Chapter 14
"Are you sure you still want to do this, Jeremy?" Sheldon asked. "The last time you played with that cyber-mutt, you ended up in the hospital." It was half past one on Monday afternoon, and Bowzer was supposed to pick Jeremy up for their time together.
"Don't… worry,… Sheldon," Jeremy said. "Mom… said… Bowzer… would… watch… Blitz and… me… carefully. I think… he'll… behave… himself… this… time. We're… supposed… to… take… him… to the… dog… walking… trails… today."
"My only advice is to stay away from him when he sees other dogs," Drew said. "I hear those cyborg canines can be downright vicious when they sense other dogs in their territory."
"Oh, that's just nonsense," Karen said. "The robot canines were built to only take down the more dangerous criminals. Why would they want to harm an innocent dog?"
"Don't all breeds of dog attack one another?" Drew asked.
"They do not," Sheldon said. "You've been watching too much of that When Animals Attack stuff on DVD. And that practice of letting dogs attack other dogs and animals was made illegal over a decade ago. You know that."
They continued to watch TV until they heard the doorbell. Jeremy sensed it was his time to go, and quickly stood up. He walked to the door just as Karen let Bowzer in. As Jeremy was holding him, Karen told the K-9 officer, "Now, don't let me hear anything about that beast ripping off any of Jeremy's limbs. Valerie and I don't want to go through that shit again."
"Auntie… Karen!" Jeremy cried. "Don't… talk… like… that… about… Blitz."
"Karen, I gave your sister my word," Bowzer promised. "Jeremy will get through this time with me unscathed." Jeremy hugged his aunt goodbye, then ran out to Bowzer's car. He saw Blitz staring out at him in the back window, and heard his bark from the inside. He could feel the weather was a bit cooler than it had been. Still, he wondered how Blitz could survive an hour alone in a hot vehicle.
They traveled south to the city limits. As they stopped at the first stop sign, Jeremy asked, "Bowzer,… how… come… you… never… take… Blitz… to… the… park?"
"Oh, no," Bowzer replied. "There are too many things for Blitz to sniff there – weeds, bread crumbs, trees and shrubs. These walks are meant for exercise. At the dog trails, there's nothing on the path to distract him, except other dogs' waste from the inconsiderates who don't clean up after themselves."
Half an hour later, they arrived at the trails. Blitz was barking rather loudly as they approached the entrance. Bowzer was looking at him through his rear-view mirror and said, "Yeah, you're all excited, aren't you?"
"Does… he… walk… on… a… leash?" Jeremy asked.
"Nah, he doesn't need one," Bowzer replied. "Dogs like Blitz are programmed to stay with their masters unless they're told to go sniff out something."
"How… is he… with… other… dogs? Drew… said… Blitz… could… attack… other… dogs… he can… see."
"That's not entirely true. He's only friendly to dogs that are friendly to him back. But if they start barking and growling…"
Something told Jeremy that he should be a little frightened. But Blitz suddenly stuck his head in the front, smiled and panted at Jeremy, and started licking him."
"See, Jeremy?" Bowzer assured him. "Be nice to Blitz, and he'll be nice to you."
They parked close to where the trail started. Jeremy got out and felt that it was a lot cooler than it had been lately. The sky looked barely blue with some clouds. He pointed this out and wondered, "Do… you… think… it's… going… to… rain… soon?"
"Possibly," Bowzer replied. "We'll just take a couple of runs around the trail, then head home, just in case."
But as he took Jeremy and Blitz around the trail the first time, the clouds began to build up more. Jeremy tried to ignore it as he looked at the grassy area. He asked, "Bowzer,… does… Blitz… like to… run… around… in the… grass?"
Bowzer chuckled and replied, "Not unless I throw a stick-like rod out for him, but I don't have one with me."
Jeremy decided to trot along ahead. Along the way, he picked up a stick on the ground. He called as loudly as he can for Blitz, and he ran towards him, panting and yelping happily. Jeremy threw the stick into the grass, and he and Bowzer watched as the dog grabbed it and brought it back.
"Amazing!" Bowzer exclaimed. "You didn't have my voice-activation device, and yet you made him come to a piece of wood!"
