Continue reading »]]> I was at my friends’ Eaw’s house.  Two of my other friends, we’ll call them Josephina and Kally, were also there.  We were all watching the third Harry Potter movie.  Well, I was watching it, but the other three were texting.  I don’t have a cell phone or I most likely would have been texting too.  Well, actually not.  If I had a cell phone, I would have no one to text.

They were all siting on the couch right beside each other and I was siting in a chair.  Suddenly, they all started laughing at once.  I looked over at them and asked, “Are you guys texting each other?”

“Yea.”  said Kally,  “Why?”

“Because you are siting right beside each other!”  I said.

“So.  What’s your point?”  said Kally.  I will never understand my friends…. or most teenage girls in general.

Continue reading »]]> Justin heard a loud grunt above the ruckus in the field and immediately looked around to locate his friend. Gareth, his two brothers, and three cousins also turned at the sound, and all saw Gareth’s father slump to the ground under the club of one of the poachers. The thief did not need to turn his horse and run as quickly as he did, however. The seven youths did not give chase, but stood wide-eyed, some with mouths agape, staring down at the huge man. The intruders that they had been engaged with took the opportunity to run as well. Kegan’s barking voice startled the young men from their stupor. “They’re cutting out those calves! Move you ignorant clods!” All but Gareth jumped to run in the direction of the herd. He looked blankly at Kegan, shook his head as if to clear it and turned back to the man on the ground. Slowly he knelt and gently turned him over, searching his face, and fearing what he might find. The older man coughed, and Gareth’s breath, which he’d been unconsciously holding, left him in a rush. At the same time a few tears of relief spilled from his eyes. “What are you doing, Gareth? They are making off with a dozen calves and four horses while you play nurse. It would take more than that to break his hard head, and yet you let them escape while you sit here.” Gareth looked up as if Kegan was speaking a foreign language that he could not comprehend. He was still recovering from the fear that he’d lost his father, and adjusting to the relief that he had not. “By the king and all of Signum! You are as thick as he!” Kegan jerked his horse’s head around, kicked him savagely, and rode off toward the disappearing thieves, cursing loudly as he went.

Gareth looked back down at the simple, weather-worn face of his father, then began examining the swelling lump on the side of his head. The older man groaned and began to sit up. “Lie still, dad, I’ll get some cool water.”

“No, I can rise. Just steady me a bit. There.” Gareth helped him to the near edge of the pasture where the stream ran clear and swift, and bathed his head until the wound was numb from the icy water, and the swelling began to diminish. Then he wrapped a piece of his shirt over the cut and they started back toward the cattle shelter. By the time they reached it all the men were there. Kegan’s irate voice could be heard above all.

“Don’t try and calm me! I’ve every right to be angry! Whose calves were stolen after all? Mine!”

“They weren’t yours yet,” a voice countered. “You hadn’t paid for them.”

“Are you saying I don’t pay my debts? Let anyone here say if I haven’t always been good for the agreed price,” Kegan challenged.

“I’m just saying, the trade hadn’t been made, so Jiri is more at a loss than you, and it was Keary’s horses that were taken.”

As Gareth and his father came into view everyone turned toward them and no one spoke for a few seconds. Gareth saw his brothers and cousins standing near Justin in a tiny knot in front of a small group of men. Opposite them stood Kegan, and behind him, the two owners of the stolen livestock plus a few others known for trouble and short, ill tempers.

Gareth’s father spoke, “Kegan, you know, as a clan, we absorb these types of losses as a whole. You will be compensated for any ill you’ve suffered today, as will Jiri and Keary there.”

“But if you and yours had been on watch as you should have, there would be no losses.”

“We were on watch, Kegan. What are you saying?” asked Gareth.

“Not even properly armed,” Kegan said.

“How many of us comes heavily armed for a midday watch?” asked Gareth.

“And when the bandits appeared,” continued Kegan, “did you fight or even give chase? No, you fall or stand about like children.”

“Kegan that’s crazy. My dad was struck down while trying to defend our herds, and my brothers and cousins did give chase, but we were on foot at the time while they were mounted.”

“Why am I even speaking to this mountain of cowardice and spawn of a coward?” Kegan demanded of no one, and spun around and left the field in the direction of his home. Those who had stood behind Kegan looked expectantly at Gareth and his father for a few long seconds. The tension that filled the air seemed completely out of place in the pastoral peace of the field. The sound of a few nearby animals’ teeth tearing up the lush green grass, and the vivid blue sky pressing down on the men could have called them back from the unfortunate event, but they didn’t sense those things.

Finally one of them broke the silence. “Do you have any word to send to Kegan?”

“About what?” Gareth’s father was genuinely surprised.

“Do you intend to answer his challenge to your family?”

Gareth’s father’s face became troubled as he realized the import of the man’s words. “Kegan was angered at the loss of his purchase. I do not believe he meant what he said to be a call out. Over this? It would be foolishness. No. I have no answer to send him.” Several of the men standing behind Justin and the watch nodded in silent agreement with this reasoning. Justin looked with desperate hope at Gareth. Given Kegan’s age, it would be Gareth who would answer the call, and it would not be considered a disrespect for Gareth to offer this to his father. But he saw that Gareth had nothing to add. He just stood solemnly taking it all in. Justin’s face grew dark and agitated. His mind raced with indignations he could not voice, lest he bring further shame on his friend’s family. He quickly threw down the staff he’d grabbed as a makeshift weapon when he and the others had come to help, and ran from the field.

In another place and at another time, another of the same name waited.

Continue reading »]]> Justin stood in his best friend’s kitchen shifting his weight from foot to foot as he watched Matt meticulously lacing his new basketball shoes, precisely adjusting the tension on his foot at every set of eyelets. He’d been at it for five minutes and had only inserted the laces into, and fine-tuned, the first three of the nine sets of eyelets on each foot. Justin thought he might explode if he had to wait for Matt to finish at this pace before they could leave for the school. It was the first day of Georgetown Middle School’s Summer Basketball Camp. Justin checked the watch on his wrist against the daisy shaped clock hanging above Mrs. Fisher’s kitchen sink. Matt began the fourth set of eyelets on his right shoe. He threaded them, pulled the laces straight up, wiggled his toes, tightened the right lace, wiggled his toes, loosened both laces a little, wiggled his toes again, looked satisfied and moved on to the fourth set of eyelets on his left foot.

“I can’t believe he’s making me wait like this,” Justin thought, “It’s just not fair. I’d never treat him this way. I mean, I managed to get up and be ready on time. Why can’t he? But then nothing is ever actually fair anyway. You can always find the injustice if you care to look.” He watched as Matt calmly began to work on the fifth set of eyelets. He inserted all four ends into the holes, pulled them through, and checked them. Finding one twisted, he removed it, turned it over and reinserted it, pulled them tight and began the toe wiggling again. Justin felt his head was about to explode.

“Oh, you could have done this over the weekend, couldn’t you?” Justin finally exclaimed.

“Huh? Done what?” Then looking up at Justin and sensing his exasperation and impatience for the first time, Matt checked the clock on the microwave and replied, “It’s only 8:25. We don’t have to be there ‘til 9:00.”

“Yeah, but don’t you think we should…I mean, we don’t want to…Well, you know! You could have done this last night,” Justin finally finished not really knowing what else to say. He realized they were, in fact, still running pretty early, but he also realized that he didn’t care how early they were, he just wanted to move. He knew he wouldn’t feel at ease until they were sitting in the gym, ready for the camp to begin. It was almost all he had thought about for the last couple of weeks.

“Relax,” said Matt, and continued his lacing at a much faster, yet still careful rate. He finally finished, took the shoes off, dropped them in his bag, and put on his old sneakers. A couple of moments later both boys were outside dribbling down the walk.

It was only 8:45 when they jogged up to the school gym doors, but when they pushed them open and entered, they were surprised to see that they were still not the first to arrive. Justin was doubly surprised to notice that the one person who had beaten them there was his friend Ernie. He and Ernie had been in the same math and science classes. And although they enjoyed being lab partners and attending math field days together, Justin had never once heard Ernie mention basketball. They went over and joined him on the bleachers.

“Hey, Ernie,” Justin greeted him, “I didn’t know you wanted to try out for basketball.”

Ernie greeted his friend with a weak smile. “I don’t, but my parents think I spend too much time reading and on the computer. They think that this is just what I need. ‘Get involved, bring me out of my shell, et cetera, et cetera.’ Could be worse I’m sure. They might have enrolled me in ballet,” he said trying to sound like a good sport about it.

“Oh,” said Justin considering Ernie’s awkward position, and then tried a sympathetic laugh that only made it as far as pathetic.

“Sounds rough,” commiserated Matt.

“I’m not worried about these two weeks,” Ernie went on. “It’ll be just like a very prolonged gym class. I can endure that. What I dread is mom and dad pestering me to practice all summer for tryouts next school year.”

“Well, if it helps any, you could practice with me some,” Justin offered.

“You mean with us,” Matt corrected.

