Too Pretty To Be A Boy -2- Mr. Lajien

Ch.2

I sat beside my mom in the car, and an awkward silence filled the air. I really didn’t know what to talk about, but I could tell that, like always, Mom was trying her best.

“So, what’s bothering you? I can tell there’s something in your mind,” my mom said, her eyes on the road, catching me by surprise. Does she know? I mean, my mom is very smart, and it’s impossible to trick her.

“Relax honey, I don’t know what's going on, but I am sure it bothers you more than Dicky and Peter, I will not push. As long as you’re not in danger when you feel like telling me, I am ready to listen,” Mom told me, patting my lap.

I felt like crying right then. The fact that Mom noticed told me that I didn’t make the wrong decision. Mom was always very supportive and understanding. I just didn’t know how to tell her, and it hurt me.

As Mom drove, I started to see many familiar sights and some unfamiliar sights as well. LA hadn’t changed that much since I came last year. At some point, we drove by our neighborhood, which didn’t seem to change either. Mom pulled past our house and didn’t even slow down, which got me confused.

“I know you’re confused, but we will not be living here anymore,” Mom said, adding to my confusion. You see, the Jaegers moved away five months ago. Also, our house was getting old and needed extensive renovations. I thought we needed a fresh start away from the old house, so I bought the house next to the Jaegers. I was thinking, if you already had a friend when you came here, it would be good.”

Now, that’s a surprise; the Jaegers were always our neighbors. They had a daughter my age; her name was Angela, and we had been friends since we were little. Another reason that brought me here is that I know I could make friends here. I already have one who’s Angela. I am a bit surprised that Angela didn’t tell me. We talked a lot, but she didn’t tell me. At least, thanks to Mom, we will still be neighbors.

Mom drove away from our old house, and I couldn’t help but think that she made the right decision. Everything she did was only because she cared about me, and I had to act like a jerk back then.

“Look, that’s the school you will be attending,” Mom said.

I looked out of the window to see a big school—much bigger than my old all-boys school. The school seemed to be somewhat fancy, with one building that looked very modern with a glass front. As we passed by the main gate, I couldn’t help but notice the school logo. It was TYA letters with flowers planted around them.

“TYA?” I asked quizzically. Neither I nor Dad knew what school I would be attending, so we decided to leave that matter to Mom. From the looks of it, Mom made the right choice again. I wondered out loud what TYA stood for.

“Talented Youth Academy is a school for smart kids like you, sweetheart. They also have a good basketball team. Once you pass their intelligence test, which I know you will, we can see if we can get you on the team,” my mom said, putting her hands on my shoulder.

She was always confident in me. Not once in my life had Mom doubted me. “I am sure they would love to have a great point guard like you,” She said confidently.

I wasn’t sure if she was saying this because I’m her son or because she’s very knowledgeable about basketball—maybe both. She was the one who pushed me to join the basketball team last year when I was hesitating. Mom says that basketball is in my blood; she used to be a WNBA player for a year. Dad also used to be an NBA player but retired early due to injury. He also wanted to start his business, and he had enough money to do it.

I spent most of the last season on the bench. I stepped in when Fred, the point guard, broke his leg. When I started to play, we began to win, not because of me, of course. It’s because I didn’t keep the ball to myself. We won because we played like a team. It was funny that the coach didn’t want me to play at first, yet he became frustrated because I wouldn’t be playing the next season with the team.

After passing the school, we kept driving for about 20 minutes until we stopped in front of a two-story modern-style house that looked gorgeous. Mom parked the car in the garage, and we left. “What do you think?” she asked me as I left the car. She didn’t even have to ask me because I am sure she knows what I think.

“The house is great, Mom,” I said genuinely. What mattered most was not the house but how much attention and love I received. That definitely mattered more than the house itself.

“Well, it’s not as big as the one you have in New York, but I am glad you like it,” Mom said. I took out my back bag and my suitcase out of the car and headed inside the house. The house looked very cozy and pleasant from the inside. That wasn’t what caught my attention, however, something smelled amazingly delicious that made my stomach growl.

It reminded me of my grandma’s lasagna. I haven’t smelled that since I was six, but it’s impossible to forget the smell. “What is that smelling so good?” I asked Mom as she entered the house behind me.

She had a smirk on her face, which told me she planned this. “Why don’t you go and see?” Mom asked. I left my things in front of the door and walked to the kitchen. There, I saw my grandma making lasagna.

“Nonna!” I said in a surprised tone. I didn’t expect to see my grandma today. Every time I would come, she would come and see me. That would only last for two weeks, so I always end up missing her. Grandma turned and smiled at me, and I went to hug her. “I missed you, Nonna.”

“Oh, Nipote, mi sei manc,” she replied in Italian, hugging me back. “You have grown taller, sweetie; you’re too skinny! Didn’t Harry feed you a thing?”

Grandma will always think I am skinny. She may not be wrong, but I do eat good meals under Dad’s or Johnny’s watching eyes. On the last visit to the doctor, they were not happy to hear that I am underweight for someone my height or age. I had always been taller than kids my age, by a couple of inches, that is. I think it helped keep the bullies away, this and the fact that they know about my brothers.

“It’s not Harry, madre,” Mom said, coming into the kitchen. Someone here probably didn’t finish his food, " Mom told Grandma, making me blush. I was worried that Dad would tell her about that and Mom would freak out if I had simple flu. I had my suspicions that Dad had told her, but I didn’t want to think about it. Right then, my fear had been confirmed.

