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April 2024
“I wish David Savino could come with us to Boston,” David Ingram said on the phone to his friend, Levi Cranston. “Yeah, poor nutjob is down with a bad cold,” Levi replied. “I know he and his roommates are all sick with a cold, and they hung out together in the common area and watched TV for the whole day.” “Didn’t you and your brothers do that once?” “Oh my god, yes. This was when Brett was a junior in high school, I was a sophomore, Brody was a freshman, and Toby was in fifth grade, I believe. Fortunately, Dawson was on his own by then, so he didn’t have to deal with whatever germs we may have had,” David said. “Yes, I remember that. You all had a bonding day in your common area by watching TV the whole day,” Levi said. “Yeah, it was actually not a bad day, given the fact that we were all sick. We were all in the common area, wrapped in our own blankets. We watched TV and played video games. Then we also ordered pizza for dinner.” “We’ve done similar when we were sick.” “I remember it actually worked out quite well, since my parents were celebrating their anniversary that day. We called ourselves the Sick Boys Club. Just because we all happened to be sick.” “Oh my god. You all crack me up.”
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After the surgery, Brett Ingram was wheeled into the recovery room. When the nurse woke him up, it took him a while to open his eyes. He was hooked up to a heart monitor, and he also had the pulse oximeter on his finger, with an IV stuck in his arm. When he finally got back to his senses, his throat felt like it was on fire. His ears were pretty sore as well. Overall, he was really thirsty, and he was wondering where his mom and Dawson, his older brother, were.
Brett’s eyes felt very heavy. He wanted to sleep for as long as he could, and the nurse encouraged him to do that. The nurse offered him a cherry popsicle to suck on to alleviate the pain, and she also dampened some sponges for him to suck on. Even though this helped a little, Brett was still incredibly thirsty. But he couldn’t use a straw for at least two weeks. While Brett was sleeping in the recovery room, he felt a cold metal thing on his chest, but he was too out of it to open his eyes and try to figure out what it was. In his subconscious, he knew exactly what it was, but he was still sleeping soundly. It was the nurse’s stethoscope. Summer 2014
John Garfield, David Ingram, and Brody Ingram left the house and drove toward Andrew McCalsky’s house, which is not too far away. When all four boys were in the car, they were on their way to Lake Michigan to spend a day at the beach. But they weren’t actually going to the beach. They were going on a hike, something that the boys have always enjoyed doing together. They knew the hike was going to last about an hour, but they didn’t care. They all had their water bottles with them, and they were going to a fast food joint in Merrillville, Indiana afterwards. So, of course, they were all happy. While the boys were walking on the green path toward the lake, they all had random conversations about how some people were able to put seven huge white grapes in their mouths, as well as The Hawaiian Geeks, the awesome free concert that Andrew and his older brother went to last night, and goofy high school and college memories. And then John and David started their own conversation about how each other’s full-time jobs were going so far. “So, David and I made a bet a few days ago,” Brody remarked half-heartedly. “What is it now?” Andrew asked, very amused. “He wants to see me run up a big hill after we’ve gone up to the lake.” “Nice! Are you gonna do it?” “Definitely!” Brody replied. “So, is this a real bet, or is it just something for funzies?” Andrew questioned his best friend. “Oh, it’s a bet. He told me that if I don’t die while running up the hill, he will pay for his and my food today. But if I do die, then he will do one of two things. He will either just pay for his own food, or he will try to see if I might have money in my own wallet.” Of course, Andrew and Brody had to share a laugh. “Oh, Brody. You crack me up.” “Thanks, bro.” “Any time, bro.” Before they knew it, the four boys were finally at the lake after their one hour and thirty minute hike. Andrew, Brody, David, and John stood at the top of a hill, looking at the pretty blue water and a gray silhouette of the Chicago skyline. It was really a pretty sight. And, of course, they don’t do this often because Lake Michigan is often out of their way. After a few minutes of trying to catch their breaths and staring at the immense beauty, they all debated if they should run to the beach. Of course they would. Why wouldn’t they? The only guy who did not have to take a puff on his inhaler was John, since he doesn’t have