Chapter 58: Daily Life at the Tuohy Family
"I didn't expect you to be so good with kids. I heard Mary mention that your little brother is her greatest pride. I think that must be because you set such a good example as his big brother."
"No, Sheldon is already exceptional," Ron said, knowing without turning around that the voice behind him belonged to SJ's mother, Leigh Anne, Mr. Tuohy's wife. "Actually, he's too exceptional—so much so that he doesn't seem like a normal person sometimes."
Ron swore he would never tell a lie just to be polite. How could a kid who planned to build a nuclear reactor in his garage to power the entire neighborhood at age ten be considered normal? The scary part was that he almost succeeded. That was probably what genius looked like, right?
"Can SJ ride with you later? I want to talk to Michael alone. He still looks pretty shaken up." Leigh Anne had carefully noticed that although Michael had stopped crying, he was still visibly upset, and she immediately understood why.
"Of course," Ron agreed readily, putting in a good word for Michael. "I don't think you'll hold this against him, will you? The kid chose to protect SJ first. It's clear he truly considers SJ family."
"What kind of person do you think I am?" Leigh Anne said, slightly offended. "Of course I know who's responsible for SJ not getting crushed by an airbag deploying at 140 miles per hour."
Ron could only sheepishly grin and guide SJ toward the car.
"Ron, could you put on something more upbeat? Even my dad wouldn't listen to the music you've got playing!" SJ complained from Ron's passenger seat, his short legs swinging freely due to his lack of height.
It wasn't the safest seating position, but Ron didn't say anything. Safety depended mainly on who was behind the wheel. With the driving skills Ron had learned from Toretto, even if someone in the passenger seat was doing cartwheels, it wouldn't affect his concentration in the slightest.
"Alright, what do you want to hear?" Ron asked, turning off Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" and opening the glove compartment.
SJ rummaged through it, finding nothing but oldies from the 1960s and 1970s. Disappointed, he closed the compartment and slumped back like a deflated balloon. "Your taste in music is like my grandfather's. I don't know what my sister sees in you."
"Your sister likes me? How do you know that? You're not making this up, are you?" Ron was genuinely surprised. He had the impression that the Tuohy family's daughter was a cute little girl who'd inherited her mother Leigh Anne's good looks. She was definitely going to grow up to be a knockout.
But how could she have a crush on him? While he was certainly good-looking, if Ron remembered correctly, she'd only met him a handful of times. Was it really true that women were that influenced by appearances?
"I've snuck peeks at Collins's diary," the little troublemaker said, puffing up with a smug expression. "Want to know what she writes about you?"
"I'm not into invading people's privacy. And I'd suggest you stop doing that too. If Collins found out, she'd definitely make you pay for it." Ron rolled his eyes, showing zero curiosity.
Although Collins was genuinely beautiful, was he someone who was desperate for female attention? Of course not!
Besides, given the relationship between their families, if he got involved with her, he'd probably end up married, right? Marriage was the graveyard of romance, and wedding vows were the tombstone of freedom. Ron wasn't ready to get trapped that quickly.
"Ugh," SJ flopped back down in boredom. "I hate you fake adults the most. Big Michael is way more fun."
"Tell me, after Michael joined your family, did you feel a little left out?" Ron tentatively probed SJ's feelings. "Like maybe you felt your mom's attention was being divided?"
"Are you kidding me!" SJ protested loudly. "I wish Mom would pay less attention to me so I could have more freedom. My dream is to be a football coach, like your dad. Michael is my first recruit."
SJ crossed his arms and tried to look mature: "I'm training him myself. What do you think? Pretty impressive, right?"
"He definitely looks like he's in great shape. Even if football doesn't work out, basketball could be a solid option. I'm just not sure about his technique." At this point, Ron felt his competitive instincts stirring.
With a dad who was a coach, he'd been on the football team throughout school, even serving as the star quarterback.
"How about we have a little scrimmage later?" SJ suggested with a mischievous grin, clearly excited to see Ron get demolished by his "project."
"I'm a quarterback, he's a lineman—how would we even compare?" Ron saw right through SJ's scheming and declined. While his strength was probably comparable to Michael's still-developing frame, that didn't mean he wanted to work up a sweat before dinner.
That would be too embarrassing, especially with ladies present in the Tuohy household!
"Oh, I almost forgot," Ron said, reaching behind his seat for a bag and handing it to SJ. "This is for you—a Texas Longhorns cap."
SJ lit up with excitement, tearing open the packaging and putting the cap on, checking himself out in the visor mirror. "This looks awesome! What do you think? Do I look like your dad?"
"SCREECH!"
Ron hit the brakes hard, nearly launching SJ out of his seat.
Ron yanked SJ's cap down over the kid's eyes. "Little wise guy, who taught you to talk like that?"
"Taught me what?" SJ pushed his hat back up indignantly, staring with innocent confusion. "What are you grown-ups always thinking about? I look up to Coach George. I heard he's going to sign with a Super Bowl contender next year, right? Which team is it gonna be?"
"Where'd you hear that rumor?" Ron hadn't even heard Coach George mention it himself.
"Well, if they're Super Bowl bound, it'll probably be a Texas team. You know how he's always been partial to Texas."
The drive was short, and Ron and SJ's casual conversation made it pass quickly. Ron noticed that when Michael got out of the car, he'd shaken off his funk and was back to his cheerful self. He and SJ ran off to the backyard like a couple of goofballs to practice.
Mr. Tuohy wasn't home, so Ron's mother Mary prepared lunch. It tasted just as good as he remembered, but the only thing that made him slightly uncomfortable was that, after SJ's heads-up, he noticed something different about the way Collins was looking at him.
She was being unusually attentive, practically hovering around him, and whenever Ron caught her eye, she'd look away like a startled deer, pretending to be interested in something else entirely.
Even Leigh Anne and Mary noticed her behavior, but the two mothers didn't say anything. Instead, they'd occasionally share knowing smiles, whisper to each other, and then burst into giggles.
(End of Chapter)
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