Standing By

Misunderstanding Esther

(Scott)

I sat back in my chair, still trying to encourage that last piece of pie to settle down.  I really probably shouldn't have gone back for seconds, but it was sooo good.  My mother was a great cook, and I so rarely get home-cooked food. It had been so nice to reconnect with family to remind me that I do, in fact, have a life outside of Pentatonix.  I swear my nephew doubled in size since I'd seen him last.  My 'little man' as I liked to call him.  God.  If I didn't watch out, I'd come home one day to find him graduating high school.  I can't let time get away from me.  A moment past is a moment we can never get back.

    I accepted the dice from my sister and shook the cup, hoping for a full house or a large straight or even a Yahtzee.  Naturally, I got nothing I could work with.

    Lauren laughed as I scrunched up my face, trying to figure out what to do with it.  "Haha, you're going down!  I told you earlier, I'm going to win!"

    "Not if I have anything to say about it," I countered, finally just chalking it up to my chance hand.  At least I'd get twelve points for it. Lindsey tried to move her head over to see my scorecard and I poked her, making her squeal.

    "Da-ad, Scott poked me!" she laughed, leaning over in her chair and nearly falling over and out of it.

    Dad winked at me, then reached out and poked her from the other side.

    "No!" she laughed, holding her side.  "Not fair! Double-team poked!"

    "Well, keep your eyes on your own scorecard," I advised, my phone starting to jiggle in my pocket.  I pulled it out and glanced at it.  Esther. Grabbing my scorecard, I stood up.  "I got to take this—it's our tour manager.  Be right back."

    "OK," my brother-in-law said, starting to shake the dice.

    I stepped into the dining room, pressing my phone to my ear.  "Hey, Esther."  Seeing my nephew pop up from under the table to grab a chunk of cheese from the platter to nibble on then duck back under the table to keep playing with his fire engine, I stepped across the hall into the study for some privacy, only to be greeted with static.  "Hello?  Hello?"

    "Shco?" she mumbled from the other end, practically sounding like she was on the moon.  "Can you... now?"

    "What?" I asked, raising my own voice as if that'd help the static on her end.  "Esther, I can barely hear you."

    I thought I heard her moving around.  "... 'bout now?"

    "Bit better," I told her.  She was silent for a minute, nothing but a steady buzz in my ear.  "Esther, you—"

    "Sco?" she crackled through.  "Can you... hear...?"

    "I'd said I could a minute ago, sort of.  Think we have a bad—"

    "Sco!" Esther shouted, seemingly now not hearing me.  "Answer me!"

    "I heard that!" I shouted into the phone.  "I've answered you twice!"

    "Think our con...," she said before dissolving into crackles.  "...bad."

    I frowned.  "Ugh, Esther, text me."

    "How's this?" Esther asked, finally sounding clear enough to understand.  Still tinny, but understandable.

    "That was clear," I told her, sitting down in my father's office chair, brushing cat fur off.  I love cats, but I do not love their fur on my ass.

    "Lis... Scott...," she started in.  "We... bad accident... God.... Avi... bad, scared us and..."

    If she didn't have my full attention before, she did now.  A bad accident?  Avi?  What had happened?  I leaned forward onto the desk, knocking over a stapler.  "What?  Esther?  A bad accident?  Avi?  What happened?"  And for the love of God, speak clearly!