asthma. The poor kid had to wait for everyone else, though. But then everyone was ready to head down to the lake for a little while. “I’ll race you guys,” John remarked to the other boys. “I’m in,” Brody said for Adam, David, and himself. A few seconds later…. “On your mark, get set….BANANA PEEL!” David exclaimed. The four boys ran as quickly as they possibly could to the lake. They were all wearing their gym shoes, but they could feel the weird feeling of the sand brushing up at them. It wasn’t so bad running down the hill to the lake, but the challenge that Brody was given by David was most likely going to prove otherwise. Brody won the little race that they had, with John coming in second, Andrew in third, and David last. Oh well. The person with first place would win absolutely nothing. Just a fun guys’ day on the lake. The boys didn’t really do much on the beach. They skipped rocks. They walked around for a bit. But not much else. For some very odd reason, there were few people who were actually on the beach. There was an older couple who seemed to enjoy themselves and the sun tan that they were both about to get. Also, there was a family with two girls who made sand castles and ate hot dogs. But they were the only people on the beach, besides the boys of course. Andrew, Brody, David, and John walked a little further toward a steep hill that David thought could be a challenge to Brody. They wanted to be by the water, but, because they still had their gym shoes on, they didn’t actually get close enough to the water. The four boys walked toward the steep hill and eyed it for a few moments. David was hoping that Brody, being the extremely headstrong person that he is, was ready for the challenge that lay ahead of him. “Hey Brody, are you ready to die yet?” David asked his younger Irish twin brother. “I have prepared for it,” Brody replied without much thought. “You ready to run up that hill?” “Again, I’m prepared. Am I supposed to sprint or can I run a little slower?” “Your call. Whichever is best for you, but you just have to make it up that steep hill without dying. Cool?” David explained. “Cool,” Brody remarked, not quite sure if he was truly ready for this challenge. He looked at the hill and started to have doubts. However, his huge sense of being headstrong got in the way after a few moments. Brody did a few stretches before the challenge. He threw his arms over his head and bent over backwards. Because of this, his shirt was pulled up so that his stomach and belly button were supposed, his mop of brown hair touching the sand. Then, he sat down and stretched his legs. Brody knew he had this challenge, and he was going to kill it. A few minutes later…. “Are you ready?” David asked. “Yes, I’m ready! You know how I am!” Brody exclaimed. “On your mark….get set….” “I’M OFF!!!!” The three boys cheered loudly for Brody as he attempted to run up the hill. And they saw him go for it. In his mind, Brody knew that he was going to achieve his goal by running up the hill. Partially because he was hoping that whatever he ordered from the fast food joint was on David, but also because Brody has always been a very stubborn person who believes that he can do anything as long as he puts his mind to it. No matter what the consequences would be afterwards, Brody was going to run up the hill, hopefully with no problem. Brody was still running up the hill; David knew that he was going to try to make it all the way up. After Brody made it half-way, and was, of course, going to go for the whole way, the three boys started making their way up the steep hill. They ran a bit of the way, but then they decided to walk the rest of the way. After seven minutes of the journey up the hill, they found Brody lying on his stomach on the ground, breathing very hard. Well…. “Congratulations, Brody. You won the bet,” John stated. “What?” Brody asked, still breathing hard. “No, you really won. You made it to the top with no problem,” David remarked. “I’m lying on my stomach, trying really hard to breathe,” Brody spoke quickly, then having to take another breath. He could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest, which actually hurt with each heartbeat. “Whatever you order, on me.” “Thanks, David.” “Any time.” Summer 2014
