by Tim Green
She sighed and fell silent.
Jalen waited, then asked, “So what happened?”
46
“YOU WERE PROBABLY TOO YOUNG to remember, but the economy took a hit. The clubs were empty. My record took a nosedive. But for three days, I was a star, and everyone around me believed it as well because I believed it.”
After a pause, Jalen asked, “Are you saying it was all worth it?”
She fell silent. The wind bent the trees. Jalen realized he had dug his nails into his palms.
“Yes,” she said. “I still believe I can do it. I’m at the Jazz Forum in Tarrytown. That’s a big start toward cracking New York. I don’t know if this is what you want, but… I am sorry.”
Jalen shrugged. “Plenty of kids have just a dad or just a mom, and none are better than my dad. I just wanted to know you, and have you know me.”
She picked up his hand in both of hers and kissed it. “I want that too. I really do.”
Jalen let his head fall back.
He relaxed, listening to the sounds of an early summer afternoon in the country, until she sighed and said, “You know, I really can’t wait to see Fabio.”
Jalen’s mom and George skipped out before dinner, much to the disappointment of Mrs. H. They had an appointment to entertain a club owner from Chicago. That left more steak and fixin’s for Jalen and Cat.
After dinner, they discussed the finer points of Clash Royale strategy while Mrs. H read and listened to a demo CD that Jalen’s mom had given her as a visiting gift. Jalen was totally impressed by his mother’s sultry voice. He had never heard jazz singing before, but he also had never heard his mother singing before. It was nearly impossible to concentrate on Clash Royale, and he went to sleep hearing the lyrics to “Someone to Watch Over Me” like an ear worm he didn’t want to shake out.
He felt really great the next morning. After a big breakfast, he packed for the practice Coach Allen had scheduled but got an unexpected text.
Practice canceled. Coach Miller and I have unexpected commitments. See you all @ airport tomorrow.
Well, if Daniel was free, they could do some drills. But first, it was a great day for Cat and him to do some extra work.
Around lunchtime, his phone rang. It was a number he didn’t recognize, and who called these days?
“Jalen, I’m thrilled to get you,” George said cheerily. “Your mother and I have a little proposition for you. Since you and your friends and Mrs. Hewlett have all been so hospitable, Lizzie and I wondered if we could reciprocate.”
“Sure,” Jalen said. “How?”
“We thought you might enjoy hearing your mother’s closing-night set at the club tonight, in Tarrytown.”
Jalen had no need to think. “I want to go. You bet!”
“And the others?”
“My guess is yes. Mrs. H loved Mom’s CD,” Jalen said. “Me too.”
So that evening, aided by a maps app, Cat guided her mother to the other side of the county, the Hudson River side. They parked in a bank parking lot and made their way to a modest little building with a small sign that read JAZZ FORUM ARTS. Jalen couldn’t help feeling that it was pretty unimpressive compared with Yankee Stadium, but Mrs. H immediately said, “How charming. And how exciting. Cat, I haven’t been to a jazz club since long before I met your father.”
They were greeted inside by the owner, Mark, who made a big thing out of seating them personally after he knew who they were. The room was packed tight with small tables and chairs, and Mark led them to a RESERVED table near the stage. Jalen thought it must be the stage, even though it was at the same level as the tables, because there was a piano grouped with chairs and music stands.
George came out and said they should order anything they liked, on his tab. Beaming, he added, “Nothing is too good for the artist’s son.”
“Is my mom here?” Jalen asked hesitantly.
“Of course she is. But Lizzie, like all great artists, is cloistered away, concentrating on her performance to come.”
“I get it. It’s like starting pitchers who don’t want to talk to anyone on game day.”
“Sounds unsociable. All day?”
“Absolutely, George,” Cat piped up. “Some guys don’t want anybody to talk with them before the game or during the game—and maybe even after the game if they pitch badly.”
