All She Wanted (2) (10 page)

Charlie

Angie’s house was quaint, but it was brimming
with life.

There was no question that a seven
year-old boy inhabited the residence, and we hadn’t even made it to the front
door yet. A bike and scooter lay in the front yard, along with several transformers
on the walkway outside. I smiled; I was looking forward to meeting Briggs’
family.

It
doesn’t mean anything
.

The woman that opened the door was
striking. She had long, shiny blonde hair, brown eyes, and was nearly as tall
as Briggs. She could be his twin. I was more than just a little surprised by
their resemblance to each other. He had said she was only a year older than he
was, but still, it was amazing.

“Hello, Charlie! I’m so glad my brother
invited you—thanks for coming. I was starting to think that Briggs only chose
friends who smelled of smoke and rubber,” Angie said reaching out to shake my
hand.

Okay,
I like her.

“Well, don’t spill the beans just yet,”
I leaned-in, whispering loud enough for Briggs to hear, “but I’m still on the
fence about the whole
friend
thing.”

She laughed. It was the same laugh that
Briggs had when he was taken off guard—which was rare, but fabulous when it
happened.

Briggs pulled her in for a hug. Within
their embrace I could see the love they had for one another—it was obvious they
were family. A pang shot through my chest as I watched them.
Would I ever mean that much to someone?

My attention was immediately diverted when
a young boy came running into the room, holding his arms out like an airplane,
yelling loudly.

“Uncle B!” the handsome blond boy
called out mid-way through the air.

“Code-man!” Briggs picked him up,
spinning him in circles. Cody’s arms were tight around his uncle’s neck as he squealed
from the speed.

“Okay, okay, don’t make him puke on his
birthday, Briggs!” Angie scolded.

Briggs put him down and Cody wobbled
through the room as if he had a bad case of vertigo—which he probably did.

“Hey dude, come back here and let me
introduce you to a really cool lady,” Briggs said squatting down to put his arm
around Cody’s waist.

Cody held out his hand to me politely
as Briggs conducted a proper introduction between us. Cody was delightful—full
of energy and spunk. I wondered if Briggs was like Cody when he was a boy. I
smiled at the thought.

“Did you come for my party?” Cody asked
me, tilting his head.

“I sure did, is that alright?”

He looked at me curiously and then back
to Briggs, “Does she know your rules?”

Briggs laughed, “Buddy, this one writes
her own rules—although it would be nothing short of a miracle to see her actually
follow some of mine.”

I punched Briggs in the shoulder and he
laughed even harder.

Angie filled me in on what Cody was
talking about, as I didn’t have a clue. Apparently, there was some water
balloon fight, which of course, Briggs had made up. After seeing how he played
poker, I was plenty skeptical of his ability to lead a small group of children
in a
safe
water balloon war. He
seemed to have misplaced the "plays well with others” skill when it came
to games.

While Briggs and Cody went outside to
look at Angie’s car, I stayed to help her prepare for the big taco feast. She
was expecting about ten boys as well as a handful of parents.

She was a brave woman.

Briggs
:

“So how’s first grade
treatin
’ ya, bud?” I asked Cody.

“It’s good. I like recess.”

I smiled.
Kid after my own heart
.

“Cool. Can you hand me that wrench?”

“Yeah.”

Cody was a good kid—with an even better
heart.

He had more energy than most people
should be allowed, but in my opinion, too much was better than not enough. After
Angie enrolled him in soccer though, he had settled down quite a bit. Even his
focus during school hours seemed to be better. All he needed was a good outlet,
something to hone some of that extra drive of his.

He was like looking in a mirror.

“Okay bud, do you think you could be my
tool man once I go under the car? I’ll need you to hand me a few things while
I’m down there.”

The old Honda Civic had seen better
days, but it was still
chuggin
’ along. Angie was in
no shape to buy another vehicle, so the longer we could make this one last, the
better. She had been stripped bare financially after her divorce and medical
bills, and was finally starting to get back on her feet. So far, she had been
doing well since she moved north with Cody; her boss loved her, and the pay was
decent.

“Sure! Can I go under there too, Uncle
B?”

“Not this time Code, but soon…okay?”

“Okay,” he said, disappointedly.
 

As I pulled out the old filter and changed
out the oil, Cody never left my side. He watched my every move, and I let him
help with anything that his small hands could turn or lift. He loved it.

And I loved that he loved it.

“How’s your mom?” I asked.

I talked to Angie a couple of times a
week, but Cody’s perspective was always insightful. I asked him about her every
time we were alone.

“Fine…I guess.”

I was bent over the engine working on
some fried spark plugs, when I heard the change in his tone. I knew there was
something he wasn’t saying.

“What’s up, dude? You can tell me,” I
said, wiping the sweat from my eyes with my sleeve so I could see him clearer.

“It’s just that…I don’t get to play
soccer anymore. Mom said I won’t be able to start in the spring with my friends,”
he said, kicking some rocks toward the lawn.

Now
that
got my attention.
Why hadn’t Angie mentioned
that?

“Do you know why?” I asked.

He shook his head, “No, but I don’t
think I was supposed to tell you.”

“Why not?” I asked, having a pretty
good idea without him even having to say another word.

“Cause she said that we need to be a
team
—since it’s just me and her now, and
that sometimes teams have to…have to give stuff up so they can stay together.”

My jaw clinched tight as I processed
his words for a second more.

“Okay, well don’t worry about it Code.
I’ll talk with her.”

I
sure will.

“Alright. Can I start filling the water
balloons up now? Mom said I had to wait for you to get here first.”

