Irish Eyes – Chapter One

 

The heavy clicks and electrical buzz of the stadium lights coming on was lost amongst the chorus of cheers echoing through Gateway University’s Campbell Field. It was a late May evening where the Gateway Squirrels were in a tie game with their most-hated rivals, the Whitecrest Cranes. Jimmy Lawson led off the bottom of the ninth for the Squirrels, singling up the middle. The young black man had considerable speed at the top of the order and there was little doubt that he was going to attempt to steal a base before the inning ended. Trip Westin was already behind in the count as Cael Foley walked into the on-deck circle. Jimmy danced off first base, taunting Whitecrest College’s pitcher and Cael could not help but smile at his teammate. This was the game of their lives. They were playing for the Central South Conference championship with a chance to make it into the College World Series if they won tonight. Cael took a nervous breath, and then crouched down in the on-deck circle. Everybody knew that Trip was going to bunt Jimmy into scoring position, the crowd knew, the opposing pitcher knew, and most of all, Cael knew. He knew that when he came up to bat, he would have a chance to knock in the winning run. He heard the crackle and hiss of an old transistor radio in the crowd. It was a common practice for some of the senior fans to bring along an AM radio to listen to the game as they watched, but this was one time that Cael did not want to hear the witty repartee of Denny Griffin and Joel Duffy.

“Jimmy Lawson is driving Salvador nuts right now.” Denny’s older gentlemanly voice announced. “I haven’t seen somebody bait another man like this since Chris Hansen on To Catch a Predator. How does Salvador resist throwing over, Joel?”

“Well, like most end of the game pitchers, Salvador doesn’t have a good move to first. All he can do is hope that he can catch Lawson sleeping. There’s no way he throws ov—”

“Salvador throws to first and the ball sails over Garcia’s head!”

Cael whistled between his fingers and clapped hard as Jimmy rounded second and then dove back into the bag as the throw came in behind him. It ended up being a much closer play at second than it should have been, but the pitcher’s error still meant that the Squirrels’ fastest runner was now in scoring position. Cael’s palms began to sweat as he wrung the bat’s rubber grip in his hands. Nerves crept back through, replacing the exhilaration he felt knowing that his team was 90-feet closer to celebrating the one of the biggest victories in school history.

“Westin lays down the bunt perfectly. The sacrifice is good, which means that all Cael Foley needs to do is hit the ball out of the infield. What do you think of the Squirrels’ chances with Foley coming to the plate, Joel?”

“Frankly, I love them. With pro-scouts in the stands, Foley’s stiff play in this game so far can be forgiven. The fact of the matter is that there is no player better than Cael Foley to be up in this situation. I think the superstar we saw all season long comes through when his team needs him the most.”

The color commentary was the last thing that Cael heard before he stood and made the slow walk to home plate. Even before his name was announced, the deafening sound of the home crowd overwhelmed him.

“Now batting: Second-baseman, Cael Foley!”

He stopped a few steps from home plate and scanned the crowd. To say that he did not notice the scouts from St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Atlanta amongst the thousands of screaming fans would be a lie. The school’s marching band was going into another round of the school’s anthem, keeping the throngs of supporters in a tizzy for his at bat. He had the weight of an entire university on his shoulders, as well as the added pressure of his future career being at stake. It was situations like these where the true superstars separated themselves from the pretenders.

“Foley is one for four on the day, his lone hit coming on a ball that the center fielder misplayed in the fourth inning. In his career he is hitless against Salvador. Is that fact eating away at him as he steps up to the plate?”

“I don’t think so, Denny. Foley looks locked in right now and remember he was robbed of a three-run homer in the first inning. I think the only thing going through his mind right now is putting aluminum to leather.”

