Chapter 2

When I got home Al cornered me. He knew me too well. I was devious and had always been. The first words out of his mouth were "O.K. what's the scoop?" After I filled him in he looked a lot sadder than I thought he should.

I soon found out why. "She won't call" he griped. "The only girls who seem to want to go out with me are the bimbos who just want to date a guy on the team. That's why I don't go out much. Every time I do it's like having a conversation with a rock. They don't have a clue about what's going on in the world unless it's on television or in the movies. Every girl I like won't go out with me because of the reputation I'm saddled with by playing on a team full of idiots."

I was telling him he might be luckier this time when my dad walked in followed by a wall of water. This house was so solid we hadn't even noticed it had started raining. "Shit!" Dad said "It's coming down in buckets out there!" The windows shook with the thunder then. It was like that in Kentucky in the spring, sunny one second and a monsoon in the next.

We lived in tornado alley and were used to it. Dad told me he had placed my bet and hoped I got lucky before he went to change. Al asked me what the old man was talking about, so I told him.

He couldn't believe I would blow the money I had worked all year for on a horse. I knew that he saved the same way I did but he had a lot more cash. He had worked full time for the last two summer vacations and saved almost every cent of it.

I also knew some things he didn't and while I wasn't ready to tell him too much I could try to convince him. "Come with me" I said. He surprised me by following me to my room.

When I got there the first thing I did was yell "SHIT!" and run to close the window.

When I turned around Al said, with a serious look "at least the smells gone."

After we quit laughing I started. "Look I know this is gonna sound strange but I'm not telling you why I'm betting my money on the Derby until you promise me you will not, now or ever, repeat anything I'm about to tell you."

He said he wouldn't and I believed him. We may have had our share of problems sometimes but we were still closer than most twins. "I can't tell you HOW I know this but Dust Commander IS going to win by five lengths, UCLA is going to win the NCAA tournament again, and the Colts are going to beat the Cowboys in the Super Bowl 16-13 on a late field goal. I know it's too late to prove I'm right before the Derby because it's only two days away but this coming Monday at Kent State University in Ohio four students will be killed by the National Guard during a demonstration. On the 14th, two more will be shot at Jackson State in Mississippi. Like I said, I know what's going to happen. I'm only eleven so I can't change things without potentially screwing them up more than I help but we can benefit from some of it.

Al looked at me as I related this with a blank expression and was completely silent. I had great respect for him and had always looked up to my brother. While I might be intelligent, he was more so. He looked at me and said "I can understand that if you knew everything that was going to happen in the future you wouldn't want people to know about it because you would disappear pretty fast but if you want me to help you're going to have to tell me the truth. I don't mean about the future either, I mean the how. If you don't trust me with the whole story we're not as tight as I thought we were."

I looked at Al and said "look, you would have a very hard time believing me even though you know I hate to lie. You'll want to call the guys with the butterfly nets to take me away."

He said "I'll believe whatever you tell me. I heard a lot of what happened upstairs today. I thought somebody was getting killed up here! I actually came up and listened at the door to make sure there wasn't. I don't know the details and I don't want to but whatever it was it wasn't an eleven year old losing his cherry. I have to know. Call it scientific curiosity."

I told him the whole story, starting from when I was a teenager and ending at the point we were at now. I knew I shouldn't have but I trusted him and could use his support. I thought he would call me crazy. I expected him (if he actually believed me) to come up with ways to get rich.

What I didn't expect was..."YOU ASSHOLE! HOW COULD YOU SCREW UP YOUR LIFE LIKE THAT?" I told him to keep it down before the folks heard. He did, but not by much. "You idiot, you had everything going for you and you blew it! Hell, as smart as you are you could've had it made and you pissed it away. I hope I wasn't as stupid as that".

What could I say but "guilty as charged. I realized that too late when I was fixing things that I knew were crappy designs that I could've done better. If it's any consolation I hope the only thing this changes about you is your net worth. You did just fine" (at the time I came back he had five patents to his name for cancer medications). "I thought you'd mention the Pagan thing."

