Zay gets up and walks to his kitchen counter to pick up a box of gingersnaps, which he tosses in my direction. “All I’m saying is that you like to be liked. And as much as it pains me to tell you this, not all people are going to like you.”
“Why?” I hear the pathetic whine in my voice, and I hate it.
“Because not all people are smart enough to like you.” I know my brother is placating me, but that’s okay. As much as I enjoy people’s adoration, I’m also amenable to appeasement when needed to maintain my emotional balance.
“Enough about Ben,” I say. “I came by for a much more important reason. I was wondering if you could talk to Shelby about having her mother write an article for The Post about Charley.”
“Charley, your child prodigy employee?” he asks.
“Do you know of another Charley?” Before he can answer, I say, “She recently got accepted into Yale, at fifteen no less, and she made her national modeling debut on Wake Up America! I thought she might be an inspirational person to write about.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “I guess.”
“Please ask her, Zay. As I may have mentioned, Charley had a tough time in school. It’s hard to relate to people when you’re so much smarter than they are, and, if you’ll recall, high school students are not generally tolerant of those who stand out from the pack in ways they don’t approve of or understand.”
“Don’t I know it.” Poor Zay had a horrible time in high school. It wasn’t bad enough that he never grew beyond a grade school height, but he’s also genius-level smart which earned him a host of nasty nicknames like “Brain Dwarf” and “Pint-sized Poindexter.”
“You do know it,” I tell him. “So please help me help Charley exact her revenge.”
“When you put it that way, of course I’m in. But you know Shelby, she can be a bit touchy when she thinks people are using her.”
The truth is, my brother’s girlfriend is not the most likable person on the planet. In fact, she was Zay’s office tormentor before they got together. Shelby didn’t tease him about his height or anything, rather, she complained that Zay got to work from home while everyone else had to go into the office. Eventually, she got her way and Zay had to quit hiding out and join the real world. While it was painfully hard on him, it all worked out for the best. After thirty-two years, my brother has learned to accept himself for who he is. Not to mention, he finally has a girlfriend who is really into him.
“How are things going with you and Shelby anyway?” I ask. “Have you thought about introducing her to Mom and Dad?”
An actual blush washes over Zay’s face. “If things keep going so well, I’ll take her back to Miami over the Christmas holiday. There’s no place like Miami when you’re freezing your butt off in New York.”
“God help her. She and Mom are both Capricorns who like to be in charge of everything. They’ll either love each other or hate each other.”
“Can you imagine Mom hating the woman who loves her son? A Cuban mother’s sun rises and sets in the happiness of her children.”
“Shelby loves you?” I’m so happy I feel tears of joy prickle behind my eyes. “Do you love her?”
Zay nods his head. “I do. She’s so great, Ser. When we go out together, it’s like she’s actually proud to be with me, which I never in my life thought would happen. She’s given me the push I needed to realize there’s nothing wrong with being me.”
“Thank God!” I tell him. “Although, it’s not like your own family hasn’t been telling you that forever.”
“Yeah, but you guys are family. You have to love me. Shelby hardly likes anyone, so her love feels like a real prize, you know?”
I scoot over on the couch close enough to my brother so that I can hug him. “You are a real prize and I’m glad you’re finally accepting yourself. Now, ask Shelby to talk to her mom, okay? I really want to give Charley a self-esteem boost. If she can stay out of trouble, her parents will let her go to Yale next year.”
Zay looks pensive. “It’s funny how the kids who peak in high school often don’t make big successes of their lives as adults, but the ones who struggle can really fly.”
“It all boils down to how hard you’re willing to work,” I tell him. “When things come easy for you young, the real world can come as a bit of a shock. But when you learn how to weather the storm of human interaction in your youth, you’ve already learned how to surf some of the tougher waves.”
“In other words, not everyone is going to like you and as soon as you figure out that’s just life, the better off you’ll be.”
“Exactly!” I tell him.
Zay laughs out loud before pointing out, “So in your case, the sooner you realize that Ben Williams doesn’t need to like you, the better off you’ll be?”
I stepped into the trap before I even saw it was there. “Shut up, Zay.”
“I’m just saying …”
“I know what you’re saying,” I tell him. “Now leave it be, okay?”
In and of itself, I don’t care what people think of me. I’m a secure enough person not to let the Tiffany Taylors and Stanford Wellingtons of the world shake my foundation. It’s just that for some reason I’m really bothered by the fact that Ben Williams doesn’t like me.
Fourteen
Ben
“Welcome back to Wake Up America! It’s going to be a hot one today, isn’t it, Hal?” Lacey says with a wide grin.
“So hot! It’s already run-through-the-sprinkler weather and it’s only eight a.m.,” Hal says with a chuckle.
“Speaking of things heating up,” Lacey says. “We’ve got our two favorite experts in all things space and astrology-related, Dr. Ben Williams from NASA and Serafina Lopez from Live for Your Star Sign, here to duke it out again.”
Hal laughs and gives Lacey’s shoulder a bit of a shove. “I cannot wait. These two were on last Monday and they’re like the original oil and water — you just can’t mix ’em!”
Lacey, clearly annoyed at the shove, gives Hal a smile that resembles more of a snarl, then says, “Take it easy on my shoulder there, Hal. I’d hate to have to charge you with assault.”
Hal keeps his phony smile in place. “Somebody needs more coffee so she can take a joke!” Before Lacey can respond, he adds, “Let’s get our guests out here. Dr. Ben and Serafina!”
I gesture for Serafina to go ahead of me, then follow her out onto the stage. My pulse is racing as I return to the scene of the crime. I’m in the sports jacket and slacks I was supposed to wear last week, so at least I’ll be able to maintain a little of my dignity through fashion. Serafina is wearing a turquoise dress that hugs her curves in a way I should not be noticing. The crowd cheers as we make our way to the loveseat they have set up for us, and when we sit, we’re both pretty much pressed against the arms of the small sofa so we can be as far apart as possible.
“Welcome back, you two. How has life been since your appearance last week?” Lacey asks. Before either of us can answer, she focuses her attention on me. “Dr. Ben, you were quite the hit with the ladies in the audience. Have you had anyone recognize you on the street?”