Read Online A Smudge of Gray by Jonathan Sturak - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jonathan Sturak
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felt indifferent, expecting work
to take her husband away at any moment.
Trevor stood up and petted his
daughter’s hair softly as he slid from his wedge. He stepped between some eager
parents who looked around his movement.
Helen watched the blue team steal the
ball as Anne Marie clapped next to her, but then she felt a breeze brush her
neck, a subtle sensation that prompted her to turn her head. She glanced at the
step. Tan Burberry loafers filled her gaze. She followed them up, but a group
of parents blocked the view of the man’s face.
A half hour later, the game continued
with the scoreboard showing the red team with 19 points and the blue team with
18. Only eleven seconds remained on the clock—a flash for a NASCAR race, but an
eternity for a basketball game. A chubby boy in blue stood out of bounds near
half court next to the referee. Jonathan and Kevin hovered near their
three-point line. They shared a look of eagerness, a look that bonded them
together. The referee blew his whistle, and then handed the beefy boy the ball.
He wavered as the ref counted with only one hand. Then, the chubby boy tossed
the ball to a kid wearing glasses. He dribbled right, but saw red. He tried
left, but red still invaded. Finally, he picked up his dribble and hunched over
like a mother in the desert protecting her baby from vultures.
The crowd shouted the clock. “Eight…Seven…Six.”
The boy with glasses looked around as
two red defenders blocked him. Then, he saw Jonathan run his way. “Here! I’m
open!”
The youth wearing glasses hurled
the ball to Jonathan. As the spectators huffed, Jonathan dribbled toward the
side, but more defenders picked him up. Two red players trapped him, arms
raised, bodies out. The crowd puffed as Jonathan tried to stay calm and to use
his experience to guide him.
“Four…Three.”
Jonathan looked between the two invaders
and saw a lone jersey underneath his basket—a jersey colored in blue. He passed
the ball to his teammate, Kevin Malloy, the new addition. Kevin grabbed the
ball with wide eyes.
Two…One.
Kevin jumped with all of his might,
soaring in the air, and hooking the ball like Julius Erving, minus the afro and
short shorts. The crowd gasped. The buzzer blared. The ball soared. It bounced
off the glass, hung a while, and…swished.
Laura and Katie led the cheers as the
blue bench poured onto the court. Kevin turned, stunned. Jonathan ran over and
slapped Kevin’s hand. The duo embraced the mob of blue as their supporters
filled the gymnasium with energy. Then, both teams lined up and tapped hands as
family members looked for their kids. Coach Wilson collected his team at the
base of their basket, the winning basket.
“Excellent game, guys,” he said with liveliness.
Then, he looked at Kevin. “Especially our new addition. You’re very talented,
Kevin. Keep it up!”
The curly-haired father joined his son.
“Great game, you two. Are you two brothers?” he asked Kevin and Jonathan.
Both shook their heads.
“Well, you sure look like brothers.”
The action simmered down as the defeated
red team moped away and the cheers calmed to chatter. Jonathan walked toward
the bench as his mother and his aunt met him with open arms.
“Great job, honey. You did so good,”
Anne Marie said as she massaged his back.
“Congratulations,” Helen offered,
rubbing his head.
Nearby, Laura and Katie scurried toward
the team’s hero, their hero.
“Excellent, baby. You scored the winning
basket!” his mother said.
Laura and Anne Marie naturally glanced
at each other, a glance facilitated by many chain events that had played out.
If the probability of a glance shared by two disjointed individuals, motivated
by different principles, members of dissimilar social classes, and products of
diverse upbringings, were random, then randomness had an eerie quality.
“Hi, I’m Laura Malloy, Kevin’s mother.”
“Anne Marie Boise,” Jonathan’s mother
said as she shook her new
to take her husband away at any moment.
Trevor stood up and petted his
daughter’s hair softly as he slid from his wedge. He stepped between some eager
parents who looked around his movement.
Helen watched the blue team steal the
ball as Anne Marie clapped next to her, but then she felt a breeze brush her
neck, a subtle sensation that prompted her to turn her head. She glanced at the
step. Tan Burberry loafers filled her gaze. She followed them up, but a group
of parents blocked the view of the man’s face.
A half hour later, the game continued
with the scoreboard showing the red team with 19 points and the blue team with
18. Only eleven seconds remained on the clock—a flash for a NASCAR race, but an
eternity for a basketball game. A chubby boy in blue stood out of bounds near
half court next to the referee. Jonathan and Kevin hovered near their
three-point line. They shared a look of eagerness, a look that bonded them
together. The referee blew his whistle, and then handed the beefy boy the ball.
He wavered as the ref counted with only one hand. Then, the chubby boy tossed
the ball to a kid wearing glasses. He dribbled right, but saw red. He tried
left, but red still invaded. Finally, he picked up his dribble and hunched over
like a mother in the desert protecting her baby from vultures.
The crowd shouted the clock. “Eight…Seven…Six.”
The boy with glasses looked around as
two red defenders blocked him. Then, he saw Jonathan run his way. “Here! I’m
open!”
The youth wearing glasses hurled
the ball to Jonathan. As the spectators huffed, Jonathan dribbled toward the
side, but more defenders picked him up. Two red players trapped him, arms
raised, bodies out. The crowd puffed as Jonathan tried to stay calm and to use
his experience to guide him.
“Four…Three.”
Jonathan looked between the two invaders
and saw a lone jersey underneath his basket—a jersey colored in blue. He passed
the ball to his teammate, Kevin Malloy, the new addition. Kevin grabbed the
ball with wide eyes.
Two…One.
Kevin jumped with all of his might,
soaring in the air, and hooking the ball like Julius Erving, minus the afro and
short shorts. The crowd gasped. The buzzer blared. The ball soared. It bounced
off the glass, hung a while, and…swished.
Laura and Katie led the cheers as the
blue bench poured onto the court. Kevin turned, stunned. Jonathan ran over and
slapped Kevin’s hand. The duo embraced the mob of blue as their supporters
filled the gymnasium with energy. Then, both teams lined up and tapped hands as
family members looked for their kids. Coach Wilson collected his team at the
base of their basket, the winning basket.
“Excellent game, guys,” he said with liveliness.
Then, he looked at Kevin. “Especially our new addition. You’re very talented,
Kevin. Keep it up!”
The curly-haired father joined his son.
“Great game, you two. Are you two brothers?” he asked Kevin and Jonathan.
Both shook their heads.
“Well, you sure look like brothers.”
The action simmered down as the defeated
red team moped away and the cheers calmed to chatter. Jonathan walked toward
the bench as his mother and his aunt met him with open arms.
“Great job, honey. You did so good,”
Anne Marie said as she massaged his back.
“Congratulations,” Helen offered,
rubbing his head.
Nearby, Laura and Katie scurried toward
the team’s hero, their hero.
“Excellent, baby. You scored the winning
basket!” his mother said.
Laura and Anne Marie naturally glanced
at each other, a glance facilitated by many chain events that had played out.
If the probability of a glance shared by two disjointed individuals, motivated
by different principles, members of dissimilar social classes, and products of
diverse upbringings, were random, then randomness had an eerie quality.
“Hi, I’m Laura Malloy, Kevin’s mother.”
“Anne Marie Boise,” Jonathan’s mother
said as she shook her new
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