From The Somewhat Perilous Plot of the Patriotic Mosquitoes

Levi Cranston woke up, but he did not get out of bed yet. He still lay on his comfortable futon and hoped that his two cats, Duchess and Prussia, would pay him a visit. But, alas, they were probably trying to fight each other to the kitty food bowl. Like what cats always do. One can never trust a cat. But one can always love a cat.

Levi was still lying on his side on the bed. Everyone else was probably doing something rather productive. Since Levi didn't get back home until 5:30 in the morning, sleep was something he most definitely needed. 

However, he was in the mood to play tennis later on today, probably with his friends Jack Andrews, David Savino, and Asad Prejesh. As long as they weren't busy. 

Andrew Grzedek was probably free as well, so he could join in on the fun. However, Levi had just thought about it. Jack was going to St. John to see some family. David was out of town; he was going to Marquette, Michigan with his three older brothers. And Asad was already doing something with his extended family. Most likely just a reunion in town. But who knows.

It wasn't too bad of an idea to phone Andrew. Levi wasn't really doing much. He was sitting in the common area, about to play video games when he wanted to play a specific game that he doesn't have yet. Andrew has it at his house, and Levi was hoping that he could bring it over. 

They did have an idea of what they wanted to do this afternoon. They had talked about it for quite some time, but they have not gone through with it yet. That's why they were planning to go through with it today. Yes, they'd play some vid'ya games. They would have time for that. But Levi was the one who came up with the idea of walking from his house on Elmhurst Avenue in Valparaiso to Wheeler, which is about ten minutes by car.

"Hey," Andrew answered on his end.
"Yo. How ya doing?" Levi answered back, trying to do a great Rhode Island accent like his dad.
"I'm good. Tired, but I'm feeling lots better."
"That's good to hear. Look, you know how we had always talked about walking to Wheeler from our house?"
"Yeah. What about it?" Andrew responded, a little confused. He must have woken up just recently as well.
"Today might be a good day to do that," Levi replied.
"How long do you think it will take us to get there?"
"I didn't really factor that in, but not too long, I don't think."
"It's not close like the fast food joint is, yeah?"
"A little farther away, I'm afraid."

In no time at all, Andrew came over to Levi's house. It took him maybe five minutes to walk here, since he lives a few blocks away from Levi. They greeted each other at the front door, and Andrew brought over some leftover quiche that he and his roommates knew they were not going to finish. 

After chowing down on quiche, Andrew and Levi played the vid'ya game that Andrew brought over from his house on Weston Street. The one that Levi really wanted to play. Then, after an hour and thirty minutes of playing that one vid'ya game, Levi and Andrew discussed their action plan of walking from Levi's house to Wheeler. 

Andrew wasn't quite sure how this would all work out. However, Levi was more than reassuring. He was more than positive that this would be a fun thing to do. Especially since they've never done this before.

"So, I checked my phone, and it says it will take us two hours to walk there," Andrew remarked.
"No, I don't think we'll take that long," Levi said.
"You sure?"
"I'm pretty sure. I'm a faster walker than the average Kevin."
"The average Kevin? I thought I've heard it as the average Joe," Andrew said.
"It's an inside joke between me and one of my cousins. His name is Kevin and he's pretty average," Levi said.
"Good one!"
"I came up with that one."
"It's a good inside joke."
"Thanks."

Pineapple water.
Pineapple infused water.
It is quite tasty.

Working on my books.
Taking one day at a time.
To get it all right.

My infused water.
Better than your infused drink.
Mine's got pineapple.

Most books are in print.
Whatever just floats your boat.
So many options.

Writing whilst drinking.
Books pair with infused water.
​Very, very well.

From Rockybado 4: Running Up a Hill

It was about ten o’clock in the morning. It was a very beautiful day. It was one of those days when everyone wanted to go out and do something just because the weather was nice. However, other people were hoping to sleep the day away, since it’s summer, and they may not have to go into work today. Everyone was home, except Dawson Ingram and his wife, Daniela, were in their apartment in Merrillville, and Brett, Dawson's brother, was in his house with his flat mates on the other side of Crown Point. Mr. and Mrs. Ingram were at the dining room table, conversing amongst themselves. Their brothers, David and Toby, were, of course, playing video games. And they were hoping that Brody, their other brother, would wake up as soon as possible.

That may or may not happen.

