by Solet, Trina
"I can’t believe we won’t get to have 4th of July in the good old US of A. What a bummer," Mia had lamented when Mark went over to say goodbye to the whole family the day before they left. The house looked different all packed up. A lot of their stuff was already in storage, the rest was being sold.
They were having burgers and fries in the kitchen. Mia had insisted on American food. Frank was gobbling up his fries before Dorie could steal them. Trying to push away his sadness, Mark picked at his lunch.
"I’m eating his fries," Dorie announced when she saw that Mark was neglecting them.
"I guess from now on my fries will be safe from the French Fry Fiend," Mark said to her.
"If Zack ever lets you have any," Mia told him.
"Let the poor guy have his fries, Dorie," Frank told her, feeling sorry for Mark.
They said their goodbyes and hugged. As he walked by the For Sale sign in the front yard, Mark reminded himself that he wasn’t leaving another home. He was going home to Zack and Al.
Mark was making a shopping list and finding out about the 4th of July plans from Zack. Hearing what they were discussing, Al got excited.
"Hot dogs!" Al yelled as he ran through the house to tell PJ the news.
"I would expect him to be more excited about fireworks," Mark said to Zack.
"4th of July is the only time Al is allowed to have hot dogs," Zack explained. Then he noticed the appalled look Mark was giving him. "Don't give me that look. Hot dogs are meat garbage and you know it."
This did not improve Mark's expression.
"Come on. I'm not a food snob. And I'm not depriving Al of his childhood. I just want him to eat healthy while I can still make him," Zack tried to justify himself.
"I didn't say you were ruining his childhood," Mark said.
"You were clearly thinking it."
The plan was to have some barbequed hot dogs and chicken legs in the back yard and go see some fireworks later.
"Today we eat hot dogs and play baseball," Al announced as he and Mark brought lawn chairs and set them up in the back yard.
"Doesn’t get more American than that," Zack said.
Mark stared at the grill Zack had just uncovered.
"That’s cute," Mark said on seeing it. "When are you going to get a man’s grill?"
"I don’t need some monster with just me and Al." Zack’s excuse only got him a look of scorn from Mark.
"It’s not just you guys any more. Now there’s a man in the house," Mark told him.
"Shut up and cook," Zack said, but he was smirking at Mark. "If you’re not too manly to use the girl grill."
"Don’t you ever have people over for a barbeque?" Mark asked
"No. The last thing I want is to stand over a grill cooking meat for a crowd of people."
Mark looked down at the small grill.
"There’s no danger of that," he said.
"That’s the idea," Zack told him.
First on the agenda was baseball, or some crazy version of baseball. Al wasn’t allowed to pitch, but that didn’t stop him from throwing when he ended up with the ball. Zack flinched as the ball came flying at his head.
"I don't feel safe here. Al, from now on roll the ball on the ground like we’re playing golf. You’ll either break my nose or a window."
Al didn’t like that but complied. But the rules had been modified in several ways, and things got kind of confusing. As he tried to take a base, Zack found himself immobilized. He looked down to find that Al had wrapped himself around his legs.
"Al, there is no tackling in baseball," Zack told him.
"I know," Al said as he looked up at him, but he made no move to release his father.
"Then let go."
Al shook his head.
Overall, the day was a success. Al had pronounced Mark’s hot dogs "extra good". They had gone to watch fireworks afterward in two different places. Al was beside himself with excitement. But the noise sent PJ into hiding. She was under the bed when they got home. Zack and Mark went to put away the lawn chairs and the little barbeque.
"We should do this more often," Mark said.
"I hate standing over a hot grill when it’s so hot out," Zack complained.
"I’ll do it," Mark offered. He obviously liked grilling and was glad to take over.
Zack looked at him. There was just something so sexy about Mark right then. The words "man of the house" rang in Zack’s head. But Zack couldn’t just look at him as a man. The more Mark became a part of their lives, the more Zack had to remind himself of how young he was.
