Chapter 24

No one at the Goddard residence was an early riser, although I thought I heard water running in the washroom that was Paige’s when I started moving around at five-thirty. Since I was used to an early start, I showered and shaved, then dressed in a set of comfortable clothes that Grandma saw fit to pack for me ... thank you bunches, Grandma ... and I headed into the kitchen. I was dismayed initially. Bacon was nowhere in sight – instead they had turkey and tofu bacon offerings, and they didn’t have real eggs, only the liquefied version that come in an old style milk carton.

I expanded my hunt for food to the cupboards and pantry, eventually finding enough flour that I could make a good southern meal with some of Grandma’s biscuits for breakfast. The kitchen wouldn’t look as pristine after I was done as it did before I started.

I’m a quick study, and after some more searching for the proper equipment, I had biscuits in the oven, oatmeal in a pot on the stove, and turkey ‘bacon’ sizzling in a frypan on the stove that would soon be used for gravy in which I could crumble the bird droppings. The aromas must have awakened Dad, since he was the first in the kitchen after me. Paige came down not soon after Dad, and we were finally joined by Evie shortly before Paige and I had to leave to get to school on time. I didn’t have a chance to talk to Dad, but I could tell by the looks between him and Evie that some good had emerged from their truth-telling last night even though they both looked wrung out this morning.

I was merciless and left the kitchen detritus to Dad and his gal-pal to clean up. “See you at four this afternoon,” I yelled, as Paige and I ran for my truck. “You had better have dinner on, or at least ready to begin making when we get back.”

Paige waited like a Southern lady for me to open the passenger door, which in my haste I had forgotten to do. I mentally Gibbs-slapped myself, before hopping out of the cab and running around the front of the vehicle to get her door.

The only recrimination I received was a smirk, and a, “I’ll get you trained yet,” from my new girlfriend.

Never has school dragged so slowly. Never had I encountered Mrs. Demeter in such a mood, that an offhand comment to my buddy Sam, who sat beside me in her class, almost earned me detention. It was a close thing, but I managed to convince her that a) it was topical, and b) it had nothing to do with irate teachers. Still, my immediate future teetered on the edge of the precipice for a while.

It was also lucky that there was no detention, as an angel in a pixie cut sat waiting for me on the steps leading to the parking lot. With her was the ‘Entourage’ as I had styled them in my mind earlier in the year. Now that I knew them, I realized it was only a couple of teammates from volleyball, Gloria, another friend of theirs, Andie, and Gloria’s brothers, Trent and Jake. It goes without saying that the people surrounding Paige were among some of the most beautiful, athletic young women I had ever seen ... and Gloria’s brothers. No second guess as to why Trent and Jake were there.

“Ladies,” I acknowledged with a nod of my head, “guys.”

I received a smattering of greetings from the women Paige was with, along with a shyly demure one from Gloria. Sigh. I’d have to do something about that if it didn’t resolve itself sometime soon.

I concentrated on Trent and Jake though, “So, we ended up with a winning season – did you get the scholarship to UGA, Trent?”

He looked surprised that I was willing to keep things civil between us. “Yeah, full ride, although they mentioned they’d like to see me in the weight room a little more before the fall. They also want me to work on legs and core, and to strengthen my hands and wrists. They gave me some specific exercises to do and Jake has been working with me.”

There was no surprise there since linebackers always needed to be able to push the opposing offensive line back, as well as have the speed, strength and agility to cover a crossing route when need be. I decide to extend the olive branch, for Gloria’s sake if for no other.

“You need someone to spot for you two?”

Again the startled look from Trent, although both Gloria and Paige seemed to be able to keep track of numerous conversations at a time as they looked up with grateful expressions.

“No, we usually do that for each other,” Trent responded. Gloria took leave of her girlfriends, and pulled her brother off to the side where she had an animated yet quiet one-sided conversation with him. When they came back, he had been read into the program.

“Jake and I work out Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays between six and seven at the school,” he offered. “You’re welcome to join us.”

So that just set my schedule for the next semester. “Be happy to.”

