by Cora Brent
“It’s true,” Conway insisted. “You’re legends in the stuffy halls of Emblem High, even after all these years.”
Chase snorted with laughter. “All these years. Such ancient history. Predates electricity.”
Conway paused and stared at him, probably trying to decide if he was kidding or not. “Yeah,” he finally said.
I snapped my fingers to get everyone jarred out of this sweet family reunion. “Let’s move out. Don’t want to spend the night at the back door of a jail.” I motioned to Gaps. “We all squared away here?”
Gaps glanced at the envelope of cash. I wondered if any of it was destined for his pocket, but I figured if that was the case he must have cleared the arrangement with Deck a long time ago. I didn’t begrudge him a share in any event. He’d done okay by our family tonight.
“Don’t do this shit again,” he said to the boys in his best cop voice, which he’d perfected after years of service.
Conway widened his eyes and adopted a contrite look. “Of course not, Officer. We’re sorry. I don’t know what we were thinking. Stone, do you know what we were thinking?”
“Sure,” said Stone. “I was thinking about how much hot ass I was gonna get out of this.”
Conway bit his lip and shot his brother a look. “He didn’t mean that.”
Stone wasn’t finished though. “Yeah I meant it. When girls get close to trouble they just can’t seem to keep their tits contained. Hell of an incentive.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Conway whispered under his breath but Gaps was trying to hold his laughter in.
“Gentrys,” he said to himself with a bemused headshake. He swept one arm wide. “They’re all yours.”
“All right,” I said, roughly grabbing Conway by the back of the neck because he was closest and I wanted to get the hell out of there.
“Just remember,” called Gaps as we filed out the door, “you guys are still heading for a court date and while I’ve come by some news that this little incident will probably just net you some community service, next time it’s the big house.”
Chase and Cord were already outside. I released Conway from my grip and bumped him out the door, turning back to make sure Stone was following closely.
But my young cousin flashed me a rascally smile and then doubled back.
“Hey, Gaps, “ Stone shouted. “You know, Ma was just saying the other day how she wished you’d start coming around again, just like you used to.”
Gaps raised his eyebrows and a hopeful grin lit up his face. “Really?”
“Hell no,” said Stone and jumped back, closing the door behind him.
“That was fucked up,” complained Conway.
Stone grabbed him in a rough headlock. “Did I hear you tell me to shut up in there, you little puke?”
Conway grunted and propelled the two of them into the side of the building where Stone’s back crashed against the concrete surface.
“Fucker,” Stone cursed, trying to regain the upper hand.
“Dick breath,” Conway responded, head butting his brother’s chest again.
“Jesus,” I muttered, hoping the evening wouldn’t go any further off the rails then it already had. I grabbed Stone by his collar while Cord stepped in and dragged Conway off.
“Guess what,” said Chase, glancing around. “Doesn’t look like there’s anyone waiting in line to pick these two devils up.”
Stone shook himself free. “We’re fine to walk home.”
“We’re fine,” Conway agreed, joining his brother. The two of them looked at each other and cracked up. Yeah, they were just like us all right. Wrestling like bear cubs one minute and filled with fraternal camaraderie the next.
Stone waved as the two of them started heading toward the sidewalk. “Thanks for bailing us out though. Much appreciated.”
“Wait a minute,” Cord objected. “I’m not going to risk getting called back here in an hour because you two decided to cap off the night with another grand theft auto.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Conway deadpanned. “We are way too tired to go out driving tonight.” He yawned and stretched his arms. “Besides, we’ve definitely learned our lesson.”
“That’s right,” Stone agreed. “Our lawless days are over. You won’t catch me so much as jaywalking for the rest of my life.”
I decided I was finished mentoring the next generation of Gentrys. “Are you getting in the truck so we can drive you home or are we going to have to carry you there?”
The two of them stared at me, stared at each other. Then they put their heads together and pretended to have a whispered consultation.