Zack was surprised that next weekend Mark was ready to put his words into action. He was getting ready to buy the supplies for another barbeque.
"Can we have burgers?" Mark asked not sure if Zack would let Al have such normal food.
"We can have turkey burgers," Zack said.
"So that's a no on the burgers," Mark interpreted Zack's answer.
"You can have the real thing. Me and Al will have turkey," Zack told him.
"No. I'll have turkey too," Mark said. He wouldn't feel right eating a real burger in front of Al.
Zack mixed the ground turkey according to his own recipe and Mark grilled the burgers. Zack served up the turkey burgers with pride. Mark gave them credit for being good, but not as good as the real thing.
They stayed out in the back yard with Al and PJ even after it got dark. They listened to crickets and watched PJ pounce on unseen things in the grass. Al was reclined on top of Zack, asleep. When Zack couldn’t reach his drink without disturbing him, Mark brought it closer then he went to play with PJ. Zack watched him kneeling in the grass testing the cat’s reflexes. He then stretched out on the lawn and let PJ climb over him. Zack wanted to ask him if he was happy. He could tell that Mark was relaxed and comfortable. He had been growing more at ease all the time, asserting himself more. He was a man Zack could love forever. Mark turned his head almost like Zack had called out to him. Holding onto PJ, he got up. After putting PJ in the house, he came back for Al. Mark reached down and expertly lifted Al without waking him. As he looked at Mark holding Al, Zack could feel the connection between the three of them. For a second, it was like all the decisions were in the past. Mark was firmly in their lives with all the doubts resolved. They were a family. But the moment passed. They put Al to bed and let him sleep in his clothes. When they went to sit in the back yard again, Zack thought his feelings would burst out of him.
"Al is worth more than the whole world, isn’t he?" Mark said. "He is so small, but he matters more than anything. Nothing else can compare." He was looking up at the sky dotted with stars.
Zack wondered if Mark was reading his mind again. He turned to Zack.
"I noticed when I was holding him. I bet you know what I’m talking about. That bottomless feeling?" Mark seemed to be searching for the right words.
"I know what you mean," Zack told him. "I don’t know how to describe it either."
Mark leaned back again and looked up at the stars. He had a serene expression like being understood had calmed some nameless fear. Zack felt calmer too with Mark next to him.
They had barbeque a lot more now that Zack saw that Mark knew his way around a grill and was willing to use it. He made sure he didn’t mind and had Mark man the grill pretty much all the time. Mark did roll his eyes at all the grilled vegetables Zack put on to replace the usual barbeque fare.
"A shish kabob should be all meat not all vegetables," Mark complained as he speared chinks of peppers, onions, and even corn sliced from the cob.
"Not in this house," Zack said. Actually the kabob was only mostly vegetables and a few pieces of tender, juicy pork which Mark grilled to perfection. Zack admired his talent as he ate straight off the skewer.
They were done eating. Zack and Mark were relaxing in the lawn chairs. Al was playing or, more accurately, yelling at ants.
"They're not doing what I tell them," Al complained. "I want them to go over the bridge I made."
/> "You better hope they're not fire ants," Zack said to him.
"What a bunch of dildos," Al said of the ants.
Both Zack and Mark choked on their iced tea.
Mark was the first to find his voice. He used it to defend himself.
"Not me. He did not hear that from me," Mark was quick to say.
Zack called Al over.
"Al, where did you hear that?" Zack asked in a surprisingly cool voice.
After trying to remember for a little bit, all Al said was, "I don't know." Then he wanted to walk away and play with the ants again.
Zack grabbed his t-shirt sleeve.
"No. Hold on. We need to know where you heard that, about the dildos?"
"I told you. I don't know," Al said a little peevish now.
"Well, think," Zack urged him.
"I don't know," Al said even more annoyed now. "What am I, chopped liver?"
Zack chuckled but then forced himself to get serious again.
"Oh, no," he told Al. "We need to know about the dildos. Don't try to distract us with your chopped liver shtick."
