yesterday.”
“A pill?”
“To trigger everything. I felt like Neo when he met Morpheus.”
Another pause. “All right, you’re gonna have to start over. Right from when you walked on campus.”
“Oh that’s another thing; I’m on a different campus.”
“You’re what?” he said, his voice starting to rise. “Alex, I love you, buddy, but I’m feelin a little bit like a damn mushroom. Just keepin me in the dark and feedin me sh—”
“Dad!” Alex said, laughing. “I wasn’t doing it on purpose. I mean, I guess I was, but it’s because we weren’t supposed to tell you anything. I’m still not supposed to tell you anything.”
“Alex, I’m your dad.”
“I know, I know. And I get it. One of my friends…she explained your case very well at breakfast the other day. She told her parents everything.”
“She?” Mr. Armstrong said. “You already have a girlfriend?”
“Dad…geez.” Alex blushed. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
“What’s her name?”
“Eva.”
“Is she pretty?”
“Very. Tall and blonde. Green eyes.”
“Thatta boy. You like her?”
“Daaad.”
“That’s a yes. Does she like you?”
Alex sighed. “I think so. Hey what happened to me telling you about everything?”
“I got distracted thinkin about you talkin to a girl.”
“Oh, geez.”
“I’m just playin. Get on with it. From the beginning.”
And so Alex talked and his dad listened. From Gus and the secret tunnel to the red pill in the lab and everything in between, Alex told his dad about the real Pal Tech.
“Well…do you feel any different?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. I mean, I’m so hungry right now it’d be hard to notice one way or the other.”
“I imagine.”
There was a long pause before Alex spoke again. “Well, is that it?”
“What?”
“Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“Like what? You lookin for something profound?”
“No, I just—I thought you’d have more to say.”
“Well, little buddy, it’s kind of a lot to take in. Lemme sleep on it and I’ll have some more to say. You can count on it.”
Alex winced when he heard “little buddy.”
“But if you’re puttin me on the spot, I’d guess I’d say that you don’t know how lucky you are.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it goes back to you bein born for this place. You’re too young to know this, Alex, but most people spend their entire lives searchin for the one thing they were born to do. And you know what? Most of em never find it. Never. They don’t find that one thing—whether it be a job or maybe just a hobby—where talent meets passion. And here you are at age sixteen and it found you! So that’s what I’d say: that you’re very lucky…and I couldn’t be happier for you.”
Alex let that settle in. “Did you find it?”
“Me? No. I thought I did—once. I thought maybe I could become a writer, since I like to read so much.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Cause I didn’t have any damn talent! ”
Alex laughed. “Thanks, Dad.”
“What are you thankin me for? Thank you for finally callin. But no more keepin anything from me, okay? You can tell me anything.”
“Yes sir.” Alex sat there with his phone against his ear and his head resting in his hand. He wanted to ask his dad about his mom—had every intention of asking his dad about his mom. But now wasn’t the time. He wondered if it would ever be the time.
“Now what’s goin through that brain of yours?”
“Food.”
“Yeah, I believe I can hear your stomach growlin from here. I’ll let you go. Gimme a call tomorrow.”
“All right, Dad. Love you.”
“Love you most.”
****
Alex stood up and jammed the phone in his jeans and considered walking back inside and listening for sounds at Nate and Patrick’s doors. But they’d be asleep. He’d still be asleep, too, if it wasn’t for that stupid alarm. He shook his head and his stomach added its two cents and he took off
“A pill?”
“To trigger everything. I felt like Neo when he met Morpheus.”
Another pause. “All right, you’re gonna have to start over. Right from when you walked on campus.”
“Oh that’s another thing; I’m on a different campus.”
“You’re what?” he said, his voice starting to rise. “Alex, I love you, buddy, but I’m feelin a little bit like a damn mushroom. Just keepin me in the dark and feedin me sh—”
“Dad!” Alex said, laughing. “I wasn’t doing it on purpose. I mean, I guess I was, but it’s because we weren’t supposed to tell you anything. I’m still not supposed to tell you anything.”
“Alex, I’m your dad.”
“I know, I know. And I get it. One of my friends…she explained your case very well at breakfast the other day. She told her parents everything.”
“She?” Mr. Armstrong said. “You already have a girlfriend?”
“Dad…geez.” Alex blushed. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
“What’s her name?”
“Eva.”
“Is she pretty?”
“Very. Tall and blonde. Green eyes.”
“Thatta boy. You like her?”
“Daaad.”
“That’s a yes. Does she like you?”
Alex sighed. “I think so. Hey what happened to me telling you about everything?”
“I got distracted thinkin about you talkin to a girl.”
“Oh, geez.”
“I’m just playin. Get on with it. From the beginning.”
And so Alex talked and his dad listened. From Gus and the secret tunnel to the red pill in the lab and everything in between, Alex told his dad about the real Pal Tech.
“Well…do you feel any different?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. I mean, I’m so hungry right now it’d be hard to notice one way or the other.”
“I imagine.”
There was a long pause before Alex spoke again. “Well, is that it?”
“What?”
“Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“Like what? You lookin for something profound?”
“No, I just—I thought you’d have more to say.”
“Well, little buddy, it’s kind of a lot to take in. Lemme sleep on it and I’ll have some more to say. You can count on it.”
Alex winced when he heard “little buddy.”
“But if you’re puttin me on the spot, I’d guess I’d say that you don’t know how lucky you are.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it goes back to you bein born for this place. You’re too young to know this, Alex, but most people spend their entire lives searchin for the one thing they were born to do. And you know what? Most of em never find it. Never. They don’t find that one thing—whether it be a job or maybe just a hobby—where talent meets passion. And here you are at age sixteen and it found you! So that’s what I’d say: that you’re very lucky…and I couldn’t be happier for you.”
Alex let that settle in. “Did you find it?”
“Me? No. I thought I did—once. I thought maybe I could become a writer, since I like to read so much.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Cause I didn’t have any damn talent! ”
Alex laughed. “Thanks, Dad.”
“What are you thankin me for? Thank you for finally callin. But no more keepin anything from me, okay? You can tell me anything.”
“Yes sir.” Alex sat there with his phone against his ear and his head resting in his hand. He wanted to ask his dad about his mom—had every intention of asking his dad about his mom. But now wasn’t the time. He wondered if it would ever be the time.
“Now what’s goin through that brain of yours?”
“Food.”
“Yeah, I believe I can hear your stomach growlin from here. I’ll let you go. Gimme a call tomorrow.”
“All right, Dad. Love you.”
“Love you most.”
****
Alex stood up and jammed the phone in his jeans and considered walking back inside and listening for sounds at Nate and Patrick’s doors. But they’d be asleep. He’d still be asleep, too, if it wasn’t for that stupid alarm. He shook his head and his stomach added its two cents and he took off
Similar Books
