” Nick, you done yet?” Brian asked as he banged the bathroom door." Come on we’re late!" They were on their way to church for evenings service. The rest of his family had already gone to church while Brian waited for Nick to be done in the bathroom.
" In a sec," Nick announced with a strangle voice. He had a mild stomachache and it hadn’t helped much that he had devoured several plums hoping to get the wanted effect. It didn’t work at all.
" You’re ok?" Brian asked when he heard how pitiful Nick sounded.
" Mhm..go ahead and wait in the hallway. I’ll be soon done."
" Ok," With that Brian walked down the stairs. When Nick finally appeared they were very late and Brian thought that maybe it was no use to go to the service. When he saw Nick’s pale appearance he doubted that even more. " Man, you look like crap," he blurted out as Nick came down the stairs. " You sick or something?"
" No," Nick shook his head as a red blush appeared on his cheeks. " Just having..eh..a hard time." He was as red in his face like a overcooked lobster.
Catching what his friend was saying Brian laughed lightly, " Well come on then Mr Grunt," he slapped his arm around his friend. Giving him a bear hug.
" Knock it off." Nick blushed even more.
" You want mom to give you something so you can..you know..so you can go?" Brian was having a bit too much fun joking over Nick’s ordeal and he shook his head vigorously.
" Nah, I’m fine."
" Sure?"
" Yes!"
There were lots of people in church and they all greeted them as the two of them entered the scene. Brian was very well known in church activities and he had spent a lot of time with the church work when he was younger. Nick couldn’t help feeling a bit jealous when he saw how popular his friend was.
After sitting through a full evening mass Nick was so bored that he had trouble sitting still. Fidgeting, he tried to find a comfortable spot, but it was futile. Not a chance that he could get comfy on these hard benches. Yet he didn’t want to tell Brian how bored he was and instead spent time day dreaming.
He thought about the ocean and longed to be going out with the family boat down in the Florida Keys. The ocean made him always so calm and tranquil. It was the best way to spend downtime and as soon as he could he intended to ride on that boat. Swimming and fishing was other hobbies. His thoughts were interrupted by Brian elbowing him in his side.
“ Frack,” he said, “ Frack, it’s over. Get up.”
“ Huh? " He looked up a bit surprised. When did service end? With a swift hand he rubbed his face and then followed his friend out from church.
“ Gee man, I don’t blame you, but you could at least pretend that you’re listening,” Brian wheezed as soon as they were out in the fresh air.
“ What?”
“ You were spacing out all the time. Nick if you didn’t want to come you could have said so.” There was a mix with annoyance as well as hurt in Brian’s voice, which left Nick with a bad feeling. Church meant a lot to Brian and whenever he had the chance the Kentuckian went to the Sunday service, even when they were on tour. Nick had followed a few times, but ended up sleeping or dreaming away most of it. He didn’t want to act ungrateful, but it was that sitting still always made his skin crawl. He couldn’t help it.
“ M’ sorry,” he mumbled, looking down at the ground, stuffing his cold hands in the jacket pockets.
"S'okay," Brian smiled as he laid his arm around the teens shoulder, " I think that it sometimes can be rather boring too." He chuckled.
********************
The moment they entered the house Harold Jr. turned on the TV the annual Thanksgivings football game about to start. The men all sat down on the sofa, Brian in the middle with each Harold on each side and soon they were engrossed in the football game. This was tradition in the Littrell’s house. If there were one thing that united the family besides church activities it was sports. All but Brian’s mother.
"What is he doing? Harold Jr. yelled as the football player made a run for touchdown." Can’t he see that Knocks is available?"
" Look up!" Brian yelled, as he was as much into the game as the others. Nick on the other hand was not. The only sport that he liked to watch and play was B'ball. Seated on the armchair Nick felt a bit left out and as there was a touchdown for Kentucky they slapped each other backs while saluting with the beverage.
"Uh Brian.." he started, trying to get the other boys attention. " Do you remember when we sang that national anthem in Dallas when the Dallas Cowboys were.."
He got interrupted with a " Shhh Nick, not now."
