The Boomerang Kid

by Jay Quinn

  “Well sure,” Kai said and again took a drag off his cigarette.

  For a moment the only sound in the room was the hollow ring of the dog’s bowl as Heidi nosed it across the tile floor as she ate. After a moment, Matt said, “Kai, I’ll be honest with you. Your mother and I are in a good place right now. We’re just happy being together. We haven’t really discussed marriage and I haven’t given it much thought. We’ve both had difficult first marriages. We’ll be getting married before our baby comes, that’s certain.”

  “So you’re happy here, in this crappy little zero-lot line house in West Broward,” Kai asked earnestly.

  “Of course, I’m very happy,” Matt responded vehemently. “Your mother has worked hard to make this feel like home for me. Why do you ask?”

  “Just curious,” Kai told him lightly. “I mean you being who you are, a big deal in a lot of ways, you drive a Porsche for god’s sake. I don’t know, I’m just wondering if maybe you’re just slumming a little.”

  “I’m not slumming,” Matt said earnestly. “I’m here because your mother is here and she makes me very happy. Being successful or rich or driving a Porsche doesn’t make you happy,” he concluded dismissively.

  Kai nodded slowly before he said, “It isn’t easy for anyone, being happy, is it?”

  Matt sighed and looked away, “No,” he said. “When you think of all the bullshit everyone drags along behind them, it never is.”

  Kai watched as Heidi finished licking her bowl and turned to him expectantly. He stubbed out his cigarette and stood, saying, “Don’t hurt her, Matt. Just try not to hurt her is all I’m asking.”

  “That’s the last thing I would ever want to do, Kai. You must believe me,” Matt pleaded.

  “Oh, I do believe you,” Kai said as he looked down on his mother’s boyfriend. “I just know how easy it is to fuck something really good up.”

  Matt looked up to meet his eyes and felt a real connection with Kai for the first time. “I hear you,” he answered.

  “I’ve got to take Heidi for her walk,” Kai said as he turned away. “We’ll be back in a little while.”

  “Before seven?” Matt called out as Kai left the room with his dog trotting after him. From the foyer, Matt could hear the scrabble of Heidi’s claws and the click of her leash meeting with her collar’s D-ring.

  “Sure,” Kai called back. “We’ll make it back before then.” With that, he opened the front door and eased outside with Heidi leading the way. As she led him along at a fast pace, Kai suddenly felt very tired and sad. He believed Matt was being honest with him. Still, thinking of his mother and Matt he could only think that even things that seemed to be so strong could turn out to be built on sand. At least he’d planted the idea of marriage in Matt’s head. Kai really wanted the house. He wondered what else he was going to build a future on with Robin as he walked with Heidi to the sidewalk outside the walls, under the trees. For Kai, nothing came easily or for free.

  Chapter Fifteen

  HER OFFICE PHONE rang just as Maura was coming back from the ladies’ room. After weeks of feeling just fine, she was struck by a sudden wave of nausea. She’d tried to stave it off by slowly eating some soda crackers she’d brought to the office when she’d first discovered she was pregnant. Ultimately she was unsuccessful. Fortunately the episode was brief. After she’d thrown up, she felt better quickly. Now, coming into her office to a ringing phone, she was sorry she wasn’t sitting in her familiar living room with a magazine as she recovered. She picked up the phone and answered it in one fluid motion as she sat down.

  As she scrolled through the morning’s emails, Maura was struck by a sudden wave of nausea. She reached into her desk drawer for the stash of soda crackers she was keeping for such an event, but even they didn’t help this time, and soon she was bolting toward the ladies’ room.

  On her way back, she groaned as she heard the phone ringing; if only she were home in her familiar living room with a magazine. But she wasn’t, and she had no choice but to deal with whatever the person on the phone would demand. She picked up the phone and answered.

  “I hope I’m not catching you at a busy time,” a gentle young male voice greeted her. “Is this Maura Ostryder?”

  “Yes, it is. Who am I speaking to please?” Maura responded as civilly as she could. She was taken off guard by the caller’s tentative tone and expression of concern.

