Sasquatch in the Paint (20 page)

TWO
weeks later:

“Have you ever actually touched a basketball before?” Theo asked. He had suggested basketball as part of Brian's weight-loss plan.

Brian bounced the ball awkwardly in front of him. First with one hand, then with both hands. “Let me think,” he said. “Gerry Turner threw one at my head in third grade, remember? Technically that means my forehead touched a basketball, so my answer is yes.”

They were standing on the court at Palisades Park. Most of the courts were empty, because it was too early for the pickup games. Theo was teaching Brian how to shoot. Brian hurled the ball at the basket as if it was a rotten melon he was trying to get rid of. The ball hit the bottom of the net, then bounced onto the grass.

“Nothing but net!” Brian said triumphantly. Theo smiled.

It had been an eventful two weeks since the Lemon Hill game.

Theo had taken his place with the alternates on the Brain Train, helping the first team prepare for next week's match against Lansing. He was glad to have some of the pressure off of him while he pursued basketball.

In the Ravens' next game, against Turtle Rock Middle School, Theo had been so “in” the game that he was actually surprised when the final buzzer sounded. He was also surprised by his performance: he'd scored six points, assisted on eight others, and blocked three shots that caused turnovers. They'd won, and Coach took them all out after the game to celebrate. Over pizza they clinked root-beer mugs to toast Chris Richards, who had scored a career high of eighteen points. Roger had passed a basket of onion rings to Theo without sneering or saying something sarcastic, so there was hope even there.

Gavin had taken Theo and Rain to watch Wild World record one of Gavin's songs at a studio. Wild World had signed demo CDs for Rain and Theo.

Theo's dad had started dating Miranda. They were making plans to drive to L.A. for a concert of some Motown tribute band that Theo had never heard of. The three of them had eaten out together a couple times. Once, Miranda complained about how a judge had treated her, and Theo and his dad made her put a dollar in the BIB jar. She'd laughed as she'd stuffed the money in, which was a good sign.

Theo's dad had changed his computer password.

“Uh-oh,” Brian said, tossing the basketball to Theo. “Here comes the ol' ball 'n chain.”

Theo looked over and saw Rain jogging across the park toward them.

“Really?” Theo said to Brian. “Ball 'n chain? You're going with that?”

“Whatever, dude. Dieting saps my originality.”

“How much weight have you lost?”

“Four pounds. But they were four of the heavier pounds.”

Theo laughed.

Rain ran up to them, her cheeks red from exertion. She smelled like gingerbread. Theo liked gingerbread.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a granola bar. She handed it to Brian, who quickly peeled the cellophane wrapper like it was a banana.

While chewing, he said, “You don't have to feed me every time you see me, you know. I already have a mother.”

“You want me to stop?”

“Of course not. A Jewish boy can never have too many mothers.”

Rain laughed and pulled off her orange hoodie, dropping it on the ground. Underneath she wore a white T-shirt with the word
FINALLY
in small black letters on the chest. She grabbed the ball from Brian's hands and dribbled out onto the court. “You boys ready to play?”

Theo looked at the word
finally
on her shirt and smiled. For the first time he knew exactly what she meant without having to puzzle over it. Kind of like shooting a basketball and knowing it is going to go in the net before it even leaves your fingers. Some things you just know.

“I'm ready,” he said, running onto the court.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
played basketball for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers, helping his teams win six NBA Championships. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, and he also holds the records for the most field goals and the most minutes played. Kareem gave the game the skyhook, considered basketball's most classic offensive move. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995. Since retiring, he has been an actor, a basketball coach, and a
New York Times
best-selling author, focusing on history. In 2012 he was selected as a U.S. Cultural Ambassador, and a bronze statue of him making his signature skyhook was unveiled in front of the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.

Raymond Obstfeld
is a novelist, screenwriter, and nonfiction writer. His second novel,
Dead Heat
, was nominated for an Edgar Award. He also wrote an award-winning young adult novel entitled
Joker and the Thief
. Raymond has previously collaborated with Kareem on the sports memoir
On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance
, and the nonfiction picture book
What Color Is My World?
Mr. Obstfeld currently teaches creative writing at Orange Coast College as an associate professor.