Chapter 31

When Taylor came in the front door, his mother knew something was wrong.  "Whatsa matter baby?"  She asked the question the same way she had for all of his sixteen years.

He just shook his head and handed her a plate full of cookies.  Marcy had insisted he take all of them, as no one else in the house deserved any.  As he struggled with his coat she watched him wondering what had happened.

Mackenzie walked in with a present under his arm and headed for the tree.  "Hi Taylor.  Rudolph comes on soon, you still gonna watch with me?"  He asked as he turned to look at his big brother.

Taylor held out his arm and Mack skipped over and grabbed it with both hands.  "Jump."  Taylor said, and when he did, he pulled him up on his hip.

"Hey, that was pretty good.  You only got one arm and you still did it!"  He said as he hugged Taylor around the neck.  A jingling sound announced the arrival of Sparky with Avery right behind.  His sister had placed a ribbon with bells on it around the little dog's neck.  Taylor smiled imagining the snarls he must've made while that little fashion statement was being carried out.

"Oh, Avie, take that off him."  Diana said, "You know he hates it."

Taylor sat on the couch still holding his little brother.  He stuck his foot out.  "Put it on me—I-K-E  says I need to walk L-O-U-D."  He signed.

As Avery busied herself switching her creation from Sparky to Taylor, Diana watched wishing she could shield him from all the hurt he was enduring.  She was certain under his smile he was hiding something.  She sat the cookies down on the table and said  "These are still warm.  Is that what you were doing at Marcy's?"  He nodded.  "Everything go OK?"  She asked.

He nodded again, not looking at her.  Mackenzie spied the cookies then jumped down from Taylor's lap.  "Mom," Taylor said, "if you were a girl...  I mean, I know you're a girl and all, but like, a girl my age, y'know..."  He stopped, knowing he was rambling.

"What is it, honey?"

He was confusing her and she moved so that she was facing him.  "Would you have gone out with someone who couldn't...  Someone like me?"

"It depends."  She said.  "If he was a nice guy and he asked me out, I think I would have."

He looked at her.  "What if he wasn't a nice guy?"

"Taylor, what are you getting at?  Believe me, you are a nice guy.  There are millions of girls who would give their right arm to go out with you."  She smiled.  "And you sort of need one right about now, huh?"  He looked at his mother, and though he didn't much feel like it, he smiled back at her. "If it doesn't click with Marcy, then move on."

"But I like her."  He said.

"Well, does she like you?"  She asked.

"I think so."

"Then, work it out."  They were interrupted by Isaac who walked in humming the tune to one of the songs Taylor had written. Diana, though she wanted to help him, could tell she was getting nowhere, so she welcomed the interruption.

"You're back."  He said to Taylor.  He nodded.  "Man, I really like this one, Tay."  And he held up one of the papers.

Taylor brightened, "Yeah?"

"Oh yeah.  While you were gone, me and Zac kinda played it, you want to come down and try it out with us?"  Taylor looked at his mother.

"Go on."  She said.  It would be the first time they'd played together since that day in the park.

