when he could. Jason was in a suit, too, because he was interning at a law firm in West Chester. David dreaded thinking about life at home after his older brother, Jason, left for college.
His father frowned. “You don’t have to leave camp because Julian does. I pay good money for that camp.”
“I know that, Dad—”
“Julian’s set for life. Set for life. All that money behind him, he doesn’t have to earn a g-d penny. You do. You’re not in the same position, so don’t slack when he slacks.”
“He wasn’t slacking—”
“Yes, he was. You didn’t have to go with him. That kid is so spoiled.”
“Dad, he’s a nice guy.” David didn’t like his father criticizing Julian, because he didn’t know him at all.
“He’s had everything handed to him.”
“He’s still a nice guy.” David recognized the rant. His father had a chip on his shoulder about money, which made no sense because everybody in Brandywine Hunt had money, including them. His father owned his own business, Hybrinski Optical, in a strip mall in Frazer.
“David, you don’t have to do everything he does. Be a leader, not a follower. You follow him.”
“I don’t follow him.” David got so sick of his father giving him grief.
“Then why’d you ditch camp?”
“I left early, is all. You got your money’s worth.”
“Don’t smart-mouth me.”
David fell silent.
“Why’d you leave early?”
“Julian said he felt sick and dizzy. He had to ride his bike home, so I told him I’d go with him to make sure he didn’t fall or anything. I mean, he could’ve fallen in traffic. It’s a long ride from camp.” David saw his father’s brow unfurrow, so he kept going. “I don’t want him dead in the road, do you? Because I had to practice my overhead?”
His father didn’t reply, turning away again.
David knew that his father would never say he was sorry. Saying you were sorry meant you made a mistake, and his father could never admit a mistake.
“So how was Julian?” Jason asked, nudging him, and David realized his brother had believed the story about Julian being sick.
“He was fine. He was probably dehydrated.”
“Right.” Jason patted David on the back, a gesture that meant you did the right thing.
The crowd shouted and clapped, and David returned to the book. His favorite author was David Foster Wallace, a tennis player who loved books, kept his hair long, and wore a bandanna. David wore his red bandanna as his tribute to DFW, which was how he thought of him. DFW’s book Infinite Jest was filled with insights about life and tennis, because tennis could really be cerebral. His father thought it was about dominance, but it was really about how you felt about yourself. Nobody understood that except for David and DFW.
“Jessica, way to go!” Jason nudged him again. “Dude, Jessica made another catch.”
“Go, Jessica!” David watched the girls change sides, and the brown uniforms mixed with the red uniforms, coming together, then apart on the other side. Team sports were two armies opposed, but in an individual sport like tennis, it was you against yourself. David tested himself all the time, challenged himself to be more, and better. Someday he would do it as an author, too. He thought of his favorite line from Infinite Jest:
I am not just a boy who plays tennis.
CHAPTER 10
Julian Browne
Need a hand, Mom?” Julian entered the dining room, bracing himself for dinner. Last weekend was his father’s weekend so tonight would be a cross-examination, not a conversation.
“No, honey, just sit down!” his mother called from the kitchen. “Dinner’s almost ready!”
Julian sat down to a table that had been set with a platter of steaming roast chicken and fresh rosemary, next to a side dish of red potatoes with fresh dill. The herbs smelled great, and his mother had grown them in her garden, since she used only fresh herbs. She called herself a perfectionist, and it wasn’t until Julian got older that he realized she was trying too hard to make everything perfect. And then he’d realized why.
Their house was the nicest house on Pinto Road, with three stories and seven bedrooms on the Alternate Second-Floor Plan, including the master to end all masters, according to the brochure that Julian had proofread himself. They had eight and a half baths with top-of-the-line, special-order Italian finishes, radiant floor heating under the marble tile, and Perrin & Rowe polished nickel faucets and trim. They had the optional Expanded In-Home Office Suite downstairs and a smaller Pocket TV Room/Study upstairs, also