“Remember when we had him for Driver’s Ed?” Charlie asked, laughing.
Billy nodded, still concentrating on the video game.
“I screamed so loud one time that I thought he was going to piss his pants,” Charlie said, laughing. “When we pulled over, I told him I saw a squirrel crossing the street and I thought we were going to hit it.”
Billy laughed. “You really do need to be locked up,” he said, before launching his final attack and winning the first game.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. “Room service, Prince William,” Billy’s mom said, followed by the sound of her footsteps fading away.
Billy looked at Charlie. “Can you grab our snacks?”
“Are your legs broken or something?” Charlie asked.
Billy nodded. “The doorway’s as far as my mom will go. You know that.”
Charlie opened the door. There were two plates of food and a stack of clean folded clothes sitting on the hallway floor. “You’ve got it rough,” he teased Billy.
Billy laughed and looked at Jimmy. “We definitely do,” he joked.
Charlie left after dinner, while Billy and Jimmy returned to the video game. There was a knock on his bedroom door. Billy looked up from the television screen to see his dad letting himself in. Billy paused the game again and watched as his father surveyed the disastrous room.
The old man shook his head. “How the hell can you sleep in here?” he asked, rhetorically.
Billy looked at him but didn’t respond.
“Listen, I know we’ve had this conversation before but I wanted to remind you that your mother and I may not be able to help you as much as we’d hoped for college.”
Billy nodded. “No problem, Dad.”
“If I didn’t have to pay half my damn check to the government,” he interrupted.
“I get it, Dad,” Billy said, cutting off the usual ramble.
“Any luck with scholarships?” the man asked, surprising Billy.
The old man’s actually put some thought into this, he thought, and shrugged. “A few small ones that’ll help me pay for books.” He thought about it. “I’m still waiting to hear back from the VFW.”
“The VFW? Oh, on that write-up you did about Grandpa?”
Billy nodded; even more impressed his dad remembered.
The big man offered a slight nod. “We would have had your grandfather around much longer if the government hadn’t poisoned him with all those chemicals they used over there in the jungle.”
Billy nodded again. It was an old story. “I know, Dad. It’s terrible that…”
“What about a summer job?” he asked, interrupting again.
“I have the Pearl for now, but it’s only part-time,” Billy said. “I keep looking for something full-time but the jobs that were available last summer have already been taken by people who should be retired.”
The old man shook his head. “Times are tough for everyone, Billy. It’s sad. Mom and I will divide whatever we can between you and Sophie, but don’t expect too much.”
Billy nodded. “I won’t, Dad,” he said, thinking, I never have.
“Okay then.” The big man looked at the video game before turning to leave. “I’ll let you get back to your important business then,” he commented, throwing his usual jab at Billy’s questionable use of time. He closed the door behind him.
Before returning to his game, Billy turned to Jimmy. “He means well, I guess.” He thought about it and shook his head. “But there’s no doubt about it now. No matter how you slice it, I’m paying for college.”
Jimmy placed his chin flush to the bed and threw his paw across his eyes.
“Exactly,” Billy said and returned to the virtual world, where there was no need to worry about college—whether it be funding or which major to take.
⁕
The school year ended with a bang and the multiple house parties were sure to be a last “hoorah” for Billy and his fellow graduates. It was a time to make lifelong memories with old friends. The days of irresponsibility were quickly coming to an end. Billy, Charlie and Mark were graduating from boyhood and stepping into manhood—or so we’re told.
The first graduation party, hosted that night, was filled with underage drinking and lots of girls. Bianca, Charlie’s girlfriend, was also in attendance to ensure that Charlie didn’t graduate too deeply into manhood.
Inside the massive house, the boys played beer pong on a custom mahogany dining room table, with Billy losing badly and having to refill his red plastic Solo cup several times. Before long, Bianca excused herself. “You boys are such fools,” she huffed and left them to their foolishness.
When the boys had drunk their fill—and then some—they headed outdoors to play corn hole with beanbags or sit by the roaring fire pit to exchange stories of their glory days in high school.
“We’re the only class to go undefeated in a food fight,” Billy boasted.
“Which is the kind of stuff legends are made from,” Mark kidded.
Everyone laughed.
“And what would you rather be remembered for, Mark?” Billy asked. “…the most consecutive wins on the chess club?”
Everyone laughed harder.
‘Yup,” Mark said seriously, “I would.”
It was nearing the end of the party when Billy noticed that Charlie was unusually quiet. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked.
Charlie pointed toward Bianca. She was talking with some kid named Dalton Noble, who lived a few towns over and had also just graduated from high school. “It looks like they’re getting real chummy over there,” he slurred, clearly upset. “I think she might be cheating on me, Billy.”
Billy snickered. “Are you crazy? You guys have been together since freshman year when you almost caught her hair on fire in Ms. Dubrowski’s chemistry class.”
Charlie thought about it and smirked. “Yeah, maybe you’re right,” he said, before swallowing down the rest of his beer and marching over toward Dalton and Bianca. Billy watched as Charlie grabbed Bianca’s hand and they headed out of the yard, his arm slung across her shoulder and her arm wrapped around his waist. Just before leaving, Billy and Charlie exchanged glances. Charlie smiled.
