Chapter Two
by A.E. Albert
What if you discovered an amazing secret, a secret that led you on an adventure to save the world and perhaps...yourself?
Chapter 2
“Oh, hey, Billy, I thought you would’ve gone down to the Quarter after school today?” Sandy casually inquired, as Billy made his way through the front door.
“I didn’t really feel like it. Um, I’m going to go upstairs and study, okay?” he said, already starting to jog up the stairwell.
“No, it’s residents’ meeting time soon, darlin’, as you well know. I need your help anyway, so come on back down here, please.” Sandy had a way of giving complete and utter demands, all the while using a sweet-as-pie voice.
“The other boys aren’t home from school yet, so hurry up and help me make dinner. Ham, scalloped potatoes, and corn!” Sandy made this last statement sound like it was a commercial jingle.
“I like eating it, not making it,” grumbled Billy, as he began to peel potatoes.
Suddenly, the front door slammed, and the house vibrated with, “The man has arrived!” Joe moseyed into the kitchen holding a white plastic bag containing a black forest ham and handed it over to a delighted Sandy.
Sandy smiled at him. “Thank you very much, sir,” she said as she took their dinner out of the grocery bag. Joe held out his hand, accompanied with a toothsome smile. “Sorry, I don’t tip poor service,” Sandy said tartly. “If you wanted a tip, you should’ve brought it to me cooked.” Joe responded with his usual belly laugh.
Sandy and Joe both worked in the group home where Billy lived, and both were in their early thirties. Sandy had long straight brown hair that grazed her shoulders, and was on the short side. She was very serious about her job but was also warm and caring, which was evident when you looked into her warm brown eyes,
Now, Joe, on the other hand, would say that he’d never even heard of marriage. He was tall, muscular, and very determined to never say a serious thing in his life. His hair was always shaved clean off, and he thought it was pretty funny to keep some of the kids guessing what color it was. He had one boy in the house utterly convinced that he had shocking red hair. Everyone else thought this was pretty funny, considering Joe’s dark skin tone and the black hair on his arms.
Joe had the most amazing store of knowledge pertaining to sports. Name the sport, player, and even the era and the guy knew everything about it. He often tried to throw the football around with Billy, but Billy wasn’t interested. Of course, that didn’t stop Joe from attempting this regularly. Billy thought it was a good thing the staff wasn’t married because working in a group home meant long afternoon shifts and most weekends.
“Hey, Billy, what you say you and me throw the ball around the backyard?” asked Joe, as he threw a football in the air.
Before Billy could give his usual response, Sandy cut in. “I don’t think so, Joe. Billy’s helping me with dinner so we can get the weekly event done before Christmas.”
Billy smiled at Sandy’s response. The residents’ meeting wasn’t exactly a favorite pastime in the house, and the complaining made it last forever. If everyone was quiet and just got it over and done with, the evening could progress as usual. However, that was usually not the case.
Billy had just finished peeling and cutting up the potatoes, when what sounded like a herd of buffalo entered the house. These animals were much smaller and hairless, but they made just as much noise.
“Stop punching me, Robbie! Sandy! Robbie won’t stop punching me. Ow!” yelled Toby from the front hall.
“Hey, I’m just prepping you for your birthday next week. See how considerate I am, Tobe?” This was the usual sarcastic statement made by the resident tough guy, Robbie.
“Enough! Both of you! You’ve both just walked through the door, and already it starts. Robbie, apologize to Toby, now! No, don’t even try that birthday jazz with me!” Sandy stood before the two boys, her arms crossed in front of her chest, awaiting Robbie’s response.
Robbie turned to Toby with downcast eyes, and in a contrite voice said, “Tobe, I’m sorry. Sorry that you’re such a wuss!” He then ran into the kitchen to grab a piece of fruit for a snack, laughing hysterically the whole way. Fruit was all anyone was allowed to eat in between meals, and it could be really boring after a while. But, of course, the house had to follow the food groups.
Sandy merely sighed and ruffled Toby’s hair. “He’s just playing around. Deep down, he’s sorry,” she said, as she looked down on Toby’s blond curly head. Toby leaned in to give Sandy a hug as he sniffed deeply.
“Why don’t you get a snack from the kitchen?” she suggested. She then hastily added to the whole group, “You boys need to get your homework done, pronto. You all know what’s on the agenda tonight.” Sandy didn’t expect an answer to this weekly reminder, but she wasn’t surprised to hear the collective groans.
Billy finished washing his hands and went into the front hall to get his school bag.
“Billy, did you see Aaron on the way home from school today? He’s not home yet. I wonder where he is?” asked Sandy, as she picked up the boys’ coats from where they had thrown them onto the floor.
“No, I rushed home after school. Anyway, he probably went to the school library.”
Billy found it difficult to look Sandy in the eye as he said this and pretended to pick the lint off of his T-shirt. He knew that Aaron was taking a detour on the way home from school that included the banks of the Mississippi.
As Billy stood at the front door, it suddenly swung open, hitting him in the back. “Oh, sorry there, Billy,” said a breathless Aaron, as he began tearing through his bag. From the look on his face, he was very excited about something.
He finally found what he’d been looking for and thrust the mysterious item into the air. “I found one! I found one!” he yelled to anyone who would listen. Nobody seemed very interested, but only because these outbursts were quite common for Aaron. “I knew that it was only a matter of time! Sandy, I finally found a gold coin by the river! I knew that if kept looking I would find treasure. I’m going to be rich, I tell you!” He was convinced that pirates had buried treasure along the river and went on daily excursions in order to prove his theory.
Aaron ran to Sandy, thrusting a dirty and scarred coin into her hand. She carefully inspected it, narrowed her eyes, and then smiled down at the excited boy. “Well, Aaron, see what happens when you don’t give up trying? You should put this in a good hiding spot in your room,” she said, as she winked at him. “But no more adventures by the river!” she called out after him as he ran up the stairs, rushing to hide his newfound treasure.
Billy knew that Aaron hadn’t really found a gold coin. But Sandy believed that dreams were important, and she would encourage the boy the best she could. Billy wondered if humoring Aaron was beneficial in the long run. But then again, dreams were all any of them really had. Billy picked up his school bag and headed to his bedroom to start his homework.
If you would like to continue reading The Time Sphere, find it at: Amazon
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