“We can’t have that now, Nipote. You must eat well, or you will get sick,” Grandma said sternly. I knew you would be coming today, so I made your favorite lasagna.” I always love grandma’s lasagna. It’s something like a secret recipe that was only passed down to Mom and Aunt Bella.

“I think you better call your dad before doing anything else. I bet you that he’s sitting beside the phone waiting for your call,” Mom said, somewhat amused. She was right; after all, if I didn’t call Dad, he would get extremely worried.

“I will be right back,” I said, kissing Grandma before going to get my phone from my backpack. I could just put it in the pocket of my shorts, but that was a lesson I learned after spending hours on a field trip; it’s not good. It wouldn’t be comfortable after the first two hours, that’s why I put it in my backpack.

After retrieving my phone from my backpack, I called Dad, who answered without a second delay. It was as if he were holding the phone in his hand. “Carl, are you okay? Did anything happen to you? I can always come and pick you up, you know? If you need me, just say it, and I will come to you immediately.”

Yup, Mom was right. He was already freaking out. “Dad, I am ok. I just arrived at the house, and I am completely fine,” I said, trying to calm him down. If I fail, he will probably come here personally to make sure I am ok. That’s who Dad really is. With us, he’s completely different, and he’s not the man with the best poker face that no one can tell what he’s thinking. And definitely not the cold-hearted billionaire the media tries to make him sound like.

“You should have called me 30 minutes ago. I thought something happened to you.” I should have called him, but I was so happy to see Mom again that I forgot to.

“Sorry, Dad.” I apologized, hoping he would see that I was okay and would not come all the way from New York to make sure of it himself.

“All right, I am just glad that you’re ok,” Dad said, letting out a sigh of relief. Over all my brothers, he worried about me more than anyone else. If he were traveling, he would make me call him every morning and every evening. If I didn’t, he would freak out. I just hope that wouldn’t be the case here. “By the way, Charlene is mad at me. Talk to her, or I won’t hear the end of it till we reach London,” Dad said, making me laugh.

Charlene was like Dad’s little sister. She was 26 years old and worked with my dad. When she was not working, she spent a lot of time with me. We were like friends, only she was 14 years older than me. But she was fun.

“All right, Dad, I’ll call her.” I couldn’t imagine Charlene fighting with Dad and him trying to do anything to her. She’s like family to Dad, after all.

“By the way, the Los Angeles Sparks will have a match next month, so I bought two VIP tickets for you and Lilian. I am sure she still likes to watch WNBA matches.”

Is it weird that I like to watch WNBA? I don’t have a special reason, but I am a big fan of the women who play in the tournament. From what I know, it’s not easy being a player; after all, Mom gave up playing because she wanted to have me.

I had to lie to a couple of people I called friends back in New York. I told them that I like a player on the Los Angeles Sparks. It’s not really a lie, but the way I like her was not what came to their minds.

Her name is Cori Bender, and she’s the point guard. While it’s weird, I kind of admire her. She’s strong, beautiful, and impressive in many ways. It may be stupid, but I look up to her.

Hold on a minute. Did he say next month? How did he know that? How did he even get the tickets? “How did you know they’ll play a match next month?”  Dad chuckled, confusing me. He can be mysterious sometimes.

“Let's just say the team will have a new corporate sponsor beginning this season, so you can always have a VIP seat whenever they have a match. Besides, it would be a good way for you to bond with Lilian,” he explained, surprising me. So far, he’s sponsoring two basketball teams, the New York Knicks, which is the team we never missed a match for. And now he will sponsor the Los Angeles Sparks. I don’t even know what to say.

“Thanks, Dad,” was all I could think of. We spoke for about 10 more minutes before we said goodbye. I can’t believe he's actually sponsoring the team.

“Nipote, the food is getting cold,” Grandma called from the kitchen. Remembering the food made my stomach rumble again. God, I am really hungry.

“Coming, Nonna,” I replied before walking back to the kitchen. As I sat down, Mom put a plate of amazingly delicious-smelling lasagna in front of me. Just looking at it made my mouth water, let alone smelling it.

“Nipote,” Grandma called as I was putting a piece of lasagne in my mouth. I turned to her, and she gave me a soft smile. “Before you go back, why don’t you stay with your Nonna for a couple of days?” Her tone felt sad as she said it.

Grandma had three children. Aunt Bella is the eldest, followed by my mom, and Uncle Ben is the youngest. Aunt Bella has twins, Jimmy and Janet, who are my age. Uncle Ben is not married yet. All in all, Grandma has three grandkids, including me. Uncle Ben and Aunt Bella live in Georgia, so it’s rare when they visit. Since she barely sees the three of us, she must be sad.

I swallowed my food and looked at my grandma. “But Nonna, I am not leaving this time. I will be staying here from now on,” I said, looking at Mom quizzically. Hadn’t she told Grandma already? Or was she expecting me to change my mind? I hope not because I am not planning on going anywhere else anytime soon.

“Well, Madre, I wanted to keep it as a surprise, but,” Mom said, walking up behind me, putting her hands on my shoulders and kissing my temple. “Carl has decided to live with me from now on.”

Mom then turned to me with a smirk. “Your Nonna always gets mad at me demanding to see her grandbaby,” she explained, making me blush a bit.