Page 40 of The Legend
“I stilldon’t understand how all this caught on fire from that field.” I voiced tothem. It didn’t seem possible that two separate pieces of land could be on fireat the same time.
“Let’s getthis clear,” Casten, said becoming serious all of a sudden, “I set this onfire.” He motioned with his hands to the wood pile and jump. “That...” he gestured behind him to the field on theother side of our house, “was not me. I don’t know…well, I know how that got onfire but that wasn’t me.”
“Well whodid that then?” Sway asked.
“You needto discuss that with the Gomez boys but you may want to find that trophy truckof yours first.”
I wasready to kill someone when I heard that. They set the street on fire. Drove myGTO into the pool, trashed my house, broke the gate and stole my trophy truck.I very nearly lost it right then. If it weren’t for Sway, I probably wouldhave.
“Where’smy trophy truck?”
Castenpointed to the field to the West of us. “It’s out there somewhere in the smoke.Turns out open headers start fires too. Again,” Casten shook his head. “I haveto say that I blame the dry weather.”
My glarefound Sway. “Is it time to overreact yet?”
Swaylooked at the boys standing there staring at me. “Let’s give him some time tothink,” she said shooing everyone away.
“It was asimple fire jump.” Casten shook his head dejected as he walked back to thehouse. “That’s all.”
I think Istared at that jump for close to an hour. Killing my kids wasn’t a good idea soI stayed away for their safety. When I became less angry, I went back inside tosee that Sway had ordered pizza. Food seemed like a good idea so I ate and bythe time I was done, Casten had felt the need to explain more details.
I had heardenough. “Where the fuck is your sister?”
“I’m sureshe’ll turn up. The car did.” He shoved more pizza in his mouth and then withthat pizza still in his mouth, took a drink ofPepsi. He must havesnorted or something because he ended up coughing out the last of his sentence.“Not...” he waved his hands around trying to clearhis throat, “to worry.”
“Worry?”Laughing, I shook my head. “Good luck when she gets home.”
“I thinkI’ll stay with Cole tonight,” he said jetting out the door. I grabbed him bythe collar. “Nope, you’re grounded.”
I didn’thave time to stay and punish him but once Arie got home after having to walkfive miles, I’m sure she would punish him. Sway seemed satisfied with thisoption as well. It wasn’t the first time our kids threw a party and I had afeeling it wouldn’t be the last they were teenagers. It was to be expected.Setting our street on fire was a first.
I had ameeting that morning with Melissa to discuss the Monster Million coming up andthe fan appreciation lunch that Simplex was having for me next week. It wentwell and then I returned home to help with the mess.
“Rememberwhen Spencer drew that dick on the wall?” Sway asked scrubbing the counter withher rubber gloves on. Her eyebrows scrunched as she dug at what looked to bedried chocolate syrup.
My eyesshot around the house and then back to hers. “Yeah, why, what else did thoseshit heads do? Please tell me I don’t have a dick on the wall in here.”
“Apparently,”she gestured to the only lawn that hadn’t been destroyed by the fire. “…Colehas his drawing ability.”
“What afucking disaster.” I mumbled in shock staring at the patch of grass that hadbeen branded with a welder. There, scorched in my beautiful lawn was anotherdick with harry balls.
Looking slightlyashamed ofhimself, Casten appeared in the kitchenholding a spray bottle of bleach and a bucket. “I’ve come to serve mysentence.”
Casten andI stared at each other blankly, each of us waiting for the other to saysomething. I think he was waiting for me to blow up on him, which I consideredbut tried the calm approach.
“Here’sthe deal,” I said breaking the silence between us, “you’re thirteen—”
“I’mfourteen.” Casten reminded me with an eye roll and a heavy sigh.
“I knowthat.” I took a deep breath and said what I needed to say. “Drugs are offlimits.”
“Why?”
“They justare.” I fumbled through my words trying to get back on track. I wasn’t good atthese conversations but my spawn needed to know my ground rules at some point.I didn’t do drugs and I didn’t want them to either.
“Fine,”Casten agreed. “No drugs.”
He left toclean the bathroom off the foyer. Sway looked at me and smiled pulling her hairinto a bun. “Good job. I take back my previous statement. You’re not a horribleparent.”
