Balk (Home Stand #2)

by Lacy Hart

  “Here you go,” he told the girl. “Keep whatever change there is.”

  “Thank you, sir!” the girl beamed, happy at the big tip.

  I’ve clearly had enough and said too much, Wes thought to himself.

  He picked up his cell phone and thought about calling Kristin to apologize, but he knew she the chances of her answering were slim to none. He also saw that he already received a text message from Izzy:

  What did you do?

  Wes rose from the table and went out into the mall. The heat from the crowd made him uncomfortable and queasy, so he slipped out the exit closest to the restaurant, knowing the car with Kristin and Izzy was likely on its way by now.

  The fresh night air revived him a bit, and he slumped onto the stone bench out in front of the entrance, grateful that he hadn’t worn a jacket. He stared off into the parking lot and watched the headlights that beamed towards him and off in the distance.

  Now what? He wondered.

  Wes picked up his cell phone again, saw no new messages from anyone, and then slid his cell phone screen over to where the icon for the ride app hung so he could click on it. His ride would be to him in about ten minutes.

  Until then, everything else needed to wait.

  9

  Naturally, the ride Wes called for showed up later than expected and that left Wes to sit on the bench outside the mall before it finally rolled in. The drinks Wes drank in short order at the bar started to wear off a bit, and a steady, dull ache made its way into his skull when he climbed into the car. With the way his luck ran that night, the driver also recognized him, meaning Wes had little opportunity to close his eyes and rest for the ride home.

  The driver was a nice enough older gentleman, but he went on and on about the Pirates, Wes’ playing days, how he should play again, and more. He asked a lot of questions that Wes really didn’t feel like answering, but he gave the driver short responses and kept his eyes closed, as he begged internally the man would get the hint and just pay attention to the road instead of droning on and on with incessant questions.

  When they reached the road that led up to the house, the remarks kept up about the property, the home, and more. Elation and gratefulness washed over Wes as he got out of the vehicle and gave the driver, whose name was Dave, an autograph, but he refused the selfie the driver wanted to take, knowing he looked less than his best at this point.

  Wes made his way into the house, and he immediately noticed the silence. A quick glance at his watch showed it was after 11, and Wes knew that both Izzy and Kristin were likely long in bed for the night. He thought about going up to check on Izzy and then figured it best to check on Kristin first. He gently pushed open the bedroom door and held it tight to keep it from creaking so she wouldn’t be disturbed.

  Part of Wes hoped that Kristin was still awake so he could apologize to her and talk things over, but when he looked in, he saw Kristin snuggled under the blanket right in the middle of the bed. He walked over to the bed cautiously and saw her eyes shut, and she breathed softly as she slept. Instead of disturbing her and moving her over so that he could take his spot on the bed, Wes gave Kristin a quick peck on the forehead and ambled out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

  Wes walked downstairs to what everyone called ‘his room’ and flipped on the lights. He kicked off his shoes and took a seat on one of the swivel chairs at the bar while he tossed his keys and wallet on the mahogany bar top. Wes considered a move to behind the bar to grab a beer but thought better of it based on how the night had already gone for him. Instead, he walked behind the bar to the fridge positioned there and grabbed a cold bottle of water. After downing half the bottle to help rehydrate, Wes went over to the large couch and sat down on what would be his bed for the night. Wes grabbed the blanket draped over the back of the sofa and one of the throw pillows and laid down as he tried to make the best of the situation. His thoughts were consumed about how to deal with his behavior so he could make things up to Kristin.

  ****

  When he awoke in the morning, Wes knew right away that he had a terrible night of sleep. He tossed and turned, and almost fell off the couch several times. He lifted his head up and tried to focus on the watch he had left on his wrist. He saw it was after 9 already, which meant that Izzy and Kristin both should be awake. Wes sat up on the sofa and rubbed his temples to massage the ache he felt. The pain, along with the cottonmouth he experienced, gave him the instant reminder about the previous night. Wes had always been able to hold his liquor well but drinking those three beers in about twenty minutes proved too much even for him.

  Wes got to his feet and looked at the end of the bar where he had left his keys and wallet. Positioned next to his belongings, he spied a cup of coffee, a bottle of water, some Advil, and some Tums. Wes quickly tossed the Advil into his mouth and chased them down with the water, and then helped himself to a drink of the still-warm, strong coffee. Just that small taste of the coffee seemed to bring Wes back to life a bit and make him feel better. He saw all these items there and took them as a good sign that maybe Kristin forgave him already for his actions, and Wes made his way upstairs, using the railing to help pull himself along.

  Wes got upstairs and walked into the kitchen, still sipping his coffee. He hoped Kristin would be in there, but no sign of her existed. He peeked into the bedroom and saw emptiness, with the bed neatly made and the bathroom door wide open. Wes massaged his forehead again, and he went back to the kitchen. He then heard footsteps pounding down the main staircase that made his headache pulse. Within seconds, Izzy walked into the kitchen and gave her father a quick glance.