“Really? That’d be great. Thanks,” Ernie sighed, and he looked like a drowning man who’d just been thrown a life preserver. “That should satisfy my parents that I’m getting involved, and if I practice away from home, they won’t always be watching over my shoulder for progress.”

“By the way, Ernie, this is Matt.”

Ernie looked at Matt. “Nice to meet you. I can use friends here. Incidentally, my dad’s name is Matthew too.”

Justin laughed. “Well, Ernie, he only wishes his name was Matthew, right Matta?”

“You’re so funny,” Matt replied, giving Justin a light shove. “He’s right, though. My name isn’t Matthew; it’s Mattlig. It’s Swedish. It’s been used on my mom’s side of the family for a long time. ‘Matta’ is one of my mom’s baby nicknames for me.”

“Oh, I see,” said Ernie. “Actually I think I can empathize. My name is,” he paused, took a deep breath and continued, “Erasmus.”

“You’re kidding,” Matt said, incredulous.

“You’d just have to know my parents,” Ernie said. “Mercifully my grandmother dubbed me ‘Ernie’ when I was a baby. Still, there’s always the first day of school and roll call in every class, when I have to give my nickname to each new teacher. You might know what I mean.” And then to change the subject he asked, “So, are you really interested in basketball?”

“Yeah, and most other sports,” replied Matt. “My dad says now is the time to try them all so I can settle on something before high school. So this summer it’s basketball.”

The three continued discussing the camp although it was mostly Matt who talked and Ernie who listened. Ernie soon discovered that Matt was the type of person who could talk to almost anyone about almost anything for almost any length of time. Luckily Ernie was the type of person who could listen well, with genuine interest, and in fact Matt was interesting to listen to most of the time.

Justin sat beside them engrossed in his own thoughts about the upcoming weeks. He hadn’t been quite able to believe it when he’d heard about the camp. It wasn’t a real camp, as far as packing your clothes and staying away from home went, but that didn’t bother him in the least. It was a day camp. The boys simply reported to the school gym three hours every day for two weeks. All Justin cared about was getting as much out of it as he could. He’d always loved sports, especially basketball, and he would finally be old enough to try out for a school team rather than youth league when he entered seventh grade in the fall. He’d been looking forward to that chance for the past couple of years. So when the announcement came that the school athletic department was going to offer this new program, Justin had been so excited thinking about it that he’d almost missed his bus. They would be getting training from the school’s coaching staff, and he figured along with all the practice he did on his own, he would really have a good chance of making the team, maybe even getting on the first string. He assumed all the starting positions would go to eighth graders, but he could still hope to be one of the top substitutes. The wooden gym doors creaked and four more boys entered. Soon Justin counted 28 boys, 15 of which would be chosen in the fall to play on the school team.

When the coaches finally came in it was just after 9:00. Many of the boys were like Justin, waiting impatiently for a chance to move and burn off some energy. But first there was talking; announcements about schedules of practices, scrimmage games, preliminary tryouts, and more.

Justin had just begun to lose track of some of the information and to wish that the coaches had prepared a handout, or that he’d thought to bring a notebook and pencil, when a movement at his side caught his attention. There was Ernie taking it all down, even in outline form, in a ring binder, as calmly and naturally as if he’d been in class. Justin sighed in relief, knowing that his friend would be glad to let him copy it. Then he saw that he wasn’t the only one who had observed Ernie. A boy on the next set of bleachers was elbowing the guy beside him and smirking as he jerked his head in Ernie’s direction. The second boy rolled his eyes and then looked back at the assistant coach who was taking his turn talking.

He was introducing the trainers who would be helping during the summer sessions. He explained that they were students studying to be teachers and coaches and were all attending college on basketball scholarships, which made the boys as anxious to work with the trainers as with the coaches. As interesting as it was, the boys were getting tired of the talking and antsy to move off the hard bleachers, so they were relieved when the coaches went off to the storage room for basketballs.

As soon as they turned to go the boys all began to stretch and fidget and talk in low tones, except for the boy who had noticed Ernie taking notes, who practically bellowed at him.

“Hey, pencil neck, you can go home now; science class is out for the summer.” The small group around him laughed loudly.

As the laughter waned the boy next to him yelled, “Maybe he’s looking for the cheerleading tryouts.” Another wave of rude laughs rose from the group.

Justin’s face turned beet red, and he nearly growled under his breath, “Some people are so…” Out loud he said, “Why don’t you two mind your own business.”

Ernie turned a calm face to Justin and said, “Hey, Justin, relax.”

“What?” Justin looked incredulous. “Didn’t you hear how they were talking to you?”

Ernie was still calm. “What they think or say about me is their concern, not mine.”

Justin spluttered, “I don’t even pretend to understand that, but…”

Just then the coaches returned with the equipment, and half the boys, including Justin, Ernie, and Matt were called to the floor and taught a warm up drill, while the other half, including those who had taunted Ernie, were given sign up forms and pencils. In about fifteen minutes the groups traded. Then, when all the paperwork was taken care of, the entire group was taught several skills drills that they were to practice in their own time. Justin didn’t need a notebook to remember those. This was what he’d come for. He could hardly wait for the afternoon so that he’d have all the time he wanted to practice each one.

As they walked home together though, Justin recalled the name-calling incident and said, “Man, those guys were burning me up yelling at you, Ernie. They make me so mad I could punch them.”

“They’re pretty much always like that,” Matt added. “The first one who yelled is named Brandon, and the other is Todd. I had two classes with them last year. They’re actually a year ahead of us, but they had to retake ’cause they’d failed. Anyway, they were always picking on people, usually smart, nonathletic types, no offense, Ernie.”

“None taken,” Ernie replied, “But guys, they don’t really bother me. I mean why should I get bent out of shape because they’re rude or insulting? That’s nothing really to do with me. ”

Justin stared at his friend in disbelief. “Because it’s directed at you! He’s slamming you!”

Ernie seemed unaffected by Justin’s emotional explanation. “But it doesn’t change me. I’m still the same. He’s the one who’s got a problem with me, not the other way around.”

“What? I just don’t get you, Ernie,” said Justin shaking his head in disgust. He was beginning to wonder if he knew Ernie at all, in spite of the time they’d spent together.

Ernie seemed pensive for a second. “Well, I am not the one who is being critical or finding fault, you see.”

“Right. We understand that.” Justin said impatiently. “But would you mind explaining why you don’t care if Brandon slanders you in front of a gym full of guys from our school, some of whom will end up being our teammates. I mean these guys aren’t going away, Ernie. And Brandon was trying to humiliate you.”

“I realize that. But I didn’t feel humiliated. A little embarrassed when everyone looked at me, but not humiliated. What he says doesn’t really have anything to do with me. The things that matter to me are those that I allow in my mind, my heart, and so on. They come out in what I say and do.”

“Hold on, Ernie, I thought you were just a regular geek. Now you’re sounding like a twinkie.”

“Maybe so, Justin. But let me finish. What he says and does comes from what he has allowed inside him. Whether it has come out or not, it is still his, not mine, even though I see or hear it. So what Brandon does or says is outside coming into me, my ears, eyes, whatever, right?” Justin was just standing there with his mouth hanging open so Ernie continued, “If his opinion mattered to me it could even hurt my feelings, but that’s still something coming into me from outside, right?”

Justin looked doubtful. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Ernie continued, “Well, that doesn’t touch me, my spiritual self, I mean. Because it comes out from him, that’s his problem, not mine. What comes in even if it did hurt my feelings couldn’t hurt the true me. But if I get mad, hate him, or try to get even, that comes out of me. Those reactions would be because I had allowed a lot of crappy stuff to fester inside of me, and would hurt me spiritually.”

Justin had become so incredulous that he was finally calm. “Well, that might seem logical to you, but I’m not so sure, and I know I don’t see it that way.”

“I’m sorry,” said Ernie.

Matt looked at Ernie, confused, “Sorry about what?”

“Just sorry he doesn’t get it,” said Ernie.

Matt seemed satisfied.

“Well, here’s my street,” said Ernie. “I’ll see you in the morning at the school.”

“You may as well walk in with us if you don’t mind an early start,” Matt quickly offered. “But, Justin doesn’t want to miss a second of camp.”

“Sure, thanks,” Ernie accepted. “Early isn’t a problem. What time do you guys start?”

“About 8:30,” said Justin.

“Ok, I’ll meet you here,” Ernie called over his shoulder as he turned toward his house.

As they continued home Justin couldn’t help bringing up the talk they’d had again. “What do you think of what Ernie said about Brandon and Todd?”

“I don’t know,” said Matt. “It seems a little weird, but I guess it’s his business.”

“Yeah,” Justin agreed. “I’ve been his friend for a while, and I always knew he was weird about some things. But I never would have dreamed up anything as strange as this one. I mean, can you imagine just not even caring about a whole gym full of guys thinking that you’re a complete wuss? Or just letting a couple of jerks walk all over you like that?”

“Well, not really,” Matt admitted. “But he seemed sure about what he said, and isn’t it better, after all, if he isn’t bothered?”

