Colt O'Brien Sees the Light

by George Cole

  Chapter 3

  ------Email-------

  From: O’Brien, Kelly[Kellyobrien@aol.org]

  To: Todd, Brianna[BriannaT@yahoo.com]

  Subject: Colt

  --------------------------------------------------------------

  Hi Bri

  Wow!!!! My little brother is getting a lot of attention from the babes. They are coming up to me all giggly and shy asking if he has a girlfriend. Don’t get me wrong, I love him. But why do they have to go through me. I answer the phone when they call. Enough already.

  Kel

  ------Email-------

  Staci Parks looked like a young version of a shrewd politician. Although she sat in her bedroom surrounded by teddy bears, she could have been in a smoke-filled back room working on a deal. She was dressed in the latest, most expensive clothes. Her apparel was synchronized with her light red hair and scattered freckles making her seem older than she was. The new cell phone in her hand was not affordable for most adults, much less a 13-year-old seventh grader. Her young, determined, hazel eyes looked out at a world of potential opportunities. Growing up in affluent Normandy Park, she knew about what was in and what was 'so not cool'. After planning for some time, now it was time to act. She took one last spin around her well laid out scheme. Maybe I should do more research before I call him, she thought. No, I think I'm ready. Oh yes, I think I'm.

  Staci was the new girl at school, but that did not stop her from becoming the central player in the seventh grade social scene. She had been watching Colt O’Brien since the beginning of the school year. After finding out all she could about him, she now had a plan. For her, only the most popular and exciting boy would do. She thought about how perfect it would be if they were together. It has to be him. The rest are stupid and boring. And he lives in Normandy Park, like me. Just like Mom said, 'If you want something, you have to go after it'. Well, it's now or never.

  ~~~

  Colt sat on the plush couch in the living room of the O’Brien home. It was a spacious well furnished residence but not ostentatious. Although his family was well off, for Normandy Park, they lived rather simply. He half listened to his sister, Kelly, as she asked him about one of his least interesting subjects, girls. To him it seemed like his sister was wasting her breath as usual.

  “Hey, I don’t have time for girls. For some reason they like me, I guess,” said Colt.

  Kelly's short blond hair flipped up as she skipped over to her little brother. She shoved his shoulder and yelled in his ear.

  “I'm sick of answering the phone and having some stupid, giggly girl on the other end or worse, more than one,” she said.

  Colt lightly pushed her away and smiled.

  “What can I do? I don’t tell them to call. I’m not into the girlfriend, boyfriend thing,” said Colt.

  “Well little bro, you better start thinking about it. This isn’t going away. I think it would easier, for me, if you just had a girlfriend. Then I would only have to deal with one.”

  The shrill ringing of the phone interrupted their conversation. Kelly glared at Colt with a knowing look as she picked up the phone.

  “Hello,” said Kelly.

  “Hi, is this Kelly?” said a syrupy sweet voice.

  Kelly smiled a bit.

  “Yes, this is Kelly. Who is this?”

  “Hi Kelly. This is Staci Parks. We haven’t met, but I think you're a great soccer player.”

  Colt saw a suspicious look on his sister’s face. He always liked to see her get this way. He felt like he was seeing the real her.

  “How old are you, Staci?” asked Kelly.

  “Oh, I'm thirteen. Why do you ask?” came back a seemingly innocent reply.

  Kelly’s face became red as she looked to the ceiling in frustration.

  “Do you want my little brother? Is that it?”

  “Well, that is why I called. But, I hope we can get to know each other, too,” answered Staci.

  Kelly rolled her eyes and stuck a finger into her open mouth in disgust. She pushed the phone at Colt, who was looking on with curious eyes.

  Kelly screamed at Colt, “This has to stop.”

  Colt could not help laughing at seeing his sister in such a state. Ha, ha. Is she flipping out or what? I have to see who's on the phone.

  Still laughing, Colt grabbed the phone from his sister who stomped out of the room

  “Hi Colt. This is Staci Parks. We have geography class together.”

  Colt racked his brain to remember who this was. Oh, it’s the new girl, the pretty one with the red hair.

