by Alice Ward
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” I asked, probably for the one hundredth time.
“If you don’t leave, I’ll hit you,” she threatened.
“Okay, okay,” I finally conceded.
She rolled her eyes.
Family day at the facility was just about what I would expect it to be. There were balloons and mega bowls of munchies. Gloopy foods in aluminum trays, BBQ, and an iPad blaring music over some crackling speakers. Very… um, institutional. Luckily for all of us, Wenton loaned the facility the karaoke set up, so all the families had fun with that. I got to see KP at work. It was a surprise. I thought we’d be sequestered away with Wenton as we usually were, but instead, KP was being pulled this way and that by people who, for lack of a better word, were schmoozing. He was gracious about it, but he wasn’t too happy.
I was amused watching the spoils of celebrity and also happy that it gave Wenton and I a chance to be alone to talk.
“Do you like family day?”
“It’s okay.” He looked jealous though as his brother was being moved from one group of people to the next. “I like the macaroni salad.”
“Looks yummy,” I said, trying to connect.
“You should try it.” He smiled but there was a note of sadness in the expression.
“Maybe later. Are you okay, Wenton?” He seemed so distant.
“Yeah, I’m okay. My brother has to talk to people at this party. They know my parents. We hate them.”
“Who? The people or your parents?” I was confused.
He shrugged his shoulders. “Both.”
“Why?”
“Cause they’re stupid.” He had a good point. Sequestering a family member away from their parents on family day was pretty “stupid.”
“Do you want to get some macaroni salad and talk?” I was hoping he would feel comfortable having a conversation with me alone.
“Sure.” He seemed to brighten up at my suggestion.
While in line, he started talking about his childhood. Usually when he spoke, he had a childlike manner, as if he never really aged past seven years old. Today, he seemed more mature than I was used to seeing him.
“Do you know why KP is on the scavenger hunt?” he asked out of the blue.
“I thought it was just some fun you two were having.”
He shrugged again. “When I was little, my mom didn’t let me leave my bedroom. I was so bored in there. I had so many toys, but no one to play with. KP played with me some and there was always a nanny, but it was boring, the same old four walls. I started asking KP to go get me stuff from the yard so I could see it. I mean, I could go out there, to the yard, but it was so fast, they never let me stay out there, just wanted me back in my room again. There were always people. Mom didn’t want me being around people.” His expression was matter of fact; this was his reality.
“That’s terrible, Wenton.” I couldn’t believe that a mother would do that.
“Yeah, but I got used to it. KP would bring me leaves at first. They were so cool to look at, all crispy and full of veins. He’d bring rocks and the dog’s chew toys. All of that was fun, but it got a little boring too, so I started telling him what I wanted to see. Like a frog or a turtle. I always made him take them back after. When he was in college, and we had cell phones, I asked for other stuff…” He blushed and ducked his head. “Like, show me a naked girl.”
My mouth dropped open. “Oh my god, did he do it?”
“Of course he did.” Wenton smiled devilishly.
I was playfully appalled. “Shut up.”
“I even fell in love with one of them, she’s my girlfriend.” Wenton puffed up with pride.
“Wait, you have a girlfriend?” I wasn’t sure he was telling the truth, and if he was, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know about it.
“Yah, her name is Misty. Wanna see her?” He rummaged in his back pocket for his phone.
“Um, is she wearing clothes?” I wasn’t up for smut this early in the morning.
He laughed hard, slapping his thigh. “Of course.”
Oh god, a girl with the name Misty. KP must have gotten him a stripper, and maybe she texted him or something. All of a sudden, I felt a little sick. Even though Wenton was old enough, it just seemed wrong. He seemed like such a child.
But, when he finally found the picture, my heart oozed. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. She was a woman, probably a little younger than Wenton, but she had the same wide smile, the same drooping eyes, the same infectious expression of happiness. KP had found Wenton another girl with Williams Syndrome.