David and Brody Ingram sat on the sofa, not saying a word. They knew how their mom was going to respond to their all-nighter. Not that she would at all be mad. However, she knows how they are when it comes to sleep. And these boys need all the sleep they can get. Their mom sat in the dining room with a cup of tea in one hand and a business journal in another. David and Brody peered over to see that she was there. She had a great appearance; her hair was neat for long and wavy light brown hair, given the fact that she is only four years older than her husband, who is fifty-eight. She wore a blue sweater and blue jeans. Mrs. Ingram was definitely ready for the day. “Did we play video games all night long?” Brody asked. “I think we did,” David replied. “I think we stayed up longer last night than we did at school.” “Oh, when you and your friends would stay up and play video games on Friday nights?” “Yeah, but last night we didn’t order Chinese or anything,” Brody pointed out. “We did have baklava, though,” David remarked, trying to lighten the mood. “Oh yeah. I almost forgot.” “Do we have anything that we have to do today?” “I hope not.” “I hope not either.” David and Brody definitely could feel their eyelids getting heavy. So, with this in mind, they wanted to say “good morning” to their mom and then head off to bed. They could not remember if they had anything going to today or not. It was Saturday, so no one had to be anywhere today. Which was probably a good thing, given the boys’ circumstance, er….all-nighter. When the two boys seated themselves at the dining room table, they had an idea that their mom knew they were up to something. Nothing bad, but nothing saintly either. Just the fact that all four boys had basically spent the whole night playing their favorite video games. And that they would have to pay the consequences today. Unless David and Brody headed toward their futons now and slept in until at least one o’clock this afternoon. “Good morning, boys,” Mrs. Ingram said as she still sat at the dining room table. She still had with her a cup of tea. “Morning,” David replied. “Morning,” Brody responded. “You guys are still up,” Mrs. Ingram stated. “We pulled an all-nighter,” David remarked. “Why?” “We couldn’t stop playing video games, I guess.” “We were planning to go to your dad’s parents’ house today.” “Oh. Whoops.” “You should go to bed now since we were planning to go over at four o’clock.” David and Brody headed toward their bedroom. When climbing the stairs, they could feel their weight being brought down by gravity. In their minds, they couldn’t decide whether this meant that they were truly tired, or if they were truly lazy. The two boys couldn’t possibly be lazy. They just wanted their bed, and their bed just wanted them. David and Brody finally made it up to their bedroom, and then to their futons. In a matter of minutes, David was out like a lamp. Brody, however, could not go to sleep so quickly. As a matter of fact, it was his pounding heartbeat that was keeping him up. For some very odd reason. Brody walked back downstairs to his mom because he was feeling scared. “I can’t sleep,” Brody said sleepily. “No?” Mrs. Ingram asked. “I feel like my heart’s going to pop out of my chest.” “I believe you’re really slap happy.” “I’m so scared,” Brody remarked as he folded his arms over his chest. “Your heart’s not going to pop out of your chest,” Mrs. Ingram pointed out. “I hope not.” “Believe me. It won’t.” “Will you make sure?” “Okay.” Mrs. Ingram smiled and laughed to herself and put her hand on her son’s chest, so that she could clearly feel his snappy heartbeat. Brody put one of his hand over her hand so that he could have the reassuring feeling that his heart was not actually going to pop out of his chest. To Mrs. Ingram, this was pretty ridiculous. She was wondering why the boys had stayed up so late. She wondering why the boys would do that to themselves, since they are not morning people to begin with. “Is my heart going to pop out of my chest?” Brody asked, even more sleepily than before. “No, Brody,” Mrs. Ingram replied, quite amused. “Are you sure?” “I could feel your heartbeat, so I’m not worried about it.” “What should I do?” Brody asked. He was completely out of it. “I think you should try to get some sleep. I am not completely for all-nighters,” his mom stated. “Why? All-nighters can be fun.” “Your sleep schedule is destroyed, and you’re not a morning person to begin with.” “Oh yeah. Right.” “So, get some sleep!” Summer 2006
Levi Cranston stayed up until 2 in the morning playing video games. As always. When he finally went to bed, he noticed that his little sister was waiting for him. She was sleeping on the left side of the futon, the side against the wall, with her pink teddy bear in her arms. It was now 9 o’clock in the morning, and Evelyn Maeve woke up. She saw Levi sleeping very comfortably on his futon. The girl really wanted to wake her older brother up. However, she knew how he always has been, and so she decided to let him sleep in a little longer. It was now about 9:30, and Levi somehow heard his phone go off. He didn’t have an alarm on it or anything; the ringtone sounded like that of an old alarm clock. Levi was sleeping on his right side when he heard his phone ring, and he was able to answer it in no time at all. He didn’t even look at the caller ID. “Hello?” Levi answered feebly. “Hola!” “Who am I