by Jim Plautz
Emily answered the phone and hesitated briefly before handing the phone to her husband. Only a few people had their new, unlisted number. “Gus, it’s someone asking for Mr. Edwards.”
“Ask who it is,” he replied without taking the phone. “I’m tired of answering these crank calls.”
Emily already knew who it was, but was afraid that Gus wouldn’t talk to him. “Gus, please take the phone. I think you should take this call.”
“Who is it?” Gus was in a bad mood.
Emily relented. “It’s that boy, Matthew Wilson. He sounds nice.”
“I don’t have anything to say to him,” Gus said as he got up and left the room.
“I’m sorry, but my husband can’t come to the phone right now. May I take a message?”
“No, that’s all right Mrs. Edwards. I’ll keep trying to talk with him and maybe set up a meeting. Have a nice evening. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.” What a polite young man she thought. It would have been better if Gus spoke to him and resolved this awful problem. I hope they find a way.
A solution came in an unexpected form the next day. “Mother, may I invite a new friend of mine to dinner tomorrow night. His parents are out of town and I thought you could make your special pork roast.” Glenda had never invited a boy over for dinner before and was in the best mood that she had been in a week. Her face was positively radiant.
“Why sure,” Emily answered. “Do I know him?”
“No, I don’t think so. It’s just a friend, not a boyfriend.” Emily wasn’t buying the story completely, but it didn’t matter. It was just nice to see her daughter smiling again.
“Okay, tell him seven o’clock. We’ll make the pork roast.”
“Oh, thanks, Mom,” Glenda replied as she gave her mom a big hug. “Is there anything I can do to help?” Now Emily was sure that something strange was going on.
Tuesday Glenda skipped band practice and got her hair done after school. It was only 6:15 and she was bugging her mother; offering to set the table, vacuum the dining room, anything to help. Even Jeffrey could tell something was going on, and was hanging around getting in everyone’s way. “Mom, what can I do?”
“Nothing, just relax and let me prepare the dinner. Don’t you have homework?”
“Get the door, Jeffrey,” his mother said as the doorbell rang.
Jeffrey swung open the door and saw the tall, young man in the doorway. He started to ask what he wanted, but stopped in mid sentence and just stared. His eyes told him one thing, but his mind was saying it couldn’t be true. “You’re eh … eh him, aren’t you?” Jeffrey finally managed to utter.
Matthew smiled and offered his hand. “I’m Matthew Wilson and you must be Jeffrey. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you. You’re a basketball player, aren’t you?” Jeffrey could only stare in disbelief.
“Jeffrey, is Glenda at home? She invited me to have dinner with you this evening.”
Jeffrey could only nod his head as he turned and led Matthew into the kitchen.
“Who is it Jeffrey?” Emily shouted as they walked in.
“It’s him,” was all Jeffrey could say.
Emily was hunched over the stove with her back to the door. When she turned, she saw a good looking young man in her kitchen. Her first instinct was to take off her apron and check her hair and makeup. “What a hunk,” she thought.
Glenda rushed into the room and came to her rescue. “Mom, this is my friend Matthew Wilson. Matthew, this is my mother, Emily.”
The name sounded familiar, but it didn’t register. Emily was still trying to compose herself when Matthew approached and shook her hand firmly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Edwards, and I sincerely appreciate your inviting me into your home.” Matthew then went to Glenda and gave her a warm hug and a brush kiss on the cheek. “Glenda, thank you so much for doing this. You are even better looking than I was led to believe. Your hair is absolutely perfect for you.”
Emily thought that her daughter would faint. It finally dawned on her who young man was. She also knew that everything was going to turn out all right.
“You didn’t tell me that Jeffrey had lost his voice, or is he always this quiet?”
“Don’t rock the boat, I kind of like him this way,” Glenda answered as she picked up on Matthew’s line.
“Maybe we should send him to bed?” Emily said, getting into the fray.
“I haven’t lost my voice,” Jeffrey exclaimed a little too loud. “Do you want to go outside and play basketball?” he asked getting to the point.
“Maybe you, I and your dad can play after dinner,” Matthew replied. “Right now I’d like to see if there is anything I can do to help your mother and sister with dinner. What can we do, Mrs. Edwards? I bet Glenda and I could mix up a great salad and maybe a light dessert.”
The next half-hour passed quickly as it soon became evident that Matthew Wilson knew his way around the kitchen. The artichoke hearts salad looked and tasted splendid. “Where did you learn to cook like this?
“I lived in France for a few years and studied a little bit at a culinary school for master chefs. Europeans have refined the art of dining to a science.”
Emily wanted to hear more, but Matthew skillfully changed the subject to include Glenda. “How about you Glenda, I understand you play the piano? That’s something I could never do well.”
“I’m not very good,” Glenda said as she blushed.
“Come on, play something. I bet you’re good.”
“I’m not, really.”
“Let’s play a duet. I’m a wiz at chopsticks.”
Emily smiled as she listened to the kids play and laugh. Even Jeffrey got into the act. It seemed like they had known Matthew for years. What a wonderful young man, she thought.
