“No one even knows I exist.”
“This girl does!” she said loudly. “So this is it then, Solomon? Just me, your parents, and the pizza guy for the rest of your life? You wanna stay in here all the time, that’s fine by me. But at least let someone new in. If anything, it’ll keep you from going completely nuts someday and killing us all.”
“Is that what you think I’m going to do? Snap and kill you?” he asked.
“Not me, you won’t. I keep mace in my purse. You never know what kind of creep’ll be shopping for a house.”
“Wait . . . what?”
“Invite her over, Sol. Do something different just to see what happens. Hell, I know I would. You get to be my age and you learn to start saying yes, even when you’re a little scared.”
“I’ll think about it,” he said. “Dad said to sleep on it.”
“Your dad was a lonely little boy. Did you know that? He’d never tell you to think on it. He’s just being nice.”
“I’m not lonely.”
“Not yet,” she said. “But you’re still young. It’s going to get tougher and tougher the older you get. Nobody wants to come hang out with a middle-aged shut-in who lives with his parents.”
“Geez, Grandma. Go easy on me, will you?”
“I’m just trying to help you here. Anyway, what else is new? What’re you working on?”
She walked across his bedroom and flipped open his laptop. There were many things he wouldn’t want his grandmother to find on his computer screen, and a website about swimming pools was, surprisingly, at the top of that list.
“Please don’t tell them,” he said. “Not yet.”
“You want a pool?” she said, barely containing her excitement.
“Don’t read into it, please. I just miss the water.”
“This pool is outside, Solomon. How am I not supposed to be happy about this?”
She ran over and hugged him around the neck. He didn’t move a muscle, waiting for her to let go and stop swaying from side to side. When she did, there were tears in her eyes.
“This is exactly why I’m not ready to show them yet,” he said. “Too much pressure.”
“I’ll buy it, Solomon,” she said. “Get them to say yes, and I’ll build you the best pool in Upland.”
“This doesn’t mean I’ll go out there,” he said. “I mean, I want it to mean that, but I can’t promise.”
“You have to do one thing for me though, okay?” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Really?”
“One visit,” she said. “Let the poor girl come over for an afternoon and at least see if you like her. Either way, you get what you want. And what you might get is a friend to share that pool with.”
She kissed him on the forehead and walked out of the room. When she got to the kitchen, Solomon could hear her as plain as day, like she’d never left his room. So, he listened for a while, making sure she wouldn’t share his secret just yet. She was trustworthy, but sometimes her love of gossip got in the way of that. And he’d just given her the biggest piece of news to hit the Reed family in three years.
“Sol!” his mom yelled from the kitchen. “Phone!”
Solomon just sat there and stared at the phone sitting on his desk. Everyone he knew was right down the hall from him. So, who the hell was waiting for him to pick up?
“Hello?” he answered with hesitation.
“Solomon?” a girl’s voice asked from the other end. “Is that you?”
“Yes.”
“Lisa Praytor. Did you get my letter?”
Solomon held the phone away for a second and took three deep, calm breaths.
“Hello?” she said. “Are you there?”
“Here,” he said, maybe too loudly. “I got your letter. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She sounded relieved and also really excited. “I hope it didn’t, like, freak you out too bad or anything.”
“Just a little,” he said. “Not too much.”
It had been a long time since Solomon had talked to someone this young, and he wasn’t really sure what he was doing. He felt compelled to say things like “cool” and “chill” and “brb,” and was very relieved that she was barely letting him speak.
“Anyway, I’m sorry to call like this, but I just wanted to confirm that you got the letter and that you know I am totally okay with whatever you decide. I will say this, though. I am a hell of a friend. You can ask my best friend Janis Plutko. Would you like her number?”
“No . . . thank you. I . . .”
“Oh no. I’m freaking you out right now, aren’t I? I guess I just get too excited about things sometimes. Clark says I get too excited about everything. Even the things that piss me off. What sort of things piss you off, Solomon?”
“Umm . . . I don’t know . . .”
“You know what? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called. I have obviously caught you at a bad time. Would you like to call me later or . . .”
“Can you come over Wednesday?” he interrupted.
“This Wednesday? Of course I can.”