Dave Casler
PO Box 98
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
Young Adult Novels by Dave Casler...
I've been told by publisher after publisher that there's no market for Young Adult novels. I think they're wrong! So I'm putting my novels on-line for you. Forget the publisher! Read to your heart's content--it's free! And, I'd like to hear from you, too! Contact Page.
You're reading About Phillip. Be sure to check out About Dan here.
Phillip is a computer nerd who suddenly discovers a liking for track. Everything would be fine except for his father.
About Series Home
About the About Series
Index to All Chapters
Here are all the chapters, disguised as asterisks. Hover your mouse over an asterisk to see the title of the chapter. Click on the asterisk to go straight to that chapter.
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(About Phillip Home) (Last) (Next)
Being Like Uncle Bill
"I guess I’ve tried to be like Uncle Bill. He was stern with me, I suppose. Maybe that’s why I’m stern with the kids. I want them to be tough and face life." He paused and sat back in his chair. Margo said nothing. "He wouldn’t take any whining, and I had lots to whine about. He always told me I needed to face reality and get on with life. ‘Suck it up and move on,’ he’d say. It was his favorite phrase. I always thought he was right. Still do. I wish I could get that message across to Phillip. I mean, we had some tense moments with Richard, but he finally got the idea. Phillip…" He paused to stiffen his resolve. "…needs to understand that."
She smiled wanly. "Honey…" she said hesitantly. She leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "Phillip’s different. I know we gave him William as his middle name, but that doesn’t make him Uncle Bill. He’s different from Richard and Martin."
He was puzzled. He spoke defensively. "What’s that got to do with it? He can’t carry on like he’s been doing! He’s been disrespectful. I can’t let him get away with that. The scene in front of the bishop at the Haven’s was totally out of line!"
"Honey…"
Lance stood up to pace the kitchen. "No, I mean it! I think we should make him drop out of track as a consequence for his behavior. His inattention to driving broke Martin’s arm and bruised you and…"
"No! Now, honey, listen to me…"
"But Margo, we’ve been through this before. We’ve always agreed on how to raise the kids. This is just…"
"No! Lance! You are too stubborn for your own good! Now listen!"
Lance sat down. He picked up another cookie. Margo rarely spoke up like this; he knew he’d better pay attention. "What?" he asked impatiently.
Margo breathed deeply and dived in. "Phillip is Phillip, not Richard or Martin or Uncle Bill. He has different interests and needs right now. We need to respect that."
"He still needs to do certain things. His father’s an Eagle Scout, so’s his brother, and Martin…"
"Honey, that’s a dead issue. There’s no shame in having a son who doesn’t like scouting."
"He’s being irresponsible by refusing to learn to drive. It’s simply expected of a young man his age and…"
"After the accident, I think that’s a dead issue, too."
"He doesn’t want to take responsibility for the accident."
"Honey, the situation was very confused. It could have happened to anyone."
Lance thought for a few seconds. "Well, at least his sports get him out of the house. He’s not locked up with that computer all the time."
"Honey, don’t you see why? He does track because he loves it, not because he has to."
"We can’t do just the things we love. There are other things expected of us."
Margo paused. She waited until Lance was looking at her. "You love your furniture store, don’t you?"
Lance winced. He stood up again and walked to the kitchen sink. He put his hands on the edge and leaned on them; he stared out the window into the early evening sky.
"Yes, I do."
She spoke gently. "We need to give Phillip the same privilege."
He turned around and leaned against the sink. "All right, what do you think I should do?"
"Honey, I’ve been thinking a lot about Phillip and why he left. I think he thinks you’ll never forgive him for the accident."
"It was a very expensive accident, Margo."
"Honey! That’s not the point. He’s a boy. He’s more important than a car."
"But what do I say? I can’t just walk in and smile at him and say we’ll just move on and forget the whole thing."
"Why not?"
Lance looked at her sharply. "We can’t forget it. The money has to be paid somehow."
"And I’m sure it will be. But can’t we separate your relationship with Phillip from the money? Money comes and goes. We’ll be a family forever."
Lance sighed. He sat down across from Margo, leaned back and folded his arms. "Ok, give me my instructions," he said grudgingly.
Margo leaned forward. "Today’s Wednesday. You’re leaving for Young Men’s in a few minutes. When you see Phillip tonight, ask him if we can meet with him tomorrow at the Haven’s…" Lance sat upright. "No, honey, we want to meet him in a place that’s more comfortable for him. Tomorrow night after his track meet. And then I want you to be on your best behavior. If you feel your temper getting out of control, let me do the talking, ok?"
"You’ve been cooking this up with your mother, haven’t you?"
"Yes."
Lance looked at his watch. He grabbed a cookie and stood. "Whatever you think will work, dear," he muttered.
He opened the door to the dining room where Martin was doing his homework. "Let’s go. We’ll be late."