  “My name is Robin. Robin Taylor. I’m a friend of your son’s. I’m sorry for bothering you at work, but I thought I should give you a call,” he said cautiously.

  Maura sat in her desk chair in surprise. For a moment, she couldn’t reply as she tried to assimilate the circumstances. Finally she said, “Of course, Robin. Kai’s spoken of you often. How can I help you?”

  “God, this is so awkward,” Robin answered and took an audible breath. “I really just wanted to check in with you before I came down to visit soon. I’m a little concerned that Kai might have—well, I just don’t want this visit to be uncomfortable for you. I know he’s said you’re fine with me coming down, but I wanted to offer you an opportunity to let me know if there’s any problem or anything.”

  Maura smiled. She found the young man’s obvious discomfort charming.

  “There’s no problem at all, Robin,” she said. “We’re all anxious to meet you. I know you mean a great deal to my son, and I want you to know you’re welcome.”

  “Thanks. Thanks, Mrs Ostryder. I appreciate that. I don’t know what I was thinking, calling you and everything. I found this number on your company website and thought, here I am, sort of just showing up at this lady’s house for Thanksgiving…” Robin offered as an explanation.

  “Robin, it’s perfectly all right,” Maura said consolingly. “I think I understand your apprehension. Don’t worry about it. Like I said, I look forward to meeting someone who means so much to Kai.”

  “I look forward to meeting you as well,” Robin said, obviously relieved, but still nervous. “I also wanted to call you to ask how Kai’s doing. I mean, he says he’s doing okay but you know how he is. He was in pretty rough shape when he left here. I suppose I just need to know he’s really okay.”

  Maura wondered what Kai might have said to fill the young man with such concern. She said confidently, “Robin, Kai’s doing fine. Since he’s been home he’s been doing a lot better. I know you two talk. Has he said anything that concerns you?”

  “No, not in so many words. It’s just a feeling I have. He seems kind of fragile and I don’t know if it’s because he’s having trouble or if he’s just—”

  “Whining?” Maura said, interrupting him. “Robin, without going into a lot of detail, I can tell you he misses you a great deal and he’s anxious that you two come to some understanding with each other. Now, beyond that, the specifics are really between you and my son.”

  “As long as he’s okay,” Robin answered shyly. “I, um, I’ll be down there soon and I want you to know I really care a lot about him. I know he’s your son and everything, but I’m in love with him. I think you should know that.”

  Maura smiled once more and shook her head. “It’s okay, Robin. I understand your relationship completely. You should relax. We’re going to have a lovely Thanksgiving.”

  “I appreciate your being so understanding,” Robin said. “Please, could we keep this between us? I don’t want Kai to think I’m bothering you or checking up on him.”

  “No problem, Robin. I won’t mention your call. Now I have to get back to work. You relax. Everything’s going to be fine, okay?” Maura told him sincerely.

  “Okay, thanks!” Robin said with obvious relief. “You have a great day.”

  “You too,” Maura said and quickly hung up the phone. She sat back in her chair and leaned it as far as the spring would let her. The boy sounded charming. Obviously he was well brought up to be so concerned about his reception and to want so much to avoid any awkwardness. A southerner herself, Maura appreciated the cultural propensity to laye
r pleasant social pretense over such things as out-of-town visits. She knew if Robin were to come down and find he was the cause of a familial tempest, he’d be deeply embarrassed as well as emotionally hurt. Whether or not his call was entirely self-serving, Maura wasn’t completely sure. What she was sure of was that her interest in Robin was once again piqued. She really wanted to meet this young man who had so captivated her difficult son. With that thought, she turned back to her emails and reluctantly opened the next one in the queue. It wouldn’t be too long now before Robin himself appeared and all her questions and curiosity would be satisfied. For now, she had work to do.

  And work she did, through a long, busy day. When she got home, she was somewhat relieved to see only Matt’s car in the driveway and no sign of Kai’s truck. It occurred to her that Matt was home unusually early and Kai was unusually absent. She dismissed her sudden anxiety at the thought and let herself into the house, calling out for Matt.

  “I’m in here,” he called from the bedroom.

