by Sofie Hern
“Call the damn cops!”
“Jake... I.... Will you let me explain?” I try to reason with him.
“Fuck her!” he yells in my face and I push him back.
“Calm the fuck down!” I yell back.
He comes back at me. “You’re a fucking pussy!” he says and punches me in the face.
I stumble back and trip on my own feet, landing on the floor, on my ass.
“Whoa… Whoa!” Howard emerges from the office and holds Jaycob back right as he’s about to kick me.
I remain on the floor as the left side of my face starts to throb.
“Come on, Jake,” Howard attempts to take him out of the kitchen but Jaycob is stronger.
“She’s a fucking psycho!” Screams Jaycob as Howard takes him upstairs.
I rub my face with one hand, then touch my left cheekbone and look at my hand to find blood. “Shit.”
17
ADAM
I use the downstairs bathroom to get cleaned up. I look in the mirror to find a gash on my cheek and blood slowly oozing out of it. I take a tissue and wipe the blood, then wash it. I can feel my eye starting to swell.
Howard is waiting for me in the den.
“Damn. He got you pretty good, man,” he says and goes to grab a paper towel and I sit on the sofa.
“Here.” He hands me the towel. “Press down on it.”
“Thanks.”
He looks at me for a moment, shakes his head, then goes to the refrigerator and comes back with an ice pack. He sits on the coffee table in front of me. “You can’t let her get away with this shit, Adam.”
“I know and I won’t.”
He nods and goes to the restroom returning with a first aid kit. He takes out of a few antiseptic wipes and cleans my face, then puts a band-aid over my cheek. “I think that’ll do.”
“Thanks,” I say and go upstairs to get changed.
–
I have blood on my T-shirt so I put it in the hamper then put on a clean one along with jeans and shoes and go back downstairs to find Aaron at the kitchen table, and Jaycob grabs a box of cereal.
“What happened?” asks Aaron looking at my face.
Jaycob puts the cereal and milk on the table and goes upstairs, bumping me as he passed me by.
“I, uh… hit myself on the door… no big deal,” I smile but he looks skeptical.
I pour cereal for him and add milk. “Be right back, okay?” I say and follow Jaycob to his room.
I open the door and find him sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to the door.
“Jake.”
“What?”
“Can we talk?”
He says nothing.
I walk in anyway and sit next to him. “Jake, I know you're angry, but I need you to know that I will not let her get away with this.”
He finally looks at me. “No?”
“Of course not. She has to learn that she can’t go around doing this shit just because she’s angry or sad or whatever.”
“So I punched you for nothing then?”
I smile. “I think I deserved it for not telling you in the first place. I’m still learning, Jake. I’m just used to doing things on my own. Sorry.”
“I think we’re both learning.” He says. “So when are you calling the cops?”
“I’ll talk to Thomas and see what we can do.”
“Okay,” he says and we go downstairs.
–
Aaron is done with his breakfast and Jaycob sits at the table. I look at the clock and realize that Rita will be arriving in just over an hour and I want to get everything I needed for dinner. Yes, I’m very excited to see her and hang out. It will also help Aaron and Jaycob to see a familiar face and her visit will be a huge morale boost.
–
I help Aaron get dressed and then the two of us go to the grocery store. The late morning is warm and we drive with the windows down. At the grocery store, I get everything I need for dinner, which will include pork. Aaron is curious as to why I’m buying so much and I only smile. When we get home, I see Rita’s car in the driveway.
“That looks like Rita’s car!” Aaron exclaims.
Jaycob emerges from the house and helps with the groceries while I put Aaron his chair, then we go up the ramp.
–
Aaron is the first one in and Rita emerges from the kitchen. She smiles and my heart flutters. She looks beautiful with a pink top. Her cherry red hair falls over her shoulders as she leans in to give Aaron a hug.
“Hey, little man.”
“Look at my chair!”
“That's so cool! Now we can go to the desert!” she says and then goes to give Jaycob a hug.
“I miss you guys.”
She then approaches me. “Ouch!” she says, looking at the shiner. “Are you okay?”
I only nod.
She studies me for a moment, then gives me a hug and everything around me fades away… or at least it did right up until Frank emerges from the kitchen. Talk about a buzz kill.
I let go of the beautiful woman and Frank shakes Aaron’s hand.
“How are you?” he asks.
“Good,” smiles Aaron then Frank moves along to shake Jaycob’s hand and then mine.
“Good to see you guys,” I say and we move to the kitchen.
–
Rita continues to look at my eye and I feel her gray eyes on me which makes me more nervous.
Howard is talking to Frank and tells him about the motor scooter he has in the garage that isn’t working and takes Frank to it. Aaron and Jaycob follow.
When they’re gone, Rita sits next to me.
“So, what happened to you?”
I feel nervous sitting next to her and clear my throat. “Jaycob and I had a… a little fight.”
She continues to study me.
“I’ll be okay.”
“What was it about?”
“I, uh… I found out that Irene was the one who painted on the grave.”
“Oh, wow,” she says and we’re quiet for a long time. “Well, thanks for telling me,” she says and gets to her feet.