speaking to?” “Hola!” “No, seriously. Who am I speaking to?” “The. Fat. Pigeon.” “….What?” “The. Fat. Pigeon.” Levi didn’t answer back. Instead, he just hung up the phone. The boy tried very hard to go back to sleep. He was now lying on his stomach, making attempts to sleep in a little longer. His head was underneath his pillow, and he was sprawled out on his bed like a spider. Levi was really not in the mood to talk to anyone. Of all people, the Fat Pigeon. Levi’s phone rang again, and he answered it. “….What are you doing?” he asked the same person over the line. “I’m going to Mexico!” the Fat Pigeon exclaimed. “I just woke up.” “Good! So, I can tell you that I’m on my way to Mexico!” “Well, good for you. I’m going back to sleep now. You woke me up.” “I called that I’m going to Mexico because I knew you’d be jealous!” “I don’t care. I don’t really like Mexico that much anyway,” Levi replied. “We are going to Cancun!” The Fat Pigeon announced gleefully. “So?” “I can’t wait!” “Well, it was nice talking to you.” “Don’t hang up yet! Well, you’re so nice!” Levi hung up once again. He lay back down on his futon, breathing hard. First of all, why would the Fat Pigeon want to call Levi anyway? Did the Fat Pigeon want Levi to be jealous of him just because the he was going to Mexico, and Levi wasn’t? The Cranston’s have been to Mexico before, but Levi never really loved being there that much. When they vacationed to Mexico, he liked where they were, but he hasn’t shown much interest in going back to the same place again. For five minutes, the boy was lying on his stomach. He knew his shirt was pulled up some, but he didn’t really care. His left ankle was sweaty because he had left it in his brace all night long, but he didn’t take it off. Duchess came in and lay right next to him. And the cat started purring like a motorboat. All Levi wanted at this point was to be able to go back to sleep. But his phone rang. Once again. Levi had to pick it up this time. “What do you want?” Levi answered, annoyed. “Oh, and did I mention Adam Dahnwright?” the Fat Pigeon answered back. Levi thought very hard about why the Fat Pigeon had just mentioned Adam Dahnwright. “What happened?!” Levi asked, almost angrily. The Fat Pigeon did not say anything else. Instead, he was humming and whistling some music from Levi’s favorite video games. Levi grew even more annoyed that the Fat Pigeon was now trying to avoid his question. This could really have led up to some serious manners. “What’s going on?!” Levi questioned, extremely annoyed. “You never gonna catch ‘im!” The Fat Pigeon joked. “….What?” “That one game you had?” “Don’t tell me he took it.” “Well, he did.” “Good. Now, I will have to go over to his house to retrieve that video game.” “Yeah. I think you will have to.” Levi rolled his eyes and hung up on The Fat Pigeon one more time. He was so mad that he could even envision smoke coming out of his ears. Not that smoke really came out of his ears, since that can’t really happen. But that was how extremely furious he was. The boy quickly brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and put on some clothes. Afterwards, he walked downstairs into the kitchen. He saw Victoria and Olivia sitting down, drinking some tea. Evelyn Maeve was in the common area with Duchess and Prussia. When Levi’s two older sisters saw him, they knew that something wasn’t good. “Hey, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?” Victoria joked. “Very funny,” Levi answered blandly. “Victoria,” Olivia warned their older sister. “Yeah. This is very serious.” “What’s up?” “Apparently, Adam Dahnwright took one of my video games last night.” “Great.” “I want it back. Now,” said Levi. “I understand that,” Olivia answered. “And I want one of you to come with me to get it back. I am not going there by myself.” “Where does he live?” “Bond and Campbell.” “I’ll come with you.” “Thank you.” Adam Dahnwright is really not a bad kid. Really, he is not. However, he really thinks it is funny to pick on someone, like Levi, who may pose a threat to him in the near future. Basically, Adam thinks he is “all that,” meaning a direct sense of arrogance. Not that Levi isn’t arrogant, since he can be as well. But Adam tends to have the mentality that he should be entitled to, at least, everything. It really shouldn’t be like that. Should it be? It took Olivia five minutes to find her shoes, put them on, and tell Levi that she was ready to go. The weather wasn’t all that great. But not all that bad either. No one was quite sure what would happen in a thirty minute time span. It could stay partially sunny. But it could also start down-pouring any minute. Olivia and Levi were going to “bite the bullet” and walk to Adam’s house. “Was it your most favorite video game?” Olivia asked Levi on the ten minute walk there. “One of them.” “Well, you will