It was the weekend and we'd been invited to do this shindig charity thing at Brian's alma mata, Tate's Creek High School, in Kentucky. They were throwing a big outdoor barbeque and shooting off fireworks at dusk, collecting donations of $10 admission and $20 to watch the show we were going to put on in their little football stadium, raising money for the state of Kentucky's school music programs. AJ, of course, who has always been a big advocate of VH1 Save the Music, was on board immediately, and the next thing you know, between Brian's reunion and AJ's passion, all four of us were on a plane to Louisville.
Brian had finally stopped acting funny around me, as he had been since he'd figured out what me turning 13 in January would mean, not only for me but also for him. He'd steered clear of me for almost a week, until the last day of recording, when he'd come up to me with a list of 246 ways I could get Claire's attention during the promotional time of release week and beyond.
"I figure one of these has to work," he explained, "Then you can stay and we'll just say you're like Dick Clark or something."
I'd smiled. "We'll figure it out. Thanks, man."
The ideas had been kinda crappy, but I didn't care. He was back to goofing off and treating me like normal and that's what mattered.
Today, on the plane, Baylee was sitting between us hugging Woody from Toy Story to his chest, and laughing hysterically at a cartoon Brian had set up for him on the little in-flight TV. The headset was huge on his little head, his wild mess of curls sticking out every which way. I was kinda jealous of him for getting to watch the cartoon.
"So what if you just outright make a statement," Brian said, "Like right on stage at like GMA or something? Just 'Claire if you're out there, meet me at...' type thing? It'll be very Sleepless in Seattle."
"I'd really rather it not be 'very Sleepless in Seattle, thanks," I laughed, "Plus if I ever did that Claire would never be able to get anywhere near wherever it was that I said - all the fans would go there."
"That's true," Brian screwed up his face in concentration. "Unless you used code!"
"Code?" I laughed, "Brian..."
"No, no, what if you were like 'Claire, meet me at the place that we were when I last saw you' or something like that?" he asked.
I thought about it, imagining the options I had for such a statement. Claire, find me where you found me last time. I imagined the pier looking over the Hudson Bay toward Lady Liberty and the full-blossom cherry trees, with their pale pink petals falling like snow... "I could do that," I said.
Baylee yanked the headset off his ears, "Daddy are we almost there?" he whined, kicking the seat ahead of him.
"No, and don't do that," Brian waved his hand at Baylee's knees, just as Howie leaned over the seat to look at us.
"Which one of you chuckleheads is kicking my seat?" he asked. Brian and I pointed at Baylee, and Baylee pointed at me. Howie took Brian's point wrong. "Oh sure, blame the kid Nick," and disappeared behind the seat.
Baylee and Brian cracked up. "How the hell did I just get blamed for that?!" I cried.
"Sorry Uncle Nick," Baylee said laughing.
For those of you that haven't guessed, Brian's high school is actually pretty small. I was kind of surprised to find out they had a football field at all. It turned out that it was actually on a large public property that the entire surrounding area used once a year at the 4th of July for events very, very similar to what we were doing - minus the top-selling pop band, of course.
The field was about a mile from the actual school, and Brian explained to the rest of us that they only really used it for track meets and practice. It was a bit pathetic - the football field was encased inside the track, and a single bleacher stuck up in a wedge from the far side of the track. A tennis court with roll-away netting doubled as an outdoor basket ball court. Around these two facilities, however, were four different sized baseball diamonds. You could definitely tell what the Tate's Creek sport was.
Brian brought Baylee immediately down to the baseball diamond closest to the track/football field while the rest of us were being given the 'grand tour' by the high school principal. I watched them out of the corner of my eye. Brian was pointing at stuff, and making motions like he was playing ball, and I smiled, guessing he was telling Baylee about his high school sports career. From what I'd heard, Brian had actually been pretty good at baseball in high school.
"And this is the vending machines and outhouses," the principal waved to a little brown hut that sat at the end of a long hill, just beyond the tennis courts. "Normally the drinks and candies are seventy-five cents in these babies, but for you guys," he stepped among us handing us funny gold coins that looked like something from an arcade, except they had a big K stamped on them, "You can have up to four things absolutely free!" he beamed.
Oooh, my life has just been made complete, I thought, looking over the coins. "Thank you!" I shouted aloud, a little too enthusiastically.
"Now where on earth is Mr. Littrell gone to?" the principal asked, looking around.
I thumbed back the way we'd come, "He's showing Baylee the baseball diamond," I said. I stuck out my hand, "I can give Brian his coins if you want."
