Go Baby Grow
Chapter 32 – Moments of Glory
Wednesday, June 3rd
Thirty minutes before Olivia's school day ended, Owen sent a text to her that read, How about if I pick you up and we go practice driving?
Cool! Olivia responded.
Let me touch base with Ryder and Mom – make sure everyone else is covered, Owen shared.
Owen sent a text to Ryder, who confirmed that he was able to take Lucas and Ria with him to pick up Anna.
Owen turned to Olivia, "Mom says 'hi.' Are you ready to learn how to drive a stick shift?"
"Ummm…." Olivia bit her upper lip.
"I'll explain it and show you before we switch seats," he reassured her.
Olivia's eyes widened, "I'm driving this?!"
With a chuckle, Owen asked, "Of course. Why not?"
"But this is your baby… it's like another child to you," Olivia admitted.
"Face the music, Olivia. I wouldn't put you in this position if I didn't have faith in you," Owen pushed.
Owen drove to an abandoned lot. He put the car in neutral and set the emergency brake. Clearly explaining the basics of a stick shift, Owen shared when she'd use neutral. Then he put his foot on the brake and released the emergency brake and ran through how to shift.
"I'll put my foot on the clutch, you shift from first to second to third and so on. We're not going to move. I just want you to get a feel for shifting," he detailed.
Tentatively, Olivia wrapped a finger around the stick.
"Put your hand like this, Livs," Owen displayed as he grasped her hand and placed it in position. "Now go through the gears." She went through them twice and then Owen showed her how to get in reverse.
They changed places and Livie sat in the drivers' seat. Owen turned off the car and walked her through the clutch, brake, and gas details. He explained the RPM range to maintain and what to do when she heard the RPMs increase or decrease. "When I say 'go,' pull out the clutch slowly and give the car some gas. You'll feel a catch, then keep giving a little gas and let the clutch out all the way. If the car jolts or shakes, put the clutch back in and brake slowly. Ok, go."
Olivia repeated his instructions aloud, started the car, and attempted the moves. The car died. "What'd I do wrong?" she wondered aloud. Owen coached her, using imaginary pedals on his side and encouraged her to try again.
The second time, the car jolted and Olivia panicked, screaming, "What do I do?! What do I do?!"
Given the urgency, Owen yelled, "PUT IN THE CLUTCH!" She did only that, causing the car to roar because she left her foot on the gas. "BRAKE!" Owen hollered.
Olivia complied with his instructions, pulled the emergency brake on and turned off the car before screaming back at him, "DON'T YELL AT ME!"
Calmly and quietly, Owen stated, "Olivia…" Her arms were folded in front of her chest and she stared at the steering wheel. "Olivia, it takes practice. You're doing fine. I'm sorry I yelled. I apologize."
"It doesn't help when you screech at me," she pouted.
"I know," Owen replied softly. He paused a few seconds, then added, "Do you want to try again? Your call."
"Trade places with me and drive around so I can watch what you do," she ordered sadly.
They swapped spots and Owen drove slowly and provided a running commentary. Then he drove across the entire lot, flying fast. He stopped and spun the car in a circle, laughing when Olivia screamed in delight.
"I want to learn to do that!" Olivia declared.
Owen clarified, "Only I do that in this car."
"Aww, c'mon, Daddy," Olivia teased, "Give me an incentive to work toward."
Shaking his finger at her and laughing, Owen praised her, "Good one... the answer is still no."
Olivia smiled widely and begged to try her skills again. She and Owen swapped seats once more, and Olivia succeeded at moving the car forward fairly smoothly. She stopped and Owen encouraged her to keep going after second gear and shift into third. Concentrating on each step, she drove into second, then third, then fourth before realizing she didn't know how to stop in a high gear. While trying to maintain her speed, she asked Owen for help and he talked her through the process. Her shifting still needed practice so she could switch gears more smoothly, but she had the concept down.
Stopped in the parking lot after a few rounds of speeding up and slowing down, Owen inquired, "Do you want to try it on the road?"
"No," Olivia blurted out immediately as she shook her head. As they switched seats one last time, Owen hugged her and kissed the top of her head as they passed one another at the back of the car.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
"What's our game tonight?" Owen asked the family.