He told me it didn't even occur to him other than to be curious. Our parents tried to take us to church when we were younger. They were not so subtly told that I didn't seem to "fit in" in Sunday school. I think it was because I asked too many questions about inconsistencies in what they were trying to cram down our impressionable little throats. They didn't have the answers so they eliminated the questioner.

Al was actually surprised that I followed any religion figuring I'd be an Atheist or Agnostic (like him). What did surprise him was the fact that I had actually met Loki. This was the most difficult thing to accept but accept it he did. I had a feeling the old gods would soon be gaining a convert.

As he was leaving he said he'd have to think about all that I'd told him and we'd and talk tomorrow. The storm had gotten worse, with lots of lightning. A particularly large flash lit up the windows and at almost the exact instant we heard a very loud boom. We heard yelling from downstairs and rushed to the source of the noise in the living room.

When we got there my parents told us they were watching television when the lightning must have hit something close by. A cloud of smoke came from the TV and it died. They were wondering if it could be repaired and if they had the cash to even try when Al nudged me and nodded toward the set. "We really need to watch that Saturday" he said. I got the hint, but how to convince the parents?

I needed moral support so I dragged Al to the back of the set with me. "I know what's wrong with it so play along, o.k.?" At his nod I asked my dad "Got a Phillips screwdriver?" He looked at us and stated that there was no way we were going to open it up and listed every possibility from electrocution to screwing it up worse. I told him I'd heard somebody talk about this exact thing happening and just wanted to check and see if it caused the same problem. After I explained that with the set unplugged it wouldn't be dangerous he finally relented.

What I didn't tell him was the person I'd overheard was me telling someone else and that it would be safe only if I stayed away from the flyback transformer. I unplugged it, opened it up, and took the cover off of the power supply. After removing the fuse and making a show of holding it up to the light I asked "Can you pick one of these up tomorrow? This one's blown. The guy I heard talking about it said the reason they're there is to keep something like lightning from frying the whole thing."

After they thanked us profusely for saving at least a fifty dollar repair bill we went in the kitchen. "What was that you said about lying earlier?" he said with a smile. When I told him the rest of the story he seemed to get a kick out of it.

That night in bed I couldn't stop thinking about Jan. I gave up on sleep after a while and went to the supply of firewood on the back porch. I found a likely candidate and returned to my room. After picking a good whittling knife from my collection I sat in front of the fireplace in my room to carve while I gave the situation more thought.

I was attracted to Jan now for the same reasons I was before. She was intelligent, precocious, outgoing and witty. Funny thing is I didn't remember the fact that she was also pretty. It was the other things that had attracted me. I knew we would move in a few months and there was no way people as young as us could (or should) have a relationship when they lived thirty miles apart. I didn't want to hurt her but it seems I had screwed up again. The first time by NOT doing anything and this time by doing what I had wanted to the first time.

What made it worse was the undeniable fact that I was NOT eleven years old mentally and she was. Sure, she was a very bright eleven but there was a gap bigger than the Grand Canyon between her experience and mine. I liked her, don't get me wrong, but I also felt like shit about what we had done (or more precisely, what I had done). We could never have a relationship and I wondered if I EVER would be able to. This is one aspect of the "gift" I hadn't anticipated. Maybe I screwed up again after all. I might have doomed myself into another life as a loner without even thinking about it. Oh well, no sense in worrying about it now.

What I needed to do was to get some things done while protecting my secret. One of which was urgent and my new accomplice would be helpful.

I put my work down to make a trip to Al's room. He was still awake doing his homework when I knocked on his door. "What's up?" he asked.

I told him about mom's inevitable surgery and that it would be a lot less painful and require less recuperation if it was done quickly. We needed to get her to see a certain doctor who would finally find the problem. If we didn't push her in his direction it would be months before she found him. He readily agreed and I went back to my room feeling a lot better.

