“Hey, that wasn’t a fair shot!” Neil exclaimed.
It was noon on a Saturday in Daredevil City. Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer were at their local park where they were playing a game of basketball. Well, Heer was just watching from the comfort of the bench, working on a knitting project.
“This is what happens when you play two against one, Neil,” Rey said.
“He’s right,” Sana said.
“Heer, are you sure you don’t want to play?” Neil asked.
“I honestly wouldn’t be of much help,” Heer said as she continued knitting. “Besides, I’m almost finished with this scarf.”
Neil sighed and said, “Fine. It’s fine. Things will be even better once I actually kick your asses.”
“Keep dreaming, buddy,” Rey said.
“Come on. One more round,” Neil said.
“I’m fine with that. You’re getting ice cream for us after this,” Sana said.
Sana, Rey, and Neil commenced in another round of basketball. As they were playing, Heer went back to her knitting. As she was finishing up the ends of the scarf, she heard a buzzing sound. She looked down and saw Neil’s phone was ringing.
“Hey, Neil, I think someone is calling you,” Heer said.
“Who is it?” Neil asked as he got ready to block the shot Rey was about to make.
Heer picked up the phone, looking at the caller ID. She said, “It’s your mom.”
Neil became stunned. He turned to Heer and said, “Huh?”
And at that moment, the ball hit Neil in the head, and he fell down. Sana turned to Rey, who had a look of shock on his face. He rushed to Neil and said, “Are you okay, man?!”
“Huh?” Neil said. “I’m good. I’m good.”
“Are you sure? That was quite a hit,” Sana said.
“Um, yeah,” Neil said as he got up. “Can we go now?”
“Go?” Heer asked as she got up from the bench. “I thought you wanted to finish the game.”
“I’m good with heading out,” Neil said as he got his phone from Heer.
“Do you at least want to get ice cream?” Rey asked. “I’ll buy for you…since I hit your head.”
“No, I’d rather just go home,” Neil said as he began to head off.
“What’s with him?” Rey asked. He started to follow Neil, saying, “Hey, man! How can you say no to ice cream?!”
“Heer, who did you say was calling him again?” Sana asked.
“It was his mom. What are you thinking, Sana?”
“I’m thinking that was the reason for his sudden change in behavior.”
***
Later in the day, Neil was in his room at the boys’ dorm house. He was trying to find something to do. Something other than look at his phone. After the call from earlier, he got two more missed calls and five text messages from his mom. He didn’t open or check any of them. And staring at the assignments on his laptop didn’t help with distracting him from thinking about his mom. He got out of his seat and landed flat on his bed, sighing. Before he could figure out something to do, he heard a knock on the door.
Neil got up and hurried to the door. Once he opened it, he saw Rey was standing outside.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Neil asked.
“Hey! We were planning on hitting up that new bowling alley at the mall. Are you coming?”
“Oh, sure thing. Let me freshen up quick.”
Neil quickly headed to the bathroom while Rey came inside. Rey looked around and said, “So, are you okay? You kinda just took off during our game.”
“Oh, I’m fine. I just had a headache,” Neil said as he washed his face.
“Must have been a hell of a headache,” Rey said as he looked over, seeing Neil’s phone ding. It was a message from his mom. Rey noticed several missed calls and messages from Neil’s mom on his phone. He’s still ignoring his mom, Rey thought. I wonder what’s up with that.
“Okay, I’m ready,” Neil said as he got out of the bathroom.
“Dude, is everything good with you and your mom? She’s texted and called you a dozen times.”
“Oh…it’s no biggie. I’ve been so busy today. I’ll call her back later.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, let’s go!”
Neil immediately walked out of the room, leaving Rey puzzled. He had a feeling something was up, and Neil wasn’t telling him everything.
***
Later on, Rey and Neil joined Sana, Krystal, Prince, Heer, Zayn, and Akira at the bowling alley. As they were playing and munching on mozzarella sticks and churros, Rey could see Neil was still troubled. It wasn’t long till Sana and Heer both came up to him while Zayn was up to strike.
“So, did he say anything to you?” Sana asked Rey.
“No. He says it’s nothing,” Rey said.
“Do you believe him?” Heer asked.
“No,” Rey said. “He’s clearly got stuff going on in his mind. I don’t know why he’s acting like this.”
“Well, family has always been a touchy subject for him,” Heer said. “You can’t blame him for not wanting to talk about it.”
“But there’s a difference between not wanting to talk about it and acting like you’re completely fine,” Sana said.
“Hey, Neil, you ready for your turn?” Krystal asked.
Neil turned around to Krystal. He was pretty distracted, so he didn’t even hear what Krystal said. He asked, “Sorry, what did you say?”
