Rocket Ride

by Graham Salisbury

“Oh?”

  “Yeah, well, you see, I don’t have enough tickets for everyone, and … I mean … I mean—”

  “What, Calvin?”

  Man, this was hard. “You can’t go.”

  Shayla looked at me, into my eyes, into my brain.

  “Oh,” she said. She blinked, fast, and her face got pink.

  “I … I’m sorry, but—”

  She reached out and put her hand on my arm. “That’s okay, Calvin. I understand. It’s fine. I heard Mr. Tanaka is going to tape it, so I can see it in the library later.”

  You slug! the little voice said.

  I studied my feet. “Yeah. Well. I’m sorry.”

  Shayla looked down on the boys below. “Melvin is my cousin.”

  I nodded.

  “Those boys just look mean, but they’re not.”

  “Yeah, well … I have to go now.”

  “I’ll walk you to the corner.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I know, but I want to.”

  I nodded.

  We headed down the stairs and past the boys, who didn’t even glance at us.

  Out on the street, we stopped and looked back at the apartments. “Well,” Shayla said with a sigh. “At least I got a new outfit from it.”

  “Outfit?”

  “My mom bought me new clothes to wear to the concert.”

  “She did?”

  “I’ll wear them to school tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Well. I’m really sorry. See you.”

  I waved and took off. I wanted to get home. Fast. I wanted to forget this ever happened. I felt like a sick dog. I could feel it in my mouth, like sucking pennies.

  “Bye, Calvin!”

  I kept on going without looking back.

  The little voice in my head was dead silent.

  Say something, I thought! Call me stupid. Call me mean.

  Nothing.

  “Hey!” Maya called when I got back on our street. “Watch where you’re going.”

  I looked up. “Huh?”

  She was sitting on her front lawn fixing the strap on her skateboard helmet. She pointed with her chin. Her fat cat, Zippy, was stretched out in the middle of the road, like always. I was about to step on him.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Maya asked. “You’re acting really weird today. You didn’t even tell us where you were going.”

  I blinked at her.

  “See? You can’t even talk.”

  “I can talk.”

  “Prove it.”

  “I don’t feel like it. Anyway, I gotta go home.”

  I stepped over Zippy.

  Maya popped up, put her helmet on, and jumped on her skateboard. She zoomed up to me. “Come on, Calvin. You can tell me.”

  I kept my mouth shut.

  “I mean it,” she said. “I won’t tell anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “I’m not worried about anything.”

  She kept circling me on her skateboard. When we were just past Julio’s house, I felt so bad I had to get it out. “Okay!”

  I stopped and bunched my lips. “I told Shayla she couldn’t go to the concert.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  She nodded. “I wish I hadn’t heard you! So what you’re saying is, you invited her … and now you uninvited her?”

  I frowned.

  “But …” Maya was speechless. She stopped skating, kicked her board up, and grabbed it.

  “I had to,” I said.

  “Why?”

  “Tito.”

  “You took Shayla’s ticket away to give to Tito?”

  “Well, what else could I do? He kept—”

  “You had a choice, Calvin! And you made the wrong one.”

  Maya dropped her skateboard and headed back toward her house.

  That night I told Mom I didn’t feel good and went to my room early. I just wanted to be alone. Except Streak could come in, because she liked me even if I was a skunk sometimes.

  I climbed up to my bunk and lay with my hands behind my head. Dumb Tito!

  I felt Streak jump onto the bunk below me.

  Mom came out a while later with a bowl of soup and some saltine crackers.

  “Maybe this will make you feel better, Cal.”

  “Maybe,” I mumbled.

  “What’s wrong? Is it your stomach?”

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Well, the soup will help if you can get it down. If it gets worse, you come in and see me, okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  Mom left, closing the door quietly.

  If I ever needed a dog it was then. Dogs don’t blame you for doing stupid stuff.

  I rolled over and looked down. “Hey.”

  Streak raised her head but didn’t wag her tail.

  Bad sign.

  I rolled back and put my arm over my eyes. “Say something,” I said to the little voice in my head.

  Anything.

  Down at the river, even the noisy toads were silent.

  Well.

  You know how sometimes when you have a problem, and you think about it just before you go to sleep at night? And then you wake up in the morning or maybe even in the middle of the night and you have a solution for that problem?

  That’s what happened to me.

  I woke up the next day feeling like I got my first A in math, ever. Even the little voice in my head was back.

  Not bad, it said.

  Boy, did it feel good to hear that.

  I got dressed and hurried into the house. Mom hadn’t left for work yet. “Mom,” I said, grabbing a bowl and a box of Grape-Nuts. “You think Dad’s up yet? I need to call him.”

  She glanced at the clock. “It’s kind of

  early, Cal.”

  “I know, but can I call him?”

  “You can try. What do you need to talk about?”

  “Something.”

  Mom laughed. “Something, huh? Okay, I’ll give you some privacy.”

  When she left the kitchen I grabbed the scrap of paper Dad’s hotel number was on and punched it in.

  He was up.

  “Dad. This is Calvin. I need to talk.”

  Friday.

