We’re going for a walk, as a family, although it turns out in order to get to the beginning of the trail Marvin has chosen, we have to drive there first, for an hour and thirty minutes, along windy paths that look like farmer’s tracks.
We’re not more than twenty minutes from the house before we get lost, find out we’ve gone full circle twice and have to flag a passing tractor down to get directions. I would have stayed at home if I was left with that option, but apparently if I had done, I would have let the team down. Not even family anymore, team. Even more so because Landon seemed so enthusiastic that I came along. Either we all go or none of us go. He’s like a puppy with too much energy that’s decided it won’t leave me alone.
I’m not exactly dressed for it, but neither is Landon. I might not have the country look, but at least I’ve had the presence of mind to wear boots. I’ll give the all star athlete ten minutes before he starts complaining his feet are sore. That should serve him right.
To be fair, the scenery here is spectacular, and although it’s hot, it’s nice to be out of that tiny house and in the middle of nowhere. I thought I’d never say it, but being in the middle of nowhere is actually a lot more relaxing that I thought it would be. I’ve brought my cell anyway, just, you know, on the off chance there’s a signal out here, but I’d be just as happy not being able to use it.
Marvin has selected what he has referred to as a gentle hike, which is supposed to take us past a lake and nature reserve stocked full of a wide variety of different birds and other wildlife with important but impossible to remember names, and back to the car in a kind of oval loop. I had no idea he was such a geek about stuff like this, which makes me wonder briefly whether Landon might not be his biological son after all, until a close analysis of their mannerisms tells me otherwise.
They don’t look all that similar, but they carry themselves almost exactly the same way. It’s curious. Landon’s undoubtedly got swag, but on his dad it comes across as something different. It’s the same movement with a completely different drive. On Landon it comes across as arrogance, whereas on Marvin it’s something more akin to deference. If he paid attention, Landon could learn a lot from his father.
Over the first fifteen minutes of the walk, I find myself watching Mom and wondering how similar the two of us are. I never knew how much of a geek she was either, but with Marvin by her side, the two of them look like a matching pair of nerds. Both of them have their binoculars ready to spy the birds, their trekking boots to weather all conditions, waterproof shorts and jacket, and no doubt a box of rations in case of emergency. She’s nothing like me, thank God. I would die if I ended up like that.
Out here, Landon is like a little child. He’s either running from the end of one field to the next, chasing away birds, picking flowers he shouldn’t or just generally causing mayhem. Actually, he’s more like a little dog than a little boy, because children are generally much more intelligent. Maybe he’s never seen the countryside at all. He’s certainly giving that impression.
Thirty minutes in, when Landon has worn himself out enough, and although he’s not saying it but I know his feet are sore from wearing the stupid team issue flip flops he’s brought along, we all kind of fall into a line and trudge along the sun beated track, Marvin at the front, Landon at the back and Mom and I pegged in the middle.
“I’m hungry.”
“What do you want me to do about it?”
“Did we bring any food?
“Did I bring any food, or did you bring any food?”
“Dad?”
Like I say, he can’t go two minutes without needing some kind of attention. I guess it’s that ego he has to feed.
“We’ll have lunch when we get back home.”
“We have to wait until we get back home? Didn’t you bring any chocolate or anything?”
“No.”
“That’s not very survivalist, is it?”
“You’ll have to catch and kill a duck.”
“I can’t believe we didn’t bring any chocolate.”
We stop for a moment while Marvin points out some exotic species of bird in the air, which Landon and I can’t see because we don’t have binoculars. We all have to wait patiently until Marvin confirms it’s flown over, and all I see are wisps of cloud and hazy lines choked by too much sun. When Marvin has jotted it down in the notebook he carries around his neck, we get going again.
“Mom, since when have you been into birding?”
“Oh, you know, I’ve always dabbled.”
Mom has never dabbled. I doubt she even knows the difference between a goose and a swan, she’s here because Marvin is. I let it go. The last thing I want to do is break her illusion. If she’s happy because he is, that’s fine by me. It’s not my thing, but he’s not my husband either.
“So, Tilly, got a boyfriend?”
Now? He chooses this moment to ask me whether I’ve got a boyfriend.
“Had.”
What the fuck? “Mom!”
“You did have.”
“That question wasn’t for you though, was it?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-. It’s the same answer though isn’t it?”
“Warbler”, Marvin says quickly and stops so abruptly that I crash into Mom and Landon stumbles into the back of me.
“Jesus Christ.”
Again we wait patiently for the bird to fly over and Marvin to jot it down in his notebook.
“What happened?”
“What do you mean what happened? Nothing happened. We split up, that’s it.”
“What did he dump you for?”
This time I’m the one who stops sharply. Landon is smiling when I turn around to him.
“Come on, anyone who says ‘we split up’ really means they got dumped.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Come on, I was just making conversation.”
“Well make it about something else.”
“If it still hurts, maybe you’re not over it properly, and if you’re not over it properly, maybe that’s why you haven’t moved on.”
The Donkey giving me relationship advice? This is rich. If he wasn’t so annoying he might be quite amusing.