"What's with the bells?"  She heard Isaac ask as they went down the steps to the basement followed by Sparky.

~~~~

Diana sat on the top step listening to the sounds of a song being created.  It still amazed her that her sons had written songs that people all over the world loved and sang along with them.  She remembered sitting in the kitchen listening when they'd told her and Walker about a song they were going to call MMMBop.  An ugly chord on the piano signaled that they'd ignored Taylor a little too long and she smiled.  Zac began to pound out a beat and Sparky came running up the steps.  Even the presence of Taylor was not enough to keep him in that small space with that big noise.

The ringing of the doorbell brought Diana out of her reverie.  She could hear Avery answering the door. Reluctantly, she got up and walked back into the living room.  There, Shelly and Avery were conversing with each other.  Avery looked up to see her mother.  "Mom, Shelly came to see Zac."

"Zac?"  Diana was puzzled, she was pretty sure Jessica had informed her that she and Taylor would soon be engaged.  She looked at Shelly and signed, "Are you and Z-A-C going somewhere?"

Shelly smiled and shrugged her shoulders.  "Z-A-C asked me to come over."  She signed back.

Diana nodded, "Ok, they are downstairs playing.  Do you want to go down?"  She nodded, smiling.  The three of them went down the stairs to the small studio, the door was open.  Shelley looked at Avery as she covered her ears.  "Guys!"  Diana shouted to be heard over Zac's drumming.  She reached over and switched off the light quickly and immediately she had their attention.  "Zac,"  she said, "Shelly's here."

"Oh, cool."  He said and he waved at her.

She smiled at him and signed, "I could feel you play."

"Really?"  He said and he hit the bass drum and watched her face light up and she nodded.  He signed, "come in and shut the door.  It is too L-O-U-D for most people, but you might L-I-K-E it."

Taylor jingled the bells on his ankle.  "Mom..."  he said, and motioned her in.  She and Avery both stepped into the room.

Isaac shook his head.  "Mom, you gotta help here, he's doing it again.  He hears something in his head and I can't sing it like he wants."

She glanced at Zac.  "Don't look at me!  If Ike can't get it, you know I can't."

Shelly was watching, not quite understanding, but fascinated all the same.  Now Diana looked at Taylor, he was all but pleading with his eyes.  "I'll help if I can."  She said.  He pointed to the music and signed to her.

Shelly looked at Avery. "Is something wrong?"  She signed.

Avery shook her head and signed back.  "T-A-Y wrote a song and he can't show I-K-E and Z-A-C how he hears it in his mind."

She couldn't begin to understand, having never heard music or singing before, but she knew how passionate people became over it and she could appreciate a song's lyrics with out hearing the tune.  As Isaac and his mother harmonized together and Taylor showed with his hands what he was envisioning, Shelly walked closer to Zac. "What are the words?"  She asked.

He didn't have the lyrics in front of him so as his mother and brother sang, he signed the words for her. Avery listened to a particularly pretty blending of the two voices  and watched Taylor.  "That's it!!"  He was ecstatic. "Oh man, Mom, how can I write that down?"

And so began the long process of the three becoming a music writing and performing group again.  The dynamics were different, but with work, they would be able to do it.

~~~~

As Diana walked back up the stairs, she heard Sparky bark.  He stood at the front door looking back at her expectantly.  Looking out the little window in the door, she saw Marcy sitting on the front steps.  As she opened  the door, the girl turned, startled.  "Marcy, what are you doing out here?  It's freezing... why didn't you ring the bell?"  She noticed the tears now, "hang on, let me grab a coat..."  She half expected her to be gone, the look on her face had been so odd, but when she came back, she was still sitting there.

"Mrs. Hanson..."  She was trying not to cry.  "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course."  She answered and she sat down on the step next to her.  "Wouldn't you rather come inside, though?"

"No, I can't, I am just so upset..."  And she told Diana everything that had happened at her house, at least as much as she knew.

Now, she understood Taylor's mood when he had come home.  "Marcy, that's not your fault, Taylor knows that.  Believe me, there have been times he wanted to shut up both his brothers, but it doesn't work that way."

Finally, Diana coaxed Marcy into coming inside and joining the others in the studio.  Before long, she heard the sounds of laughter coming up from the basement.  Plans were made for the boys to come to the school where Shelly worked and play some music for the children there.  Though some would not be able to hear it, they would feel it, just as Shelly had and she would try to make them understad what music was, and let them find out why people made such a big deal about it.  Later on, Marcy and Shelly left together but not before Avery gave Marcy a book, "Signing Made Easy".

~~~~

That evening, as Diana, Walker, and their seven children crowded into the living room to watch Rudolph, one more time, she actually realized she was beginning to look forward to the road ahead.  As Yukon Cornelius and the others visited the Island of Misfit Toys, Taylor was laying on the couch, his head in Jessica's lap.  Mackenzie had snuggled up against him.  At his feet, Zac and Avery sat picking at each other and giggling now and then.  Isaac sat in the "soft" chair with Zoe on his lap.

By the time Rudolph's shiny nose was saving Christmas, Taylor was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.  Sparky had squeezed his way on the couch, content to be near his master, though his pesky siblings were there as well.  It was better to share Taylor than to have no Taylor at all.
 
 
 

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