In The Rough, chapter 3
Tre' woke up the next morning, the sun's rays sitting softly on his face. Frankito was running down the hallway. He rolled over and let out a long moan. "Ughhhh..." he whined. "Frankie! Be a little louder, please!"
"Daddy! Daddy Daddy Daddy!" Frankito ran into Tre's room and jumped onto him. "Ugh!" Tre' huffed.
"Daddy guess what!"
"What?" Tre' forced.
"I get to go to Pre-K today!"
"That's great son. Get off of me."
"Mommy fixed me Lucky Charms."
"Then go eat them."
"When can I see Ramona again?"
"When she comes back from New York."
Frankito sat on Tre's tummy. "You feel better daddy?"
"Yes... but I feel like I'm gonna throw up, dude. Get off."
Frankie jumped off and ran downstairs. Tre' slowly got out of bed and walked to his dresser and retrieved a pair of pajama bottoms. He slipped them in one leg at a time. Then slumped downstairs where Claudia was fixing breakfast.
"Good morning, Father." she said putting a strong emphesis on father.
"What? What did I do now, Claudia?" He asked.
"Did it ever occur to you that Frankie gets on the computer?" she asked, looking over at him and away from the steaming breakfast.
"Yes."
"Did it occur that he can get into the music files and listen to 'like a rat?'"
"No... well... yeah, but of all the music files.. i'm sorry. He doesn't even know what it means, Claudia."
"That's doesn't matter, Tre'. He;s been running around here all morning singing the song. What makes you think he's not gonna go to school and sing it?" she asked. She removed the pan from the stove-eye and placed it on a cold one. She removed the bacon from te pan and placed it on a paper towel. Then she served it to Tre'.
"Frankie... please do not go to school singing that song, okay? If your teacher calls and tells me you have, then you are in some deep stuff, you hear me?"
"Yes sir."
"There...," he said. "No 'Like a Rat' until he gets home."
Claudia gave him an evil look then returned to her cooking. "I need you to pick Frankie up today. I'm gonna be at a meeting."
"Fine," he said like a teenager having to pick-up his brother.
"Mike's here... he slept the night. I don't know if he going home or not... but... Frankie gets out at 2:20. Get there a little though, okay?"
Tre' nodded. He listened to Claudia talk their son into getting his bookbag then getting out to the car. Then he went into the livingroom. Mike was laying on the couch staring at the ceiling. "Hey," he said quietly.
"Hey," Tre' said. "Talked to Billie?"
"Neh..." he replied. "I think he may come over though. Ya know... if we dont all pile at his house, we'll pile here. Too much awards and shit and instruments there."
"Yeah... I understand." He sat next to the couch and stared at the blank TV. "Wanna watch something semi-interesting?"
"Sure."
Tre' had always been the one to crack jokes and lighten the situations. But he couldn't. Tre' barely heard hte knock on the door. Usually, he'd jump and run to it, but he slowly slumped his way to the door. Opening it, he saw Billie. He invited him in and the boys sat around the couch.
"I was thinking," Billie said. "Maybe... maybe we shouldn't break up." Mike and Tre' both looked at him. "Maybe we should just... retire. I mean, we've done enough. I dont think it's smart to break up... maybe just retire."
Mike nodded, "Makes more sense."
"I don't see he point in slouchin' around not doing sh!+, but ya know... do whatcha gotta do. And this isn't it. We don't need to break up. Just retire. We've come to too many slumps here... but... we're still a band. We'll always be a band. Always."
Tre' looked at him. "Yeah... 'till the end."
Mike nodded. "Mmhmm..."
The guys went out to lunch that day, and retorted to playing video games and eating junk food. At 2, they all got into Tre's BMW and were on thier way to the Pre-K center. Once they arrived, they listened to music like loud teenagers and laughed and joked. Then kids started pilling out like the front door exploded and kids were falling out. Tre' watched for Frankito and saw him walk out with his hand in the teachers. Tre' left Billie and Mike in the car and walked up to the steps, and recognized the teacher to be the bartender.
"Well..." Tre' said.
"You never called," she teased.
"I'm sorry. The whole band thing... ya know..."
"I was gracious enough to give you your wallet back... and you still don't call?"
"I'll call..."
"We're talkin now..."
"You're a hot shot, aren't you?"
Her cheeks turned blood red. "Maybe... you the father of little frankie?"
"Yes, I am. You can't see the resemblance?" Tre' picked Frankie up and sat him on his hip.
"I do. Really, I do. Frankie's smart, ya know? He is. One of the smartest in his class. And I'm not saying that."
"OH! You're his teacher?"
"Yes," Anna replied, a shocked expression on his face. "Why is that so surprising?"
"A pre-k teacher by morning, a bartender by night... that's reeeeeeeeal attractive."
Anna laughed, "I'm surprised."
"Yeah?"
"You haven't even asked my name yet."
"Her name is Ms. Nalick, Daddy. Ms. Nalick."
"Well... can I see Ms. Nalick tonight at the bar?"
"Certainly." she said. "I'll be there at 6. I may be grading papers like a good pre-k teacher, but... you gotta do what you gotta do."
"Yep. So..." Tre' giggled as Frankito pelted towards the car when he saw his "uncles." "Tonight. 6?"
