G-157 (10 page)

Chapter Eleven

Friday March 19
, 2010

Population: 404

Friday morning Aire’s eyes were the last open in John’s Town. The rest of the city would be alive and bustling as they watched their young children in the Pee Wee and Pip Squeak races. Their jovial mood would carry into the night as the setting sun marked the beginning
of the carnival with all its delicious treats and games.
But laughter and carnival rides seemed so silly and far away now as thoughts of Dustin weighed on her mind.
She stared blankly across her room, forcing a smile and happy thoughts.

Furious banging on her door knocked the smile from her lips.

“Aire,” her mother said. “Are you at least getting up in time to watch your brother race?”

“Crud,” she muttered, dreading the thought of getting out of bed and having to waste a day watching little kids fall over their bikes. “Yeah, I’m getting up now.”

“We’re ready to go so I’ll see you up there.
There’s
muffins on the counter for you, and I packed
a
picnic for you and Troy. Bye, honey.”

“Okay, bye,” she said, groaning as she kicked off her deep purple comforter. She sighed, rubbing her face before standing up. At least she’d be able to have lunch with Troy.
One thing to look forward to
, she thought.

F
ifteen minutes later, Aire walked back into her room clad only in a towel. Melissa was sprawled on her bed reading a motocross magazine. She’d thrown the comforter back on the bed and replaced the throw pillows. She’d even put the books on Aire’s nightstand back to their p
l
aces on the shelf, and
tossed
the dirty laundry that covered her floor into the basket in the closet.

“What are you doing here?”

Melissa motioned towards the window. “The boys are outside.”

Aire glanced at the open window and jumped sideways into her closet. “Why?”

“I figured you would be naked since you have the house to yourself. I saw your family leave.”

“No, I mean why are you at my house? I thought we were meeting up at the track?”

Melissa put the magazine down and sat up, her brown eyes somber as they looked up at her.

“I wanted to be the first to tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“Well, you were really worried about Dustin last night, so I wanted to be the first to let you know.”

“Let me know what?”

Melissa began tracing the yellow pattern
of
butterflies frolicking about the comforter with her finger.

“Let me know what?
” Aire repeated.

“Well, Dustin was…Dustin was recruited last night.”

A shiver ran down her spine.
They only come at night.

“What?” Aire shook her head. “What do you mean recruited?”

“Recruited means that the Army-“

“I know what recruiting means,” Aire snapped. “I mean, how could they possibly do it last night? It was so late when that happened. It’s not like they just show up at your door at midnight and take you away.”

“Yes they do,” Melissa said. “That is exactly what happened. Raymond Butcher told me he saw it from his house across the street.”

“But they can’t do that. Dustin was only fourteen. They can’t take minors into the Army.”

“Yes they can. They’re the government. They can do whatever they want.”

“That’s ridiculous. They can’t just take kids. Older people, maybe. But kids?”

“They took my brother.”

“What?” she said, her breath catching in her lungs. Forgetting her modesty, Aire sat down on the bed next to her. “They took your brother?”

Melissa nodded.
“His name was Sam. He was eight years older than me. I was really little when it happened and don’t remember much. All I do remember is him acting funny just before it happened, an
d then one night after
dinner the Army came and took him away.”

“Oh
,
Melissa, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“It’s okay,”
she
smiled. “The Army is a good thing. It keeps us safe and free. We should all be happy to make those sacrifices. It’s not a big deal. That’s why I never mentioned it.”

“Yeah but, that meant he was still a boy. He was like what, eleven? Twelve when that happened? What could the Army want with a little boy?”

“Hey! Are you ready yet?” Gary called from the street below.

“No,” Aire shouted back. She turned back to Melissa. “Did they say why they needed him?”

Melissa shook her head. “No, they never do. But the Army is a good thing. It keeps us safe and free and we should all be happy to make those sacrifices.”

“Hey, ladies, come on,” Troy shouted. “We’re going to miss my little brother’s Pip Squeak race.”

“He’s right, we should get going,” Melissa said. “And you’re going to miss Mitch’s race too.”

“Oh crud, I forgot about him,” Aire groaned as she slapped her forehead and rushed to find clean clothes to throw on while Melissa went downstairs to wait with the boys.

Ten minutes later she was putting her hair in a ponytail as she came down the stairs to meet Melissa, holding the picnic her mother had packed as they tramped across the lawn to
wards
the boys. Gary’s eyes perked up at the sight of the wicker basket.

“For me?”

“No,” Melissa scowled. “It’s Aire’s. And Troy’s.”

“That’s so nice of you,” Troy smiled. “Thank you.”

“Well, actually my mom made it,” Aire said.

“Well thank you both then,” he said as he reached out to take the basket from
her
. “Let me carry this. It’s the least I can do for the ladies of this fine establishment.”

“Thanks.”