After replying that he could appreciate that, George excused himself. As the club filled up and the noise level grew, Jalen, Cat, and Mrs. H picked at their plates and chatted a little more. It was a shock when Mark picked up a microphone and asked for quiet during the upcoming performance.
“Huh! Try that at a Yankees game,” Cat quipped.
Then he asked for all cell phones to be turned off, and the show began.
The next hour was a blur to Jalen. Too much happened that was new to him. His mother took words and wrapped them around him like a warm, fuzzy blanket. Even when she sang fast songs or sang with just sounds—not words at all—it was aimed at him, just like her eyes were locked in on him.
All he could remember for certain was that his mom’s last song was like an old friend: “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
It was an amazing, incredible night. It was as warm and reassuring as his father’s food, as satisfying as calling pitches right for JY… as great as—he didn’t know what.
When the applause died down a little, his mom stopped throwing kisses to the audience, grabbed her mic, and said, “Thank you so very, very much, ladies and gentlemen. You’ve been a truly wonderful audience.”
She turned and gestured toward Jalen. “This evening’s been made even more wonderful by having my son hear me perform for the very first—but hopefully not the last—time.” The audience started clapping again. Some waved and smiled at Jalen before turning back to his mom.
“I’ll be at Andy’s in Chicago next week,” she said before walking off the stage. “I only hope the audiences there are half as appreciative as you all have been.”
Jalen felt like he was falling. He couldn’t believe she was leaving again.
47
“YOUR MOM WAS SO SUPER,” Cat gushed in the Range Rover a few minutes later.
“She’s got quite a talent, if I’m any judge,” Mrs. H said.
After a short period of awkward silence, Cat exploded. “Why are you acting like Mr. Gloom and Doom? You’re sitting there looking like a trainee Marvel supervillain.”
“Don’t you think it’s wonderful how things are lining up for your mother, Jalen? She and George dined with a club owner on Wednesday, he hears that his act for next week is sick and slots your mother right in. She still gets to come to your game. Wonderful, really,” Mrs. Hewlett said reassuringly.
“Sure, yeah, it’s super for her,” Jalen reluctantly admitted. “But that doesn’t make it super for me.”
“Why not?” Cat asked.
“Because I thought that… after all this time, she finally came home and wanted to be with me and…”
“Your dad?” Cat asked.
“I don’t know. Yeah, sure, be with my dad, too.”
“You can’t control what people do, Jalen,” Mrs. H said in a serious adult-to-kid tone of voice.
Jalen thought in silence for a minute or so and whispered to nobody in particular, “You can hope.”
48
DANIEL HAD FLOWN ONCE, TO Disney World with his mom and dad, but this was Jalen’s first time on an airplane. Their flight was super early, and they got to the airport before the sun was even out.
Gertzy insisted that Jalen take the window seat. He clutched the armrests with white knuckles as they raced down the runway. The plane shot up into the air, and his stomach dropped as he was forced against the back of the seat by gravity. They rose up over a lake, then more trees.
Daniel looked over the back of his seat next to Fanny and dangled something in front of Jalen. “Barf bag.”
Jalen ignored Daniel’s teasing but gripped tighter still as the plane dipped its wing a
nd began a long, slow turn as they climbed. Cars crawled like huge ants on strings of highways. Houses and buildings were like toys. The plane tilted back, revealing the breathtaking sight of land far below them, stretching as far as he could see.
Gertzy removed his headset and pointed to the screen in front of his seat. “They’re replaying the Yankees game from last night on channel fifty-one.”
“Thanks, I’m good.” Jalen turned back to the window.
Gertzy nudged him again. “They trade JY and you’re not a fan anymore?”
“No, I am. I’m just looking at everything. It’s… brilliant.”
“Brilliant?” Gertzy looked puzzled.
“Dope. It’s like that.” Jalen turned back to the window.
When the plane bumped and the window went gray, Jalen jumped and grabbed on tight again. “What’s that?”
Gertzy didn’t bother to remove his headset, and he kept his focus on the TV. “Just clouds.”
