“Welcome to the Annual Tulsa Air Show!” I quickly slipped on my sunglasses as I gazed at the stunt plane above. The roar of the announcer was drowned out by my 18 year old brother Zac walking toward me. “Found the seats yet?” Zac asked, gazing curiously at the blonde behind me.
I grinned and then shrugged. I almost couldn’t believe how much Zac had changed in the past six years; his physical appearance had changed and so had Zac’s behavior. He was still full of energy and full of life, but everything was aimed at a certain goal, and no longer was that goal pouring glue down my shirt. But, I noticed, many of the goals were girls, also.
“Hey, over here!” I heard a voice behind us and turned and saw Taylor waving at us, his other arm around his new girlfriend, Shelby. Zac and I walked over to Taylor, managing to get there signing only one autograph. We sat ourselves down, and I leaned back to enjoy the show and wonder how on earth I had gotten myself talked into coming here.
Zac had invited me. I knew I should have said no; I’ve seen that gleam in Zac’s eye too many times to consider trusting it. But somehow, with Zac’s stubborness and Tay’s persistence, I got roped into coming. I didn’t know what Zac had in store for me here. Whatever it was, it was good because he kept fidgeting, acting like the 12 year old I used to know; never able to stay still for more than 30 seconds.
Thinking about that, I let my thoughts wonder back to when we were young, and before we hit “The Big Time.” Tay ran around with a sword and a cap that I would swear was permantly attached to his head. Zac would bang on anything in sight (including me) and was always singing some Aretha Franklin song at the top of his lungs. And I was the crazy one, back then. I was the one who would go jumping, not walking, from place to place. Back then was...dear Lord, I was only 11.
I was also the only eleven year old guy I knew who didn’t believe in the ‘Cootie Theory’. I was into girls already. No wonder Mom used to call me “her hormone son.” I smiled thoughts slowly drifted to the girls I used to know. All of the ones who had caught my eye when we were touring. All of the ones who I thought were angels for awhile. All of my “groupies”. My mind slowly went remembering each girl when I heard Taylor humming “Thinking Of You.”
I bolted straight up the memory of her flashing back to me, startling Taylor and nearly making him dump the nachos all over Shelby. “Bright, Isaac,” he muttered, as he glared at me. I just stared back numbly. Taylor’s humming made me remember the one that had stood out above every other girl I had ever met: the girl the wanted to fly.