Depending on what time Brody had gone to bed the night before. Oh well. David had just woken up an hour ago anyway, so hopefully he would know Brody’s struggles of waking up in the morning. David and Toby had played video games for about thirty minutes when they decided that now would be the perfect time to wake up Brody.

David and Toby did not actually want to prank Brody. Leave that job to Brett, who wasn’t here at the moment. David and Toby crept upstairs to David’s and Brody’s bedroom, where they saw Brody still sleeping. Of course. Brody was, as always, sleeping on his stomach, with his face buried in a pillow, his arms wrapped around the same pillow, and his comforter pushed to the side of the bed. The ceiling fan was on, of course. This was a motivational sign for David and Toby to wake up their brother so that they could all enjoy this nice day.

“Wake up, Brody!” David shouted at the top of his lungs.
“No,” Brody replied in his pillow. David and Toby were very surprised that he had woken up to that.
“No, seriously. You need to wake up.”
“Why?”
“We have big plans today,” David answered.
“No,” Brody said plainly, still in his pillow.
“We are going to a huge amusement park!”
“I don’t remember that being in our plan.”
“Well, it’s in our plan, and we are leaving now.”
“Can’t we do that another day?”

Nice going. Very nice going. David and Toby figured that Brody still wanted to catch up on some sleep, so they left him alone for at least another thirty minutes. David made himself some English breakfast tea, their dad’s favorite. Toby did not make himself some English breakfast tea; he just laughed at David for drinking hot tea on a warm summer morning.

​Some people do have some guilty pleasures.

It was Friday June 9, 2017, and Andrew Grzedek was spending the whole evening in his apartment in Chicago, since he was battling a pretty bad cold. The weather was really hot, so that made things way more miserable than they needed to be. His best friends and roommates, Matt Bartz and Jason Lazinski, were spending an evening in the city. Of course, they invited him to come with them, but Andrew said no. They live in Lincoln Park, a neighborhood just north of downtown, and Matt and Jason had made plans to visit the Loop.

At 7:30 in the evening, Andrew wore his hoodie and jeans, with a blanket over him. All he felt like doing was watch some movies and eat some leftover Chinese food from the night before. His head was pounding, he couldn't breathe, and he just felt miserable overall. Before too long, he fell asleep on the couch, so that he could try to beat this cold before summer really hit. He started feeling sick on Thursday night, but he went to work both days before the weekend started.

It seemed like forever, but it was probably more like fifteen minutes. Andrew woke up to his phone going off. He wasn't too sure if he wanted to answer it or not. He thought about just letting it ring, since he didn't know who would call him at this time of day.

But it occurred to him. 

"Hello?" Andrew answered his phone sleepily.
"Hi, Andrew!" his girlfriend, Eliza Colbert, replied on her end.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Not much. How are you?"
"I'm a little sick," Andrew responded.
"I heard. Want me to come over soon? I brought some things you may like!" Eliza exclaimed.
"Sure. I have some movies we could watch. When will you get here?"
"Well, I'm on the train headed into Chicago, and then I was gonna get a ride over to you."
"How nice of you."
"See you in a few."

Andrew's girlfriend lives in Naperville, which is about thirty minutes west of Chicago. It was probably going to take her about forty-five minutes to get to Andrew's place. Andrew stayed awake as much as he could because he was just simply out of it. At around 8:30, Eliza came to the door with a plastic bag full of stuff in her hand. Andrew slowly got up and opened the door for her.

"Hi, Eliza. Come on in," Andrew greeted his girlfriend. 
"Hey, I got you some orange juice and some French bread," Eliza replied.
"Thank you. I'm really going to need that."
"I don't like orange juice, and my cousin told me to give it to you, since she also knows you're sick."
"I think I'm gonna need orange juice now more than ever," Andrew remarked, smiling a little.
"Probably. I also brought some movies that you can fall asleep to," Eliza said.
"Hopefully they're funny."
"They are."
"Then I probably won't fall asleep to them."
"You never know."

Matt and Jason knew Eliza was coming over for a night, and they were fine with that. Andrew put on a couple movies that lasted about three hours altogether. It was now almost midnight, and Andrew fell asleep on the pull-out couch when the second movie was about to end. Eliza did not want to disturb him, but she decided to wrap her arms around him and fall asleep right next to him.

Why not?

"I know what we need to get Andrew," Matt said to Jason as they were about to head back to the Lincoln Park neighborhood.
"What?" Jason asked.
"A cookie."
"That would be a great idea. Are you talking about those gooey cookies that we had that one time?"
"Yes," Matt replied.
"I want one now as well," Jason stated.
"We can also get one for ourselves."
"Good."
"I still have some leftover pizza from tonight. I'm gonna have some when we get back."
​"You go do that."