There was no such thing as tunnel-vision to the twenty-year-old ballplayer. He was picturing his father’s face watching him from the stands, knowing that the man was proud of him. The old man had actually canceled a business trip to see him play in this game. Letting him down was not an option. Cael licked his lips and wiped the sweat away from his dark chocolate bangs before settling into his stance. His strong arms waved the bat through the strike zone as he stared at the pitcher, his brown eyes looking almost black as he focused them on Salvador’s release point. Whitecrest’s red and white uniform seemed to blend with the ball as Salvador wound up and then hurled the first pitch. In a split second, Cael saw the ball bucking off its path just slightly. Low and inside, he told himself and let the pitch fly past him and into the catcher’s mitt. As soon as he heard the slap of the leather, he knew that he had made a mistake.

“Strike one!” The umpire shouted, punching his fist in an exaggerated manner.

The Gateway students and fans erupted in a cacophony of curses and jeers. Cael was one of the taller players on the team, and thus often had a much larger strike zone than other players. The fact of the matter was that the ball caught the edge of the plate, even though the casual observer or intoxicated fan in grey face paint could not tell the difference.

“You suck ump! Why don’t you go give the pitcher a blow job while you’re at it!?” One of the more colorful shouts came from the stands.

Cael cursed under his breath as well. He shook his head, wondering what the overzealous college fans would do if he struck out in such a key position if they were ready to kill the umpire over a borderline call that he had gotten right. He stepped out of the box and held up his hand, and then adjusted his batting gloves as well as the turquoise and grey Squirrels jersey he wore. Fans cheered again when they saw the big number twelve on his back in the batter’s box again.

Cael took the next two pitches for balls before fouling off the third. Each time he would step out of the batter’s box and readjust his gloves, pulling open the Velcro and then pulling the leather tight over his fingers before strapping it tight again. It was a ritual that not only calmed him down, but made sure that the pitcher was working at his pace. It usually drove the opposing team’s fans batty, but that was not an issue this game.

At two and two, the count was neither in his nor the pitcher’s favor, but there was still very little margin for error. Centimeters one way or the other and he could watch the third strike sail right past him and end up getting crucified by the crowd rather than celebrated. He had already made up in his mind that he was going to swing at anything remotely close to the plate. He would foul off pitches all day if he had to, but he was not going to make an out without making contact.

The pitch came and the corners of Cael’s lips upturned in a grin that practically screamed “Gotcha!” The ball clanged off his bat and reverberated loudly in his ears. He saw Salvador slam his glove down in frustration right as he began his home run trot. With the adulation of the clamoring fans swelling his head, he did not even bother to look up.

“That ball was absolutely crushed!” Denny Griffin announced. “Back, back, back, ooh, the umpire is indicating that it’s a foul ball. It looks like it hooked around the foul pole at the last moment, folks. You can see the disappointment dripping off Foley after a blast like that.”

“You certainly can, Denny.” Joel jumped in. “Cael hit twenty-nine home runs in the regular season and he nearly ended this game on another one. I bet he wishes he had another chance at that pitch.”

Fuck! Cael swore to nobody but himself. He was already coming into second base when the umpire signaled the ball foul, so he was left with a long walk back to the batter’s box. As he jogged past the pitcher’s mound, he heard a snicker from Salvador.

“Too bad Foley, guess you won’t be making that first million as soon as you thought.”

“Don’t worry, Salvador, I’ll send you crying to your mommy before the night is over.”

The bat boy handed Cael his bat as he stepped back to the plate. He kicked tapped each of his shoes with the bat, loosening the dirt from between his cleats and then stared menacingly back at Salvador, daring him to throw him that same pitch again.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Foley, you’re getting nothing but shit now.” The catcher taunted him and sure enough, the next pitch was up and in.

It was just enough to back Cael off the plate to avoid getting hit in the chin. The angry crowd jeered at the audacity of the opposing pitcher to attempt such a stunt, but the pitch really was not even close enough to merit a warning from the umpire. Now was not the time to let anger cloud his focus, but he still wanted to make that arrogant bastard pay.