The principal laughed and wagged his finger at me, "Oh no, no you don't, sneaky boy," he said tilting his head with a chuckle. His hair wiggled unnaturally at me, "Don't you go tryin' to steal Brian's coins now. I'll deliver these babies myself." He smiled warmly, then led the way toward the diamond I'd indicated.
As we walked, AJ fell into step beside me, "Dude's a fucking freak," he whispered. I laughed.
We were herded across the field to the diamond where Brian was standing with Baylee. They'd found a stick and a rock and were pretending to play baseball. It reminded me of a story I'd read about in a player biography about what it had been like growing up in the slums of Puerto Rico.
"Brian!" shouted AJ as we approached, "We got coins!" He waved his hand over his head for Brian to see, and I did the same. Howie gave us a funny look and rolled his eyes.
The principal seemed not to notice AJ's mocking tone as he broke into a grin and announced loudly, "But no worries, you get some too! And so don't you little man!" he bent down and dropped a couple into Baylee's hand.
Baylee looked at the coins then up at the guy. "What do I do with these?" he asked.
"An excellent question," AJ hissed in my direction, so low that nobody else could hear it. I suppressed a laugh.
"They get you free soda from the vending machine!" Brian cried before the principal could say. His eyes were wide like he was holding gold.
AJ's face contorted, like he was being tortured.
"No way!" Brian was grinning. "Thanks Mr. Hasselhaffer!"
AJ ducked behind me, unable to keep the laughter back. Howie gave him the evil eye, but tears had been streaming down AJ's face before he smooshed it against my back, so I was pretty sure he didn't see them.
Principal Hasselhaffer smiled and did that gun-point, tongue-click thing at Brian like Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore and winked. "Okay, boys, let me show you where we're going to be setting up your equipment, then we'll show you to the tent we've got set up for you to change in."
We all turned to follow him. "Hasselhaffer?" AJ hissed to Brian, "Seriously, how the hell did you make it through high school?"
Brian made a face.
Baylee reached up and tugged on his father's shirt. "Daddy, can I go play on the bleachers?" he asked, pointing.
"Sure," Brian replied, "Just be careful, okay? And stay away from the very top." Baylee scurried off, ecstatic. "I always wanted to play on them too at 4th of July," Brian reminisced, smiling. "We always sat on our blankets over there," he pointed toward the rolling hill that ended in our free vending machines.
"It's weird going back someplace you haven't been in a long time," I said, knowing the feeling he was getting.
Brian laughed, "Must be even weirder when it's a lifetime apart."
Our equipment was stuff that had probably been used by a barbershop quartet for the last 50 years, and Brian confirmed later that at least the stage had been. A couple high school kids were putting it together in the center of the field, facing the bleachers.
Principal Hasselhaffer waved his arms at the bleachers, "It should be a good-sized crowd coming out today, we publicized that you'd be here. We figured if the bleachers fill up we can open up some of the field here for extra standing room. The stage rolls easily enough once it's assembled."
"I think he better plan on opening up the field," Howie mumbled to AJ, Brian and I under his breath. We all nodded. We were evidently being grossly underestimated.
"And your dressing tent is right over this way." The principal led the way across the football field toward a little white tent that they'd set up near the vending machines - quite a way from the field. This, I thought, Is going to be hell trying to get back to the stage if any fans show up....
Principal Hasselhaffer opened up the tent door and made a 'tada' sound like he was showing us into the Taj Majal. Which he was not. Inside were four lounge chairs, a couple coolers, a table covered with magazines and bowls of chips, and, sitting in fifth lounge chair, reading a magazine was--
"KEVIN!" all four of us shouted.
He looked up from the magazine and a smile spread across his face. "Hey you guys," he stood up, "I heard this was going on and you know I had to come by and see you." He stood up and tossed the magazine down on the chair and gave each of us a hug, except AJ who belly-bumped him instead.
"Dude it's been, like, forever," Howie commented sternly.
"I know, I'm sorry," Kevin apologized, "I just have been crazy-busy with Mason."
"How is Mason?" Brian asked, smiling broadly.
"Very well, he's here somewhere with Kristen, she bought him a wiffle ball and bat."
"Oh, Baylee will love that," Brian said, "Let me go get him." He turned and ran out of the tent to fetch his son.
Kevin smiled. "I heard you fellas have a new album coming out next month, very cool. And you," he looked at AJ, "A solo album, huh?"
AJ beamed, "Hell yeah."