"I guess… he… can… also… sense… anything… he… can… play… fetch… with," Jeremy said.
They walked along, and up ahead, they saw a medium-sized pond with green and blue cattails, and pearl-colored stones lined around it. They watched a young man throw a ball into the pond for his yellow Labrador to fetch. With the stick in hand, it gave Jeremy an idea. He started to aim for the pond, but Bowzer quickly caught this, and put his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Jeremy, don't!" Bowzer insisted. "I mean it! If Blitz goes doggy-paddling into that pond, he'll rust and won't be able to move. I think you'd better put the stick down." Jeremy stared at Blitz's metal exterior and dropped the stick.
They started walking again when they noticed Labrador owner started to turn back. As they passed each other, Bowzer called at him, "Hey, you're going home without completing your lap around the trail?"
"I have to turn back and head home," the dog owner called. "You'd best start heading home, too. It looks like rain."
Bowzer looked up at the sky. It looked a whole lot grayer, and the clouds became blacker. "It doesn't look like it's going to rain yet, Jeremy," he said. "Maybe we can finish this run around before we can head home."
But they were just three-quarters of the way around when Jeremy started to feel a few drops. He looked at Bowzer and asked, "Uh,… did… you… feel… something?"
Bowzer looked up at the sky and held his hand out. He soon felt some rain, too, and said, "Oh, no, it's starting! Quick, Jeremy, we need to get Blitz out of here before it gets any worse!"
But as they were starting to leave, they saw Blitz run out ahead of them. Bowzer took Jeremy's hand, but found he couldn't run fast enough, so he picked him up like a mother cradling her sick baby. Sure enough, they got Blitz into the car by the time it started to really rain.
It wasn't a downpour, but it was raining hard enough for Blitz to rust if he didn't find shelter fast. Jeremy looked at him, sitting in the back seat. He saw he had only a few drops on him, but hoped he wouldn't rust from them. He looked through the windshield at the wipers working hard to keep Bowzer's vision clear. He asked, "Do… you… live in… an… apartment? How… far… do you… park… from… the… building?"
"I have a nice house on Naverson," Bowzer replied. "I'll park in the garage; we can go into the house from there. It's convenient for times like these so Blitz doesn't get wet."
They turned on Bowzer's street, and his house was six houses down on the left side of the street. He closed the garage door as soon as he parked, and let Jeremy and Blitz into his back hall
Jeremy looked at the clock in the kitchen. It was a little past quarter to three. Bowzer dried Blitz off, then went into his living room. He watched the rain watering the street.
"Is it… getting… worse?" Jeremy asked when he joined him.
"No," Bowzer answered, "and thank heavens. Hopefully, it won't get worse. This house has had pumps and weeping tiles for years, but I don't want to deal with any basement flooding. And I know your mother doesn't, either. You can't handle the hard clean-up work."
Jeremy looked around the living room. "Does… Blitz… have… any… dog… toys… here? What… kind of… indoor… games… does… he… play?"
"Oh, we mostly just practice doggy tricks when Blitz is stuck indoors." Bowzer stared down at the carpeting. "You should see Blitz when I tell him to roll over here. He won't stop until I order him to. He just loves this kind of carpet."
Jeremy knelt down and felt it. It felt all foamy and bumpy, like it was Styrofoam bubble wrap. "This… feels… nice. I've… never… seen… this… kind of… carpeting… before. Is it… one… of the… newer… kinds?"
"Jeremy, this carpeting was first introduced just last year," Bowzer told him. "And this one right here was the first of its kind ever bought and installed."
"You're… so… lucky."
Bowzer called for Blitz, and the dog came to him. "Roll over for me," he commanded, and Blitz panted happily. He started to roll all around the living room, and Jeremy laughed at his blissfulness.
"He's… as… happy… as a… pig… in… mud," he commented.
"He loves the way it feels on his body," Bowzer replied.
Blitz kept right on rolling until he got tired. He stopped in the middle of the carpet, lying on his belly, his four legs spread out to take a nap.
"That… looks… so… cute," Jeremy cooed. He went to Blitz, and knelt to watch him sleep up close. "Blitz… looks… so… precious… when… he's… asleep."