That didn't mean I was tired though. I was done with my carving before I noticed it was three in the morning. I began to think school was going to be rough before I took a closer look at what I had been doing. I hadn't really been paying attention to what my hands had been up to, just thinking. The small statue I had carved was the best work I had ever done. There was no doubt in my mind that it was of Loki. I smiled as I placed it on the mantle. I'd been wondering where I could get a statue for my shrine but hadn't even thought of making one myself. Now if I could find some incense I'd be in business.

When I hit the street the next morning three people were waiting for me and at least two of them seemed disgustingly happy. Jan was much quieter this morning when I kissed her and seemed a little shy. "I wonder if she's having second thoughts, too" I pondered. I guess I'd find out sooner or later.

I said hi to Mark and Janelle and asked Mark if everything turned out o.k. at the doctor's but was careful not to give any indication of what he went for.

He saw me glance at Janelle and said "She knows, and thanks. My eyes are pretty bad and they did try to force those ugly black glasses on me. I couldn't get my mom to spring for the wire frames until I told her that it didn't make much sense to buy something that would never leave the house so we probably shouldn't buy any at all. I think she saw the light then. She even got them to put a rush on them. They'll be ready on Monday. Think we could practice some? Tryouts are Wednesday you know."

I think I was almost as happy as he was when I agreed. School was really difficult. I had to go unbelievably slow to keep from looking too out of place. I refused to make mistakes on purpose but this didn't cause any suspicion since I had always done well. I learned the lesson about speed the hard way.

We were doing math and of course the problems were 5th grade level. Ten minutes into a half hour assignment I got busted for looking out the window.

"Mister Sussmann! Bring your paper up here." I winced and complied. When Mrs. McAllister saw that not only was every problem complete but correct she eyed me with suspicion. "See me after class. Return to your seat."

I did so, mentally groaning all the way at my stupidity. "She's probably wondering how I've been cheating" I thought.

I hung around as everyone else left. When they were gone she surprised me. "I'm worried about you Matt" she said. "You have always done well but I'm afraid that you're in the wrong class. You seem to be too advanced for the fifth grade. I'm planning on asking the counselor to arrange for you to be tested. I believe you should be moved to a level that would challenge your mind and allow you to move at the speed you deserve."

I had liked this teacher before but now I respected her. Most teachers would have accused a student of dishonesty in a case like this. She had actually sensed the problem.

I had to convince her to drop her idea without offending her. "I appreciate the thought Mrs. McAllister but I don't want to skip any grades. I know what happens to people when they do. The thought of being victimized by high school bullies with twice my size and half of my intelligence doesn't appeal to me. The school system isn't set up to cope with people like me so I'll move at their pace. I actually prefer it that way. It will give me time to do other things like sports without worrying about studying."

When she persisted I politely interrupted. "I'm sorry but if you insist on placement tests I will make sure I miss the questions that will keep me where I am. I know which ones they are and can easily do that in a way that will make it seem like I'm just a normal fifth grade student. I don't want to embarrass you by doing that. I think you believe you're doing the right thing but it's not right for me." She looked at me with new respect I think and told me she would do as I asked.

Jan and I stopped at my house and went straight to my room. When she asked if we could just make out a little because she was still sore I said "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so carried away yesterday. We could just talk if you want. Speaking of which, what did Joyce have to say about my brother?"

Jan smiled and said "she's going to call Al today. I told her all about him. You should have seen her face when I told her what he said about her. She was smiling all evening, at least every time I saw her. I was on the phone almost all night." She saw my raised eyebrows and smiled "you know Kim and Janie, right? At my nod she explained that they had questioned her extensively about me. She could tell I was worried about what she might have told them I guess because she added "relax, I'd never tell them EVERYTHING. I did tell them you were a fantastic kisser though. They mostly griped that you were the only guy who ever even talked to us and I got you before they could." I breathed a sigh of relief but didn't even finish before she started again.