“Do you ever get a chance to see her?” I wondered.
“We send each other texts and we Skype every week. I can’t see her, she’s in Maine.” His eyes dropped a little.
“I bet KP would take you to her.” I wondered why he hadn’t already.
“She’s my girl, and we see each other every week. I don’t have to go to Maine.” And that was the end of that.
I smiled. “Okay, if you’re good with it.”
“I am. I want KP to have a girlfriend too,” he said sweetly.
“Oh, Wenton, I think he has loads.” I was trying not to be sarcastic.
Wenton scoffed. “No, not those girls.”
“Well, then who?” I probably shouldn’t have asked that.
“His next hunt is to fall in love.” Wenton smiled so big, I could have sworn I saw stars in his eyes.
“That’s a pretty tough one,” I cautioned him.
“He can do it. He has to.” He looked at me dead on.
I was saved from a response when KP joined us. Thank god, the conversation was getting a little sticky.
“Oh good, you got some macaroni salad,” he said, eying my plate.
“I did,” I said, giving him a wide-eyed look.
The families were getting a little more rambunctious with the karaoke machine, and it was so loud that we could hardly hear ourselves talk.
“Why don’t we make our way down to the lake,” KP suggested.
“Oh goody,” Wenton cheered, “yeah, they have boat races today!”
We slowly strolled down the hill through the grass to the small lake on the property. KP explained that it was a man-made lake just for the patients at the facility. Wenton loved it because it reminded him of home.
On the lake were large inflatable paddleboats. Each one was manned with a kindly looking staff member who wielded an oar. Behind them sat a patient or a patient and their guests. Two or more boats would “race” one another to the other side of the shore, then race each other back. People looked like they were having fun. I think Wenton wanted to try.
“We can win,” Wenton said, enthusiastically.
“Of course we can,” KP agreed.
KP walked over to the person in charge of the races and had a brief conversation with them. When he returned, he took off his coat and handed it to me, rolling up his sleeves.
“Do you mind holding this?” The way he looked at me caused my stomach to twist.
“You bet.”
God, he looked good in his shirt sleeves. His arms were so lean and strong. They were also slightly tanned, giving him a golden glow. Wenton, seeing his brother take off his jacket, struggled to get out of his windbreaker. It was a little heartbreaking to see the difference in the brothers. Wenton was pale and thin compared to KP, who was like a Greek statue. But I was sure Wenton could care less about the difference.
KP plastered a competitive grin on his face as he helped Wenton get into the boat. As soon as they were both aboard, I gave them a wave. Wenton flapped his hands back and forth and KP saluted. At the whistle, their boat flew across the water. KP effortlessly rowed them to victory.
When they reached the other side, clear winners, Wenton stood up and started jumping up and down on the boat, much to KP’s horror. He was able to keep the boat stable and got Wenton calmed down. When Wenton was seated again, KP rowed them back across and they both won a ribbon. Wenton was so pro
ud of himself and KP looked happy as they shook hands with the losers. Actually, Wenton hugged the losers.
Before they returned, KP spoke with a staff member and pointed to boats that were not being used. The conversation consisted of a lot of head shaking, but that man was persistent, and soon after his conversation ended, he had waved to us to come join him.
“We can have this boat. I thought we would do a little boating and have a picnic on the other side.” He seemed very excited by the idea.
I was too. The thought of going back to the karaoke bonanza was almost scary. Within a few minutes, as we were pulling the boat off the shore and into the water, one of Wenton’s staff members had brought us a cooler.
“Here, Mr. Preston,” he said as he walked over. “We’ve prepared three lunches.”
He was very stiff and formal, actually uncomfortably so. He was probably much more accustomed to nursing than waiting tables. KP was jovial and friendly as he accepted the cooler and helped us load it and ourselves into the boat.
“I wanna row this time,” Wenton volunteered.
