instructions on the furniture we had to assemble. I, on the other hand, would study it and try to figure it out. He saved us from having to redo a project a couple of times.

While we did that, Scarlet was hanging pictures and working on other decorating projects. By the end of the afternoon, we’d cleared out the living room and hauled all the packing materials to the trash. I walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. I opened all the cabinets and found she only had plastic cups, and I noticed the fridge was almost empty.

“What’s the deal?” I asked Scarlet. “I thought I gave you money for this kind of stuff.”

“Uh, well, uhm,” she began.

“We’re making a Walmart run to get you what you need,” I announced.

I’d forgotten that Wolf was banned from Walmart. He was put in charge of Carol and sent to my house to let my mom know that we would be another hour or so. I told him to invite Tim over for dinner because I knew we would have more than enough if Mom planned for Greg to come over.

After Scarlet and I loaded up a cart in the kitchen and cleaning supply aisles, we got another cart for groceries. We about filled that one with all the basics that you just assume you have on hand like spices, condiments, and flour. We also added about a week’s worth of perishables.

I think Scarlet was in sticker shock when the final bill came. I paid for it, and we drove back to her place to unload everything. The doorman produced two carts that looked similar to what you see at a hotel to help carry luggage to your room. It was much better than having to make a dozen trips. We loaded the refrigerator and freezer, and I left the rest for her to take care of later because I was starved.

We had our house full when I got home. I looked around and smiled. It felt right to have friends and family gathered on a Sunday evening. The only fly in the ointment was when Mac asked why I was crazy. It was a good reminder to watch what you said around little ones with big ears.

Wednesday November 16
“Where are Brook and Cassidy?” Hana, my Japanese tutor, asked.

“They’re at the target range,” I said as I threw a face.

I discovered that my girlfriend had fun without me. She and Cassidy had been taking lessons from a retired Marine, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. Gunny, as Cassidy called him, had been a drill instructor for fifteen years, and was now a professor at State. It seemed that whenever I did something like help Scarlet set up her condo, the two of them would call Gunnery Sergeant Hartman and go to the range. They paid him in ammo, so he could shoot, too.

I had a funny feeling that Cassidy had Paul or Chuck buy the ammo and passed it through as an expense. I figured I would rather have them shooting than getting up to other mischief.

Hana took it in stride.

“They sent me some rewrites for scenes. They’ve made a change, and you are all on the golf team.”

“Hold on, I have to play golf?” I asked.

“Why? Is that a problem? I mean, your dad runs a golf course.”

That made sense logically, but I didn’t play. In the past, I’d found it was too slow to hold my interest. I know that sounds dumb because I loved baseball and fishing. Somehow, I never caught the bug. My brother Greg, on the other hand, had taken my dad up on his offer to play golf when Dad had gotten the job at the country club.

Greg explained that it gave him a chance to get away for a few hours and decompress. I personally thought golf was stressful and couldn’t figure out why Greg said it helped him relax. I would bet it was simply an excuse to get out of the house.

After our lesson, I went in search of my dad.

“Hey,” I said when I found him in the office, paying bills.

“What’s up?”

“I need your help. My role in the J-drama has changed. I have to play golf.”

“And?”

“And I need you to help me not look like a fool.”

Parents are evil sometimes. And they wonder where we get it.

“Don’t you start shooting in like three weeks?” he asked.

I just nodded. Dad and I talked about it and decided the problem was identifying when we would have time. He didn’t want to do it after work. The only time I could think of was when I ran in the morning, but even that wouldn’t be enough time. It seemed like the best solution would be for me to skip first period PE and switch weightlifting to the afternoon, right before football practice.

Tonight’s documentary episode was focused on the coaches. Coach Hope did a good job of highlighting how good both Coach Rector and Coach Mason were. Of course, Coach Mason didn’t need his praise. His résumé was more than enough.