“I don’t know,” Justin said skeptically. “He’s my friend. If he lets those guys walk all over him, what will everyone think, even about me? And maybe I should try and help him out.”

“What do you mean, ‘help him out?’” asked Matt warily.

“I’m not sure,” Justin answered. “I’m going to have to think this over some. Hey, do you want to practice together this afternoon? ”

“Sure,” Matt agreed. “Want to come over after lunch?”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” said Justin.

They were now nearing Matt’s street. “Ok see ya later,” he said as he turned up his street with a wave and sprinted toward his house.

For the rest of the day Justin was engrossed in the basketball drills he’d been taught, but even when he and Matt practiced there was a nagging at the back of his mind, as if he was trying to remember something. Later when he was in bed trying to stop the review of the drills that was going on in his head, so he could sleep and be ready for another day of camp, it came back to him. Those jerks who teased Ernie. He would have to do something about that, but what? Ernie seemed so convinced in his thinking. How could Justin make him see how wrong the situation was, and that they couldn’t just ignore it? That would be letting them get away with it and that wasn’t right. Then Justin realized how tired he was, body and mind, and knew he’d have to solve the problem another day because sleep was taking over.

Continue reading »]]> Tuesday morning as they all walked together to the school Justin said, “Hey Ernie, I forgot to ask you something yesterday. Could I borrow those notes I saw you taking? I didn’t think to bring paper and they went over so much, I’m not sure I remember it all.”

“No problem,” answered Ernie. “As a matter of fact, I typed it into my computer last night. I’ll just print you a copy. I can bring it tomorrow or you can stop by after camp today if you want.”

Just then they saw Matt’s cousin, Andy, approaching from the opposite direction.

Matt called out to her. “Hey, cuz, where are you going so early?”

Justin answered before she reached them. “She’s meeting Shannon. She was up early getting ready. What are you and my little sis getting into today?”

Andy looked surprised. “Didn’t she tell you? We have a job this summer. We’re babysitting an hour and a half every morning for Mrs. Michaels.”

Justin was incredulous. “What? You’re eleven and she’s ten! Mrs. Michaels is going to let you guys watch her kids while she’s gone? I don’t believe it! They’re babies!”

“Well, she is!” snapped Andy defensively. “And we’re perfectly capable, thank you very much. And they are toddlers, not babies. They are one and three years old.”

Matt’s reaction was calmer. “Really, Andy, are you sure you want to take that on? That’s a lot of responsibility.”

“Well,” continued Andy, “if ‘Mr. Big, twelve years old’ would have listened, I was about to explain. I never said Mrs. Michaels was going to leave them with us. She’s landscaping her front yard this summer, and we’re going to keep the girls in the backyard where they have a fence so that she can really work, uninterrupted. And we get to work an hour and a half every day until she gets it all finished. And we’re getting paid seventy cents an hour, that’s $1.05 per day. That’s $5.25 every week.”

Justin fidgeted from side to side and said, “Yeah, we can do the math. Look guys, we had better get going or we’ll be late.”

Andy had forgotten her aggravation at being thought too young in her excitement to tell the details of her job and completely missed Justin’s impatience. “Going to basketball camp?” she asked. “Shannon told me about that.”

Matt answered her. “Yeah, we all are. By the way do you know Ernie, here? He’s in our grade. Ernie, this is my cousin, and Justin’s sister’s best friend, Andrea, but we all call her Andy.”

Ernie noticed Justin beginning to look not only impatient, but also truly desperate to get away. And remembering from the day before how easily Matt could talk on without seeming to notice, he decided to help Justin out. “Very pleased to meet you, Andy. Hope to get to talk to you sometime. But, like Justin says, we had better move or we won’t be there when the summer maintenance crew unlocks the door. Wouldn’t want to miss that, you know.”

Justin gave a sporting laugh at Ernie’s little dig and looked very grateful for the chance to get away. “Well, we do only get two weeks of training and then we’re on our own ‘til tryouts in November. If we get there early, maybe some of those college guys could work with us a little extra.”

Matt caught the hint and agreed, “Good point. We’d better run. See ya, Andy. Good luck with the little people.”

The boys hurried on to the school and into the gym where Justin and Matt began practicing the drills they’d been taught the day before, and Ernie retired to the bleachers with a book he’d produced from his backpack.

Fifteen minutes later more boys began coming in and Justin and Matt joined Ernie on the bleachers. Brandon and Todd were among the last to arrive. Justin noticed that Brandon searched them out and then whispered to Todd while jerking his head in their direction. Todd then looked at them too and nodded laughing. Ernie was busy listening to Matt tell about something that had happened to him the summer before on an overnight fishing trip, and neither had noticed Brandon or Todd at all. Before Justin could break in and say something, the coaches walked in and began calling them onto the floor to position them for another drill. This one, they explained, would emphasize passing from the chest. Justin was immediately absorbed in the instruction, everything else forgotten.

Justin watched as two of the trainers demonstrated what to do. Both started near the center court line. While moving in a prescribed path on one half of the floor one dribbled a ball, pivoting, turning and changing hands at certain points on the floor. The other trainer followed a mirror image of the pattern on the other side of the floor executing some of the footwork drills as he moved past the signal points on the floor. When they had worked their way near the basket the trainer with the ball made a chest pass to the other and they crossed paths to continue, each doing now what the other had just done. The coach let them continue to run the drill as he explained it for a couple of moments giving the boys time to memorize what to do at each point on the floor. It wasn’t that hard because he had wisely kept the individual moves in the same order that he had taught them to the boys the day before, so that it was sort of like combining all the drills into a huge one. Then the coach and the assistant began adding the boys to the rotation at opposite corners of the gym. Justin was disappointed at first because they kept him and a few others out of the drill for a couple of extra minutes. Then, however, they began pulling guys out and replacing them with those they had reserved.

Only as they worked the drill did Justin realize the reason for this. The boys became familiar with each other’s faces and abilities, because with the way the coaches were moving them in and out, you eventually passed or received with every participant, before you encountered the same player again. Justin, enjoying the fast pace and already looking forward to tryouts, was evaluating the others in terms of better or worse than him. He was just getting a good rhythm going when Todd threw him a hard pass about a foot and half off center. Justin lunged, lost balance, and barely recovered after just managing to retrieve the aberrant ball. As he pivoted to move back into the drill formation he looked up, prepared to say, “That’s ok,” to Todd. When his eyes met Todd’s, however, he was confronted with an arrogant smirk instead of the look of apology he’d expected. Todd had apparently thrown the bad pass on purpose, just to aggravate him. Justin was furious. And then his anger took a suspicious turn. What if Todd had actually been trying to make him look bad to the coaches? So far his mind had been occupied only with doing his best in order to be good enough to make the team. Now it occurred to him that some might find it easier to make others look bad than to improve themselves. He was so worked up and distracted that he executed his next two dribbling exercises rather poorly. Then, realizing that if his suspicions proved true, that could be icing for Todd, he forced himself to calm down and concentrate. After a couple more turns his body was back in sync with the drill. His brain kept careful track of the drill, but in the back of his mind he contemplated the discovery of Todd’s possible treachery. He was obviously hostile toward Justin. Was it only personal dislike, or was he trying to blow Justin’s chances at making the team? Would Todd even make that distinction?

After a few more minutes of the drill the coaches taught them one more group drill and two more individual exercises. Justin became engrossed in the practice again, but also stayed aware of both Brandon and Todd and their locations. And although he watched them warily any time they were participating with him or in his vicinity, the rest of the morning passed without incident. The highlight of Justin’s day was when one of the college assistants worked with him individually for a few minutes and told him that he was really progressing well.

When they were dismissed the three friends started towards home together. They walked in silence for a few minutes, mostly to catch their breath. Practice had ended with a set of ‘killer drills’, which were just a time tested and not very inventive way of having basketball players spend several minutes running as hard as they could. Justin was also waiting until they were away from anyone else so that he could tell the other two what had happened with Todd and his suspicions.

When they were finally alone walking down School Street and all three were breathing comfortably again Justin said, “You guys aren’t going to believe this, but I think Todd was deliberately trying to make me look bad today.”

“What? What do you mean?” Matt asked in a calm but serious tone.

Justin related the entire incident while the other two listened intently.

Matt whistled lowly. “Are you sure, Justin? ‘Cause, that would be bad.”

Ernie didn’t seem to want to believe it either. “Yes, Justin, are you really certain? I mean it could have been an accident. And you may still be reacting to what happened yesterday.”

“I really wish I was,” Justin admitted. “But the look on his face left no doubt. Let’s all just be on our guard for the next couple of days and we’ll see.”

They walked on for a bit in silence and seemed to reach Ernie’s street more quickly than the day before, consumed as they were with their thoughts. The mood remained somber for the rest of the walk, and when they came to Matt’s street they had no more to say than a quick ‘see ya later’.