  “Er, uh, hi Staci. What’s up?”

  “I was wondering if you would answer a question I have?”

  “Um, sure. No problem.”

  Staci thought about her carefully planned blueprint for success. She hesitated while formulating the right words to achieve her desired outcome.

  “You know, I love how you dress. All my girlfriends do, too. All the other boys are so boring, but you have a special style with clothes.”

  Colt was now relaxed and listening. He was proud of his special style.

  “Yeah, I sorta like bright stuff.”

  “I made a bet with my girlfriends about why you dress like that. If you tell me, maybe I can win the bet.”

  “Sure, I can. One day I lost a baseball game. I was about ten, I think. My mom came in my room to cheer me up. She played a game where I put on the weirdest combination of clothes I could find. By the time we were done, I felt way better. So, I kept doing it, just not as weird. And, I always feel good when I wear bright clothes.”

  “Oh! Oh! I won my bet. This is great,” Staci lied.

  “So, you guessed right then?” said Colt.

  “Yes, I guessed right. Maybe I can sorta tell what you’re like. After all, I had the right answer."

  Both of them took a breath and said nothing.

  Staci thought, now to seal the deal.

  “I was thinking, Colt… Maybe we could hang out together. You know, like go to the mall or something.”

  Colt now was wondering what to say. No girl has asked me this before.

  “Er, uh, um, I’ve never done stuff like that,” he said.

  “Don’t worry, Colt, I can set up everything. It will be fun, just the two of us. Okay?”

  “Uh, sure. Okay,” he said without knowing why.

  End quick before he changes his mind, thought Staci.

  “Great. I'll call you back later. Bye.”

  “Bye Staci.”

  Colt looked up from the couch and noticed that his sister had slipped back into the room and was sitting in a chair across from him. Crap, was she there the whole time?

  Kelly smiled and asked, “Well, little bro, what happened?”

  “I have a date, I guess,” he said.

  “How did that happen to a guy who is not into that girl stuff?” smiled Kelly.

  “I have no idea,” said Colt.

  Chapter 4

  ------Email-------

  From: Carbon, Bill[billg@hocs.biz]

  To: Sweden, Gunnar[gunman@yahoo.com]

  Subject: Are we ready yet

  ----------------------------------------------------

  Hey Gunman

  Bin studng all day til nowcan’t close my eyes without seeing test answers flyng by. bucks and music keep me goin.

  I guess I better hit the sack. Are we really ready????????

  later.....billgee

  ------Email-------

  The October morning was bright and brisk. A black, compact, Nissan pickup truck was moving north along Perimeter Road, which bordered Boeing Field just south of the skyscrapers of Seattle, Washington. Dark, gray banks of clouds were rolling in from the Puget Sound to the west. The warm sun radiated into the cab, washing a middle-aged man and a young teenager in a golden glow. Both used sunglasses to filter the bright sun. The man, Matthew Carbon, wore a canvas baseball-style cap and gray t-shirt with faded jeans. His son
, Billy, wore a long-sleeved black shirt with yellow vertical stripes and black slacks. In his hand was a tall Starbucks cup. He listened to music through small, lightweight headphones. The younger Carbon lifted his sunglasses to look at sheets of paper in his lap. His bright blue eyes were tired, but focused. A manic energy poured from them, as if it would devour anything or anyone put in their path. The pale face revealed a lack of sleep, but those brilliant eyes were very awake.

  Matthew tapped his son’s arm and turned on the windshield wipers as the first light raindrops hit the Nissan’s cracked windshield.

  Billy pulled off his headphones, still staring at the notes.

  “Uh, yeah?”

  “Do you have any more questions, Billy?” said Matthew.

  “Do you think I’m ready? I feel like I’ve studied for a year.”

  “I know you're ready. Ron and I will give you and Gunnar some tips before you go in. You've done all the right things except for getting a good night’s sleep.”

  “Yeah, I crammed. I really crammed,” smiled Billy as he stretched his arms and yawned.

  “If you don’t already know the material, cramming doesn’t help much. You would've been better off sleeping. The exam is two hours long. You need the energy,” said Matthew.

  “Don’t worry. I have enough energy, Dad. I’m almost 15. No big deal.”

