by Dayle Gaetz
No Problem
Dayle Campbell Gaetz
orca soundings
Copyright © 2003 Dayle Campbell Gaetz
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.
National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data
Gaetz, Dayle, 1947-
No problem / Dayle Campbell Gaetz.
(Orca soundings)
ISBN 1-55143-231-5
I. Title. II. Series.
PS8563.A25317N62 2003 jC813’.54 C2002-911493-4
PZ7.G1185No 2003
First published in the United States, 2003
Library of Congress Control Number: 2002116520
Summary: Curt has it all: friends, summer job, a promising career in baseball; then he begins experimenting with drugs.
Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP), the Canada Council for the Arts and the British Columbia Arts Council.
Cover design: Christine Toller
Cover photography: Eyewire
Printed and bound in Canada
IN CANADA:
Orca Book Publishers
1030 North Park Street
Victoria, BC Canada
V8T 1C6
IN THE UNITED STATES:
Orca Book Publishers
PO Box 468
Custer, WA USA
98240-0468
05 04 03 • 5 4 3 2 1
For Bruce.
We miss you.
DCG
Chapter One
My first day on the job and Stuart was supposed to show me what to do.
“Open those boxes and put all the jars of pickles up there,” he said. He pointed to a high shelf and a stepladder. Then he took off. That was it. Big lesson. I climbed the ladder and set to work.
Two minutes later I heard this husky voice, “So, are you the new kid?”
Dumb question. I looked down. The first thing I saw was the top of a head with hair so blond it looked white. Except for this dark patch right on top. Two shiny blue eyes laughed up at me.
“Yup,” I said, “that’s me. The new kid.”
“Come on down and meet Rachel.”
“Sure. Okay.” I climbed down the ladder and glanced around. “So, where’s Rachel?”
She laughed, deep in her chest. Rachel was as tall as I was, but she was really thin. Her white-blond hair was cut short and straight, with bangs down to her dark eyebrows. She wore tons of makeup, which looked sort of sexy. Her full lips were as red as my baseball cap.
“So, the new kid’s a comedian,” she said. “What’s your name, funny boy?”
“Curt.”
A cool hand reached out to shake mine. “I’m Rachel,” she said.
I gulped and backed up the ladder.
Rachel laughed again. “Nice meeting you, Curt.” I watched her slink away.
Stuart and I took our lunch break together. We went through the stockroom and out the back door to take a shortcut across the mall.
“Hi, boys!”
We swung around. Rachel was sitting on a wooden bench. She crossed her long legs and took a drag on her cigarette.
“Hey, Rachel!” Stuart called. I waved and we walked away.
“What’s with her?” I asked.
“She likes teasing the young guys,” Stuart said. “But don’t start thinking she’ll go out with you or anything. It ain’t gonna happen. Besides, she’s way old!” He glanced at me. “Hey, man, did you hurt your pitching arm lifting those heavy cases?”
I realized I was rubbing my right shoulder. I dropped my hand. “They didn’t feel heavy to me. Did you hurt yourself?”
Stuart flexed. “Me? Of course not. I’m way stronger than you! You’re the one who keeps hurting your arm.”
“It’s fine.” I didn’t want to talk about it. My shoulder ached, but not too bad. I could handle it. I had no choice. Baseball season was about to start.
Dad was waiting on the back porch when I got home after work. He threw a baseball up and caught it. “So, Curt,” he said, tossing me my glove. “How was your first day at work?”
“Okay.”
“Come on.” He stood up, grabbed his glove and headed for the backyard. “Let’s see how that pitching arm is doing. This is going to be a big year for you.”
We worked on my curveball until Mom called us in for dinner.
The next day at tryouts, Stuart and I both made the Falcons, the junior men’s team. We were done with midget baseball, and the Falcons’ coach was the best in the league. I knew Stuart would be awesome on first base. Coach Watson said I was the best pitcher he had seen in years.
That should keep my father happy. The thing is, back in the old days, he almost got to pitch for a major league team. Then he broke his arm and that was that. Now it’s my turn.
Anyway, between baseball, school and my part-time job I didn’t have time for much else. Until I met Leah.
I was kneeling on the floor, stocking cookie shelves, when this girl came flying around the corner. Her long legs and short shorts were the first things I saw. My mouth dropped open. I stood up, clutching a box of chocolate cookies. She smiled and I was lost. I think it was those dimples that got to me.
The day was hot and she wore a shimmery blue halter top. Her soft brown hair tumbled around her beautiful face and fell over her shoulders. Her huge eyes were dark like black coffee and full of sparkling lights. She had the cutest freckles across her cheeks and nose. Her breasts were perfect too. I stared at the blue cloth…and tore my eyes away.
“Thank you,” she said.
My face went red. Did I say something? Did she know what I was thinking? “For what?” I squeaked.
She took the box from me. “How did you know I was looking for this kind of cookie?”