Cael’s knuckles whitened as he tightened the grip on his bat. As the pitch rocketed through the air, the stadium’s atmosphere became palpable. The smell of stale popcorn mixed with spilled beer, the salty taste of his own sweat, the trumpeting uproar of the crowd—it all embraced Cael as he swung mightily. His vision blurred as his bat cut through the air like a razor and he made one of the most cardinal mistakes that a hitter could make, he took his eyes off the ball. The hollow clang of his bat let him know that he had popped it up, but all was not lost.

Cael, his teammates and the entire crowd watched as the ball sailed into shallow left field. Jimmy Lawson in particular watched and the second that the ball hit the outfielder’s glove he took off running for home. The throw was right on line and as Jimmy sprinted for home, Cael watched with fingers crossed. A cloud of dust erupted into the air as his teammate and close friend slid head first into home plate, sliding behind the catcher to avoid the tag. Everything seemed to get quiet as the umpire rendered his verdict.

“He’s—”

 

***

 

“Safe!”

Jimmy Lawson stood on up on the cushioned, red seats in the booth at McCreary’s Sports Bar, his arms spread wide as he made the safe call. It was right at this moment that Cael walked into the bar. Cael wore a pale yellow dress shirt with the top two buttons undone. His hair looked darker than usual with a good deal of styling product in it, which made it almost as black as the t-shirt he wore underneath the button-up. He chuckled and pointed at Jimmy.

“You’re not telling that same old story again, are you Jimmy?”

Jimmy dropped back down in the booth and put his arms around the two girls sitting with him. Cael did not know either one of them, but it was not unusual for Jimmy to pick up a few girls on campus before they went out. It was one of the many benefits of being a star athlete at a party school. All the girls knew who they were and wanted nothing more than to hang out with them.

“Hell yeah I am, brother. Not all of us got drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. This is all there is for some of us. Besides, you’re just jealous that it was my shining moment and not yours.”

“Yeah, I remember, but you have told that story at literally every party since June. You could give a man a break on his birthday.”

“It’s your birthday?” One of the girls asked.

She was blonde and had on heavy makeup as well as an outfit that was so tight it would make a stripper blush. Her entire get up made her look like she was compensating for being built like a rail. Cael thought she might actually be pretty if she washed her face off and put on something a little more conservative.

“Yeah, the big two-one. I am getting crazy drunk tonight!”

Cael slid in the booth next to the other girl, a redhead with a blindingly shiny halter top. Unlike her friend, she was all top. Still, she had the look of a sorority girl and considering she was here with Jimmy Lawson, a guy who went through girls faster than he ran the base paths, Cael doubted that she would be much of a conversationalist. In any case, he had a girlfriend.

“Where’s your girl at, Cael? I’m ready to get this shit going!”

“Night classes. She’s going to get a ride from Trip and Tracy and meet us at P.Q. later.”

“That’s cold, man. She can’t skip class on your birthday?” Jimmy asked in a half-serious tone. “I skipped class the other day just because I didn’t want to put on a jacket.”

“Yeah, well, she wants to actually do something with her life and I am not about to fuck things up for her by making a big deal out of missing my birthday. Besides, I said she’d catch up with us later.”

Cael pictured his girlfriend, Brooke, sitting in class with those cute black-rimmed glasses she wore that made her look like a bit of a geek. She only wore them when she was reading or studying, but in a way it made her seem more real to him. Brooke was by far the most beautiful girl he had met at Gateway. With her lustrous auburn hair and movie star good looks she easily could have been the Queen of the school if she chose to be, but she was one of the few people on campus that was not interested in taking the easy route through life. It turned out that despite its reputation Gateway had a nationally respected journalism school and Brooke’s career goal was to write for the New York Times. He often teased her about how cliché it was for the prettiest girl in school to be dating the star athlete, but she insisted that their relationship was more than superficial. He hoped she was telling the truth.

“Yo Jake! Bring over the birthday boy’s first round of shots!” Jimmy shouted to the bartender.