Only when Justin stepped through his own back door did he realize that he’d been so preoccupied with the problem with Todd that he’d forgotten to stop and get a copy of Ernie’s notes. And he really felt like practicing after lunch instead of going over to get them. He thought just moving and sweating for a while would make him feel better, and there was also the fact that he felt he hadn’t done as well at the gym as he could have because his attention had been divided. He really wanted to practice all afternoon. So when could he get the notes? He didn’t want to invite himself over in the evening when both Ernie’s parents were sure to be there. That seemed presumptuous. He decided he would wait until the next day to get them. He didn’t need any of the information for a few more days anyway. Still he thought he’d better at least call Ernie and remind him to bring them in the morning.

He poured himself a glass of juice and sat down at the kitchen table next to the phone on the wall. He took a deep breath, leaned back, closed his eyes, and exhaled slowly. Then he took a big mouthful of the cold apple juice and let it trickle slowly down his throat. When it was all gone he felt more relaxed, and he picked up the phone to dial Ernie. Then he realized he didn’t know the number. So he went to the bookshelf under the counter, found the phone book among his mom’s cookbooks and quickly looked up the number. Justin remembered Ernie mentioning that his dad’s first name was Matthew so finding the one on the correct street was easy. The first three numbers were the same as his of course; the last four numbers were 3179. He went back to the phone and looked at the keypad for a moment considering a way to memorize the number. Justin preferred having information in his head and not having to look things up more than once if possible. It only took him a minute to see that when he dialed it he would be describing the beginning of a capital E with his finger. E for Ernie. That taken care of, he dialed the number.

After two rings a woman answered, “Hello?”

“Hello, this is Justin Greene, a friend of Ernie’s from school and basketball camp. Is Ernie there?”

“Oh, yes. Just a minute, please.”

Justin heard Ernie’s mom put down the phone and walk away calling for him. In a moment the phone was picked up again and Ernie said, “Hi, Justin.”

“Hey, Ernie, I called because I forgot to stop in and get a copy of those notes from you. I was wondering if you would bring them in the morning like you suggested?”

“Sure, no problem. I’ll put them in my backpack as soon as I get off the phone so I won’t forget. Just a minute, Justin.” Justin could hear Ernie’s mom talking to him in the background. “Hey, Justin, my mom wants to know if you’d like to come and have dinner with us sometime.”

“Sure, I know my parents wouldn’t mind. When?”

“Let me check.” And after a short pause in which Justin could hear their muted voices, “How about Friday?”

“Sure, that will be fine as long as it’s OK with my parents. I’ll check with them tonight to be sure.”

“Sounds good. OK I guess I’ll see you in the morning then.”

“See you then.”

As Justin hung up the phone Shannon popped into the kitchen and started looking through the cabinets.

“What are you looking for?”

Pulling out an empty jelly jar, “I need something to keep my money in. Mrs. Michaels is going to pay us on a daily basis.”

“So how’s it going? How do you like your summer job?”

“It’s great. Those little girls are so sweet. You would have just melted if you had seen little Lydia trying to help us take care of tiny Anna. She said…”

“Ok, I didn’t ask for a second by second play. Just wondered how it’s going.”

“What’s the matter with you?”

“Oh, never mind. You wouldn’t understand anyway. It’s about basketball.”

“While I may not live and breathe basketball, I’m not exactly stupid, you know. There is the remotest chance that I might understand whatever’s wrong.”

“Oh, I know. Sorry, Shannon, I’m just in a crummy mood. But I really don’t feel like talking. I’m just going to go out and practice some. That’ll do more good right now.”

“Ok, but I’m here if you decide you want to tell me about it or anything.”

“Thanks, Shannon,” Justin said as he ruffled her hair, grabbed up his basketball and went out the back door. He did feel better after about an hour and a half of practice and slept well that night.

Continue reading »]]> In Signum

Outside his home Justin furiously chopped firewood. He spent his anger toward Kegan, Gareth and his father on the diminishing pile of logs. An hour of this yielded a neat pyramid of pieces, perfectly sized for use in the fireplace or outdoor oven, as well as a sizable stack of kindling. Justin looked around at the clean yard, dropped his ax, and slumped down against the back wall of his house, his head leaned back, and his eyes closed. The exertion had calmed him both body and mind, but he was no less troubled than when he had left the field. What were Gareth and his father thinking? Kegan had obviously issued a challenge. He had impeached the honor of the whole family. Almost everyone there had interpreted it so. Gareth had always been so slow to anger. It infuriated Justin to think of his best friend’s father accepting such an insult as if nothing had even happened. And it shamed him that Gareth did not challenge his father on this point. Obeying one’s father when commanded or restraining if forbidden was expected, but Gareth could at least contend with him on this point. The sun slipped away unnoticed by Justin, as he drifted into a troubled sleep, to be awakened later by his own father who urged him to come in and eat just as the stars were starting to appear.

Continue reading »]]> In Georgetown

Wednesday morning it was Ernie who was calling Justin. While he was brushing his teeth he heard the phone ring and his mom pick it up. A moment later she called up the stairs, “Justin, phone for you. It’s Ernie.” Justin quickly spit and wiped his mouth on the inside of his shirt collar as he ran down the steps jumping the last three. “Slow down there. You’re not in the gym yet,” his mom said.

“Sorry, mom. Hey, Ernie, Justin here.”

“Hi, Justin. Just wanted to tell you I’m running a little late. I stayed up late finishing off a book and overslept a bit. So I won’t be ready to go in early, but I’ll be there. Just didn’t want to make you guys late waiting on me.”

“Oh, ok. Thanks for letting me know. So I’ll see you there then?”

“Yeah, see you there.”

Justin hung up the phone, grabbed his gym bag and headed out to walk in with Matt. They arrived first as usual and practiced until others started coming in.

Ernie was one of the last to arrive. As he walked toward the gym doors a light blue car pulled up to the curb and the back door opened. Brandon climbed out of the car as Ernie heard a woman’s voice say, “Now don’t forget to ride home with Todd’s mom, honey.”

“Geez, I won’t already,” came Brandon’s irritated reply. Then shutting the door he turned to see Ernie. “Hey, runt, what are you looking at? You want something?”

“Actually, yes,” said Ernie and the shock this gave Brandon was evident. His mouth actually dropped open a bit as he stopped in mid step.

His recovery was quick, though. “What, geek? You want something from me?”

“Well, just to talk to you a minute, since we’re alone. I wouldn’t want to say anything with others around.”

Brandon sneered. “Oh, what? You want to beg me to lay off you? Well, go ahead. This should be good.”

Ernie didn’t seem to notice. “Actually, I just wanted to tell you that the things you say to me don’t really bother me, not the way you probably think they do. I mean I hate what it does to you, but what really concerns me is that Justin and Matt are being singled out as well because of your unexplained animosity toward me. I thought perhaps if you and I talked about things we could get past the problem.”

Brandon began to look uneasy. “If that’s your idea of begging for mercy you’re even weirder than I thought. Save your psychology for your girlfriends, I gotta run. Whatever you’re here for, some of us are here to play basketball.”

And then Brandon did run, into the gym, almost as if he was glad to get away from Ernie. Ernie continued walking in and calmly took his place next to Justin and Matt.

A few seconds later they were all on the floor going through one of the fast paced group warm up drills. Since it was only a warm up the coaches moved off to one side and began looking over some papers on their clipboards. While they weren’t observing Justin heard a loud sneeze and looked around to find Brandon looking meaningfully across the gym at Todd who nodded back. Justin’s guard went up immediately. The drill was bringing Brandon closer to him. He waited tensely expecting Brandon to try something. But then he heard a noise from across the gym and turned to see Ernie sitting on the floor coughing. The coaches had heard the noise too and were looking to see what had happened as well.

“Are you ok, Ernie?” called one of the assistants.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he answered as he picked up his glasses and stood up to go after the ball that had rolled into a corner.

What had happened? Justin hadn’t seen. Neither had the coaches. He would just have to wait and ask Ernie on the way home.

Still, he continued to keep a wary eye on Brandon and Todd. He noticed that they were still pulling their bad pass routine when they got the chance. They watched the coaches and trainers carefully and only did it when their eyes were averted. Of course after the bad pass there was a slight break in the drill, which would catch the coaches’ attention, but all they saw then was the victim, who was usually one of the better players, fumbling around trying to recover the ball. After seeing this a few times, just as it had happened to him two days before, and observing the resulting smug satisfaction on the faces of Brandon and Todd, he knew he had been right in his suspicions. The more he thought about it the angrier he became, until when the drill was over he was seething.

