“Are you sure this guy is supposed to come pick us up?”
“He’s not just a guy…he’s Eileen’s husband…his name is Greg…now you better mind yourself I think he’s here.”
“Is that him in the Mercedes?”
“He said he drove a sports car…now let’s go.”
Jack knew he owed it to his mom to go to the bar-b-que, but he still wasn’t happy about it. He had thought about Ox for the past few hours. He wondered why a kid with so much talent didn’t go to school and only shot hoops in the alley. If only Jack had that kind of height and ability to take on defenders he’d be unstoppable. Something just wouldn’t let him stop thinking about Ox.
By the time Jack had made it down the stairs and into the parking lot his mom was already chatting with Eileen’s husband Greg. Greg was wearing loafers without any socks and had on a pair of nicely pressed cargo shorts. His polo shirt was as neatly pressed as his shorts and his crew cut brown hair left Jack wondering if Greg was a drill sergeant, football coach, or ruthless business man. Greg waved for Jack to come over to the sports car.
“How you doing Jack…my name’s Greg…your mom has been telling me you like to play basketball.”
Jack gave his mom the look of death, but was completely surprised by how nice Greg was compared to his wife.
“I told Greg about your little pick-up game on the way to the grocery store this morning.”
“It was nothing mom…there was a kid playing in the alley and I wanted to see if I could join him.”
“Well…you gotta be careful around this neighborhood…Eileen told me you weren’t in the best part of town…I’ll see if I can make some calls later in the week and get you into something nicer.”
“My mom and I will be fine here…she’s gonna get us our own place in a month…right mom?”
“Yes Jack…that’s the plan…should we get going?”
Greg smiled and nodded his head. He opened his door and had Jack climb in the tiny back seat. Jack’s mom got to ride shotgun with Greg. Jack wondered how long he’d be cooped up in the back of the car.
Greg sped out of the parking lot relatively quick trying to show off the muscle under the hood of his car. After zig zagging through several unfamiliar streets and past shopping complexes and office buildings the sports car suddenly accelerated at a rapid pace as it shot down a freeway.
The scenery was remarkable once they were on the freeway. Jack could see the mountains off in the distance and a beautiful golf course and baseball diamonds. Parsons Kansas was a far cry from what he was experiencing. He wondered if Ox had ever been in a sports car and then the dreaded thought of his father crept into his mind. Jack didn’t like to think about his dad when he was enjoying life, but he had this cruel gift of wondering if his father was enjoying his life without Jack around.
It had been two years since Jack’s dad left for Texas. At first he was just supposed to be taking a job in south Texas. Three weeks later they tried to call his cell phone and the number was turned off. Jack tried to find his dad on the internet, but it was like he just disappeared. Jack’s head hung down looking at the impeccable floor of the Mercedes when it started to slow down.
Greg had pulled off the highway and was suddenly in a neighborhood with houses that looked like castles to Jack. Every house had beautifully landscaped with manicured lawns. They all sat several hundred feet off of the sidewalk and some had their own swimming pools and basketball courts. Jack wondered which house was Greg’s.
“We’re about there Jack…how did you enjoy the ride?”
“It was fast.”
Greg started to chuckle and suddenly made a sharp turn into a driveway.
“This is us…shall I give you both a tour?”
“Do you have a basketball court?”
“Don’t be rude Jack.”
“He’s fine Gina…we actually have a sport court and swimming pool…did Eileen tell you to bring swim suits?”
“No…she forgot to mention that…but we don’t need to swim.”
“I’ll swim if you have extra shorts.”
“That’s what I like about you Jack…you’re honest…let’s go see if we can find the rest of the crew.”
Greg led them into the house. The floors in the house looked like they were made of marble and the furniture looked too expensive to even sit on. The entry way had a spiraling staircase to the second floor and Jack could hear the sound of video games coming from the upstairs. Greg led them into the kitchen which was bigger than any kitchen Jack had even seen before. The appliances were all made of stainless steel and Eileen was directing two people who were dressed like cooks showing them how to arrange the food they were brining into the kitchen.