"Yeah, maybe when you and your mother decide to spend the night here, I'll have you sleep right here," Bowzer suggested. "This would be good for your back."
Jeremy sat on the couch and turned on the TV. A channel with cartoons was playing, but Bowzer quickly turned the set off.
"Nice try," he said. "We're not watching any TV so long as your mother wants me to spend time with you, understand? Come with me, we're going to the video arcade. Then I'll make dinner for us when we get home." He went to the kitchen to turn over a large half-thawed package of hamburger. He rummaged through his pantry and refrigerator for ingredients.
"What… about… Blitz?" Jeremy asked.
"He'll be just fine," Bowzer answered. "He'll sleep on that carpet for hours, or until I feed him. Now let's go. It's time to fill some of that bonding time we ultimately got robbed of." When he got all he needed to make dinner, he and Jeremy left the house again by themselves.
Two hours later, Bowzer and Jeremy came home feeling like they got closer. They were smiling and laughing, with their arms around each other. But deep down, Bowzer had some concerns about the weather. The rain still hadn't stopped.
"I hope that black weather changes by the time we finish dinner," he said. "I want to be able to take Blitz to the beach. I sometimes do that with him my evenings off."
"I… thought… Blitz… wasn't… supposed… to… touch… water," Jeremy replied.
"Oh, he won't go into the water," Bowzer said. "I have a metallic disc Frisbee that he likes to play with, and it rusts when it gets too wet, too. I throw it, and it goes long distances, and I like to run with Blitz as he catches them."
It was almost five o'clock, so Bowzer turned on the radio. A talk station, discussing sports at the moment, wrapping up their discussion about a pro quarterback's tragedy with his youngest child's kidnapping and murder. It was depressing, but Bowzer listened through it for the news and weather report. At five o'clock, it came on, so he told Jeremy, "I want you to stay quiet, so we'll know what we'll be doing tonight." Jeremy nodded and forced his lips together.
After five minutes, the weather was reported, stating, "Rain is expecting to continue through the evening, clearing in the overnight, with a low of fifty-four, but it's expected to resume tomorrow in the mid-morning. High tomorrow will be sixty-six. But don't have any worries, as the sun, heat and humidity are to return Wednesday with a high of ninety, and is expected to stay that way through the weekend."
"Nuts," Bowzer said as he turned off the radio. "Looks like Blitz can't go to the beach this time." He put the hamburger into a large frying pan and retrieved the newspaper while it was cooking. "Now, I was worried about this because of your outburst tendencies, but I was thinking maybe we should go see a movie."
"I'd… love… to," Jeremy said. "My… outbursts… only… happen… sometimes. I can… keep… quiet… for… two… hours… in a… movie… theater. Mom's… taken… me… to the… movies… three… times… before,… and I… was… well-behaved… every… time."
Bowzer smiled. "That's great to hear."
Jeremy went to the living room to relax while Bowzer was making dinner. Around ten minutes later, he joined him, entertainment section of the paper in hand.
Jeremy sat up and could smell the meal. "It… smells… beautiful," he said. "What… are… you… making?"
"Chili," he said. "Something very simple, since I heard you can't eat a lot."
"I think… chili… is… very… good. Thanks."
Bowzer opened the paper to the movies section. He looked for anything that might interest Jeremy. Most were action and drama films he thought the boy was too young for. There were adventure and animated movies projected to be blockbusters by all the media hype. Bowzer looked over the advertisement for a movie entitled Big Toy Action Figures. From what he could see, it was about a group of toy soldiers and cops, and mutated "good guys" in a boy's bedroom who try to save the city. He checked the showtimes. The first screening was at quarter to eight.
Bowzer showed it to Jeremy, and he immediately smiled. "I've… seen… commercials… for… that… on… TV," he said. "It… looks… awesome. Drew… and… Sheldon… want… to… take me… to see it."
"Well, guess what?" Bowzer replied. "I'm going to be the first to take you, then you can tell them all about it."