There was no time to brood, though; the coaches were moving on to the next skills exercises. The boys were taught four more individual drills that day, and in spite of the fact that each one was more intense or complex than the last. Justin picked them up faster and more proficiently every time. He could only guess that the more of them he learned, the easier they became to learn overall. He tried to check his enthusiasm, but he found himself becoming increasingly confident that the instruction and practice were paying off, and that he really had a good shot at making the team, provided he practiced all summer which was a given. Camp was turning out even better than he’d hoped, except for Brandon and Todd. As the boys practiced the drills the gym was filled with the din of 28 basketballs and 56 feet repeatedly hitting the floor. Even over that noise, however, there suddenly came a burst of loud voices through the doors that lead to the hallway as a group entered the front doors of the school. All the coaches and trainers looked in that direction and then headed for the hall. Justin knew why when he caught a glimpse of the head coach and some of the players of the high school team. Justin immediately broke into a sweat of excitement over his sweat of exertion. He never missed a high school game and, even though the players were only a few years older than him, he idolized some of them, and was probably the biggest fan that the coach had as well. He had taken the school to the state tournaments more than half of the time in his career and four the last five years running. His mind raced, wondering why they were at the middle school. Were they interested in the middle school’s potential team? No, why would they be? Could it be possible that they were going to work with the camp some? His head reeled with exciting possibilities. But the next second Brandon’s laugh shattered Justin’s speculations. He glanced around, annoyed, and then, catching his ball, stopped the exercise his body had mechanically continued while his mind had been busy. Todd had just stolen Ernie’s ball and tossed it to Brandon. “Aw, did you drop your ball?” Brandon said drawing out each word as if he was cooing to a baby. Justin bristled, ready to intervene. But the sound of the coaches turning back toward the gym ended the situation. Immediately, Brandon shot Ernie’s ball in his direction and both the bullies resumed the drill. Justin quickly did the same. Ernie sighed with relief and looked around at the other players, obviously trying to remember how the drill went so that he could continue.

When the coaches came through the door the high school group was not with them, and they ended the day’s practice by running quickly through the drills from the day before. All the boys were sweating hard and beginning to slow down before the coaches called them back to the bleachers to give them their practice instructions for the afternoon and evening. Justin listened carefully, but now that he didn’t have to split his concentration with what his body was doing, he also remembered Ernie’s fall at the beginning of practice. He waited impatiently for them to finish speaking so that he could find out what had happened.

Finally they were dismissed. Justin made a beeline for Ernie to ask him about it. “Hey, Ernie what happened when you fell? Are you really ok?”

“Yeah, I just didn’t catch the pass, and it hit me and I fell down. I’m ok, but I’ll be glad when camp is over and I can forget about basketball.”

Matt had just jogged over to them and hadn’t heard what they’d said. “Wow, Justin. I thought you were imagining things yesterday, but I guess you were right about Todd.”

“What do you mean?” asked Justin.

Matt looked surprised. “You didn’t see it?”

“What are you talking about, see what?”

“Well, ask Ernie. I’m talking about Todd knocking him down with that ball.”

Justin looked at Ernie expectantly. “You said you fell.”

“I did fall.”

“You fell alright,” said Matt, “when Todd knocked you down with the ball.”

“I wasn’t watching,” Ernie maintained. “I didn’t see the pass coming.”

“Well, I was watching,” said Matt, “and you didn’t see the pass coming because Todd waited until you weren’t looking and then fired it at you on purpose.”

“How can you be sure of that?” asked Ernie. “I mean it’s not inconceivable that I might miss a pass, you know.” But even he didn’t sound convinced.

“I’m sure because I saw it happen,” Matt said matter-of-factly, “but if you need proof, I also saw him give Brandon the thumbs up while everyone else was looking at you to see if you were ok.”

“Ok, so I was right about them, and they were doing the bad pass thing again today,” Justin declared. “Now we have to decide how to deal with it.”

Ernie still sounded doubtful. “I don’t know, Justin. I mean it could have been an accident.”

“And what about the sign he gave Brandon,” Justin challenged, “and I heard Brandon sneeze right before it happened. That was probably a signal to do it.”

“I don’t know Justin. People do sneeze, you know. Are you sure you’re not imagining some of this?” Ernie asked, but he was sounding less doubtful and more miserable all the time.

“Hey, guys, do you need something else?” the head coach called across the floor as he picked up a couple of balls and started toward the door to the storage room.

Only then did they realize that they were the only ones left in the gym. They’d been so wrapped up in the new information. Matt was rarely caught without a reply though, and quickly answered in a normal sounding voice. “No, coach, see you tomorrow.”

As they exited the gym any doubts Ernie still had were immediately dispelled and Justin and Matt’s suspicions were confirmed. As soon as the door closed behind them they heard Brandon’s sarcastic voice

“Excuse us for a moment, ladies. Might we have a word with you please?” Todd laughed. Brandon continued, “Have fun today, Ernestine?” As Brandon said this Todd faked a move as if to quickly pass the ball he was spinning in his palms to Ernie.” Ernie flinched and his arms came up. Brandon and Todd laughed.

Matt was the one to speak. Justin was so mad he hadn’t even gotten control of his thoughts, let alone started to form words and Ernie was just waiting. “What’s your problem, Brandon?”

“I don’t got a problem,” Brandon snarled. “It’s you girls who have problems.”

Matt remained calm. “Oh, is that so? And what do you think our problems are?”

“I think, Mr. Honor Roll, that you two think you’re going to make the team and be the big MVP’s. Well, you can forget it, suck ups. We’ll be leading this team. Understand that and you’ll be ok. Don’t understand that and things could get pretty rough for you. So forget kissing up to the coaches with your good grades and your nice manners. Get behind us or get burned. And as for you, Ernie, boy, you don’t even rate our attention. You don’t belong here. We don’t even worry about you really, but you never know what teachers will do. You can’t trust them even if they are coaches. So just stay home from now on. We don’t want them deciding to help you out by putting you on the team out of pity. I mean that could be fun so we’d have you to pick on, especially since it ‘doesn’t bother you’, but we can find someone else for that, and we don’t want a girl like you taking up space in a uniform. There are only so many, you know. Well, I think that about covers it. If there are no questions, you can all skip on home now.”

Justin was boiling now. He had so many things colliding in his head he couldn’t talk for the moment. Ernie looked absolutely miserable. Matt spoke again. “Well, thank you for sharing that, Brandon. I’m sure you don’t pour your heart out like that to just anyone. And though we hate to disappoint you, we’ll see you in the morning, all of us, that is. And we’ll be doing our best to make the team, even start if the coaches think we should, just like we have been the last couple of days. And I don’t think any of us do have anything more to ask or say to you. So we will head home now.” And he turned and calmly started away. Deciding that that was a good enough answer for the moment, Justin nudged the despondent Ernie and they turned to follow Matt.

“Well, let the games begin, then,” Brandon called after them. “One more thing, girls, don’t get any ideas about running tattle tale to the coaches or your mommies. If you do, you’ll really regret it.”

The three walked for a short way in tense silence. Matt and Justin were concentrating on pretending that they weren’t so nervous. Ernie was completely consumed with fighting the desire to turn to see if Brandon and Todd were still behind them. When they got to the edge of the school property he could take it no longer. He peeked quickly over his shoulder and seeing them climbing into a burgundy car, sighed loudly, “There they go. They’re gone. This really reeks. All I wanted to do was survive camp, somehow get through the summer of practice and get cut in the first tryout. That would have satisfied my parents. Now I’ve got this to deal with, and I’m causing trouble for you guys just because you’re my friends. I’ll be honest. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“You’ll do just as you planned, of course,” said Matt simply, but the determination on his face was grim.

“And don’t take all the credit for this, yourself,” added Justin, “We’re on their hit list because they consider us a threat, not because we’re friends with you. But you’re right about one thing. What are we going to do?”

“Well, I think we should just go on doing what we would anyway. We shouldn’t change anything on their account,” Matt answered in his ever-practical way. “But there’s no need to try and cross bridges before we get to them. We can just deal with those guys as the need arises.”

Ernie actually groaned. “I don’t want to have to deal with those guys any time.”

Justin finally exploded letting out the tension of the last few moments. “No way, guys. You don’t want to deal with them, Ernie; and you want to wait it out, Matt. You’re missing the fact that these guys need taken down a few notches. What they’re doing is so wrong. They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this. The need is here. No! We’ve got to figure out a way to put them in their places.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?” asked Matt.

“However he suggests we do it, I know I’m not going to like it,” said Ernie.

“Well, I don’t know how anyway, yet,” admitted Justin. “We’re going to have to give this some thought.”

“Well, we can think tonight, but tomorrow we’re going to have to face those guys first thing in the morning,” Ernie acutely observed.

“Yeah right,” mused Justin. “Well, let’s all sleep on it tonight. I’m sure in the morning we’ll have something.”

Continue reading »]]> In the morning they had nothing.

As the three walked to school Justin looked cross, Matt looked glum, and Ernie looked miserable. As they neared the gym their moods intensified but didn’t change. They had talked little, mostly only to establish that none of them had come up with a plan to solve their problem. When they stepped onto the school lot Justin said, “Well, for now we’ll have to go with Matt’s plan and just take things as they come.” Ernie just groaned under his breath.

