Parts & Labor by Mark Gimenez Page A

said.
    "Hey,
dude, that's my sister."
    "The
green and gold are an appealing color combination."
    " What? Green and gold?" I looked back at Scarlett. "Oh, you mean her
pompoms."
    "I
like her pompoms."
    The
cheerleaders somersaulted on the sideline.
    "So
the females cheer the males?" Norbert said.
    I
shook my head. Man, did he ever get out?
    "Of
course."
    "Why
do the males not cheer the females?"
    "Because
girls don't play football."
    "Where
I come from, the females are the stronger of the species."
    I
nodded. "I heard California was different."
    "The
cheerleaders, they are quite good."
    "You
should see the pro cheerleaders."
    "Females
are paid to cheer the males?"
    "No.
Guys are paid to play football, and girls are cheerleaders. They don't get
paid anything."
    "Then
why do they cheer?"
    "So
they can get on reality TV shows."
    Norbert
nodded. "Ah."
    After
the game, Scarlett came over to us and said to Mom, "Can I go shopping
with Chrissie at the mall?"
    "Honey,
I can't afford to buy you new clothes."
    "I
know. I'm just going to help her accessorize. She has no fashion sense."
    "You're
okay with that?"
    Scarlett
shrugged. "It's entertainment. Like going to the movies."
    She
was good about money being tight now. Like I said, she's the perfect child.
    "Norbert,
don't stare at that stuff—it's creepy."
    We
had returned home, and I took Norbert upstairs to show him my room. The
bathroom door was open, and Scarlett's personal items were hanging on the
shower rod. Norbert had stopped dead in his tracks. He didn't have a sister,
so this was all new to him.
    "I
find it oddly fascinating."
    "Dude,
that is just wrong."
    I
pulled him away and into my room before he suffered brain damage. I showed him
my science fiction books, my telescope, my chessboard, the Legos, and the
Ripstik I got for Christmas.
    "And
what is the purpose of this device?"
    "You
ride it." I turned it over. "See, it's a caster board. These two wheels,
they're casters. You stand on it and swivel your hips and it goes. I'll show
you later."
    "I
would enjoy seeing you ride your Ripstik."
    I
turned the solar system lamp on. Norbert knew every planet and galaxy.
    "My
dad fixed my room up like this, with the black ceiling for the lamp. I'd love
to be an astronaut, travel into outer space."
    Norbert
pointed at the Star Wars poster over my bed.
    "I
am not aware of the Star Wars."
    "It's
a great movie. That's Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Jabba the
Hutt."
    "It
was not an actual war?"
    "You
haven't seen Star Wars? The force be with you?"
    "What
force?"
    "What
about Men in Black? "
    Norbert
shook his head but pointed at the poster. "That is an amusing
quote."
    " Star
Trek? "
    Another
shake of his head. Man, I was so glad I wasn't home schooled.
    "Dude,
these are like the best movies ever made."
    I
dug the Star Wars DVD out of my closet and put it into my player.
Norbert started laughing during the first scene—"This Darth Vader is
hilarious! A villain with nasal congestion!"—and hadn't stopped laughing when
the movie ended.
    "That
is the funniest movie I have ever seen."
    "It's
not a comedy."
    "Jabba
the Hutt, the Sand People, the life forms in the bar—I have never seen
creatures like those in my entire existence."
    "Well, duh. No one has, Norbert. They're aliens."
    "In
what universe?"
    "Hollywood."
    "Hmm.
I did not see any such creatures during our time in Los Angeles. But, I did
not get out much."
    "Wait
till you see the SoCo creatures."
    He
picked up the broken iPod off my desk.
    "Max,
may I have this?"
    "Yeah,
sure, it's worthless now."
    He
put the pieces in his pocket then stepped over to the Lego bin. I picked up
two pieces and showed him how they connected.
    "I
see," he said. "These little bricks interlock."
    "Yeah.
You build things with them."
    "What?"
    "Whatever
you want. Buildings or cars or robots."
    My
stomach felt funny. The hot dog had come back to haunt me.
    "Uh,
I gotta go to the bathroom. You can play with the Legos."
    I
was gone