06

#JackMiles

“Jaaccck!!” called out Mrs. Miles from the kitchen downstairs. 

“I’m coming mom.” I replied.

Jack~

I turned back and realized myself to be the only one in the room. Obviously, my younger brother was already down at the dining table, another wonderful feature possessed by the house. He must have been really hungry after mom had us arrange this room. I can’t blame him though, it was avery hefty job. 

“I better get downstairs before I get another round from where that came from. I can smell the aroma of what mom is cooking already.” I said walking towards the door heading downstairs to have some lunch. 

Going down the stairs I whistled a little jingle inhaling every bit of the scent of whatever mom had going down in the kitchen. I got to the dining table to meet an amazing set of dishes more than what I had hoped for and expected to be the family lunch. Reaching a few steps away from the dining room the scent became more dubbing and a whole lot stronger. 

Mom was really up to something. 

The meal seemed more like a buffet than something prepared for a lunch.

“What’s up with the glass dishes mom? I thought we were having a light lunch not a buffet.” I said locking myself unto a chair licking my lips in a ravaging manner. 

“Nothing Jack I just decided to whip up something a lot special since this was going to be our first lunch in this house besides it’s not anything like a buffet. It is just a little lunch with some motherly perfection ringed around it.” said Mrs. Miles bringing with her a dish of grilled fish seasoned with salad as the finishing touch of the food on her way into the dining room. 

“Aren’t Nina and the maids coming here?” asked Jenny escorting her mom from the kitchen.

“You haven’t replied me since I asked while in the car.” She added placing a dish before the marble table.

“How could I when you were so plugged into your phone when I had the answer. Now you see why I have issues with you and your brother being so attracted to your gadgets huh?” said Mrs. Miles.

“The maids are to commence work tomorrow dear. As for the chef, Nina I can’t be quite sure. She informed me that she had came down with a flu a few days back and by the looks of it, wouldn’t be joining us for a while.” said Mrs. Miles getting rid of a speck of dust sited at her seat before she settled down to eat.

“Too bad I really miss having her awesome apple pie. No offence mom but Nina makes the best apple pie ever.” said Jack putting his plate and cutleries in their right places. 

The gilt on the face of Jack’s mom suddenly went down. Mrs. Miles was without a doubt pissed. She could get a lot jealous when her kids appreciated someone else’ cooking over her cooking. There was a time when she had gotten so pissed off from having even banned Jenny from eating a waffle she usually orders online just because she had refused to eat hers.

“Enough talk everyone. Let’s eat. Certainly, I did not make an amazing fish, sauce and macaroni casserole just to get slapped in the face by Jack with chunks of who makes the best apple pie.” said Jack’s mom visibly irritated by his words.

Jack looked at her smiled and wiped his mouth with a hankie.

“Yeah right! The casserole! I hope it tastes as good as it looks mom. I could inhale the scent right from the time when I was going down the stairs. It would be really disappointing to get a different reaction after getting to draw in a very inviting aroma mom.” said Jack rubbing his palms together noticeably teasing as he gaggled.

“Stop it Jack! The joke’s gone pretty old. Eat up and stop with your annoying words.” said Jenny giving him a little push from the comfort of her seat.

“Trust me. Mom could do much worse than ban you from having apple pie you know’ Remember what happened with the waffles?” added Jenny whispering into Jack’s ear.

“Yeah! How can I not remember? Mom had us eating homemade food for a year after what you pulled off.” said Jack whispering back. 

“But like seriously, what’s worse than getting banned?” he added hands crossed.

“Why don’t you keep talking and find out?” replied Jenny giving Jack a wink.

Mrs. Miles gave them both the stop-talking face.

 With all things set in order, the Miles’ family began lunch. Being at the dining table originally meant no discussions especially while eating. The Miles’ children had been raised that way such that it had become part and parcel of them. They all had full bellies having their hunger pangs satisfied with a great load of scrumptious dishes.

After the decent lunch, Jack headed upstairs to his room. He picked up his phone, sat on his bed chatting on his social media apps and after a while dashed out to explore the compound surrounding the house even more. Jack wanted to know and see for himself all that had occupied in the surrounding area.

Jack~

“This place really has everything.” “I wonder if dad considered the structure of a basketball court that I had insisted and told him about during the search and modifications made for a new home?”

“I guess he did.” I said walking out of the house as I sited a nice looking basketball court not so far from the garage.

I ran up to the court awestruck. 

“Dad’s the best!” I said when I finally got to the place swallowing it all with my eyes.

“It looks just like a standard court and possibly even more accurate than the one that I played on at high school.” I added fascinated at how wonderful the work my dad had done was in erecting that court. 

Since I had graduated from high school I had not set my eyes on a basketball court say more of make a dunk so having my filthy rich parents build in one was really witty of me. This looks like the perfect spot to maybe have a rematch with the school’s senior team. 

I took a basketball that had been set amongst some others kept in a netted box in the garage unto my palm and bounced it like I always did back in high school, feeling the weight and tense of the ball like I was taught to. 

With a swift throw I released the ball into the air hoping that I would make a perfect dunk. The ball flew across the sky and made its way over the net and the platform that held it in place. Disappointing!

“Shit!” I snarled and cursed at the same time going to get the ball.

I guess I do not just have it as much as I had thought. Taking the ball for the second time in my arms, I tried to make another dunk but still, it did not make it in. The ball seemed settled on making me desperate for a perfect score. 

“That’s it! I came here to make a few dunks but seeing as the ball won’t just go through the ring after giving it two trials, there’s only one thing to do.” I said reaching into my pocket to get my phone out.

Jack brought out his phone and had it set in video recording mode determined to make about 10 perfect dunks before leaving. He knew that he had what it took and maybe just a few months of not playing must have weakened his hands. A few dunks were what Jack Miles needed to get his game back on.

“Here we go.” he said making a stand at the middle of the court.

Jack bounced the ball head up estimating the level of force needed to be employed in order to make a perfect dunk. With great anticipation and courage, he released the ball into the air in a rather swift leap watching as it went up and then gradually descended into the center of the ring making a perfect dunk.

“Strike 1!” he cheered with a clap unmindful of the fact that the ball was heading towards the outside area. 

“Woah! It is kind of hard to believe that I had to make two void throws before I had one to get in That’s odd usually I have a perfect aiming and a perfect throw when not under pressure from coach nor anyone. Anyways its one down, nine more to go so I can prove to myself that I still got it.”Jack added raising his eyes to the ring with his hands marked on his waistline. 

Jack had the strong will and the confidence that the world was his and that all he had to do when he needed something was to put in a little determination and self-confidence and then reach for it.

Very optimistic!

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hope you had a nice read. Now to help keep me motivated and going with this wonderful book, rate how you felt with a range of (highest rate)5 - 0.5(lowest rate) stars and also leave inline comments. Have a prosperous day. *For any confusions please note that I am narrating a little backstory of Ella and Jack before they ran into each others’ lives #JackMiles is Jack’s life and #EllaKendle is Ella’s life as well as conserving the use of a narrator’s (Omniscient) point of view and the first person point of view.*