“She asked if you want to bowl now,” Prince said.
Before Neil could say anything, his cellphone rang. He could feel the irritation boil up inside of him as he looked to see it was his mom again. He walked away and answered the phone, saying, “Can’t you understand that I don’t feel like talking, Mom?!”
“How dare you talk to me like that?! Your behavior is getting worse!”
“My behavior?!”
“Yes. You were so much better when you were younger.”
“What do you want?”
“If you read my texts, you would know. Have you figured it out yet?”
Neil sighed. He didn’t read the texts, but he knew exactly what his mom was talking about. What he couldn’t stand was his mother bringing up this conversation over a phone call.
“Hello? Can’t you say something?” Neil’s mom said.
“Isn’t this the kind of thing you talk about in person?!”
“No matter what time it’s brought up, you don’t say anything. You know people keep asking me what your future plans are. What am I supposed to say?”
“I have to go, Mom.”
“We’re not done talking, Neil!”
“Well, I am.”
Neil ended the call. He felt like throwing his phone. Then he remembered how expensive it was to get a new one. He turned around, seeing the others were looking at him, seemingly concerned. Neil grunted, feeling like he was being a damper on everyone’s fun. He went up to Rey, handing him his cellphone and said, “Take it and throw it somewhere. I’m heading back.”
As Neil took off, Krystal said, “Hold on! Neil!”
“Too late,” Prince said as Neil left.
“Whoah. That was intense,” Akira said. “I knew something was off with him, but I never guessed it was this bad.”
“You think he’s heading back to his room?” Zayn asked.
“Looks like it,” Heer said.
“No, he’s not just going back to his room,” Rey said. “I think he’s leaving the school.”
Sana was surprised to hear what Rey said. She could tell everyone else was equally surprised. She asked Rey, “What makes you say that?”
“I have a feeling. Look, I’m gonna go follow and catch up to him before it’s too late,” Rey said.
“Shouldn’t we come with you?” Heer asked.
“No, it’s better if I go alone,” Rey said as he started heading out. “I’ll keep you guys updated!”
***
Back at his room, Neil was starting to pack his backpack. Rey was right. He was leaving school. He didn’t know where he would go. He just knew he had to leave. As he packed a pair of socks in his backpack, he heard multiple knocks on his door. He sighed, knowing Rey probably followed him.
Neil opened the door to see he was right. Rey was there, sweating and panting like crazy.
“You seriously ran a marathon, didn’t you?” Neil said as he let Rey in.
“Well, duh! I had to stop you from leaving! Why won’t you just talk about what’s going on?”
“You know I hate talking about my issues!”
“Dude, that’s exactly what the problem is.”
“Oh, like you’re one to talk!”
“Dude, not cool.”
Neil sighed. He realized he was letting his emotions out on the wrong people. He turned to Rey and said, “I’m sorry. I…I just feel stressed out.”
“So, let me help with that.”
“How? Unless you can have your parents adopt me, I don’t think anything can help me right now.”
“Well, I can’t do that, but I may have something in mind.”
“What?”
“Just trust me on this. We’ll go out tomorrow early in the morning.”
“You know I hate early mornings on Sundays!”
“Well, make an exception this time around.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. Just know that we’re going to go somewhere to help you clear your head.”
Rey began to head out while Neil stood by and watched him go. He was confused as to where Rey would want to take him. Rey stopped as he opened the door and said, “Don’t even try to leave before morning, or I will find you and beat your ass.”
Neil grunted at the thought of Rey challenging him. Rey left, leaving Neil alone. The anticipation of waiting till morning was annoying. But Rey was his best friend. He figured he should go ahead and trust him.
***
Early morning, Neil got ready to meet up with Rey at the front of the academy. Rey told him to only bring a few essentials with him and nothing else. He still had no idea where Rey was taking him. As he got to the front doors of the academy, Rey was already there, talking to Zayn and Akira. Sana and Heer were there as well.
“Thanks for letting me borrow your hoverbike, Zayn,” Rey said.
“Just don’t break it,” Zayn said.
“What?! You don’t trust me?!” Rey questioned.
“His hoverbike is pretty precious. I’m surprised he’s even letting you borrow it,” Akira said.
“Yeah. Why are you letting him borrow it, Zayn?” Sana asked as she held onto a hoverboard.
“Look, I’m not heartless. You said it was important, so I’m letting you borrow it,” Zayn said.
“Well, thank you,” Rey said. “Neil, are you ready?”
“Uh, yeah,” Neil said. “You still haven’t mentioned where we’re going.”
