Suzie’s House 388 : Electric News

Kate walked into band practice with a brand new pair of drum sticks and a great little piece of gossip she’d love to share. The night before she’d seen Stephanie Eingle in the parking lot of East Town Mall kissing a boy that had to have been in high school at least, of not college. Maybe no one else in the band would care, but Emma would. Emma always nodded like a bobble head and agreed with everything.

“Hey,” She greeted. “You guys will never believe…. Hey wait. What’s going on?”

Emma sat in a chair in the middle of the room with everyone else in the band standing around her. She cried in great big passionate sobs. This was nothing like the way Emma normally cried with quiet little sniffles that she tried to hide.

“My father ran away from home,” she wailed. “And it’s all my fault.”

“You’re father what?” Kate laughed in a short burst that she stifled immediately when she realized Emma wasn’t kidding.

“I t-t-told them I’d run away from home if they d-d-didn’t get rid of my brother. But… but he came home drunk. And so we put him in the car, and Dad… Dad drove away. And he never came back!”

“It’s not your fault,” Justin said. “I’m sure he had other reasons for not coming back. Did you file a police report?”

“N-n-no.”

“How long has he been gone?” Kate asked. Though she was disappointed about not getting the chance to share her news, she wanted Emma to know she was sympathetic.

“Three days. He … he called Mom and said not to worry, but he wasn’t coming back.”

“Oh.”

Just about everyone gave Emma a pat, except for Gene, who was standing well back from everyone with his arms crossed and Bruce who stood next to him in a similar position. The savages. Didn’t they have any sympathy?

“But he won’t be gone forever, right?” Kate looked around the circle of friends. “I’m sure he just needs a little time to think about something. Or maybe he’s still with your brother?”

Emma shook her head. “He said he left my brother in Des Monies Iowa. He didn’t say anything about coming back and Mom looked like she thought maybe he said something…. I – I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

“Well, I’m sorry,” Tracy said, though she didn’t look all that sympathetic. “All we can do is wait and see. I mean, it’s not like we can send the police after him or something.”

Emma wiped her eyes and nodded.

“In the mean while, we might has well practice.”

“I d-d-d-don’t know if my voice will work right.”

“We’ll just make it a line in the song,” Bruce said. “You’re voice right now will be perfect for it. Right?”

“Don’t be a jackass,” Tracy glared at him.

“Song? What song?” No one answered Kate. She looked at Justin, who shook his head and shrugged.

Both Bruce and Gene gave Emma’s shoulder a pat as they went to their instruments. Everyone else got in place without saying much. Kate refused to budge.

“What song?” She dared them all to refuse to tell her.

“The one Gene wrote.” Tracy said it while slipping the strap of her base over her head without bothering to even glance at Kate.

“Gene can write songs, too?”

“Can’t we all?”

“No,” Kate said. “I don’t think I could.”

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