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Sitting in the back of the car with his seatbelt on, little Ned York looked out from the car window and counted the cars passing them.
1…2…3…4…
Their car seemed to move much slower compared to others. Granted, it was Mom driving. Had it been Dad, it would be different.
At other times, Ned would’ve asked Mom to drive faster; but not today.
The reason was simple: he was mad at Mom.
They were on their way to his Grandpa Richard Neville’s house for dinner. Uncle George and Aunt Izzy would be there; Dad would join them later. Grandma Ann’s cooking was mediocre at best, but Mom told him several times to always be grateful when others cook for him.
Well, Grandma Ann’s cooking was rather classy compared to Mom’s. At home, it was usually Dad who cooked.
Finally they arrived.
Ned released his seatbelt and got out of the car. He still refused to talk to his mom.
Anne let out a sigh and took her little boy by his hand. “Now, when we’re in the house, remember to behave yourself,” she reminded him.
Biting his lips, Ned followed his mom into his grandparent’s house. Uncle George and Aunt Izzy were already there with his cousin Maggie and Ted.
“Oh what is the matter with Ned today?” Aunt Izzy asked as she patted him on the head. “Not very happy?”
“Nope!” Ned snorted and then went to play with Maggie and Ted.
“I’ll tell you later,” Anne told her sister.
Soon, the eight of them—Richard Neville, Ann Beauchamp, Anne, Izzy, George and three kids—sat at the dinner table. Ned still looked unhappy and he ate very loudly. Anne looked at him disapprovingly.
“Ned, don’t make so much noise. It’s not appropriate,” she lectured her son.
Ned ate a little slower, but refused to talk to his mom.
It was at this moment, Richard finally came. He was working on a case.
He gave Anne a kiss and Ned a hug. As he sat down, Ned talked.
“Mom made me sign up for a talent show contest against my will,” he told his Dad. “That’s duress and thus illegal.”
All adults, except for Anne, around the table burst out laughing.
“That is not duress,” Anne corrected him. “You are my son and as your legal guardian, I have every right to enter you into any academic program that serves for your best interest.”
Ned looked at his Dad, his best friend in the house.
“Unfortunately, your mother is correct,” Richard told him. “But I think the experience will be good for you. Your Uncle George and I both participated talent show contest.”
“And what was it like?” Ned asked.
George made a face. “I was ten and I performed ‘Saint Go Marching In” and Dad was one of the judges.”
“So you won?” Ned asked.
“No,” George replied grumpily. “My Dad voted against me, despite that I practiced so hard every day and every hour.”
“I remember that,” Richard commented. “No wonder Mom’s face turns green every time she hears that song over the holiday season.”
“And how did you do Dad?” Ned asked.
“Well, it was rather an interesting story,” Richard said. “I was on the stage, and then suddenly power went out. So nothing came out of it.”
Richard Neville laughed. “I think Ned will be just fine.”
***
After dinner, Richard Neville took Ned to his office and showed him all the framed photos on his bookshelf. There was a picture of his parent’s wedding; of Ned’s as a baby; of Izzy and Anne holding their newborns; and pictures of his parents’ college graduation.
“This is your Dad graduating law school,” Richard Neville explained to his grandson. “And is your mother with her Master’s Degree. Now…”
He moved around the photos.
“Now I saved a space for you,” Richard Neville said affectionately. “A place for my grandson. When you are on the stage, remember to smile. Grandpa will bring the newest camera and take a good picture of you holding your first place trophy.”
After saying that, he hugged Ned and did not see how nervous he became.
***
On his way back home, Ned rode with his Dad.
“How come Mom always drive so slow?” he asked.
“Because it’s safer for her,” Richard replied. “Are you still not happy with Mom?”
Ned shook his head.
“Sometimes, Ned, parents do the best thing for their kids and kids don’t see it that way,” Richard explained. “But it will be a wonderful experience.”
“But I don’t even have a talent!”
“You have weeks to prepare and I’m sure you have some talent,” Richard said encouragingly. “Do your best and I will be proud of you.”
Anne came home twenty minutes after Richard got home with Ned.
As they prepared for bed, Richard asked her, “Why did you make Ned sign up for that talent show contest?”
“Because Ned needs to overcome his shyness,” Anne explained.
“Well, I’m afraid that it’d be more than just overcome his shyness,” Richard said. “We know how competitive your Dad is…and what is Ned going to do on stage anyway?”
Anne thought for a second. “I…I actually don’t know. He knows how to play violin—“
“As many other kids in school. And in terms of music, he will face tough competition when it comes to Asian kids with piano.”
“You think my Dad is competitive, and now you are developing a winning strategy,” Anne teased.
“I’m not,” Richard said as he joined her in bed. “I don’t want Ned to be scarred by this experience.”
“Scarred?” Anne said in disbelief. “Richard, I am a social worker and a marriage counselor. You think I don’t know what could’ve caused my own child emotional scars? I’m doing this for fun, but you and Dad are all about competition!”
***
Ned walked home from school, still wondering what to do for his talent show.