An hour a morning couldn’t be that bad if I was correctly interpreting the looks I was getting from Paige and Gloria. Of course, my stomach had a different opinion. “Uh, but if you’re at school then, what do you do for breakfast?”

I didn’t really know him other than from church, but apparently Jake had heard stories about me and he started laughing. “We’re actually done in time to shower and go home for breakfast, and then make it back for the first bell. It’ll be good to have more than just the Foster boys in the weight room.”

He looked around. “Maybe the ladies would care to join us?” He suggested hopefully.

I wasn’t sure of the gleam in Gloria’s eyes, but Paige caught it too, saving me. “I’ll come if Gloria is there.”

Given that there was likely no way wild horses could have dragged Gloria out of that weight room if I was there, Paige was on safe ground. That got Andie and some of the volleyball players to volunteer for weight training as well. Okay, great. Now there were three guys and about seven girls for the next morning. I wasn’t sure what I had gotten myself into.

Before things could degenerate further, Paige stepped up to me. “It’s time you and I headed home. Shall we see if the McKenzie household is cleaned up from yesterday’s adventures?” That was said exclusively for my ears, and never have I been more eager to get home to see what the aftermath might be.

“Catch you guys tomorrow morning,” I yelled as I was towed toward my truck.

We made a stop at Paige’s place to collect the items I had left behind in the morning. The Tahoe wasn’t around, although Evie was. Did that mean things went poorly after we left for school, or was Dad just off being Dad again? Regardless, I needed to grab my belongings and, not willing to leave a cheerful Paige behind me quite yet, grab her and head to Grandma and Grandpa’s.

On the ten minute drive over from her mansion, she hadn’t stopped smiling. I couldn’t resist.

“What has you so cheerful?”

“In a word, Tim McKenzie.”

“That’s technically two words.”

“Don’t harsh my mellow. I saw what you did with Trent back there, and so did Gloria. You are a good man, Tim.”

That embarrassed me to the point of blushing. “I figured it was up to me to make the overture, so I decided to give Trent a chance. With Gloria’s help, he surprised me.”

“I know. That’s why I’m in a good mood,” she replied.

Okay, since she was in a good mood, I needed to broach another topic. “But something needs to be done with Gloria.”

“What do you mean?”

We pulled into the older McKenzie’s yard. “I mean we need to move her fixation off of me and onto someone else.” I took the cheap way out and closed the driver’s side door after alighting before Paige could say anything. I gave her the few seconds it took for me to walk around to open her door to formulate a response.

“You’re right,” she told me as I helped her down onto the yard. “We need to find her a boyfriend who isn’t already taken by me.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

We walked to the back door of Grandma’s house, being careful to knock before entering.

“Is everyone decent in here?” I called out, knowing that Grandma would most likely be in the kitchen or otherwise nearby.

She didn’t disappoint, yelling back, “Come in, I’m in the living room!”

Paige and I trooped in, dropping our backpacks and books on the kitchen-nook table as we passed it on our way to the living room. When we got there, I noticed that Grandma was watching a YouTube video – not just any one, but of me dancing with Mandy.

“I should never have shown you that. Haven’t I been embarrassed enough this weekend already?” I asked, giving Grandma a kiss on her forehead to lessen the sting my words may have produced.

Of course, Paige had never seen this video, so I had nothing but a sense of doom when she asked Grandma to back up and play it from the beginning. I was wrong though. Paige appeared to be enraptured by the dance, ignoring the vision of loveliness that was Mandy, and focusing instead on the story our movements told. Grandma was simply proud.

“That’s our Tim,” she told my new girlfriend, “and the result of the lessons his mother gave him.”

They made me sit between them on the couch as they watched that video enough times that I was sick of seeing myself onscreen by the time they were finally done. I rose when Grandma turned off the TV.

“So what’s for dinner, Grandma?” I asked.

“Oh, my, is it that time already? I suppose I need to get into the kitchen and start something.”