“Barf bag?” Daniel turned again and dangled it hopefully.
Jalen pushed the bag back where it came from.
Daniel and Fanny burst out laughing.
“You guys think it’s less lame the more you do it?” Gertzy asked testily.
After another quick bump, the plane tore above the clouds. In the bright sunlight, the sea of puffy white cotton stretched on forever. Jalen relaxed and breathed deeply, staring.
“Brilliant,” he said in a voice no one else could hear.
Minutes and miles of puffy clouds later, he turned on his on TV and switched to the game.
A little over two hours later, they arrived. Landing was less than brilliant. There were thunderstorms over Tampa and the plane rocked back and forth.
“I’m glad my mom and dad are taking a later flight,” Gertzy said, right after a crash of thunder boomed outside the plane. The window flashed with bright sun and dark clouds as they bounced up and down through the storm. The wing outside wobbled like a Jell-O mold.
Daniel wasn’t fooling around anymore, and the look on Gertzy’s face told Jalen they were going to crash.
49
THE WHEELS TOUCHED THE GROUND and the plane shuddered and creaked, as if it were coming apart at the seams. It felt like they were going at rocket speed, even as the pilot continued slowing the plane, again pushing Jalen back in his seat. With a final thump that strained his seat belt, they were solidly on the runway, but still moving way too fast for Jalen. His fingers were digging into the armrests again, but he wasn’t the only one this time. Gertzy and everyone else Jalen could see also had white-knuckle grips and faces pale with fear.
The pilot pumped the brakes, testing everyone’s neck strength, and finally the plane rolled to a stop. The cabin erupted in cheers. Jalen was shaking, but he removed the paper bag from his seat pocket and dangled it between the seats in front of him. “Barf bag?”
Fanny snatched it away from him and filled it with vomit.
The smell quickly filled their part of the cabin.
Gertzy took out a pack of gum and offered Jalen a stick. “Peppermint helps with the smell.”
“How do you know?” Jalen asked.
“I’ve been on planes with Fanny before. He’s strong as an ox, but his stomach is weak as a…”
“Kitten?” Jalen said.
Fanny heard his name and turned around, scowling. “What are you guys saying about me?”
“Nothing.” Jalen gave Gertzy a look.
“Yeah,” said Gertzy. “No Fanny jokes here.”
“Yeah? ’Cause I swore I just heard Genius Boy call me a kitten.” Fanny glared at Jalen without blinking.
“Not you, Fanny,” Jalen said. “I was just saying your stomach—”
“Well, maybe if some dummy didn’t dangle a barf bag in front of Fanny, Fanny wouldn’t have blown chunks.”
While the passengers around them were taking their bags down, Fanny and Jalen were in a standoff.
“Oh, come on, you guys,” Daniel said. “Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.”
“Yeah?” Suddenly Fanny was all smiles. He carefully folded over the top of the barf bag and sealed it nice and snug before hefting its bulging seams in one hand like a water balloon. “There’s another saying you might know: what goes around, comes around.”
50
THE TEAM WOVE ITS WAY through the airport, following Coach Allen and Coach Miller. Even at ten thirty in the morning Jalen could feel the heat leaking through the gates, while sunshine squeezed the terminal with all its might.
Fanny entertained everyone within earshot with his plans to attack the menu of the nearest Steak ’n Shake restaurant.
Under his breath, Jalen asked Gertzy, “Steak ’n Shake?”
“Maybe the best cheeseburgers and shakes you’ll ever taste,” said Gertzy. “You should go with your mom. Maybe we’ll all go.”
“Where is it?”
Gertzy said, “It’s a chain. They’re everywhere down here.”
“How many times have you been to Florida?” Jalen asked.
“Usually a couple times a year,” Gertzy said. “Once to Disney and then usually to a beach on spring break.”