  Maura lay her purse on the dining room table and continued into her bedroom to find Matt undressed to his boxers, curled up under the covers of their bed. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” she asked him as she perched on her side of the bed and removed her shoes.

  “Not anything really bad, I just came home with a headache, that’s all,” Matt answered. “How was your day?”

  Maura leaned across the bed and kissed his forehead. “Pretty good, except I’ve hit a milestone with this pregnancy. This morning was my first bout of morning sickness. Cool, huh?”

  Matt took one arm from under the covers and patted her hip gently. “I’m sorry. Were you terribly sick?”

  Maura shook her head and smiled. “Not so bad. As I recall, I seem to do pretty well with it. Or I did twenty-eight years ago. With me, it doesn’t last forever. How about you? What gave you this headache?”

  Matt rubbed his face with his hand and then stared up at the ceiling. “Just stress. I’m smart enough to go home and pull the covers over my head rather than have a heart attack. I actually feel a lot better now.”

  “How long have you been home?” Maura asked solicitously.

  “What time is it?”

  “About quarter of six.”

  “I got home around three-thirty. Your son was on the way out the door with Heidi. He said he was taking her to the beach. I have no idea which one. I didn’t think they allowed dogs on the beach these days,” Matt said and yawned.

  “I don’t know either,” Maura said as she stood and began to undress on her way to the closet.

  “Anything else happen today that was interesting?” Matt asked.

  “Now that you mention it,” Maura said as she unhooked her bra and placed it neatly on a shelf. As she pulled a clean white T-shirt over her head, she said, “Kai’s boyfriend called me this morning, out of the clear blue sky.”

  “Oh God, what did he want?” Matt asked.

  Maura stepped into her khaki shorts and pulled them up over her hips. Buttoning them, she said, “He said he just wanted to make sure it was cool if he came for Thanksgiving. I told him it was fine. I think he just wanted to be sure we weren’t going to fag bash him or anything. Poor kid.”

  “If I were him I’d be a little anxious,” Matt offered reasonably. “First time meeting the folks. A reunion after a month’s separation. You know what’s going to be first on their minds, don’t you?” Matt said and chuckled.

  Maura emerged from the closet and lay down on the bed with her head on Matt’s chest. “Please, don’t draw me any graphic images. I can imagine what I’d want to do and it wouldn’t be playing cards with the old folks.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “I don’t know if I can stand the throes of young love in a fifteen-hundred square foot zero-lot line house. Maybe we should rent them a hotel room so they can have some privacy.”

  “That would make us responsible for Heidi,” Matt said as he stroked her hair off her face. “Have you forgotten my idea about letting Kai stay at my place in Lighthouse Point?”

  Matt’s hands on her hair felt good. Maura could feel herself relaxing. She said, “To tell you the truth, I had forgotten. But that would solve several problems, wouldn’t it?”

  “Yes, it would,” Matt said agreeably. “I think we should tell Kai about it sooner rather than later. That’ll give him a few days to get settled in over there before Robin comes. Of course they’re welcome here as long as they want to hang out with us, but this way they’ll have a place all to themselves.”

  “You’re absolutely right, Matt. Today’s Thursday. Matt has a shrink appointment tomorrow. I think we should tell him about it tomorrow night and then we can take him over there on Saturday morning. Does that sound good to you?”

  “Absolutely,” Matt said. “As far as I’m concerned, the sooner we get him settled in over there the better. I’m looking forward to having the house for just the two of us again.”

  “It hasn’t been that bad having him here, has it?” Maura asked earnestly.

  “No, not at all. To tell you the truth, I’m going to miss Heidi as much as I’ll miss Kai. I really like having a dog. Did you know that?”

  Maura sat up and looked at her lover. “No. I never knew you were a big dog fan. You never said anything.”

  Matt nodded. “I had dogs the whole time I was growing up. It was my ex-wife that couldn’t abide them. The selfish bitch wanted every ounce of my attention. It wouldn’t have been fair to the dog to bring one into our house.”