A set of three shot glasses was brought over to the table and set in front of Cael. The deal had been worked out ahead of time, twenty-one shots over the course of the night. The tradition started when an e-mail was sent around to all the students of Gateway University warning them about drinking in excess and recalling the story of a guy at some other school that did twenty-one shots on his birthday and died of alcohol poisoning. Somehow Trip, who started the tradition, missed the whole part about it being dangerous, or just thought that getting that drunk was an awesome idea. Either way, they had done it on Jimmy’s birthday and Trip’s, so now it was Cael’s turn.

The glasses in front of him were filled with various shades of liquor from amber to something blue. As Cael picked up the first shot, he turned to his friend.

“You’re not going to tell me what’s in these, are you?”

“Not even a hint. I’d blindfold ya if I didn’t think you’d miss your mouth.” Jimmy said with a laugh. “Now down that shit kamikaze style!”

Jimmy and the two girls rapidly drummed their hands against the table. Cael threw back the first shot and the three shouted with approval. This ritual continued for the next two and they all laughed when Cael’s eyes squinted in a disgusted way after the third.

“That last one tasted like antifreeze! Get me a beer to wash that crap down.”

Once the first round was through, the night seemed to breeze past much quicker than planned. Cael did another two rounds of three shots and with local sports fans pouring in, most of his alcohol was paid for in exchange for autographs or just letting people sit at their table for a while. Cael began to wonder if they came to McCreary’s first so that Jimmy could get out of paying for any of the alcohol. He was already pretty trashed when Jimmy and the blonde girl took a walk out to the parking lot. This left him glad that they were not taking his car tonight.

“I saw you on ESPN.” The top heavy redhead slurred, scooting a bit closer to Cael.

Cael was sipping on a beer, trying to get the taste of another mystery shot out of his mouth. He was not really listening to the girl, but he could definitely feel her presence as she inched toward him.

“They said you’re going to be a big star someday. Does that mean you’re going to make a lot of money like A-Rod? ‘Cause that would be totally hot. He’s like screwing Madonna, ya know.”

“Yeah, I heard, and I don’t know if I’ll be making that kind of money. I was drafted in like the fourth round. That’s not even worth a big signing bonus.” He backed away from the girl, whose name he still did not know.

“That’s cool. I’d still fuck you.” She gave him the most obviously lewd grin he had ever seen from a woman.

“Um… that’s okay, I have a—”

“Hey! Would you sign my breasts?” She interrupted, not waiting for an answer before she pulled open her top and let her full chest out for all to see.

Cael scrambled away as fast as he could, slipping on the smooth surface of the booth before he finally fell out of it and on to the floor. He gave the bartender a look as if asking him to get rid of the crazy bitch, and then headed for the door. Just as he was running out, Jimmy walked back in, playing with the silver chain around his neck. Conspicuous by her absence was the blonde that he walked off with earlier in the night. Cael did not even bother to ask where the girl was at, as he was quite ready to leave.

“Where you headed, Cael?” Jimmy asked, stopping his friend at the door.

“I’m getting away from that psycho slut you brought along. She’s been waving her tits around like they were a flag on the Fourth of July.”

“Oh yeah? Maybe I took the wrong chick out to the car then. That other bitch was all tongue and nothing else. I’m in need of some real action.”

Jimmy winked at the redhead and puckered his lips at her, but before he could make his big move Cael dragged him out the door by the sleeve of his sports coat. Jimmy exemplified the sharp-dressed man, or perhaps he was just trying to play up the playboy athlete routine. Either way, he always dressed in his finest threads when he went out clubbing. His friends called him GQ on occasion because of the way he imitated the looks of the men in that particular magazine.

“Come on, we’re getting out of here. You can find yourself some new arm candy at P.Q.”

“Damn straight I can, after all, you can’t spell pussy quest without P.Q. I’m all about finding me a quality ho tonight.”

Cael laughed. None of the students knew what P.Q. stood for, but they all had their favorite theories. Jimmy’s personal meaning of the acronym was one of the funnier ones.

“Yeah, well, just don’t tell Brooke that. She likes to think that the place is a little more classy than the rest of the bars around here.”

