Chapter 99

“These are only the nonsense ravings of a weak and perverse mind.”
—E.C. Lemus, The Master of the Realities

I AGREED TO WATCH PEY most of the first week of June. Mom was working on an arrangement with the other Moms of the pod with younger kids. They were creating their own camp for the summer and were depending on the rest of us to be counselors. It was funny how our pod was suddenly a resource for childcare for the summer and how the parents were coming together in their own support group.

This week, my responsibility was to get Pey to swimming lessons. Livy was driving her sibs as well. Rachel not only had to take Richard but also pick up Brittany and her two younger sisters. We had six kids to get to the Y in time for the first lesson at nine. The kids weren’t all at the same level, so they were scattered among three different classes. And there had to be an adult with them at all times. I guess we qualified as far as the Y was concerned. In addition to the swimming instruction time, the kids had time in the ‘play pool’, too. The Y was connected to the waterpark and we all liked going there.

In the afternoon, there was an activity center the kids all went to and we ‘adults’ got a three-hour break. The first thing we did was collect Beca and Desi. Beca was still reeling over Joan’s sudden departure for service. I could tell tears were never far from her eyes. Desi was focused on getting ready for the show circuit that would launch with Indy PopCon in two weeks.

Tuesday, Desi brought me a challenge.

“What is this?” I asked. I knew what it was supposed to be, I thought, but it didn’t look like what I thought it would. The body looked like a lute. The neck was longer, like a guitar. And the head, instead of being either flat like a guitar or bent back like a lute, was scrollwork like a violin.

“It’s sort of a lute,” Desi said.

“Sort of? You know I don’t know how to play a lute?”

“That’s why Riley created this.”

“Riley built a lute?”

“No, he bought it. I mean he created it for your character. It’s a lute guitar. The tuning can be varied, but it will be easiest to use your normal guitar tuning. It just looks like a really cool lute,” Desi said. It had a deep round back and would take some getting used to in order to hold it correctly.

“Why don’t I just carry my guitar, then?” I asked.

“How much is your guitar worth?” she asked.

“Um ... About twelve grand,” I mumbled.

“Jesus, Jacob! Have you insured it? Riley said it was too expensive to use as a costume prop at a show but I don’t think he had any idea it was that expensive. This is worth about three hundred. That’s as much as Riley was willing to invest, even with the number of shows we have this summer,” Desi said.

I was still stuck back on insurance. Crap! I wondered if Dad had insured the guitar or if it was covered under our homeowner’s policy. And what about when it wasn’t at home. I’d casually stored it in the instrument locker at school. Anyone with access could have walked away with it. Cindy kept her flute in her personal locker, but you should see the padlock she had on that. And since I’d be in orchestra this year, I’d need my guitar every day. I had to talk to Cindy and her mother about security and make sure my instrument was insured. Why the hell hadn’t Mr. Bryce flagged that on my Entrepreneurship business plan?

“Earth to Jacob,” Desi said, waving a hand in front of my face.

“Sorry, Desi. You just got me thinking about something,” I said. She hefted her boobs up toward my face. I shook my head.

“So, this instrument looks renaissancy. It’s tuned so you can play it. It doesn’t sound bad. And if it gets stolen or damaged it’s an inconvenience, not a catastrophe. All you have to do is learn some Renaissance music. Are we good?” she asked.

“We’re good,” I said. “You haven’t given me a movie or anime to show me what my character is based on.”

“It’s not. The newest version of A Bard’s Tale was released and is gaining popularity now. You’re D’neth, a bard.”

“What’s your character?” I asked.

“RPG has a lot of leeway regarding the character you develop. I’m C’hola, a shapeshifter huntress charged with protecting the bard. Not that you can’t protect yourself. Bards are usually skilled with some weapons and you know all six sung spells. But you get preoccupied because you’re a musician first of all,” she laughed.

“Is this a real character? Or are you making this up about me?”

“Yes.”

We got everyone home and it hadn’t been a bad day. Whole pod babysitting. I was about to go practice my new lute guitar after dinner when Dad stopped me.

“Have you given any thought to what kind of car you want?” he said. That stopped me in my tracks.

“Um ... Really? No.”

“You can’t just keep using your mother’s car. It makes our days longer for both of us when we use one vehicle to go two directions. She gets to work an hour early and I wait an hour after work for her to get off. You need to have a dependable vehicle that will get you and your little sister around. I think Emily made a good choice with her little Prius and she took good care of it so she is still driving it. Not a very manly car but it suits her.”

“I hadn’t given it much thought,” I said. “Do I have a budget?”

“We kept it under ten thousand for your sister. I think the same is reasonable for you.” Ten thousand? Wow! I had to wonder about how well off my parents were again. I hoped that didn’t mean they were making payments on our cars. I’d try to keep the cost down but what did I want?

“I’ll look online and see what’s available.”

“You might consider a truck.”

“Really?”

“Well, there are ten of you in your pod the last count I got. When they start getting back from service, there’s going to be things to move as you settle for college and a home. It would be difficult for me to empty all my tools out of the van so you can use it. Not the greatest gas mileage, but if you’re going on a road trip, you’d use your girlfriend’s car.”

“Right.” A truck. The idea had some appeal to it. I shuffled the idea of getting a classic Studebaker Hawk out of my brain. That was impractical. V1 had never managed one, either. I thought about the roomy back seat of Rachel’s Yaris or of Joan’s mother’s Audi. Even having three of us cuddled up to sleep in the back of Mom’s Impala hadn’t been all that bad. I’d definitely want a full crew cab. I wondered if I could get a camper cover on the back. It could be taken off if I needed to haul something large but having shelter for bad weather was a big plus.

I never got around to practicing the lute guitar that night. I was online browsing want ads as I talked to my girlfriends.

Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday but after swimming and lunch with the kids, I found a spot in the park where we could just sit while I played the lute. I guess in a way, we were all still adjusting to summer and not having homework every day. We all knew we’d have to get some things accomplished this summer but we were still fighting our sadness over Joan’s abrupt departure and all felt a little clingy.

While I played and experimented with the instrument, we also talked and, inevitably, the subject came around to Donna Levy.

“Do you think she wants all of us to come to her house unannounced?” Rachel asked. “It sounds so bizarre. Like, not knowing if someone will show up or how many.”

“She’s showing her romantic side,” Desi asserted. She’d found a place where she could stretch out with her head on my lap and I could still play the lute. Every so often, I’d pause in playing and pet her boobs. She was wearing a button shirt that was just tied below her boobs and begged to have me reach inside. The other girls kept us well enough shielded that prying eyes would have a difficult time seeing what we were doing. And occasionally, one of our girlfriends would reach out a hand and join in. “I feel like the main dish on a buffet table,” she giggled as Beca petted her tummy. “Anyway, we know she’s a lover of literature. She’s read Jacob’s sexiest writings and she’s identified herself in them. She set up a puzzle for us to solve and she’s the prize. Now she sits by a window in her little farmhouse waiting to see if we’ll show up to claim the prize.”

“Masturbating,” Livy said. We all snorted. “Well, if I set that kind of scenario up, I’d be sitting by the window waiting with my fingers in my panties.”

“Why don’t we find out on Saturday,” I said. “We’ll go for our run early, shower, collect everyone, and go drop in. You know, the truth is that she’s left it open and is probably using it as a gauge to tell how interested we are. Will we follow through or are we a bunch of teenage flakes who aren’t really ready for what she has to offer?”