Field Trip (10 page)

We're having a last-day-of-summer barbecue this afternoon. At the new house. Or the uninhabitable money-sucking drain, as Dad calls it.

Dad complains, but he's having a blast. With help from the hockey team, and Charlotte and Jacob's teammates and drama buddies, we're making great progress on our house. And we brought the Calhoun place in ahead of schedule and under budget; now Dad can pay everyone to work for him. He says they're the best crew he's ever worked with and he'll be sad when school starts.

Mom quit her old job and works full time for Duffy and Family. We changed the name of the company, since Mom's better at negotiating contracts and managing the crew. She's also pretty good at swinging a hammer; she's pitched in a few times when she thought people were slacking off.

Brig's not living in the van under the Death Cone anymore. Dad's first priority when we moved into the new house was to fix up an apartment above our garage for him—we would have given him a room in the house, but no matter how much we love Brig, we're afraid of what he might eat. Better he has his own kitchen. I got him a slow cooker and shared some of my recipes with him. Fingers crossed he starts eating better.

I don't know why I was ever jealous of Brig; he wasn't trying to take my place, just to find one of his own. One thing I know about this family—we always make room for someone who needs a forever home. And it's kind of cool to have a two-legged brother for a change.

Charlotte and Jacob are coming to the party, of course. Charlotte's been over a lot since we got home from the field trip. Which is totally awesome for reasons a gentleman keeps to himself. She's amazing and beautiful and she likes me back, so you do the math.

Charlotte worked it out so that we're going to surprise Jacob today with a DVD of our scene in the zombie movie where we're all a pile of the undead and he says his big line.

Jacob tried to get me to try out for the fall musical. I went to auditions with him, but I choked. Worked out okay in the end; I'm on the backstage and set crew for
Bye Bye Birdie,
starring Jacob Norton as Conrad Birdie.

The hockey team will come to the barbecue, too, along with the rest of the guys I met at hockey camp. I'm going to take lots of pictures tonight so when we all make it to the pros, I can show that we've known each other since we were kids.

Dad was right, and I don't even hate to admit it: Playing on the best hockey team in town, being a part of the world's most awesome hockey camp, working for the coolest family business in history, and having the greatest girlfriend ever is way better than obsessing about hockey 24/7/365. My feet smell better, too.

I still worry about my future, but now that just means I already locked down a date to homecoming this fall. Charlotte's teaching me to slow dance. Win/win for Ben.

The guys are really happy in the new house, especially since they spend most of their time in Brig's apartment to avoid the construction.

Atticus has really mellowed in his old age; or maybe it's having Puck around so he doesn't have to manage Conor on his own. I don't say anything to Dad or Mom about Atticus getting older; it would just upset them. Conor and Puck know what to do without me telling them. When Atticus naps, which is a lot these days, they curl up next to him, but they don't sleep, they keep guard. And they slow their steps so he can keep up.

I use some of the money I make at Duffy and Family to buy filet mignon and chicken breasts and those huge knuckle bones Atticus likes to chew. I act like I only buy the treats for Atticus, but I slip Conor and Puck their portions when Atticus isn't looking, and they're cool enough to eat them out of sight so Atticus feels special.

When I see that Atticus is changing, I'm glad all over again that I didn't leave home for hockey school. I've got forever to play hockey, but Atticus needs me now.

Dad still believes that everything will always work out. I believe that nothing ever happens like you think it will. But both of us know that real life is always a million times better than anything you can imagine.

Gary Paulsen is the distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people, including three Newbery Honor Books:
The Winter Room, Hatchet,
and
Dogsong.
He won the Margaret A. Edwards Award given by the ALA for his lifetime achievement in young adult literature. Among his Random House books are
Road Trip
(written with his son, Jim Paulsen);
Family Ties; Vote; Crush; Flat Broke; Liar, Liar; Paintings from the Cave; Woods Runner; Masters of Disaster; Lawn Boy; Lawn Boy Returns; Notes from the Dog; Mudshark; The Legend of Bass Reeves; The Amazing Life of Birds; Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day; How Angel Peterson Got His Name; Guts: The True Stories Behind
Hatchet
and the Brian Books; The Beet Fields; Soldier's Heart; Brian's Return, Brian's Winter,
and
Brian's Hunt
(companions to
Hatchet
);
Father Water, Mother Woods;
and five books about Francis Tucket's adventures in the Old West. Gary Paulsen has also published fiction and nonfiction for adults. He divides his time between his home in Alaska, his ranch in New Mexico, and his sailboat on the Pacific Ocean. You can visit him on the Web at
GaryPaulsen.com
.

Gary Paulsen is available for select speaking engagements. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact the Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at
[email protected]
.

Jim Paulsen is a sculptor and former elementary school teacher. He lives with his wife and two children in Minnesota.