When they reached the gym doors none of them hesitated, but Ernie heaved a great sigh unintentionally revealing what an effort it required of him. As they entered all three automatically looked for Brandon and Todd. And when they found them they saw that the two had definitely been waiting and watching for them, and now regarded them with a look of determined malice. The three friends, even Ernie, met them with calm determined faces as they walked to their usual place on the bleachers and sat down. Now that they had thrown down the gauntlet much of the tension they had felt disappeared. It was even more of a relief when the coaches came in and started them on drills. Working their bodies as hard as they could gave their minds a break somehow. The more they sweated the less tense they felt. And although the boys remained wary when any part of the exercises brought them in close proximity with Brandon or Todd, nothing happened. As a matter of fact Brandon and Todd didn’t even make eye contact when passing to them or receiving from them. Justin didn’t know whether to take this as a good or bad sign. He realized that they had called Brandon’s bluff. Could it have been that easy? Had he folded? Or was he just waiting to make his next move? And if so, what would it be? Even though they were still partly preoccupied, both Matt and Justin were in good form and did very well at everything the coaches had planned for the day. Matt especially caught on very quickly to a combination involving a fake drive then a bounce pass for a lay-up. Not only was the assistant who taught his group the move impressed, even the head coach noticed and called across the floor to compliment him.

Toward the end of the practice the coach had them go through a series of individual drills that they had learned earlier in the week. The boys spread out on the floor and each worked the drills as the coach called them out while the coaches and assistants watched. Justin enjoyed these but he was starting to get exhausted. The coaches had seemed to work them harder today. He was really glad when the coach finally blew the whistle and dismissed them. He jogged instead of ran to the bleachers to meet up with Matt and Ernie and get his bag. The three exchanged a meaningful look as they collected their things and turned to walk out of the gym. They tried to locate Brandon and Todd without seeming to look for them. After they had almost crossed the gym floor they looked at each other again perplexed. Then they took one more look around not even bothering to hide the fact that they were searching the group of departing boys, but Brandon and Todd were not among them. How had they gotten out of there so quickly? They looked at each other again, each one trying to weigh this in his mind. Ernie was the first to speak. “What does this mean?”

Matt answered him. “I don’t know. But come on. We can’t just stand here in the gym. Let’s go.”

Justin knew Matt was right, but he hated walking along blindly, not knowing when or from where the next move was coming. “Ok,” he said, “but don’t let your guards down, guys. We don’t want to be relaxed if they haven’t given up.”

Ernie laughed feebly, “Don’t worry, I don’t know when I’ll be able to relax again.” They all started again for the door and were almost the last ones out. They continued across the parking lot and started down the street, walking in silence with their faces forward, but scanning everywhere constantly with their eyes.

As they passed the library they walked shoulder to shoulder on the wide sidewalk between the lawn and a row of cars parked on the curb. Just as they neared the perimeter of the library property and the last of the parked vehicles, they passed a van. Justin was nearest to the street and therefore the first to catch sight of Brandon and Todd who had been waiting, leaning on the back of the parked van. At the same instant that he perceived them though, Brandon spoke. “Here at last. We were getting tired of waiting.” Matt and Ernie were caught off guard by the voice and looked quickly over their shoulders. Then all three turned to face their tormentors. Matt, rarely caught at a loss for words even when surprised, replied. “Well, you could have gone home to rest, you know.”

Suddenly angry, Brandon pushed away from the van with the foot he had rested on the bumper behind him, “Wait your turn. You first, miss,” stepping directly in front of Ernie. “I thought I told you to stay home today.” Strangely, Ernie seemed calmer now than he had a few moments earlier. He looked more grim than scared and returned Brandon’s stare, but didn’t speak. This seemed to unnerve Brandon a little but he quickly rallied. “Ok, I don’t have time to waste on you. Your brown nosing, mouthy friend needs my attention today, too. So I’m gonna make this quick and painful.” Todd chuckled at this as Brandon pulled back his arm and aimed a haymaker at Ernie. Ernie had no experience with fighting and didn’t even have time to duck. Luckily for Ernie, if not for himself, Matt had been in a row or two, and jumped in between them intending to block the punch with his arm. Unfortunately his arm caught on the strap of his gym bag, which he had tried to drop, and he ended up blocking the punch with his face instead. Ernie staggered back looking stunned. Matt looked furiously at the gym bag as he flung it to the ground and turned his glare on Brandon. Brandon quickly shut his gaping mouth and recovered from his surprise at this turn of events, but as he evaluated Matt’s furious face and clenched fists he seemed to decide to return to a verbal approach. He addressed Ernie, but he was looking at Matt warily. “Well, sweetie, I didn’t know your boyfriend was so dedicated.”

Matt was the one to answer, and his voice sounded restrained. “I’m not feeling too chatty right now, Brandon. Are we done here or do you have something else to take up with me?”

Something in Matt’s tone had a definite effect on Brandon. His voice wavered slightly and he began backing away as he said, “No, I think I’ve made enough of an impression on you today. But watch yourself. You were a little too outgoing at camp today. Let’s go, Todd. We’ve wasted enough of our time on these losers today.” With that he turned to go and Todd, looking a little surprised, turned to follow him quickly. Justin, Matt and Ernie watched them until they passed the library and turned the corner before looking at each other or speaking.

Ernie broke the silence. “That eye is swelling pretty quickly, Matt. We ought to go straight to my house and get some ice on it.”

“Yeah, and then decide how to put an end to this. I think we’re the ones who’ve wasted too much time,” added Justin.

Matt picked up his bag and they turned and continued toward Ernie’s house. Luckily his mom wasn’t at home. They found a note as they walked through the door that told Ernie she’d gone to run errands and go to the store to get some things for his friend’s visit the next day. “Boy, am I glad of that,” he sighed as he tossed his things on the table and headed for the refrigerator. “She says she won’t be home for another hour. I dread telling her about this whole mess.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” asked Matt. “We could have gone on to my house. It’s not like I’m going to be able to keep it from my mom.”

“Because my house is closer and the sooner we get that iced the less subcutaneous bleeding there will be,” answered Ernie handing him the ice pack he’d taken from the freezer and wrapped in a clean dishcloth. “Would you guys like something to drink?”

“Yeah, I could really use something,” replied Matt gingerly placing the ice pack over his eye.”

“Ok, already! Enough nursing and hosting,” erupted Justin. “We’ve got to decide how to settle this thing. Matt, I think we can go after them tomorrow after camp and take care of it pretty quickly with only a few punches.”

Matt looked at Justin with his good eye. “After my mom and dad get a load of me this evening, I’ll be lucky if I’m not grounded and getting chauffeured to and from camp for the next few days. Besides, it’s not my policy to go looking for fights or I could have had one today.”

“I agree with Matt on that point,” interjected Ernie as he handed Matt a cold can of Coke and held one out in Justin’s direction. “It’s not right to go looking to start a fight.”

“Excuse me, but were you guys there today?” Justin asked sarcastically, pushing away the Coke and becoming even more annoyed. “The fight has already started. He threw the first punch. Now the ball’s in our court. Are we just going to stand here and take it or what? He calls us girls. Is that what we are? The two of us could settle this, Matt. I could tell by the way he acted today that we could take them.”

“Maybe so, Justin,” admitted Matt. “I’m not afraid. But I just don’t know if it’s the smart way to handle this.”

“Or the right way,” Ernie muttered looking at the floor.

“Is it right to come home from basketball camp with a black eye?” challenged Justin.

“I don’t know, Justin. But I’ve had black eyes before. It’s not like he killed someone. And I wasn’t kidding about me maybe getting grounded. My mom and dad aren’t going to be thrilled about this.”

Justin wasn’t deterred. “I think we can avoid that if we’re careful to put exactly the right spin on the story.”

“Well, spin isn’t my forte,” asserted Matt. “I usually just tell it straight. It’s easier.”

“And right,” Ernie added quietly.

“I don’t mean lie,” Justin countered, “just emphasize that what Matt did was the right thing, even though the outcome seems bad.”

“Well, we may as well get it over with,” Matt said, “but you don’t really have to help me tell my mom. I mean this thing is my problem, guys.”

“No,” said Justin firmly, “we’re in this together. Isn’t that right, Ernie?”

“Yes, Matt, I do agree with Justin on that point. And though I don’t consider it spin, I’d like your parents to know that you got into this trying to help me, and that I appreciate it.”

Matt put down the ice pack, picked up his drink and said, “Well, let’s go then. I don’t like putting things off.”

A few minutes later they all tossed their empty cans into the trash as they passed through Matt’s garage. As they opened the door they heard Matt’s mom in the kitchen. “Matt, you’re late, sweetie, your soup is as cold as your sandwich.”

“Sorry, mom,” Matt said looking at his friends, “ran into a little, uh, trouble on the way home.”

“What?” Her voice had changed in an instant, and they heard her coming toward the entryway. “What do you mean by trouble?” Then as she rounded the corner, “Matta! What happened to you? Come in here to the window so that I can see how bad it is. Were you two in on this, Justin? You haven’t even introduced me to your friend. Tell me what happened. Now.”

Seizing a break in his mom’s speech Matt said, “Mom, this is Ernie. He goes to school with us and he’s in basketball camp with us. He lives over on Elm Street.”

Mrs. Fisher gave Ernie a quick, tight smile as she nodded at him. “It’s very nice to meet you, Ernie. Now, Matt, what happened?” She turned his head toward the window and inspected his eye, then went to the freezer.

