Page 31 of The Falcon and the Foe

I walked away and blended into the crowd of parents gushing into the halls. I looked around to join up with Cal but couldn’t find him.

* * *

In the first rotation,my group and I got to meet with Ellen Hee, the principal, who gave a talk about all they had planned in the coming year—events, curricula changes. Sadly, common core math was here to stay. During the break, I made my way to the art studio to see Monica. Tonight, she was giving brief art demonstrations to show the parents that the elective was worth having. Other districts had slashed art or reduced it to an art cart that was wheeled into classrooms once a month.

But she wasn’t alone. A familiar voice trickled out of the classroom.

“I can’t believe you’re his sister!” Cal said, giggling with Monica while they sat on the art desks. “You’re so fun!”

“Oh, Cal. Stop that. He’s my brother. I will kick your butt.”

“Fair enough. I just didn’t know he had any human relatives.”

Jesus, Cal should’ve been in politics. He could make friends with a brick wall. Or maybe his gift was making friends only with people I knew as a way to torture me. I walked in so they’d see me. Monica went white for a second, but then they both started laughing.

“Sounds like you made another best friend,” I said to Cal, the sting of minor jealousy in my words. Monica couldn’t like him more than me, her own brother, right?

“Just reminiscing about our favorite bars in New York City.” Monica had moved to New York after college to live a bohemian life but wound up falling head over heels in love with Ralph, the Wall Street guy. “Although most of my former mainstays are now closed.”

“Bulldozed and turned into condos.” Cal gazed at her, not missing a beat.

“Depressing.”

“The worst.”

“I’m sure they’re nice condos,” I interjected, but I was off-key from whatever song they were singing. I never cared for New York City. It was crowded, dirty, loud, and I saw three people urinate on the street.

“Great views, but no soul,” Cal said.

Once Monica finished laughing, she turned to me. “Apparently, you two are working together now.”

“Yes. Yes, we are.”

They traded a look that caused me to quirk an eyebrow.

“So you’re co-leading an activity with Russell?” She rubbed Cal’s arm. “My condolences.”

“Hey!” I cried out.

“I love you, little brother, but I never want to partner with you on anything. No offense, you’re just…”

“A control freak?” Cal offered.

“A little...uptight.”

I felt my face turn red. Sure, I was self-aware enough to know that about myself. But it was quite another thing for others—especially my own sister—to be so aware.

“I am not uptight!”

“That’s exactly something an uptight person would say.” Cal turned to Monica. “Was he like this growing up?”

“Oh, you bet.” Monica seemed to have a million memories ready to come pouring out. “When we were kids and we’d play together, Russell insisted that our make-believe world have very strict rules about what we could and could not do.”

Excuse me for wanting to exist in a world with logic!

“We had to play games a certain way and could never veer from the rules. I once suggested we play Monopoly backward, like you go from Boardwalk to Mediterranean Avenue, and he freaked out.”

“Because that disrupted the entire flow of the game. You don’t start with the most expensive, most coveted properties first,” I said.

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