Wonderful weekend,
Was had very much by all.
Music all the time.

Japanese cuisine.
Then, off to Windy City,
Known as Chicago.

Mexican music.
Steak, shrimp, bacon, pineapple,
All on a taco.

Pina coladas.
And some Mexican street corn.
Oh wow. What a night.

Beautiful sunset.
The city of Chicago.
​Fun for evening walks.

Hey all!

Just to let you know, I am going to have some of my Kindle books FREE on Amazon starting tomorrow and ending Wednesday! Below are the names of the books, the duration of the promotion, the summary, and link to each book. Happy reading!

Rockybado 4: Running Up a Hill
June 18 - 19, 2017
"Summer of 2014 commences in Crown Point, Indiana. David Ingram just recently graduates from college and now has a full-time job. Brody, his younger brother, has an internship for his computer engineering major. Brett, the second oldest of the five boys, is trying to figure out what he wants to do with his bands, and Toby, the youngest, wants to join a band someday. And their oldest brother, Dawson, is about to get married. Overall, their summer starts out very bittersweet."

The Jazzy Island of Dinosaurs 4: The Typical Life of a Foodie
June 18 - 22, 2017
"It is the summer of 2014 in St. John, Indiana, a small town in Northwest Indiana about 45 minutes away from Chicago. There is a lot going on this summer, yet nothing at the same time. Andrew Grzedek just recently graduates from college and moves in with his two cousins and mutual friend. Caleb, his younger brother of two years, is still trying to keep his band going strong. Everyone in their family is constantly making food. His sister, Alyssa, reunites with her good friend who moved back here from California. And no one else has much direction on what their plans will be for the summer."

The Magic Video Game 4: The Upbringing of a New Comedian
June 18 - 22, 2017
"Summer of 2014 is here in Valparaiso, Indiana. Levi Cranston is making the transition from college life to home life for the summer, and he might consider becoming a comedian like his dad. He and his friends are typical college students who want to make the most out of their summer by practicing tennis, hitting up all the bars and fast food joints in the area, and just making the most out of life in general."

The Somewhat Perilous Plot of the Patriotic Mosquitoes
June 18 - 21, 2017
"It is summer of 2014, and eight kids, all from Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, decide to visit the three amazing islands, known commonly to man as Texamilio, Galavanti Island, and Wakahakai. Levi Cranston, Jack Andrews, Andrew and Caleb Grzedek, Bradley, David and Brody Ingram, and Claire meet Rockybado, the Robot King of the Island in Texamilio; Dacston, a musically inclined t-rex in Galavanti Island; and Marty, a rather cool polar bear in Wakahakai. The kids plan to make the most out of their time in the three islands until there is word that Johnny Morthland (Sam), the leader of the Patriotic Mosquitoes, plans to acquire the three islands and rule them all. The question is, what can they all do to keep the Patriotic Mosquitoes from taking the islands from the rightful owners?"

From The Jazzy Island of Dinosaurs 2: The Sound of a B Flat

Caleb Grzedek did not really feel like sitting in the living room. Tonight was weird because he would normally want to play video games with his siblings. However, it was one of those days that he just didn’t want to do anything else other than make sure Andrew was starting to feel better.
And Caleb had a question to ask his parents. A very curious question. Since their dad was in the kitchen, Caleb walked over to where their dad was sitting and tried to ask him that specific question.

“Hey, Dad?” Caleb got his dad’s attention.
“Yes, son?” Mr. Grzedek replied.
“I have a question.”
“Ask away.”
“How did you meet Mom?” Caleb asked.
“Okay. So, one day, on August 1st, 1986, your mom and I were somehow in the same place at the same time in Milwaukee,” Mr. Grzedek started to explain.
“Oh? Go on.”
“It was the best restaurant in all of Milwaukee.”
“I like Milwaukee. Keep telling me what happened!”
“Would you like to know the whole story?”
“Yes, I do!”

It was August 1st, 1986. Mr. Grzedek just now got off work at a local family Christian store and decided to go with his best friends to a restaurant in downtown Milwaukee. He and his two best friends, John Shapiro and Chris DeMaine, decided to order an extra large pizza with extra mozzarella cheese and meatballs.

