On Sturdy Legs

Out of Trouble

The countdown to my first day of senior began with two weeks on the clock. It also began with one hell of a screaming match between Molly and Allison when Molly threw a fit over her presence at my dance competition. This was right after Molly learned that I had one. For the weekend that they were there, I practically lived at their hotel. When I got back the Monday that they both had to get back to work, I found that Tom was sitting in the kitchen with a big stack of mail in front of him that happened to be mine.

"Guess what came?" He announced to me the moment I came in and held out an already opened envelope. If this had been Molly I would probably have thrown a fit; however, her husband didn't warrant such a reaction. I slid out the paper and read it over once, then twice, then a third time to make sure that I hadn't made a mistake.

"I get an audition?" I gasped.

Juilliard, I could go to Juilliard.

"It's this Friday in Lawrence. I'm taking the day off work to come," he told me; his face twisted into an expression that it took me a minute to read, only after that minute ended did I realize that it was pride.

"You don't have to," I insisted.

"Yes," he corrected me with a grin. "Actually I do."

There wasn't too much of a point to argue with him; Tom was as stubborn as dad was, apparently Molly had a thing for men like that--just not daughters, which is monumentally sexist. Only when I got through the rest of the mail and Tom turned on the local news, did I remember that I couldn't go to Juilliard. Also in that big stack of mostly college pamphlets, was a notification that my school to be was going to be administering the ASVAB this Friday; there was an application for me to take it. I paused and glanced over at Tom but my attention instead went to the TV where a local anchor was standing in front of a courthouse with protesters. If he had been Molly, he would have promptly turned off the TV because those protestors didn't want Zander Walters to be convicted as he probably would be this Friday.

Instead of turning it off, Tom muted it and glanced at me. "Izzy said that she wants to testify. I don't know how I can let her do it, but at the same time, I don't know what kind of father I would be if I didn't." He glanced at me like he was looking for a comment or a call; I didn't know which one I should make. He continued, "Honestly, I don't think I can stop her, any more than I can stop you from doing whatever you want to." I could guess what was coming. Molly might not be brave enough to have this conversation but Tom was, even if it was from opposite ends of the room.

I pulled a black pen from the drawer of random things and took the forms for the test with me. I took them to the couch and sat down besides Tom. He looked a bit surprised by that. "Ari, about everything." He paused; there was a lot to talk about. I wasn't going to chime in. Something told me that, with Tom, I didn't need to. "You're not going to help me out on this, are you? Okay, about James Fisher. I assume you heard the rumors that the allegation was a lie since it did happen at the dance competition. I also assume that you know the truth. And I'm quite sure that you have for a very long time."

"Yes," I confirmed carefully. "Mia told me."

"Okay," Tom continued carefully. "I'm assuming that you're not going to spill the beans and I'm also assuming that you are going to the trial because you want to see Zander Walters get torn a new one?"

"That would be correct."

"Okay. And is it safe to say that nothing I can do is going to stop you?"

"Pretty much," I confirmed. "You sure figured that one out fast."

Tom actually laughed at that. "I met the woman who raised you. I was barely surprised." I had to stare for a minute; I didn't recall any time in which Allison and Tom were alone in a room long enough for them to have a half way conversation without Molly screaming. "Right, I suppose I didn't tell you, Ari. We had a few month's notice before we picked you up from the airport. I thought that I should make some calls and figure out exactly what I was getting myself into. I got Allison's number and we had a nice long conversation about you and the various ways that exercise equipment is improperly used. She warned me that you were stubborn and outspoken and generally right about most people. And to her, I said, good. Ari, I suppose the whole point of this is to say that I do trust you. Whatever call you make, I will back you up and same goes for Izzy. I'm not going to let anyone hurt my girls at that trial, that includes you whether you want to admit it or not."