“I haven’t moved on because I-. Look, like I say, it’s none of your business.”
“Just trying to be helpful, Sis.”
That’s the last thing he’s trying to be and he knows it.
“Don’t call me Sis.”
“Ok, Tilly, I’m just trying to be helpful. I’m just trying to be helpful, Rachel. Tilly’s a good looking girl, I’m surprised she isn’t attached.”
Landon has a huge shit eating grin on his face when I turn to look at him.
“You’re not the only one. If Tilly found herself a man I’d be over the moon for her.”
“I am right here, you know?”
“What kind of guys do you like, Tilly?”
Alpha-male underwear models? All star athletes? Step brothers? Hmmm, let me think.
“What do you care what type of man I like?”
“Well, you know, I figure we’ve got a week here, we might as well sort out each other’s problems.”
“Problems? I’m not exactly number one in that list, Landon. Maybe we should start with you first.”
“Please do”, Marvin says.
“I hate to break it to you all, but I’m absolutely, one hundred percent problem free. The only problem I’ve got is how to keep myself entertained without going mad for the next six days.”
“You do realize that statement is contradictory.”
“Keeping someone like me caged up is contradictory. That’s like putting a tiger in a zoo.”
Landon Maddox things he’s a tiger. He’s even more delusional than I thought.
“One, you are arrogant.”
“No I’m not.”
“Two, you think the world shines out of your ass.”
“Ok, I do, but not without good reason.”
“Three
, you’re attention seeking.”
I can see Marvin nodding even though Landon might not be able to.
“Wait, are these supposed to be negative things?”
I hang my head at the end of a long sigh. It’s like he just doesn’t see it. Either that, or he doesn’t want to admit it.
“Mom, what do you think?”
“I think you two are getting along much better than I could have hoped.”
Ok, Mom is just as delusional. It must be some kind of condition brought on by being in love.
“Marvin?”
Please tell me you agree with me, Marvin. Your son needs an attitude adjustment.
“I’ve been telling him the same for years, but it goes in one ear and out the other. He’s not going to change, Tilly, no matter how much we want him to. Landon is Landon. Far too talented for his own good.”
Talented is not the way I would have described it.
“Alright, my turn.”
“This ought to be good.”
“You let people walk all over you, which is probably why you were dumped.”
I bite my tongue.
“You don’t think highly enough of yourself, which is probably why you look so pissed off all the time.”
This time I can see Mom nodding. I want to believe she’s nodding at another conversation, or just nodding at random, but I know she’s not.
“You’re in denial.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“Tilly, language.”
“I think you know what it means. Your problem, Tilly, is that you’re afraid of what people think of you, so you change the way you behave so you can’t get hurt. You think I’m looking for approval all the time, it’s the other way round.”
“That’s your impression after, what, twenty four hours of knowing me?”
Landon shrugs his shoulders. “I’m good at first impressions.”
“You’re wrong at first impressions.”
“Whatever. You’re the one who’s come here with some kind of ax to grind. I came here to meet my new sister, not tell her how much of a bad person she is.”
“Step sister.”
“There, that. Why does that bother you so much?”
“You don’t get it, do you?”
“Tell me what I don’t get.”
“You. Landon Maddox. You’re everywhere. I can’t go a minute without seeing you. Landon Maddox did this, Landon Maddox broke that record, The Donkey fucked another girl, or flashed his dick in another magazine. And all the time I see you with that same cocky smile like you own the world. You have never once given me the impression that you care about anyone else but yourself. You are here because your coach ordered you to come, not because you wanted to get to know us as a family. Because you couldn’t keep your dick in your own pants. You didn’t even go to your own Dad’s wedding. His only son didn’t come to his wedding. You realize how selfish that is?”
“I had a pretty decent excuse.”
“Whatever. I’m not the only one who thinks it. I know Mom’s all rose tinted glasses, but I know how she really feels. She’s being polite to bite her tongue. The world does not stop when Landon Maddox says so, no matter what you think. No one person is as important as you think you are, especially not yourself. If you don’t figure that out soon, you are suddenly going to find yourself with no-one left. Why do you think all the girls you fuck sell their stories? Yeah Landon Maddox has a big dick, but it’s not as big as his ego. I’ll tell you a secret, and every girl will give you the same answer, if it was a choice between both of those things being huge, or both of those things being normal sized, I know which I would choose.”
When I’m done, I’m almost out of breath. Mom and Marvin are far off into the distance and Landon is looking at me like I’m a crazy woman possessed.
“Is that it?”
“You want me to go on? I’ll go on all week if you want me to.”
“Yeah, somehow I don’t doubt that. You know what I think?”
“What?”
“I think you seriously need to get laid.”
I stay there rooted to the spot, while Landon barges past me, strides heavily away and eventually catches up with Mom and Marvin. From across the field, I watch the wave to me, beckoning me over to join them.
Laid? When was the last time I even thought about getting laid, let alone when it last happened. Is that how The Donkey’s going to solve my problems, with his magic fucking wand?