get it soon. Stay positive.” “Thanks.” “The question is: how did he take your video game?” “My assumption is that it fell out of my backpack, and he took it that way.” “Oh, so you know how he might have taken it?” “Absolutely.” Olivia and Levi were at Adam Dahnwright’s house in no time at all. Olivia opened the door as Levi was standing almost directly behind her. He was really not in the mood to have to pick fights with Adam. Levi felt a huge lump in his throat, and he started feeling a little sick to his stomach. This had to go well. Adam’s mom opened the door after a few seconds, and she seemed very concerned at first. This lady, plump and dirty blonde-haired, seemed the opposite of her son. Or, hopefully, that was the case. The Cranston’s don’t know the Dahnwright’s all that well. However, both moms have run into each other at grocery stores and fast food joints in the past. They have always seemed friendly toward one another. “Hi,” Mrs. Dahnwright greeted in a kind manner. “Hi. How are you doing?” Olivia answered. “I’m doing well. How are you?” “We’re doing well.” “That’s good. I’ve run into Lisa many times at the supermarket. She’s very nice.” “Why, thank you.” “Hello, Levi.” “Hi,” Levi answered coyly. As soon as Adam heard Levi’s name, he quit playing video games, ran into his room, and hid. He knew what Olivia and Levi were here for. And he was not going to admit his guilt. Oh well. In the future, when Levi and Adam are both in their twenties, they will probably admit their share of the guilt. It usually happens that way. Or at least it should. “We have a video game that we would like to pick up,” Olivia said. “Oh yes. Adam, Adam, Adam. I never know what’s going on in that kid’s head. I would like to think that he just picked up the game and brought it home to make sure it was okay. But, also, I know he can be a bit of a brat,” Mrs. Dahnwright answered. “At least it’s safe.” “I know exactly where it’s at, so I will just bring it to you.” Adam’s mom went into the living room; Olivia and Levi were standing in the dining room, which leads into the common area. Mrs. Dahnwright looked through the video games and found the one that the two kids were looking for. “Looking for this?” Mrs. Dahnwright asked. “Yes!” Levi exclaimed with sudden tears in his eyes. “Thanks!” Olivia said to Adam’s mom as they left for home. Once the two kids were walking back to their house on Elmhurst Avenue, Olivia said, to her younger brother: “That was easy, don’t you think?” The two kids continued to walk in the direction of their house. Inside, Levi was screaming with joy and jumping up and down until he couldn’t do it anymore. However, on the outside, Levi remained pretty calm. He was just glad to have his “best friend” back, his beloved video game. Summer 2022
David Ingram and his girlfriend, Mia Charisse Boyer, were chilling at David’s San Francisco apartment for the evening. Brody, David’s younger brother, Brody’s girlfriend, Julia Jaconetti, Brody’s best friend, Andrew McCalsky, and David’s best friend, Adam Levistad, were out on the town for the evening. David and Mia were watching some goofy cartoons, and Mia got too into the moment. She wrapped herself around David’s torso and put her ear on his chest. David’s left arm was wrapped around her. His hand was already on his chest, most likely feeling for his heartbeat. “Hey David?” Mia got her boyfriend’s attention. “Yeah, Mia?” David answered. “I had no idea that anyone’s heart could beat this fast.” “Apparently mine can.” “I think you like me,” Mia said in a cutesy tone. “I think I do,” David replied, drawing in a deep breath. “Can you actually feel your heart pounding in your chest?” “Mhm.” Spring or summer of 2017
Brett Ingram, his girlfriend Olivia Cranston, her friend Audrey Bersigno, and Brett’s friends, Byron Lewis, Tony Rossi, and Kevin Vast, were all planning a five-day vacation in Orlando, Florida over Memorial Day weekend. They all live in the New York City area, and they have all wanted to plan this vacation for a while. Brett and Tony are from Crown Point, Indiana. Olivia and Audrey are from Valparaiso, Indiana. Byron is from St Louis. And Kevin is from the Los Angeles area. Brett knows Tony from high school, as do Olivia and Audrey. Brett knows Byron and Kevin from college, and Tony knows them through Brett. Brett was lying on his stomach on the floor in his Brooklyn apartment, with his laptop in front of him. Everyone else gathered around him while he was trying to figure out the cheapest prices, the accountant that he is. He is not just an accountant, he’s a CPA. “Have you found anything relatively cheap?” Byron asked. “It shouldn’t be too bad right now, since we are a couple months away from Memorial Day weekend,” Brett replied, then drawing in a deep breath. “What is it, though?” “Well, I found one-way tickets for $120.” “That’s not too bad, given it’s Memorial Day weekend,” Byron remarked. “I’m sure I might be able to find some cheaper,” Brett stated. “Well, good luck!” “I’m working on it. At least we got a place to stay for those five days.” “Where is it?” “Close to downtown Orlando.” The Ingram’s have visited Orlando several times in their lives, and they have always looked for the best options while down there. With the knowledge and their parents’ have instilled in them when they were little, they have always been smart about how to navigate around their vacations. Brett’s older brother, Dawson, is planning to take his wife and twin daughters to St Louis over Memorial Day weekend. And Brett’s younger siblings, David, Brody, and Toby are visiting Los Angeles over the weekend. Their parents are visiting Orlando as well, and Brett and his friends may run into them. Mr. and Mrs. Ingram still live in Crown Point, but they also maintain a condo in Orlando. This city has always been their favorite. Like Brett’s favorite city is New York City. Dawson’s is Chicago. David’s and Brody’s is San Francisco. And Toby is undecided. He loves New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, but he is not sure where he wants to end up after graduation from college. Toby goes to college in Chicago, but he had an internship in San Francisco last year. This year, he is pursuing an internship in New York City, so that he can compare the two. The first internship that he has ever had was in Chicago. “Okay guys, I found some pretty damn good tickets,” Brett remarked after a few minutes of more intense searching for the best rates. “Okay, how much is it?” Tony asked. “$102 one way.” “That’s not bad, especially for Memorial Day weekend.” “We’re getting them. I’ll pay for them, but make sure you all pay me back for your share of the tickets,” Brett remarked. “We won’t,” Byron replied with a smile. “Byron….” “Jay kay! Oh em gee!” “Really?!” “Oh em gee, you so goofy.” Brett decided to buy the tickets, and Kevin ordered pizza. It was only 4:30 in the afternoon, but he was starting to get hungry. Everyone else would be getting hungry sooner than later as well. It was only the middle of March, so they had plenty of time to get everything squared away with their vacation to Orlando. It was only Saturday afternoon, and everyone was free today. No one had to work today, so they decided to get pizza. They weren’t quite sure what they wanted to do tonight, but Byron had some thoughts. For that matter, so did Tony. They just hadn’t said anything about their ideas yet. “What are your plans tonight?” Tony asked. “As far as I know, nothing,” Byron remarked. “Isn’t there a band performing a few blocks away?” “There is?” “I’m not sure. I had thought about checking them out,” Tony said. “I’m down. What about everyone else?” Byron questioned. “I don’t think they’re hearing us, to be honest.” “Well, shit. What else could they be doing?” “I think they’re watching goofy videos.” “Yeah. Brett, Kevin, Audrey, and Olivia are totally ignoring us.” Brett, Tony, Kevin, and Byron created their own band once they moved to New York City. They are still called the Hawaiian Geeks. When Brett and Tony were still in the Chicago area, they played with the Hawaiian Geeks, but they moved half of their band to New York. The previous bandmates decided to stay with Mr. Morton, another band that Brett had played in while in the Chicago area. Whoever used to be a part of the Hawaiian Geeks and stayed in the Chicago area decided to play with Mr. Morton, while the Hawaiian Geeks moved to New York. Sadly, the Hawaiian Geeks did not have a performance tonight. They had one last weekend, and the turnout was great. They all decided to take a weekend off to plan their vacation to Orlando. Brett, Kevin, Olivia, and Audrey had gathered around Brett’s computer and decided to watch some ridiculously funny videos online. They were obviously caught up in the moment and did not pay attention to Byron and Tony. “WAKE UP, PEOPLE!!!!” Tony screamed at the top of his lungs. “Wha…” Brett responded. “You guys were watching funny videos on the onlines.” “What the hell? Where did you come from?” “Planet Mars,” Tony responded with a goofy smile. “No,” Brett said, laughing to himself. “We should be getting pizza soon.” “That’s great, since we’re all hungry.” “Well, at least I was.” “Yeah, true.” “Wanna see that one band tonight?” Tony asked. “Yeah, we could,” Brett replied. Brett still lay on his stomach on the floor, with his laptop in front of him. Audrey and Olivia were still with Brett and Kevin. Brett decided that now was the time to get his mind off goofy videos from the Internet and focus more on getting ready for tonight. Where Tony had thought about taking everyone tonight is a game room with pool tables. He has been interested in seeing the place for a