  “God, I hate to hear you say that,” Maura said gently. “Tell you what, if you want a dog we can get one. I always had one while Kai was growing up. I’m used to having them around. My only request is that we go ahead and get one now. I don’t want to be housebreaking a puppy and changing diapers simultaneously.”

  “Would you really do that for me?” Matt asked incredulously.

  Maura tossed her hair and gave him a smile. “Hey I’m the earth mother, didn’t you know that? I was born to raise a house full of dogs and boys. It’s who I am.”

  “My earth mother, huh? Lady Madonna, babies at your breast… remember that Beatles song?” Matt teased.

  “Well, you can forget the breast feeding bit. I only will go so far. But I’m serious about the dog. Christmas is coming. Be thinking about what kind of dog you want,” Maura said seriously.

  “Nothing yippy,” Matt countered.

  “Hell no! The bigger the better,” Maura countered.

  Great Dane? Wolfhound?” Matt teased.

  “I wouldn’t say no,” Maura said with a smile. “I think dogs are great for kids. Kai’s dogs saved his life. He could relate to them when the larger world was a fun house ride for him. I think our son deserves a dog, too, don’t you?”

  Matt leaned across the bed to kiss her quickly. “ ‘Our son.’ It sounds nice doesn’t it? ‘Our son?’ ”

  “Better get used to it, buddy,” Maura advised. “You’re on the hook for the rest of your life now.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Matt said ruefully. “But I’m pretty happy about it, Maura. Are you, still?”

  Maura nodded and looked down at the mattress for a bit before she raised her head and said, “Yes. I’m very happy. The panic is gone now. And one good thing Kai’s coming home has done is letting me know I can handle this. I feel confident I can handle anything but the baby being born sick or damaged in some way. That I don’t think I could take. But to be honest, I don’t think that’s going to be the case with this one. He’s going to be a happy baby. You and me, and him, we’re going to be just fine. Don’t you think?”

  Matt reached across the covers and took her hand. “I believe that’s the way it’s going to be. I’m old, but I’m in a great place to really enjoy this kid and be a part of his life, unlike I was with my girls. To tell you the truth, Maura, I feel like you’ve given me a huge prize. I’m only worried it might be too much for you.”

  Maura squeezed his hand and gave him a meaningful look comprised of modesty and co
nfidence as well as a good portion of resolve and said, “I’m pretty tough, Matt. I’m not a leaner, but I am going to need your help, okay?”

  “What makes you think I wouldn’t give you all the help you need?” Matt asked with concern.

  Maura let go of his hand and gathered her legs under her. She said, “I don’t think you won’t, not really. Just don’t forget my first husband let me go rather than step up and be a man. That memory’s like a scar. Sometimes it aches a little. But I know you’re nothing like Rhett. You’re an adult and he still isn’t even after all this time. I just want you to know I’m counting on you to step up.”

  Matt nodded. He didn’t necessarily feel bad being compared to Maura’s first husband. He knew comparisons came with the territory of second loves. But he was determined to show her he would step up, as she put it. He was a man of action, not a lot for glib promises. He looked at her and nodded sincerely.

  Maura took in his suddenly serious expression and it touched her. She decided to let any further discussion slide and said instead, “Are you getting hungry?”

  “I could eat,” Matt admitted.

  “How about some roasted Italian sweet sausage, roasted butter- browned potatoes, and fava beans?” Maura suggested.

  “You could do that? Just pull that out of your ass on a Thursday night?” Matt asked incredulously.

  “Actually, I planned it last weekend when I went to Doris’s Italian Market,” Maura confessed.

  “You’re pretty wonderful, Maura,” Matt said quietly.

  “So are you,” She answered him steadily. “So are you.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  THE FOLLOWING morning, Kai sat in Dr. Roth’s waiting room idly thumbing through a copy of People magazine looking for pictures of Hollywood movie stars with their shirts off. There was always at least one good shot of a movie star’s chest in every issue. Most often it was Matthew McConaughey. There were entire movies made just so that he could appear without a shirt. All of his talent was centered on his chest and abs as far as Kai was concerned. As he was turning the pages of a copy several weeks old, the door across the waiting room opened and Dr. Roth called out, “Kai” in a low calm voice.