“Carry us,” they said in unison before proceeding to sink down to the curb and sprawl there lifelessly.
I would have. I would have hauled their pubescent carcasses over each shoulder and dragged them to the truck bed for the drive to their mother’s house.
Chase, however, had a different tactic in mind. He held up one finger that said ‘Give me a minute’ and sat down casually on the curb beside our limp cousins. I looked at Cord. He shrugged.
“So,” said Chase, drumming his fingers on one knee. “Tell me, boys. Food in there any better than it used to be?”
Conway opened an eye. “You’ve been in jail?”
“Once did a six hour stretch for defacing the water tower with an artistic rendering of a set of six foot hairy testicles. They had to let us go when old man Albertson turned up at the bus station with can of black spray paint, trying to duplicate his artwork. Someone said he was suffering from dementia so they let him off. I’ll have to remember to use that handy excuse myself in forty or fifty years.”
Chase looked over at me and Cord. “You guys remember that?”
“Cardboard fish sticks and rubber tortillas,” said Cord with a laugh. “That’s what I remember. Better than going hungry though.”
“Barely,” grunted Stone but he’d propped himself up on one elbow and was listening.
“I’ll tell you what,” Chase continued. “You guys hop into that truck to give some of us old timers a little peace of mind and we’ll take you out for some food.”
“Chase,” I argued, “I’m not waiting around and there’s no fucking fast food in Emblem.”
“Not true. I can see the lights of Dino Gas from here.”
“Hell yes,” Conway cheered, scrambling to his feet, “they’ve got the best cheeseburger hot dogs. They keep those things rolling on the heater twenty four hours a day.”
“Cheeseburger hot dogs?” I repeated. I tried to imagine the taste then decided I didn’t really want to.
Conway kicked lightly at his brother. “Come on dude, let’s go. I’m so hungry I could eat a cat.”
Stone rolled off the curb and then sprang upright with a playful grin. “Well I’m so hungry I could eat a wet, juicy-“
“Don’t want to know,” I interrupted.
“Steak,” the kid finished innocently. “That’s all I was gonna say.”
“Let’s go,” Chase said with brisk authority, as if he was in charge and we were all required to listen.
When we reached the truck the two jokers climbed into the backseat of the cab beside Chase instead of hopping into the rear bed like I expected them to. While I piloted the pickup the short mile over to Dino Gas with Cord sitting quietly in the seat beside me, Chase and the kids were gabbing in the backseat like they were best buddies. I was amazed. When did my brother get such a magic touch with pain in the ass teenagers?
In a very short period of time I learned the boys were both going to be seniors at Emblem High. They lived with their mother and her revolving door of boyfriends. And they didn’t seem to have a worry or a care for what they were going to do after they graduated next year.
When we stopped at Dino Gas I took the opportunity to top off the tank while Cord searched for a restroom and Chase escorted the boys inside to acquire some of the infamous cheeseburger hot dogs.
After swiping my card I watched the gas pum
p numbers start to roll and then looked around, relieved that I didn’t recognize anyone in sight. I wasn’t really up for an Emblem reunion tonight. Or ever.
Chase and the boys emerged, each of them laughing while clutching sodas and things that looked like bun-wrapped dog shit.
I’d barely noticed the squad of teenagers gathered at the far end of the lot until they started hooting and howling.
“Hey, it’s the Jailbird Gentrys!”
“How was that hard time, boys?”
“Looks like they’re having some trouble walking.”
Stone stuck his hot dog in his mouth and used his newly free hand to flip them off. I could tell it was all in fun though. These were friends of theirs.
A petite brunette detached from the group and went running to Conway. He pushed his food into Stone’s arms and grabbed her up as she shrieked and wrapped her legs around him.
“I missed you so much,” she gushed like he’d been locked up for six years.
“I missed you too, baby,” he assured her and then they started obnoxiously sucking face the way teenagers do, like they were trying to inhale the other person.
Meanwhile, Stone nodded a cool farewell to the group and joined me at the pump. He jerked his head in his brother’s direction.