couple weeks now. And he thought everyone else might like it as well, since they all consider themselves masters at pool. Maybe not that, but they do enjoy the game at least. “Kevin, what kind of pizza did you order?” Byron asked. “Anchovies, garlic, pineapple, and tomatoes, your favorite,” Kevin replied with a goofy smile. “Oh shit. No, you didn’t.” “Just for you, Byron. Since I know you love anchovies, garlic, pineapple, and tomatoes.” “Yeah, no. I don’t,” Byron stated. “Thought you did like them,” Kevin said. “No!” “Just kidding. I got pineapple and ham, and then just cheese. Because I know you love pineapple on pizza.” “Uh uh. You know pretty damn well that pineapple does not go on pizza.” “Yeah, it does.” Kevin got two large pizzas, since there are four guys and two girls in the apartment at the moment. For some, pineapple goes on pizza. For others, pineapple does not go on pizza. With that being said, for Tony, Kevin, Brett, and Audrey, pineapple goes on pizza. For Olivia and apparently Byron, pineapple does not go on pizza. Brett, Olivia, Audrey, and Tony were still watching videos on Brett’s computer. Goofy ones, of course. They were completely unaware of the fact that Kevin had already ordered pizza. But they were aware of the fact that they wanted to check out a local band. After all, it’s New York City. The city is always bopping on a Saturday night. “What’s with Byron?” Brett asked Tony as they overheard some conversation between Kevin and Byron. “Who knows? I think he’s being a bit of a butt today,” Tony remarked. “Byron is always a butt.” “Is he now?” “I think so,” Brett replied, laughing to himself. “He does not like pineapple on pizza,” Tony stated. “Does he like pineapple at all?” “I don’t know, but he likes grapefruit.” “I like grapefruit, especially with sugar on top of a half.” “Does it ever squirt in your eye?” “Sometimes.” About thirty minutes later, they all heard the doorbell ring, so they all knew what that meant. The pizza god was here to give them pizza. After Kevin got the money from everyone and gave it to the delivery person, they got their pizza fix. It was early afternoon, so no one felt like drinking yet. That would be later when they’d go out and hit up Brooklyn. Tony decided to put on some goofy TV while they would all eat pizza. Within thirty minutes, both pizzas were gone. But they all still wanted to watch some TV before leaving the apartment. All six kids were pretty hooked on this show, and they wanted to watch as much as they possibly could before the weather would warm up. An hour later…. “Let’s hit up Brooklyn,” Byron said, semi-announcing everything. “Where are we going first?” Brett asked. “Oh, you know.” “Oh, where the band is performing?” “How did you know?” Byron asked, semi-goofy. “We talked about it!” Brett exclaimed. “Oh, yeah. That’s right.” “I want to see them about as badly as you do. I guess we’re all ready to go then.” March 2018
“So Toby had to have his appendix taken out a couple days ago,” David Ingram said to his friend, Levi Cranston, over the phone. “How’s he doing with that?” Levi asked. “Seems to be in good spirits. He told me that he started feeling some weird pain around his belly button early that morning, and he also felt very nauseous. He attempted to go to one of his classes, and his professor actually told him to leave since he looked pretty sick. When the pain moved toward where his appendix was, he decided to go to the ER.” “That also happened to me. Except I didn’t go to class at all that day.” “Get this, though. Toby is currently at home recovering from the surgery. He actually has to get another surgery in a few weeks to fix an undetected hernia an inch or so above his belly button. He also told me that this morning, he tried to locate the hernia, and he felt a small bump where they found it. He had no idea he had a hernia until he got his appendix removed,” David said. “His appendix didn’t burst, did it?” Levi asked. “No, it didn’t.” “Good. When I had my appendix removed, they told me that, if I had waited another five minutes to get to the ER, my appendix probably would have burst.” “You remember that Brody also had his appendix taken out a while ago, right?” “Oh yeah, that’s right.” “Brody’s situation was pretty similar to yours. If we had waited even a few more minutes to get to the hospital, his appendix would have burst.” The pinball machine was actually the coolest pinball machine that I have ever seen. There were no gaming characters on the design. As a matter of fact, it was all comprised of splotches of color. Small spots of blue shone gleefully along the green stripes, with some streaks of red running parallel with the yellow stars. There were some scribbles of orange, pink, and purple as well. However, those colors were not nearly as prominent as the colors of red, yellow, green, or blue.