Landon
Oh, man, she is so uptight. Listening to her is like reading one of the hundreds of newspaper columns that just don’t get it. She’s jealous, that’s all it is. It’s that toxic sensation that creeps into people when they see others enjoying themselves, having a good time and doing something that makes them happy. She’s just upset because she’s not doing art, or whatever it is she wants to do that will make her happy, and because of it, she’s going to be alone, every night. I understand why now, especially if she’s that vicious with every man she meets. She’s got to loosen up. Yeah I think highly of myself, but I’m not doing anyone any harm. Besides which, I am as good as I think I am. I’m a damn good athlete, I’m getting to the top of my game, even though I know there is room for improvement, and despite what she says, everyone loves me, even more than I do in some cases.
I think it’s just the denial thing I already told her about. She can’t cope with the fact that she agrees with me. Not only does she agree with me, she actually likes me. It’s just she isn’t meant to be that person, and she doesn’t want to lump herself with the masses. She’s the arrogant one, because she is desperate to prove that she can resist me, when both of us know she can’t. It’s academic anyway, which makes me laugh, because there is no way we can ever be together.
If she keeps fighting it, she’ll eventually wear herself down. She can’t keep hiding from the truth forever. I can’t wait to see her face when that day comes, when she finally admits to me that even though I talk a good game, I give one too. You ask those hundreds of girls how they feel, even though they may have gone on to sell their stories, and I bet they’ll all tell you they’ve never had better. You ask all the top coaches in the league and all the players too who the best player in the AFC or the NFC is today, and has been for the last three years, objectively, they’ll all say me, unequivocally. My talent isn’t in doubt, and I don’t see the reason to be all coy about hiding it. I’m not saying anyone else is bad, I’m just saying they aren’t as good as me.
Tilly falls back for a while chewing over what I said to her, which gives me a chance to talk to Rachel and find out a little bit about her teenage daughter.
If I’m stuck here for a week, I might as well give myself a project. That’ll show Tilly I can demonstrate my interest, even if it’s not entirely noble.
That ex-boyfriend turns out to be the only boyfriend she’s ever had, and the whole relationship lasted a month and a half. Shock horror. That’s almost as short as some of mine. Aside from that, and despite being pretty damn sexy when she puts her mind to it - the image of her in her red panties is now imprinted on my brain and I can’t tell whether it’s just because I’m chomping at the bit to get laid - Tilly has had little other romantic involvement, at least nothing she’s told her mother about.
They don’t have a close relationship, of course, which sort of reflects the kind of relationship I have with my dad.
H’s supportive, and he’s always been there for me, but we never talk about feelings and bullshit like that. I always thought it would be different between two woman, but I guess not, and the kind of shit she’s liberally telling me now, I get the impression is the kind of stuff she wouldn’t sit down and talk to Tilly about.
Maybe that’s why she’s behaving like such a dick around me. If she hasn’t had time to build up strong relationships with men, maybe she just doesn’t know how to behave around them.
Rachel confides that she thinks Tilly was responsible for pushing him away, that she wasn’
t flexible enough and eventually he got tired of trying to change her.
“She’s always been set in her ways, you know with the art and stuff, determined, which is great, but stubborn too. I think it’s held her back. It’s the reason she won’t do any old job to pay the bills. She won’t listen either. She has to do it her way.”
“Sounds familiar.”
“Yeah, I was right though, Dad”, I point out.
“And so is Tilly, and everyone else who believes strongly enough that they are.”
“I think she’s lonely.”
We’ve stopped now, waiting for Tilly to catch up with us at a place where the trail divides into two parts. From here, trudging along the track, her dress billowing in the wind and her arms folded across her chest - her ample chest I have to admit - she does look lonely.
Finally she catches up to us. Whether sister or stranger, and despite what she said earlier, I’m beginning to warm to her. I can feel it inside me, like that sensation you get after a big meal. It’s good to have her back with us, even if it’s just to throw insults at me.
“Are we nearly done? I’m starving and my feet hurt.”
Fuck, mine too. Mine hurt like hell.
“Shouldn’t be more than ten minutes back to the car.”
“And then an hour and a half from there.”
Tilly falls alongside me for a moment, before the track narrows and she has to go in front. I can’t resist it.
“Have you ever been a cheerleader, Tilly?”
An extended middle finger, pointed aggressively in my direction, couldn’t have been a more perfect answer.
***
At home, I spend the afternoon getting the jacuzzi working, while Tilly sunbathes out on the deck. For a girl that can’t stand being around me half the time, she seems to be spending a decent amount of time in my shadow.
I try and strike up a conversation but she’s clearly still pissed off from earlier. She grunts a couple of responses to my suggestion that she really ought to be sunbathing in her bikini if she wants to get a tan, and then loses herself for much of the rest of the afternoon in her book.
Rachel and Dad occupy themselves by planning the outings for the rest of the week, cooking, transferring notes from one ledger to another, and then sleeping. When I go into the house to try and find the mains valve for the water, I catch them crashed out on the sofa, huddled together and snoring away.
DONKEY: A Stepbrother Sports Romance (With FREE Bonus Novel Charged!) Page 6