What a typical Friday evening for the three boys: an outing to their favorite restaurant, an extra large pizza with mozzarella cheese and meatballs, and then a walk around the neat downtown after dinner.

All three boys, who were twenty-five years old at the time, shared a very nice apartment in a nice suburb of Milwaukee. They just completed graduate school, and they thought that living near Milwaukee was the best idea ever. And so, John Grzedek, John Shapiro, and Chris DeMaine decided to go with it.

Today, John glanced at all of the girls in the restaurant. Until he came across one girl, who was not at all like the other girls that he had ever laid eyes on. He decided to himself that she was the one for him, and he was going to marry her someday. With that in mind, while waiting for their pizza, John and his two best friends walked over to her table.

“Hello,” John greeted the girl.
“Hi,” the girl replied, perhaps feeling a little uncomfortable.
“My name is John.”
“I’m Deena.”
“Are you from around here?” John asked.
“I’m from Kansas,” Deena replied.
“Would you like to join us for a journey in our meatball submarine?”
“A….what?”
“Our meatball submarine. We go into a submarine, where we find meatballs!”
“Okay.”

That was a good enough conversation with a complete stranger. John did somehow manage to get her phone number, and he told her to call him. When he and his friends walked back to their table, they had a genius idea of starting a meatball fight; they all found meatballs on random tables, so they used those. And the meatball fight was about to start….until a waiter shot a huge meatball out the glass window, and the restaurant exploded, and everyone flew into the river.

The same girl whom John had talked to earlier had decided to swim in his general direction, since everyone was now afloat in the water. Amidst all of the falling meteorites that were now balls of bacon, the environment surrounding the entire population was peaceful.

“Hey, girl,” John greeted her again with a wink.
“Hi,” Deena replied, just as simply as before.
“So, what are you doing here in Milwaukee, if you’re from Kansas?”
“I’m visiting my sister.”
“Does she live here?” John asked.
“For now. She was offered an internship for music administration,” Deena said.
“Interesting.”
“So, did you want to set up a date with me some time?”
“I thought you’d never ask! Four o’clock tomorrow afternoon at the bacon and meatball factory?”
“Sounds good to me!”

And John knew that he had already found the girl whom he was going to marry. He just knew things were going to happen for the better. And John had decided to call a date at the bacon and meatball factory for the following afternoon.

“That wasn’t what happened, was it?” Caleb asked his dad, with a lot of doubt in his tone.
“It really happened, I swear!” Mr. Grzedek replied with a grin.
“A bacon meteorite?!”
“Yes. It happened!”
“I didn’t know how much you loved bacon and meatballs!” Caleb exclaimed.
“Well, I do,” Mr. Grzedek responded with an even bigger grin.
“So, you were about to start a meatball fight, and a meatball thrown by the waiter broke through a window?”
“Inevitably.”
“So, it was that. And, when you were in the river, there were meteorites?”
“From what I remember.”

Caleb still didn’t quite believe what his dad said. He thought that his dad was making more of a joke out of it than he was trying to be serious. And, it was pretty obvious that he was not all that honest about how he and his wife met. Andrew had asked the exact same question to both parents when he was thirteen, or two years ago, or in 2004. At the end of the story, Andrew actually laughed at the response that his dad had given him.

When Caleb found their mom coming out of Andrew’s bedroom, he asked her the exact same question that he had asked their dad earlier. And he thought that their mom was going to give him a more honest answer than the silly response that his dad gave him.

“Mom?” Caleb got his mom’s attention.
“Yeah?” Mrs. Grzedek responded.
“How did you meet Dad?”
“Oh, did your dad tell you a silly story about how we met?”
“Kind of. I wasn’t sure of everything that he said,” Caleb replied.
“Did he use his meatball story again?” Mrs. Grzedek asked her son, shaking her head from a great sense of amusement.
“Yeah.”
“He always likes to joke about meatballs and how we met.”
“I figured. Could you tell me how you met?”
“I’d love to.”

It was August 1st, 1986. Deena Johnson was visiting her older sister, Lisa, in Milwaukee. She went to a good restaurant in downtown with her parents, Lisa, and her younger sister, Christine. The family just came back from a band concert that Lisa participated in, and they were going to celebrate Lisa’s success by going to her favorite restaurant in Milwaukee.

All five of them were sitting quietly, enjoying the scenery that was surrounding them. The whole Johnson family really enjoyed themselves in Milwaukee so far, and they were glad that they had a few days to spend here.