I had a better idea. I was still shopping with Grandma when I had the chance, and on the last trip I had snuck a number of items into the cart. Grandma Edwards had schooled me over the summer while Dad and I were on our trip, on how to make a great Shrimp Scampi. Grandma McKenzie’s cart had included the things I would need: several pounds of linguine, a corresponding number of shrimp, some garlic and lemons rounding out the ingredients she didn’t normally stock. Butter was found in the fridge, but Grandma was big on using powdered ingredients over fresh in her recipes. This was the beginning of my assault on her culinary method of life.

“You sit and enjoy whatever it was you were doing, Grandma,” I told her as I got up, pressing her back into the couch cushions. “Paige and I will see to supper,” I continued, pulling the young lady up to join me. Grandma sat back with a secret smile gracing her features.

“Okay, the first thing we need to do is defrost the shrimp,” I told my newly drafted kitchen helper.

I showed Paige where the colander was, had her dump three pounds of frozen, peeled and deveined shrimp into it, and then run a slow drizzle of cold water over it. In the meantime, I took out several shallots, Grandma’s largest frypan, and some olive oil. I diced the shallots finely, putting them aside before finding the white wine I had snuck into the cart and Grandma’s pantry.

“Here, open this,” I said pointing at the wine, “while I get these sautéing.”

The shallots went into the pan with heated olive oil as she set about pulling utensils from drawers looking for the corkscrew. We actually needed Grandma’s help to find that implement, but once that question was answered, we sent her back to her duties in the other room.

I pointed at a large pot in one of the cupboards that Paige had opened. “Grab that and get a gallon of water boiling in it. Add a good bit of salt to the water when you have it ready.” I caught an uncertain look. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”

She did as instructed, placing the pot on the range. I motioned with my chin, “There are three pounds of linguine in packages in the pantry. Add them to the water and bring it back to a boil.” My sous chef followed my instructions. “Now, grab the bulb of garlic from the crisper in the fridge and bring it here please.”

My knife skills weren’t at all professional, but I was honing them every chance I got. Since summer, that meant hardly at all, but the dexterity I remembered with a blade came back. It took probably ten minutes of fun with Paige, and both of us smelling strongly like fresh garlic, but the cloves were finally minced to my satisfaction. I returned the shallot pan to the heat and added the garlic to sauté.

By the time the linguine was done and drained at my instruction, I had Gilroy’s offering softened and the harshness of the raw texture of the cloves mellowed. Paige put the pasta back into the pot and waited for me to direct her further. At my nod, the shrimp entered the pan, followed by a couple of cups of the white wine once the pink color in the seafood had begun to emerge. The last steps were a finishing with butter, lemons and a good handful of chopped parsley. All of the crustaceans and sauce got mixed into the large pot with the linguine.

Sometime during my cooking masterpiece, Grandma had snuck in and set the table, sliced some French bread, made a salad and had all of the accompanying items ready for us. Dad and Grandpa had also surreptitiously entered the house, but really, can you blame me for not noticing? I was having such a good time with my culinary companion that I totally didn’t notice any of the rest.

“And we’re done,” I exclaimed, plating everything up. “You can stay for supper, can’t you Paige?”

Grandma laughed, “It’s a little late to ask that, Tim. Besides, you’re holding her hostage since she has no way of getting home. I took the liberty of calling her mother for the two of you and she’s good here until nine.”

With that, I announced dinner, and we all sat down and ate.

Grandpa managed to stay out of trouble with his wife by dint of the fact that he had seen me cooking. Nonetheless, there were groans of repletion from him when we finished eating. Dad of course had experienced the Scampi earlier in the year, so he had known what to expect, but even so, he was laboring under the weight of his appetite. I looked over to see Grandma shaking her head wryly.

“You’re going to have to teach me that one, Tim. I can’t believe how good that was.”

Now that Grandma broke the ice, Dad and Grandpa were able to add their own comments. I tried to pass off the good food on the quality of my sous chef, but even she was well satisfied with the meal and decided not to allow me to move out of the spotlight.

“I can’t believe you can cook like that, Tim,” she told me, making me blush again. “Did you get that from your dad or your mom?”

Grandma interjected with a, “Ha! Like that one,” she pointed an accusatory finger at Dad, “could find his way around the kitchen. Tim had to have gotten that from his mother.” She started to stand up, collecting plates, but I stopped her.