Bowzer stayed with Jeremy in the living room, to play with Blitz. He would only leave occasionally to check on the dinner. After twenty minutes, he called, "Dinner's on!" Jeremy went to a small table in the kitchen, and saw a bowl of hot tomato sauce with hamburger and beans. He was immediately indulged, and took a quick first bite, only to discover it was too hot. He yelped and began to blow on it.
"Oh, you need to let it stand for a few minutes, and let it warm up," Bowzer advised. He proceeded to get a bag of kibble and pour it into Blitz's bowl. He called for the dog, and Blitz came into the kitchen. He headed directly towards the dog food, and Jeremy watched in amazement as he ate it all up.
"I don't… believe… it," he said. "A… robot… dog… that… eats… real… dog… food?"
"Amazing, isn't it?" Bowzer commented. "Lucky for me, he's got parts inside his body that crushes the food until it actually dissolves. I never have to worry about cleaning up the backyard."
He rejoined Jeremy at the table, and tested his own small plate of chili. His tasted just warm enough. It prompted Jeremy to eat more of his, and his was just as warm.
"Mmmm!" he hummed. "This… is… wonderful. You're… such… a… good… cook."
"Hey, this is just a simple recipe for a one-course meal," Bowzer said. "If I intended to make you something big like a Thanksgiving meal, I'd have to give you just a little bit of everything." He dipped a slice of bread into his chili.
Jeremy decided to eat more slower, so he could be finished with Bowzer. It took them almost ten minutes to finish the first serving. Bowzer smiled and said, "This isn't so solid, kid. Do you think you can handle another bowl?"
"Maybe… in… about… fifteen… minutes," Jeremy answered. "How… long… would… it… take… to… digest?"
Bowzer shrugged. "About half an hour, who knows? I never think about that kind of stuff."
At ten minutes after six, he heated up another bowl for Jeremy anyway. It was hot, but still warm enough for Jeremy to eat comfortably. He managed to finish it in just over five minutes. As Bowzer was doing the dishes, he said, "We have to leave in an hour if we want to make the show."
Jeremy went to the living room window. It was still raining steadily. "So… what… do you… want… to do… until… then?" he asked. "We… can't… go… outside."
"So I have a lot of board games in the closet in my computer room," Bowzer said. "Second room on the right. Pick your favorite."
He searched through the closet for anything simple. He took out Sorry! Something that didn't require much reading aloud, and no difficult trivia questions. Bowzer smiled at his choice. "Perfect. We can play two games in an hour."
Jeremy picked red while Bowzer picked blue. It started off rather slow; they'd gotten through a quarter of the deck of cards by the time Jeremy was the first one to put a "man" out.
One time, when Jeremy already had two of his pieces on the board, he had a card that allowed him to start another one out. The next card he picked up, he was instructed to move a piece back four spaces. He got clever, and moved the piece he had out back into the "safety zone." On his next turn, he drew a "Sorry" card. He noticed one of Bowzer's pieces standing outside the red safety zone, and chose to send it back to the start. Bowzer groaned in absolute fury, because not only was he close to his safety zone, but it looked as if Jeremy was poised to send another piece home. Unfortunately, on his turn, Bowzer drew a "5" card. Jeremy would eventually end up winning the game, with one of Bowzer's pieces halfway around the board.
Feeling embarrassed, Bowzer said, "Uh, Jeremy, how about after we put this away, you and me can go get donuts and drinks before the show?"
"I'd… like… that," Jeremy replied. He put the cards off to the side without putting them in a pile, and let the dice and pieces slide from the board.
Valerie woke up Wednesday morning feeling all sweaty. "Goddamn," she muttered. "It was cool and rainy all day yesterday, now it's all hot and humid. I didn't know the temperature could reach seventy-five this early in the morning."
Jeremy had just finished his breakfast when she heard the doorbell. "Who could that be?" she asked herself. She glanced at his bag with his swimsuit and towel, and remembered that Highway was taking him to the waterslides today.
She answered the door to see Highway in a white shirt, unbuttoned, and some Bermuda shorts. He grinned and asked, "Is Jeremy ready?"
"Highway!" she cried, surprised. "I was just about to take him to Karen's. Uh, I thought you said you weren't going to come until ten." She was staring at his abdominals and belly button, not his face.