A car stopped by; it was his cousin Bess.
“Ned, you want a lift?” Bess asked; she got her driver’s license five months ago and was more than happy to offer people rides.
Without a word, Ned got into her car.
“You look grumpy today,” Bess commented. “Things got crazy at school?”
“Mom made me sign up for a talent show contest and I don’t know if I have any talent,” Ned said.
“What do you have in mind? It doesn’t always have to be music!”
“I…I’m thinking about a magic show,” Ned said.
“Oh! I know!” Bess remembered. “I’m taking you to see Nana Jacquetta! She knows magic more than anyone!”
She turned her car around and drove to Jacquetta River’s house.
***
“You want to do magic?” Jacquetta asked, interested. “What kind of magic you want to do?”
“I’m going to have a hat and pull a rabbit out of it,” Ned answered honestly.
“Too mundane,” Jacquetta shook her head. “Come, let me show you something else.”
Ned and Bess followed her into the backroom.
***
The day of the talent show competition was finally here. George wrote a speech for Ned to practice.
“Memorize this…and say all these before you begin your performance,” he told him.
“But Uncle George, what is TB?”
“That is a disease of lungs.”
“But Mom isn’t sick!”
“Trust me, say it and it will win over at least 75% of the audience!” George gave him a wink.
“Would it be perjury?”
“You did learn a lot from your Dad,” George let out a sigh.
All dressed, little Ned followed other talent show participants the draw numbers from a hat.
“Hey wait for your turn, York!” A bigger boy snarled at him. His name was Harry Lancaster, son of Edward Lancaster.
And somehow, Ned drew the number 1.
“Way to embarrass yourself York!” Harry Lancaster continued his bullying. “You’d be a loser like your Dad!”
“My Dad is not a loser,” Ned snapped. “Your Dad is the real loser.”
With his head high, he got onto the stage.
The curtain rolled up and Ned gave the audience a bow. He looked at the audience and found his parents and his entire York extended family. Richard had his phone, recording; Grandmother Cecily waved; Anne gave him a smile; Grandpa Richard Neville gave him a thumb up; Uncle George was giving him gestures (remember your speech); Aunt Izzy tried to control cousin Teddy; Uncle Ed and Aunt Liz came with their daughters. But Nana Jacquetta was not there, much to his disappointment.
Despite Mom found her freaky, Nana Jacquetta had been nice to him and loaned him her most precious magic equipment.
“My performance today…is for my Mom,” Ned began. “She is a very important person to me and she has being in much pain because of TV.”
“No!” George shouted in whisper. “It’s TB!”
Ed gave him a look.
“TV made her spit blood so much that my Dad had to drive her to the hospital. She was lucky enough to be alive even though TV killed so many other people.”
George face-palmed while Anne tried to hold down her laughs. Richard Neville shook his head.
Ned continued, “For my trick tonight, I will transform this stage and bring all participants together to show that how much we love each other despite we are fighting.”
That was taught by Bess and Jacquetta.
Meanwhile, in the back stage, Harry Lancaster tried to do something—anything—to ruin Ned’s performance. Behind the curtain, he spotted Ned’s cream-colored globe. He had no idea what it was but he was going to hide it somewhere.
Yet, the moment he touched the globe, he found his hands stuck on it.
He tried to move away, but couldn’t.
Soon other participants saw him and got interested. Yet, the moment they touched the globe, their hands and sleeves were glued on it too.
Thus, seven or eight kids were all surrounding one globe, struggling and tripping.
A teacher saw them and attempted to separate them, but got himself stuck too. He cried out for maintenance guy to help, but the maintenance guy somehow got stuck too. Two adults and a bunch of kids—shifting, struggling, fighting, and crying.
They tripped over the rope and the curtain fell.
They also tripped over the power line and the stage light went out.
All happened after Ned finished saying his magic word, “Izzy, wizzy, let’s get busy!”
The audience awed and gasped with what they saw: two adults and eight kids gathering around a glowing globe on a dark stage with Ned standing in the glowing light before the globe. Facing the audience, the individuals who stuck on the globe unwittingly smiled.
Ned turned around and was amazed himself.
“Ta-da!” He bowed to the audience.
And then one applause and two. Soon the entire audience applauded.
***
And the winner of the talent show contest was Ned York.
Well, given that all other contestants’ hands were glued on the globe by the superglue, they couldn’t compete anyway.
And his performance was indeed amazing.
Harry Lancaster shouted that Ned cheated, but teacher made him quiet.
“All of this wouldn’t happen if you didn’t try to ruin Ned’s show,” he rebuked him. “I hope you learned your lesson.”
Meanwhile Ned happily smiled with his trophy.
Richard Neville took a great picture for his beloved grandson.
On his way home, Ned asked, “Dad, would you be happy too had I lost?”
“As long as you did your best, I'm proud of you,” Richard told him. “And you did great."
Richard grinned to himself. His boy would be fine. After all, he inherited his mother’s genes: strange luck that able to turn things out strangely well.