“Hey honey…I picked up Jack and Gina…looks like the caterers are here.”
“And not a moment too soon…the Gallagher’s and Moretti’s will be here soon…glad you could make it Gina.”
Eileen gave Jack’s mom a fake smile and then busily continued bossing the caterers around. Greg smiled at Jack and Gina and showed them the back yard. The yard was guarded by a perimeter of very tall trees and towards the back of the yard sat the sport court Greg mentioned earlier. The swimming pool was nestled just off the walk out patio and had several fountains, a hot tub, and a diving board. Jack felt like he was in shock until Greg started walking towards the sport court and called for Jack to follow him. Jack looked at his mom who decided to take a seat on a patio lounger. She winked at him and Jack followed Greg.
“So you like to play basketball?”
“I love basketball. I played almost every day in Parsons.”
“Did your mom tell you that I’m from Kansas?”
“Really?...what part?”
“I’m from Wichita…Here catch.”
Greg passed Jack a leather basketball.
“Is this really leather?”
“It sure is…I only let my kids play with leather basketballs. It’s what they use in their league games.”
“I didn’t know you had kids.”
“My son Alan is in the same grade as you. He is the power forward on his basketball team. My other son Andy is fifteen and made the varsity team at his high school last year. I played college ball for Wichita State…basketball kind of runs in my family Jack.”
“That’s pretty sweet Greg…do you mind if we shoot around?”
“Be my guest.”
Jack stood at the three point line and swished the ball right though the net.
“Nice shot Jack…bet you can’t do that from the top of the arc.”
Jack caught the bounce pass from Greg and dribbled the ball to the top of the arc. He stopped and squared up and nailed the next shot.
“That’s pretty good Jack. Have you played on a team before?”
“No…we didn’t have a team in Parsons and most of the kids were more into football. I just shot around with a couple of friends until they stopped showing up.”
“You dribble pretty well and it looks to me like you can shoot the lights out of an abandoned barn.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It’s just an expression Jack…do you mind if I run a couple drills with you?”
“Not at all.”
Greg had Jack stand outside the three point line and side shuffle with his feet around the arc until Greg passed him a ball. As soon as Jack got the ball he was supposed to shoot. Greg had two balls so that Jack would be shooting the ball more frequently. Jack shuffled pretty lazily, but as soon as he had the ball he stopped, shot, and made the shot. Greg had Jack go around the arc three times. Jack only missed two shots, but was winded by the time the short drill was over.
“That was amazing Jack…I’ve never seen anyone make as many three pointers as you just did, but you gotta get in shape if you really want to play ball.”
“I…uh…kinda…figured…that.”
“Catc
h your breath a minute and I’ll grab Alan and Andy. They’ll be amazed by what you can do.”
Greg ran off into the house and Jack looked up at the patio where his mom was sitting. She waved to him and smiled. He waved back and gave her a toothy grin. A few minutes later Greg came out of the house with his two sons. Both boys were tall and blonde and seemed to have a permanent scowl. Straggling a bit behind Greg and his boys was a beautiful girl with bleached blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Jack stared at the girl as if she were a celebrity. When she noticed that Jack was staring at her she gave him a tender smile and motioned her head towards Greg.
“Jack…this is my son Alan and my son Andy…my daughter Amanda came too. She’s going to watch from the grass.”
“Nice to meet all of you…do you want to run the same drill?”
“Sure…let’s run it again.”
Greg had Jack start shuffling and passed him a ball. Jack made shot after shot. Alan and Andy watched silently as the net on their hoop got a good workout. Jack only missed one shot this time and Greg was elated.
“Wasn’t that something boys...I’ve never seen this kind of talent from behind the arc.”
“It’s one thing to make those shots in a drill…it’s another thing to make them with a defender on you.”
“Fine Alan…let’s play. I’ll take Jack on my team and you and Andy can take us on.”
“You wanna play up to 21?...anything behind the arc is worth 2…inside the arc is 1 point.”
“Let’s do it Alan…Dad hasn’t played since he blew out his ankle skiing last winter.”
“I’m warning you both…I got a sweet shooter on my team.”
