The Life of Nickolas Smith- Ch. 2
#2 of The Life Nickolas Smith
Part 3: Gaining a Friend
I pulled on my Sunday's best and sulked down the stairs and towards the front door where my granddad was. He took note of my sour mood and opened the door for me and used his electrical remote to unlock the car. I climbed into the passenger seat and played with the black tip of my tail to pass time. I became engrossed in it. I separated the stands, twirled them into thin braids, and combed them out with my claws. Nothing was beyond the black strands I held in my small fist.
"You know" my grandpa's words broke my trance "if you keep messing with your tail tip like that the fur will fall out."
I dropped my tail and focused on the scenery passing by out of the window. We were on our way to the church that he preached at and the drive would soon be over. He's been taking me to his church every week for about 2 years now, I don't particularly like going but I get to spend the time it takes to drive there and back home with my favorite relative so I suffer through the rest of it. I can see the park that is across the street from the church, the swings were occupied which was strange to see for this early on a Sunday. I couldn't make out the figure but I made sure to find out who they were as soon as possible
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong or am I going to have to force it from you?" I meet his goofy face with a serious one of my own. His face change to an expression of worry, "Hey, come on now Nick, tell me what's bothering you?"
I opened the door, jumped out and walked to children's area. I slipped through the open door unnoticed and no one seemed to notice my presence till it came to listen to bible stories.
"Nickolas. Come over here and sit down with the rest of the kids." Carl. He's the big brown bear that's in charge of the kid's. He doesn't like me, he say's I'm bound to burn in hell when he thinks I'm not listening. I shake my head and he turns red.
"Nickolas. I will not put up with this today, you will come over here and you will do it now!" his shrieking is annoying me and it made some of the younger kids cry. I'm over being here so I get up and walk out the door while he's trying to calm the other children down. Once again I'm unnoticed. Its midsummer and the sun is high in the sky. I cut through the parking lot and walk down the street for a while.
I hear something off in the distance. I look back at the church thinking someone is coming to retrieve me, but it's a happy revelation to figure out that noise is coming from the park across the street. There's two figures their now, they're too far a way to make out but I can tell that there wrestling in the grass. I fight with whether or not I should cross and try to get a clear picture of who the two are or if I should just continue my solitary walk.
Curiosity got the better of me and I walk across the street as stealthily as possible. There fighting and laughing and joy gave me a wonderful opportunity to climb the tree they were now peacefully resting under. I can tell that there both jet black wolves. One look about my age and other is a lot older, probably around Lindsey's age of 15, this made me anxious and I wanted out of the situation as soon as possible. I tried to back up as quietly as possible but lost my footing and let out a yip. 'Oh no' I thought 'they had to have heard that'. I looked down and they were both still there laying in the shade. I sighed inwardly and closed my eyes to calm my nervous. When I re opened them though the younger wolf was gone. I looked around the park form my perch and couldn't find him.
"Whatcha looking for foxy?"
The sudden appearance of a voice behind me scared me causing me to lose my balance and fall out of the tree. Time seemed to slow down. I was falling, I knew that, but the wolf was just staring at me grinning, he thought the fact that I was falling was funny. He though the terror on my face was some sort of joke. He thought that me think I was about to be in serious pain was something to laugh at. Time regained its usual speed as I hit something soft and warm.
"Ah. I'm glad you could drop in my friend." His eyes were dark and his laugh was throaty and with a slight high note at the end. My brain told me to run but my muscles weren't responding. He must have seen the fright in my face because he instantly sat me down on the grass next to him.
"Hey mutt, get down here and apologize to making this poor guy fall."
His voice held a small hint of an accent, it wasn't to over the top nor extremely noticeable so I assumed it was just a dialect thing opposed to a regional thing. I heard a sigh and rustle from the tree above before my vision was flood with the site of the younger wolf, that was before the older one smacked him upside the head.
"What the hell was that for?" his voice held that same indescribable twang. His fur actually wasn't black, but blue. It was an extremely deep blue, but blue none the less. He received another smack and I couldn't help but laugh a little.
"The first one was for being reckless and jumping from that high and the second was for your langue, potty mouth." The older, and obviously the one in command, gave only that simple statement as a response "I'm Jack by the way," The younger of the two was making faces behind Jack's back and I was failing at trying not to laugh "and if Chris doesn't stop make face when he thinks I can't see him" Chris stopped is assault on the back of his brothers skull, and scrunched his face into something resembling dread "I'll just have to beat him, once again may I add, in a wrestling match."
"HAH! I'd like to see you try and beat me aga-"before the sentence could even be completed Jack had vaulted from his seated position and was now on pinning Chris to the ground,
"No fair. You didn't even let me finish my complete bullshit of story."
"God damn it Chris. Stop cussing, every fucking time you do Mom and Dad get mad at me and I'm sick of dealing with their shit for your little punk ass remarks. Now stop cussing before you go to hell you little bitch!"
I was more then slightly stunned to say the lease. I mean sure I'd heard everything before and none of it was really intense, or at least not when separated, never had I heard such a stream of words considered bad connected and formed into one statement all aimed directly at one person.
"You missed one you know." Chris let out a little giggle as he said it.
Jack then turned his maw skyward making the classic feral howling pose, his lip separated and his voice was calm and clean.