Bianca cheating? Billy thought, and snickered again. You two will probably be married by Christmas.
Billy was drifting through some happy fog when Mark approached. “Listen, brother, I’m going to be taking off too. Are you going to be all right?”
Billy took another sip of beer and nodded. “I’ll be fine. I’ll give you a call tomorrow. Maybe we can grab lunch at Nick’s or something?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Mark said and chuckled. “If you’re up for it, that is.” Billy was trying to process the joke when Mark pointed at his red plastic cup. “You might want to slow down a little, bro.”
“I’m fine,” Billy repeated.
“If you say so,” Mark added and headed out.
It wasn’t long before Billy stumbled and realized he’d had one too many to drink. Oh shit, I’m so buzzed, he thought, realizing that he was faced with a real dilemma. He took a seat and thought it over. My house is only two blocks away, he quickly justified. I’ll be fine if I just take it slow.
Billy slid behind the Honda’s steering wheel and took a couple of deep breaths. “We just have two blocks,” he told the car and turned the ignition. The motor roared to life. After rolling down the window and turning up the radio, he pulled away from the curb. Right away, he discovered that the road was one big blur. While his heart began to pound in his ears, he slid to the edge of the driver’s seat, turned off the radio and opened his eyes as wide as he could. It’s like I’m in the middle of a damned video game, he thought and his heart pounded harder. Everything looked animated and hazy. There were cars parked on both sides of the road and he concentrated on keepin
g the Honda’s nose pointed straight down the middle. With each car he passed—without hitting it—he sucked in another deep breath, until he was nearly hyperventilating. You stupid bastard, he scolded himself and drove like he was in a heavily populated school zone. It took forever to reach the one block mark. Maybe I should just pull over and leave the car…walk the rest of the way home, he thought, but he never took his toe off the gas—or his eyes out of the rearview mirror. No cops, he kept repeating in his head. Please God…no cops.
At home, Jimmy was waiting for Billy at the front door. After relieving themselves, Billy staggered straight to bed, with Jimmy hobbling closely behind.
Billy collapsed on the bed. Thank you, God, for…for letting me get home…without…without getting pulled over. The silent prayer drained whatever strength he had left.
He lay on his side staring at what looked like two Jimmys, while both Jimmys stared back at him. “Did you…did you have a good night?” Billy managed to ask the blurry dogs.
Both black mutts leaned in close until they became one and continued to stare at him.
“I know,” Billy stuttered, “I know I…I know I shouldn’t have driven home…after drinking so much.”
Licking his paw and taking a quick bath, the patient dog seemed to listen to every word of Billy’s heartfelt confession.
“It won’t happen again, okay?” Billy slurred, closing his heavy eyelids.
Jimmy heaved a big sigh.
Billy opened one eye, while he placed one of his feet on the floor to try to stop the bed from spinning so fast. “Don’t look at me like that, Jim…Jimmy,” he muttered. “I said I was wrong, didn’t I?” He gagged once, but choked back the urge to vomit. “I…I just wish this bed…this damn bed would stop spinning.”
Jimmy touched his cold nose to Billy’s and lapped his cheek a few times before nuzzling up close to him.
Billy closed both eyes again and took a few deep breaths. No matter what happened, Jimmy loved him—completely and without conditions. “That’s my boy,” Billy said. “That’s…that’s my good boy.”
The room spun three or four more times before Jimmy’s nightlight shrank to a tiny pinpoint and the world went black.
⁕
Billy awoke in the previous night’s clothes. He slowly opened his eyes and felt like he was riding some evil roller coaster. His head felt heavy and unmanageable on his neck. He tried to sit up but nausea shoved him back onto the bed. Struck with fatigue and muscle weakness, his body was recovering from the thousands of healthy brain cells he’d assassinated the night before. He turned to his right to find Jimmy—just one Jimmy—staring back at him, the dog’s face seemingly filled with disappointment.
Billy opened his mouth to speak when he sneezed instead. He immediately grabbed for his throbbing head. I should take an antihistamine, he thought, but decided it might actually be his final push into a coma.
⁕
An hour later, just past lunch time, Billy managed to make it to the kitchen table for breakfast. Jimmy broke off the escort to chow down a bowl of kibble.
“How was the party last night?” his mom asked, grinning.
His dad chuckled.
Real funny, Billy thought and placed his pounding head into his hands. He moaned once but the slightest sound was now amplified. I’m never drinking again, he promised himself and, though he didn’t cross his fingers behind his back, he still knew the words were empty. And I’m never driving drunk again. This vow, however, he intended to keep for life. He took a few deep breaths, trying to stave off the urge to vomit. I need lots of water and Gatorade to rehydrate…and Ibuprofen, he thought. He sneezed twice and could feel his eyes growing puffy. Oh great, he thought, tempted to scratch his eyes out of his head.
His dad laughed at him. “Stay away from the egg salad today,” he teased, making Billy gag and his mother laugh.
“That’ll teach you, Billy,” his mother said, appearing pleased over his misery.
