Zac thought all week about this girl that he met. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that finally to get it out he wrote a song about her. Isaac walked passed him, and saw the paper.

“May I read this, Zac?”

Zac’s head snapped up and looked at his brother. “I don’t know…”

“Okay.” Isaac relented. He sat down at a table next to Zac.

They were both waiting for Taylor to finish recording his vocal. He began writing something. His hand in his hair, holding it away from his face.

Zac noticed that he looked sad. He stood up and went over to him. “Hey Ike, what’s wrong?”

“Nothings wrong.” He said returning his attention to the paper he was writing on.

Zac sat down next to him. “What are you thinking?”

“Not much.”

“Come on, Ike.”

“Nothing at all, Zac. I’m fine.”

“Ike! We need you over here.” The producer yelled.

Ike sighed and got up and went over to where the producer wanted.

Zac looked down at the paper that his brother had been writing things on.

What will it take for someone to like me? Why am I me? Maybe if I had blue eyes and bright blonde hair, maybe if I was taller and had more muscle, Maybe if I was smarter, had straight hair, who knows...all I know is.…

That’s where it stopped. Zac looked up and watched his brother talk with the producer. He needs a girlfriend. Zac thought watching Isaac.

That night Zac saw the girl outside petting the cat again. Zac smiled. “I’ll be outside.” He yelled to no one in particular. He grabbed his coat and went outside.

“Hey, Asia!” he said.

“Hey, Zac.” She said with a smile in her voice.

“How was your week?” he asked sitting down.

“Well, it was pretty okay. My mom got out of bed the other day. When I got home she was making dinner. It scared me but then I realized she feels better because of the medication that they put her on. How was your week?”

“Well, my brothers and I have done this and that. We went surfing last weekend. It was so fun. You’ll have to ask if you can come with us sometime.”

“I can’t, I want to be with my mom whenever possible.”

“That’s right. Sorry. But remember the invitation stands.”

“I will.” She said with a slight giggle.

“But after we did that. I took my youngest brother and we saw a movie. While my older brothers took the two girls out to another movie. We had so much fun.”

“It sounds like it. At school I found twenty dollars on the ground.”

“Did you find the owner?”

“Yeah, a real nice kid. One problem, he was a foreign exchange student.”

“Those are the kids that live in like Spain and come here for a semester of schooling right?”

“Yup.”

“That actually sounds remotely fun.” He said pondering it for a moment. “Oh, oh, oh…” Zac said mischievously.

“What?”

“You tried getting out of our little conversation last week about what your idea of a dream guy was.” He said teasing her.

“I was not trying to get out of it. I just didn’t want to bring it up if you had forgotten.” She stated loudly in her defense.

“Well, I didn’t’ so tell me.”

“Zac.” She whined. “I don’t know what kinda guy is my dream guy. I just don’t…”

“Come on what kinda things do you find attractive in a guy.”

“Breathing.” She said.

Zac sighed. “Ha, ha, very funny. No, seriously.”

“I don’t’ know….I guess tall….I tend to go for the spinly kinda guys you know the ones that are tall but there aren’t a lot to them, they’re just tall.”

“Yeah, I know two people just like that.” He said with a laugh.

“I guess that’s about all….personality wise I want him to make me laugh I want him to be warm, and carrying. And definitely willing to have a lot of kids.” She said.

Zac smiled, she was describing Isaac. “I’ve got a brother that sounds like that.”

“Well, with six brothers and sisters you must have a person that fits every type of personality.” She laughed. “What do you like the most about being in a large family, Zac?”

“I like always having someone to talk to and do stuff with.”

“Okay, what’s the worst?”

“Not having any privacy.”

“I bet that is a problem.”

“You have no clue. I was in the shower the other day. Happily minding my own business and the door opens and my brother Taylor waltzes in saying, ‘its me Zac I need to brush my teeth.’ Well, that’s nice Tay but can you see that I’m taking a shower here. The one place in the house that I should be able to get privacy and no my brothers oral hygiene is more important than my privacy.”

When Zac paused from his rant he noticed that Asia was laughing hysterically. “Come on, it’s awful, it’s not funny.”

“Oh, yes it is. I can just hear the way you told him ‘sure Taylor go ahead brush your teeth I don’t care.’ Man I wish I could have been there.”

“I’m glad you weren’t. The last thing I need is a girl in there also. Oh, oh, get this, my mom tells my sister Jessie it’s okay to go to the bathroom while one of us older boys is taking a shower. I said ‘mom come on we’re all changing. WE aren’t built like Mackie’ he’s my younger brother he’s younger than Jessie anyway then she’s like ‘oh Zac, there’s a curtain. She’s your sister.’ My point right there she’s my sister why should she be in the bathroom with me while I take a shower. She could see through the crack in the curtain. She could see parts of me that I only want two people to see.”

“And who are those two people?” Asia asked stifling a giggle.

“Me and my wife.”

“Oh, okay.” She began to chuckle.

“You are finding this way too funny.” He stated.

“I can’t help it I haven’t heard anything this funny in years.” She laughed.

“Well, I’m glad I can make you laugh with my lack of privacy. Okay smart girl, what is the best thing about being an only child?”

She thought for a moment. “The fact that at Christmas and birthdays I get spoiled rotten. I know that all of the presents are for me. The undivided attention that I get.”

“Sounds like a blessing right there.” Zac mumbled. “So what’s the worst?”

“Being lonely. I love people. I’m a people person but since my mom got sick I don’t have time for friends and there’s no one at home to talk to. I would give anything to be able to go to an older brother or sister or even a younger and say ‘I wish mom felt better I wish there was something we could do.’ Or even ‘hey bro who was that guy that you had over yesterday? He’s cute think he would like a younger girl?’ You know that stuff. Does that stuff actually happen in a big family?”

“Yeah, except I don’t want to date my brother’s friends and my sisters friends still think Barbie is God.”

“Well, I guess that would present a problem.”

“In your little scenario, yes it does. The only time we try to cheer up mom is when she’s seven months pregnant and a beached whale. Oh God, you should have seen her when she was pregnant with my youngest sister Zoë it was ridiculous. I think if she would have laid on the beach the beach patrol would have come claiming that she was some endangered animal.”

Asia cracked up. “That’s mean, Zac.”

“But it’s true.”

“It may be true, but it’s mean.” She said calming down. “Oh, I told my mom that my old boyfriend broke up with me because I met a new guy.”

“Oh, really.”

“Yeah, she enjoyed “helping” me through the whole break up thing. I told her I was going out with a friend of mine that he was real nice.”

“Ahh, so you’ve told your mom about me?”

“Kinda.”

“Well, that’s nice.” Zac brushed his hair out of his face the stuff that had fallen out of the ponytail.

“Do you have long hair?” She asked.

“Yeah…let me guess you have a problem with that?”

“Why should I care, it’s your hair. I was just wondering because I can’t really see you and you are either nervously pushing your short hair back or you have long hair that is in a pony that parts of keep falling into your face.”

“Oh.” He said “Sorry for jumping down your throat then. Most people give me flack for having long hair.”

“I don’t care.” She said.

“Finally someone who doesn’t care.” He said putting his hands together in mock prayer.

“Stop it, Zac.” She lightly slapped his hands. Her watch went off. “Oh, gosh. We have been out here for three hours, Zac. I have to get going. See you next week?”

“You got it. See you next week.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.” Zac watched as she went away.