by Lila Felix
“Hi Honey, how are you?” Mom asked while getting me a cup of coffee.
“Well, I came to talk to you. But what’s all this?” I spotted some brochures that said Spain and one other that said Italy.
“We’re going on a second honeymoon after we renew our vows. We can’t decide between Italy and Spain.” Dad reached over and kissed Mom’s hand. I definitely got my gooeyness from him.
“I say Italy, not that I get a say.” Dad shuffled the brochures until they were out of the way and cleared his throat. Chase Black clearing his throat meant that he was ready to hear what I had to say. Before I could even get started, Owen sauntered in and sat down next to me.
He started a conversation about Nellie and before I knew it we were all talking about cribs and changing tables. It was fine though, because I wasn’t ready for Owen and Nellie to know everything about Reed.
Mom eventually got up from the table and squeezed my shoulder when she said, “I’m headed to the restaurant, even though I’m supposed to be off. I’ll be in the kitchen doing inventory on the freezer if anyone needs me.” That was just for me.
We called Maddox and the four of us guys went out for bar-b-que and I ate quickly and scooted out early, feigning sleepiness. I rushed over to the restaurant to talk to the one person who would know exactly where I was coming from. I slipped into the back door and headed for the freezer.
“Took you long enough, Son, I’ve been freezing my ass off in here.”
“Did you just say ass?”
“Oh, get over it. Let’s go in your office so you can get whatever it is off of your chest. Don’t try to deny it.”
I laughed at her and closed the freezer door behind her. We went into my office and I shut the door behind me.
“You knew she was homeless,” It wasn’t a question.
“It wasn’t my secret to tell.” She leaned back in her chair.
“You knew what I would want to do when I found out about it.”
Tears came to life in her eyes, “Son, are you sure? I mean, think about the logistics. Are you going to tell her? If you do, she’s probably not going to accept it. But if you don’t, you’re lying to someone you—care about.”
“I’m willing to take that chance so she’s not on the streets Mom.”
“When,” she asked.
“I’ll call a realtor tomorrow. I want to do this as soon as possible. The thought of her, not having a place to sleep, eat, shower, things we take for granted…”
“Let me know if I can help you.”
“Ok.” I got up to leave.
I had found my purpose. It wasn’t her or us together. It was her happiness. It was her, safe and sound in a place of her own.
I drove back to the bookstore excited and plotting in my head. I picked her up at the back door and drove her back to my apartment. Mom sent food home with me for Reed.
She ate while sitting on my couch. I didn’t know how much convincing it would take to get her to stay the night again.
“Ok, I’m exhausted. I’d better get going. I’ve got a long shift tomorrow.” She got up and I reached for her hand.
“If you leave, I’m not going to be able to sleep and then I’ll mess up all the accounts tomorrow because I’m so sleepy. Then everyone’s businesses will fail.”
“That was pitiful, Falcon. I can’t just stay here every night.” She laughed and shook off my hand.
“I’ve seen you sleeping in your car.” She gasped and I clarified, “So I know your roommate or something is stopping you from getting sleep at night. Think of the team. They need you at your best.”
She looked around, trying to compose herself. “Yeah, it gets, um, noisy, when I try to sleep.”
“Then stay,” I sighed.
Chapter 20
Reed
Most people thought that roller derby girls were delinquents, social deviants, and miscreants. They couldn’t be more wrong. But for girls like me, derby was the only thing that gave me solace in an ever changing, negative life. Plus, who doesn’t love a girl in a pair of fishnets?
There were two distinct sides of me and both were showing their asses tonight. One was the girl who was clearly smitten and was having trouble telling him no. The other girl didn’t need him or his ‘most comfortable bed I’d ever slept in.’ Maybe they weren’t so different after all.
“This is the last time.” I put my hands on my hips to make sure he knew I meant business.
“Ok, but you know you can stay here anytime you want to, right Poppy?”
“Did you just call me Poppy?” I laughed at him. “Either you are seeing a girl named Poppy or you just called me a flower.”
“It fits you.” He smiled, pleased with himself.
“Calling me by the name of a flower does not fit me. I’m tough and mean and tough…”
“You said tough twice.” He was full on belly laughing now.
“Ok, but don’t call me that in front of the girls.”
“Deal.” He agreed and grabbed some green pajama pants and went into the bathroom. I ran down to the car and grabbed some things from the trunk. When I got back, I took my turn in the bathroom and when I came out he was already in the bed, waiting.
It scared me that we had become this close so fast. Somehow I had gone from being someone who was ping ponged from one family to another, to being wanted by someone that I mutually wanted to be with. And there was the fact that he hadn’t kissed me yet.
The next day I had a harder time than I wanted to admit leaving him when I had to go to work. He said he had some things to do and wouldn’t be coming in to work. But I did get a few texts from him complaining about his Lit class. I’d also see him at the family dinner tonight.