“It’s a surprise. Just know that it’ll be a safe space,” Rey said as he got on the hoverbike. “Now, hop on.”
“Are the rest of you guys coming?” Neil asked.
“Sana and I will be tagging along on hoverboards,” Heer said.
“We would come, but we got homework to catch up on,” Akira said.
“All right, we’ll see you later then,” Sana said.
With that, Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer took off, riding into the sky. Zayn and Akira waved bye to them. As they were waving, Akira looked at Zayn and said, “So, what was the real reason you lent it to him?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t act clueless with me. Prince told me that Krystal practically twisted your arm to lend it to them.”
“Nonsense. So, she said something. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Sure, sure.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“You should know by now. Come on. Let’s get some breakfast.”
***
Later in the morning, Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer arrived in Salaar, a prominent town in the state of Aroma. It wasn’t too far from New Iris, so it didn’t take that long for the group to reach there. Neil was new to this area of the country, so seeing it for the first time was a sight to behold.
“So, can you tell me where we’re going now?” Neil asked
“You’ll know soon enough,” Rey said.
“How much longer till we land?” Sana asked.
“Coming up in a few minutes,” Rey said.
And in a few minutes, Rey led the group to land right in front of a brick red house that was amongst other alike houses in a small community. They landed right in the front yard and Rey was happy to see his parents and his sister, Alicia, standing right outside.
“Hey, Rey!” Alicia exclaimed.
“Hey, sis!” Rey waved as he parked the hoverbike.
“Wait, is this your family?” Neil asked.
“You bet,” Rey said.
“Nice to see you all again,” Sana said.
“Same to you, Sana,” Araceli said. “When Rey said he was visiting with friends, I was more than happy to accommodate.”
“Son, introduce us to your other friends,” Royce said.
Rey got off the hoverbike, immediately being hugged by Alicia. As he hugged her back, he said, “All right. I want you guys to meet Neil and Heer.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Heer said.
“Very nice to meet you,” Araceli said.
Neil was surprised. Of all the places to go to, Neil was surprised that Rey brought him to his parents’ house. Then again, it was better than visiting his own parents right now.
“Neil, are you good?” Rey said, seeing Neil space out.
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” Neil said. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Murgatroyd.”
“Same to you, Neil,” Royce said. “Rey, bring your friends in, and we can start brunch.”
With that, the group went inside to eat brunch with Rey’s family. Araceli had made eggs with chorizo along with tamales. As they were eating and conversing with each other, Neil couldn’t help but pay attention to how nice the atmosphere was. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had a nice family meal.
“Neil, is the food okay for you?” Araceli asked.
“Oh, yeah! It’s been a while since I had tamales this good,” Neil said. “Thank you, Mrs. Murgatroyd.”
“You’re very welcome,” Araceli said.
“I’d argue she makes the best tamales in our family,” Royce said. “Then again, some might say I’m biased.”
“Is it true that this whole community here is just your extended family?” Heer asked.
“Wait, seriously?” Neil asked.
“That’s right. We also have some other fellow Tiger Clan members here. We’ve always been a tightknit pack,” Royce said. “Though Araceli’s side of the family lives in their own community back in Mexico.”
“Wow. It’s amazing how close everyone is,” Sana said.
Hearing all of this made Neil realize how different his family was from Rey’s. It made him understand Rey’s excited nature better.
“Rey, let’s go play outside,” Alicia said as she tugged on Rey’s arm.
“Alicia, don’t you want to wait for your cousins?” Royce asked.
“Oh, who’s coming over?” Rey asked.
“Thiago, Carmen, and Triana are visiting,” Araceli said.
“All right then!” Rey exclaimed. “Ready for a piggyback ride, Alicia?”
“Yeah!” Alicia exclaimed.
Alicia immediately got on Rey’s back and he held onto her, rushing outside to the backyard as she laughed with glee.
“Be careful, you two!” Araceli exclaimed.
“We should go outside, too,” Sana said.
“You coming, Neil?” Heer asked.
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Neil said.
***
Later in the day, after Rey and Alicia’s cousins arrived, it was a complete madhouse at the Murgatroyd residence. Rey and Royce were keeping Alicia and the other kids occupied. They were playing all sorts of games while Araceli was cooking dinner. Sana, Neil, and Heer were watching them have fun.
It was taking Neil back. He remembered the times that he would play such games with Aiden and Shuto after a long day of training. He took himself back to one day in a quiet winter. After completing their training, Neil and Aiden were having a snowball fight to themselves. Neil was in the middle of creating the biggest snowball he could ever make. When he got it ready, Aiden struck with three snowballs to his face, making him fall.
Neil got up and said, “No fair!”
“Ha! It’s not my fault you’re slow!”