 

***

 

The heavy kick drum beat of P.Q.’s own blend of house music reverberated throughout the entire club. It could be felt in the floors and was so loud that the air itself seemed to vibrate. Cael and Jimmy passed under the first of three glass bridges that were one of the nightclub’s signatures. Any smart woman would know not to venture across the bridges if she was wearing a short skirt, and likewise, many of the guys knew that if they camped out underneath the bridges that there was a good chance to see if the dumber or drunker ones were wearing any panties. This was, perhaps, the origin of Jimmy’s nickname for the club.

Cael scanned the multi-colored couches for Brooke and their friends. It was always difficult to find who you were looking for at P.Q. with the rainbow of lights providing only enough of a glow to make out those that were seated close. Cael honestly preferred the quiet neighborhood bar feel that McCreary’s had, but after Jimmy’s redheaded date made such a scene earlier, he doubted he would be showing his face there for a while. He turned around and was unsurprised to find Jimmy with his neck craned upward, watching as people passed over the bridge.

“You’re going to end up with a stiff neck if you look up all night!” Cael shouted over the music.

“Oh, I’m going to be getting stiff all right, but it’s not going to be in my neck.” Jimmy chuckled.

There was a tug at Cael’s sleeve. He pulled his arm away from the tugger and ignored the action, finding himself staring up at the bridge just as brazenly as his friend. Another tug, this one more insistent than the first, caught his attention though and he spun around intent on letting the person have a piece of his mind. Instead he found the most inviting pair of green eyes that reflected the club lights. Brooke smirked teasingly at him as if she had just caught him with his hand down his pants. Her auburn hair framed her face perfectly and even before she spoke, Cael’s cheeks flushed at being seen acting in such a salacious manner.

“Cael Foley, you’re not on one of Jimmy’s pussy quests, are you?”

“I, uh…” Cael stammered. “No, that is, I was just—”

Brooke pinched his lips shut before he could incriminate himself. She was notoriously good-natured and knew which things were worth making an issue out of and which were not.

“Don’t try to explain. Just shut up and kiss me.”

Moist, tender lips replaced her dainty fingers as the couple locked into a kiss that would have made Wesley and Buttercup jealous. They kissed as if their lips were the only life line that kept them from drifting apart. Their epic kisses were a regular activity for the couple, much to the chagrin of their friends when they were in a group setting. They lingered for minutes until Brooke lightly tugged at Cael’s lips and pulled away.

“Mm, minty. Did you eat a whole tin of Altoids on your way here?” Cael teased.

“No, but maybe you should have. You still taste like cheap booze. How many shots did you let Jimmy buy you at McCreary’s?”

“Only nine. That leaves the bulk of my drinking in your capable hands.”

“Well then, I will make it my duty to give Mrs. Foley’s baby boy a birthday he will never forget.” Brooke said with a smile before giving her boyfriend another peck on the lips.

Cael followed as she took his hand and guided him through the crowd. Neither of them bothered to pull Jimmy away from his quest. Cael was too busy contemplating how lucky he was. He could not keep his eyes off Brooke’s posterior, watching it sway to and fro in the slinky violet dress she was wearing. He thanked God for allowing him to have such a beautiful work of art all to himself. It was a truly special occasion to see his girlfriend in such a stunning outfit.

“Look who I found.” She announced to Trip Westin, who was seated by himself on one of the plush couches the club had to offer.

Trip was one of Cael’s best friends since high school. The two of them had played baseball together at every level since little league and if it was not for his lack of size, Trip would probably have joined Cael in the pros. The young man was shorter than Brooke when she wore heels. His dirty blonde hair was brushed straight back and was just long enough that it curled up slightly on his neck. The two longtime friends grabbed each other by the hands and pulled each other into a tight manly hug.

“This makes it what, fifteen straight birthdays of yours that I’ve been to? I have to say, we’ve come a long way since Showbiz Pizza.” Trip greeted his friend.

“Hey, that place was awesome. Where else can you see a creepy animatronic band, play Skee-Ball and stuff your mouth full of pizza?”