"I was, but then I thought, it opens at nine, so we'll get there now and be the first ones in," he said. He brought her face up to his. "I'd have to spend the whole day with him to get you, my love."
She sighed and replied, "That was so sweet. Of course you can have him for the whole day." She kissed him lightly and touched his face. "Just have him home by ten." She stepped away from Highway and let Jeremy through. As they walked down the walkway, she noticed a light blue Sedan parked behind her car.
"Highway, is that your car?" she asked. "Where's your motorcycle?"
"Oh, I don't usually ride it on my days off," Highway told her. "And I sure wasn't going to let a kid as small as Jeremy ride on the back of it with me. You'd kill me."
She watched as he put Jeremy in his back seat, then drove the car out. "Then you let me ride on your bike to impress me," she muttered to herself. "Sure worked, though."
The Rippin' Wild Water Park was only five miles south of Empire City. Through the early morning rush hour traffic, it took about fifty minutes to get there. Jeremy spent this time staring out the window. In the middle of heavy traffic at a stop sign, Highway asked him, "So, are you glad for this hot weather today? It's perfect to go water-sliding."
"Yeah!" Jeremy answered. "Mom… told… me… yesterday… what you… wanted… to do… with… me. She… said… the… weather… reports… kept… predicting… this… sudden… big… change. I'm… really… excited." Then, he had some disturbing thoughts. "Highway!"
"Yeah, Jeremy?" Highway responded.
"Do… you… think… Big… Boss… and his… gang… will… try to…"
"Track us down?" Highway finished. "Hopefully not. I heard they put up a fuss when they were barred from getting into the Empire City Park last weekend. Prison guards said they would keep all eyes on them. But still, I want you to stick close to me at all times today. This is a big place we're going to, and I don't want you getting lost."
Jeremy kept staring out his window until they reached the outskirts of the city. When all he could see were small convenience stores, gas stations and flat land, he looked straight ahead through the windshield, searching for a twisted-up bunch of descending blue pipes. He didn't know which side of the road they were on.
A few minutes later, they passed an amusement park for small children called Lollyland. About a mile away was the Rippin' Wild Water Park sign. Jeremy started to bounce in his seat, squealing giddily.
"Wow, you're sounding like a happy pig there," Highway commented. "Have you ever been here before?"
"Only… a few… times," Jeremy answered. "Mom… and I… would… spend… one… weekend… every… summer… here. My… cousins… and I… would… sometimes… spend… Saturday… here."
There weren't very many vehicles in the parking lot, so Highway parked closest to the entrance. There was also a very small line; he estimated about ten people. He took Jeremy with one hand, and retrieved day passes from his shorts pocket. Jeremy smiled and asked, "Where… did… you… get… day… passes?"
"One of my friends won six of them in a radio contest," Highway said. "But he has a wife and two kids, see? So, when I told him about your Mom, and that I wanted to take you here, he gave these other two to me."
They waited only a few minutes before being admitted and getting stamped. When they entered and got changed, they saw everyone settling down on the grass area. Nobody was in the hot tub, and the pathways to the slides were deserted, as was the deck of the pool they led to.
Highway checked his waterproof watch. "It's only quarter after nine," he said. "I guess the lifeguards don't go on duty until ten." He found a spot on the grass and they sat.
They waited for almost forty minutes, in which Jeremy moved his head around about five times. Highway saw this the first time, and thought, Valerie told me about this, said he'll stop by himself.
Around the third time, Highway noticed two young brothers, aged twelve and eight, sitting next to them. Their parents weren't present. The younger boy was staring at Jeremy, pointing and laughing, yelling, "Look at the kid moving his head around like that! What a retard!" The older boy immediately swatted his head and started lecturing.
Highway smiled and thought, Good move, big kid. He glared at the younger boy, relieved that he didn't have to smack him himself.
Highway checked his watch again. Five minutes to ten. He noticed some lifeguards climbing up sit on their chairs, and some kids running up to the slides, some taking inner tubes. "That's our cue, Jeremy," he said. "Let's slide."
