The Bridge from Me to You
by
Lisa Schroeder
For Laura and Sarah,
my Texas forever friends
“If you were born without wings, do nothing
to prevent them from growing.”
— COCO CHANEL
The house smells like
apple pie thanks to the
burning candle on the mantel.
Uncle Josh and
my three cousins are outside
throwing the football around.
Apparently this small town
loves football
the way ducks love water.
Once in a while, laughter
drifts in through the open windows,
and I wish I could bottle it up
and carry it with me, letting out
just a little when I need a smile.
It’s a strange, magical place, this house.
Aunt Erica is in the kitchen
making dinner, but every now
and then she pokes her head
into the family room,
where I’m watching a movie,
and says, “Oh, I love this part.”
It’s Pretty Woman , where the hooker
walks around the fancy hotel,
trying to fit in like
the only cat at a dog park.
Where I come from,
there were no scented candles,
no fun family games,
no savory Sunday dinner.
It was a strange, crazy place, my house.
How long ’til they notice
a cat like me doesn’t belong
in a nice dog park like this?
It’s benny and me, tossing the football around in my front yard, like we’ve done at least a thousand times. But this is the first time we’ve done it before the first day of practice our senior year.
This is our last chance.
Our last chance to bring home a high school championship.
I look at my best friend standing across from me, sweat glistening on his muscular black arms, and I know for him, we have to win. Taking state may be the only chance he has at catching a scout’s eye.
It’s been a lot easier for me. How can he not hate me for that?
“You’re so good, you don’t even need to go to practice, do you?” Benny jokes as the football spins toward me. “I bet you just show up so Coach will make the rest of us work harder.”
It’s like he can read my mind. Maybe that’s what happens when you’ve been best friends for what feels like forever.
“You know if there was any way I could skip out on two-a-days, I definitely would,” I say as I take a couple of steps to make the catch.
“Drink lots of water tonight,” he says. “Gotta stay hydrated, man.”
I throw the ball back. “Aw, isn’t that sweet. Big ol’ Benny actually cares about me.”
He walks toward me, half a grin on his face. “Just don’t want you passing out. Remember that one time last year when about half the team went down? That was crazy.”
“Yeah, I think it was about a hundred and ten degrees that day.” I hold out my arms and look up at the clear summer sky. Weather-wise, this is about as perfect as it gets in Willow, Oregon. Not too hot, a light breeze now and then, and no rain for days. “It’ll be all right tomorrow. I got a good feeling.”
“Well, that makes one of us.”
We walk up to the front steps of my house and take a seat. “What are you worried about?” I ask. “You got that guard
spot cinched.”
“I’ll tell you what I’m worried about. Two words: Coach Sperry.”
“I think his bark is worse than his bite. Especially right now. He’s just trying to show us who’s boss. You know, establish an order.”
“What other order is there? He’s the coach and we’re the players. The end. We know where we stand. He’s got an amazing team that almost made it to the championships last year. He doesn’t need to do much except keep us on track. Let us do what we’re good at.”
“Colby,” Gram calls. “Dinner’s ready.”
“You staying?” I ask Benny as we get to our feet.
He hands me the football. “Can’t. Ma’s expecting me home. Making my favorite tonight. Ribs and mashed potatoes.”
“Jesus. You make it sound like it’s your last meal or something.”
“We got a new coach, man. Who knows what’s gonna happen tomorrow.”
“Well, aren’t you Little Miss Sunshine.” He shrugs, and I slap him on the back. “It’s gonna be all right.”
“Yeah. Ma always says when life hands you lemons, you gotta try your best to make lemonade. Nothing’s ever perfect. There’s always gonna be bad stuff to go with the good.”
“Benny, Coach might be a great guy. I mean, maybe he’ll lead us to the best year we’ve ever had. We don’t know yet. We don’t know anything. We just gotta wait and see, right?”
He waves as he walks toward his motorcycle. “Right. See you tomorrow. Bright and early!”
“Yep. You can count on that!”
When they come in from outside,
smelling like sunshine,
Andrew, Henry, and Demi
pounce on me.
They are playful puppies
demanding my attention.
“Whatcha watching?”
“Can we watch too?”
“Who’s that pretty lady?”
“What’s she doing?”
I find the remote and change the
channel. SpongeBob is greeted
with more cheers than
a homecoming queen.
I go into the kitchen and ask
Aunt Erica if I can set the table.
“Thanks, sweetie.
I appreciate that.”
She doesn’t know I do it for myself
just as much as I do it for her.
I like setting six places
with her pretty dishes and silverware.
I’ve never been a part of making
something special like that.
Uncle Josh is sitting in his spot,
reading the Sunday paper.
“Two-a-days start tomorrow,” he tells me
as he folds over the sports section.
He explains how the football players
practice twice a day to get conditioned.
I remember Mom telling me a long time
ago that Uncle Josh, her brother, used to play.
“The new guy’s supposed to be one hell of a coach,”
he says.
I don’t know what to say,
so I just nod.
“You’re gonna love your new school,” he tells me.
“Just you wait. A great football team.
And a lot of school spirit.”
I want to say school spirit
is the least of my worries.
Instead, I step back and admire
the beautiful table.
Erica calls out, “Lauren, would you mind helping me in
here, please?”
In a minute, we’ll sit down in our spots,
pass around the serving dishes, and fill
our plates with food that’s as new
to me as this small town of Willow.
Josh looks up at me.
“You know, it’s nice having you around.”
I don’t walk into the kitchen.
I float.
“Benny didn’t want to stay?” Gram asks. “He’s more than welcome. We have plenty.”
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