The Boxer: A Stepbrother Romance

by Dark, Roma

  Even more annoying was that she taking a plane to Chicago; she was beginning to hate flying. It was always some crying baby, or a loud mouth drunk or something. Very rarely did she ever get a plane ride that wasn’t just riddled with annoyances. She wasn’t an irritable person, these things would bother any normal person and just like a normal person she gritted her teeth and pushed through it, but didn’t say anything, usually.

  Emery walked out of her apartment and locked the door. As she headed down the hallway dragging her luggage behind her she pulled out her cellphone and texted Shane to let him know she was heading out. They had made plans for him to pick her up and take her to the airport since he was almost always driving the local taxi. Emery wasn’t sure if it was because it didn’t pay much and he needed the money or if he just really liked driving people around. Emery walked out into the parking lot and checked her phone.

  “Omw.” The text from Shane read, meaning he was on his way.

  Emery stood around, thinking about how the last time she had left the city she had had a great night with a stranger. She still felt weird about it but was glad she had done it, breaking out of her mundane life a bit to live a little. Shane pulled in with his taxi and honked his horn at Emery, waving out the window to get her attention some more. Emery laughed at him, thinking that the honking had done the trick as she walked up to the taxi.

  “The ol’ Thanksgiving family get together, eh?” Shane said as Emery climbed in the back of the cab.

  “Yeah, I’m meeting my dad’s new wife and her son.” Emery said, trying to get herself excited about it but could feel herself wanting to turn back out of anxiety every step of the way, “Ugh… I don’t want to go but I have to.”

  “I understand that. Lia’s got me going to her family’s get together this weekend. Her dad and I don’t really see eye to eye.” Shane said as he drove the taxi out of the parking lot and headed for the airport.

  “I don’t think any dad likes their daughter’s boyfriend.” Emery said with a chuckle, “I remember the one time I brought a boy home. My dad said ‘Ten O’clock or you lose a finger for every minute she’s late.” I was home at nine and never got a second date.”

  “Damn.” Shane said with a laugh, “Now that’s a protective father. My dad would have probably tried to cock block me and swindle my girl away had I ever brought them home. Except that was never on my mind. I was always goin’ to their house because of my dad.”

  “That sucks, Shane.” Emery said, feeling bad that he had grown up with a drunken, abusive father. Whenever she heard stories about other people's dad's, hers didn't seem so bad.

  “Nah, it was great. Got me tail all the time. Might have been pity sex but hey. Haha!” Shane said, laughing as he drove down the road.

  “At least you were able to find the silver lining.” Emery said with a smile, sincerely glad her friend had come out of a dark situation the way he had. She wondered what kind of inner strength Shane must have to have come out such a nice guy still, “So you and Lia are still together, eh? This is a new record for you Shane; a week.”

  “Three weeks.” Shane corrected her with a grin, “I don’t know. I was always one for the one-night banger but this time’s different. I don’t wanna do that to Lia. I don’t think I could. I feel for her differently than I’ve ever felt for any other chick. I think the fact that I don’t wanna do that to her means somethin.”

  “Awww, Shane’s in love!” Emery teased from the backseat with a laugh.

  “Hey now, no bein’ a backseat driver.” Shane replied jokingly with a grin on his face.

  “Is it bad that I’d rather go meet your girlfriend than my dad’s new wife and her son?” Emery said, feeling that urge to go back home again but couldn’t, “Ugh, maybe someday, huh?”

  “Yeah, we’ll be busy this weekend same as you, but when ya come back we should set something up. I’m sure Lia would like to meet you too.” Shane said as the pulled into the airport parking lot. He drove right up to the door so Emery didn’t have that far to walk, “There ya are. Don’t worry about the fee, it’s on me. Happy Thanksgiving, Emery.”

  “Thanks, Shane. Have a happy Thanksgiving.” Emery said with a smile, thankful her friend had let her ride in the cab for free. It was not an expensive fee, but it made her even more appreciative for the holidays.

  Emery headed into the packed airport, taking a deep breath before she walked in as her anxiety skyrocketed. She didn’t like packed rooms or being in too close of proximity of other people. She had claustrophobia to an extent but forced herself to keep walking through the airport. She had already called ahead and ordered a ticket for that day so she just walked up to the desk with her ID and money. The attendant was on the phone with someone and spoke so quietly she was inaudible. She reached her hand out so Emery handed the woman her ID and without saying a word the attendant ran her card, saw that she had a ticket and handed it to her. Emery handed her the money for the ticket and walked off for the terminal, hoping that her flight wouldn’t get delayed.

  She had timed it so that she wouldn’t have to wait in the airport for too long. That was another one of the most annoying things about taking a plane anywhere. As Emery walked through the airport she checked the flight times, keeping an eye on them as they shifted through all of the flights coming out or into that airport until she saw the one for Chicago. It was still on time and would be leaving in ten minutes. She felt a spike of glee in her belly, the rare moment something had went exactly as planned; she hoped that luck would stick around.