  At school I was nervous, but not the kind of nervous you get when you’re going to the dentist, or when you have to stand up in front of the class and talk about a project.

  It was the excited kind.

  I sat at my desk waiting for Mr. Purdy to start class. My leg was bouncing. I tapped my fingers on the desktop. Everyone was in their seats, talking low, mumbling.

  Shayla was sitting quietly, not even drawing pictures, like she almost always did. Just sitting there in her nice new clothes.

  Do it! Go!

  “Uh, Shayla?”

  “Oh … hi, Calvin.”

  “Yeah, hi … uh … I… Well, you know how I came to your house yesterday?”

  “And met Melvin.”

  “Yeah, and I was … you know, like sort of weird?”

  She looked at me. “You weren’t weird, Calvin. I was glad you came over.”

  “You were? Why?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Uh, yeah, well, I … I …”

  My fingers trembled. I’d never in my life felt good nervousness like that before. “Listen, Shayla …”

  “What is it, Calvin?”

  “Um … you want to go on a rocket ride?”

  I couldn’t believe how my hands were shaking.

  Shayla cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

  “My dad’s concert.”

  She frowned. “But you said I couldn’t.”

  “I know. I was wrong to do that. But I fixed it. I got a great idea and I fixed it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I got us backstage passes.”

  “What?”

  “For you and me. We can watch everything from onstage, closer than front-row seats, and we can see what goes on backs
tage. We’ll be part of the band, almost. Dad said he’d love it if we did that, because he wanted me to see what he does, and how much it means to him.”

  Shayla looked at me with her mouth half open.

  Then she yelped and covered her mouth.

  But the yelp was so loud the whole entire class plus Mr. Purdy jumped.

  She leaped up and yelped again; then she hugged me.

  “Ooo-la-la,” Julio called.

  The whole class burst out laughing, even Mr. Purdy.

  My trembling fingers balled up into fists as I slipped away from Shayla and slid down into my seat. My face was hot as a fresh pancake.

  “Shayla!” I whispered.

  She sat down. “Sorry. I was just excited—”

  “Shhh!” I hissed.

  She nodded … with a grin.

  “Anything you care to share with us, Shayla?” Mr. Purdy asked.

  Even Shayla turned red. “No.”

  “How about you, Calvin?”

  I shook my head and covered my face with my hands. I could never look at anyone in that class again for the rest of my whole entire life!

  What a man, the little voice said. What a hero!

  I still had a problem.

  Tito.

  Because even though now I really did have one ticket left, I was NOT going to give it to him.

  But I had a solution.

  First, I needed to find Lovey before Tito found me.

  “Lovey!” I yelled when I saw her standing in the shade with her friends.

  They all turned to look.

  I ran over, glancing around. No Tito. So far, so good.

  “Can I, uh, talk to you?”

  “Sure. What’s up? That doofus bothering you again?”

  “Not yet.”

  She laughed. “Come. Let’s walk. Look,” she said, nodding toward Tito’s tree. “There he is. See?”

  “Yeah.”

  Tito was watching us. Bozo and Frankie Diamond were leaning back against the tree with their arms crossed. “They try so hard to look tough,” Lovey said. “So, what can I do for you?”

  “A favor?”

  “Like what?”

  Lovey was nice to me because her brother was Clarence, Stella’s boyfriend. And despite how big and scary Clarence looked, he always treated me like a brother.

  “I need you to save my life.”

  Lovey spurted out a laugh. “That’s a big favor. How can I do that?”

  “It’s like this.… I have one ticket left to my dad’s concert tomorrow, and Tito wants it. He’s been in my face about it every day. But I’ve been, you know, hiding out, because I don’t want to give it to him. It’s not right, the way he wants it. Like, forcing me. So … I want you to have it.”

  Lovey stopped walking and looked at me. “Me? Why? Won’t that make it worse?”

  “No. It will make it better. You see, you’re the only one he can’t complain about. Know what I mean? Because he likes you. He has to be glad I gave it to you … instead of him. See?”

  She grinned. “You’re a smart kid.”

  “Only if it works.”

  “It will work! Watch. Here he comes.”

  I stepped back, holding my breath.

  Tito slouched up with his two shadows.

  “Heyyy, Coco-man,” he said. “I thought we was friends.” He turned to Lovey and smiled. Still looking at her, he added, “You trying to steal my girlfriend, Coco-dude?”

  “No! I was just—”

  Lovey put her arm around my shoulder. “My friend Calvin just gave me your ticket.”

  “Wha-what?”

  “You know,” Lovey said, smiling. “The ticket to his dad’s concert?”

  Oh jeese.

  Tito studied me. “What’s she talking about?”

  “I … well …”

  I looked for somewhere to run.

  “Sorry you can’t go, Tito,” Lovey said. “Really I am. I know how much you like Little Johnny Coconut.”

  “Me? I don’t like that crummy music. What­choo talking?”

  Lovey slapped her cheek in fake surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were bugging Calvin for a ticket. Am I wrong?”

  Tito gave me a look that said, I’m going to eat you.

  Lovey touched his arm. “You know what else Calvin told me?”

  I turned to her. What? I didn’t say anything else.