Coach Mason talked about why he’d come out of retirement to coach one last season: it was to coach me. He used the term ‘rare talent’ in describing my ability. Coach Mason told Jeff that it wasn’t only talent, that I worked my butt off both physically and watching film. He said I was a true student of the game.

Coach Rector was asked if he planned to move on after this year. He admitted that he was in talks for a couple of jobs, but it was too early. Jeff asked him about me. Coach Rector said I might be a better defensive player than quarterback. He said he could make a case for me to being a stand-up defensive end, linebacker, or safety in college.

I knew going in that I would be featured. I just wish they had highlighted more of my teammates.

Friday November 18
Caryn had called Ari, who in turn called the people in charge of the J-drama. Ari had gotten a list of the types of golf shots they wanted me to do. He apologized because he’d assumed I played at least some golf. Ari reasoned that because I was an athlete, I could pretty much do anything. While I applauded his confidence, I asked that he run it by me next time.

Mom had called the school and explained my need to skip first period. When they found out it was for a TV series, they were accommodating.

Dad and I drove in early to the country club. Because of my height, Dad thought I needed to get my own clubs. He had Eric, his golf pro, there to take the measurements. Eric first measured my height and then handed me a five iron.

“Grab it by its head and hold it upside down as if it were a walking cane. If the end of the club doesn’t touch the floor, it’s too short,” he explained.

He didn’t have any that were long enough, so he had to get out a ruler and measure the difference.

We then walked out to the driving range. Eric had me swing the club a few times and winced. Dad tried not to laugh. It probably isn’t typical to get custom-fitted clubs if you’re as bad I was. Then we tried different grips. Again, we discovered I had bigger than normal hands.

Eric returned to his shop and got his largest driver with the biggest grip for me to hit some balls.

“Don’t worry about hitting the ball, just rip it,” Dad coached. “He wants to get an idea of the speed of your swing. People who swing faster want a stiffer shaft.”

I smirked at the ‘shaft’ comment, being a teenager. Dad gave me a withering look, so I kept my smart remarks to myself. I didn’t think about what I was doing with my golf swing and just hit the ball. Both Dad and Eric whipped their heads around when I hit it solidly. I figured it was dumb luck, but that didn’t stop me from taking full credit.

“How come your ball never goes that far?” I asked my dad.

Eric about got himself fired when he laughed at his boss.

“Let’s see you do that twice,” Dad challenged.

Welp, that didn’t quite work out. I topped it and watched it dribble barely past where the ladies’ tee would be. Now it was my turn to glare at Eric.

When we were done, I was told they would have my clubs in tomorrow. I guess being a VIP who would use the clubs in a TV series had its perks. I didn’t want to know what else they had to promise to get me clubs that fast.

“Da-vid,” Tracy said with a singsong voice.

We were at lunch, so that got everyone’s attention.

“Tra-cy,” I sang back.

“We need to do another Dessert First video. I’ve gotten requests from several restaurants.”

“I’m not sure when I’d have time,” I said, trying to beg off.

“Mom said that when the spots ran for Granny’s West and Our House that they were packed the next few days.”

“Why are you doing them for free, then?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” Brook asked.

“If it brings people in to try your restaurant, it’s better than any coupon you could run in the paper. I know that we would pay to get that kind of result,” I explained.

“So, if I can get us paid?” Tracy asked.

“I’m not sure it’s a good idea for me to do it if you’re paid. I have a feeling the NCAA would take a dim view of that.”

She didn’t look happy.

“Brook, would you do the segments with her?” I asked.

Tracy looked at my girlfriend hopefully. I think she just didn’t want to do them alone.

“Why not? I do get to eat free dessert, don’t I?”

I laughed at her. Of course you did. That had been the only reason I’d done it in the first place. Well that, and I wanted to help Tracy. I would stick with that story.

“Where are we going out tonight?” Jill asked me.

“Did you invite Jill to go out with us tonight?” I asked Brook.

She pondered that for all of two seconds.

“Nope.”