"What they said kind of got me thinking about us." She looked very worried before I asked her to say what was on her mind and even more so when she did. "Matt, please don't take this the wrong way but I think we're too young to be going together. I mean, we're only eleven, you know? I loved doing the things we did together too but..."

I shut her up with a kiss and when we broke apart I was smiling. She looked more relieved by the moment as I told her I thought she was right. I even told her about us possibly moving before too long.

Jan decided to reveal her secret then. She wanted to know if we could have Janie and Kim come over to my house after school and play some games. I asked what kind of games and she blushed deeper than I thought possible as she shyly said "I thought maybe spin the bottle or post office but strip poker would be my vote."

She looked at the obvious tent in my jeans and cracked up. "I think you like that idea", she quipped. I agreed that I did and agreed she could ask them to come over tomorrow.

We went downstairs to grab a coke and ran into my mom and Al in the kitchen. They didn't hear us at first and I caught part of the conversation. Seems Al was telling mom about this really good bone specialist he had heard about that had a reputation of diagnosing problems that others couldn't find. Good old Al. I was glad he hadn't wasted any time. Mom had a non-cancerous cyst that was quickly growing. I found out on my first time through how painful that could be, and how dangerous. By the time it was discovered before, simply stepping off a curb could have snapped her hip like a twig. As we came in the room she was saying she might see this Dr. Mitchum.

She had left work early because of the pain today. I piped in with "sounds like a great Idea. Those quacks you've been seeing are clueless. Just because they're not good enough to find what's wrong they pretend it doesn't exist."

Mom jumped two feet offthe ground "Matt! I didn't hear you come in! It has been kind of hard not slapping some of those idiots when they insinuate I'm just looking for a prescription of pain pills that I can't take at work anyway. I see you've got company, too. Who's the pretty girl with you?"

I turned to see a furiously blushing Jan and replied "mom, this is Jan. She followed me home, can I keep her?" I didn't realize a blush could get that deep. Jan didn't know how we were around my house.

Mom looked thoughtful for a moment before telling me we'd have to check with dad first. Finally after asking if Jan could cook or do laundry and various other chores my mother relented. "I'm sorry Jan, I couldn't help it. You just looked so cute, and the expression on your face!"

Jan recovered quickly, to my surprise. She looked at mom and said wryly "I see where he gets his sense of humor from now"

Mom quickly corrected her. "Oh, don't give me all the credit! We've all warped around here."

Dad came in then, handing me a fuse as he said "talking about me when I'm not here, huh!" of course he had to get the introductions and had his own questions about how why I was with a girl as pretty as Jan. I rescued her finally to put the fuse in.

When we got to the living room Jan related how she wished her house was as laid back as ours. Her parents were much stricter and she would've had problems if her parents showed up and I was there with her.

"Of course" I said with a leer "you're a girl and I would obviously be there to corrupt their lovely daughter. It's not as easy as you think though. I'm sure I'll get the sex lecture about protection, respect, and all the other stuff that I already know. Here, hold this will you?" I had her hold the back of the television while I screwed it down. When we were done I plugged it in and turned it on.

Of course it worked fine. Actually this wasn't the first set I had repaired. When I was ten another uncle (not the same one) whom I also detested gave me a set he was going to throw out. He thought it was hilarious that I thought I could fix it. Poor slob didn't think it was so funny when I had it working the next day, especially when I told him it had a bad seventy-five cent rectifier tube and that I had already sold the set for fifty bucks.

My thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing and Al screaming "I'VE GOT IT" Jan and I looked at each other and laughed.

I cornered Al that night, and found out it went better than I could have hoped. Not only had he and Joyce hit it off, they had a date Saturday night. He also told me he had stopped by the track and put three separate bets down.

He put a hundred to win on Dust Commander and bet a fifty dollar perfecta with My Dad George. He also put a hundred dollars on my superfecta.

I was even more surprised when my dad told me he had put a hundred to win on my horse and a fifty dollar superfecta. "You saved us at least half that much on the TV." he had told me. Knowing my brother as well as I did a mobile home was not in our future this time.