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Nov. 17th, 2006 11:20 amFriday, November 17, 2006
Mennen Arena and Skating Rink
Parking Lot Area D
North Bellmore, NY
"Thank you for coming out to help with the boys' hockey practice on such short notice, Ray," said Catherine. "It's really a big help."
"No problem," said Ray with a smile. "They're my nephews. Work can survive without me for another couple of hours."
He was wearing a plain grey jacket and a black baseball cap that read CSI: ARKHAM across the front; it was a little too Batman for Catherine's personal tastes, but at least it didn't have his company logo on it. After everything that'd happened at Halloween, a regular practice would've been impossible if Ray had showed up with anything visibly Ghostbusters. As it stood there were still more parents noticing her brother in passing than she really liked. This was supposed to be an event for the boys, a time to get out there and do normal things- a time to just be kids. They didn't need to live in the same river of strangeness that seemed to envelop her brother wherever he went.
If it came right down to it, Catherine really didn't think Ray needed to live in that river either. It couldn't possibly be good for him.
"Have either of the boys ever played hockey before this?" Ray asked. "I've taken them skating in the city once or twice, but…"
"Well, Alex has," Catherine said. "Joey, no. "He's been looking forward to this all day. Skating up and down the kitchen floor in his socks with the broom in his hand."
"You should've signed him up for curling, then," Ray suggested.
Catherine laughed. "Ray, in case you missed it, we live in America. Not Canada."
"Hey, there's a very large population of French Canadians living in Merrick. They might've assembled a league."
"I don't think-"
"MOooooooOOOoom!" It was Alex's voice. Catherine looked up sharply as her older son came running across the parking lot. "The coach can't find my waiver paper and he won't let me play if you don't sign a new one!" He waved a piece of paper at her excitedly. "C'mon, Mom, hurry! I'm gonna be laaaaate! I'm late already and this time it's not my fault!"
She exchanged a rueful glance with her brother before looking down to Alex. "Okay, okay," she said. "Let me just find my pen." She dug through her purse, found a pen, and shook it up and down a few times as she glanced over the form. Alex had used a similar tactic once to get her to sign a note from his teacher without reading it, but this looked like it was all okay. Just as she finished filling in the date, the sound of something screeching filled the air. She whipped around in time to see a huge old Pontiac barreling across the parking lot in a clatter of metal and sparks. The driver clearly wasn't in any kind of serious control of the vehicle, but it wasn't near enough to them to be any real danger, thank God.
"Oh crud," Ray said, and pointed. Catherine blanched; the Trilli family had arrived late, and the car was headed straight for the three of them. Ray grabbed for something in his pocket- his cell phone, for once- but. . .
Afterwards she would say that that was when everything started moving in slow motion. She saw Ray pulling out the cell phone, presumably to call 911. She saw the Trillis turning as the car bore down on them. She saw Craig Trilli grab his son, whether to shield him or push him away she couldn't say.
She saw Alex run out two steps in front of her, stop in his tracks, and make an arching, throwing gesture with both hands.
And she saw the Pontiac lift into the air and soar right over the heads of the huddled family, crashing down and sliding to a halt several yards past them, smoke starting to ooze from underneath.
No one moved for several seconds. No one said anything. Eventually, the Trillis opened their eyes, turning to see where the car had gone.
"Did I do it right, Uncle Ray?" Alex said in a very small voice. "I didn't mean to throw it that far."
Ray started to speak twice, and failed twice. On the third try he managed, "The fact that you were capable of throwing it at all-" and then stopped, because Catherine was staring at him.
"What's this?" she asked in a voice barely more than a whisper.
"It- I- it-"
"What did you do, Ray??"
Mennen Arena and Skating Rink
Parking Lot Area D
North Bellmore, NY
"Thank you for coming out to help with the boys' hockey practice on such short notice, Ray," said Catherine. "It's really a big help."
"No problem," said Ray with a smile. "They're my nephews. Work can survive without me for another couple of hours."
He was wearing a plain grey jacket and a black baseball cap that read CSI: ARKHAM across the front; it was a little too Batman for Catherine's personal tastes, but at least it didn't have his company logo on it. After everything that'd happened at Halloween, a regular practice would've been impossible if Ray had showed up with anything visibly Ghostbusters. As it stood there were still more parents noticing her brother in passing than she really liked. This was supposed to be an event for the boys, a time to get out there and do normal things- a time to just be kids. They didn't need to live in the same river of strangeness that seemed to envelop her brother wherever he went.
If it came right down to it, Catherine really didn't think Ray needed to live in that river either. It couldn't possibly be good for him.
"Have either of the boys ever played hockey before this?" Ray asked. "I've taken them skating in the city once or twice, but…"
"Well, Alex has," Catherine said. "Joey, no. "He's been looking forward to this all day. Skating up and down the kitchen floor in his socks with the broom in his hand."
"You should've signed him up for curling, then," Ray suggested.
Catherine laughed. "Ray, in case you missed it, we live in America. Not Canada."
"Hey, there's a very large population of French Canadians living in Merrick. They might've assembled a league."
"I don't think-"
"MOooooooOOOoom!" It was Alex's voice. Catherine looked up sharply as her older son came running across the parking lot. "The coach can't find my waiver paper and he won't let me play if you don't sign a new one!" He waved a piece of paper at her excitedly. "C'mon, Mom, hurry! I'm gonna be laaaaate! I'm late already and this time it's not my fault!"
She exchanged a rueful glance with her brother before looking down to Alex. "Okay, okay," she said. "Let me just find my pen." She dug through her purse, found a pen, and shook it up and down a few times as she glanced over the form. Alex had used a similar tactic once to get her to sign a note from his teacher without reading it, but this looked like it was all okay. Just as she finished filling in the date, the sound of something screeching filled the air. She whipped around in time to see a huge old Pontiac barreling across the parking lot in a clatter of metal and sparks. The driver clearly wasn't in any kind of serious control of the vehicle, but it wasn't near enough to them to be any real danger, thank God.
"Oh crud," Ray said, and pointed. Catherine blanched; the Trilli family had arrived late, and the car was headed straight for the three of them. Ray grabbed for something in his pocket- his cell phone, for once- but. . .
Afterwards she would say that that was when everything started moving in slow motion. She saw Ray pulling out the cell phone, presumably to call 911. She saw the Trillis turning as the car bore down on them. She saw Craig Trilli grab his son, whether to shield him or push him away she couldn't say.
She saw Alex run out two steps in front of her, stop in his tracks, and make an arching, throwing gesture with both hands.
And she saw the Pontiac lift into the air and soar right over the heads of the huddled family, crashing down and sliding to a halt several yards past them, smoke starting to ooze from underneath.
No one moved for several seconds. No one said anything. Eventually, the Trillis opened their eyes, turning to see where the car had gone.
"Did I do it right, Uncle Ray?" Alex said in a very small voice. "I didn't mean to throw it that far."
Ray started to speak twice, and failed twice. On the third try he managed, "The fact that you were capable of throwing it at all-" and then stopped, because Catherine was staring at him.
"What's this?" she asked in a voice barely more than a whisper.
"It- I- it-"
"What did you do, Ray??"