“He may not be able to cook all that well, but he can clean. Let Dad and Grandpa do that, Grandma, and we’ll all go and sit down on the couch.” I gently took the dishes from her, placing them back on the table. “Come on, let’s find something to watch on TV.”

Grandma, Paige and I found the living room, but Grandma situated herself where she could keep an eye on what was going on with the cleanup. I suspect that Grandpa hadn’t been required to clean off dishes very often in their long marriage, but Dad was a different matter. Until I was old enough to help, he had the job of setting and cleaning while Mom cooked. After I was big enough, I would set, but he still had cleaning duties. Still, I thought that he had cast me a wounded look before I grabbed the women and pulled them with me to an after-dinner moment of relaxation. Too bad, old man, you’ve had it pretty cushy here with your mom to look after you ... and me.

That reminded me.

“Grandma, I just wanted to say thank you for all the care you’ve taken with me and Dad. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you and Grandpa to rearrange your lives to take in extended boarders, but we love you for doing that. This evening’s meal was just one of the ways I plan to show you how much your love means to me.”

Grandma’s smile was back. “Tim, I have my family – all my boys are here with me. Who wouldn’t be happy to care for you? Still, thank you for the wonderful meal.” She hesitated, “It’s not a one-time thing though, is it? I could get used to someone else cooking every once in a while.”

She made me laugh. “Grandma, I’ll be happy to cook for you so long as you continue to give me lessons. I want to learn how to do your pot roast next.”

She groaned at that. “You’re going to take it and do something to it, I just know it.” Her smile reappeared. “Fine, I’ll keep teaching you, but you need to show me what you learned from your chef friend. We’ll call it square if you do that.”

I stuck my hand out, “Deal!” We shook, and then found something to watch on TV.

Grandpa called a guys-only meeting later that week.

“Look,” he said as we were all gathered around the shop table, “I need to know what you guys are getting Candace for Christmas so we don’t all get the same things.”

Dad looked at me and then his father, “I guess I’ll go first. I already got her a double string of pearls. Tim?”

The baton was passed to me. “I was thinking two things: some new kitchen equipment that I can use with her, and on a more personal note, Dad and I took one of her drawings in to Alfonse in Atlanta so he could make the dress of her dreams for Christmas or New Year’s.”

I looked at my grandfather. “Why? What are you getting her?”

He stood up, pacing the shop floor. “I’d like to get her something she’s always wanted but I need help and I can’t commit you guys to it without talking to you first.”

He had Dad curious, “What is it?”

“Well, I was watching her the other night when we got the grand tour of your new house, and there was a lot of wistfulness in her face. We’ve lived in this old house on this property since before you were born, James, and I’ve always meant to renovate, but I never got to it. Your new place makes this one seem shabby, and I’m no longer satisfied with it. Do you guys think you could help me with a remodel?”

I looked at Dad, and he at me. Laughter suddenly erupted in the room. Grandpa didn’t take it well.

“Damn it, I’m serious. I want to give her a dream house she can be proud of.”

“It’s not that,” Dad managed to choke out between his chuckles, “we’ll be happy to help you with a remodel. It’s just that Tim and I feel that you’re thinking too small.”

He told Grandpa about the day that Grandma had first seen the plans laid out on her dining room table, and her reaction to it.

“Tim promised her that we would build her a new house. That’s what he and I wanted to talk to you about, and you beat us to it. What about that, Dad? A new house instead of a remodel.”

Grandpa looked uncertain. “Where would we build it?”

I shot a look at Dad. “Right here, Grandpa. We’d tear down the existing structure and build something that Dad designs here.”

The scope just seemed too big for Grandpa to grasp right off the bat. He kept throwing up questions. “And where would we live while our house is being torn down and rebuilt?”

His son had the answer ready for him, “We have a suite on the main floor at our new place that has been reserved for you and Mom.”

It went on like that for a while, until Grandpa grudgingly appeared to be coming around to the idea. We finally got his agreement when Dad assured him the current shop could stay where it was, although the yard would get new gravel to spruce it up.

“Okay, we’ll build new. Just one thing – I get a man-cave like you guys have.”