Summer 2006
Brett and David Ingram went roller-blading around their neighborhood. They had nothing else better to do. Dawson was at his internship. Toby was at his friend’s house. And both parents were at work. The two boys put on their roller blades and protective gear. And then, they were off. “So, did you see the girl at the bowling alley yesterday?” David brought up an old topic. “No, I did not,” Brett replied somewhat wistfully. “Oh, you didn’t?” “Turns out that she was only there with her friends. She is not on the bowling team.” “Did you call her?” “I did, and I got her answering machine.” “If you don’t succeed the first time, try again. If you don’t succeed the second time, try again. If you don’t succeed the third time, give up because you’re just being annoying.” Brett and David had to laugh pretty hard at that statement. Was it really true? Probably not. It was probably just a random saying that a random person made up while he or she was bored. To many, this saying would most likely be considered sarcastic, yet funny. The two boys still roller-bladed around their neighborhood. It was a fun pastime that they have not done in a while. And it has always felt good to put on the roller blades and all the equipment, just to go on a roller blade excursion. This was at least one good way to hang out with a friend, or in this case, a brother. “We’re making chicken for dinner tonight,” David said, hoping that this was a decent conversation starter. “Wait. We’re making chicken for dinner tonight? How can we make chicken?” Brett answered with some sarcasm. “Okay. We’re having chicken for dinner tonight.” “What kind of chicken? Please. Be specific.” “Barbeque chicken.” “Bingo.” “Barbeque chicken is amazing.” “I agree with you.” They had so much fun roller blading for another fifteen minutes until David wasn’t very careful. The boy did not pay much attention to where he was going, and he lost his balance, causing him to fall on the pavement and scrape his left knee. The boy was so sore that he was nearly miserable. He did not want to give up because he was afraid that he would make the pain worse. Brett walked over to him and tried to make him feel as comfortable as he could, given the circumstance. Brett, at first, started freaking out. He thought he did not bring any bandages with him on the roller blade outing. David’s older brother spent minutes digging through his shorts pockets to make sure he may have had a few with him. And, to his surprise, he realized that he did, in fact, pack a few nice bandages, just in case situations like these happened. “That was smart,” David blurted out, once he saw the bandages. “We are smart,” Brett answered. The two boys slowly walked home after a few minutes, so David could apply an ice pack on his knee. When they were home, Brett made some sweet tea, put some ice in a sandwich bag, and gave both to David. And then, Brett made himself a glass of sweet tea and sat on the adjacent recliner; David was lying sideways on the couch. He still seemed to be in quite a bit of pain. However, their cat, Honeybunny, was lying on his stomach; she was probably trying to help him feel a little better. “How’s your knee, David?” Brett felt compelled to ask, once David applied the ice pack to the injury. “Very sore. That’s all I can say,” David answered half-heartedly. “At least the ice pack is put on it, so we can decrease swelling. And it was good that we cleaned the scrape. Otherwise, we could be a bit worried about….” “Brett?” David quickly got his brother’s attention, meaning that he was starting to get very annoyed. “What?” Brett replied after a few seconds. “I am also interested in that stuff, but I do not want to talk about it right now.” “Sorry.” “Okay.” “Want to watch a cartoon?” “I would love to watch a cartoon.” Brett put on a silly cartoon, and they both watched some humor on TV for about thirty minutes. And then, Brett decided to get a soda for David and himself. Honeybunny was still on David’s stomach; and the pretty white cat was purring very loudly. Felicia, the Ingram’s other cat who is a calico, was probably napping on Brody’s futon, as always. Brody is David and Brett's younger brother. “How are you feeling? How’s your knee?” Brett asked David, once he returned to the common area with their sodas. “Much better,” David replied. David finally felt much better, and, fifteen minutes later, Brett drove both David and himself to the practice field, since they weren’t too far away from it. Both boys got out of the car, and they decided to sit in the bleachers behind the baseball field. They did not say anything during practice. They just wanted to see the Watsons, the beloved baseball team, do well during the remainder of their practice for the day. However, while watching the baseball practice that was still going on, Brett and David noticed Bryan Brackley and his friends; Rachelle LaDonna, Tamaka Enna-Jordan, and Britney Brackley, Bryan’s twin sister. All four “jokesters” were hiding behind a bush. Brett and David tried to ignore them. However, the four other kids jumped up from behind the bush and shouted: “WHATCHA DOIN’, YOU….” “We are not afraid of you,” Brett interrupted. “We are not afraid of you,” Britney replied in a smart-aleck tone. |
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