by E. L. Todd
“But why? He’s a psychopath.”
She set the table then brought the food over.
My stomach rumbled at the sight of it.
“Your father is just…protective.” She removed her apron then hung it up.
“Yeah, I picked up on that,” I said sarcastically. “But why? Did something happen? Uncle Mike is weird like that too.”
She poured two glasses of wine. “Just don’t worry about it.”
I knew my questions were being dismissed.
My dad came downstairs wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He kissed my mom before he sat beside her. “I’m sorry I…escalated like that.”
“It’s okay.” She said it like she was used to it.
My dad made a plate for her then passed it to her. Then he made his own.
After I piled my plate with food, I dug in.
“How’s school?” my dad asked.
My mouth was stuffed with food. “Good—I—yeah.”
My mom tried not to laugh. “Swallow your food then talk.”
I got everything down my throat then spoke. “It’s alright.”
My dad sipped his wine then ate slow, like he usually did. “Your sister?”
“I don’t talk to her,” I blurted.
“Well, you see her every day,” my mom said.
“But that doesn’t mean I talk to her,” I said immediately.
“And Cayson?” my dad asked.
“I don’t talk to him much either.”
My dad seemed amused. “Who do you talk to?”
“Conrad,” I answered.
“And how’s he?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I think he’s good.”
My mom rolled her eyes then kept eating.
***
After dinner, my mom said she was tired and headed into her room.
My dad turned to me, suspicious. “You have something you want to tell me?”
How did he know that? “Huh?”
“Your mom never goes upstairs when you guys are home. You must want to speak to me privately.”
Why couldn’t my dad be stupid like everyone else’s? “Maybe…”
He poured himself a brandy. “Please don’t tell me you knocked up a girl. I can handle anything but that.”
“No,” I snapped. “I’m not stupid.”
My dad released a heavy breath. “That’s debatable…”
I poured my own glass and sipped it, feeling the warmth spread through my body.
My dad relaxed into the couch. “What’s up, Son?”
“I want to show you something.”
That caught him off guard. “What?”
I opened my bag and pulled out the revised stories I wrote. Then I passed it to him.
He stared at the front page. “What is this?”
“Stories…I wrote.”
He flashed me a confused look before he turned the first page and began to read. He abandoned his brandy and glued his eyes to the paper, reading every line and every word. He turned the pages, flying through the story.
I stayed quiet, being patient.
My dad rubbed his bottom lip with his fingers, what he usually did when he was deep in thought.
Did he like it? Did he hate it?
He kept going, ignoring me while he read.
When he was almost finished, he closed the folder. He stared at the front page, not saying anything.
Should I say something…?
Then he turned to me. “You wrote this?”
I nodded.
He kept staring at me. “Roland…wow.”
Did he just say wow?
“They are great. No, they are amazing.” He felt the paper in his hands. “I mean no offense, but I’m shocked you wrote them.”
I chuckled. “None taken.”
He flipped through the pages again. “This is quality stuff…”
His praise was making me warm in the face. I was always desperate for his approval, considering him to be a role model since I was little. I always wanted to be strong and intelligent like my father.
“You’re very talented, Son.” He clapped my shoulder and held it there for a moment before he dropped it. “I’m assuming you already showed your mother?”
I nodded. “She edited them for me.”
He smirked. “I guess I’m not surprised.”
“She told me I should show you.”
“I’m glad she did.” He left the folder on the table then leaned back in the chair. “What are you going to do with it?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about…”
He patiently waited for me to spit it out.
“I…I don’t want to work for you. I appreciate the offer and know most people would kill for the position, but…it’s not for me. Skye can handle that place on her own. She doesn’t need anyone because she’s so smart and organized…don’t tell her I said that.”
His eyes brightened in amusement.
“I think I want to be a writer.”
“You think?” he asked.
“I mean, I know.”
He nodded his head slowly. “Then that’s what you should do. Normally, I wouldn’t agree with that but after seeing your work it would be a shame to have you work in an office and waste your time.”
That’s the reaction I expected. But I didn’t know what he would say next. “So…I don’t really see the point in finishing my degree…” All I heard was crickets. My dad didn’t react at all.
He stared at the opposite wall. “That’s a big decision.”
“I know.”
“Why don’t you major in English instead? It’s already a competitive world. It would be a struggle to land a good job without a formal education.”
“But then I’d have to start over…and I’d be there for three more years. And honestly, I feel like I have nothing else to learn. I’d just be wasting more time.”
He nodded. “I understand that.”
“So, if it’s okay with you, I think I’d like to drop out.”
“There’s that word again…”
“I mean I know I want to,” I said firmly.
He took a deep breath and rubbed his chin. “If that’s what you want, I won’t give you a hard time about it.”
“But I want your approval, not just your acceptance.”
