Laugh It Off

It was a sunny day just before noon. A blue car sputtered to a stop in front of a red brownstone, right behind a string of other cars parked on the curb. Aiden sped down the steps of the brownstone and climbed into the passenger seat of a blue car, where his father, Mitch, awaited him.

Having not seen his Dad for weeks, Aiden promised Ms. Johnson, his guardian, that he would indeed behave for his father and have a good time. Aiden threw his bookbag on the floor and flashed a big smile at his Dad. To Aiden’s surprise, Mitch did a huge grin as well, the one where the corners of his eyes crinkled and his cheeks rose up high.

“Hey lil’ man! What’chu been up to?” Mitch asked as the car sped up and buzzed down the street.

“Nothing much, Dad. Playing basketball and stuff.” Aiden said, looking out at the symmetrical buildings and busy sidewalks as they turned the corner.

“I hope you’ve been staying out of trouble, Aiden. I ain’t bailing you out of jail,” Mitch’s hazel eyes narrowed at his son through the rearview mirror.

Aiden crossed his arms. “Yeah, yeah. You’ve told me this a million times.”

Not wanting to bring down the mood, Mitch changed the subject. “We’re gonna have some fun this weekend, I got a whole thing planned. I got us tickets to that Knicks game tomorrow night, and we’re gonna go to that new Korean corndog spot that just opened up.”

“Okay, Dad, but I also promised Neil and Michael I would take them to the arcade in the morning, and I don’t wanna break a promise.” Aiden rolled down his window and breathed in the evening breeze.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get to do that. We’ll have time for everything, tomorrow's gonna be a great day!” Mithch exclaimed, as the two drove down the road and into the orange sunset.

The next morning the boys were standing in front of a car that wouldn’t start. Aiden sat on the curb with his fists holding his cheeks up, watching people and pigeons pass by while his father stood behind the hood of his car.

Mitch slammed the hood of the car. “Dang! It’s a dead battery! I’m gonna have to get a replacement ASAP.”

“But Dad, I have to get to the arcade!” Aiden stood up. “I can’t make bad on a promise.”

“You’ve got two feet. You can still make it to Ms. Johnson’s house,” Mitch nodded up the street.

Aiden huffed, but began his walk ten blocks south back to his house.

“Be back by this afternoon! Don’t forget about our plans!” Mitch called after his son. Meanwhile, Mitch swiped at his forehead and looked at his phone. He had to get this car fixed, and fast.

****

Aiden was hurrying down the sidewalk, trying to get to Ms. Johnson’s as fast he could. Ms. Johnson’s was where Aiden normally lived with his “brothers”, two other foster children Ms. Johnson had adopted. It was going to take forever to get there on foot, but luckily, Aiden spied a perfectly fine lime green bike parked right outside the corner store.The bike belonged to a boy he knew named Elijah, but that didn’t matter right now. Aiden would be sure to give the bike back when he was done. Eventually.

Riding the bike, Aiden made it to Ms. Johnson’s house in what seemed like half the time it would've taken on foot.

There, at the top floor window was Neil and Michael.

“Common guys!” Aiden yelled up, and the two disappeared from view only to spill out from the front door.

Neil strolled over and his jaw dropped. “Is that Elijah’s bike?”

“Yes, and you two can ride mine to the arcade,” Aiden told them as he mounted the bike again.

“He’s gonna kill you,” Neil said.

“No he won’t,” Aiden snapped back.

Michael looked between his two brothers with worry on his face. “We’re wasting time! Let’s go to the arcade already!”

The boys played video games until they had been to nearly every arcade box and console there was. When they got out of the arcade, the sun was lower in the sky. Elijah and his friends were crowded around the lime-green bike by the bike rails.

Elijah’s eyes met Aiden’s and he pointed straight at him. “There he is! I’m gonna kick yo’ punk behind for stealing my bike!”

This led to a fight breaking out between the two, but Elijah’s friends joined in.

Neil may have thought Aiden deserved this, but he couldn’t stand to see his brother being jumped. He joined the brawl while Michael tried his best to pull Aiden out of it, and the three wound up being chased down the block.

By the time they got away, they had to go back to retrieve Aiden’s bike, and Aiden remembered the basketball game.

“You guys take my bike back home. I have to get back to my Dad’s house!” Aiden yelled, then took off running.

Aiden knew his father would be furious at him for being late. Mitch walked out of his building just as Aiden arrived.

Aiden slowed to a stop and bent to his knees. “Dad! Sorry I was late!” He said between breaths.

Mitch sighed and shook his head. “I told you to keep track of time.”

When Mitch saw the distress on Aiden’s face, he patted his shoulder. “Don’t sweat it. We won’t miss that game, I’ll make sure of it. I managed to call my buddy Donnie at the hardware shop. He’s bound to have a battery.”

****

While Aiden played his Nintendo Switch by the front door, he listened to his father as he spoke to Donnie at the hardware store.

“Boy, if he ain’t your son,” Donnie started. Mitch looked at his son. They had the same hazel eyes and round noses, and how lanky and nimble Aiden was now reminded Mitch of how he’d been at that age.

Mitch shook his head. “We’re in a time crunch, Donnie. The Knicks game is in less than two hours. I told Aiden we’d be there in time and I-”

“Can’t make bad on a promise,” Donnie finished with him. “I know. He gets that same spirit from you too. Because you fixed my AC last week, you can use my van to get there. In the meantime, I’ve got a car battery right here.”

Mitch thanked him, and Donnie went to the back of the garage. “Just remember-don’t be so hard on that boy- or yourself.”

Mitch used Donnie’s van to drive to Madison Square Garden just fifteen minutes before the game. The arena was even larger than Aiden had imagined it would be. The lights were bright and the crowd's roars were deafening, but Aiden could feel the energy all around him and it just fueled his excitement further. Mitch spent the entire time shouting as if he were on the team, and Aiden was in awe. He got to see his favorite players in real time, and he knew the dunk he’d witnessed in the first quarter would stay in his memories forever.

Mitch and Aiden talked about the game as they returned Donnie’s van, and even more as they walked home.

“Ah! I forgot we were supposed to go to that Korean corndog spot before the game started. I’m sorry lil’ man. I usually don’t break my promises.” Mitch shook his head. “This was supposed to be a fun day, but everything that could go wrong, did.”

Aiden had seen that look of disappointment on his father before, but it was usually directed at him. For his father to be disappointed in himself was a rare, weird site.”

“Don’t sweat it, Dad. That place could still be open. And if it’s not, we can just go there tomorrow,” Aiden said, kicking a rock out of his way.

Mitch smiled. “You’re right. I won’t sweat it.” He rubbed Aiden's head, and the two laughed it off.

---

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