  “Boy, don’t you look great,” she said sarcastically as she put a few stray dishes in the dishwasher.

  “Thanks,” Wes answered as he sat down at the kitchen table. “Where’s Kristin?”

  “She left hours ago,” Izzy said to Wes. Izzy walked to him with the pot of coffee and offered to refill his mug.

  Wes held the cup steadily on the table while Izzy poured steaming coffee into it. He took a small sip, so the hotter liquid worked through his system to revive him.

  “Where did she go? She didn’t have to work today.”

  “I don’t know,” Izzy said, pouring herself some coffee before she sat at the table opposite her father. “She just said she didn’t want to be here when you woke up.”

  “Great,” Wes bemoaned. “Since when do you drink coffee?”

  Izzy poured some flavored creamer into her coffee and drank some.

  “Dad, I’ve been drinking coffee for a while. My friends and I go to the coffee place by the school all the time,” Izzy told him, feeling more mature as she sipped.

  “Okay, well that’s a discussion for another time. Right now, I need to get dressed and find Kristin.”

  Wes got up from the table and started to move towards the bedroom.

  “I wouldn’t do that, Dad,” Izzy stated. “She was still pretty mad about last night. Maybe you just want to give her some time to herself.”

  “What do you know about last night?” Wes said with dread.

  “I know you weren’t in the car with us when we drove home. I know Kris told me all about what happened over drinks with Karen and Brian. I know you put your foot in your mouth and Kris got really upset. I don’t understand why people drink at all; it just leads to trouble.”

  Izzy sat back and drank her coffee more while she stared at her father.

  “She couldn’t have been too mad if she left me stuff downstairs for when I woke up,” Wes rationalized hopefully.

  “Yeah, that was me that left that stuff. I figured you would need it. Kris woke me up to let me know she was leaving the house. You’re welcome.”

  Wes turned back and sat down in his chair again, and let loose a deep sigh as he massaged his temples again.

  “Want to know what I would do?” Izzy said to him.

  “Please, oh Wise One, let me know, with all your experience with relationships,” Wes answered. />
  “If you don’t want my help, that’s fine,” Izzy replied, as she stood up and moved over to the sink, rinsing her now-empty coffee mug. “But I might be the only ally you have right now to help you out.” Izzy started towards the kitchen doorway to go back to her room.

  “Fine,” Wes stated loudly. He pushed out the empty chair Izzy sat in with his foot to let her know she should come back. “Tell me what you would do.”

  Izzy returned and sat and looked earnestly at her father.

  “I wouldn’t go chasing all over Chandler for her, number one. If you do find her, you’re just going to make her angrier by addressing the whole thing in front of other people, like you did last night. Give her a chance to do what she wants to do today, to get a handle on her feelings, and be ready for her when she comes home.”

  “And then what?” Wes waited in anticipation with the assumption that there had to be more.

  “Then you talk to her, Dad,” Izzy told him. “You haven’t spent time talking to Kris or me in weeks. You just sit there quietly, and no one knows what’s going on with you. Tell her what’s in your head, what you are feeling and what you are planning. She deserves to know, and so do I for that matter. What you decide affects all of us, you know, not just you.”

  “I don’t want to make her more upset by talking about wanting to play again,” Wes said honestly.

  “But if that’s what’s going through your head, she needs to know that, Dad. It’s not fair to us for you to keep it all inside and then tell us the day you are leaving that ‘Oh, by the way, I’m going to play baseball again. See you in 6 months.’ You can’t do that to either of us. I’m not eight years old anymore where you can just leave and shuffle me off to Grandma and Grandpa’s for the season. We need to talk about these things, as a family, and Kris is a big part of that too… isn’t she?”

  Wes sensed a tinge of worry in Izzy’s voice.

  “Of course, she is, Izzy,” Wes reassured her. “You two mean the world to me, and I’m sorry if I hurt you. It’s just been a tough time for me, I guess, and with all the two of you have going on in your lives, I thought you had enough to worry about.”

  “I always want to know what’s going on with you, Dad. Having you around for the last year has been incredible. We’ve got the chance to know each other. That doesn’t mean I would be against you playing again, but I sure would miss having you around each day to talk to, hang out with, or annoy.” Izzy smiled broadly at her Dad.

  “Oh, there’s plenty of that going on, don’t worry,” Wes told her, smiling back. “Okay, I will take your advice and wait for her to come home today so we can talk.”

  Wes moved over and stood in front of Izzy, opening his arms. Izzy rose and gave her father a big hug.

  “Okay, advice time is over,” Izzy told him. “Now go take a shower. You smell like old beer bottles.”

  “Thanks,” Wes said snidely. Izzy started bounding off to her room again.

  “Where are you going?” Wes asked as he watched her.

  “A few of the girls from the cast are picking me up at 11. We have rehearsals today, and then we are going to hang out. Besides, I don’t want to be here when you two are making up and getting all mushy.” Izzy made kissing noises, before laughing and going upstairs, leaving Wes to clean himself up and figure out how he was going to talk to Kristin.