"What?" Al asked, completely confused. He looked from his father to Mark for an explanation. But all Mark could do was laugh.
In the end Zack didn’t get any answers, but of course, he blamed the kids at Little Rainbow. Mark had a different theory.
"Are you sure you didn’t say that?"
"I did not! Probably."
But only a few days later, there it was again. While Zack and Mark were lingering over dinner, Al was off in the living room with the cat. PJ wasn’t cooperating in whatever game Al wanted her to play. Zack heard Al say, "PJ, don't be a dildo."
"Why is he still saying that?" Zack said in alarm.
"Because you never told him not to," Mark reminded him. "You only asked him where he heard it."
"It was implied. He can’t be saying that. Everyone will think he heard it at home and that I'm some kind of dildo freak. And I'm not," he added for Mark's benefit.
Mark went off to tell Al not to talk about dildos and explain to him why not without giving him any information on the subject.
Chapter 16
Since Zack had a Saturday dentist appointment, Mark filled him in on what he and Al would be doing.
"I thought we could go to the farmers’ market. But we can wait till you get back or go tomorrow," Mark said.
Zack made a face as Mark made his suggestion.
"The farmers’ market. You know, that place where they sell the fruits and vegetables that you insist we eat," Mark reminded him.
"I'm not making you eat anything," Zack said to try and defend himself. "Don't make me sound like some kind of vegetable tyrant."
When Zack got back Al greeted him at the door excitedly.
"Look! Kumquats!" Al presented him with two of them in his cupped hands.
"Where did you get those?"
"We went to the farmers’ market," Al said. "They look like tiny oranges but you eat them with the skin on," Al explained. Then he demonstrated by biting into one.
"I thought you only liked big fruit," Zack said as he went into the kitchen where Mark was still unpacking everything they had bought.
"Tell him not to stereotype you," Mark instructed Al.
"Dad, don't stereotype me," Al commanded with his mouth full of kumquat bits.
"OK." Zack gave Mark a dirty look for feeding Al his lines.
"Don't give any kumquats to PJ," Mark warned as Al went off in search of the cat.
"What are you doing to me?" Zack asked.
"You love it. Al is crazy about the fruits and vegetables we got," Mark said.
"I mean about siding with Al against me," Zack said.
"You love that too. You have free reign to tease him knowing I'll yank your leash when you need it," Mark said.
"Mark, I’m not into that," Zack said provocatively and gave him a really dirty look. Mark reddened instantly and looked at Zack like it was all his fault.
"Hey, you chose your own words. This one is on you," Zack told him.
Mark couldn't keep a smile off his face so he looked away. Just as well, Zack was thinking too much about kissing him, and his brain kept saying, "Why not?" He was relieved when Mark walked away to deal with the mountain of food he and Al had bought.
Next time Zack came across Mark and Al in the kitchen, it was after lunch. They were busy with the blender and fruit, but the subject of their conversation was broccoli.
"You could just have one bite to try. They look like little trees," Mark was saying.
"Mark, people don't eat trees," Al told him in all seriousness.
Mark looked at Zack accusingly. It was his theory that the only reason Al wouldn’t even try broccoli was because Zack had been using it as a weapon. Zack didn’t deny this.
"Raising a kid is not all touchy feely crap. It’s war. You just remember whose side you’re on," he had told Mark then. Now he accepted responsibility for Al’s stubbornness with an apologetic shrug.
Mark sighed and turned on the blender. They each got a glass of fruit smoothy to drink. Zack watched Mark lick some of the fruit drink off his lips. As Zack kept staring, unable to pull his eyes away from Mark, he noticed that Mark stared back at him. Al broke the spell by announcing loudly that he was done. He handed his glass to Mark, but Zack volunteered to clean up. Since Mark wouldn’t let him, they did it together. Zack thought how easy it would be for them to start making out now. With Al gone to play, they had a little privacy. Zack could run his hands under Mark’s t-shirt and over his muscled chest. He could feel up Mark’s ass through the jeans. Then they could duck into the bathroom for some quick but thorough satisfaction. But that would only be possible if they were together as a couple. They could touch and kiss whenever they wanted and do more when Al was out of sight. And to make it happen, all Zack had to do was tell Mark how he felt. He had a feeling Mark would say yes. The answer was already in his beautiful, dark eyes. Not knowing if their relationship would last, Zack couldn’t do it.