“I'm sorry, Rita. I only just found out this morning.”
She says nothing and walks away.
Well, this day is shit.
–
I stand and go to put the groceries away. Moments later everyone emerges from the garage.
“We’re going to the beach!” announces Aaron, who is followed by everyone.
“Is that okay?” asks Howard.
“Yes, of course.”
They all leave the kitchen and Rita avoids eye contact as she walks past. Definitely not the day I had planned. Rita’s angry with me, Frank shows up and I still have to make the stupid dinner. I throw a bunch of carrots on the table in frustration.
18
AARON
When Aaron and everyone gets home, the house smells delicious and Uncle Adam set up the dining table for dinner. After talking for a while and resting after a long day at the beach, everyone sits at the table. Uncle Adam made pork tenderloin with a cranberry and orange glaze, potatoes and steamed vegetables. Aaron sits next to Uncle Adam, who helps him cut his food and everyone compliments the wonderful food.
Aaron loves having everyone together. They talk about different things like motorcycles, jet engines and his uncle tells Frank and Rita about Aaron’s procedure.
“So they just let the guy go?” asks Frank.
Aaron becomes nervous.
“Yeah, it was an unfortunate accident,” says Uncle Adam and Jaycob laughs.
Everyone turns to him, but he shakes his head.
“Dinner is delicious!” says Rita, and Aaron is glad that she changed the subject.
They all continue to talk and share stories.
“You okay, buddy?” asks Uncle Adam in Aaron’s ear.
“Yeah.” he smiles, but is wondering why Jaycob laughed. Does he know what only Aaron and Sal know?
–
Whe
n they are finished eating, everyone sits on the sofa in the den and continue to talk for a while, then it’s time to say goodbye to Rita and Frank.
“It was so good to see you, little man,” she says as they all walk to the door. She gives everyone a hug.
“See you real soon, okay? Keep fighting and you’ll be walking by the next time I see you,” she smiles and gives Aaron another hug and just like that, Rita is gone and they go back to the den.
“Really cool friends you got, Aaron,” says Howard and Aaron smiles.
While Uncle Adam cleans the kitchen with Jaycob’s help, Howard and Aaron watch a movie and soon Aaron starts to get sleepy.
“Can I go to bed now?” he asks and Uncle Adam takes him up to his room.
–
Aaron likes how patient Uncle Adam is with him. He helps him take a sponge bath and then helps him brush his teeth. In the room, he helps him change into clean pajamas and then puts him to bed all while Aaron tells him all about his day with Rita.
“I’m so glad you had a nice day with Rita.”
“She said that next time she comes, we’re gonna go to Disneyland, isn’t that cool?”
“Disneyland is beautiful, you’ll love it,” says Uncle and gives him a kiss. “Goodnight, buddy.”
19
ADAM
Rita's visit left me discouraged. First, because I upset her and then because I saw Frank and I was hit by the reality that no matter how I feel about her, it will not change a thing. I feel like a fool too, she came to see Aaron, what the hell was I thinking? I decide to keep my distance and only answer her questions about Aaron's progress.
I lie in bed thinking about her and shake my head. “Leave me alone, Rita,” I whisper and rub my eyes. I check my phone for the time and see that it’s 6:23 a.m. on Monday morning.
All in all, though, Aaron had a great weekend. Howard finally got a stair lift installed and got an extra wheelchair for Aaron to keep upstairs which makes a huge difference.
I take a deep breath and get out of bed to go to the bathroom. We have a busy day, which starts with Beth arriving in a few hours. I take a shower, brush my teeth and look in the mirror. The swelling around my eye is gone, leaving behind a nasty tri-colored bruise, purple, blue and yellow and the cut is healing okay.
I sit on the bed to get my thoughts in order. Thomas and I need to get together and discuss a few things, including Irene’s vandalism. I need to check-in at work and see how things are going there and check on the house. I figure it’s time to take a trip back to Henderson for a couple of days.
Jaycob interrupts my thoughts when he knocks on the door.
“Hey, I’m going to work now.”
I go to the door and open it. “Okay, Jake. Have a good day.”
“I think Aaron was in a little bit of pain last night,” he says.
“Why?”
“He said his back was hurting, you might wanna ask the doctor when you go later.”
I nod and he turns to leave.
“Oh, Jake?”
“Yeah?”
“I'm going home for a few days.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Well, I have to take care of the Irene situation and check on a few things.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow. You can stay with Aaron while I'm gone, if… that's okay with you.”
“Of course,” he says. “Also, I was thinking that maybe we should get Aaron a tutor while he recovers. I’d hate for him to fall behind at school. I’ll pay for it.”
There he goes again, thinking about something that has not even crossed my mind. “Sounds good, Jake. Want to take care of that?”
“Sure,” he says and I walk with him downstairs where Howard is waiting for Jaycob.
“Beth’s room is ready,” says Howard as they walk out the door.
“Thanks, man.”
When they are gone, I go to the kitchen to get breakfast started.
–
I call Thomas to let him know that I’ll be coming home to discuss a few things. When I get off the phone, I put a pan on the stove for pancakes as the monitor comes on.