  ****

  Kristin sat and scoured over the pages of the wedding magazine that Karen put in front of her as she earmarked pages of dresses, shoes, hairstyles and more that she thought would be great for the wedding. She already noted several items that she liked while Karen worked on creating a detailed list of who she wanted to invite to their big day.

  “Karen, have you guys picked a date yet? We’re looking at all this stuff and selecting items, but you need to know what day you are going to try to do all this,” Kristin remarked.

  “We’re going for May 22nd,” Karen said casually, writing more things down on her notepad.

  “So, you have a little more than 2 months to do all of this? You are nuts. I don’t know how you can pull it all together that fast.”

  “Stop panicking, Kris. We have it under control. We’re going to use the hall at the VFW for the reception. I already booked it. Brian knows someone at the restaurant who offered to take care of the catering and everything, so we have the food all set. I’m going to talk to Father Griffin at the church tomorrow to see about having the ceremony there if it’s free. If not, we can just get married outside somewhere. It will all work out, I promise. You’re more worried about it than I am.”

  Karen went back to looking at her contacts list on her laptop and wrote names down while Kristin flipped through some more pages of the magazine. The two were silent for a minute or two before Karen looked over her computer screen at Kristin.

  “You know, we haven't talked about last night,” Karen offered. “How was Wes this morning?”

  Kristin flipped through some pages faster now.

  “I don’t know. He wasn’t awake when I left, and he slept down in the entertainment room last night.”

  Karen nodded and waited for Kristin to tell her more, but Kristin didn’t offer anything. Kristin peered at Karen and flashed one of the pages she was looking at to her.

  “How about this one?” Kristin asked, showing her the flowing wedding dress.

  “Not enough cleavage,” Karen said. “So, you guys haven’t talked at all?”

  Kristin put the magazine down.

  “Karen, he was out of line last night. I get he drank too much too fast, but the way he talked to me, and to you and Brian, was unacceptable, and then the way he behaved after you guys left… well, I am still mad about it.”

  “I get it,” Karen answered. “But you know Wes is a great guy, and maybe he just had a bad night. Goodness knows I’ve had too much to drink and perhaps said or did things I shouldn’t have done, and you still talk to me.”

  “It’s not that I won’t talk to Wes again, Karen. You know that. But it was all very frustrating for me, and still is. I know he hasn’t been happy, but he also hasn’t let me in to do anything, to support him, or help him out. And then he lashes out at Izzy or me when he can’t handle it.”

  “Is that why you hadn’t told him about my engagement?” Karen asked.

  Kristin sat back in her chair and looked at Karen.

  “There are a couple of reasons why I didn’t,” Kristin admitted. “First is that we have hardly had a conversation in weeks. Every time I try to talk to him about anything, he just gives me short answers or says nothing at all. Second… and please don’t take this the wrong way… I think I was a little angry that you got engaged.”

  “Angry?” Karen said with surprise. “At me? Why?”

  “Not so much at you, but at the whole thing. You were right when we talked about marriage and all that, and you told me about your engagement. I think part of me was jealous that it was you who got engaged and not me, and maybe I held that against Wes as well.”

  Karen just looked at Kristin without a response.

  “I know,” Kristin stated to break the silence. “It’s petty and unfair, and it has nothing really to do with you.”

  “Hey,” Karen told Kristin as Karen rose from the table and stood next to her friend. “I was as shocked as anybody that I got engaged. To be honest, I thought you and Wes would have done it long ago. You guys are so in love and so good together, it just seems natural. Have… have you talked to Wes about any of this?”

  “No, Kristin said dejectedly. “It’s on the growing list of things that we haven’t talked about.”

  “Sounds to me like you two have a lot you need to go over.”

  Karen leaned down and put her arms around Kristin to hug her.

  “All this stuff can wait, Kris. You and I can get together and talk about dresses and stuff any day. You should probably go and talk to Wes and straighten all this out.”

  “Are you sure?” Kristin asked, but Karen just nodded and smiled
.

  Kristin rose from her chair and gave Karen a tighter hug.

  “Thanks for listening,” Kristin told Karen. “I’ll talk to you later. Maybe we can get together tomorrow to do this.”

  “If everything goes well between you and Wes,” Karen replied, “and I think it will, you’ll be too busy tomorrow. I’ll see you at work on Monday.”

  Kristin laughed, for the first time all day, and walked out of Karen’s place and straight to her car. She made the short drive through the heart of Chandler to get to Route 5 and toward the house. Before she could get far up the driveway and drove in front of Wes’ parents’ house, she saw Wes coming down the hill in his Jeep. The two vehicles stopped, faced each other, and Wes and Kristin spent a moment staring at each other through the windshields of their cars. Kristin recognized the look on Wes’ face, and she knew right away he felt terrible about how he acted. She gave him a sly smile and turned her car off before she hopped out.