When the trio sat down, Cael discovered the unexpected absence of a member of their usual crew. Trip and Tracy were almost always together, at least for social functions like this. While the two were not officially dating, everybody knew that they hooked up quite often. They were each other’s cuddle buddies, so it was odd not to see a petite Hispanic girl snuggled against Trip’s side.

“Where’s Tracy tonight? I can’t believe she’s not here on my birthday.”

“Don’t get too full of yourself, but she wishes she could be here. She has a fever and I wouldn’t let her get out of bed.” Trip explained.

“That blows. Guess it’s just the three of us then, unless Jimmy can pry himself away from his quest for a few minutes.”

“Great, that means we’ve got the two lovers and the third wheel tonight. Let’s get some drinks, I think I’m going to need them.” Trip stood and waved for a waitress.

“We’ve got a twenty-first birthday here,” Brooke announced. “Bring him some of the best shots you have. He’s been drinking nothing but junk all night long.”

Cael chuckled, put his arm around Brooke and settled in to the soft cushions. It was as if he had just sat in quicksand and it made him wonder if this was a ploy by the club to keep people there and ordering drinks longer. The quality of the drinks at the club were much higher than the ones at the sports bar earlier in the night. One of them tasted like strawberries, another like mint and despite the fact that many of them were shades usually associated with girly drinks, Cael was not going to complain when his girlfriend was the one paying for them.

After swallowing something chocolatey, Cael seemed quite ready for another make out session. Trip’s jealous glare would have to be ignored. It was not his fault that Tracy was not there, and on his birthday he was going to get as much of Brooke’s tongue as he could handle. Before long she was grinding against him, straddling his lap with her chest firmly planted against his. The vibration in his pants was therefore an unwelcome feeling. He sighed and he heard her squeak and pull away.

“Your phone is ringing.”

Cael fished his forest green cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. There was the smiling face of his mother staring back at him, her long hair even darker than his own. She looked like she could have been a former beauty queen, not having lost much of her youthful good looks even though she no longer accented them. In the picture, she was standing in front of the bleachers at one of his games, wearing a grey Gateway Squirrels sweatshirt. In the white space below there was a little phone icon that was shaking.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Brooke asked him, peering over his shoulder to see who it was.

“Nah, it’s just my mom trying to wish me a happy birthday. I’ll call her later.”

He tucked the phone back in his pocket and leaned back in to continue the interrupted kiss. Brooke had other ideas though, craning her neck away from him so that he could not kiss her.

“Oh come on, what’s wrong?” Cael reeked of desperation.

“Nothing, I was just thinking that we might dance a little bit. I doubt that Trip wants to watch us make out all night.” She commented, looking over at Trip with a sympathetic look on her face. “Now get up and boogie down!”

She tugged on her boyfriend’s arm to no avail. He groaned, not wanting to leave his soft recess amongst the cushions. There was a woozy feeling that circulated around in his head as he was nearly lifted to his feet. One can not do fifteen shots and not be drunk off their ass, he thought.

“I’m too drunk to dance.” He complained.

“Nonsense. Being drunk is the best time to dance. Come on Cael, don’t be a party pooper!”

“It’s my party though. Just let me sit here for a while. I promise that I’ll join you in a minute.” Cael whined.

“Fine, then you won’t mind if I dance with Trip until then.”

She pulled Trip out of his seat and practically dragged him to the dance floor. He just shrugged at his friend as if telling him it was not his idea, but he did not look to be too disappointed either. Cael laughed as the two started to dance, seeing that Trip appeared to be a few inches shorter than Brooke and many of the other girls on the dance floor while all of them wore heels. It would be something worth teasing him about later in the night. He downed another shot and leaned back, seemingly unbothered by the fact that Brooke’s behind was practically grinding against Trip. It was typical of that type of dance, so why should he care? Besides, Trip was his best friend since kindergarten. If there was anybody he trusted Brooke with, it was him. The only reason he kept his eyes on the dance floor was to make sure that no wandering wolf snuck in and tried to snatch up his girl.