  “He said since you play slack key so well, I should ask you to play for me. Will you play for me … Tito?”

  Tito turned to me. “Coco-puff said that?”

  Lovey smiled. “Sure did.”

  Boy, she was good.

  Tito stood taller. “I play for you anytime. Forget that concert. I going give you one better one.”

  She grunted. “Don’t get carried away, big boy.”

  The bell rang, and I glanced at Lovey, my eyes trying to say, Thank you!

  She winked.

  I took off. Lovey just might be the love of my life, too.

  Saturday. Concert day.

  The plan was that Shayla and I would meet a guy named Zeppo at the loading dock behind the concert hall, and he would take us backstage. He’d be wearing a red baseball cap with a yellow lightning bolt on the front.

  “You can’t miss him,” Dad had said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind hat.”

  “He’ll give us passes?”

  “He’ll do better. He’ll take you inside himself, past security and right to our dressing room.”

  “Wow,” I’d whispered.

  “And Calvin?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m proud of you for doing this for that girl.”

  “You are?”

  “Very much so.”

  Whatever bad feeling I had about everyone laughing at me at school and all that stuff … just flew out the door.

  Poof!

  We arrived in three cars—Mom’s clunker, Ledward’s jeep, and Clarence’s big pink beast. Eleven of us. Since I now had a backstage pass, Darci had used my ticket to invite her friend Reena.

  “You and Shayla meet us right here when it’s over,” Mom said.

  “Sure, Mom.”

  Ledward winked at me. “You two have a great time back there. What a treat that’s going to be.”

  Mom looked at Shayla, all dressed up in her new outfit. “You look lovely, Shayla.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Coconut.”

  “You sure you two can find this guy?”

  “Yeah, Mom. Go on in. We’ll be fine.”

  Mom gave Shayla a hug and kissed the top of my head, then went into the hall with Ledward and everyone else.

  I grabbed Shayla’s hand. “Come on! I don’t want to miss anything.”

  As we ran around to the back, I realized what I’d done! I was holding hands! With Shayla!

  I let go.

  She grabbed my hand back.

  Aiy.

  We ran past two giant trucks parked by a closed roll-up door, leaped up some concrete stairs to a greasy platform, and banged on the first door we came to.

  Bam! Bam! Bam!

  I pounded again.

  Finally some big guy opened it.

  A really big guy. Huge like Dad’s bodyguards.

  “Yeah?”

  I gulped. The name Zeppo flew out of my brain. I couldn’t remember it. “Uh … can I see … uh, Little Johnny Coconut? He’s my dad.”

  “And I’m the tooth fairy, nice to meet you.”

  He started to close the door.

  “No, wait! I’m Calvin, his son! I was supposed to meet someone here … a guy in a red hat. He has backstage passes for us.”

  The big guy looked down at me. “A red hat?”

  “A baseball cap, with a yellow lightning bolt on the front. His name is—”

  “Zeppo,” the big guy said.

  “Yeah, Zeppo. We’re supposed to meet him here.”

  The big guy looked at me, then at Shayla. “Wait.”

  He closed the door.

  Shayla
grinned and raised crossed fin-

  gers.

  The door opened and the guy in the red hat came out. “Man, I’m sorry. Just had a lot to do before they go on. Come on in. The warm-up band is playing now.”

  The music got louder and louder as we followed Zeppo down a long concrete hallway to stairs that took us up to a kind of waiting area. Shayla grinned and covered her ears. “Awesome!” she shouted.

  I could barely hear her, so I nodded.

  We could see the warm-up band out onstage, and beyond them, the first few rows of seats. But everything past that was black because of the lights blasting onto the stage.

  The music was so powerful that the beat went right into me, vibrating in my bones. It was impossible to stand still.

  Shayla jumped to the rhythm next to me, and out in the audience people were standing and cheering and clapping and whistling. I looked for Mom.

  Shayla pulled on my arm. “Calvin!”

  I turned and saw Dad and his band heading toward their positions behind the curtain. He had his guitar strapped on, and his hair was sticking up all over the place to look wild and cool. He wore a black T‑shirt and old jeans with silver-studded black boots.

  I waved.

  He gave me and Shayla a huge grin. “I hope you like it, Shayla,” he called. You had to read his lips, but it was clear what he said.

  Shayla looked at me and mouthed, “He knows my name?”

  “I told him,” I mouthed back.

  Shayla looked at me as her eyes filled with tears. But she had a big smile.

  Ho man, did I say something wrong?

  She wiped her eyes and turned back to the band, excited as a dog in a jeep.

  Zeppo motioned us over to a

  better spot.

  Now we could see everything onstage and the people in the front three rows, including everyone we’d come with.

  When the opening band hit their last notes, the crowd cheered even louder. The band jogged offstage, right past me and Shayla. They were dripping with sweat and grinning and saying stuff like “That was awesome!”

  Then, while the crowd was still on its feet, a booming voice blared over the sound system. “And now, straight from Las Vegas, Nevada, the band you’ve all been waiting for, the only mainland band with roots in Hawaii … give it up for Hawaii’s own … Little! Johnny! Cohhh-cohhh-nut!”