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- As Things Change
- Part XXXVI
Matt and Stevie are playing video games when Stevie glances at
his watch. “Oh, crap! I gotta go.” He jumps up from
the floor. “My mom is gonna kill me. I was supposed to be
home a half hour ago.”
-
- Matt stands. “Why didn’t
she call you?”
-
- Stevie pulls his phone out
of his pocket, glancing at the display. “Dead battery. Give
me your phone.”
-
- Matt grabs his phone off
the desk, handing it to Stevie. He dials and waits. “Sorry,
Mom! I’m at Matt’s. I’ll be there in 15 minutes.
See ya.”
- He flips the phone closed
and hands it back to Matt. “She sounded annoyed. This should
be a fun shopping trip.”
-
- “Tell her it was my
fault. She likes me.”
-
- Stevie walks out of the room.
“I’ll try that,” he says sarcastically.
-
- Matt follows him down the
stairs. They are headed to the front door when it opens and Bo
and Nora walk in. “Hi guys. How was your lunch?”
-
- Matt shrugs. “It was
fine, Mom.”
-
- Stevie continues toward the
door. “I have to go. I’m late and my mom is kinda pi…
mad.”
-
- Bo stands in the doorway.
“We have something to show you, Matt.”
-
- He sits on the couch. “What?”
-
- Bo motions outside. “In
the driveway…”
-
- Matt jumps off the couch.
“My new wheels?” He brushes past Bo on his way out
the door, Stevie right behind him.
-
- Bo takes Nora’s hand
and they walk out into the yard. Matt is standing in the driveway,
staring at the new Toyota Prius parked on the street in front
of their house. Stevie whistles. “That is one sweet ride,
Buchanan.”
-
- “You think so?”
-
- Stevie shrugs. “It’s
no Porsche but chicks dig these cars.”
-
- “They do?”
-
- “Sure. These cars say
you’re all 'sensitive and concerned with the environment'…”
-
- Matt rolls his eyes. “I
guess I missed that.”
-
- Nora looks at him. “You
don’t like it?”
-
- “I didn’t say that.
Why did you pick this?”
-
- Nora opens the driver’s
side door. “It has air bags everywhere, anti-lock brakes,
it has a good safety record and it’s environmentally friendly.”
-
- Bo stands beside Nora. “If
you don’t like it, you can keep your bike.”
-
- “Let’s not get
crazy. I didn’t say I don’t like it.”
-
- Matt moves past her and takes
a seat behind the wheel. Stevie goes around and climbs into the
passenger side. “It’s like a rocket ship in here.”
-
- Matt nods. “It is kinda
cool.”
-
- Stevie closes his door. “Let’s
take it for a spin.”
-
- Matt looks at Nora. “Can
we?”
-
- “Sure. It’s your
car, sweetie. You have your license.”
-
- Matt turns to Stevie. “Aren’t
you supposed to be home? Your mom is gonna freak.”
-
- “Let’s ride over
there. I’ll tell her we can get camp gear tomorrow.”
-
- Bo pulls open the rear door
and climbs in. “We need to go over a few things first. I
want to make sure you know how everything works before you take
off.”
-
- Rex walks into the loft carrying
a takeout bag. “I got your burger from Rodi’s.”
-
- Lauren joins him in the kitchen.
“What took you so long? I’m famished!”
-
- He kisses her cheek as she
grabs the bag from him. “You only ordered it 15 minutes
ago. They do have to cook it, you know.”
-
- “Don’t start with
me, Rex. You try eating for two and see how rational you are
about food.”
-
- He grins. “Yes, dear.
Bad day?”
-
- She sits at the table. “Not
really. It’s just getting annoying to sit at my desk every
day. I need to get up more and walk around. My legs are cramping
and my back is killing me. I can’t imagine what will happen
when I really get big.”
-
- He opens the fridge, grabbing
a beer. “It’s only a few more months…”
-
- Lauren rolls her eyes. “A
few months, he says. It’s already been 20 years!”
-
- He chuckles as he leans down
to kiss her. “Anything you say… Hey, where’s the
picture from the sonogram?”