“We already did that,” complained Matt as his mom handed him a package of frozen peas and a dishcloth. She frowned and he sighed in exasperation, placed it on his eye and began. “Well, mom, there are these two guys—”

Ernie quickly cut in, “Ma’am, if you don’t mind and if Matt will excuse the interruption, could I please explain how he got the black eye?” Matt’s mother looked a little surprised, but Matt shrugged so Ernie continued. “As Matt was about to tell you, ma’am, there are two boys attending camp who have been trying to intimidate us. I feel it is mostly on my account. I’m not at all athletically inclined, and for some reason this has caused these boys to have great animosity toward me. Because Matt and Justin have befriended me they too, are now being singled out.”

“That’s not right, Ernie,” Matt said in an agitated voice, “they don’t like us because they think we pose a threat to their superiority on the team.”

“That is part of it, Matt. But that has nothing to do with the black eye which is, I believe, what interests your mother most right now.”

“Very much so. Someone please continue,” said Mrs. Fisher very firmly.

Ernie did. “Well, we were walking home today together and these guys were waiting for me, or us. At any rate the one began to slander me. I’m sorry but I won’t repeat it for you ma’am. Suffice it to say it was rude and then he attempted to hit me. He was talking to me and tried to hit me, and neither Matt nor Justin can honestly deny that.”

Matt’s mom looked quickly at Justin and then steadily at Matt, who looked miserably resigned about the way Ernie was telling this, but said nothing immediately.

“Well, ma’am, I am not a fighter by any stretch of the imagination, and would probably have been knocked flat by that punch had it hit me. But Matt reacted quickly and tried to step in and block it. However, the arm he intended to use got caught on his gym bag and he couldn’t get it up in time. The fist landed as you see it. The guy mouthed off a little more but then left. I don’t think he wanted to deal with Matt any more. That’s pretty much it.”

“Is that true, Matt?” asked his mom much calmer now.

“Well, strictly speaking, yes. But, mom, I just want to say it’s not just Ernie’s problem. We’re, I mean, I’m not looking for trouble but these guys are. I don’t know what might happen. They’ve got it in for me and Justin just as bad as Ernie.”

“Ok, Matta,” she said ruffling his hair as if he was a toddler. “We don’t have to talk any more about it until your dad gets home. I don’t suppose it’s accidental that none of you have mentioned the names of these mystery bullies.” She was answered with a respectful but determined silence. “Right. Well, do you guys want some lunch?”

They all realized that the ordeal, now that it was over, had given them ravenous appetites and it felt great to concentrate on the delicious ham sandwiches, potato salad and chocolate milk that Matt’s mom produced from the fridge. The cold soup she pushed to the back of the stove saying it could be warmed up later. Matt’s mom was the kind of cook who didn’t scrimp on anything, and wouldn’t let taste suffer for the sake of making it healthier. The ham was sliced thick, as was the cheese and nutty wheat bread and there was plenty of mayonnaise or mustard and lettuce, tomato, and pickle, if they liked. The potato salad was creamy and heavy on the eggs, and the chocolate milk the way she mixed it with whole milk and plenty of syrup was almost as good as a milkshake. She’d flipped on a little counter top TV to the cartoon channel before she’d started getting their lunch, so they ate in happy silence except for occasional laughs muffled by stuffed mouths. When they’d devoured the last morsel and the cartoon ended, Matt stood up and began stacking the dishes in the sink.

Ernie said, “Wow, Matt, you’re lucky. My mom’s not a bad cook, but it’s usually a bit too healthy if you know what I mean. That was great. Thanks.”

“Yeah, where did your mom go?” asked Justin as he turned off the TV. “We should thank her before we leave.”

“I’m not sure,” Matt answered, “but I’m gonna thank her too. I feel a hundred percent better with a full stomach.”

“Well, I do too,” Justin admitted, “even if we are still in the same fix.”

“I hope you don’t want us to talk about this more right now, Justin,” said Ernie. “I’ve had enough of it for one day. And I imagine Matt really has. If any of us would happen to come up with anything, it could surely wait until tomorrow.”

“You’re right,” said Justin. “And I guess I better get home, anyway.”

“Yeah, me too,” agreed Ernie. “My mom should be in soon.”

“Wait,” said Matt, “I’ll go with you, or you too Justin. We’re in this together.”

“No,” said Ernie, “to be honest, I haven’t decided whether or not to tell them everything yet. There are some things I think I should deal with myself, and I’m not sure they could handle being informed without getting involved.”

“Want me to go with you, Justin? I’ll just tell my mom where I’m going.”

“No, but thanks. I know I have to tell my parents before Sunday when they’ll see your shiner at church, but I’m not looking forward to it, and I think I’ll at least wait ’til after camp tomorrow. Then they’ll have the weekend to cool off in case they decide to talk to the coach or anything.”

“You sure, man? I don’t mind at all coming along,” Matt offered again.

“No, I’m sure. And hey, don’t forget to tell your mom we said thanks for lunch. It was great.”

“Ok, see you guys tomorrow,” said Matt.

Justin and Ernie headed home.

Continue reading »]]> In Signum

When Justin awoke the next morning his mind was calm with resolve. After washing and dressing he sat stoically and ate almost twice as many of the corn cakes as he usually did at breakfast. “Whatever is occupying you so has had no effect on your appetite,” his mother commented. He gave her a benign smile but did not volunteer an explanation. His father just watched him quietly until he rose to leave, then followed him outside.

“Is it Kegan and Gareth that you are mulling over?” he asked. Justin’s lips tightened, but when he did not answer his father continued. “It is none of your concern, you know. Besides, there are only a few who disagree with Gareth’s father, and they are not known for their reason.”

“I am going to go and talk to Gareth.”

“Will you be back for the midday meal? I will tell your mother.”

“No, but I will be back early in the evening.”

“Justin…” his father sighed heavily.

“I will be back this evening, father,” Justin repeated and turned to leave. His father watched him go with a sad and slightly grim expression.

The midmorning sun shone brightly all around as Justin walked the familiar road that took him to the house of his best friend. His earliest, hazy, memories were of the two of them playing together. The sound of their mothers’ voices and laughter was like joyful music in the back ground. Gareth was the closest friend Justin had ever had. Justin’s older brother had always seemed barely present to him, and had married and left home early when Justin had been only seven. The distance between them hadn’t lessened even as Justin had grown, and visits from him and his wife had, for Justin, always seemed a bit formal, sometimes even strained. But time with Gareth, in either home, had always been naturally easy. Thinking of this still filled him with momentary peace.

Why did things have to get so confusing as they became men? It was because of men like Kegan, who didn’t care what was fair or right. One had to deal with his kind in ways they understood. This time it would require Gareth to meet him in combat. Justin would have to make Gareth see that even if his father never did. Again he thought of when he was young, when his mother would walk him along this same road to spend the day with Gareth while the women worked together. If the work took longer than expected he and Gareth would fall asleep in the floor by the fire and Justin would be carried home by his father who would come to see him and his mother home. He could remember rousing as his father shifted him from one shoulder to another and seeing the brilliant stars in the pitch black sky. He would then drift quickly back to sleep listening to the sound of his mother’s voice telling his father of her day. He knew that by the time he returned home on this day his mother would have heard from Gareth’s mother, or someone else, about the events yesterday in the pasture, and he would have to face her sad, reproachful gaze; for she would have also talked to his father about it, and would have guessed Justin’s view of the matter just as quickly as he had. She wouldn’t say a lot. She would stand and look at him and try and think how to convince him to take a peaceful path. But sixteen years of living with him had taught her how stubborn he was, and how nearly impossible it was to make him see from a different angle anything he felt strongly about. While these thoughts nagged at him, they had no true bearing on him. He never doubted that Kegan must be put in his place. It wasn’t an enviable task, but justice demanded it. Justin shook these thoughts from his head as he turned his feet from the road and onto the lane that led only to Gareth’s home. He instead forced himself to relive the poaching in his head. He wanted to have all the facts fresh in his mind when he made his arguments to Gareth.

Continue reading »]]> In Georgetown

The first thing Justin said when they were together Friday morning was, “Well, what happened after we left yesterday? How did your parents act when we were gone?”

“Well, thanks to the spin doctor here, I’m not grounded, but who knows what will happen today.”

This seemed to satisfy Justin. “Well, I say we force their hand. The more I thought about it last night the more convinced I became that Brandon was having doubts about taking us head on.”

As he stared moodily ahead mentally hashing on the problem, Justin became slowly aware that Shannon and Andy were walking about a half a block in front of them. Even though he was preoccupied he was also curious about his sister’s business. “Hey, Shannon,” he called, “what are you two doing out so early?”

The girls turned when they heard his voice and waited for the boys to catch up. When they got close Shannon answered, “We’re working early this morning. The girls have to go for a checkup and shots later so we can’t be there at our regular time. What happened to your eye Matt?” The group continued on together.

“Oh, just ran into a little trouble yesterday. So how is your summer job going?” Matt asked obviously changing the subject.

“Great,” answered Andy who was also looking intently at Matt’s black eye, “The little girls are so sweet and cute. It actually seems weird to be getting paid for just showing up and playing with them when it’s so much fun.”