They read the signs at the bottom of a path. There was a legend key for each slide; S for small splash, M for medium, L for large. Above it, it stated that the River Rafter and the Shotgun required tubes. Highway took a tube that carried two and rode those slides first – twice. Afterwards, Jeremy went back to the sign. "Do… you… think… I can… handle… a… larger… slide?" he asked.
"I don't know," Highway answered. "We'll have to ask them about height requirements." At this time, he saw more people coming in to slide. "What say we go on some small slides, then break?" Jeremy nodded.
By quarter to eleven, they noticed the lines for all the waterslides were pretty long. So Highway took Jeremy into the hot tub. As Jeremy got onto the bottom step, he felt the water come up to his neck. Highway picked him up and took him to an unoccupied spot, placing him on his lap.
They were sitting in between two women with toddlers. One boy was splashing Jeremy, but Highway stopped it. The boy's mother smiled and, "That looks like a nice boy. Is he yours?"
"Actually, he belongs to my girlfriend, Valerie Boston," Highway replied.
"Valerie Boston?" the woman repeated. "I think I remember my sister telling me about her. Does she work at that Lancer and Sussex agency?"
"Uh, yeah, she does. Why?"
"Because my sister also works there." The woman took a deep breath and explained, "Yesterday, Donna and I were talking over coffee, and she was in tears. She said your little girlfriend is managing her and three other people in an infomercial project for candies and chocolates being sold through a cystic fibrosis foundation. She told me Valerie was being quite the bitch to her and two others."
"Really?" Highway said.
"Yes," the woman told him. "Apparently, Donna thinks this woman lets that kid there get away with quite a bit. She's one of those strict disciplinarian types who's beating-happy whenever she feels the need. Anyway, after she and the other two criticized her parenting techniques, Valerie started screaming at them. Can you believe she refuses to beat that boy for whatever reason? Talk about a mom who doesn't like being told how to raise her kids! Of course, this last team member, Elise, defended Valerie – something about Shaken Baby Syndrome, and he can't learn anything about consequences." She stared at Jeremy. "Um, he does have Shaken Baby Syndrome, does he?"
"He does."
"Yeah, I thought so." She sipped from a bottle of iced tea. "She said this 'bad mother' rumor was started by two other strict parents who work with her, and some people believe it."
"Well, she may not believe in spanking, especially not to a kid like this," Highway explained, "but I can assure you Valerie Boston is a wonderful mother. I mean, she's obviously doing something right; this kid wouldn't hurt a fly. Physical pain is why she divorced her husband to begin with. So maybe you should tell your sister to back off."
"Yeah, he does look like a sweetheart, doesn't he," the woman said. "But there's more. There's this other rumor that Valerie has romantic relationships with at least four members of that C.O.P.S. team. Now that's being quite the skank, isn't it?" She looked closer at Highway. "Uh, you wouldn't happen to be one of those guys, would you?"
Wordlessly, Highway got up and took Jeremy to another part of the hot tub.
After a few more minutes, they got out, and after a washroom break, Highway spotted the bumper boats course downhill, about thirty yards away from the slides. He brought Jeremy up so he could have a look. He smiled and offered, "How would you like to go on the bumper boats now?"
"That… looks… awesome!" Jeremy replied. "Let's… go!"
They joined a few other people waiting for boats. Jeremy was watching how the people drive them, tilting his head back and forth. Highway chuckled at this and said, "Sorry, kiddo, but I think I should be driving. You'd have a little trouble steering." Jeremy nodded slowly in acceptance.
They only had to wait a few minutes before the current group had to bring the boats in. All of them had two seats, but Highway and Jeremy chose as blue one. As they were putting on life jackets, Jeremy asked, "Highway,… do… you… have… any… police… boats… where… you… work?"
Highway chuckled and replied, "I'm afraid not, son. We don't have a diving expert on our C.O.P.S. team."
"You… should… get one," Jeremy advised as they got in and settled. "You… could… get… a call… about… a… drowning."
"We'll see what Bulletproof has to say about it."
They were given a signal to start up the boats, and Highway took full control driving his and Jeremy's. He didn't go very fast – that was against the rules, but Jeremy's head did move from side to side with every turn. One time, they collided with three boats at once, splashing them. The others just laughed and turned away. Highway slammed on the gas brake and drove off, bumping straight into a yellow boat."