“Misleading,” he said and then took a thoughtful drink from his straw.
“What?”
Stone Gentry smiled. “They haven’t even fucked yet. He’s all in love and all that sensitive bullshit. But I keep telling the boy he needs to just pop the damn cherry before someone else gets to it first.”
I shoved the nozzle back into place. “What the - shit, why are you telling me that? I don’t want to know that.”
Stone was having fun. “We’re all adults here, Cord. What, you never fucked in your day?”
“First, I’m not Cord. Second, you’re not an adult. And third I’ve been fucking since before you discovered your own dick.”
As soon as I stopped talking I realized how loud my voice was. The group of teenagers were all agape, staring at me moon-faced and shocked. Cord, who was on his way back from the restroom, stopped and let out a snort of laughter. Chase took a bite of a cheeseburger hot dog, clearly enjoying every minute.
“Get in the truck,” I demanded.
Stone just stood there, sucking on his straw and acting like he didn’t have to listen to me any more than he would listen to a squirrel.
Cord had joined us by now. “Hey,” he said to Stone, “you still live over in The Hills?”
There were no hills in The Hills. Some of the tidy block houses had graded landscaping that gave the appearance of depth. That’s all. It was one of the nicer neighborhoods in Emblem, populated by the families who lived slightly better than paycheck to paycheck. The only Gentry I ever knew of who’d made it up to The Hills was Elijah.
Stone sucked away on his straw, watching calmly while ten yards away his brother kept kissing that girl like he might eat her.
Chase appeared. He tossed a candy bar to me and another one to Cord. His way of saying thanks for having some patience with the kids.
He had a serious look on his face when he cleared his throat and spoke to Stone. “I haven’t said it yet, but I’m damn sorry about your father.”
Stone stiffened. “Yeah,” he muttered, kicking at some loose chunks of concrete. “My father.”
I wasn’t sure exactly when Elijah Gentry had died. He’d been well on his way for years, the victim of some terrible degenerative disease that took a long time to deliver its final sentence. Everything I knew of him indicated he was a mild-mannered man. And kind, or at least not violent. Somewhere in the hazy annals of history I seemed to recall that I’d seen Elijah with his young sons and been jealous of the tender way he rested one hand on each of their thin shoulders.
Even though it had been at least a few years maybe the hurt was still fresh. Maybe that was the reason why Stone grimaced at the ground.
Or maybe it was something else, like the rusty rumor mill regarding their mother, Tracy Gentry, and my Uncle Chrome. The boys were definitely Gentry, but there might be a genetic debate about which Gentry had done the honors. At least that’s what I’d heard.
I opened up the door to the truck. “Come on,” I said in a halfway gentle tone. “Should get you boys home. School tomorrow, right?”
Stone lost his grim look and became cheerful. “Nope. It’s summer.”
“Right,” I nodded. “I forgot.”
Chase put a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Come on. We’ll get you home anyway.”
Stone yawned. “Fine. And yeah, I’m over on Citrus Road.” He tossed the remnants of his food in the trash and called to his brother. “Let’s go, loverboy.”
Conway and the girl paused in their tongue fest and stared soulfully into each other’s eyes. Slowly she allowed her legs to fall from his waist and stood beside him as they quietly grasped hands. He whispered something in her ear and she tossed her cloud of light brown hair, giggling. As he nudged her in our direction she shyly hung onto his arm and watched us with soft brown eyes.
“This is my girlfriend,” Conway said proudly. “This is Erin. Babe, these guys are my cousins. They’re the ones who bailed us out tonight. The dude with all the tattoos is Cord. That’s Chase on the far side of the truck. And the big guy is Creed.”
We all waved in turn.
“Nice to meet you, Erin,” Chase said. “You go to Emblem High too?”
Erin tucked her hair behind her ear. Then untucked it. She seemed like the kind of girl who spent half the day doing nervous things with her hair to pass the time.