After a waitress came to their table and took their orders, Deena noticed that there was a young man who continued to glance in her general direction. Not quite sure what he actually meant by his continuous glances, she chose to ignore it. Deena thought that it was someone from Milwaukee who thought she was cute, but he knew that he would never have an opportunity with her. Deena was from Kansas, and this person was most likely from around here.

But, all of a sudden, the same person and his two best friends walked over to her table so that they could make conversation with her in some way or another. They were either going to try to be silly, or the one young man would make an attempt to create a serious relationship with her.

“Hello,” the boy greeted Deena.
“Hi,” she replied, perhaps feeling a little uncomfortable.
“My name is John.”
“I’m Deena.”
“Are you from around here?” John asked.
“I’m from Kansas,” Deena replied.
“Would you like to go on a date with me some time?”
“A date?”
“Yeah. You know, a date. While you’re still in the Milwaukee area.”
“Okay.”

That was a good conversation with a complete stranger. John did somehow manage to get her phone number, and he told her to call him. At first, Deena decided to shake her head and laugh to herself about the situation that she was just in. With three complete strangers.

This could not be happening.

And then, she thought. That boy was actually pretty cute. Even though he made it sound as if she was the one who he was going to marry. Deena thought that it would be a good idea to give it a try. And that was what she did. She walked back to the boys’ table to make another conversation with them. Primarily John, though.

“Hey, girl,” John greeted her again with a wink.
“Hi,” Deena replied, just as simply as before.
“So, what are you doing here in Milwaukee, if you’re from Kansas?”
“I’m visiting my sister.”
“Does she live here?” John asked.
“For now. She was offered an internship for music administration,” Deena said.
“Interesting.”
“So, did you want to set up a date with me some time?”
“I thought you’d never ask! Four o’clock tomorrow afternoon at the river walk?”
“Sounds good to me!”

​And, before Deena knew it, she had a date set up with a young man who may or may not eventually become her boyfriend, her fiancé, and her husband.

“That was what happened, right?” Caleb asked his mom.
“Yes,” Mrs. Grzedek replied.
“So, there was no such thing as a meatball fight and a bacon and meatball meteorite show?”
“Absolutely not. Your dad made it all up.”
“He does have a good sense of humor,” Caleb said matter-of-factly.
“He does, but if he told Alyssa the same thing he told you, she’d believe everything he told her,” Mrs. Grzedek answered.
“Well, she’s only six years old.”
“And she’s so gullible.”
“But she’s cute.”
“Yes, she is.”

'Tis Haiku Monday!
Hope that your weekend was good.
Mine sure as heck was.

Time in Illinois.
Well spent with some friends from there.
We had gone bowling.

More socializing.
Honestly that was okay.
Then we played some games.

Lazer tag, of course.
Then we rode in bumper cars.
Badly bruised a knee.

Played some arcade games.
Then we danced a little bit.
Delicious cheese curds.

French Market today.
Told some peeps about my work.
B. Levi, Sci-Fi.

Hopefully you'll read
This most awesome blog post now!
​Check out my website!

From Rockybado 2: A Run in the Game

Brett Ingram looked at his electric guitar with complete admiration. David, his younger brother, looked at Brett’s science formula posters with complete admiration. And Brody, Brett's even younger brother, was looking at both of his brothers with a look of confusion on his face. 

“Hey, Brett?” Brody tried to get his older brother’s attention.
“Yays?” Brett answered, suddenly taking his eyes off his guitar.
“How are you after a couple days ago?”
“What do you mean?”
“You thought a girl was cute.”
“Oh. I did?”
“….I thought you said that.”
“Oh. I did.”

Brody knew how extremely sarcastic his older brother was being right now. Of course, Brett probably still had that girl on his mind. He just didn’t want to say it. And Brody probably did not understand the whole story about what happened when Brett laid eyes on the pretty girl for the first time. Basically because Brett was not at all open about it with him.

“Yeah. She’s cute,” Brett blurted out.
“Her name?” David asked.
“It’s a Serbian name, and I can’t remember it offhand. But I do have it in my phone. She wanted me to call her back.”
“Did you?” Brody questioned.
“Not yet.”
“Oh?”
“Can I be honest with you?”
“Yeah.”
“I forgot.”

All three boys laughed pretty hard. It has always been in Brett’s nature to forget something simple as that. He can remember the hardest math equations, the most complicated chemical bonds, and the physiology of the breathing apparatus. But he often forgets to call people who ask him to.

Oh well. It happens.