“Are the cupcakes ready to take out of the oven?” Glenda asked as the timer went off?
“Let me do it, Glenda, the pan is hot.” Matthew offered. ‘I don’t want you burning those magic fingers.” Emily watched her daughter blush again and tried to remember if she ever acted like that when she was in high school. She knew that she had.
It was almost seven when Gus Edwards walked into the kitchen to introduce himself, but came to an abrupt halt when he recognized his guest. Glenda stepped in immediately and made the introductions. “Dad, this is my good friend Matthew Wilson. I hope you don’t mind me inviting him to dinner.”
“He has been a tremendous help with the salads,” Emily said nervously.
“He is going to play basketball with us after dinner,” Jeffrey interjected excitedly.
“Mr. Edwards, it’s a pleasure to meet you face to face. I’m looking forward to a pleasant evening. Your wife and daughter have made me feel comfortable and I hope I can earn your respect.”
Gus Edwards, to his credit, immediately recognized a stacked deck when he saw one. “You are welcome in our house,” Edwards said shaking Matthew’s hand firmly. “Anyone that gets my wife and kids behind him this quickly can’t be all bad.”
As opposed to the stilted family dinners of the past week, Emily thought dinner was one of the best she could remember. The food was good and the conversation was excellent. Matthew Wilson had a way of keeping everyone involved whether it was talking sports with Jeffrey, music and dancing with Glenda, current events with Gus or art history with her. How did he know she had majored in art history and was an amateur oil painter? In fact, how did he know the names of Jeffrey’s teacher or the classes Glenda was taking this semester? Was it a coincidence that he was knowledgeable about historical castles in Scotland, one of her husband’s favorite subjects? She slowly began to appreciate the research that Matthew had done to prepare for this evening.
Emily and Glenda cleared the table and prepared the dessert Matthew and Glenda had made earlier, refusing Matthew’s offer to help. “Come on, Jeffrey, you can help too.”
“Matthew, I guess they left us alone for a few minutes so we could talk, but I’m not sure that we
have anything to talk about. I enjoyed your company this evening, but we still disagree on some basics.”
“This isn’t the time to talk about our differences, that wasn’t my objective in coming here tonight. I just feel that when people, or nations for that matter, get to know each other better, it’s easier to come to an understanding at some future time. I appreciate your giving me that opportunity and also for the hospitality you and your family have shown me. It’s been a nice evening.”
“Dad, Matthew, can we play basketball now?”
“I don’t know, Jeffrey. It’s been a long day.”
“Come on, Mr. Edwards, it’ll be fun,” Matthew urged; “just one game of horse. It would mean a lot to your son.”
“Mom, isn’t he wonderful?” Glenda said as they put the dishes in the dishwasher. “He makes you feel so good about yourself.”
Glenda had nailed it right on the head. He did make everyone around him feel good, even her husband.
Twenty minutes later Jeffrey came in yelling excitedly. “Dad won! He knocked out Matthew with a long jump shot. My dad beat the best basketball player ever. And look what he gave me, a new basketball. He even autographed it.”
“Let’s not exaggerate,” Gus said as he came in perspiring a little. “Winning a game of horse is not the same as winning a basketball game.”
“I don’t care Dad, I’m still proud of you.”
“Well folks, I appreciate the fine evening and the hospitality. It was a great dinner, Mrs. Edwards,” he said, giving Emily a light hug and brush kiss on the cheek.
“Glenda, you are beautiful, a nice piano player and a fine cook in the making. Maybe we can do a cooking show together on the food channel?” “Here is a little present for you that you might want to share with your friends and family,” he said as he handed her a DVD. “It’s one of a kind.”
Emily noticed Matthew gave Glenda a slightly tighter hug and touched her cheek with his lips. She hoped that she had not blushed like her daughter did.
“Jeffrey; thanks for playing ball with me,” he said as he shook Jeffrey’s hand. “Remember to work on that cross-over dribble and those other things we discussed.”
“I will, Matthew, you can count on it,” Jeffrey said with determination.
“Mr. Edwards; thanks again for your hospitality. I look forward to getting together with you in the future,” he said as they shook hands.
“Anything is possible,” Edwards replied.
It wasn’t much, but Emily thought she saw a flicker of softness in his eyes.
“That went well, don’t you agree,” Emily asked as they relaxed in front of the television. Jeffrey was upstairs and Glenda was in the den playing the DVD Matthew had given her.
“Did you know about this?” Edwards asked before answering her question.
“Nope, Glenda kept it all to herself, but I’m glad she did.”
“I am too,” Edwards admitted. “He certainly is an interesting young man.”
Jeffrey came bounding down the stairs. After a few minutes in the den he came out and gave Emily a big hug. “I love you Mom.” He then repeated the process for his Dad. “I love you Dad. Goodnight everyone, I finished my homework and I’m going to bed.”
The parents stared in amazement. “What was that all about?” Emily finally asked. “Did something happen while you were playing basketball that you didn’t mention?”
“Well, other than kicking his butt in the game of horse, there was one little incident that almost caused a problem.”
“Okay, let’s hear it.”