"I just wanted to tell.." He opened his mouth again, just to be hushed down seconds later.
"I’m watching the game. Can’t it wait?"
" Ok," Nick sighed. Then he remembered when they were in Atlanta watching a football game and when he got an autograph from that famous football player, what was his name now? " He scratched himself in the head, desperately trying to remember what it was. Maybe Brian knew?
" Brian?"
" Mhmm.." Brian wasn’t really listening to what he was saying.
" Brian!" A bit louder Nick called out again. No use. He still wasn’t listening. " BRIAN!" This time Nick yelled his name and the young man jerked.
" What?" he said a more irritated than he intended to, not wanting to be disturbed as it was in the middle of the game and the suspense were killing them.
Fine! So Brian didn’t want to talk. A bit hurt Nick muttered, " Nothing."
"Ok." Brian was too much in the world of sports and not even an earthquake would have got him to make him listen right now. Football was football. The other two Littrells were just as interested. With a deep sigh Nick gave up any attempt for conversation and instead walked into the kitchen to see what Mrs Littrell was up to.
" Hello Nick," she greeted him as he entered the premises.
" Hi," Sulking the teen leaned against the kitchen counter watching as Jackie chopped some vegetables, preparing for a cheese tray.
"You’re not interested in the game?"
" Nah, not really." He shook his head.
" Then you might want to help me out here instead," she said as she rinsed off some peppers under running water.
" Sure." Nick wasn’t being very talkative.
She handed him the kitchen knife, " These green peppers need to be chopped. Can you do that?"
" Sure."
" Be careful, the knife is pretty sharp."
Rolling his eyes Nick grabbed the knife. What did she think he was? A kid? Being the oldest of 5 brothers and sisters he was use to helping out in the kitchen. There was no relaxing and kicking back when he was at home since there were always chores to be done.
“ I will be careful,” he said as he started to cut the vegetables in silence. It was relaxing, cutting vegetables, side by side with Brian’s mom.
When the peppers were done he asked, " You want me to do the cucumber too?" He motioned towards the other vegetables with the edge of the knife.
" Yes please." Jackie smiled towards the lanky teen. " You’re fast," she commented.
" Yeah.,..My dad used to run a restaurant." Nick said with a shrug. But he felt good inside that Jackie thought he was good at something. This was not something he was use to hearing from his background.
Jackie broke the silence, " Nick your mother called from Germany. While you were out with Brian earlier today."
" Mhm.." Nick continued to chop the tomatoes. Still in silence.
"I told her that she would call you back later on."
" Good."
Nick had pricked up his ears when he heard his mother being mentioned. From time to time he was feeling very homesick for her and being on the road all the time had left him with endless days of feeling blue.
" Maybe you should call her before you go to bed," Jackie urged as she watched him with searching eyes.
" Maybe." A cloud of sadness shadowed his face and she got the impression that there was something bothering her young guest. Being the warm and understanding mother she was she left the teen without asking too many questions about his life. If Nick wanted to talk he would talk. She didn’t want to press him, even if her intuition told her that something was not right. Instead she started to tell childhood memories about Brian and Harold and soon this had Nick laughing widely. Brian had been a kid that had been up to many different incidents.
He really did that?" Nick laughed as Jackie told the story where Brian was pretending to be Santa and then climbed down into chimney. Just to get stuck and when they finally got him out he was covered with ash, completely black.
" Yes, he was trying to impress on his smaller cousins." She chuckled as she put the vegetables on the small tray.
“ This is hilarious,” Nick giggled, thinking that he had so much to use on Brian now. In black mail purpose. He enjoyed every moment that occurred in the room. It was warm and homey standing here, working and talking to Brian’s mother.
"Wait, I think I have a photo of how he looked," Jackie stopped momentarily as she wiped her hands on the kitchen towel. " Hold on I’ll see if I can find it," and with that she was out of the kitchen. He could hear her rummaging through a cupboard in the living room and Brian’s desperate voice pleading her to drop the search was heard too.
"Mom! What are you doing? Noooo you’re not showing him THAT!"