"Whoa, overdid a bit there," Highway said. He put his boat into reverse. "Better slow down." Just then, he backed into another one. He looked to see if there was enough room to make a U-turn.
They spent the rest of the time just riding around aimlessly. Luckily, they were close to the deck when time was up. Highway got out first, then took Jeremy's hand to help him out.
"Wow," Jeremy cried. "That… was… so… much… fun." He started jumping up and down in giddy happiness."
When they returned to the slides, Jeremy headed directly towards the inner tubes. "I want… to see… how… many… times… I can… ride… the… River… Rafter… and… Shotgun… before… lunch."
"Are you sure you just want to concentrate on those?" Highway asked. "There are a couple of more medium slides that don't require inner tubes." He saw two more slides with the M symbol, Blood Rush and Liquid Ferrari. He put the inner tube away and said, "We'll try Blood Rush first." He took Jeremy uphill and got into the line leading to the start of the Blood Rush slide.
When their turns came, Highway went first, and asked the overseer, "Is it okay if I wait for Jeremy in the pool below? He's a little short, and I don't think he can swim all that well." After talking briefly with a lifeguard below, he said, "If you're sure he can't swim all that well, you can get him in the water."
"Thanks." Highway pushed himself downward, and the water rushed him through twists, turns and tunnels at around seventy miles per hour.
When the overseer saw Highway was halfway through, he gave Jeremy permission to pass. He pushed himself forward and quickly held his nose tightly as he began to slide. He was sliding down a little faster than Highway.
At the bottom of the slide, Jeremy splashed into the pool, his nose still held. Quickly, Highway swam to where he fell, juts as the boy brought his head up.
Highway brought Jeremy out of the water before climbing out himself. He took him uphill again, and they discovered two lines on the stairs. Believing the left line led to the Liquid Ferrari, they got into that one. That line was longer; the Liquid Ferrari was twenty feet away from the Blood Rush. It was the same slide as the Blood Rush, only longer, and even involved a long "loop-de-loop" turn. And just like the Blood Rush, Highway went before Jeremy, and swam to get him at the bottom.
By the time they went down both slides a second time, it was after eleven-thirty. They decided to go down the River Rafter again before taking another break. They saw a little pinball and video arcade across from them, and Highway suggested, "I should have some change. What say you and me play some video games before we get some lunch."
"Sure… thing," Jeremy replied.
They took turns playing Pac-Man 2010, and played a virtual car race game together. There was a "cops n' robbers" type of virtual game that interested Highway, complete with plastic shooting guns. He had to place Jeremy on a stool-like chair so he could see the screen. They played the game at least three times before they decided to have lunch. On the way there, Jeremy said, "I'll… just… have a… small… hamburger,… fries… and… soda. Root… beer."
Highway took Jeremy's order at the concession stand, then ordered a triple hamburger with chili fries and a Coke for himself. While they were eating, he said to Jeremy, "After this, why don't you and me ride the bumper cars before we do any more sliding?"
Jeremy looked confused. "They… have… bumper… cars… here?" he asked. "I don't… remember… this… place… having… bumper… cars. I… thought… they… had… those… at… Lollyland."
"Oh, but those ones are for little kids." Highway took a bite from his burger. "They just built a bigger one here for bigger people." He pointed in the direction of the Waterfall Drop. "It's just behind that big slide."
"Cool," Jeremy said. "But… doesn't… that… look… out… of… place."
"Maybe, but I guess they couldn't afford an underwater-themed mini-golf course."
When both of them finished eating, they went to the bumper cars only to see the last group depart. Highway and Jeremy, along with several others in line, entered, and they chose a green car. After a ten-minute ride, it was back to sliding. Jeremy noticed the bottoms of the "large splash" slides, the Explosion, the Lava Flow, and the Super Snake. "I'm… going… to try… those… ones… next," he said.
"Whoa, small fry," Highway objected. "You sure that's a good idea. You might be a little small for those."