“It wasn’t much. Jeffrey was showing off his new cross-over dribble and faked Matthew one way, and then crossed-over and went the other way. It was pretty neat. Matthew looked pretty silly.”
“Go on,” Emily said, not voicing her doubts that a 12-year old could fake out Matthew unless he allowed him too.
“Matthew said ‘nice move, Jeffrey,’ and your son replied; ‘am I kicking ass’? Needless to say I wasn’t pleased with his choice of words. I held back from saying anything, but it was embarrassing.”
“What did Matthew say?”
“Something like, Jeffrey, there is a lot more to kicking ass than playing basketball. When is the last time you told your sister you loved her and how lucky you are to have her as a sister. Do you do your homework without being asked? Are you doing your best at school? When you start doing these things and many others, then you will know inside you that you kicking ass. You won’t need to ask anyone.”
“Wow,” Emily thought as tears came to her eyes.
“Lisa and Wanda are coming over for an hour. Okay?” Glenda shouted from the den. “They want to see this DVD, it’s awesome.”
Moments later the doorbell rang and three girls rushed into the room. Somehow they had found another friend. “Hi, Mr. & Mrs. Edwards,” the girls shouted in unison as they rushed by into the den.
Glenda looked back for a moment before closing the door. “What’s gotten into Jeffrey? All of a sudden he loves me and says I’m the best sister in the world. Is he on drugs?”
Emily had just fallen asleep when she heard screams from the den. “Are the girls still here?” she wondered as she put on a robe and went downstairs. She found four girls glued to the TV watching the video.
“I’m sorry Mom, did we wake you?”
“That’s okay, what are you watching?”
“It’s a DVD of the pep rally that Dad doesn’t like, but it also has words dubbed in and lots of other stuff. It’s like a movie. Here, watch, we were just going to start it again.”
Emily watched for ten minutes without commenting. The dance number with the two girls was good. He sure could dance. She started to yawn as Matthew started his three-part speech and then came to attention as the Tina Turner number started. Matthew was obviously surprised. He could see the girls start to edge forward as the girl screamed NO-NO-NO and pounded Matthew’s chest. She then heard a scream erupt from her chest as Matthew appeared suddenly playing the saxophone. Cameras showed close-ups of screaming students and teachers, hands above their heads as they swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the music. She was still trembling as the number ended with the girl standing alone on the stage accepting the applause from her classmates. It was one of the best performances she had ever witnessed.
The girls were still watching intently so Emily knew there was more to come. She liked the way Matthew had someone escort the girl off the stage. A few minutes later she laughed out loud when she heard the cheerleader’s squeaky voice shout “I know you can do it,” into the silence of a hostile crowd.
“Oh, that poor girl,” Emily said sympathetically. “She must be so embarrassed.”
“Mommm. I would die to be that girl.”
“Me too,” the other girls said in unison.
Emily watched and listened in silence as Matthew related his stories of being afraid before hearing a voice of support from your mother or friend. There wasn’t anyone that couldn’t identify with those stories. She was in tears as Matthew walked towards the young woman and promised that he would be there for her if she ever needed. She was the first to believe in him. That’s kicking ass.
Glenda fast-forwarded to other areas of the tape, just enough to give Emily a flavor. The message was clear; do your best at whatever you try; be a good student, be a good citizen, love your parents. That’s what kicking ass means. There were tributes from parents and teachers at the end of the DVD, but Emily had seen enough.
“Okay girls, it’s time you went home. Glenda, may I show this tape to your father? He needs to see this before his meeting tomorrow.”
“No need, I saw enough.”
Gus Edwards had come into the room shortly after Emily and watched from the doorway. He had been more impressed by the reactions of the girls and his wife, than he was in the DVD itself. He still had problems with some of the dancing, language and music, but in total he knew the message was a good one. He also saw the expressions on the faces of t
he women and knew he could not win. Meeting Matthew Wilson tonight made him sure of that.
The girls left and Glenda came back into the den to say goodnight. “I love you, Mom, I love you, Dad,” giving them each a warm embrace as she went to her room.
“Well, something good came of this,” Gus mused. “When’s the last time both of our kids told us they loved us?”
“I have a hunch it won’t be the last time either,” Emily replied snuggling into his chest.
“Let’s watch the whole tape,” Gus murmured. “I want to make sure I have my facts straight this time.”
The following day on 6:00 PM local news Gus Edwards issued a formal apology and announced he was taking a leave of absence. “I met Matthew Wilson last night and learned firsthand the positive influence that this young man has on the youth of this community. I need to take some time away from my job to discover how I could have made such an egregious mistake in judgment. I was wrong, and I apologize.”
Newspaper headlines the next morning proclaimed;
We Kick Ass
Vindicated
Newspaper Apologizes to Matthew Wilson
Matthew appeared on the Larry King show and several other national television shows, accompanied by a contrite Gus Edwards who handled himself well. Two months later Edwards returned to his prior job, smarter and wiser for the experience. The big winners were Matthew and the kids across the nation as the We Kick Ass campaign went national.
Chapter 12 - Next two Months