  Chapter Four

  That had been the most unpleasant plane ride Emery had ever had. There wasn’t a single crying baby on board, although she had seen several. No, it was the man she had been seated next to. He didn’t smell or anything, in fact he was actually kind of attractive to Emery. The strange man hadn’t said his name the entire hour and a half plane trip there. He spoke the entire time, yet even still it wasn’t that that bothered her. Emery was a people person, within reason, and liked to hear about other people’s lives. It was what the guy had talked about the whole time; percentages of crashes, chances of lightning strikes to their plane and soap. At first he had just come off as creepy but throughout the one-way conversation with the man Emery had grown a sense that the man was mentally unstable and it made her somewhat fearful to tell the man she’d like some peace.

  “I’ll never complain about a crying baby again.” Emery thought to herself as she walked through the airport.

  One thing that bothered Emery while the guy was talking was that he kept saying ‘chances’ repeatedly and it kept reminding her of Vegas. Emery headed into the parking lot and went to wave down a cab but saw her father. Through wide eyes and a happy heart, she started running towards her dad, pulling her luggage behind her as she went.

  “Dad!” Emery said before she dropped her luggage and hugged him tightly, “Oh, I missed you! How are you?”

  “I’m great dear, how are you?” Her father said as he looked down at her luggage and slowly started trying to kneel down and pick it up for her.

  “I’ve got that dad.” Emery said, bending down and picking up the handle to her luggage quicker than her father had even bent his knees to ninety degrees, “So, a new wife huh?”

  “I know what you’re thinking hun and no, she’s not a bitch.” He replied with a chuckle as he led her to his car.

  “Wow, you still have this old thing?” Emery said as she opened the back door and tossed her luggage in.

  “Ha, I’m older than this Caddy, so if it’s old what am I?” He replied with a grin as he started up the same Cadillac he drove when Emery was born. She remembered being taken to school in it and being taught how to drive with it as well, “I love this thing. I’ve put so much blood, sweat and money into this beauty.”

  “Men and their cars.” Emery said, shaking her head to the sides as she smiled; her dad drove off and turned on the radio lowly like he always had, just enough to have background noise but not loud en
ough to block out talking, “And you’re still listening to that same radio station. You should listen to some new music dad.”

  “This crap that they play nowadays isn’t music.” He chuckled, “Screechy noises and screaming. Where are the melodies?”

  “Touché dad.” Emery said, her eyebrows raising a little as she realized he was right, or at least to both of them but their tastes in music were nearly identical but she listened to newer music than what was called classics to her, “So, you got married? Huh?”

  “Yeah, her name is Beverly Fowler. She’s great. She’s my age and has her own career even so don’t think she’s after my money because she has much more than I have.” Roger, Emery’s father, said as they drove down the road. Emery looked around, feeling like they were going down memory lane, “Her son’s got a steady career too. He should be showing up soon too, but his flight got delayed.”

  “So you’ve got a new family?” Emery said in a joking tone but was semi serious.

  “Oh, hun don’t think like that.” Roger said, glancing over at his daughter as he drove but quickly looked back at the road, “It’s not like that. That’s what this get together is all about.”

  “I know, I was just kidding dad.” Emery said with a smile on her face, poking him in his side, “Have you met her son?”

  “Yeah, he’s a nice guy. He’s got a good head on his shoulders but honestly he drinks a bit too much for my liking.” Roger said as he pulled onto the road they lived on. Emery looked out at all her old friends’ houses and wondered who lived in them now or if some of her old friends still lived there, “He’s got a weird name but I can’t remember it for the life of me.”

  “Nothing’s worth your life, daddy.” Emery said, looking over at him with a twinkle in her eyes, “We’ll figure it out when he shows up.”

  “That’s a good plan.” Roger replied as he pulled into his driveway, “He’s a good guy though, I know that but Bev says that he’s been acting weird.”

  “I really don’t know what to say. I don’t know the guy, so what can I say? I hope he gets better?” Emery replied in a joking tone as they got out of the car. It was actually her getting rid of the anxiety in her that skyrocketed when she realized she was only feet away from meeting her new mother, “Ugh… Whew… Here we go.”

  “Don’t be nervous dear, she doesn’t bite.” Roger said, leading the way into the house Emery had grown up in. It felt strange to Emery with another woman living with his father there but again she remembered that her mother wouldn’t want him to be lonely, “She’s a great cook too.”

  “That comes in handy since it’ll be Thanksgiving tomorrow.” Emery said as they got to the door; she took a deep breath in as they walked inside.

  “Hello.” The older woman said as they walked in. Emery instantly scanned her to see how fake she was but found that she was pretty, had a sincere smile on her face and the look in her eyes, the thing that nearly always told the truth, was happy, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Beverly.”

  “I’m Emery.” She replied with an uncontrollable smile; she didn’t know why but she liked the woman and already felt relieved about the situation, “It’s good to finally meet you too. I’m glad you make my dad happy.”

  “He makes me happy too.” Beverly said with a smile. Beverly gave off just such an innocent vibe to Emery and made her feel happy that the woman might really just be a good person, “My son will be here in a few hours. His flight got delayed again.”