“Sure, I can be out there in about
thirty minutes. I just need to wrap this up and then wash my hands,” I said,
holding them up to his face, eliciting a big laugh from him, “Thanks for your
help handy-man.”

He smiled, running up the driveway to
the side yard.

I took a deep breath before leaning
over the engine once more.
 

And
thanks for the info.

Charlie

I had tears streaming down my face, and
it wasn’t just from cutting the onions. For the last hour and a half Angie had
given me the reality TV version of what life with Briggs had been like growing
up. I was bursting with laughter. My mind was on overdrive trying to recall all
these new fun facts and details so I could use them later.

Even through all of our laughter though,
there was one thought I kept coming back to: She had never mentioned their
parents. I realized then that Briggs had never spoken of them either. I logged
this detail away in the back of my mind; maybe I would ask him about it, someday.

“He was a handful back then—still is,”
she said, while sweeping her hair up into a ponytail.

“That he is,” I replied softly.

I felt her eyes on me as I scooped the
remaining onions from the cutting board into a serving bowl.

“Ya know, he’s talked about you quite a
bit to me, Charlie. You’ve made a pretty big impression, I’d say,” she said in
a tone that seemed to be leading somewhere…somewhere I wasn’t sure I wanted to
be led.

I felt my cheeks grow warm.

“Oh…well, his life’s been kinda thrown
for a loop these last couple of weeks, ya know, with moving above our garage
and all, ” I said carefully.

“I don’t think that’s what’s thrown him
for a loop,” she teased.

I blushed again under her scrutiny. Her
smile was sweet, yet her words held a boldness that surprised me.
 

“I’ve wondered for a long time if
Briggs would ever stop long enough to…” She paused as if reflecting on some
personal revelation. I stayed quiet, uncertain if I should even be in this
conversation at all, “let himself be known.”

When she turned toward the stove to
stir the meat, my curiosity won out.

“What did he need to stop?” I asked
quietly.

“Lying to
himself
.”

I heard a door slam shut and I jumped,
nearly knocking the bowl of lettuce off the counter in the process.

Briggs

“
Ang
…can I
have a word with you, please? Outside.”

“The kids are going to be here in
twenty minutes Briggs… can it wait?”

“No,” I said firmly.

She handed the wooden spoon to Charlie and
followed me out the door. Charlie had a strange look on her face when I came in,
but I didn’t have enough focus to decipher it. I needed to get to the bottom of
what was going on with Angie.

She put her hand on her hip.

“You know, it’s poor manners to leave
your guest alone-” Angie started.

“Nope, that’s not gonna work. You can’t
make this about me, Ang.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why are you telling
my nephew that there are only
two players
on your team
? And why isn’t he going to play soccer in the spring?” I asked
her—compassion temporarily lacking from my tone.

She threw her head back in frustration.

So,
it’s money.

The only time I ever saw that face, money
was involved—or the lack thereof.

“My hours got cut—it’s not forever, but
business has been slow lately. It should pick up again around Mother’s day, but
since Valentines it’s just been…dead.”

She didn’t look at
me,
instead she stared at the tree just beyond me.

“
Ang
…why
didn’t you tell me?” I touched her shoulder, forcing her see me.

“You’ve given up so much for us B, and
I’m just so
tired
of being needy.
Can’t you understand that?” she asked softly.
 

I was really trying to, but when it
came to them…

I shook my head.

“No, I can’t,” I said, “Because I am a
part of this team too, Angie. You don’t get to shut me out when you’re in need.
I make enough to help you and Cody, and there’s no other place I’d rather
invest than in the two of you. Please don’t do this again. I don’t like having
to hear it from a seven year-old boy.”

She nodded, though I could tell she
didn’t like what I had said. I didn’t care; she would have to deal with it.
There was a time and place for independence, but this wasn’t that time—not when
I was more than capable of helping them.

“I’m paying for his soccer, and I want
to contribute more each month—at least for groceries and gas,” I said firmly.

She started to protest, but this time I
found that quiet compassion that lived somewhere deep inside me. I pulled her
in for a hug.

“
We
are still a team Angie...it will always be us against the world.”

Charlie

I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.

In fact, I had tried to drown their
voices out by humming to myself, but neither of them were
soft-spoken—especially the male one. The door had been left open, leaving their
voices to carry inside—inside to where I stood, trying to stir the ground beef
back to life.

I was certain I had probably ruined it
by now, but I had to calm my nerves somehow.

At first I was worried that Briggs had
heard us talking about him (yes, I was aware of the irony), but their tones had
indicated otherwise. Though the story of Briggs wearing a cowboy hat to bed for
nearly a year was funny, there was nothing amusing about the conversation he
was currently having with his sister.

My heart skipped a beat when she
admitted that her hours had been cut, I hated to hear anyone was struggling—but
this felt especially personal to me. I felt hot tears spring to my eyes as
Briggs offered his help and support. Although his reaction to the news was noble—his
words didn’t shock me.

This
was Briggs.

Whatever reason he saw himself as something
other than a good man boggled my mind, because
this
man,
the one I had
practically lived with for the last couple of weeks, had not been made
overnight. There were people who worked their whole lives to make small
improvements to their character, but Briggs was not a new transformation. He
was practiced in loyalty, and it showed.

What
would it have been like to have brother like that?

To
have been part of a team?

**********

I
never knew the word for lonely, before I came to live with the
Lexingtons
.

Lonely
had been my only existence.

It
knew me. It called to me. It was me.

There
was no one who came in the night if I was scared of the dark, or of the
shadows, or of the noises. There was no one to hear me cry, or help me if I was
sick. There was no one to hug me or kiss me, or tell me they loved me.
 

It
was just me and lonely.

One
and the same.