“Roland, my opinion doesn’t matter. You need to do what you believe is best for you. Your mother and I will guide you as much as we can but…you know yourself better than we do.”
“Dad, your opinion does matter to me.”
He turned his gaze on me, his blue eyes piercing and frightening. Sometimes I thought he could see through the back of his head because he caught me every time I did something wrong. “You’re a man, Roland. You need to stand up for what you believe in and pursue what you want. Your mother and I will love you no matter what. But you aren’t little anymore. Your mother and I have no control over what you do. Follow your heart and see where it goes. You’re taking a big leap here. Most people would settle for a CEO position making a killing. But you aren’t like that. You want to go out into the world and find your own way.” His hand moved to my shoulder. “I’ve never been more proud.”
My whole body tingled. Every time my dad said he was proud of me I felt elated. “Thanks…”
He dropped his hand. “But good luck.” He added a laugh. “It’s going to be damn hard to get into that business. You’re lucky you have me and Aunt Janice to help.”
“I don’t want your help,” I blurted. “I’ll do it on my own.”
His eyes flashed again. “That’s my boy.”
“I’ll pay you back for my tuition…that I wasted.” I’d always feel guilty about that.
“Don’t worry about that. You don’t owe me anything, Ro.”
I was still going to pay him back—whenever I got the money. “Does this mean you aren’t proud of Skye? Since she’s settling?”
He laughed. “Settling? That girl was made to do that job. Sh
e’s a smaller and prettier version of me. I have no doubt she’ll run that place smoothly, and I know it’ll be better off because of her.”
“I feel bad for those employees…”
My dad smirked. “I don’t. Your sister has the compassion and grace of your mother but the hardness and bite I possess. They’ll love her.”
“Are you excited for her to graduate?”
“Very. I want to retire early.”
“But what are you going to do?” Roland asked. “You aren’t even fifty yet.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know…spend time with your mother.”
“But you’re with her all the time.” I made a disgusted face.
“Maybe she and I will travel the world. I still haven’t taken her to the Bahamas. She’s been bugging me for a while.”
“Spoiled,” I mumbled.
“You’re one to talk,” he jabbed.
I drank my brandy and finally relaxed. My dad was on board with my plan and so was my mom. Being a college drop-out was a little scary, but I was excited for what was ahead.
“What are you going to do first?” he asked.
“Try to write for a magazine or newspaper.”
He whistled. “You and every other writer in this country.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“And what about your stories?” he asked.
“I’ll submit them to publishing houses. I’m sure it’ll take years before I can make a living being a novelist. I’ll need something else to make rent.”
“Just don’t write for a political magazine.”
I turned to him. “Why?”
“I don’t want you leaving the country to do research on international riots and wars. Your mother wouldn’t either.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. That doesn’t sound interesting to me at all.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Now I won’t have a heart attack before I’m fifty.”
“You’re in too good of shape anyway.”
He smirked. “Did you just give me a compliment?”
I realized my error. “No…”
“Too late. You can’t take it back.” He grinned like an idiot. “I’m telling your mother.”
“I just meant you aren’t fat.”
“No you didn’t.” He nudged me in the side. “You know your old man is still a stud.”
I couldn’t count the number of times the girls I hooked up with asked if my father was the cheating type. And I knew they weren’t interested just because he was rich. It made me want to vomit. “Anyway…”
“Anyone special in your life?”
“No,” I blurted.
“How’s Jasmine?”
“I haven’t seen her since our date.”
“You like her?” he asked.
“As a friend,” I said firmly.
“She’s a sweet girl. She’ll find someone worthy of her time—eventually.”
“I’m sure she will.”
“No married flings?”
I hit my dad in the side. “Let it go already.”
He laughed. “Sorry. I’ll tease you forever.”
“And I’ll tease you forever for being a psycho control freak.”
“Well, you got me there…”
“And why are you like that…?” I knew he wouldn’t answer me but I liked to ask anyway.
He stood up and stretched. “It’s getting late. I’m going to hit the sack.”
I glanced at the clock. “It’s not even nine.”
“Well, I’m old, as you constantly like to remind me.” He flashed me a grin before he headed up the stairs.
I poured myself another brandy and drank it alone in the dark, feeling better than I had in a while.
Chapter Four
Conrad
We got to our seats with our nachos and beers.
“Damn, these are good tickets,” Slade said. He wore a Red Soxs jersey that showed his line of ink. A baseball cap was on his head and his shades shielded his eyes from the sun.
I drank my beer while I watched the inning. “I got them from a friend who couldn’t go.”
“Well, your friend missed out.” He shoved five nachos into his mouth and scarfed them down. “Why didn’t you take Roland?”
“He had plans.” He was such a momma’s boy.
“I’m still surprised you invited me,” he said honestly.
The hitter hit the ball then made it to second base.
“The bases are going to be loaded,” Slade said. “I can feel it.”
