Attention and Acceptance
Some days, all Bradley wanted was a little peace and quiet. The clamor around the breakfast table was almost enough to deafen; as his parents bustled around the kitchen table, wrangling the triplets the best they could.
Henry, Daniel, and Lucas (Or, as Bradley often thought of them; Huey, Dewy, and Lewy) were his younger siblings, all just turned 5, all just having started kindergarten.
His parents hardly had any time to spare for him; what with getting the triplets ready for school in the morning, the hassle of preparing lunches, and planning dinner.
With three kindergarten grade kids, it would be understandable that his parents could get caught up in untangling the fray.
Sure, Bradley knew his parents loved all of them equally, but he constantly felt left out in the chaotic shuffle.
One morning his mom had even called them to breakfast as, "Daniel, Henry, Lucas; wake up it's time for breakfast!" And then a considerable pause, "Oh, Bradley wake up; breakfast!"
It felt sort of like being relegated as a footnote.
Some families had black sheep, but it would seem that the Nicholas' had a footnote...
The only place he felt really accomplished was at school, where at least his efforts were noted with a score. In his case, he'd even made Principal Milders' Student Scholar List, right underneath Melissa's name.
Bradley sighed, why was such a smart girl like her doing hanging out with Milo?
But, Bradley knew it wasn't Milo's fault that attention gravitated towards him.
Even he had to admit Milo's mishaps were fascinating to watch... from a safe distance, of course.
However, Bradley couldn't get over the fact that Milo seemed to not even want the attention- it was more that it seemed he didn't mind either way...
How could he not care?
What would it have been like if the Murphy's had triplets?
A dreadful shudder wracked Bradley at that thought- best not to even speculate.
One of the triplets- Either Lucas or Henry, it was hard to tell them apart when they moved quickly- bumped his chair and knocked him out of his speculation.
Bradley managed to save his glass of milk from being toppled, by the -motion blur- that was one of his brothers, but only just.
From what Bradley could glean from the wall of babble and screeches, the triplets were all going on a field trip to the zoo.
Apparently every kindergarten class at the school was going (there were at least three, that Bradley knew of, because the triplets had been placed in separate classes)
He could only send a silent thought of sympathy to the beleaguered kindergarten teachers, and possibly the volunteers that would have to be chaperoning all those kids.
Finally they were out the door, Bradley off to wait at the bus stop with his classmates, the triplets went off with his parents- driven separately to school.
That, Bradley was actually grateful for; the bus ride to school was a good place to clear his head, away from all the clamor.
It wasn't his parents fault that the school boards' purchase of 'that yacht' had caused a problem with the bus schedules.
Honestly, how did they ever justify their decision to buy the, 'S.S Indulgence'?
Suddenly Bradley noticed Milo out of the corner of his eye, standing where he usually stood- off by himself... where was Melissa?
Bradley checked his watch, because Melissa usually cut it pretty close when it came to the bus- not a morning person, and she would get to the stop only moments before the bus arrived...
Still ten minutes until the bus, so not too unusual not to see her... where was Zack though?
Bradley considered the kids already waiting for the bus, and saw the usual crowd of; Mort, Chad, Courtney...Milo, and himself.
Zack was running late, he was usually waiting with Milo by now...
"Hey, Milo." Mort suddenly spoke, "Where's Zack?"
Bradley found himself wondering if Mort's rose quartz collection had him reading minds- he had been about to ask that.
Milo shrugged, "Must be running late I guess?" Milo considered his phone and tapped on the screen, seeming to send a quick text. "I hope he doesn't miss the bus."
Suddenly Milo's phone pinged.
"Oh, says here he's sick..." Milo typed out another text, this time reading it aloud as he typed, "—hope you get better soon, sad face icon—and, send."
Bradley checked his watch again, only five minutes until the bus got there... Melissa was still a no-show.
Milo's phone pinged again, this time Milo seemed disappointed as he read the message, "Melissa is sick too! She says here that she thinks it's the twenty-four hour flu bug that's been going around."
Blast- note to self, Bradley thought, obtain more vitamin C tablets.
Suddenly Bradley realized- Milo had no one to wait with him at the stop. The rest of the kids at the stop were those who'd long since given him a wide birth, himself included.
They weren't waiting with him... so much as next to him...
Zack was the only one foolhardy enough to stand in the 'splatter zone' even after learning first hand about Murphy's Law. Even Melissa gave herself (what she considered) 'an adequate buffer zone'.
Milo... almost seemed, lonely.
Suddenly Bradley saw flashes of moments he'd felt marginalized and forgotten recently... and there had been a lot of them...
What was he thinking of doing? Did he dare?
Bradley considered Mort, and how he had joined Milo's band, even though Murphy's Law made him nervous...
How, if Amanda had this stop, she would have hugged her arms tightly around her schedule- taken a deep breath, and gotten closer to Milo.
And... wh—
"Bradley?"
Great googley moogley— he was, he had to be dreaming- there was no way he... he was... standing next to Milo.
Right. Next. To. Him... he hadn't even realized he'd moved!
"Uh- yeah- hey, good morning." Bradley managed to greet flatly, all while his internal monologue was going 'no,no,no' on an endless loop.
All the other kids were openly staring.
"Are you feeling okay Bradley?" Milo looked concerned- for him.
And didn't that just tear it?
"I'm fine... I was just wondering if you wanted to ride with me on the bus?"
"Oh, sure Bradley-" Milo said smiling brightly, "That'd be swell!"
"Mort," Bradley continued, figuring if Mort was brave enough to be drummer for a band Milo was in— he'd be the one to ask,"Care to join us?"
Mort smiled, considered for a moment, and then said, "Yeah, sure I had some song ideas I wanted to run by you— might as well talk on the bus ride."
The bus, as if cued by its mention pulled up to their stop, and they all finally got themselves boarded onto it.
Bradley mentality braced himself, as best as he could, for the unexpected -as he sat down in the window seat, with Milo right beside him.
Mort sat across the aisle, with Chad next to him at their window seat.
Milo settled contentedly in his seat, shifting his backpack to a more comfortable position.
He turned to Mort, "So what were you saying about song ideas?"
And as the two discussed their common interest of music, Bradley breathed deeply to soothe his worry.
Milo seemed glad just to have his company... even though he probably wasn't going to be much of a conversationalist...
Milo didn't even hold a grudge- scratch that, Bradley realized, Milo didn't seem capable of holding a grudge.
Milo was accepting of everyone, and didn't complain when he didn't receive the same acceptance back...
Bradley decided, then and there, to try to be a little more, like Milo.