KP gave him the oars, sat back, and enjoyed the ride for a few minutes. It was such a tiny lake, but if Wenton stayed seated, he would be fine rowing around as long as he didn’t get near the racers. I kept a close eye on him, ready to jump in if he started to look too tired. We parked the boat near a shady spot with a nice patch of grass and set out our picnic.
“I’m starving,” Wenton announced, and I noticed that he looked really pale and weak. He had seemed fine just a few moments ago.
“Me too.”
But instead of eating, Wenton laid down in the grass. After a few minutes, he drifted off to sleep.
“Is he okay?” I asked, more than a little concerned.
KP looked torn. If I were in his shoes, I would have been torn too. There was a fine line between letting a person you love enjoy their life while also protecting them.
“Let’s give him some time to rest, then I’ll wake him up and makes sure he eats his lunch.” KP gave me a sandwich and a big smile that seemed forced.
“Thanks.”
“Wenton’s chef made these, so you won’t be going home with a tummy bug at least.”
He was joking, at least I hoped he was joking. “You’re horrible,” I teased.
“No, seriously, all that macaroni salad and the sun is not a good idea.”
I laughed. I could tell he was raised around money because normal things like family day picnics with flies, heat, and food left out in the sun were like boot camp for him.
“I think we’ll survive,” I assured him as I took a bite of my sandwich. Ugh. I swallowed the lump. “Bologna, my favorite.” I was a total liar. And maybe I had higher expectations from a chef.
We sat together, enjoying the good weather and being outdoors. I noticed a family of ducks on the water and pointed them out to KP. “Look at how cute those little baby ducks are.”
But he wasn’t looking at them. He was looking at me. “Not as cute as you.”
His eyes fell to my lips, and all the air was sucked out of my lungs. I forced myself to look away, and the direction my eyes took me wasn’t helpful. They fell to his crotch. The growing crotch. The bulging crotch. He sat up and set his plate in his lap, and my lips quirked as he tried to hide his erection.
“It was nice meeting your grandmother today.”
I almost laughed. If we were going to play the “ignore your big boner game,” I was up for it. “I think she likes you.”
“I hope I get some time to get to know her.” Before she dies was left hanging in the air.
“Well, considering you invited yourself over for tea, I think you will.” Wow… that sounded more bitchy and bitter than I’d intended.
He gave me an I can’t figure you out look, and I relented. “Tammy is ditching me tonight for her boyfriend, so I would love the company. I’m worried about Gran these days, she doesn’t seem to be doing very well.”
“If I’m honest, she didn’t look too good, so we’ll make tonight fun. I’ll arrange for a hotel when we get back to Wenton’s cottage. I don’t want to worry about my driver. Maybe we can pick up some dinner.”
“That sounds fun. She likes to watch old horror movies and creepy shit from the eighties so maybe we can have a little movie time with her too. It’s her favorite thing.”
“Sounds fun, we can do whatever you wish.”
My eyes slid to his brother. “That sounds perfect. Do you think we should wake Sleeping Beauty?”
“Let’s give him a few more minutes,” KP said as he shifted uncomfortably, probably trying to accommodate his cock, which seemed to just be getting in the way of everything.
It was hard to ignore his struggle. “How’s not having sex with anyone working out for you?” I teased, hoping it was the right approach.
KP threw his head back and growled at the sky.
“Excruciating. I don’t think I’ve ever gone this long,” he confessed.
I patted his thigh. “Poor guy.” That was honest. I really did feel sorry for him. I couldn’t imagine having the evidence of my desire for KP on full display like that.
“Sorry, I keep trying to think of something to help tame this monster, but I can’t get it to go away.” He seemed really embarrassed.
“I really don’t know how to help you.” As soon as I said it, I realized how funny it was.
“Well…” he gave me a helpless look and we both broke out in guffaws.
It was funny and awkward, but mostly funny. Damn. I really liked this side of him.
“Glad we can joke about this.”