  “I hope he’s here by tomorrow.” Roger said before he lead them all into the living room and sat on his couch.

  “I’m surprised he’s not in a fight.” Beverly said, looking up at Roger. Emery’s face scowled a little as she wondered what she meant and envisioned some punk guy fighting in the alleyways but Beverly looked over at her and Emery’s face brightened back up, but this time it was half-forced, “My son’s a boxer. He had been engaged and was supposed to get married soon but he called it off. I really don’t know what’s gotten into that boy. His ex-fiancé was pretty well-off.”

  “Maybe he’s taken a few too many shots to the head.” Roger suggested, getting smacked playfully in his chest by Beverly and then by Emery.

  “Dad!” Emery said with a smile.

  “I’m being serious though. Boxers get head injuries, it’s a known fact. I worry about the boy.” Roger said, looking over at both the women in his life with a serious look, “I didn’t mean to make it a serious moment. Let me just lighten the mood…”

  Roger turned on the television in an attempt to divert the awkwardness he felt but boxing was on. He clinched his teeth together but hid it as he tried to appear nonchalant as he checked the guide for something else to watch. Beverly looked over at Roger with a half-smile on her face and looked back at the TV before saying anything.

  “You usually love watching boxing.” Beverly said, teasing Roger a little bit. Emery laughed, somewhat joining the bandwagon before Beverly poked Roger in his side playfully, “I’m just kidding honey, but that was pretty funny, you’ve gotta admit that.”

  “It did add that extra little effect dad.” Emery said with a chuckle, “That’s what made me laugh anyway.”

  “I’ve gotta get back to cooking anyway. I’ve got a feast in mind for tomorrow.” Beverly said, getting up from the couch and heading for the kitchen.

  “I’ll help.” Emery said, hopping up and walking up to Beverly before she made it to the kitchen, “It’ll be fun.”

  Emery spent the time with Beverly half to get to know her and half to see how well she really could cook. She was surprised to find that Beverly was actually quite a decent cook, she had talent. Emery smiled as they cooked together, feeling like she wasn’t teaching some undercook but working side by side with another chef. Emery didn’t feel a bit like Beverly was intruding and actually started feeling happy to have a maternal figure around again. She had missed her mother and knew that nobody could ever replace her but Beverly seemed like she was a great mother anyway.

  As it got later into the night they stopped cooking so they could relax and spend some time watching television with Roger before they all went to bed. They watched Dr. Who on Netflix where Roger and Beverly had apparently left off. She felt her nerdy excitement for the show shoot up and she smiled, loving watching it with her father again. She noticed that Beverly was sitting at the edge of her seat just like her and chuckled; she was a fan too.

  “Do you still have your Sonic Screwdriver?” Roger asked, looking over at Emery.

  “Yeah; I still have the original batteries too. Sometimes I think it’s not a replica.” Emery said jokingly as she dug it out of her purse. She pulled it out and tapped the button a few times on it, lighting it up and making it sound before she handed it to Beverly, “Wanna play around with it?”

  “No, it’ll make me want one.” Beverly said looking at the Sonic Screwdriver with a chuckle.

  “It wasn’t cheap if I recall. I bought the thing.” Roger said with a laugh, “Wasn’t it like a hundred or two?”

  “Yeah.” Emery said, looking down at the Sonic Screwdriver replica and smiled, filled with joy that her father had spent so much money on her so long ago when they barely had any, “I still love it as much as I did when you got it for me.”

  “Aww, well that’s one of the many reasons I married him.” Beverly said with a smile on her face before she leaned over. Beverly and Roger kissed and smiled and it made Emery smile seeing her dad and Beverly happy, “Such a nice and thoughtful man.”

  “The show’s on.” Roger replied, unable to show his emotions as he was raised in a time where men didn’t show emotion, but both Beverly and Emery knew he meant to say, “I love you too.”

  Chapter Five

  They had watched Dr. Who for a couple of hours, longer than expected before they went to bed. As soon as Emery’s head hit her old pillow she was asleep. She couldn’t believe that her dad hadn’t changed a thing about her room and had even kept it clean. She expected it would be s
ome sort of man cave when she came back. She dreamt about being on the beach in a bikini just working on her tan and drinking Captain and Cokes with no worries. In her dream she was a billionaire and had no money worries, working on her tan was what she did.

  A loud banging sound awakened her from her pleasant dream and Emery listened for a moment but heard that old sound of the front door smacking closed. She chuckled, having missed that even though it had been so annoying to her growing up. She drifted back off to sleep but this time she dreamt of a boxing match. The boxers wearing their normal boxing gear but as one boxer punched at another the second boxer was suddenly wearing a black tuxedo and was aiming a Sonic Screwdriver at the boxer. The man in a tuxedo shot a beam out of the Sonic Screwdriver, starting to cut through the ground around the boxer’s feet somehow without cutting the boxers legs off. The boxer punched and everything went white, but as it faded back into colors she could smell a sweet smell. It lulled her into a dream of sitting in a nice kitchen and across the table sat the Doctor. He took a sip of what appeared to be tea, explaining the smell.