Despite his promise to join the love of his life on the dance floor, he felt the alcohol working its dark magic on him to the point where it overwhelmed him. The entire room was spinning and preventing himself from crashing face first into the coffee table their drinks were on was keeping him firmly planted in his seat. The buzz of his cellphone sounded like there was a bee flying around inside of his head. He quickly slid the phone out only to see his mother’s smiling face again. He groaned and rolled over, ignoring the call again until the buzzing stopped. He dropped the phone on the cushion next to him, looking like he was ready to take a nap.

“Hey bro, you know your girl is dancing with Trip right now?” Jimmy Lawson’s voice echoed in his head.

“Yeah, I see them. They look like they’re having fun.” He snickered.

Trip actually had his arms around Brooke’s waist when he looked over, but the instinct to get upset was just not there at the moment.

“Um… I guess so. I can’t believe you’re letting him do that with her though. You should be a man and get out there.”

“I’m too drunk to be a man.” Cael chuckled.

“Yeah, I’ll say so. I’ve never seen you so hammered, bro. We’ve chugged beer after beer at frat parties and you’ve never been this drunk. I’d think somebody gave you a roofie if I didn’t know better.”

The buzzing sound came again and Cael put his hands over his ears. He winced at the sound, just wanting it to stop.

“Why won’t she stop calling?!” He demanded.

Jimmy grabbed the phone and flipped it open to see who was on the caller ID. He immediately shoved the phone in Cael’s hand, which caught the complaining man’s attention.

“You don’t ignore a phone call from your momma! What the Hell are you thinking? How many times has she called?”

“Three…”

“Answer the damn phone! I swear you white boys need to have more respect for your mommas. If I ignored three phone calls from my mom she’d beat me until the white meat shows.” Jimmy chided him.

Cael sighed and righted himself on the couch. His head hung low and his eyes drooped. He would have been content to just stay there like that and nod off, but knowing Jimmy, he was sure that his friend would force him to do it if he tried to refuse. Groggily, he pushed the green talk button on the phone.

“Mom? What do you—?” He started to ask in slurred speech.

“Cael,” from the first syllable of her words, there was well-defined fear in her voice. “Your father’s been in an accident Cael! I’m on my way to St. Mary’s now.”

His mother’s words caused his heart to skip a beat. It was just enough to snap him sober enough to finish the conversation. His mind raced with thoughts of what could have happened to his father and what condition he might be in. They were not comforting thoughts as most of them ranged toward the more grisly outcomes. It may have been a pessimistic outlook, but it was hard not to think the worst after such news.

“Wait, what? What happened, Mom? Is he okay?”

“I don’t know. He was hit by a truck or something, they didn’t give details, but it doesn’t sound good. I’m trying to get there as fast as I can to find out more.”

“Calm down! I don’t want you getting hurt too. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Jimmy looked over at his friend with concern. It was difficult to tell what exactly was going on from hearing only one side of the conversation, but he still was able to discern that it was nothing good. Cael hung up the phone and staggered to his feet. Even with the new found motivation, he was not fit to walk by himself, let alone drive. Jimmy lifted his arm over his shoulder.

“What happened?”

“My dad was in a car accident. I need to get to St. Mary’s as quickly as possible.”

Jimmy nodded and helped his friend through the dance floor, catching both Brooke and Trip’s eyes. When they got closer, Trip quickly removed his hands from Brooke and stuck them at his sides like he was a child who was touching something he was not supposed to touch. Brooke looked at the pair with worry in her eyes. It was enough to get her point across.

“I’m taking him to St. Mary’s. His dad was in an accident.”

“Trip, can you pay the bill and then meet us there? Cael needs me.”

Trip nodded, though he looked a bit letdown that the night was wrapping up on such a sour note. Quickly, Jimmy, Cael and Brooke rushed out of the club with Brooke whispering words of comfort into her boyfriend’s ear the entire way.

~ by Kacie Cross on November 5, 2008.