I worked all day and Nellie and I went to lunch. I called Farrah in the afternoon and she was coming to the bout on Saturday. I also wanted to get an outside opinion on Falcon.
He was late for dinner that night, which was uncharacteristic but he blew it off, saying he was running some errands. Dinner conversation centered around Chase and Sylvia’s upcoming vow renewal thing and then they were leaving on a second honeymoon. Owen also announced that the same week he was going to the Gulf of Mexico with someone named Drew on a research trip. During the bustle of conversation, Falcon turned to me and whispered, “Sorry, if it’s a little bit overwhelming.” I smiled back at him. “It’s actually kinda great.” He nodded back at me.
He walked me out to my car later. “I think we’re due for a second date.”
“I think you’re right.” He was way too close to me. Or maybe he was too far away. Either way I could feel his thighs against mine. When he spoke I could smell the lemon cheesecake on his breath. If I could trade a useless organ for the ability to eat citrus I would. And if he didn’t stop looking at my lips as he spoke to me, insanity would find me soon.
“How about Wednesday? No practice, you don’t work on Wednesday.”
“Sounds good. Where are we going?”
“Hmmm, how about dinner and we’ll figure something else out after we eat.”
“Ok. So, I’ll see you then.”
“Have a good night,” he said. He moved in towards my face and I thought, ‘this is it, he’s finally going to kiss me.’
His hands grabbed my waist at the same time his lips connected with my cheek, right at the corner of my mouth. I groaned, much louder than I wanted to, and he chuckled.
“At least we know I’m not the only one suffering.”
“Not by a long shot.”
I got in my car and drove to my spot behind the diner until after two or so in the morning. Then I drove to Falcon’s and parked outside his apartment. My pride kept me in the car. I worked all day Tuesday and went to derby practice. I fell, trying to execute a new fall and busted my lip open. It wasn’t a big deal and I immediately iced it. But by the time I got in the car my phone was already ringing. I looked across the parking lot at Nellie and she smiled as she shrugged her shoulders, the little snitch.
I threw on my purple skirt and a black top that had some kind of flower drawing on the shoulder. I braided my hair and when he got home I was waiting on the couch for him.
“I could get used to this,” he smiled as he threw his bag on the counter. “Just let me get changed and then we can go.”
“Ok, take your time.”
He grabbed his clothes and I heard the shower come on. Not ten minutes later he was out, looking like he’d been in there for an hour.
“Ready?” He said. Of course I was ready.
We drove in his truck for a while before we reached another restaurant, this one on the riverfront with a deck overlying the Mississippi River. He opened my door and we walked in and the hostess led us outside to the deck under a webbing of twinkly lights. We sat down and he was so smiley today. It was intoxicating.
“What’s all this happiness for?”
“What? I’m not that broody.”
“Um, yeah, you kinda are. But I love your broodiness. I shall call thee His Royal Broodiness.”
“Another nickname? I’m gonna forget what my real name is.”
“That’s ok. I won’t forget. I love your name too.”
“Well, aren’t you just full of things you love tonight?”
“I definitely am.”
The waitress approached the table and spouted off names of dishes and got my drink order. She turned to Falcon and asked him three times what he wanted to drink but his eyes were still on me.
“Falcon?” I waved my hands in front of me trying to snap him out of his trip to space.
“Yeah—oh—um—just a Sprite, thanks.”
“What are you off in space about?”
Chapter 21
Falcon
Be very, very careful of realtors. I swear those people, especially the female ones, will sell you your own house if you’re not careful. You don’t even know what’s hit you until after you’ve signed your name in blood.
Her question was a loaded one and she didn’t even know it. I was in space about so many things, most of which I couldn’t even tell her. One being that I bought her a house on Monday. I didn’t mean to—I swear it. I asked the realtor to show me condos and townhouses but she said she wanted to show me one place that she had a gut feeling about. It was the third property I was shown and it was perfect for her. It was a Victorian style cottage that was recently foreclosed on. It was pretty beat up on the inside and desperately needed a paint job and a landscaper. But that’s what I had brothers for. I was signing the papers next Monday morning.
I was also wrestling with lying to her. And I would have to eventually. She wouldn’t accept the house from me outright. I knew she wouldn’t. She was too independent and bull-headed for that. So I needed to come up with a scheme and it didn’t sit well with me.
I concentrated on being present. We made small talk for a while and she said something about my mom so I asked her about hers.
“Will you tell me about your parents?” She looked out on the water for a few moments before turning her head back to me.
“My mom was the best. She was really soft spoken and she always kept her hair up in a French twist. She would spend hours and hours in the garden outside. They both died in a house fire when I was eleven. I was spending the night with my aunt, Elaine. Then after they died, Aunt Elaine didn’t want me so I was put into a foster home. The first one wasn’t so bad but a few months after I got there the woman got pregnant and I got relocated. I lived in thirteen foster homes in seven years. I wasn’t very well behaved and sometimes I overdid it if I didn’t like my current home. That happened twice.”