“Yes,” she said.
“You going to be a senior too?”
She nodded, relaxing a little. “Yeah. I live next door to Con.”
“Been together for two years,” Conway said and I could tell he was as proud of the fact as he was crazy about the girl beside him. He wasn’t a bad kid. Any teenage boy who had already learned how to love would probably end up being okay, as long as he stopped taking shit that wasn’t his.
Erin tipped her head up to smile at her boyfriend and the two of them shared a gooey-eyed look. I knew that look. It was a ‘You’re my world’ kind of a look. The only woman who’d ever looked at me that way was my wife.
“I think I can convince Conway to head up to ASU with me,” Erin said shyly.
“That’s good news,” Cord told them. “I run a tattoo place close to the school so you’d have family close by, Conway.”
“Got to get my grades up a little,” Conway admitted. “But I think I can do it.”
“Of course you can,” Chase agreed with enthusiasm.
“Maybe I’ll come up there too,” piped up Stone. He’d crossed his arms in front of his chest and pasted an earnest look on his face that I could see right through. He thought it was all a big cosmic joke. College, life, love, all of it.
Apparently this Erin girl saw through her boyfriend’s brother as well. She scowled.
“Yeah, right,” she scoffed. “ASU requires better than a D average and a legend of delinquency.”
“Why Erin,” answered Stone, holding a hand up over his heart in a gesture of offense, “I thought we’d finally learned to get along.”
Erin was more of a spitfire than she first appeared. She dropped Conway’s arm and set her hands on her hips, glaring at Stone.
“We’d get along much better if you’d quit dragging Con into your bullshit.”
“What?” Stone sputtered. “What the hell are you talking about? I don’t drag Con into jack shit, sweetheart. Your golden boy can manage his own life, no matter how much time you waste trying to convince him otherwise.”
“Hey,” Con interrupted. He shot his brother a harsh look. “Knock it off, Stone. You don’t mean it.”
“I don’t mean it,” Stone echoed although I wasn’t at all sure what he meant. He obviously had a few personality issues to work out.
“Okay, that’s enough tension,” Chase s
colded. “Everyone in the truck, including you, Erin. Since you just live next door to the guys, we’ll drop you off.”
He climbed into the back cab and shut the door, ending any argument anyone might have.
Stone rolled his eyes and hopped in the other side. Cord opened his candy bar and headed to the passenger seat. The happy couple opted to sit in the back bed, Con lifting Erin gently up even though she was probably capable of getting in there herself.
It was a quick drive over to The Hills. When we parked in front of a simple ranch-style house, Stone opened the door. I thought he was going to take off without saying a word but he suddenly leaned back into the seat and sighed.
“Thanks for getting my brother out of there,” he said tersely and exited the truck. It was a weird thing to say. Not thanks for getting ‘us’ out of there. Could be that he felt like he deserved to be in there for whatever role he’d played in the Gnome’s auto misfortunes. Maybe Con had just gone along with his brother because that’s what brothers do.
I watched Stone in the rearview mirror as he jammed his hands in his pockets and patiently waited while his brother took forever and a day to extricate himself and his girlfriend from the back.
Suddenly Con came around to my window, Erin in tow.
“My brother’s not really good at gratitude but believe me, we’re both glad you showed up.”
“Not a problem, man,” said Cord.
“You get those grades up,” Chase called from the backseat. “Next thing I want to hear about you is that you’re heading up to Tempe.”
“I will,” Con promised and slung an arm around Erin’s waist.
I leaned out of the truck a few inches to get his attention. “Stay out of trouble,” I told him. “Don’t do anything that you can’t undo. That goes for you too,” I called to Stone who was still rooted to the same spot on the sidewalk. “I know you heard me.”
“I heard you,” called Stone and even in the darkness I could tell he had at least half a cocky smile on his face.
As I pulled away from the curb and gave one final wave to the boys, I heard the identical sighs of my own brothers and knew at that moment we were all of the same mind.