Page 18 of Drop Shot
“My girl.”
“Hey, Mom.” I hug her tight.
She smells of her familiar perfume, a blend of vanilla and something floral that’s so uniquely her. Freckles and age spots dot her skin, speaking of a life spent in the sun. The lines around her eyes tell the story of all the laughs we’ve shared over the years.
“Come on in, guys. Your dad is holding Junie back.”
“Is she feral?” Elias quips easily.
My mom bursts into laughter. “That’s funny. I like him.” She squeezes my arm.
Inside, Juniper is bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Whimsy!” she cries when she sees me. “Mom says you finally got a boyfriend!”
I groan, because of course the larger-than-life man trailing behind us hears this.
He laughs. “You must be Junie.”
I let him know on the drive about Juniper’s autism. It’s not something I like to tell people, because sometimes it feels like an unnecessary label. Junie is Junie. She’s my sister and I love her. But I felt like he should have some sort of heads up just in case she’s having a bad day.
“And you must be the idiot. At least that’s what my dad calls you for just now realizing how awesome my big sister is.”
“Juniper,” my dad groans, his face turning red. It contrasts sharply with his bright blue floral shirt.
Elias laughs the comment off easily. “It’s okay and you’re right. I mean, I’ve always known Whimsy is amazing, but I didn’t want to cross that work relationship line. When it’s right, though, it’s right.”
On my left I swear my mom is about to start shitting rainbows. She bounces from foot to foot with a gigantic grin.
“Well, I guess I can respect that.” My dad extends a hand to Elias. “I’m John.”
“Nice to finally meet you, John. Whimsy speaks so fondly of all of you.” He points a finger at Junie. “I have something for you.”
Her eyes light up with excitement, her smile showcasing her rows of braces. “You do?”
My mom’s hands collide, clasping beneath her chin. “Oh, that’s so kind of you.”
He pulls out a bag of sour gummy worms and a pack Pokémon cards. “Whimsy mentioned you like this. I happen to be a fan of both.”
Junie’s eyes widen even more. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
She launches into talks about Pokémon and Elias joins in effortlessly. When Juniper asks if he wants to see her card collection he doesn’t hesitate to say yes and follows her to her room.
“Oh, Whimsy girl,” my mom croons. “I love him.”
“Mom! You met him five-seconds ago.”
“I don’t care.” She fans her face, probably trying to hold back the tears. “He’s wonderful.”
“Now, Jules, don’t go making assumptions so soon. He’s a bit of a hot-head on the court,” my dad warns, crossing his arms over his chest and glowering up the stairs where the sounds of Elias and Juniper chatting can be heard.
My mom rolls her eyes. “That’s on the court, John. He’s an athlete. Athletes have a lot of emotions when winning is at stake.”
“And you know so much about that how?” he asks, hands on his hips.
“Well, remember, before you I dated that rugby player and?—”
He holds up a hand. “I don’t want to hear about Evan and his thighs again.”