I grinned. “It’s my job. We aim to meet our customers’ every need.”
“You’re very good at your job.” She turned and hurried off.
I stood still, gaping. Then I shook my head and followed. She wasn’t in the next aisle, or the one after that. I spotted her in produce, pushing a shopping cart. I started towards her, but just then a tall, good-looking guy placed a big basket of strawberries in her cart.
“Mmm, those look good,” she said. “Let’s get some whipping cream and make a strawberry shortcake tonight.”
I stopped to pick up a peach that had fallen to the floor, then walked on by, trying not to look at her.
It didn’t work. My eyes rolled towards her. She winked. I grinned.
A week later I was standing on a ladder, putting packages of tea bags on the top shelf. That’s where the manager wanted them. I’m guessing he liked to watch little old ladies jump up and down trying to reach the tea. I was up there, leaning towards the shelf, when I heard a voice. “Hey!”
My arms were loaded down with packages and I couldn’t see a thing. I figured it must be Rachel. “Hey yourself!” I called.
“Got any more of those chocolate cookies?”
The top package started to slip. I made a grab for it, but the whole stack came apart in the middle. Every damn one of those packages flew out of my arms like they had sprouted wings. I lost my balance and started to tip sideways.
“Careful.” A warm hand touched my elbow and helped to steady me. A thrill shot through me, like a jolt of electricity.
I swallowed, fixed a cool smile in place and looked down. Whoa!
I grinned like a tota
l idiot.
Chapter Two
She was more gorgeous than I remembered. I climbed down the ladder and looked around for her boyfriend.
“The cookies are in Aisle 1. Same place as last week.” I bent to pick up the packages of tea scattered all over the floor. If someone tripped on them, I would be in big trouble.
She crouched beside me. “I’ll help you. It was my fault you dropped them.”
When the tea was all picked up, she held half of the packages while I climbed back up the ladder. She passed them to me until they were all neatly stacked, safely out of reach of your average tea drinker.
“So, do you get a coffee break or something?” she asked.
“Sure.”
She waited.
“Want me to get those cookies for you?” I asked.
“No! I’ll get them myself!” She turned and stomped away, pushing an empty shopping cart.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” I called.
She stopped. “What boyfriend?”
“You know, the guy you were with last time I saw you?”
“You mean Darren? Tall, dark and so good-looking no girl can keep her hands off him?”
“Whatever.” I didn’t like where this was going.
“Darren’s my brother. And in case you care, I’m Leah.”
Half an hour later, on my break, we met at a little coffee shop in the mall.
“What school do you go to?” I asked.
“I don’t. I’m finishing tenth grade by correspondence, but I’ll go to Esquimalt Secondary in September. We just moved here and I’m not ready to start a new school.”
“I go to Esquimalt too. I’m almost finished grade eleven.”
“Awesome! At least I’ll know someone. I’m kind of scared of the first day, you know?”
I nodded. “So, why did you move to Victoria? Did your parents get jobs here or something?”
She looked away. “Not exactly. My dad doesn’t have a job right now. And my mom took off ages ago.”
I changed the subject. “Do you always go shopping with your brother? I mean, how many guys take their sisters shopping?”
“My dad asked Darren to drive me that first day. Darren’s doing okay. He moved to Victoria last year and got a job. He has his own apartment and a car.”
I wracked my brain for a brilliant response. Anything to impress her. “Uh,” I said.
She frowned. “So, what do you do besides work at the grocery store and go to school?” she asked.
“I dunno. Play baseball, swim and hang out at the beach. What do you do?”
“Not much. I used to play baseball though, back home. And I like swimming. Maybe I’ll look for a summer job.”
“Speaking of jobs, I better go.” I looked at Leah. “Hey, I’ve got a game on Saturday. Want to come and watch?”
She smiled. “Sure, okay. Sounds like fun.”
“Great then, give me your phone number and I’ll call you.”
Leah came to the next three games. She must have brought me luck because I had never pitched better. We won those games without even trying. It helped me almost forget about my dad standing by the dugout. He had his arms folded across his belly and a scowl on his face like he had major gas pains. He always watched for every little mistake so he could tell me about it later. This usually made me nervous, but with Leah there I didn’t even glance his way.
“Good game, Curt,” Coach Watson said after the third game. “With you pitching, the Falcons can’t lose!” Then he noticed me rubbing my shoulder. “Your arm hurting?”
“Not bad.”
“I want you to lay off those curveballs for a while. They can damage your shoulder and elbow.”
“I’m fine.” A little ice, a little rest, and my arm would be good.
“Listen, Curt, a good friend of mine is a trainer for a major league team. He gave me these pills. They might help your shoulder.” He pulled a small plastic bottle from his pocket.
I shook my head. “I’m fine,” I said again.
“Hey, it’s just a muscle relaxant.” He patted my shoulder, “No sense in hurting when you don’t need to. Look, just take this bottle so you’ll have them in case you need one.”