  “You're probably right, but old guys like me need our sleep or we crash and burn. I guess it’s too late to worry about it now.”

  A steady rain fell as the pickup pulled into the parking lot of Wings Aloft on the east side of the Boeing Field tarmac. Small aircraft and another two-story building were next to the main building of the flight training school. The pair walked into the main area with its high ceiling and windows. There was a long check-in counter. Plush sofas and chairs littered the large waiting area. There was also a medium sized work table.

  Ron and Gunnar Sweden waited for them, smiling with excitement. Ron wore his usual suit and tie. Gunnar, who was three inches shorter than his six-foot, two-inch father, wore a white t-shirt with the word “Doom” splashed across the front. Both father and son were thin with brown eyes. They were almost identical except for Gunnar's short black hair and his father's dark brown hair.

  As the men and boys met, Gunnar said to Billy, “You need to sign in at the desk. Did you bring your birth certificate and social security card?”

  “I have all that stuff. It'll be a lot easier when we have driver’s licenses,” said Billy.

  Gunnar beamed with excitement. His brown eyes sparkled with anticipation.

  “Man, this will be awesome. I think we can kick ass.”

  Billy also felt the excitement, but he managed to rein in the emotional team of horses pulling at him.

  “Hey, it’s our first time. Let’s see what happens,” he said.

  Billy walked to the front desk with a steady determined stride. He pulled out the required identifications and laid the documents on the counter.

  “I'm scheduled to take the Microsoft NT four workstation test.” he said.

  The short, blond, chubby girl behind the counter looked up with a friendly smile. She was in her mid-twenties, but seemed like a high school girl to Billy.

  “Aren’t you guys a little young for this exam? I've never seen this before. Usually, I see older guys who are out of school and working already.”

  The pale boy looked at the blond girl with a hint of pride through mature, steely eyes beneath a head of disheveled hair.

  “I want to see if I can pass. Wouldn’t that be great? Maybe it will help me get a fantastic job some day,” answered Billy.

  When she heard him speak, she felt embarrassed that she had doubted the student facing her. She could sense that this was not an average kid. She decided to treat this customer like an adult.

  “I guess since you'll be testing at almost the same time, I can take you both up to show you the room and tell you the rules. When he goes in, you can come, too. I'll call you when it’s time.”

  “Thank you,” said Billy.

  Billy walked back to the other three, who were smiling while they talked. He thought about the experience ahead. He felt exhilarated and afraid at the same time. The whole idea of passing a Microsoft Certification exam was exciting. I still have to actually go into the room and do it. It will be just me and all those questions. I hope I studied enough. I guess I won't know until I do it.

  “Hey guys, we have about 30 minutes until Gunnar goes in. We have some things to discuss," said Matthew.

  “Dad, the lady said I should go in with Gunnar to see how it's done,” said Billy.

  “That’s fine. Now, listen to Ron and then we can discuss strategy,” said Matthew.

  Ron Sweden stood erect and beamed. His light brown eyes exuded optimism and confidence. He pointed to a large plush couch that was situated near floor-to-ceiling windows in a corner of the room.

  “Gentlemen, please sit.” he said.

  After the boys were comfortable he gathered himself and spoke.

  “Before you start, just know that we are extremely proud of you, no matter what happens. If either of you have problems with the exam today, we'll do whatever it takes to help you for the next time. You'll pass. It might not be today, but you'll pass. We all know that Microsoft makes this bad boy extremely difficult. This is for computing pros to show that they're qualified. There are questions that are difficult for Mr. Carbon and he’s been doing this for years. This might be an historic day. No one this young has ever passed. Good luck to you both, even though we all know that you've made your own luck by working so hard. Mr. Carbon has a few words to say.”

  Both boys had become increasingly confident and energized while Ron Sweden talked. Now, they were smiling and sitting erect. Each young man had the look of a well-trained solder, ready for battle. Neither had any doubt about the outcome of their tests.