“Well, I think that’s more or less the staple of babysitting activity,” observed Ernie as he kept the conversation on the girls’ affairs and not theirs, “but I think you’re overlooking your more passive function of simply supervising. Someone has to be there in the event that they come up with some toddler-sized idea that would result in disaster. And too, I’m sure you’re attending to details like trips to the bathroom and drinks of water. I’m sure you’re giving Mrs. Michaels a lot of time she wouldn’t otherwise have.”

“Well, that is true, and that’s why she hired us,” Shannon admitted, “but it’s definitely the most fun I’ve ever had making money.”

“I’m glad to hear it’s going so well,” said Matt.

“Well, here’s where we turn off,” said Andy, “See you guys later.”

“All right, have fun,” Matt called after the girls as they headed down the street on which the Michaelses lived.

The boys made the rest of the trip to the school in thoughtful silence. When they entered the gym Justin looked around for Brandon and Todd and tried to be obvious about it, but they weren’t to be found. They didn’t come in until the coach blew the whistle to get the players attention. And all through practice it seemed that the two bullies were actually purposely avoiding the three friends. No eye contact, no pranks, no interaction whatsoever. Justin became even more certain that they should confront Brandon and Todd as soon as practice was over. He felt they should act while the advantage was theirs. Of course since they were all on the gym floor working as hard as they could just to keep up with the drills the coaches kept firing at them, he had no opportunity to convince Matt or Ernie of the need for immediate action. As a matter of fact, he didn’t get to speak to them at all. He had noticed that the days had gotten more intense and fast paced as the week progressed. When the coach blew the whistle to stop and make closing announcements Justin quickly looked around to locate his friends. They were both in the corner of the floor nearest the storage room. As soon as the coach dismissed them he jogged over to talk to them. “I know we should confront them, guys. Have you noticed how they’re avoiding us? We should strike now when we have the advantage.”

“I did notice them avoiding us,” Matt observed. “I guess we wouldn’t have to say much. We could just make sure we’re near them and see what happens.”

“I don’t like this,” Ernie muttered under his breath.

Justin didn’t seem to hear Ernie. “Well, come on or we’ll miss the chance. Let’s go.”

As they started toward the bleachers to grab their bags all three looked around for Brandon and Todd-Justin and Matt with the intention of moving in their direction, Ernie with a wary look. All three realized at about the same moment that the two being sought were already out of the gym. “Crap!” exclaimed Justin, “Let’s hurry up or they’re going to get away. I think they’re avoiding us, and if we have to wait all weekend we might lose our edge.” Justin and Matt sprinted for the bleachers; Ernie’s pace quickened a little.

But then they heard the head coach call out Matt’s name. When they turned to look at him he was motioning for Matt to come back. “What now?” said Justin in an exasperated whisper as Matt jogged back across the gym. As he stood talking with the coach for a couple of minutes Justin and Ernie could see the coach’s face was grim. When Matt turned to rejoin his friends his expression was miserable.

“The eye?” asked Ernie.

“Yeah,” replied Matt, “I’m pretty sure he believed that I wasn’t the one who had been looking for a fight when it happened.”

“Did you tell him who hit you?” Justin asked.

Matt shook his head. “He didn’t even ask. Just talked about how if you get in trouble at school you get benched, and how he can’t afford to depend on players who could let him down like that.”

Justin looked sympathetic but still impatient. “Well, we’ve lost enough time. I doubt we’ll catch them now, but let’s try.”

They all headed for the bleachers again, Ernie bringing up the rear. As Matt reached for his bag Justin grabbed both his and Ernie’s, so as not to have to wait on his lagging friend to get there. But as they lifted them off the bleachers both boys’ faces shifted from impatience to question. They looked at each other and the question slowly morphed into suspicion. They put the bags carefully back onto the bleachers looking at them for a second before doing anything else. Ernie caught up with them. “I’m not in any hurry, but what’s with you guys? One minute you’re sprinting for the door, and the next you’re just standing here staring at your gym bags like you’ve never seen them before.”

“They’re too heavy,” Matt stated simply.

“Well, I didn’t knock myself out today.” stated Ernie. “As a matter of fact, I slack as much as possible, so I’m not tired. I’ll carry them.”

“No, he means they’re heavier than they should be,” explained Justin. “Someone’s put something in them.”

Understanding dawned on Ernie’s face and it became grim. “Well, we may as well look.” He stepped onto the bleachers and unzipped his own bag first. On the top were two empty cottage cheese tubs, which read ‘small curd, 32 oz’. The contents of the tubs had been poured over everything in his bag. “Yes, I suppose you would notice an extra four pounds,” he said, seeming extremely calm under the circumstances. He then opened the other two bags and found the same had been done to each, except that a note was on top of the whole mess in Justin’s bag. It read: Have a nice weekend, ladies. See you on Monday.

Twenty minutes later found them in Justin’s back yard with the water hose, a bucket, and a bottle of dishwashing liquid, working to clean up the mess. Shannon’s cat, Hobo, nibbled leisurely at the pile that they had scooped out with their hands.

Justin was still simmering. Matt had fallen into concentration on the task at hand. Ernie was calm as usual.

Justin spoke, talking to himself as much as to his friends. “This just proves again that they are afraid to face us. Man, I wish we had caught up with them before they got away. I still don’t see how they managed this. They had to sneak up there during practice and do it, or run off the floor and do it right afterwards while the three of us were talking for a minute. And either way how did they sneak in the cottage cheese? We watched them walk in. I don’t think they had it in their pockets.” The last was said with sarcastic venom. He’d been going over these same thoughts ever since they hadn’t been able to find Brandon and Todd and his initial anger had subsided.

Ever logical, Ernie replied, “I imagine they got to the gym early and placed the cottage cheese in the bleachers right behind where we always sit. And really it wouldn’t have been too hard to pull it off. One of them might simply fake a sneeze and cup his hand over his face, tell a nearby coach he had tissues in his bag since he had a cold. Or he could claim to have an inhaler that he needed to use. That would work even better. He’d have reason to sit in the bleachers for a moment, and maybe to bend down a couple of times. Really, one could think of several viable excuses to go to the bleachers for a long enough time to do this, after all it couldn’t have taken very long.”

“Not as long as it’s taking us to clean it up anyway,” put in Matt.

Justin became suddenly impatient with their seemingly indifferent attitude. “I simply don’t understand how you two can be so calm about this!”

Matt answered. “Look, Justin, we’re cheesed too. It’s just that there’s not a lot we can do about it right now except clean it up.”

Ernie had broken into hysterical laughter as soon as Matt began to speak. “Did you hear what you just said? You said we were cheesed.” As he continued convulsing with laughter, the other two had to laugh as well, if not at the unintentional play on words, just because it was so funny to see him laughing so hard. Once they started they couldn’t stop for a couple of minutes, and when they did, even Justin had relaxed.

An hour later found the friends in the shade drinking lemonade while their things, hanging and laying around the yard, dried in the sun. Shannon suddenly appeared from behind the hedge and took in the scene with a confused glance. “If you guys are trying to make some extra money,” she said passing on toward the house, “you might want to consider something besides a yard sale. Nobody’s going to want your old gym bags, battered basketballs or shoes.”

“Ha ha, very funny, sis,” Justin shot after her as she went in the back door.

“Well,” observed Matt, “the only thing we couldn’t save is that book you had with you, Ernie.”

“Yeah, but the bad part is that it wasn’t mine. It was a library book.”

“Oh man,” said Justin, “that means you’ll have to pay for it. And it’s huge and a hardback. That’s not going to be cheap. What was it, anyway? I didn’t notice.”

“It was the entire Chronicles of Narnia in one volume.”

“Never heard of it,” said Matt, “but I’ll help you pay for it. Remember, we’re in this thing together.”

“You’re right, Matt. Sorry Ernie, I wasn’t thinking a minute ago. Find out the cost of the book and we’ll split it three ways.”

“Thanks guys. You don’t have to, you know. And what do you mean you’ve never heard of it, Matt? I’ve read them all like four or five times.”

“That good, huh,” mused Matt. “I’ll have to give it a try, as soon as the library replaces it, that is.”

Ernie chuckled. “I think they have other copies.”

Matt didn’t notice Ernie’s amusement. “Oh well, in that case, I’ll get it next time I’m in there.”

“Yeah, like that’s every other day or so, professor,” teased Justin, picking up a tennis ball that had been under his chair, and lobbing it without force at his friend’s head.

“Well, since you’re out of your funk now, Justin, what do you guys say we get in a little practice?” Matt asked picking up his basketball and passing it to Justin.

“I say that’s a good idea,” Justin replied. “Let’s practice around front while this stuff dries off a little more.”

“I’ll bounce them back in for you when they go out of bounds,” Ernie offered. The rest of the afternoon was spent reviewing the drills they’d learned during the week. Then all three agreed they were in bad need of showers. And both Ernie and Justin had a few things to do before it was time for their visit, so the trio broke up and went to their own homes.