While Brett, David, and Brody were still sitting in Brett’s room, Brett went back to looking at his electric guitar with complete admiration. David went back to looking at Brett’s science formula posters with complete admiration. And Brody went back to looking at both of his brothers with a look of confusion on his face.

He didn’t want to say anything now because, really, he didn’t know what to say at this point. Brody couldn’t think of anything else to talk about. David couldn’t think of anything else to talk about. And Brett wanted to pull out his electric guitar and practice. 

And then it occurred to Brody.

“Oh, Brett?” Brody tried getting his older brother’s attention.
“Yays?” Brett answered.
“You will see her at bowling practice, won’t you?”

It took a little while for Brett to answer Brody’s question. Simply because he had thought about avoiding it. But why, though? This really had nothing to do with either David or Brody. The youngest brother in the room was just curious, and he just wanted to ask a curious question. Simple enough.

After two minutes of complete thought….

​“Yes, Brody. I will see her today,” Brett answered reluctantly.
“We will let you practice on your guitar,” David said.
“Thank you.”

From Rockybado 4: Running Up a Hill

Brody and David Ingram were outside on this morning. It was a nice one at best; they could feel the breeze in their faces, and the sun was up. They knew that it was going to be a nice day to say the least. It was ten o’clock, and everyone had been awake for at least two hours, even David and Brody. But they were all okay with that. The two Irish twin brothers sat out on the patio, trying to decide what to do next. 

“Want to ride bikes?” David asked his younger brother of a little less than a year.
“Okay! Any idea on where we’d go?” Brody exclaimed.
“Probably downtown. I know that we both like going there.”
“Let’s do this.”
“We are riding to Downtown Crown Point and back. I don’t know if we’d have time to ride all the way to Lowell,” David remarked, reminding Brody of his girlfriend, Candace Seales.
“We couldn’t pay Candace a visit anyway,” Brody said.
“Oh. Is she out of town?”
“She’s at her mom’s house for the day.”
“Where does she live?”
“St. John, so not too far away.”

Oh well. David and Brody knew that they were going to have a lot of fun anyway. They always have fun on their bike rides together. The two boys always have, and chances are that they always will. Toby and their mom went to Merrillville to visit Dawson and Daniela, and their dad met up with one of his friends at a nice coffee shop this morning. So, David and Brody decided to leave their house and ride their bikes to Brett’s house.

Brett, who is the second oldest child of the Ingram Family, and his bandmates live in a house on Magnolia Drive, which is south of the downtown area, and a twenty-five minute bike ride from 93rd and Merrillville, which is technically where David and Brody live. The two boys were okay with the thirty minute bike ride to their older brother’s house. 

While riding their bikes to Brett's house, David and Brody were trying to chase each other down the street. Maybe not the safest thing to do, they quit after five minutes. But Brody thought of the idea of taking both hands off the handlebars and raising them up in the air. For a few seconds, he could feel the wind blowing in his face, and he could also feel the wind surging through his shirt. 

What a liberating feeling. 

Then, Brody was starting to lose control of his bike, which nearly went off the curb and onto the road. He was able to grip the handlebars before that happened. The two boys realized that they headed into Downtown Crown Point soon enough. When they were there, it wasn’t crowded at all. The streets weren’t all that busy. There were a few passersby, but that was basically it. 

There were quite a few elderly couples walking their dogs. A couple families with their little kids going over to the nearest fast food joint in the area. Some young adults were just walking around, trying to pass the time by having some fun. 
Downtown was nice, as always.

Then David and Brody stayed on Main Street, and headed toward their old high school. They saw the hospital and realized that Magnolia Drive was coming up soon. David and Brody turned left onto Magnolia Drive.

About a minute later, the two boys approached a smaller house with a blue pick-up truck that was assumed to be the carrier of all the equipment for the gigs. This is Brett’s house. But the truck does not belong to Brett. It belongs to the drummer of the band. 

David and Brody set their bikes out in front of the pick-up truck and walked up to the front door. Brody knocked on it, and Brett came out within moments. He was wearing a blue polo shirt and khakis. 

Brett’s typical attire.

They all said “hi” to each other, and Brett invited David and Brody inside. Everyone in the band was at home. John Coolwood, Chris Paragnotti, and Tony Rossi. Chris and Tony were in the middle of a card game, commonly known to man as euchre. The two bandmates invited Brody to play euchre with them, which he accepted. David, Brett, and Coolwood ended up conversing amongst themselves.