-
- “In my purse. Why?”
-
- He grabs her purse, pulling
out the picture. “I want to get a closer look. If you won’t
let them tell me what sex the baby is, maybe I can figure it
out myself.”
-
- She laughs. “You really
think you can read those?”
-
- “How hard can it be?
I mean, it’s pretty obvious if one particular part is present
or not.”
-
- “Really?”
-
- “Yeah. All I have to
do is figure out where that part may be on this picture. Simple.”
-
- “Go for it. Just don’t
tell me what you think you know based on this dubious research.”
-
- Bo and Nora are sitting on
the couch, her head leaning on his shoulder, watching an old
movie. She turns and looks up at him. “Should we have let
them go off by themselves?”
-
- “They’ll be fine,
honey. When Matt drove around the neighborhood with me, he seemed
comfortable behind the wheel. Now that he has a license, we have
to let him go. And remember, we bought him the car.”
-
- “You think he really
liked it?”
-
- Bo nods. “I don’t
think it’s the sports car he was hoping for but I think
he likes all the gadgets. And Stevie told him it was cool, so
that helped.”
-
- “Did they say where
they were going?”
-
- “Nope. They had to stop
by Stevie’s house and then I suspect they will head to the
mall. I told him to be back by 10.”
-
- “10? It will be dark
by then. Does he know how to use the headlights?”
-
- “Yes, honey. I showed
him all the pertinent controls. Relax. We have the entire evening
to ourselves. Let’s just enjoy that.” She is about
to say something but he puts his finger to her lips. “Shhhh…
We’re missing all the good parts of the movie…”
-
- Matt pulls into the parking
lot of the Putt Putt Park, carefully parking the car far away
from the other vehicles. Stevie shakes his head. “What are
you doing?”
-
- “I don’t want it
to get any scratches.”
-
- Stevie pushes open his door.
“So we park in outer Siberia.”
-
- Matt grins as he climbs out
of the car. “You need the exercise. It will be good practice
for ski camp.”
-
- “Bite me, Buchanan.”
-
- The boys make their way into
the snack bar. Matt waves at Kallie as they walk up to the counter.
“Hey, guys. What are you doing here?”
-
- Matt smiles. “Can you
take a break? I want to show you something.”
-
- “My shift is over in
a little bit. Do you want to order something and wait?”
-
- Matt digs out his wallet.
“I want a chili dog and tots. Large soda too.”
-
- Stevie nods. “I’ll
have the same. He’s buying.”
-
- “Who said I was buying?”
-
- “Don’t be a cheapskate,
Buchanan. I’ll get us a table.”
-
- Stevie walks away as Matt
hands Kallie the money. “He’s such a pain.”
-
- Kallie smiles. “It’s
good to see you out again. What’s the occasion?”
-
- “I want to show you
my present from my parents.”
-
- “You got your car?”
Matt nods. “Sweet! What is it?”
-
- “You’ll have to
come out and see.”
-
- Kallie slides the tray of
food toward Matt. “I’m finished in 15 minutes.”
-
- Matt takes the tray. “Thanks.
Come on over when you’re done.”
-
- Matt goes over to the booth,
sliding the tray onto the table. “You’re welcome, ya
mooch.”
-
- Stevie laughs. “Isn’t
it interesting how she’s ‘not your girlfriend’
but the first thing you do is rush over here to show her your
new wheels.”
-
- Matt picks up his chili dog.
“It’s not the first thing. We went to your house and
showed your mom…”
-
- “That was only because
you had to get me out of hot water. How come you’re so talented
in sweet talking my mom and so miserable at it with yours?”
-
- Matt rolls his eyes. “Because
your mom isn’t my mom. Your mom actually likes me.”
-
- “Give it a rest, Buchanan.
Your mom spoils you rotten and you know it. The proof is sitting
out in the parking lot.”
-
- “Based on what Rachel
told me, I think the car is more a product of my dad than Mom.”