“I'm awake,” says Aaron and I go up to get him.
“Hey, champ.”
“Good morning,” he says and I help him out of bed then carry him downstairs.
–
I’m still not used to the stair lift, plus, I like carrying him up and down.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” he says.
I put him in the chair downstairs and help him to the bathroom. I help him wash his hands, then he follows me back to the kitchen where I help him put the tablet on the mount and then he goes to the table.
“Pancakes sound good?” I ask.
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
I noticed he’s a bit nervous.
“You okay, buddy?” I ask as I take the mix and put it on the counter.
“Who was the man at my mom's funeral?”
His question is completely unexpected. I’m putting water in the mix, but stop, then go around, pull out a chair and sit in front of him.
“What guy?”
He takes a deep breath. “The one who helped carry her… is he… my dad?”
“Why do you ask?”
He starts to cry and avoids eye contact. My heart is pounding because I know where he’s headed. I’m not sure if is anticipation or fear, but I’m nervous.
“Is he… my dad?”
I take a deep breath. “Yes, Aaron, he’s your dad.”
For a moment he says nothing and I see the fear in his eyes.
“It was him wasn’t it?” I ask, trying to make it easy for him. “The one chasing you that day?”
“Yes,” he says and starts to sob. I get off the chair and kneel in front of him.
“He said he was gonna take me away,” he cries.
“That’ll never happen. I promise.”
I kiss the top of his head, then wipe away his tears. “Thank you for telling me. My friend Thomas and I are going to make sure he never gets near you, okay?”
“Okay.”
I’m feeling pretty good about myself right now for being patient and not pushing the issue, but mostly I’m proud of him for telling me.
“How about some pancakes?”
He smiles now.
I’m also more worried than before and know I have to take care of that. Knowing that Levy is still out there scares me.
When we finish breakfast, I take Aaron upstairs for a bath and I’m glad that he’s feeling better.
“Uncle Adam?”
“Yes?”
“Why did he leave?”
I take a deep breath and wonder how much Tianna shared with him about the man.
“I don’t know why, buddy. All I know is that your mom did a wonderful job raising you and she's so proud of you for being so brave.”
“I miss my mom so much.”
“What do you miss the most?”
“Her voice and how she made me laugh.”
“I miss her too.”
Aaron’s life has been altered forever, and I imagine he is scared of a future without his mom.
“I know it's scary to not have your mom around, guiding you and making you feel safe. But… I want you to know that I'll do my best to… to be like a father to you.”
I've always felt this way. I’m only being honest.
“You have been like a dad to me.”
I smile, “Thanks, buddy.”
I help him out of the tub, carry him to the bed and place a towel around him and then help him get dressed, being careful with his shoulder.
“Did I tell you I'm in the process of adopting you?”
“Really?”
I see a spark in his eye.
“Yes, sir. How do you feel about that?”
“That’s awesome! Will I have to call you dad?”
His question makes me smile. “I think I like Uncle Adam best,” I say and smile.
“Me
, too.”
20
ADAM
I feel better knowing that Beth will watch Aaron while I’m in Henderson and Jaycob is able to take a couple of days off to help out. As it turns out, the pain in Aaron’s back is nothing of concern. His doctor gave him some medicine for the discomfort and instructed us to help him do some stretching exercises at least three times a day.
I have so much to share with Rita, but I know she’s still upset and we have not spoken since her visit. She does text and email to check on Aaron but it doesn’t go beyond that. I hold the phone in my hand, contemplating calling her. I need to tell her that I’m sorry, again for upsetting her and also about Levy.
I take a deep breath and make the call. I’m nervous because I know that as soon as I hear her sweet voice, the butterflies will be unleashed. Plus, it’s so damn early.
“Hi, Adam”
My heart skips a beat. “Hi, Rita… um… are you busy?”
“Just getting ready for a camping trip. What’s up?”
I’m a little bit jealous and disappointed that I won’t see her this time. “I wanted to say sorry about what happened and that I’ll take care of it.”
“I know you will, Adam.”
“And also that Aaron finally told me about Levy. It was him that day, chasing him.”
“I knew it… ugh! What happens now?”
“I'm going home for a couple of days. Thomas is going to help with everything. With Levy and Irene and…” I was about to say Jordyn but don’t. Her main concern is Aaron, not my family drama. “We’ll press charges.”
“He needs to be fucking charged with attempted kidnapping! Please keep me posted. I won’t be able to see you and not sure if I’ll have cell reception where I’m going, but please try.”
“I will… and Rita? I’m sorry about Irene and what she did. I promise I’ll fix this.”
“I hope you do. Talk to you soon, okay?”
“Okay. Bye.” I put my phone in my pocket, make sure I’m not leaving anything behind and go say goodbye.
–
Thankfully, Aaron is already awake.
“Hey, buddy.”
Beth is cleaning his room. You will not believe just how energetic she is. During her first morning here she was up early, did yoga in the back yard, helped us clean and made a mean breakfast burger. I know it sounds gross, but believe me, It’s amazing.