A mild heat wave had passed through Duck Park, sparking the excitement of the day’s events and the happiness the first hints of spring always bring after a season of shivering through bundles of jackets and coats. The electricity of life filled the air as toddlers ran around the patchy brown and green grass, and parents rushed about herding their youngsters to their upcoming events.
Dogs followed their owners in obedience amidst the bustle, their tongues flopping out as they went from canopy to canopy to visit. Aire laughed when she was nearly knocked over by the Parker’s Shepherd as it chased after a stick tossed by their three-year-old.

The first day of The Moto was for children five to thirteen. Everywhere miniature bikes revved and pinged and crashed and narrowly escaped clipping any by passers
on their way to the kids
track
on the east side of the pond
. The small group laughed at the tiny helmets and trash talk from high pitched voices as the grade-schoolers bet Pogs and marbles on who would win that day. Troy and Gary found their little
brothers in amicable rivalry and escorted the boys to their tent areas while Melissa and Aire parted ways to find Mitch, agreeing to meet back up in the
west
section of the grand stands before the Pee Wee heat race.

“Hey, buddy, are you excited?” Aire asked when she spotted her family’s yellow and teal pop-up canopy.

“I’m way excited,” Mitch said.

“Good, me too,” Aire said. “When does your heat race start?”

“In ten minutes. You’re way late,” Mitch scolded.

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“It’s cool. I already warmed up my bike and gave it a once over.”

“That’s great. Well we’re going to get good seats. Good luck, booger.”

“Thanks.”

“Now, you listen to me,” their mother said after the announcer called Mitch’s division to the starting line. “I want you to be careful, understand? Do your best, but don’t push so hard you get hurt, okay?”

“Yes, Mother,” Mitch grumbled as he put on his helmet.

“I
’m serious
,” she said, jabbing her index finger in his face, the
I mean it or else
finger
that
only mothers can point with any kind of conviction. She began adjusting his chinstrap, jerking it this way and that to tighten it, his head lolling from side to side from the force. “I don’t want you getting hurt like Aire did.”

“Mom, you’re choking me,” he said as he loosened the strap.

“Better to choke a little than
crack your head like an egg. Good luck.”
She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.
Aire’s chest panged with remembrance of Troy’s words from last night.
We only kiss little kids on the forehead.

“Remember, when you go into a turn, look behind you
under
your elbow so you can avoid getting run into,” their
father called as Mitch pushed his bike towards the starting line. He gave a thumbs up without looking back.

The spirit of race day took hold of Aire in the grand stands when she and Melissa met up with the boys. She hollered and cheered with the rest of the crowd as soon as the starting gates dropped and Mitch zoomed down the straightaway. She felt her mother’s anxiety when
he
reached the first turn. One boy caught his foot peg on the hay bale that marked the track
boundry
and toppled to the ground, causing a pileup as those who could not get out of the way in time slammed into fallen bikes and went crashing on top of each other. Aire chewed her thumb as she watched Mitch narrowly dodge the dog pile and disappear down the track into the woods. He was one of the youngest to ever place in the Pee Wees, and while impressive, it also left him at a disadvantage. Being younger than everyone also meant being smaller than everyone, and that meant it was easier to push and shove the boy off course. Aire knew that from experience, and memories of her own crash from last spring kept flooding into her thoughts. It wasn’t until the boy came flying out of the woods that Aire could take her fingernails out from between her teeth.

She leapt up and roared when she saw Mitch speeding full throttle just behind the first place rider, inching his way closer
to the lead
as he gained speed on him. For a moment she thought he was going to take first, but an older boy on a
yellow bike
overcame him just before they crossed the finish line. Mitch’s fist shot in the air when they reached the checkered flag, his fan club in the stands jumping up and down and hugging each other at his
third
place victory.

The spark in the air fueled Aire’s excitement, and for the rest of the day she was rushing about in a state of hurried frenzy. She cheered and whooped as she watched Mitch progress through the races, meeting him for pep talks at the tent and any advice Troy and Gary had to offer when they weren’t watching their little brothers’
s
races in the Pip Squeak divisions. By time the championship race was about to start,
Air
e
felt that she was about to collapse from exhaustion. But as Mitch bolted down the track in the final round, her energy began to renew itself, and Aire was a ball of fire when he came into the home stretch. Her throat was raw and she didn’t know if sound was even coming out of it as she cheered her little brother on to a
second
place finish. She held her breath as the point totals were calculated, and her heart surged with pride when they announced that Mitch
had placed third overall, beating his rival Sammy Roberts by two points.

All week Aire had planned on spending the first night of the races roaming the park with her friends. Game booths and
carnival
rides were a feature of race weekend, and Aire had imagined herself strolling hand
in
hand with Troy through the bizarre. She’d even let herself picture Troy winning her a teddy bear in the milk bottle game.

Mitch, however, had changed all those plans. Her pride in her brother had Aire glued to his side all night. She bought him cotton candy and pony rides with the equality credits she’d been saving to buy herself a new bike, and
bragged on
and on about him to anyone who would listen. He smiled at her that night in a way she hadn’t seen since he was a toddler, and
i
t was the first night that she could ever
remember
losing track of time hanging out with her little brother.