The Gray Brothers✔️ (Kindle version)

Midterm hassles

Maggie

After our senior trip, we had midterms. How we did on our tests helped Nate and Pat decide if they let us travel somewhere for spring break or stay home. It was Nate and Pat's rule. To them, education was important. They've tried to persuade Nash to get more education under his belt, but he always made excuses.

I didn't understand his logic. Nash was brilliant and had potential, but he didn't want to apply himself and had settled. Nate and Pat had furthered their education. What stopped him?

I needed to find out and talk to the source themselves.

I knocked on his door and opened it. Nash was sitting at his desk while working on something. "Nash?"

He stopped and lifted his head, then turned to me. "Mags? Why aren't you studying?"

"I was, but I needed a break. What are you working on?" I walked over to him.

"It's something that I was working on." He tried to hide the paper.

I grabbed a piece of paper.

He tried to stop me. "Maggie, can you give that back to me?" He tried to take the paper from me.

I pushed his hands away and looked at the drawing. "Nash."

He rubbed his forehead. "I would have told you, but I figured it would have upset you." He tried to explain himself.

I studied the drawing. The definition was exquisite, and the details were flawless. Nash had captured my essence in the picture.

"The portrait is beautiful." I turned to Nash. "I didn't realize that you drew."

"I picked up sketching when I was a teen. I became bored. So, I picked up a pencil and started doodling."

"Nash, you have a real talent. Why aren't you pursuing art?"

"Because the idea is stupid."

"A gift is not stupid. Pursuing something you love is always worth it."

"If my dad and ma knew, they would tell me to grow up. I need to do something productive with my life."

"What do you mean?"

"That's another reason I had left. We fought about what I would do with my life. They wanted me to get a stupid office job that would offer stability. It's not me and never was." He sighed.

"Did you tell them about your artwork?"

"No, they wouldn't listen even if I did."

"Nash, I doubt your parents wouldn't listen. My parents, yes. Yours, no. It would help if you talked to them. Don't let a gift like yours vanish."

Nash had an eye for detail with a rare, raw talent. The drawing held proof. The ball was in Nash's court if he talked to his parents about art. He would waste his talent if he didn't pursue it.

*****

We studied for midterms. After becoming parched, I got something to drink and found Pat in the kitchen.

"Coffee?"

"Coffee sounds better than water."

"Are midterms getting you down?"

I sighed. "Yeah. Senior year is rough. Pat, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." She poured coffee into a cup and handed the cup to me.

"Did you know that Nash draws?"

"Yes. Why?"

"No reason." I left with a cup of coffee. If I discussed Nash, he would get upset. Nash was the guy who preferred not to talk about himself to others.

I had left Pat confused. I wanted to see if she knew if he drew or hid his talent from people. I hope he pursues art.

*****

Midterms came. Thank God. My brain had become so frazzled from studying. We got a break for two days after finishing them, which meant lots of sleep.

After I finished my last midterm and the others, we went home. We entered the house to overhear yelling.

"We told you that you needed to do something with your life!" Nate said.

"College isn't for me! I told you that!" Nash said.

"Nash, you're twenty-one! Figured it out!"

"I'm done talking about it!"

"Walk away! That's what you do well!"

Nash stormed past us and out of the door. The boys shook their heads and went upstairs. I walked to the kitchen.

Nate said, "I don't understand that boy. He's wasting his potential."

"I know, Nate. What can we do? Nash has always been stubborn."

I stood in the doorway when Pat noticed me.

"Maggie. How were midterms?" She tried to regain her composure.

"Stressful." I walked into the kitchen. "What was that about?"

"Oh, nothing. We were discussing futures," Pat said

"The conversation is none of my business, but you're pushing Nash in the wrong direction," I said.

"Maggie, you mean well, but let us handle our boy," Nate said.

"I would love to have parents like you while growing up. Sometimes, a child's dream and a parent's dream differ. My parents didn't care about my dreams. They only cared about themselves and money. I would prefer them to yell at me about my dreams. At least I knew that they cared." I walked away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked Pat.

"She loves and cares about our son. She sees something that we're missing."

"Like what?"

"That Nash's dream differs from ours." She shrugged.

*****

I searched for Nash. It would be more challenging until I remembered the find my phone app that Nixon had used to find him. I used that, leading me right to him. He was in a park leaning forwards on a wall.

I walked over and stood next to him.

"How did you find me?"

"Find my phone app." I grinned.

"I need to turn that feature off."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope."

"Okay. Did you want to hear about midterms?"

He said nothing.

"I'll tell you. Midterms were rough, but I did well."

"Maggie, I prefer not to talk right now."

"That won't happen, Nash."

He sighed. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to be honest and tell your parents that you want to pursue art."

"They would never approve because it's not a stable job with benefits and a 401k."

"How do you know? Did you ever tell them?"

"Well, no."

"Then you don't know. Nash, I get the entire security reason, but you need to be happy."

"Maggie, you mean well, but stay out of it."

"Fine. Keep being miserable. It's what you do best. Better yet, run away. You're good at running." I walked away.

"Yeah, well, look, who's running now!"

"I'm walking, not running! Enormous difference!"

Well, I tried. I swear these Gray boys were stubborn. None of them could admit to anything. Is it that difficult to fight for something that you love to do?

I'll never understand guys or the Gray brothers.

When I returned, I headed to my room. I wanted to sleep from studying so much. Then I got mixed up in the family drama. When will I ever learn? The way I'm going, never.