  Matthew Carbon looked at the two and spoke.

  “I have a few tips for you guys. The first test is always the hardest, because you've never been through it before. Any questions before I start?”

  “What is the hardest part of taking one of these?” asked Gunnar.

  “The questions are tricky. They go in one direction in the beginning and then change at the end. You need to double check to see that you actually understood the answer that they are looking for. I have some more things to tell you. First, answer every question. If you aren’t sure, answer it anyway, mark it, and come back later. Read every question at least twice before answering. If you have a mind cramp, stop to refocus. Don’t hurt yourself by getting too frustrated over one question. You guys know the material. If you stay calm, you'll get enough right. And, one last thing, this is pass or fail. In the end, the score doesn’t matter.”

  The blond young woman came over and asked the boys to follow her. They walked behind her out the door toward the field. The fathers looked through the windows as the three walked up the stairs of a small two-story, blue building. After about five minutes, Billy and the girl came back. Billy immediately started to read through a large hardcover book and a pile of notes.

  Matthew Carbon looked at Ron Sweden. The confidence he demonstrated minutes before had disappeared. His shoulders were slumped and he was staring at the blue building. Matthew could see that he was tense. The two men walked away from Billy. Ron looked seriously at Matthew and spoke.

  “I've been over the material. I’m not a computer expert, but it looks extremely difficult. Are these kids prepared for this? I would hate to see them fail after all of that hard work.”

  Matthew Carbon looked up to the much taller man and smiled.

  “This is their first exam. I made sure that they studied more than necessary. They know it inside and out. We only have the emotional factor. That's the unknown. We have no way of knowing how much pressure they'll put on themselves? I think they're too young to feel it. I'm very optimistic. We'll know soon.”

>   Ron looked drained and forsaken in spite of the other man’s words.

  “I wish I was as confident as you are.”

  This guy can sure turn it on when he wants, but I guess he's human like the rest of us. I never thought he doubted anything. Man, those kids thought they could walk on water after he got through with them, thought Matthew.

  Billy was now coming over. It was time for him to go in. He shook hands with both parents and smiled. He seemed almost frisky.

  “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I’ve decided this is going to be fun, no matter what.”

  After watching Billy walk up the stairs, the men waited. Neither man sat as the minutes oozed by like thick, sticky syrup. They walked and talked, while occasionally looking out the tall windows, through the rain, at the closed door at the top of the stairs. Although the exam was scheduled for two hours, both fathers started staring directly at the door after an hour and a half. Finally, the door opened and Gunnar stepped onto the platform. He looked neither happy nor sad, but a bit distracted. The men gestured as if to ask, “What happened? Did you pass?” Ron Sweden was especially expressive and intense. Gunnar slowly looked over and acted as if he had not seen anyone. It seemed like time stopped for the fathers. Then Gunnar smiled and thrust his arm out with a thumb shooting toward the dark sky. Both men clapped and Ron Sweden jumped a little. They walked briskly to the door as the tall boy leapt down the stairs in glee.

  “What was it like?” beamed Ron Sweden to his son.

  “I got 820. It was okay after I stopped worrying. It took me until Billy showed up to calm down.”

  “How hard was it?

  “We really do know this stuff. Mr. Carbon was right. We just needed to stay cool. Billy was going fast. I think he'll be out soon. Oh, and I found a question that was wrong. I gave the answer they wanted though.”

  As Gunnar went to the front desk to get the official read-out of his exam score, the fathers walked out the door and waited near the bottom of the steps. There was a light mist gently blowing onto them. Gunnar was walking up to them when the door at the top of the stairs opened. Billy walked out grinning and raised both arms into the air. The two fathers and Gunnar clapped and cheered.