Jack didn’t know if Greg’s kids liked him or not. He glanced over at Amanda again who quietly waved at Jack. Alan and Andy started with the ball. Greg had Jack guard Alan. Alan was about six inches taller than Jack and was in much better shape. The two brothers scored quickly on Greg and Jack. Jack took the ball up to the top of the arc and passed the ball to Greg. Greg had a good size advantage on Andy and soon posted him up and scored a basket.
“Nice Assist Jack…Keep your eye on Alan, he’s quick.”
Andy and Alan ran their same give and go play and soon had scored another point. Greg took the ball up top this time. He motioned for Jack to try and get open for a shot behind the arc. Jack tried to shake Alan, but couldn’t. Greg called for Jack to come behind him and handed the ball off to Jack while he stepped in front of Alan. Jack had a small window to shoot. He took the shot from three feet behind the arc and knocked the shot clean.
“There you go Jack! We got the advantage now!”
Just as Alan and Andy were about to run another give and go set, Eileen called from the patio.
“Food’s ready and the Gallagher’s and Moretti’s are in the driveway!”
“Let’s go in boys…we’ll finish playing after we eat.”
Greg rolled the ball off the court and Andy followed after him. Jack stood where he was and took in a deep breath.
“What’s the matter dough boy? Too much exercise for one day?”
Alan didn’t even look at Jack as he knocked his shoulder into Jack. Jack was about to say something back to Alan when he was suddenly greeted by Amanda.
“Don’t do anything…he’s jealous he can’t shoot the basketball like you.”
“What’s his problem? I’m just trying to have some fun.”
“He’s like that with everyone. Last year his league team won the district championship and since then he thinks he’s better than anyone at basketball.”
“I haven’t been in town for more than a day and I already know somebody who plays better than him.”
“Don’t tell me you’re as arrogant as my brother.”
“Not me…I played a game against this boy in my neighborhood this morning. He was the best player I’ve ever seen…His name is Ox.”
“Like an animal?”
“Yes…but he’s really good and taller than your brother.”
“I’m Amanda by the way.”
“I’m Jack…sorry…I forgot to introduce myself.”
“It’s okay…my dad hardly introduces me to anybody…he’s all about his boys.”
“My dad left my mom and me…so at least you have a dad.”
“Oh…I didn’t know…is that why you moved to Denver?”
“No…my mom got some job out here. I think it’s pretty cool here and it got us out of the house that reminded us of my dad.”
“That’s pretty brave of your mom to come all the way out here.”
“Well your mom and dad have been pretty nice to her since we got here. I don’t know if she could have done it without them.”
“Don’t let my mom fool you. She’s more selfish and prideful than Alan. My dad is always trying to please her, but she just wants more and more. He let her start her own business last year and now she makes more money than my dad…I heard them talking about it. She wants to move into a bigger house, but my dad won’t move. He likes things the way they are. My mom is never happy.”
“Is Alan ever happy?”
“No! He’s worse. Right after his team won the district championship he started hollering at his teammates for not focusing on repeating.”
“What kind of league does he play in?”
“It’s a competitive league for boys in middle school. Most of the teams in the league are like my brother’s team…a bunch of rich kids, but there’s one team that should have beat Alan’s team in the championship game. They’re from a bad part of town and all the players are black, but they are good. My dad was proud of Alan, but thought he should have fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter for knocking the other team’s best player to the ground and out of the game. Alan broke the kid’s wrist.”
“That’s serious!”
“Tell me about it…all the girls at our school think Alan’s a dream come true, I think he’s a loser.”
“Well I think you’re probably right. How old are you anyway?”
“I’m the same age as Alan…I’m his twin.”
Jack didn’t know what to say. He didn’t expect Amanda to say what she did. Before he could reply Jack’s mom was calling for them to come into the house and join the others. Amanda smiled at Jack and started jogging up to the house. For the first time in his life, Jack suddenly cared about what he was wearing. He looked down at his worn out tennis shoes, faded jean shorts, and wrinkled Jayhawk T-shirt. He felt embarrassed, but followed Amanda back to the house.