16 Feb 2017, 4:53am
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“…Eyeballs…” Book II: 19. Making Up

Hey! You Got Eyeballs In There?

By Kate Chamberlin

 

As Grace grows up, some of her stories are happy, some trying, some enlightening, and a few themes are sad, but, they’re all the warp and woof of what goes into the tapestry of life we call Family. The daily living skills and techniques demonstrated by the fictional characters in these stories are valid, tried and true.

 

Book II:  The Teenagers

#10. Bad News

#11.  Grace’s Day One

#12 Knight With Shining Flatware

#13. The Locker Fiasco

#14. Lost In Thought

#15. The Musician

#16. Day Two And Beyond

#17. First Date

#18. The Zipper Creep

#19. Making Up

When Grace woke up at eleven the next morning, she was glad she’d taken Crackers out for her final piddle and park when Ken had dropped her off. Actually, they had taken Crackers for a short walk together. The dog was a safe, neutral topic to talk about. They talked about other things, too, even what had happened at the party. She remembered exactly what they said.

“It scared me when that zipper creep came on to me.” She’d said, deciding to tell him exactly how she felt and let him take it or leave it. “I couldn’t find the bathroom by myself, I kept bumping into people I didn’t know and they didn’t even seem to know I’d bumped into them. The smoke was awful and when I heard those boys say you were with Heather, I wanted to leave. I felt embarrassed and just wanted to leave.”

“I’m sorry,” he’d said. “I didn’t know being alone in a crowd could freak anybody out like that. I’ve never felt like that but then, I’ve always been able to see my way around.”

The more they talked, the better Grace felt. By the time they’d returned to her front door to say good-night, she decided not to cancel their plans for lunch the next day.

“Oh, Dear Gussie!” she yelped fumbling to get out from the tangled sheets and blankets that wanted to keep her prisoner. “Ken is due here any minute, Crackers. Get a move on.”

Crackers, though, was way ahead of her and wagging her tail as she patiently waited at the door for Grace. Her big, brown eyes seemed to smile, “I thought you’d never get up.”

Twenty minutes later, they were downstairs busy helping her Mother get lunch ready. They heard Stang in the driveway, a door slam, and the basketball dribbling resume.

Grace and Crackers went out to say, “Hello.” She listened to the easy banter of her brother and Ken. She felt the ball being put into her hands.

“Shoot for a swisher, Grace,” the familiar baritone teased.

“Come on, Sis,” Sandy said as he lined her up to face the rim. “Go for it.”

She had done this before. It was a piece of cake. Sandy always put her in the same spot and had taught her how to throw it.

“Crackers, sit. Stay.” Then, her arms went pump, pump, and pump and smoothly sent the ball up toward the hoop with an accurate follow through. It arched up and came down on the rim. Round and round it went several times. Finally, it went in.

Amid much hooting, laughing, and comments about dumb luck for girls, they headed in for lunch.

Tacos seemed to be everyone’s favorite. Grace thought it would be great because they all used their fingers to eat the tacos. It was just plain messy fun for everyone.

They were just cleaning up from lunch when Joe and Edie pulled up the driveway, parking behind Stang. The four of them had made a date to go mall cruising. Mall cruising was always fun and interesting.

Grace had a sense of déjà vu. Maybe this year won’t be so bad after all, she thought again.

 

kathryngc1@verizon.net

 
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