"Oh! Oh! I know! Daddy… me!" Ria called out.
Owen smiled. "What's your idea, Ria?"
"We played this at school today. Name three plans you have for summer," she grinned proudly.
"Do you want to start?" Owen asked Ria.
Ria pulled her lips inside her mouth as she thought. "I want to play in the treehouse, go see Ryder and Julie when they finish summer camp, and play with Molly, Emmy and Lizzy."
"Summer camp?!" Ryder laughed. "That's one way to describe it." Owen shot Ryder a glance and asked who Ria wanted to go next.
"My twin sister," Ria smiled.
Anna offered, "I'm excited about our 4th of July party, swimming in the lake, and dancing. Lucas, your turn."
"I am having a birthday. I want to play basketball with Daddy and snuggle with Mommy," he announced.
Lucas chose Amelia, who summarized, "I'm looking forward to taking Ryder to I-Day, being at home with the rest of you all summer, and visiting Ryder in August. Olivia?"
"More than anything, I want to practice driving," Olivia began. "And hang out with my friends and dance. Dad or Ryder? Hmm…"
"Go ahead, Ryder," Owen urged.
"I want to survive Plebe Summer, see all of you during Parents' Weekend, and grow my hair," Ryder grinned.
"Grow your hair?!" Anna repeated.
"Because they're shaving it off when I start summer camp," Ryder reminded his sister.
Owen chuckled at the summer camp moniker before sharing his list, "I'm with Mom on the two trips to Annapolis. I'm also really looking forward to swearing Ryder in."
"You're gonna swear at Ryder?! What'd he do now?" Lucas inquired.
"When Ryder joins the Navy, he'll make promises. I'm going to help him with the words," Owen explained.
Bursting to boast about being allowed to drive the Boxster, Olivia asked, "Ryder, when you were learning to drive, what cars did you use?"
Finishing the bite in his mouth, Ryder chewed then swallowed before answering, "I don't remember, Livs. I think I've driven all the cars we have here and all of the cars at Nolan's. Why?"
"Daddy let me drive the Boxster today. I'm learning a stick shift," she grinned proudly.
"Cool," Ryder responded with a shrug as he put more food in his mouth. After he swallowed, he added, "You know, I think I might have learned on the Jeep. I could be wrong."
Olivia shot a playful glance at Owen before whispering to Ryder only, "He zoomed all the way across the lot and spun the car around in circles. It was like a Disneyland ride."
Laughing heartily, Ryder leaned toward the middle of the table so he could see Owen and praised, "No way! Dad, you were spinning the Roadster? Now I want to go drive with you."
Owen blushed and forced an uncomfortable chuckle. Raising her eyebrows and folding her arms, Amelia laughed and called out, "Busted!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
After dinner, as he was clearing the table, Ryder mentioned casually that he needed a new pair of slacks for his school uniform and needed to buy them that night. When Amelia pressed for an explanation, Ryder was evasive. Insisting that he explain the problem, Amelia urged him to go to his room and put on the pants in question. She'd figure out if the problem was something Evelyn could fix.
"Put on the uniform and let me see," Amelia sighed impatiently as she leaned against the hallway wall.
From the other side of the door, Ryder complained, "I need a new pair of slacks, Mom. You don't need to know more than that."
"I'm not buying new pants so you can wear them less than a handful of times unless I understand why. Show me why you can't wear the ones you have," she re-explained.
"The zipper is shot," Ryder shared.
"Grandma Evelyn said she could fix that if we brought them over before 8," Amelia reminded him.
Begging, Ryder tried again, "Can I have $30? I'll go solve the problem."
"I'm coming in if this door isn't open in five seconds," Amelia cautioned.
Owen popped his head out of the Master Bedroom doorway. "Are you still dealing with the pants?" he asked with disbelief, his brows gathering at the bridge of his nose.
Nodding her head and pursing her lips, Amelia hummed, "Mmm hmm."
"I'm in my boxers," Ryder warned.
Amelia stood up, took a deep breath, and opened his door. As soon as it was ajar, Ryder resisted it being open further. "Step away, Ryder. All you're doing now is pissing me off," she growled.