"Hows your solo stuff coming?" he asked, looking to me and Howie.
"Pretty well," Howie answered.
I shrugged, "I'm not sure I'm gonna do it. Maybe next year," I added when Kevin frowned. He'd always hated my tendency to start a project and never finish it. It was a habit, however, that was ground to the very core of me.
Brian's shout was loud and sudden, laced with panic. "Bay-LEE!" he yelled.
I bolted out the door, the other guys clambouring over me. Brian was in a dead run toward the bleachers, and my eyes flittered across them, looking for Baylee. He was on the top row of the bleachers, where Brian had specifically forbade him to go, holding onto a rung and leaning out, laughing. My eyes shot to his numbers.
000:000:00:20:11
000:000:00:20:10
"Fuck."
I bolted toward the bleachers, my long legs quickly catching me up to Brian. "Go under him," I yelled and Brian's eyes caught mine for a split second, understanding that his worst fear was founded. He sped up and ran down behind the bleachers, yelling all the way for Baylee to stop. I could hear the other guys' thundering behind us, and the sputtering of the bewildered principal as we ran for the bleachers... but it was all secondary. As was the worry of what would happen after this. Was I about to be apprehended by the ministry?
Baylee was tottering on the edge of the bleachers, laughing still, unaware of the danger he was in. They weren't very high, but they were high enough; the ground below was a big drop - particularly for someone the size of Baylee.
I took them three at a time, careful not to trip on the seats as I bolted up them. Never had my accuracy in running been more crucial. Because of the time over his head lagging the actual fall, there was no way to tell how long I actually had before gravity took its toll on his little body.
"Look, I can fly," Baylee was calling. I could hear Brian's yells, which were muffled by the wind coming off the bleachers, which was why Baylee probably couldn't tell what he was yelling.
I reached the top few rows with a crash, tripping at last over it, and sending myself face first into the bleacher behind Baylee. He jumped, startled, and slipped.
My hand shot out, as I propelled myself forward with my legs, reaching for the back of his t-shirt, and closed on empty air. Brian's yell broke through the wind. I launched myself over the edge of the seat, too, in the same motion I'd made to reach his shirt. I tumbled over the side.
Baylee's hand shot up toward me, and mine shot down at him, and we connected. I pulled him to me as I dropped like a huge rock, my weight so much heavier than his, it sped up the fall. I squeezed him to me, caged him with my own limbs, and closed my eyes, ducking my head to cover his.
We hit the ground, the fall just barely broken by Brian and Kevin, who had stretched out their arms to catch us before we hit the ground. The impact hurt like a son of a bitch on my back, the part that had struck, and Baylee let out a wail like you wouldn't believe as he slammed into my chest.
Silence fell over everyone at first as the dust settled and what-just-happened registered in our minds. My breath came out in great big gasps and Baylee started sobbing. AJ and Howie were standing there dumbfounded, looking at Brian and Kevin, whose arms were stuck underneath me, bent down on either side of me. Principal Hasselhaffer ran up behind them, his face stunned.
"Holy shit," whispered Howie.
Brian wrenched his arms out from under me and grabbed Baylee off my chest, clutching him to him. "My son, are you okay? Oh my Lord, oh my Lord, don't you ever-- ever--" he was crying harder than Baylee was at this point.
Kevin looked stunned, and pulled his arms out, too. "Are you okay?" he asked, panic in his voice as he looked at me.
"My back hurts," I answered, groaning, trying to sit up. I felt stiff and my neck was screeching in agony, but I was moving.
"What about your legs?" he asked, looking at them a little worried. I moved them slowly, like I was making a half of a snow angel in the sand.
"I'm okay, Kev," I answered.
AJ's eyes were wide, "Shit you could've killed yourself, Nick."
"You saved Baylee," Brian said, looking at me, eyes pooled with tears, but more gratitude than I'd ever seen in anyone's face before resonating beneath them. "Jesus, thank you." He looked up at the sky.
I felt a lump in my throat begin growing.
"C'mon lets get you back under the tent," Kevin said, standing up and reaching down to help me. I struggled to my feet. Every bone in my body felt sore and I limped with him and AJ on either side of me toward the tent, Brian following behind, clutching Baylee. Howie and Principal Hasselhaffer followed along, too, until I'd been deposited into the lounge chair carefully.
"That was a real act of heroism there, young man," Hasselhaffer said proudly. "A real act of heroism."
"Maybe he'll give you some more coins," AJ whispered into my ear.