-
- “Whatever. You know
as well as I do that your dad doesn’t make a move without
approval from your mom, so I’d say she’s behind the
car. And I can’t picture your dad picking a Prius.”
-
- Matt smiles. “That’s
true. Dad would have caved on the Porsche.”
-
- “And your mother would
have freaked. She’s already going to have a cow about the
boat. Speaking of that, what time are we going out to the lake?”
-
- Kallie slides into the booth
beside Matthew. “I’d like to know that too. I’m
looking forward to the Fourth. I’ve never been out to the
lodge.”
-
- “My parents want to
go up the night before. You guys can come up whenever you’d
like.”
-
- Kallie turns to Matt. “Are
you going to be okay being at the lodge? I mean, I know you spent
a lot of time out there with your grandfather…”
-
- Matt shakes his head. “It’s
cool. When my dad and I were up there, it really was okay. I’m
looking forward to being up there with you guys and showing off
my new boat.”
-
- Kallie grabs a tot off Matt’s
plate. “It sounds awesome. I have to work the early shift
but I’m finished by noon. I can come out after that.”
-
- Stevie nods to her. “Can
I hitch a ride? I don’t trust my piece of shit to make it
up there.”
-
- “Sure. Meet me here
at noon and we’ll head out.” She turns to Matt. “So
when do I get to see your new ride?”
-
- “It’s outside.”
-
- Kallie steals another tot
and slides out of the booth. “Let’s go.”
-
- Stevie motions to his food.
“I’ve already seen it. I’m going to finish…”
-
- Matt follows Kallie out of
the snack shack and into the parking lot. Kallie stops and looks
around. “Which one is it?”
-
- Matt points to the far end
of the lot. “It’s over there.”
-
- Kallie peers over at the
only car sitting that far back in the lot. “That’s
your new car?”
-
- Matt nods as they walk over
to the car. “Yeah, my mom picked it…”
-
- “It’s really cool,
Matt. I’ve never ridden in one before. Is it smooth?”
-
- “Yeah, actually it is.
You wanna go for a ride?”
-
- Kallie turns to him. “I
wish I could. I have to babysit my little sister tonight. I told
my mom I’d be home right after my shift. I’m sorry.”
-
- “It’s okay. I’ll
take you another day.”
-
- “I’d like that.”
She holds out her hand. “Give me the key. I want to see
inside.”
-
- Matt fishes in his pocket
and hands her the key. “The dash is like a space ship.”
-
- She opens the door and climbs
behind the wheel. “I love this!”
-
- Stevie walks up to them.
“Good thing I ate before my all-day journey back to the
car.”
-
- Matt frowns at him. “You
could use that energy to walk home.”
-
- Stevie rolls his eyes as
Kallie climbs out of the car. “I really want a ride soon.
But I gotta run.” She kisses Matt and walks away, turning
to look over her shoulder. “Call me! Bye, Stevie.”
-
- Matt climbs behind the wheel
as Stevie gets in the passenger side. “What was that?”
-
- Matt looks at him. “What?”
-
- Stevie narrows his eyes at
him. “Don’t play dumb. Did Kallie just kiss you?”
-
- “So?”
-
- “So when did you get
back together?”
-
- “I told you, we’re
not.”
-
- “So, you’re friends
with benefits now?” Stevie asks incredulously.
-
- Matt shakes his head. “It’s
no big deal. She kissed me on my birthday too. It’s kind
of a tradition, I guess.”
-
- “Oh, man. You cannot
be this stupid.”
-
- “Look, I’m not
sure what’s going on. Maybe I don’t want to blow it
by making a big deal out of it. Kallie and I have been getting
along great. Can’t we just leave it at that?”
-
- “Um, NO! Dammit, Buchanan.
You tell me you’re going to camp with me and now you’ve
got a girlfriend before we go. You sure know how to suck the
fun out of everything.”
-
- Matt chuckles. “I was
never going to camp to pick up girls. That was your goal.”
-
- “But you were going
to be my wingman and now all I’ll get is that puppy-dog
‘I miss my girlfriend’ look for a week. Great, just
great!”
-
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