That saw us all just about rolling on the floor. We were still chuckling as we closed up the shop, turning the lights off and locking the door before heading back into the house.

I was spending the early mornings, three days a week, at school in the weight room with the Foster boys, and their sister Gloria. It turned out that Paige really did still feel somewhat insecure about my friendship with her, and so she showed up with a couple of volleyball teammates. None of the guys were complaining after seeing the sports attire on those athletic bodies.

Trent showed all of us the exercises he had been assigned, and I shared the workout that Dad and I did during the previous summer. It turned out that my technique was terrible, and both Trent and Jake took turns correcting me. I felt different muscles burn as my form got better.

For my part, I helped spot the other guys when it was time for free weights. The school also had a heavy bag in the corner, and I showed Trent and his brother what Charlie had taught me, including how to put some power into the punches. Jake held the bag for both me and his brother, and I did the same for him.

All three of us enjoyed the leotard, yoga pants and sports bra attired young ladies who had joined us. And so in that way, the animosity between Trent and me dissipated. I was happy about that, since it was uncomfortable thinking about an adversary at school. Just as that got resolved however, Jake made some stupid comments about the girls, and it being Trent’s prerogative as the older brother, he thumped the youngest Foster before I had to do it.

Trent motioned to me as his younger brother was setting his weights for his turn bench-pressing. “Look, McKenzie, I don’t know you that well, but my sister tells me you’re an upstanding guy.” I smiled at his words; Gloria had once told him the exact opposite. He continued, “What happened between us, I’m sorry for what I did and I’d like to forget it if we could.”

I was all for that, and the prospect of moving forward was a good one. “Yeah, I’d like that. And, uh, I’m sorry for causing you to miss a couple of weeks earlier this year.”

Trent just nodded, then held out his fist for a bump. “Now that we’re no longer feuding, I need some help with my little brother.”

He went on to outline his plan, which was simplicity in itself. Each of us took a 45 pound plate, and just as Jake lowered the weights to his chest for his first set, we added them to either end of the bar. With ninety extra pounds now firmly pressing the youngest Foster back into the bench, Trent had a conversation with him.

“Hey, Jake,” Trent addressed his brother, “in case you hadn’t noticed, those girls you’re ogling are part of the social elite here at school. Now, unless you want the rest of your high school years to be lonely, you’ll lighten up with the comments. I wouldn’t put it past Paige to put the word out on you and you’d find it very difficult to get dates here. You saw what she did to Tim earlier this year, didn’t you?”

Trent lifted the bar a few inches off his brother’s chest, giving Jake a chance to breathe.

“Besides, one of those girls about whom you were making the comments is your sister. Do you want me to tell her and Mom what you were saying?”

Jake’s face, red with exertion, suddenly paled.

“No,” he managed to gasp out.

“Okay then. From now on, keep your comments to yourself. And I wouldn’t say anything about Paige in this guy’s hearing, or he may give you what he calls a ‘love tap,’” Trent indicated his sternum, “and I’d be right beside him to add to it. You won’t be much good to anyone for a while if that happens.”

Trent indicated to me we should remove the weights, letting Jake off the bench and into a more comfortable breathing situation. He leaned in close to his brother’s ear, “Besides, if the ladies see that you’re a good guy, they might just spread the word, and your dating worries here could be over.”

I think that, more than anything, got Jake’s attention. I had to chalk up his attitude to being the younger brother of one of the football stars – riding those coattails had given him a swelled head. It was probably just dawning on him that Trent would be graduating this year, and he’d have to go through the rest of his high school life getting by on his own merits. Hopefully the change would stick. I felt the same way about Trent’s revised attitude toward me.

We turned back to the racks, putting the forty-fives away, signaling to everyone that the workout session for today was over. After another fist bump from Trent, I escorted Paige out into the parking lot, and we left, each to our own homes to get cleaned up before returning to school for the rest of the day.

Paige and I didn’t have much time in the morning to talk or spend together, but that changed at lunch.

“So what did you and Trent say to Jake? Gloria said he wasn’t his normal obnoxious self when they got home, and some of the girls in his class say he’s been quiet the whole morning.” She delivered that while taking the seat across from me at the lunch table.