" Hush, you were so cute," Jackie laughed as she picked up several photo albums and walked into the kitchen.
" Nooo, you’re going to bore Nick to death." Brian objected, but his mother didn’t listen at all. Turning to the waiting teen she said, " You wanna watch the game instead? In that case I won’t hold you up."
Nick shook his head. Truth was that he rather stayed here in the kitchen with Jackie then watched the football game. " No, here is fine."
" Good," Jackie smiled as she piled up several albums on the kitchen table. " Well let’s see where I have that photo." She started to turn pages, stopping momentarily to comment on a photo or two. " Look how cute he was," she cuddled as a nude pic of Brian, two year old turned up.
" Yeah very," Nick agreed with a grin. This was turning out to be a great time since he was hearing and learning more and more that he could use against his "brother" when they were pretending to fight.
" Hey Brian, he couldn’t help to comment to his friend, who was happily unknowing of the pics that his mother was showing Nick. " You didn’t have that appendix scar when you were two did you?" A laugh followed as he waited for the effect.
"No?" Brian said a bit puzzled, then he realized what pictures his mom was showing his friend and he yelled, " MOOOM, you’re not showing him THAT one. Not the one in the garden?"
" Yeeessss, she is." Nick teased and he got back a loud yell, " MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!"
" Brian, you were so cuuute and it’s not like Nicholas hasn’t seen you without clothes before." Jackie chuckled and laughing was heard from the living room.
Soon Brian’s desperate attempts to get his mom to change her mind was drowned in another touch down and the voices that followed where cheers that there team were winning.
“ This is Brian when he as three," she said as she set the photo album on the kitchen table.” Wasn’t he a cutie?” There was admiration in her voice.
“ Yeah he was,” Nick agreed as he looked at the smiling red head boy that sat on a swing in the back yard.
" And here he was eight and played an angel in the church play," She chuckled, " Brian was so mad because he thought he looked like a girl."
" Eh.,.well he does," Nick said frankly, biting his lip as he noticed what words he had uttered.
" Yes I know," Jackie smiled, then she said with a whisper, " But don’t tell him that." They both laughed and Brian’s mother continued to show him photos and telling stories, cheese tray soon forgotten.
Nick listened and smiled. This was great, sitting here listening to his friends mother telling the most funny stories.
Suddenly she grew serious and said with a whisper, " Brian were so sick here." As she turned the page there were a photo of Brian in a hospital bed, with all sorts of equipment stuck on him. " I hope that he never have to endure this again," she said as she slowly let out her breath. " We didn’t know if he would make it or not."
" I know," Nick went silent also for a while. Emotions washed over him as he pictured how frightened Brian’s parents most have been when they thought that they were going to loose their youngest son. His thoughts trailed off to his own family. Would they be as concerned for him if he ever experienced something like that?
His own upbringing hadn’t been all roses and he remembered when they barely had enough money to pay all the bills. His dad had own an restaurant when they lived in Buffalo. His childhood memories were mainly of him getting to auditions and practicing for different parts and roles. He had been in show business all his life.
" Ok, here it is," Jackie suddenly announced. " Here is the photo when Brian was acting like Santa." She showed him a pic where his friend was covered from head to toe in black ashes. Nick started to laugh hysterical. This one was priceless.
“ And this is Brian and Kevin when they went horse riding,” Jackie said as she turned the page. A bit surprised Nick looked at the photo. Kevin looked so young and he was smiling, looking very happy. This was a rare picture since the tall dark Kentuckian often was with drawn and he didn’t show that much happiness. He was more sullen.
“ This was Kevin’s father,” she pointed at a man in the background. With a sigh she continued, “ Kevin was so happy those days.” Her thoughts trailed away and Nick got the impression that she was a bit worried over how big of a burden Kevin was carrying on his back.
“ Dear,” Harold Sr called out from the living room, “ When are you coming with that tray?”
She jerked, “ Oh no I’m sitting here babbling, we better continue with the snacks.” With that she stood up again. Nick remained seated. He wanted to devour the nice feeling of sitting here talking with Jackie as long as possible. Never wanted the moment to stop.