“I’m not!”
“Yes, you are!”
As the two bickered, Shuto came in and struck them both with snowballs. Neil got up and said, “No fair, Uncle Shuto. You never said you were playing.”
“How else would I get you two to shut up?” Shuto asked.
“Neil, let’s team up and take him down!” Aiden exclaimed.
“Yeah, good idea!” Neil said.
“All right. Bring it on,” Shuto said.
Neil couldn’t believe how long ago that memory was. Sometimes he thought about how it was hard to believe there was a time where he and Aiden got along.
“Neil, are you thinking about something?” Heer asked.
“Oh, yeah. I was just remembering something from my childhood,” Neil said.
“Something good?” Sana asked.
“Actually, yes,” Neil said. “I guess seeing Rey and his dad having fun reminded me of a time in my life where things didn’t feel so bad. I’m sorry. I’m being a downer, aren’t I?”
“No. After all, there’s a reason Rey made us come here today,” Sana said.
“What is that?” Neil asked.
“He knew that you were having issues with your mom. So, he wanted to bring you to a family environment that was warm and welcoming,” Heer said.
Neil watched Rey joyfully play with his cousins. After understanding his gesture, it made him see just how great of a friend Rey was.
“Rey really takes after his dad, doesn’t he?” Sana said.
“Yeah, the resemblance is uncanny,” Heer said. “Do you think Mrs. Murgatroyd needs help in the kitchen?”
“You could go ask her,” Sana said. “I’m going to join Rey and the others.”
“Uh, Heer, I’ll come with you,” Neil said.
Heer nodded. Neil and Heer went inside the house while Sana played with the others. Once they got to the kitchen, Heer helped Araceli with cutting vegetables while Neil stood by. He wanted to talk to Araceli, but he wasn’t sure what to say. Araceli herself noticed Neil was aloof. She said, “Rey told me about your mother.”
“Oh, yeah. I figured as much.”
“He didn’t go into detail. He figured that it was up to you on how much you wanted to share.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be honest. Part of me thought that seeing you all so happy would make me jealous. But I know Rey. He wouldn’t want to make me feel that.”
“You’re right. My son has a good heart.”
“He sure does.”
“Mrs. Murgatroyd, I finished cutting. Is there anything else I can do?” Heer asked.
“No, that’s it. Thank you, Heer,” Araceli said.
Heer nodded and headed out of the kitchen to go back outside. As Neil watched Araceli get hold of the cut vegetables, he said, “Seeing them outside, I remembered this time I was playing with my brother in the snow.”
“Aah. Rey mentioned you had issues with your brother.”
“I do. Though I’ll admit…a lot of it might just be projecting…from me. I don’t know.”
“Is it related to your mother?”
“Look, I don’t know what moms are supposed to be like, but with mine, she’s always on my back. It wasn’t like that when I was a kid. It was so much easier. Now that I’m in the academy, she’s always harping about my future and how I have to have a plan. She always talks about how my brother and all my cousins know what they’re doing. And I don’t. I just…I can’t take it…”
“Do you think she’s worried and trying to help you, but ultimately it’s not helping you?”
Neil was surprised to hear Araceli ask him such a question. In his life, it felt like most of the adults he encountered never asked such thoughtful questions.
“Yeah,” Neil said. “That’s exactly how I feel.”
“Look at that. You were able to share how you felt.”
“Yeah, I did do that. So, do you have anything else to say?”
“Well, I’m a mother myself. Rey is growing up, and I think after what he’s been through, he’s trying to focus on the present.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“While the future is important, you can’t spend too much time on it. There are so many unknowns. You’re a good kid, Neil. You may not know the answers to your mother’s questions now, but you’ll figure them out in your own way. On your own pace.”
Neil could feel a lightness in himself that he hadn’t felt in a while. It was almost overwhelming. He looked at Araceli and said, “Mrs. Murgatroyd, this might be an odd request, but…would you be okay with giving me a hug?”
Araceli smiled and did just that. She hugged Neil, and the warmth of this gesture gave him peace. This was something he desperately needed.
As Araceli let Neil go, she said, “If you ever need somewhere to go, you’re always welcome here.”
Neil wiped a few small tears that came from his eyes and said, “Thank you.”
“Now, I should finish preparing dinner,” Araceli said. “How about you go outside and play with the others?”
Neil nodded, leaving the kitchen. As he went outside, he saw everyone was continuing to have so much fun. Rey stopped, looking at him. It didn’t take long for Rey to go up to him, put his arm around him and say, “You coming to play?”
Neil smiled and said, “Yeah.”
Copyright © 2022 Meryl T
All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.
The Ringmasters Society 