“Paige, you’re my girlfriend now, and I know we’re a team, but some things don’t get shared ... even with you.” I opened my Igloo, taking out the two huge pot-roast sandwiches that Grandma had prepared for me out of Tuesday night’s leftovers.

She looked disappointed and the expression on her face told me that this wasn’t over. However, she accepted that we wouldn’t be talking about this any further now, and her face lit up when some of her teammates joined us. That wasn’t an unhappy occurrence, as a few of them were workout friends with me now too. Plus, it made our table the center hub of the school for the meal. It got quiet for a moment when I spotted Trent and waved him over to sit with us too. He joined us though, said hi to the girls, and conversation got back to normal fairly quickly.

Paige opened another topic. “So, Mom said you’re moving this Saturday?”

I nodded, my mouth still wrapped around a tender piece of beef, tomato, lettuce, mayo, mustard, cheddar and home-made bread. When I could speak again I responded, “Yeah, things are rolling right along, and Lily has the techs in today in order to get the media room up and running.”

Paige smiled, “What? It’s not the man-cave anymore?”

I winced. “Your mother convinced me that calling it that might not be the best thing to do in the long run – not if I wanted to stay on your good side.”

“Smart.” She hesitated, looking around the table, “So ... do you guys need any help?”

I took another bite of Grandma’s cooking, remembering how many trips Dad and I had made to the intermodal containers while packing everything up for the move to Georgia.

“Yeah, we could definitely use some help. Why? Do you know some professional movers that are available?” I said, teasing her. That earned me a roll of the eyes.

“Look around the table, dummy. Now, do you have any other smart remarks you’d like to make?”

I did as I was told, finding that our little conversation was currently captivating the attention of everyone. I took the high road, “Show up at eight on Saturday,” I gave the address, “and I’ll make sure there’s coffee and pastries waiting. A few pies from a place I know in town should fill everyone up around noon.”

Paige glanced at the confused faces arrayed around the table, “Pizza. He means pizza pies. I don’t know why he can’t just say pizza. I’ll work on him,” she promised her girlfriends.

I could clear that up right now though, and I made sure my expression was haughty when I did.

“No, these are pies. Domino’s is pizza, Pizza Hut is pizza, Boston’s is pizza, but these are pies. You’ll see.” And just like that, we had our crew for Saturday, if for no other reason than to check out my assertion regarding the food.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch and the table emptied. I held Paige back for a moment.

“Paige, what with the move this weekend, and cleaning up Grandma’s place this week, I’m not going to have much free time. Instead of an official date, I was wondering if I could spend some time with you on Friday evening, going through our shipping containers and labelling boxes for Saturday.”

Her expression, which had been working its way from happy to disappointed as I talked, turned bright again.

“I’d like that, but you’re going to owe me.” Her face screwed up as she thought of my penance. “Two official ‘McKenzie dating experiences,’ should about cover it.”

“You got it,” I told her, collecting my things and heading toward the lockers.

As we parted ways, I heard a yelled, “And they’d better be special.”

It turned out that Trent really was a pretty decent guy, regardless of the way that he had come across when we met. I suppose for my part, I wasn’t portrayed very charitably due to my first encounter with Paige, and that had set the tone for all our interactions until now. Early morning workouts were rapidly changing my opinion of him, and his of me. I received evidence of that when he approached me Friday morning as I was hitting the bag.

“Say, I was wondering if you would mind if I brought some of the guys from the team along tomorrow,” he grunted as he absorbed the blows I was landing on the bag. I think my expression showed him what I thought of that idea.

“No, not the guys that hung out with me earlier this year. It turns out they were only sticking around because they thought I could help them get their own football scholarships to college. After you sidelined me for a couple of weeks, their chances sort of disappeared, and so did they. Well, with the exception of Andrew.”

I hit the bag hard when he said that name.

Trent knew what that meant. “No, if you can trust me, I can tell you that Andrew isn’t a bad guy. Yeah, he did something stupid earlier this year because of peer pressure, but I talked to him about it.”