Casey Barnes Eponymous

28



A half hour after Ben left without a word of explanation while Casey was in the bathroom, she knocked on his front door. A lady opened it. Even though Casey thought she was probably Tricia’s age, she seemed, with shoulder-length curly hair, yoga clothes, and jangly bracelets, somehow younger.

“Is Ben here?”

The woman shook her head. “Not yet.”

She paused. “I’m Casey. Ben and I are in--”

“Rock star Casey?”

“Well. If you put it that way.”

The woman reached out her hand. “I’m Ben’s mom Kate. He’s told me a lot about you.” Casey tilted her head to one side as she shook her hand. She was confused. “Would you like to come in and have a cup of tea?” Kate continued, “Ben should be home soon.”

As Kate boiled water she told Casey that she played triangle in a band once in college, but could never keep the rhythm and ended up getting kicked out. “I don’t tell that story to many people,” she concluded.

Casey shrugged. “I’ve screwed up far simpler tasks.”

Kate placed a steaming cup in front of her and sat. “This band’s been really good for Ben.”

“Really?”

Kate nodded. “It’s hard to keep making friends when you move as much as we have. I know Ben can be hard to read, but trust me, he’s happy about playing music with you.”

An unfamiliar feeling ran through Casey’s gut. She was pretty sure it was guilt. “Affirmative on the hard to read score.”

Kate smiled. Casey continued, “He can be pretty secretive too. Like he won’t tell me a thing about his Dad, even though on the first day of school he told the Spanish teacher that his Dad lives in Paris.”

Casey stopped short. Kate’s face, as soon as Casey uttered the word “Dad,” had taken on a stony look.

“Tact is a trait I have yet to master,” Casey said, “Was it a bad divor--strike that. See what I mean about my tact?”

Kate still did not say anything. An awkward moment passed.

“Do you have any Stevie Wonder records?” Casey asked.

“Ben told the class his father lives in Paris?”

It was then that Casey finally realized why it was that every time she brought up ‘Dad in Paris,’ Ben changed the subject. And that was because it was not true. The fallacy of the claim was hanging from Kate’s face like the jangly bracelets from her wrist. Casey cleared her throat. Kate stared. Another moment passed.

“I do have a Stevie Wonder album, as a matter of fact,” Kate said.

“Knew it.”

There was a noise behind them. Casey turned. Ben was walking through the front door. He threw his bag down and started to head towards the kitchen, but stopped when he saw Casey. “What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too,” Casey said.

Kate looked from Ben to Casey, picked up her tea, and stood. “I’ll finish this upstairs. Good to meet you, Casey.”

Casey nodded. “Good to meet you too.” Kate left but Ben did not budge from his position a few feet away. “You left without saying goodbye,” Casey said.

“It seemed like you had other things on your mind.”

“I wanted to see what Maxine French’s reaction was.”

“His too, I bet.”

Casey’s face got red. “No.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “So what, now you’re here to check out mine?”

“No. I just wanted to know why you left like that.”

“Because I wanted to.” He paused. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t mean I’m quitting Pop Wire. If we get offered a spot in talent show, I’ll play in it. I may not enjoy myself very much, but I’ll play in it.”

All feelings of guilt evaporated. “Well excuse me for causing you such great psychic pain,” Casey snapped, “And you know what? I’m not buying it.”

“You’re not buying what?”

“That playing in talent show is going to be such a chore for you.”

“It’s the song I have a problem with.”

“And I think you’re just bitching because you always have to be above it all. Your mom was telling me how much you like Pop Wire.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed. “What else did she tell you?”

Casey paused. “Nothing.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I mentioned your Dad living in Paris and she got quiet and kind of weird. Then you came home.” Ben did not respond. “What is the deal with your Dad, Ben?” He looked away. “Why can’t you just tell me? Honestly I’m not that shockable.”

“I have to get started on my homework.”

“Ben.”

But he just looked at the floor. If Casey had not felt so pissed she might have looked at his eyes more closely, seen that they were ever so slightly wet, and maybe, just maybe, deduced that he wasn’t responding because he was scared to. The thing is, people don’t look closely when they’re angry.

“You should go,” he said.





29



Leigh’s whereabouts were revealed as soon as Casey got home from Ben’s. She sent an email saying Casey should call her at a number beginning with a District of Columbia area code.

Casey called. A woman answered. Her voice was familiar. “Can I speak to Leigh?” Casey asked.

“Is this Casey?”

Casey knew why she recognized the voice. It was Aunt Eva.

