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Author: Unknown
someone whose mind used to be just like yours but has now veered off into the Twilight Zone?
No matter what you say or do — stay, leave, turn cartwheels, throw yourself in the creek — the blank expression won’t change. You don’t mean anything to him. Nothing odes.
Never, ever, ever give up. You repeat that to yourself, even though it sounds about as possible as Flap your arms and fly.
You sit next to him. Silently.
He doesn’t move.
You want him to know what you and Ms. Krueger talked about, that he might fail tenth grade.
You want to tell him that his teachers are concerned. But you can’t bring yourself to say it.
Maybe later. Maybe if he snaps out of whatever he’s in.
If he opens up a little.
You sit for a long time, quietly watching the sun set, until you realize you’re starving, and you convince Alex to ride home with you.
Mrs. Snyder is at the door when you arrive. You can hear her scolding him as he walks in, but even from the sidewalk you can see the relief on her face.
Afterward, you’re exhausted and your brain is overflowing with thoughts. You don’t want to go home, not just yet.
So you stop off here, at Cosmo’s.
And you write.
Which makes you feel a little better.
Very little.
BUT IT SURE WAS BETTER
THAN YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW!
What a jerk.
COSMO’S?
What were you thinking?
You just sat there, scribbling away, not even looking at the time.
Wake up, McCrae. It’s not The Ducky and Ted Show anymore. You’re a family again.
And your family eats dinner at 6:00. Always has.
So when you walked in at 7:15, and Dad was standing in the kitchen doorway, tapping his foot and looking at his watch, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?
Way to go. Ruin everything. After Mom and Dad had planned a special “family reunion
celebration” — vegetarian lasagna, sparkling cider, ice-cream sundaes — your favorite dishes, made especially for you.
AND YOU WERE AT COSMO’S.
Yes, they’re jet-lagged. Yes, they wee eating lunch during your breakfast, and they were asleep when you got home from school. It didn’t occur to you that life would slip back into a normal routine so soon. But you could have called. You didn’t have to act as if they were still in Ghana.
And then — then, when Dad yelled at you, did you apologize? No, you made excuses. You told them Ted and you NEVER eat precisely at 6. You eat when you’re hungry — 7:30, 9:00,
midnight, whenever.
Which is NOT what they wanted to hear and just made the atmosphere worse.
So even though you WEREN’T hungry, you said in the kitchen and ate leftovers while everyone else cleaned up, and Ted glared at you the whole time as if to say HOW’D I GET STUCK WITH
THE DISHES? which was ridiculous because you would trade places with him in a minute.
After the cleanup, Mom and Dad sat with you while you finished eating. You apologized and they accepted it. But you could see they were hurt, and you felt awful. Dad suggested another celebration tomorrow — this time at 8:15, after you finish at Winslow Books. You agreed and then actually TRIED to start a conversation, to begin catching up on all the months they were away, but the phone began ringing for them, and it hasn’t stopped.
Anyway, you’re back in your room again. It’s a chilly night but you can’t turn on the heat the way you normally would, because the thermostat reads 61° and Dad won’t let you “waste
electricity” unless it’s under 60.
You feel as if you’re 10 years old and you’ve been sent to your room for bad behavior.
Oh, well, look on the bright side.
For almost 24 hours, you’ve had something you were looking forward to — a REAL FAMILY
again.
Cherish those 24 hours. Value them.
You took care of Mom and Dad at the airport. You took care of your ailing friend.
You also alienated your parents. And you alienated your friend.
Oh. And you probably flunked your math test.
Guess you’re batting a thousand, Ducky.
Thursday 12/2
Lunch & Loose Ends
You meant
No matter what you say or do — stay, leave, turn cartwheels, throw yourself in the creek — the blank expression won’t change. You don’t mean anything to him. Nothing odes.
Never, ever, ever give up. You repeat that to yourself, even though it sounds about as possible as Flap your arms and fly.
You sit next to him. Silently.
He doesn’t move.
You want him to know what you and Ms. Krueger talked about, that he might fail tenth grade.
You want to tell him that his teachers are concerned. But you can’t bring yourself to say it.
Maybe later. Maybe if he snaps out of whatever he’s in.
If he opens up a little.
You sit for a long time, quietly watching the sun set, until you realize you’re starving, and you convince Alex to ride home with you.
Mrs. Snyder is at the door when you arrive. You can hear her scolding him as he walks in, but even from the sidewalk you can see the relief on her face.
Afterward, you’re exhausted and your brain is overflowing with thoughts. You don’t want to go home, not just yet.
So you stop off here, at Cosmo’s.
And you write.
Which makes you feel a little better.
Very little.
BUT IT SURE WAS BETTER
THAN YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW!
What a jerk.
COSMO’S?
What were you thinking?
You just sat there, scribbling away, not even looking at the time.
Wake up, McCrae. It’s not The Ducky and Ted Show anymore. You’re a family again.
And your family eats dinner at 6:00. Always has.
So when you walked in at 7:15, and Dad was standing in the kitchen doorway, tapping his foot and looking at his watch, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?
Way to go. Ruin everything. After Mom and Dad had planned a special “family reunion
celebration” — vegetarian lasagna, sparkling cider, ice-cream sundaes — your favorite dishes, made especially for you.
AND YOU WERE AT COSMO’S.
Yes, they’re jet-lagged. Yes, they wee eating lunch during your breakfast, and they were asleep when you got home from school. It didn’t occur to you that life would slip back into a normal routine so soon. But you could have called. You didn’t have to act as if they were still in Ghana.
And then — then, when Dad yelled at you, did you apologize? No, you made excuses. You told them Ted and you NEVER eat precisely at 6. You eat when you’re hungry — 7:30, 9:00,
midnight, whenever.
Which is NOT what they wanted to hear and just made the atmosphere worse.
So even though you WEREN’T hungry, you said in the kitchen and ate leftovers while everyone else cleaned up, and Ted glared at you the whole time as if to say HOW’D I GET STUCK WITH
THE DISHES? which was ridiculous because you would trade places with him in a minute.
After the cleanup, Mom and Dad sat with you while you finished eating. You apologized and they accepted it. But you could see they were hurt, and you felt awful. Dad suggested another celebration tomorrow — this time at 8:15, after you finish at Winslow Books. You agreed and then actually TRIED to start a conversation, to begin catching up on all the months they were away, but the phone began ringing for them, and it hasn’t stopped.
Anyway, you’re back in your room again. It’s a chilly night but you can’t turn on the heat the way you normally would, because the thermostat reads 61° and Dad won’t let you “waste
electricity” unless it’s under 60.
You feel as if you’re 10 years old and you’ve been sent to your room for bad behavior.
Oh, well, look on the bright side.
For almost 24 hours, you’ve had something you were looking forward to — a REAL FAMILY
again.
Cherish those 24 hours. Value them.
You took care of Mom and Dad at the airport. You took care of your ailing friend.
You also alienated your parents. And you alienated your friend.
Oh. And you probably flunked your math test.
Guess you’re batting a thousand, Ducky.
Thursday 12/2
Lunch & Loose Ends
You meant
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