"Mmhmm... 6."
Tre' smiled. "K."
"Daddy! Daddy Daddy Daddy!" Frankito ran into Tre's room and jumped onto him. "Ugh!" Tre' huffed.
"Daddy guess what!"
"What?" Tre' forced.
"I get to go to Pre-K today!"
"That's great son. Get off of me."
"Mommy fixed me Lucky Charms."
"Then go eat them."
"When can I see Ramona again?"
"When she comes back from New York."
Frankito sat on Tre's tummy. "You feel better daddy?"
"Yes... but I feel like I'm gonna throw up, dude. Get off."
Frankie jumped off and ran downstairs. Tre' slowly got out of bed and walked to his dresser and retrieved a pair of pajama bottoms. He slipped them in one leg at a time. Then slumped downstairs where Claudia was fixing breakfast.
"Good morning, Father." she said putting a strong emphesis on father.
"What? What did I do now, Claudia?" He asked.
"Did it ever occur to you that Frankie gets on the computer?" she asked, looking over at him and away from the steaming breakfast.
"Yes."
"Did it occur that he can get into the music files and listen to 'like a rat?'"
"No... well... yeah, but of all the music files.. i'm sorry. He doesn't even know what it means, Claudia."
"That's doesn't matter, Tre'. He;s been running around here all morning singing the song. What makes you think he's not gonna go to school and sing it?" she asked. She removed the pan from the stove-eye and placed it on a cold one. She removed the bacon from te pan and placed it on a paper towel. Then she served it to Tre'.
"Frankie... please do not go to school singing that song, okay? If your teacher calls and tells me you have, then you are in some deep stuff, you hear me?"
"Yes sir."
"There...," he said. "No 'Like a Rat' until he gets home."
Claudia gave him an evil look then returned to her cooking. "I need you to pick Frankie up today. I'm gonna be at a meeting."
"Fine," he said like a teenager having to pick-up his brother.
"Mike's here... he slept the night. I don't know if he going home or not... but... Frankie gets out at 2:20. Get there a little though, okay?"
Tre' nodded. He listened to Claudia talk their son into getting his bookbag then getting out to the car. Then he went into the livingroom. Mike was laying on the couch staring at the ceiling. "Hey," he said quietly.
"Hey," Tre' said. "Talked to Billie?"
"Neh..." he replied. "I think he may come over though. Ya know... if we dont all pile at his house, we'll pile here. Too much awards and shit and instruments there."
"Yeah... I understand." He sat next to the couch and stared at the blank TV. "Wanna watch something semi-interesting?"
"Sure."
Tre' had always been the one to crack jokes and lighten the situations. But he couldn't. Tre' barely heard hte knock on the door. Usually, he'd jump and run to it, but he slowly slumped his way to the door. Opening it, he saw Billie. He invited him in and the boys sat around the couch.
"I was thinking," Billie said. "Maybe... maybe we shouldn't break up." Mike and Tre' both looked at him. "Maybe we should just... retire. I mean, we've done enough. I dont think it's smart to break up... maybe just retire."
Mike nodded, "Makes more sense."
"I don't see he point in slouchin' around not doing sh!+, but ya know... do whatcha gotta do. And this isn't it. We don't need to break up. Just retire. We've come to too many slumps here... but... we're still a band. We'll always be a band. Always."
Tre' looked at him. "Yeah... 'till the end."
Mike nodded. "Mmhmm..."
The guys went out to lunch that day, and retorted to playing video games and eating junk food. At 2, they all got into Tre's BMW and were on thier way to the Pre-K center. Once they arrived, they listened to music like loud teenagers and laughed and joked. Then kids started pilling out like the front door exploded and kids were falling out. Tre' watched for Frankito and saw him walk out with his hand in the teachers. Tre' left Billie and Mike in the car and walked up to the steps, and recognized the teacher to be the bartender.
"Well..." Tre' said.
"You never called," she teased.
"I'm sorry. The whole band thing... ya know..."
"I was gracious enough to give you your wallet back... and you still don't call?"
"I'll call..."
"We're talkin now..."
"You're a hot shot, aren't you?"
Her cheeks turned blood red. "Maybe... you the father of little frankie?"
"Yes, I am. You can't see the resemblance?" Tre' picked Frankie up and sat him on his hip.
"I do. Really, I do. Frankie's smart, ya know? He is. One of the smartest in his class. And I'm not saying that."
"OH! You're his teacher?"
"Yes," Anna replied, a shocked expression on his face. "Why is that so surprising?"
"A pre-k teacher by morning, a bartender by night... that's reeeeeeeeal attractive."
Anna laughed, "I'm surprised."
"Yeah?"
"You haven't even asked my name yet."
"Her name is Ms. Nalick, Daddy. Ms. Nalick."
"Well... can I see Ms. Nalick tonight at the bar?"
"Certainly." she said. "I'll be there at 6. I may be grading papers like a good pre-k teacher, but... you gotta do what you gotta do."
"Yep. So..." Tre' giggled as Frankito pelted towards the car when he saw his "uncles." "Tonight. 6?"
"Mmhmm... 6."
Tre' smiled. "K."