For a moment Zack stood at the sink, hands soapy and wet feeling a wave of regret wash over him like a tidal wave. He closed his eyes and focused on Al. Al deserved a calm, stable childhood with no upheaval. And by bringing Mark into their lives, Zack had done something wonderful. That would have to be enough.
Since they worked so well together, Zack decided they should team up to make dinner. Mark planned to make macaroni and cheese for dinner, which according to Zack was made with carrots and peas as well as the usual ingredients. Al objected though.
"Cory said macaroni and cheese doesn't have any vegetables." Cory, of course, was one of the Little Rainbow kids.
"Yes, it does," Zack insisted.
"He said it's not supposed to. He said you're tricking me," Al said with a frown.
"Would I do that?" Zack asked foolishly.
"Yes."
Zack tried again.
"Would Mark do that?"
"Yes."
"Well tell Cory that if he knows so much, he should open his own restaurant."
Al thought about it for a minute.
"Can I do that? I want Jojo's to be my restaurant. But all the food has to be big like in the pictures, no little food, not any," Al said very fast as if the opening of his restaurant was going to happen any minute.
"Big broccoli too?" Zack asked to be a wet blanket.
"No big broccoli!" Al objected.
"But it's in the picture."
"No broccoli! It’s my restaurant."
Mark stared at Zack, who shrugged.
Looking at how the so called "macaroni and cheese" turned out, Mark said, "Al is right. That’s not macaroni and cheese."
"Let’s throw some bacon on it then," Zack proposed sarcastically.
"We don’t even have any bacon in the house," Mark reminded him.
"Bacon is a time bomb. It’s like having a bag of potato chips in the house. Sooner or later, you have a weak moment, and you rip its clothes off." Zack cove
red his face as soon as the words left his mouth. He was going to say "rip into the bag", but the words got garbled by his Mark obsessed brain. He knew his face must be bright red. He knew Mark must be giving him a prize winning look. "You know what I meant," Zack blurted out.
"Do I?" Mark asked significantly.
Zack groaned. He wanted to tear his tongue out and stomp on it. But it wasn’t exactly a shock for either of them. It was just the truth slipping out. Mark was too tempting. Zack didn’t know how long he could resist him.
Chapter 17
Mark had his cell phone on even in class but with the ringer silent. It wasn’t actually allowed, but it made him nervous not to be reachable. He noticed the call from Suzie at Little Rainbow and left class to answer it. Al was being taken to the emergency room. He had fallen and hurt his wrist. Zack had been notified and was on his way to the hospital. Mark rushed to the hospital too. He got another phone call on the way. That’s why he waited for Zack outside the doors to the emergency room instead of staying with Al.
"Did you see him?" Zack demanded immediately before Mark could tell him anything. His eyes were wild with panic.
"Yes. They took x-rays. Suzie said it's not broken."
"Is she a doctor? Are you?" Zack asked angrily.
"You need to stay calm. The doctor told Suzie..."
"Don't..." he was shouting again, but Mark cut him off.
"You need to stay calm for Al so he knows he can count on you." Mark spoke slowly in a slightly raised voice.
"Don't lecture me right now," Zack said through gritted teeth.
"Now is when it counts."
"His mother. Her arm was broken when..."
"Stop! That has nothing to do with this. Focus on Al."
Zack had been blind with fear. He didn’t know how he managed to drive himself to the hospital. He had no idea where he had parked. He saw Mark and latched onto him. Hearing that Al hurt his arm, he made a connection with what happened to Kelly when she was the same age. Of course this had nothing to do with Kelly’s broken arm, but it seemed like an omen.