"If I step away, you'll still be pushing and the door will fly open and you'll fall. Then something will happen to the baby and I'll get blamed. Nothing good can come of this, Mom," Ryder reasoned.
"Ryder! Open the damn door," Owen hollered. Olivia and the littles, one-by-one, popped their heads into the hallway to watch the commotion. Hearing their parents cuss was incredibly rare. They didn't want to miss the show.
"Fine," he growled. "Stop pushing, Mom. Seriously… I don't want you to get hurt."
Amelia backed off and Ryder opened the door quickly then closed it the second she entered. "What is the big problem, Ryder Blake? I'm on the brink of losing my temper," she huffed.
"It's just embarrassing, Mom," Ryder, in his boxers, dress shirt, and tie, replied.
Having had enough, Amelia grabbed the slacks from the back of Ryder's desk chair and held them up. As he'd shared, the zipper was no longer functioning. She turned to view the back and began giggling. He'd apparently torn the pants at the seam from below the belt loop to the crotch. "This is what you're too horrified to show me? What happened?"
"It's stupid," Ryder exhaled before turning around to busy himself.
"Whatever it is, it's over now," Amelia pointed out as she sat on the bed.
"Promise you won't tell anyone?" Ryder begged.
Amelia gathered her lips and moved them from cheek to cheek before swearing, "I promise not to tell anyone but Dad."
"Fine," Ryder exhaled as he sat down on the bed. "There's this girl…"
"It's always about a girl with you, isn't it?" Amelia grinned.
"Mom…" Ryder sounded slowly.
"Sorry. Keep going. There's a girl…" Amelia replied, stifling anticipatory laughter.
"I've wanted to ask her out for a long time. Every time I work up the courage, she's dating someone else. I heard she was single, and I went to talk to her after lunch. Everyone was in the hallway," Ryder began.
Work up the courage? Amelia thought. Who is this child and what did he do with Ryder Hunt? She nodded to encourage him to continue the story.
"I'm standing there thinking I'm all that and I'm leaning against the lockers next to hers," Ryder detailed. "We're talking, she's laughing and flirting. Everything is going great. Then I notice she keeps checking out my junk and grinning. I'm thinking That's fine. I have nothing to be ashamed about – I'm pleased with what I have to offer."
Amelia slapped her hand onto her forehead and covered her eyes, "Maybe it's best if you spare me the recounting of your thoughts, Bear."
With a proud chuckle, Ryder puffed out his chest and sat up taller, adding, "It's true. I'm… I'm a lucky guy, Mom."
"Ryder…" Amelia warned.
"Anyway… she keeps checking me out and I'm thinking she's like a girl version of a guy because girls aren't usually so obvious, you know? Guys check out boobs, but most girls aren't seen checking out a guy's package. I couldn't figure out a smooth way to call her on it, so I follow her eyes the next time she does it and, there we go, not only is the zipper toast, my boxers are sticking out and well… revealing."
"What's that have to do with the back?" Amelia asked, trying her best to stay in doctor mode and not be shocked nor fall into fits of laughter.
"I'm getting there," he promised. "When I noticed, she giggled… loudly. People look over. I hurry to pull up the zipper and the little pull part of the zipper pops onto the floor. When the little piece of metal hit the floor, I swear it was as loud as an airplane taking off. I bent down to grab the little f#$ er and RIP! There go my pants."
Amelia smiled and blinked, trying her best to keep a straight face. Ryder stared at her and commentated, "I was so f# #%ing embarrassed."
Ryder looked up and looked at his mom, hoping for pity, compassion, and reassurance. Instead, Amelia burst into hysterics with the observation, "Someday, Ryder, you will find this hilarious."
"No…No, Mom. I won't," Ryder reported with a dead stare.
"Why didn't you make a joke out of it?" Amelia challenged with a giggle.
"What? Like, 'Oh want to check it out before the date?' Really, Mom, what could I have said?" Ryder shook his head.
Owen knocked on the door, "Everything sorted out? If I'm stopping at Mom's on the way to the hospital, I need to leave now."
"Come in, O," Amelia giggled.
