Just as Adam was about to reply, a sea of gray and scarlet erupted from the school’s front doors, children of varying ages excited to be out of school for the day running throughout the school yard and towards their school buses and parents’ cars. Jack got out of the truck and casually leaned against it, as he puffed on his fragrant cigar. A barrage of students flew past him as the passenger doors swung open.
Jack peered inside the truck to determine whom they were still waiting for. Tommy and Shane were in the backseat practicing their latest handshake, which consisted of a complex series of claps, snaps, and hand motions. Blake was whispering into his older brother’s ear while Adam listened intently. Jack focused his attention to the front of the school again. They were still waiting on Tristan and Liam. Then he spotted them. Liam, leaning against an oak tree in front of Harry’s Hardware was deep in conversation with a pretty blond-haired girl. This was nothing new for Liam. He was abundantly popular with the girls. Jack assumed this must be his newest flavor of the week. As long as she didn’t call the house every twenty minutes, he didn’t care. Meanwhile, Tristan was meandering down the school steps with Cole following closely behind. Tristan turned to Cole and put something in his hand before running away. Jack grumbled to himself. Fifteen was too young to be hanging out with other boys in his opinion. Jack let out a sharp whistle from his lips as both Liam and Tristan came running.
“Sorry, Dad!” said Tristan with a blush. Jack rolled his eyes as he got in the car after his children.
"Yo, Dad. Where are you going?" asked Tommy from the backseat as Jack made his way towards the highway. Jack, looking confused, responded.
"We’re going home. Where the hell should we be going?"
"We have a birthday party to go to."
"What?! Why is this the first time I'm hearing this?!”
"It's not, the invitation has been on the fridge for a month," explained Liam. Jack scratched his head in confusion.
“You can’t go without a present,” quipped Jack.
“We have a present,” Tristan injected as she pulled a colorfully decorated box from her school bag, holding it high in the air for her father to see in his rearview mirror.
“Can we go now?”
“Wait a second. Where is the party?” demanded Jack.
“Elkhart” said three voices in unison, “At the Piedmonte's,” interjected Blake. With a huff, Jack turned the car around and headed towards Mountain road.
During the ride, the volume from the backseat rose as Jacked weaved through traffic on the interstate. Jack looked towards Adam with a question on his face. Adam seeing his father’s puzzled look raised his left eyebrow, and asked “What?”
“I’m not so fond of the idea of Tristan hanging out with Cole.”
Adam gave his father a perplexed look. “Why? He’s a good kid. They've been hanging out since they were babies... so what if he's got a little crush on her?”
Jack shrugged his shoulders.
“Besides, weren't you once the googly-eyed boy, hoping to spend some time with the raven haired girl?” Adam asked with a devilish smirk; he loved throwing the past in his father's face.
Clearly Jack was not going to get a consoling ear from his son. He worried that this boy would try to push his beloved daughter into something she is not ready for. She was quite young and, in his mind, a boyfriend was the last thing she needed.
Roughly a half hour later, Jack pulled his gray SUV onto Caribou Road and came to a halt outside a picturesque two-story house with red bricks, a green wooden door and shutters, and a beautifully maintained rose garden out front. Quickly, Jack’s car emptied, leaving just Liam and Adam as company for the evening. Jack yelled out the window, “Call me when you’re ready! I guess we’ll go food shopping.”
Tristan entered the crowded house with Blake, Tommy and Shane behind her. The house was filled to the brim with people, all laughing and in the mood for celebrating. Kids ran through the house, as women dressed in their best cocktail dresses gathered in circles by the stairs. Mr. Piedmonte was standing by the fireplace with one elbow resting on the mantel while smoking a cigar as he talked shop with his brothers, Johnny and Ted. As they entered the foyer, Cole and his sister Natalie came running towards them. The pair's faces were nearly identical, with brown eyes and chestnut locks. Natalie hugged Tristan tightly and squealed in delight. Her olive skin had just a flash of rose as her eyes danced excitedly around the room. Cole looked happy to see them as well, but managed to compose himself. He greeted the Morrows with a simple smile and a wave. Natalie glowed, as family and friends greeted her, excited to celebrate her sixteenth birthday. Cole ushered his friends into the dining room where the gifts were, and Shane added the colorfully decorated present to the mountain of gifts on the dining room table.
Escaping the party after a raucous rendition of “Happy Birthday”, Tristan followed Cole upstairs to the den.
“Your brothers are kind of crazy,” said Cole.