Jeremy laughed. "I… rode… those… slides… for the… first… time… last… year. I went… tandem… each… time. The… first… time,… I rode… the… Lava… with… Mom,… the… Explosion… with… Cousin… Sheldon,… and the… Snake… with… Cousin… Sarah."
"Well, I suppose I could ask the lifeguards." Highway went to the pool and asked about the "large" slides. "Jeremy's around three-foot-two," he explained. "I know those big ones would be a bit much to handle by himself. He says he did it before."
The lifeguard contacted the overseers of those slides. After a few moments, he told them, "It's perfectly fine. One of them claims he remembers the kid from last year. Go on up."
Highway and Jeremy went past the "medium" slides, and climbed two more flights of steps to get to the "large" ones. On the final flight they noted a sign for the "large" slides: For your safety, inner tubes are NOT permitted on slides with this symbol.
Jeremy chose the Lava Flow first. While he and Highway stood in line, he noticed the overseer, a young man in his mid-twenties in a blue tank top, shorts, and dark sunglasses, staring at him and smiling. When their turn came, the overseer said to Jeremy, "Yeah, you look very familiar. I can see you haven't grown very much, have you." He chuckled. "Yeah, you were right here with your Mom last time." He looked at Highway. "Where is she, anyway?"
"She had to work today," Highway answered. "She wants me to spend some quality time with him, and I thought this would be perfect." He and Jeremy sat down together on the slide, Jeremy on his lap. As they slid, Jeremy held his nose. The first half consisted of tunnels, then the second half was mostly "half-pipe," then another tunnel in the final twenty yards. When they landed in the pool, Highway put Jeremy on his back and swam out. Smiling, he decided to put the boy on his shoulders, walking like that until they got to the steps again.
The Explosion slide was next to the Lava Flow, and divided into thirds, the first and last consisting of tunnel. As they passed the sign on the way to the third slide, Jeremy said, "Wow,… so… many… tunnels. And the… Super… Snake… is… all… tunnels."
"Now I see why inner tubes aren't allowed," Highway said.
And from that moment, all they did together was slide – with a few small breaks in the hot tub and one bumper boat ride. By the time they left at six, they'd been down every slide in the park at least ten times.
It was after eight o'clock by the time Highway and Jeremy returned. They found Valerie in the dining room with Elise, discussing a project as Elise typed on a laptop. It sounded like they wanted to start over. However, when Valerie looked at them, she immediately started to cry. Highway rushed up to hold her.
"Oh, Highway, it was horrible today!" she sobbed. "Donna Grayson was bitching at me all morning about Jeremy! She was calling him a spoiled brat, and said he'd be better if I 'beat the shit out of him occasionally.' HER words! Then Michael Hammer and Joe DiTornio started in on me this afternoon. Michael called me a 'punk parent,' and Joe said I was a worthless mother, then they all started yelling at me like Donna did. They don't understand Jeremy's brain injuries! What, they expect him to know good behavior from bad the first time? They think Jeremy is just like any of THEIR children? That's BULLSHIT! I know they're strict, and they all believe in physical punishment to discipline, but I assume that none of THEIR children were shaken as babies!"
Highway shushed her to calm her. "It's okay," he said. "Have you ever thought of explaining Shaken Baby Syndrome to them?"
"What's the point? It's not like they'd listen."
Highway looked at Elise. She said, "It's been like this all week, even since we first started. I'm sure Jeremy knows about it. We were supposed to start filming today, but with all the fighting and harassment that's been going on, we barely got anything done. I'm writing a memo to the bosses about this right now. I hope to hell that Donna, Michael and Joe get the same discipline they give in their homes."
Valerie turned to her. "Elise, maybe you and I should continue doing the project by ourselves," she suggested. "We've got enough people to film for a half-hour infomercial."
Then Highway had an idea of his own. "Valerie, I'm going to ask Bulletproof when I have my next weekend off. We can take Jeremy to Rippin' Wild together. It'll be just the three of us. You need it, and I'm sure you'll love it."
"I'd love to," she said. "God, Highway, if I knew it was going to be like this today, I would've never turned down your date offer!"
A/N: And if you think Valerie had a bad day that time, let me warn you – it gets worse next chapter See you then. :D