I tucked the bottle inside my baseball glove and started towards the stands.
“Their pitchers suck compared to you.” Stuart caught up to me and slapped me on the back. “Hey, want to come over and watch a video?”
I looked towards the stands. Leah waved.
“Oh,” Stuart grinned, “I guess not.”
“See you at school, Stu,” I said. I walked over to meet Leah.
“Good game,” she said, standing on tiptoe to kiss me.
Whoa! Leah has the warmest, softest lips. I could wrap her in my arms and kiss her forever.
“Curt?”
“Huh?”
“I asked if you want to walk me home?”
“Sure, okay.” I took her hand. “We could get something to eat too.”
“I can’t take long. I need to get home.”
“What are you, Cinderella?”
“What?” She dropped my hand.
“I don’t know, Leah. You’re always in such a big rush to get home. How come?”
“That’s my business!” she snapped. She forced a smile. “Curt, that’s just the way it is. I can’t stay out late. Besides, don’t you have a math final in two days? You said you needed to study.”
“Whatever.”
“I think I’ll walk home by myself,” she said.
I couldn’t let her go like this, both of us angry. “Come on, you have to eat. Let’s go grab a burger.”
She looked at me. Then she nodded and we walked in silence for a few blocks. She slipped her hand into mine. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“Me too.”
Chapter Three
When I opened the back door, my parents were sitting in the kitchen, eating pasta. They did not look happy.
“Where have you been?” Mom asked. “We expected you home for dinner. I saved some for you.”
I shook my head. “That’s okay, Mom. I had a burger with Leah.”
Her lips pulled into a straight line. “Do you think you could let me know next time?”
“Sure, Mom, okay.”
Dad drummed his fingers on the table. “As you may have noticed, I was at the game,” he said. “You took off before we could talk.”
“Oh, yeah, sorry.”
“You pitched a good game, son.”
That caught me by surprise. “Thanks, Dad.”
“I bet you can hardly wait for the big league scouts to come calling.”
“Yeah, sure, Dad.” I reached up to rub my sore shoulder. “I think I’ll take a shower.” I left the room.
“Don’t forget to study for math!” my mother called.
In my room, I tossed my baseball glove at the desk. Something fell out and rolled across the floor. The pill bottle. I picked it up and took it into the bathroom. I took one pill and stood in the shower, letting the hot water massage my shoulder. When I climbed into bed, I fell asleep in two seconds.
By the morning my arm felt great.
I felt good all day at school. I felt terrific when I went to work.
Rachel was in the stockroom. She flicked her blond hair away from her face and winked at me. “Hiya, handsome. Want to share the good news?”
I grinned. “I just feel good today.”
“I’m happy for you,” she said softly. She moved closer and her blue eyes gazed into mine. “How about we go out after work and celebrate?”
“Uh…” Rachel and me? She’s got to be at least twenty-three or twenty-four. She was watching me, a little smile on her lips.
“Uh…” I said again. “Sorry, I have to study math.”
She raised one eyebrow. “Too bad,” she said.
After work I really did think about going home to study. For about two seconds. Then I walked over to Leah’s apartment.
“Hi, it’s me,�
� I said when she answered the intercom.
“Curt?” a mechanical voice crackled through the speaker.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be right down.”
I waited. She never invited me in. I wondered why. Maybe she didn’t want her dad to know about me. Maybe she was embarrassed. I was going to ask her about it, but when she walked out the door and smiled at me, I forgot about it.
We watched a movie. At least, we sat in the back of the theater while a movie played. I have no idea what it was. Then we got something to eat and walked back to her place with our arms around each other.
Outside her building she took my hand and led me behind a big spruce tree away from the lights. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her body close to mine.
We kissed. Her lips were so warm and she felt so good in my arms, I wanted to take her home with me. I slipped my hands under her shirt; her skin was like soft silk.
“I’ve got to go now,” she said and pushed me gently away. We walked back to the door.
“Good-night, Curt,” she said.
“Good-night.” I kissed her again. “See you at the game tomorrow?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
Dad was watching TV when I got home. I crashed on the couch.
“About time you got here,” he snapped. “Where have you been?”
“I had a date with Leah.”
“I thought you’d come home. We always practice the night before a game.”
I felt bad. I didn’t mean to disappoint him. “Sorry.”
“You should be!” he growled. “You don’t practice, you stay out late chasing after some girl…”
“Her name’s Leah and I wasn’t chasing after her!”
“You’ll let the Falcons down tomorrow!”
“Dad, it’s just a game…”
“Not for you! You’ll never make the big leagues if you don’t work at it. What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” I said. I almost told him then. I almost said, I don’t want to be a professional baseball player! I didn’t know how to tell him.
The thing is, ever since I was a little kid, my dad bragged to everyone that one day I would be some famous baseball star. And I have to admit I wasn’t bad. Not good enough for the big leagues, but not bad. I just wished he would ask me what I wanted.
