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April 2017
“I love Toby to death, but boy oh boy, can he be a real dufus at times,” David Ingram said over the phone to one of his best friends, Levi Cranston. “Oh geez, what happened now?” Levi asked over the phone. “So Toby and his friend, Sav, were home from college this weekend. And Dawson and Toby were supposed to go to our grandma’s birthday dinner last night. Dawson and his wife, Daniela, came out and showed up on time. Toby, however, lost track of time, since he was out skateboarding with Sav and a couple other friends. And he showed up late of course, and then he really embarrassed himself at the restaurant.” “He can be a bit of a space cadet, is that right?” “Toby is by far one of the smartest people I know. All five of us boys are highly intelligent, but he has single-handedly challenged me on certain ideas that I would never have thought of, coming from my younger brother. But he has a tendency to be very absent-minded,” David replied. “That used to be me all the time as a kid, but then I changed my ways,” Levi said. “That’s all of us, to be honest. Our grandma requested that they all dress a little nicer since it was her birthday. I think Toby forgot to set his alarm to the time that he was supposed to get ready for the dinner. He spent too much time skateboarding with his friends that Dawson called him and asked him where he was. Then, Toby panicked and had Sav drive him to the restaurant. He showed up to the restaurant dripping in sweat and exhausted. He also had his skateboard with him, and our grandma called him out in front of everyone.” “I’m sorry that he had to deal with that. Happened to me a lot as a kid, so I can relate.” “Everything is fine now between Toby and our grandma. She can be a bit unreasonable at times. But in the end, she wants what’s best for us, and she wants us to be happy. But Toby did tell me that he felt so bad that he wanted to crawl into a hole at the dinner.” “Why weren’t you at the dinner?” “Oh for god’s sake. Brody and I are now in San Francisco, and Brett is in Brooklyn.”
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June 2016
“So, unfortunately, David can’t join us for tennis this afternoon,” Brody Ingram said on the phone. “Oh, sorry to hear that. He alright?” Levi Cranston responded on the other end. “Yeah, he’s fine. We’re worried that Toby might have a sinus infection. It started off as a cold, but he started feeling intense pressure in his nose, around where your sinuses are. And he’s been in bed all day today. David is gonna stay home with him and keep him company.” “He’s a good brother.” “I wish he could play tennis with us, but I think he and Toby will have enough fun playing video games,” Brody replied. “Yes, he will,” Levi said. “I don’t remember Toby being this down in a while. I had a small sinus infection a few years ago, and it knocked me down for at least a week or so.” “Yeah, a few years ago, my sister Vicky and I both had it, and it ruined our summers.” “It’s not fun. For me, it started off as a cold, and then it turned into that.” June 2016
“Toby, you alright?” Brody Ingram asked his younger brother, whom he saw lying on the couch in the common area. “My head’s pounding,” Toby replied. “Sorry to hear that.” “Yeah, well, I did it to myself.” “What happened?” Brody asked. “Idiot me decided to go on a run after taking a week off from it with this damn head cold going on,” Toby replied. “How do you feel, aside from the pounding headache?” “I feel okay otherwise, a little tired. It felt really nice getting my pulse up again, but I think I started back at it a little too early.” “Maybe a little, but at least you got a workout in. Do you think it went well today?” “No.” Summer 2024
Toby Ingram just came back from a run, and his girlfriend, Alyssa, was waiting for him at his apartment. They were planning to spend the evening in and watch goofy cartoons. He needed a breather before taking a shower, so he lay on the common area floor with Alyssa, and he lifted his shirt up to his chest, exposing his ribs and belly button. Alyssa then put her right ear against his upper stomach. “Jesus Christ, Toby. Your heart’s thumping,” Alyssa remarked. “Yup, I can feel it in my chest,” Toby replied. “You’re so hot and sweaty, too. How did your run go?” “I think it went well. Ran up Halsted through Boystown and back and then a little past Fullerton and back.” “How crazy was it today?” Alyssa asked. “It wasn’t bad. It’s gonna be insane next weekend though,” Toby said. “Oh yeah, that’s right. Oh, can you do me one favor?” “Yea?” “Can you tell me your middle name?” “You know my middle name.” “I do, but I want to hear you say it,” Alyssa said. “Alright, my middle name is Matthew,” Toby replied. “What is it again?” “It’s Matthew.” “Again?” “Matthew.” “I just love hearing you say your middle name.” “Sure.” “You’ve got a strong and sexy heartbeat.” Spring 2019