“I’m glad you can joke about this.”
“You wanna hug or something?” I said in my best imitation of a camp counselor.
“Woman!” He gave me a don’t even play with me kind of look.
As fun as it was to tease him, bringing us back to reality was probably the best course of action. “Maybe we should wake up Wenton. I’m kind of worried about him,”
KP looked down at his lap and I tried not to laugh as he pushed himself into a standing position. Turning his back on me, he walked over to Wenton. “Hey there big guy.”
When Wenton stirred, I started to breathe more easily. He still looked pale but less lethargic. KP gave him his lunch, and they walked over to sit beside me.
“Rowing is hard work,” Wenton said with a yawn.
“But you got us here. This is a nice spot.”
“Yep, I’m a rock star.” Wenton grinned but not as big as earlier.
On the other side of the lake, people were starting to filter out of the facility. The races had ended and it looked like the staff was starting to pack up. It was probably two o’clock or so. While we didn’t feel pressure to leave just yet, it did seem like the day was coming to an end. I tried to think of a way to buy us a little more time.
“You guys want to play charades? I have an app on my phone,” I suggested.
“I hate charades,” Wenton blurted out.
“Good.” KP smiled as he sneered at me.
How could I have forgotten his condition? It made me laugh.
“Okay,” I backed down.
“You wanna play Uno? I brought it in my backpack,” Wenton offered.
I whispered to KP, “That should do the trick.”
He flashed me a grin. “Sure, let’s play.”
We played Uno for about an hour, then KP rowed us back to the shores of the facility. Wenton looked exhausted but assured us he had “the best day ever.” Neither of us believed him. It wasn’t the company that stopped us from really enjoying ourselves, it was the situation.
While I had thought a game of cards wouldn’t be too taxing, Wenton was completely exhausted so we put him to bed at around four. He’d lost all the color in his face and his breathing was slow and labored. Wenton’s doctor assessed his condition and decided that bed rest and some intravenous nutrition would give him the boost he needed. The doctor then called KP away and they left the room
. I sat next to Wenton and just stroked his hair while he fell asleep.
“I’m so tired I could sleep for a week,” he half slurred as his eyes slowly drooped closed.
“Sleep well,” I said as I continued to rub his head.
Within moments, he was sleeping soundly. While Wenton slept and KP was with the doctor, I texted Tammy to check in on Gran. According to her reply, they were having a nice day together. Gran was in good spirits and had more energy than she had seen her have in a long time. That good news made me feel better.
When KP came back into the room, he looked like he hadn’t gotten very good news. Clearly his little problem, or big one, however you wanted to put it, had gone away and he was quiet and subdued.
“Is everything okay?” I asked as we headed back to the car where the driver was waiting for us.
“Just not the greatest news,” was all he shared.
I ran my hand up and down his back. “Do you want to stay with him?”
“No, it’s not new news, just not great news. I guess you always hope things will be different or get better. People don’t have all of the answers, and you pray they’re wrong. Anyway, Wenton and I made a pact with each other. We wouldn’t think about tomorrow, we’d focus only on today. His philosophy is… if you worry about the future, you miss the moments and mourn their loss. I’ve been worried about Wenton my whole life. I’m not going to worry anymore. I’m just going to live in the moment as I’d promised him I would. However, we should probably finish the portrait soon. I’d really like to have it.” He wasn’t sad, just distant.
“Of course, I think I’ll be able to finish it by next week,” I assured him.
He gave me a gorgeous smile.
“Thanks. Not just for the painting, but for being here, for all of this. You certainly didn’t need to take this on.”
“Yes, I did. I love Wenton.” And was falling for his brother.
“Yeah, he’s amazing. So, is it really okay if I join you tonight?” I loved the new and improved, no-sex pushing KP. He was polite and human.
“Yes, I’m looking forward to it. We just have to hit the grocery store before we get home.” If KP and Wenton could live in the moment, I could too.
