Page 70 of The No Try Zone
“Wait,” he says, reaching for me.
But I’m already out of the seat and waving. “See you later, Coach! It’s a big day!” I shut the door and ignore the way his expression falls.
The metal stairs pound beneath my feet as I run without a backward glance. Once I’m inside, I check my phone once more and am relieved to see Ollie hasn’t reached out yet. I type out a message.
Hey little brother! Ready for your traditional season opener brekkie??
Wait – seriously?
Do you really think I’d joke about this?
Be there in fifteen.
I give the message a thumbs-up and race to the shower. I’m in the kitchen with the kettle on as he knocks and opens the door.
“It’s game day!”
He rounds the corner into the tiny kitchen and his eyes land on the stash of goodies I had Mum send. “No way.”
My answering smile is huge. “Got it last week. Do you know how hard it’s been not to eat it all myself?”
The spread is everything Ollie’s missed from home: Cheezels, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Tasmanian Mint Kit Kats, Chicken Crimpy Shapes, Vegemite, a near-criminal amount of John West canned tuna, a bag of Allen’s Killer Python lollies, and tins of tea.
The water in the kettle boils and I pour it over his favorite tea, then push the steaming mug toward him.
He slathers a piece of toast with avocado and Vegemite and takes a giant bite, chewing contentedly as he waits for the tea to steep. “This is amazing, Sam. Truly. Thank you.”
“Aw, you’re welcome, Olls. It’s the best I could do since we’re half a world away, you know?”
He pops the rest of the toast into his mouth and chews. “It means so much.”
Just then, my iPad rings with a FaceTime from Mum. “Right on time,” I say with a smile, sliding my finger on the screen to answer it.
“Mum!” Ollie exclaims.
“My sweet boy,” Mum gushes. “You ready for your first game? Show those Americans what’s what.”
“Yeah, nah, yeah!” he answers, the Aussie coming back in full force as they talk.
I putter around the kitchen, chiming in every now and then but making sure to give them time to talk. After half an hour, I hear Mum’s soft yawn.
“Oh, Mum, what time is it there?”
She smiles. “Little after one.”
“You must’ve set an alarm to wake up and call, yeah?”
“An easy thing to do for my boy’s first game,” she answers.
They wrap the call pretty quickly after that, and Ollie gives me a grateful smile as I take the iPad.
“Thanks, sis,” he says. “I needed that. Needed this.” He nods at the spread before him.
“Happy to do it,” I say. And I am. My baby brother is love in its purest form. How no one’s tied him down is a mystery – either at home or here in Atlanta. I have my suspicions, but don’t want to be the person to pull him into the light until he’s ready. Besides, he’s clearly having fun with…whomever.
“Days like this, I miss Dad,” he admits softly, turning the Vegemite container in circles on the counter.
“Me, too.” Then I grin. “Can you imagine how he would behave on a day like this?”