“Why don’t we all go to Monical’s tonight?” Pam suggested.

Brook looked at me, and I gave her my drowned puppy expression. Who could resist that?

“Okay, but after we eat, we’re doing something on our own. I want some alone time with my boyfriend,” Brook said.

“Could you give Pam and me a ride?” Tracy asked innocently.

I did a little bunny hop in my seat that made everyone laugh.

“Only if you plan to hold him down for me.”

Brook could be a total fun-sucker sometimes. I vowed to hide the ‘toys’ in my bedroom if they all showed up together.

“You ladies are on your own,” I pronounced.

Pam and Tracy tried to mimic my drowned-puppy face. They needed to work on it because even I wasn’t swayed, and I was a sucker for distressed pups.

“Your next assignment will be individual,” Ms. Saunders, our photography teacher, announced as she handed out our projects.

I read mine, and it said ‘macro photography.’ A quick Google search on my phone confirmed it was what I thought it was: extreme close-ups of small objects. Ms. Saunders talked to us individually about our projects.

“The strict definition of macro photography is to take pictures where your subject is the same size as your camera sensor or smaller, and it fills the frame. Your camera sensor is about one inch wide, so you will be photographing something one inch or smaller.

“Something you have to understand is magnification and how it relates to ‘life-size.’ If your magnification ratio is 1:1, your subject is said to be at ‘life-size’ magnification. Half-life-size is 1:2 magnification. Good macro lenses let you shoot at 1:1 magnification. Personally, I use a lens that can go to at least 1:2 magnification, and ideally 1:1 magnification, to give me as much flexibility as possible. For this project, I’ll let you use my camera and lens,” she said.

“Thanks.”

“Let’s talk about working distance.”

That was how far you were from the subject when you snapped the picture.

“You don’t want to get too close because you can block the light, or if it’s a small animal or insect, you might scare it off. I try to get within six inches of the subject if I can.”

“Okay,” I said, sounding unsure of myself.

“Just give it a try. You might surprise yourself,” Ms. Saunders said with a smile.

What I was unsure about was when I might have the time to do this project. I’d hoped that the workload would taper off before I had to leave at the end of the month.

Since we had a game tomorrow, I got out of lifting before practice. I spent my time productively by shooting the shit with the guys. They were amused that I was in a whiny mood about all the stuff I had to do before leaving for LA.

“I’ve got all my finals next Friday, and I’m trying to get all my flight time in so I can take my test to become a pilot. My movie role changed, and I now have to learn to play golf. Thanksgiving is next week, and I have family coming in. Then today I received another project I have to do in photography class.”

“What’s your project?” Wolf asked, obviously playing the straight man for now.

I could tell they were stringing me along.

“I have to take macro photographs.”

“What’s that?” Tim asked.

“It’s where you get up close to something small and take its picture. The subject must be an inch or smaller. It’s kind of cool because it makes it look huge,” I explained.

“You could take a picture of Phil’s dick,” Wolf suggested.

My brother said some inappropriate things that I refuse to repeat. We all ignored him because it was funny.

“Ooo, I know. Take pictures of girls’ nipples,” Tim offered.

“Jill’s would never work, they’re too big,” Phil said as he shared too much information.

They gave him another ration of shit. My brother was not the sharpest spoon in the drawer sometimes. I remembered when I’d been young and stupid. He would eventually learn.

“Wolf and I could be your helpers and screen the applicants,” Tim suggested.

I planned to text Tami later. We’d see if he got to be a ‘helper’ or not. I know that was mean, but I was sure he deserved payback for some other transgression he’d done to me in the past. What were friends for?

The guys offered me a list of people they thought I should get to volunteer. When they started to list a few supermodels and other celebrities, I slowly began to come around to their way of thinking. Then I took a step back and decided it might be too much work in the short period of time I had. Perhaps this would become a long-term project I’d do on my own. I could see it becoming a book that could be displayed on your coffee table. I would much rather look through that than some landscape book.