Normal conversation sounded like a screaming match to Billy.
The old man nodded. “It’s the only way to learn,” he said. “Now he knows there’s a tough price to be paid when you hit the bottle hard.”
You should know, Billy whispered in his head but even that voice was too loud. While his parents continued to smile at him, he pulled himself up from the table and dragged his heavy feet down the hall to his bedroom. Jimmy matched his every painful step.
When Billy reached his door, his father yelled out, “And don’t you ever drink and drive again! You hear me?”
The hypocrisy sprinkled a bitter metallic taste onto Billy’s tongue. “I hear ya,” Billy mumbled, thinking, That’s like Aunt Phoebe blowing smoke in my face and telling me to stay away from cigarettes.
He closed his bedroom door behind him, climbed over a small mountain of dirty clothes and collapsed onto his bed—with Jimmy jumping in right beside him. “I’m all done drinking,” he told Jimmy again.
The wise old dog had already closed his eyes, uninterested in Billy’s false promises.
“I’m so done,” Billy repeated before sliding back into his self-induced coma.
Chapter 3
On Saturday afternoon, Billy’s parents hosted a barbecue to celebrate his graduation. Fold-out chairs were placed throughout the backyard and so many wonderful smells filled the spring air. The traditional Baker clam boil was simmering in a huge copper, oval-shaped pot—with wire screens resting on top to steam white fish in wax paper and boiled eggs wrapped in aluminum foil. This mouth-watering bounty competed with the distinct smells of juicy hamburgers, marinated meat and grilled chicken on a stick. Billy’s mom and Sophie scurried around, taking care of each detail.
Potato salad and macaroni salad, slathered in mayonnaise and basking in the warm sun, sat in the middle of the plastic-covered table. Billy watched as his Aunt Phoebe made it her mission to shoo black flies away from the corn on the cob, bowls of potato chips and a platter of sliced watermelon. And then he spotted his little cousin, Jack. “Hey, Juice Box, you made it!”
Jack sprinted up to Billy, giving him a hug and a sealed card. “It’s from Aunt Phoebe,” the boy announced and petted Jimmy’s head before running off to the inflatable bounce house Billy’s parents had rented.
Billy looked up to find his eccentric, chain-smoking aunt smiling at him—and shooing away more flies. While she waited and watched, he opened the card and pretended to read the message. Fifteen bucks, he thought. That ought to buy me two lunches on campus…maybe. He grinned. I’ll have to show Charlie.
He nodded gratefully and approached Aunt Phoebe to give her a hug. “Thank you so much for the generous gift,” he told her, wondering whether he would ever get the ashtray stench out of his clothes.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” she said, planting her shriveled lips onto his cheek like a cold snail. “Spend it wisely, okay?”
Billy quickly excused himself and hurried over to a picnic bench, where his dad and Uncle Pete were telling the same stories they always told. The Boston Red Sox played on a transistor radio; Joe Castiglione’s distinctive voice confirming that summer was just underway. While people talked and laughed above the table, Jimmy worked beneath it like a pilot fish on the under belly of a shark—trawling for scraps—scanning and devouring most leftovers before they ever hit the ground.
Billy headed into the house to relieve himself when he spotted Jack swatting something invisible in front of the living room window. “What are you doing, Juice Box?” he asked him.
“Catching bees,” Jack said, swatting away.
Billy looked closer. The little boy was trying to capture dust particles floating around in the window’s sunlight. “Keep at it,” he told him. “You’re doing a good job.”
As she hurried past the two, Sophie laughed.
Throughout the afternoon, Billy and his underage friends sneaked swigs of
beer, while his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins filled the yard with many different conversations going on at once. Kids played and Jimmy took chase, at least to the best of his limited ability. Some of the men played horseshoes, while some of their women looked on from the shade of the giant oak tree. But no matter what they were doing, everyone was smiling—as they shared in each other’s company.
Suddenly, a water balloon fight broke out. In the past, Jimmy would have jumped right in. But not today. Today, he sat on the sidelines and watched through sad puppy eyes, his gray muzzle resting across his worn paws.
Many of Billy’s friends came and went throughout the day. Each one of them greeted Jimmy, spoiling the old dog with lots of love.
“Any plans for the summer?” Bianca asked the group of recent graduates huddled together.
Charlie grabbed her around the waist. “I’ll be spending most of my time with the woman of my dreams,” he said, pulling her close to him.
“And who’s that?” Billy asked.
Everyone laughed, while Charlie pretended to be angry.
Mark smiled. “I’ll be taking a couple of intro courses at the local college to help me get a head start on next year,” he announced.
“Of course you are,” Charlie teased, “what else would you be doing?”
“Summer school?” Billy said, jumping in. “You can keep that, Mark. I don’t want to learn anything this summer.”
Bianca turned to Billy. “So what do you have planned then?”
“I plan on chillin’,” Billy said and then smiled excitedly. “I have to get a real job, but whenever I’m not working I plan to be at the beach with Jimmy.” He looked at the dog. “I also promised that I’d take him camping before I head off to college.” He patted the mutt’s head. “Jimmy loves our camping trips.”
The Changing Season Page 5