“Sweet,” Jalen said experiencing pangs of jealousy. He couldn’t help wishing the Silver Liner Diner had made his dad rich earlier. But the franchise deal wouldn’t have happened without Jalen’s partnership with JY. And that couldn’t have happened before he became old enough to use his talents. It made him realize that maybe his mom had been right when she said, Things happen for a reason.
At baggage claim, the parents who’d flown with the team said their good-byes and went to the car-rental counters. The players hoisted gear bags onto their shoulders and boarded a shuttle that delivered them to the dorms on the Lakeland campus. Fortunately, they were able to move into rooms that had been reserved months earlier by the team that had dropped out of the tournament.
The shuttle driver played tour guide when they reached the campus, driving them first past the baseball complex.
“Holy moly!” Jalen whispered to Gertzy. “They have six fields.”
“And behind the fields, they have half-size fields for infield and batting work. Pretty dope!” Gertzy added.
“On your left is the world-class Legacy Hotel, with luxury rooms and award-winning cuisine—not appropriate for athletes in training.” The driver chuckled.
Then he pointed out the football stadium—as if they couldn’t see the huge oval structure with seating stands rising on either side.
Next came the academic complex for full-time students, and the Campus Center.
“There you will find health services, a bookstore, a recreation room, lounges, and a wealth of dining options,” the driver said, sounding like a prerecorded message.
“Tell us about the food,” Fanny suggested.
The driver said it ranged from a French-style bistro to Asian fusion to personalized pizza to a buffet-style cafeteria called the Servery, which offered dozens of choices, all created as performance-based, healthy nutrition for athletes.
“Healthy!” Fanny huffed. “And I had such high hopes for this place.”
Finally the shuttle dropped them off at the doorway of an enormous, multistory dorm complex.
“In through that door and they’ll set you up,” the driver promised as they stepped out into the blinding light of a Central Florida June afternoon.
And the staff did set them up. Minutes later, the team was taking possession of shared rooms throughout the building. Daniel and Fanny were assigned a room right next door to Jalen and Gertzy.
Peeking through the narrowly opened door, Gertzy said, “It sure ain’t like home, but it’ll do.”
“Come on, lemme see,” Jalen said while shouldering Gertzy into the room. The room had two bunk beds, but only the top level was set up for sleeping, with a mattress and pillows, and a ladder against the side. The area next to the beds had a writing desk and chair where the lower mattress should have been.
“I really
thought Lakeland would put us in something like a hotel suite,” Gertzy said.
“You’re the one who said we’re the lowest seed in the tournament. Maybe the Lakeland team gets the glitzy treatment,” Jalen said, thinking, This is pretty sweet.
“No, I guess this is where you stay if you go to school at Lakeland Academy. It’s a boarding school room.”
“At least they have a lot of charging stations. And you can see the baseball complex from this window,” Jalen added.
“Baseball and a bed. It doesn’t take much to make you happy, eh?”
Before they had finished stowing their clothes and gear, the sour odor of barf wafted into the room.
Hearing a knock, Jalen opened the door to see Fanny, grinning, with the swollen barf bag cradled in his arms. “Don’t worry. Now’s not the right time.”
Daniel leaned out from the next door over. “Howdy, neighbor.”
“Aw, c’mon, Fanny. You can’t blame me,” said Jalen.
“Don’t worry,” Gertzy said as he bounced on his elevated mattress. “He’s all barf and no bite.”
“I heard that!” Fanny bellowed.
Jalen pulled the door shut and turned to Gertzy. “What’d you say that for?”
Gertzy waved a hand in dismissal. “Act like you don’t care. You just get him excited if he thinks you’re thinking about it.”
“Is that right?” Jalen stood his bats against the wall under his bed. “He looked pretty excited just now!”
“He’s being a jerk is all.”
“So I’m not going to be wearing a puke parka?”
“No. He wants a piece of this tournament as bad as we do.” Gertzy snorted. “And he knows Coach Allen wasn’t joking about stupid pranks. So leave it. Hey, let’s get down to lunch. I want to check out the competition.”