“Aunt Eva?”

“In the flesh. Hold on, I’ll put Leigh on.”

“Hi,” Leigh said a moment later.

“You’re alive.”

“Yep.”

“Aunt Eva’s in D.C.? Is that where you went last night?”

“Yeah, at a hotel, editing some political thing. She’s the one who came and got me last night.”

“She was awake?”

“I’d texted her when we were leaving your place.”

“Smooth,” Casey said.

“I kind of wanted to freak you out a bit too,” Leigh added.

“Well played. And, hey, sorry again about the whole accidental ganja-baked-good-drop.”

“I’m not mad anymore. I even told Eva. She wants to make a short film about it.”

“Can I play your mother?”

“Don’t push it.”

“So what now?”

“She called my parents this afternoon and told them I’m at the hotel with her,” Leigh said, “We’re all going to dinner in an hour.”

“But what if they drug her drink and whisk you away to boarding school?”

“Eva said not to worry about the boarding school thing.”

“Why’s she think she can persuade them?”

“No idea. Hey what’s going on with talent show?”

“We made the cut for second round of auditions,” Casey said. “And…” She attempted to summon the excitement she felt earlier after the triumph of the Maxine French song. Yet her visit to Ben’s house was tempering things.

“And what?”

Casey shook her head. “And today we played a song about what a bitch Maxine French is and brought the house down.”

“You really are crazy. Do you know that?”

There was suddenly a booming knock on Casey’s door. “Insanity is relative. I gotta go. Call me later?”

“Will do,” Leigh said.

Casey hung up. Yull came barging in. “What the hell was that?!”

“This ‘that’ you reference could be a number of things, dear brother. You’re going to have to learn to be a bit more specific when requesting informa--”

“That song about Maxine French! That that.”

“Oh that.” She stifled a yawn. “Well she is a bitch. I have firsthand knowledge of it. And, based on the reaction my little gold mine of a tune garnered, I’m not the only person at Walton who thinks it.”

“It doesn’t matter whether or not she’s a bitch.”

“Spoken with the ease of one who has never been tortured by Maxine French.”

“There are people at Walton who are meaner, who are fat, who smell…there are even people who are gay.”

“Cut the koomba-f*ckin-ya chase and tell me what you’re getting at.”

“My point is that there are a lot of people to talk about. And if anyone were to get up and sing about them even half as well as you did, the song would get a big response. It’s called mob mentality. But that doesn’t make it okay.”

“You’re talking about apples and oranges,” Casey replied, “I wouldn’t do what I did to a fat or smelly kid. I did it to Maxine French because she chooses to be a bitch, and she deserves to get called out on it.”

“Do I deserve to get called out on being gay?”

“Um, newsflash Yull: You’re out. And you’re one of the most popular people at Walton.”

“Perhaps.”

“Your attempts at modesty are pathetic.”

“Well do you know why everyone likes me so much?”

“Because you steal money from Mom and pay them to?”

“Because I’m nice, Casey.”

“Why does every conversation we have come back to the beatification of Yull?”

“I’m merely trying to emphasize a point.”

“And I am too. People as nasty as Maxine French have it coming. People said as much to me when we finished playing the song.”

“I don’t disagree that the girl can be a bitch. What I disagree with, strongly, is that song. You can’t do that to people.”

Casey folded her arms and looked away. “I can do whatever I want.”

Yull paused. “I’m going to tell you something I wasn’t going to.”

Casey studied his face and, suddenly, she knew what he was about to say.

“I’m the reason you made first cut for talent show,” he continued, “I helped count votes and I moved two for Hair Band to Pop Wire. I wanted you to have a boost because I felt bad about the whole Alex Deal thing. And anyway I didn’t think Hair Band would end up beating Note Mountain after round two.”

Casey stared.

“But today you earned yourselves a place in talent show on your own merits. I didn’t tamper with anything and I’m pretty sure you’ll end up getting a spot.”

She remained silent.

“All I ask, and I do think I have a right to ask it, is that if you do get a spot, you either don’t play the song or change the lyric that says Maxine’s name.”

Casey looked away and then looked back. “And I told you that I can do whatever I want.”

It was Yull’s turn to stare, which he did, for a moment. Then he left.

So what if some people might have thought she should have said “Thank you.” Those people didn’t have to listen to Yull take credit for her getting to round two of talent show auditions. They didn’t have to live in his shadow all the time. And if there was a front woman in the history of time who let her goody-two-shoes older brother stand in between her and rock legend-making, Casey Barnes had never heard of her.