"Your correct," He took a deep breath "CRAP!!!" He had screamed it as loud as I've ever heard anyone scream. It soon ended and the sound of two pairs of uncontrollable laughing could be heard. I looked around and saw the two brothers rolling on the ground unable to contain themselves or their laughter. It was a joke. An extremely long inside joke, I felt bad laughing at something they had come up with but I couldn't help it and I was soon rolling along side of them.
"So tell us Mix Match, what brings you to this park on such a fine day?" it took me a while to realize that Chris was talking to me, and even more time to realize that I had been given a nick-name. A tear rolled out of my eye and I smiled wide, it wasn't a tear of sadness but of joy. I finally received a nick-name from someone who would consider me a friend and not just some chew toy and it was a wondrous feeling and the tears kept rolling much to the distraught of Chris and Jack.
"Whoa now little one," Jack spoke to me in a sympathetic tone "there's no reason to cry buddy, Chris didn't mean any harm by it. Didja Chris?"
Chris walked over to me licked the side of muzzle "I'm sorry, I just didn't know your name and I didn't know what else to call you" his ears fold to his head now point squarely to the ground showing he truly was sorry "could you please forgive me?"
I stood up took a breath in and pounced on the unsuspecting wolf. We hit the ground with a thud.
"HEYYYY, now that wasn't far at all" Chris complained a little and his voice still carried an apologetic tone.
"I suppose I should explain my emotional outburst" I started "you see I've never had a friend, and I have especially never been given a nick-name before, so when you called me Mix Match I just become a little over whelmed. So please remove that sorry look form your face and let's continue our fun, kay kay?"
"Sure Mix Match, Sure."
He smiled jubilantly and I returned with a beaming smile myself, and before I knew it, I was no longer on top of him, but yet the other way around.
"Chris!" Jacks voice held some urgency "Get of him now! Someone seems to be looking for him."
We both looked around and there I saw him and instantly felt horrible. Grandpa was crossing the street.
"Shit." It felt weird saying it in front of people "Sorry guys. I really have to go." I got up from the ground and sprint towards my Grandfather. Barely hearing the whines coming form who I could only presume was Chris.
"Nickolas! What in Heaven's name is going on with you today? First you sulk all the way here refusing to tell me why or even talk to me, then you run away, and here I find you playing with two strange wolfs? What is the matter with you?" I instantly hung my head and laid back my ears.
"I am truly apologetic for the way I've acted today. I'm angry at Dad and I dealt with it very poorly. You see dad is bringing a lady home tonight and I am not happy with how close they are. Not to mention I dislike her son for personal reasons. I hope you can forgive me" he sighed a long sigh before speaking.
"Look, Nick it's been ten years sense your Mother passed. Your father is extremely lonely and only wants to be happy. I know it seems like he's just forgetting about your mother but he isn't. He's just moving forward with his life, you must realize that he loved your mother and always will but he has to move on before his loneliness puts HIM in a grave."
"I know... I just don't want to acknowledge it, I feel like I'm going to end up losing a father." My eyes started to swell with tears, this time out of fear and sadness.
"Oh Nickolas. Your father loves you dearly, you must know this."
"I know he does, I just can't help but feel like he's forgetting my mother, I know it's ridiculous but it's how I feel grandpa. I know he loved her and I know he's lonely, but will getting a new wife really make him happier?"
"Nick, you have a lot to learn about the meaning of love, you agree that your father loved your mother correct?"
"Yes"
"Then remember this, my child, love last longer than anything. Even death, your mother is gone, but she is still loved, by many, and that especially includes your father. Now come on, I was suppose to have you home 15 minutes ago."
"Okay grandpa... Let's go home."
The walk to the car was short. Grandpa faced forward and hummed to soothing beat that he always hummed, it was soft and rhythmic like the slow pounding of a drum played over a smooth bass track. The song ran through my ears like wind through the trees. I love this song, and it never got old to me, there was always some new part to hear, some foreign crescendo to enjoy. I closed my eye and stroked the tip of my tail allowing the music to flood over me.
"You're getting better." He stopped his humming to tell me this insight while he stepped into the driver's side of the car as I scampered into the passenger seat. I had a nasty habit of trying to hum along with him, but I have yet to get it completely right.
"Do you really think so?" I already knew what his answer would be but I felt obligated to keep the conversation going.
"Defiantly Nickolas. You're getting much better," he smiled as he started the car and put it in reverse "so tell me about the kids you were playing with at the park."
"Well to start the older one's name is Jack; I think he's in Lindsey's grade. The younger one's name is Chris; he seems to be about my age. They're both wolfs and from far away they both look black, but they're both really dark blue. It's really quite interesting."
"Really now? They're blue? That's not something you see every day. Are they new in town?"
"I don't know to be honest. I did have a chance to ask them. I didn't have a chance to ask them much of anything really. I don't even know where they live." It was sad knowledge gain and I knew in my gut that I wouldn't see them again. I sighed, catching grandpa's attention.
"What's wrong Nick?"
"I just realized that I probably won't see them again."
"Now don't be so pessimistic Nick." He flashed me a quick smile before continuing "Things like this usually have a way of working themselves out."
I returned the smile and turned to look out the window. What am I going to do, I thought, what if he really does propose tonight?