“Toby, you’re awake,” Brody Ingram said to his younger brother. They, along with their three other brothers, were in Door County, Wisconsin for a road trip. Toby was sick with pneumonia, so Brody kept him company while everyone else explored the area. “I had a really bad dream,” Toby replied quietly, he was lying on his stomach, with his arms wrapped around his pillow. His eyes were half open. “Like a fever dream?” “Yeah, I think that’s what it’s called. I thought you went on a run.” “I did, but I’ve been back for about an hour. I’ve been playing video games since then,” Brody said. “My heart’s pounding. Like not really fast, but it’s beating really hard through my pillow,” Toby remarked. “It was really scary, wasn’t it?” “Mhm.” “Take a deep breath, and if you need to squeeze my hand, just let me know. You’ll be okay.” “I hope so. That was probably one of the worst nightmares I’ve ever had.” “You gonna try to go back to sleep?” “I need to, really want to fight this bug off.” March 2018
“Did you see the last text from Mom about Toby?” Brody Ingram asked his older brother, David. They were both playing video games. “Not recently. Any new updates? Last I saw was that he was getting ready to go into surgery,” David replied. “It’s done.” “Oh really?” “Yeah, I’ll just read the text. She said, ‘Hey family, so I have an update on Toby. Daniela and I are both at the hospital with him, and his appendix is out. He did very well with the surgery, but he has severe nausea and threw up twice already. They noted that his heart rate is pretty elevated. They also noted that he does have a hernia, which they will look at once he is recovered from his appendectomy. They are keeping him for 1-2 days for observation, but they said they appreciated his quick wit and good banter. For what he has gone through today, he seems to be in really good spirits,’” Brody said. “Yup. He’s our Toby,” David remarked. “I can relate to that, since I had my appendix removed, too. I think I stayed in the hospital for 2 days. Worst pain and nausea I’ve ever experienced.” “Yes, I remember that. One minute, we were playing video games. The next minute, you were completely doubled over in agonizing pain.” “If I remember correctly, I wasn’t feeling amazing at all that day. I had a weird cramp in my stomach which then went over to where my appendix was. I tried to hide how I felt, and I think I succeeded.” Spring 2019
“How are you feeling now, Toby?” Brody Ingram asked his younger brother, Toby, in the hotel room in Door County. They were both hanging out in the hotel playing video games, since Toby was sick with pneumonia. “My chest hurts when I breathe in,” Toby replied. “Oh yes. Pneumonia sucks. Been there, done that.” “I’m just glad that I have someone to play video games with.” “Honestly wasn’t feeling up to going out anyway, so it all worked out,” Brody said. “What were we all planning to do today? I’m completely out of the loop since I’ve been so sick,” Toby asked. “I remember we all wanted to go to a fish boil. Not sure who all will be going to that now. I think otherwise they were gonna go on a boat ride.” “F*ck me, I wanted to do that.” “Honestly I’d rather not be on a boat.” “Yeah, I could fall asleep at any moment.” Summer 2024
Toby Ingram just came back from a run, and his girlfriend, Alyssa, was waiting for him at his apartment. They were planning to spend the evening in and watch goofy cartoons. He needed a breather before taking a shower, so he lay on the common area floor with Alyssa, and he lifted his shirt up to his chest, exposing his ribs and belly button. Alyssa then put her right ear against his upper stomach. “Jesus Christ, Toby. Your heart’s thumping,” Alyssa remarked. “Yup, I can feel it in my chest,” Toby replied. “You’re so hot and sweaty, too. How did your run go?” “I think it went well. Ran up Halsted through Boystown and back and then a little past Fullerton and back.” “How crazy was it today?” Alyssa asked. “It wasn’t bad. It’s gonna be insane next weekend though,” Toby said. “Oh yeah, that’s right. Oh, can you do me one favor?” “Yea?” “Can you tell me your middle name?” “You know my middle name.” “I do, but I want to hear you say it,” Alyssa said. “Alright, my middle name is Matthew,” Toby replied. “What is it again?” “It’s Matthew.” “Again?” “Matthew.” “I just love hearing you say your middle name.” “Sure.” “You’ve got a strong and sexy heartbeat.” June 2016
“Toby, you alright?” Brody Ingram asked his younger brother, whom he saw lying on the couch in the common area. “My head’s pounding,” Toby replied. “Sorry to hear that.” “Yeah, well, I did it to myself.” “What happened?” Brody asked. “Idiot me decided to go on a run after taking a week off from it with this damn head cold going on,” Toby replied. “How do you feel, aside from the pounding headache?” “I feel okay otherwise, a little tired. It felt really nice getting my pulse up again, but I think I started back at it a little too early.” “Maybe a little, but at least you got a workout in. Do you think it went well today?” “No.” |
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