Meanwhile, downtown, Leigh Robinson’s life was changing forever.





30



Only a few hours had passed between Leigh’s pre and post-dinner phone calls but when she called the second time her voice sounded years older.

“Life is so weird,” she said.

“Why? What happened?”

Leigh repeated that life was weird. Casey again asked what happened. After another moment, Leigh told her about dinner.

Eva and Leigh met the Robinsons at a restaurant a block from Aunt Eva’s hotel. Mrs. Robinson started crying when she saw her and Mr. Robinson demanded to know where Leigh had been staying. Leigh said not at Casey’s though she did not think they believed her.

“Great,” Casey moaned.

As they sat down to dinner, Eva told the Robinsons they were being too hard on Leigh. Leigh’s Dad said it was up to them how to discipline Leigh. He emphasized the word ‘them,’ and that confused Leigh. Why would Eva have anything to do with disciplining Leigh? Then Leigh’s Dad went on to say how little he approved of the “painting business.”

Yet again, and again it was odd, he focused on Eva rather than Leigh as he said it. He went on about how a boarding school environment would get Leigh more excited about academics, which clearly was what she needed, and how an “advanced degree in finger painting would only lead to a life of irresponsibility.” It was when the word “finger painting” hit the airwaves that Mrs. Robinson told him to stop. Until that point she had been quiet, but she said it in a loud voice. She reminded him that Eva was a painter when she was young and now had a great career. And she said she thought it was time they tell Leigh.

“Tell me what?” Leigh asked.

Eva ignored her and asked Mrs. Robinson if she was sure. Mrs. Robinson looked to Mr. Robinson, who, after staring at the table for a long moment, said he supposed it was. Then the Robinsons told Leigh the following:

Mrs. Robinson was not Leigh’s biological mother. Her biological mother was, in fact, Eva. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson had tried unsuccessfully to have a baby for the first few years of their marriage, but they could not. Then Eva got pregnant, unintentionally, by a guy she was not even serious with. Leigh was legally adopted by the Robinsons the day she was born.

There was a long moment of silence. Leigh tried to tell herself that the whole thing was a joke and that at any moment a TV host would pop out and tell her as much. But no one was laughing.

Mrs. Robinson said they had been waiting until she was old enough to tell her. And that was when Leigh finally spoke. She said, “I’m not.”

“Not what?” Eva asked.

“Not old enough.”

Leigh got up from the table and exited the restaurant. Her mother, Mrs. Robinson that is, caught up to her. She cried some more and said she was not sure if there ever would have been a good time to tell Leigh, but that one seemed like it. She added that she knew how upset Leigh must be but that hopefully, in time, Leigh would understand that what they did was the best thing for everyone. Leigh asked what her real father’s name was. Mrs. Robinson said she did not know. Leigh asked to be taken home and said she would wait outside the restaurant while Mrs. Robinson got Mr. Robinson and settled the bill.

While Mrs. Robinson was doing that Aunt (Mom?) Eva came outside and attempted to talk to Leigh. Leigh would not respond. Then Eva started crying too and went inside the restaurant. A few minutes later Mr. and Mrs. Robinson came outside and drove Leigh home. Once she got there she ran upstairs and called Casey.

A moment passed.

“You ever been on that ride at the amusement park where they strap you in and you put your back to the wall and then it spins around really fast and the floor drops out?” Casey asked.

“I almost barfed.”

“Me too. Is that what you feel like now?”

“Kind of. I really want to know my real Dad’s name.”

“I would too. Do your parents still want to send you to boarding school?”

“I’m not sure. My mom said something about having a meeting with my teachers at Walton tomorrow.”

“Well that’s good.”

“Do you think I have any brothers and sisters?” Leigh asked.

“Dude. I didn’t even think about that.”

“There’s a lot to think about.”

“Seriously.”

“One more thing,” Leigh added.

“What’s that?”

“My Dad, not my real one whose name no one seems to know but the one--”

“I know which one you mean.”

“That one ate a pot brownie.”

“Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“Nope. He said he had a feeling they were from me, like some kind of peace offering. So he tried one.”

“I think my heart just stopped,” Casey said.

“His almost did too. Rather, he thought it was about to because he’d never felt that way before. So he took one to work the next day and had someone at the lab examine it and they told him it contained pot.”

Casey banged her head against the phone receiver.

“I played dumb and said I had no idea who the brownies were from,” Leigh paused, “still though.”

“Maybe the whole revealing they’re not your real parents deal will distract them from telling my Mom.”

“Possibly.”