"Mom… please," Ryder begged.
Owen, impatient, stepped into the room and placed his hands on his hips, "What? I need to go, Mia."
Unable to speak through her laughter, Amelia attempted to explain Ryder's predicament. Owen couldn't understand a word. He looked at Ryder sternly and inquired, "What's the bottom line?"
"Bottom line!" Amelia burst out. "Ha! Exactly."
"Mom!" Ryder protested.
"Amelia," Owen called out a bit too firmly. "I need to leave."
"Ryder, tell Dad," Amelia guffawed.
Rolling his eyes, he disclosed, "I was asking a girl out, realized the barn door was wayyyyyy open, bent down and split the back end of my pants… Mom finds my humiliation and utter embarrassment hilarious."
Owen's face dissolved bit by bit from stone-faced to teary laughter. He sputtered, "I'm sorry, Ryder. I really am. That must have been a… revealing experience for you."
"Get out!" Ryder protested, even though he was now on the verge of laughter himself. "You guys are horrible!" Both of his parents could not stop laughing. When their giggles and chuckles faded, they would glance at the other and return to hysteria.
Ryder's phone sounded and he picked it up, assuming it was another friend texting or calling to harass him further. The phone had been lighting up with messages and calls since school dismissed. "Holy crap," he exclaimed. "It's her. She's calling."
"Want me to talk to her?" Owen chuckled.
"No!" Ryder scoffed. "Hello? Hey, Heather. Wassup?"
After a brief silence, Ryder responded, "Just hanging out."
Amelia glanced at Owen as she laughed and whispered, "Hanging out… I thought that was earlier." Ryder gently pushed his mom and frowned.
"Sure, I'd really like that," Ryder agreed as he spoke to Heather. "This weekend's pretty insane, though. Tomorrow won't work, I'm taking a friend to her prom. She's a family friend. No big deal," he clarified when she asked about Friday night. Owen and Amelia exchanged glances regarding his description of Julie.
After Heather spoke again, Ryder grimaced. "I'd love that. I know my mom has stuff planned for graduation. Lemme check. Just a sec."
"Can I go out Saturday?" Ryder inquired with puppy dog eyes.
"Late night Friday… graduation and a party on Sunday… I'm not sure that's a great idea, Son," Owen commented.
"Mom?" Ryder pressed.
"Now the answer is absolutely not," Amelia glared. "You know better than to pit Dad and I against each other."
"C'mon you guys…" Ryder begged.
"No," Owen shook his head and raised his eyebrows slightly with insistence.
"Heather?" Ryder returned to the call. "I guess we have some family stuff planned for Saturday. How about Monday? We'll be out of school – we could meet during the day or that night. What works for you?"
Ryder listened as Heather detailed her thoughts.
"Fantastic. Sounds good," Ryder responded to Heather's comments. "See you at graduation then."
As if the phone call had never occurred, Ryder looked at Amelia and returned to the pants fiasco, "Now that you've had a hearty laugh at my expense, can I have money to run to the mall and buy a pair of slacks?"
"Owen, do you have any cash?" Amelia inquired.
Owen pulled out his wallet and flipped through what appeared to be a series of bills. He pulled out a $50 bill and handed it to Ryder, "Here." Owen excused himself, explaining, "I'll see you all tomorrow. I'm going to be late for my shift."
"Thanks, Dad," Ryder smiled. He threw on a pair of jeans and, without a worry about Amelia sitting in his room as he dressed, he unbuttoned and removed his shirt. He turned back to his mom and held up three shirts – one more casual than the two button downs in his hand. "Which one?"
"Aren't you running to the mall to buy a pair of pants? Why do you need to dress up?" Amelia questioned.
"True," Ryder shrugged as he chose one of the button downs, leaving Amelia confused that he'd chosen something dressy.
Nolan and Lissa, 22
Molly Just shy of 15 months
Emily and Elizabeth (born 3/15) 12 weeks
Ryder 18, Julie 18 (Seniors in high school)
Olivia 15 (Freshman in high school)
Ria and Anna 10 ½
Lucas – a month shy of 9
Baby Hunt – due October 25. 20 weeks (5 months) gestation.