I addressed his previous question. “I figured it would be good if we spend time together…to make up for the awkwardness of the past few months.”
“Yeah…” Slade drank his beer.
“So…are you and my sister okay? Or are you still fighting?”
“We’re fine,” he said immediately. “Trinity just acts like a brat sometimes.”
“It sounds like you still hate her like before,” I said with a laugh.
“Oh, I do. Just because I love her doesn’t mean I’ll stop hating all the annoying shit she does.”
I laughed. “Well, thanks for putting up with her.”
“I’m doing you and Mike a service, really.”
I ate too many nachos in a single bite so I swallowed the acid down with my beer.
“What’s new with you?” he asked.
“Nothing really.”
“Any hot chicks worth mentioning?”
“I met this girl at the gym last week. She was really hot but horrible in bed.”
He raised an eyebrow. “How is that possible?”
“She just laid there and I did all the work.”
Slade nodded. “Trinity—” He suddenly closed his mouth, realizing how inappropriate it would be to discuss my sister in that context. “Sorry, sometimes I forget you’re her brother.”
“It’s cool.” I’m just glad he didn’t finish the sentence. “Just don’t let anything slip out. I’ll vomit all over the people in front of us.”
“That would actually be hilarious to watch,” Slade said with a smirk.
After I finished my nachos, I left them on the ground then leaned back in my chair. The game continued on, and just as Slade predicted, the bases were loaded.
“Come on!” Slade clapped his hands. “Bring it home.”
The hitter hit a home run, giving the Red Sox’s four runs.
“Yes!” Slade shouted. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
I clapped then whistled loudly. “You know what baseball is missing?”
“Cheerleaders?” Slade said, reading my mind.
“Yeah.”
“I know, right?” He drank his beer again.
The game continued on, but the Red Sox were so far in the lead the game wasn’t even competitive.
“At least we won,” Slade said.
“Yeah.” I finished my second beer then left it on the ground. “How’s Trinity’s leg?”
“Pretty much back to normal. She walks around on it but she’s afraid to run. I push her but I don’t want to push her too much, too fast.”
“Yeah…good idea.”
“You should have taken her to the game,” Slade said. “She would have liked to come.”
I hadn’t thought of that. And I did promise I’d spend more time with her. When I thought she was going to die, I was a total wreck. I guess I did love her after all. “I’ll invite her to the next one.”
“Good idea.”
He finished his nachos then wiped all the cheese off his hands.
“Slade?”
“What, bro?”
“I’m sorry for the way I acted before…about Trinity.”
“Dude, don’t worry about it. I understand why you reacted that way.”
I still felt like I made nothing into something. “Okay.”
“Just when Trinity and I finally got out of all the drama, she and I butt heads like rams on a mountain.”
“Now that you’
re a couple, you’re bound to fight.”
He sighed. “Yeah, it’s not fun. Well, the make up—“ He fell silent, realizing his mistake again. “Uh, it’s just difficult to get used to.”
I let it slide, thankful I didn’t actually hear the words. “It’s cool…”
We watched the game until the last inning. The score was pitiful.
“Does the other team even know what a baseball is?” Slade asked.
“No. And they don’t know what a bat is either.”
He shook his head. “Embarassing…”
“You want to leave before the crowd and get a beer?”
“Yeah…there’s nothing left to see here.”
***
We headed to a bar then sat down at a table. After the waitress brought our beers, we drank them quietly while we watched the TV in the corner. They were recapping the game, declaring the Red Sox as the victors.
“Did you win any money on the game?” I asked.
“Five hundred bucks.”
“I’m jealous.”
“You should be. It’s the easiest money in the world.”
I scanned the tables and saw a group of girls decked out in Red Sox jerseys and hats. They looked cute in their gear. And if a girl liked sports, she automatically got a few points in my eyes.
Slade glanced over his shoulder and spotted them. “Which one are you going to go for?”
“I don’t know. They are all cute.”
Slade shrugged. “They are alright…”
“The brunette with big tits looks good.”
“Go for it, man,” Slade said. “I can take a cab back.”
“Nah,” I said. “I’ll just get her number.”
He clanked his glass against mine. “Good luck.”
“Like I need it.” I headed to the table and moved close to the brunette. “Brutal game, huh?”
She turned, startled by my presence. “It wasn’t much of a game at all.” She had green eyes and dark skin, like she tanned often or was a mix of light and dark.
“Is that why you left early?”
“I didn’t go. We watched it here.”
I nodded. “Well, you saved money. The nachos are ridiculously expensive.”
She giggled. “Looks like I dodged a bullet.” Judging the way her eyes lit up when she looked at me, she was smitten with me. But why wouldn’t she be? Come on, look at me. I was tall and built, and my face was fair in comparison to my dark blue eyes. Girls swooned for me the second I came near. They didn’t stand a chance against my charms.