“Why?” I blurted out.
“Why what?”
“Why did you want to leave those two families?”
She cleared her throat, “The first one, when I was fourteen, the lady smoked pot all the time. And the other one, well, after about two weeks or so, the guy got a little friendly.”
I thought my eyes might pop out at that confession.
“He—he didn’t…”
“Hell no, I would’ve kicked his junk into his throat. But the constant vulgar comments about my ass were just too much to take. I mean seriously, it’s not that great. It’s just an ass.”
“I beg to differ,” How that one made it past my filter, I’ll never know.
She covered her smile with her hand but there was no covering her blush.
“Tell me about the earring,” I tried to recover.
“Oh,” she reached up to twist it. “Um, this earring was my mom’s. It was in the top drawer of her desk at the nursery. It’s all I have of her. There was nothing of my dad’s there. “
“You twist it when you’re stressed or anxious.”
“I do, don’t I?”
“Yeah.” We sat in silence after that. I paid the ticket and we decided to take a walk on the long dock right outside the restaurant. At each post there were gas lanterns lighting the walkway. She stopped near the end and leaned over the Cypress railing. I leaned over the same railing next to her and looked out over the river. A breeze blew in from the water and she moved in closer to my side. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her in even closer. She was still cold so I took off my jacket and put it on her but she still shivered.
“Come here, you’re freezing.” I turned to face her and she did the same and I held her against my chest and rubbed her back. We stood there for hours watching the waves and the paddleboat pass us by.
“We should go; I don’t want you to get sick.”
“We can go after,” She said and I could feel her breath through my shirt.
“After what?”
“After this,” She closed in on me before I knew what she was doing. I never expected her to make the first move. Her lips were warm and soft despite the chill. She pulled back a bit, probably because of my unresponsive mouth. It was still in shock, like the rest of me. The apples of her cheeks were in full blush mode now and my body finally caught up with the situation. I slid my hands around her neck so they lay where her hair meets her neck and pulled her gently to me. She gasped slightly as my mouth captured hers and this time it was everything I knew it would be. Our mouths moved together and responsively, one taking cue from the other. I couldn’t get her close enough even though she was plied against me from head to toe—it was still too much distance. I knew she could feel my piercings against her tongue, I made sure she could feel them. And God help me, her hands were everywhere. They started on my back and got lower until she was pulling the small of my back against her hips. Not the best idea when her tongue was in my mouth.
We slowed down together and I would bet good money that she wasn’t cold anymore. I didn’t think I would feel cold ever again. She rested her forehead against my chest and I was relieved to find that her breaths against my chest were as ragged as my own. I kissed the top of her head, needing one more breath of her.
“Now I think we should stay.” I chuckled and she mimicked me.
“We better go. I know you have your early class with Frenchy in the morning.”
“I think I just had some kind of French class.”
“Oh, that was such a lame one,” She slapped my chest and then started walking towards the riverfront again, towing me with her.
I took her back to my place and I wanted to beg her to stay with me. I had no pride when it came to Reed. But I knew my smothering nature may push her away. I would let it be her call.
“What’s your middle name?” I kept thinking of things I didn’t know about her.
“Elaine, like my aunt.”
“So, you don’t hear from her?”
“No, not since I was little. She was always so nice to me and she used to take me everywhere with her. I thought, when my parents died, that I would go to her. But she had different plans, I guess.”
I opened her door and she got out. I closed it slowly, trying to slow the inevitable.
“It’s kinda hard to sleep alone now, huh?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“There’s no reason for you to sleep alone Reed.”
She smiled as she made her eyes meet mine. “Are we moving too fast? People don’t just fall this fast do they? And when they do, does it last?”
“I don’t see an end in sight for me Poppy.”
“Ok.” She didn’t confess love or passion but that was fine with me. I’d seen movies where people were crushed when the person they loved didn’t exactly return their affections. But I was far from crushed.
“My stuff is still in your apartment.”
The next two weeks, I spent my usual working and study time working on her house. The next Monday I had signed all the paperwork on the house including an extra five thousand dollars in taxes that apparently the last owners were behind on. But it was fine. I had all new wood floors installed and Owen, Maddox, Dad and me spent every free minute painting the exterior. Landscapers came in over the weekend and even my cousin Nixon came over to help a few times. I met with a lawyer, albeit a crooked one, who was more than happy to take my money in order to draw up papers that said an anonymous person gave her the house and a $10,000 furniture allowance. He was going to mail them to my house on my word, since her employment records still had my address attached to it. Maddox was the first person to tell me what a snake I was for lying to her. And I agreed with him. I could practically feel the scales.
Between our schedules and the house I had only seen her in passing the last couple of weeks and at night when I had her all to myself. I came in on Thursday night, knowing she was at practice and took a shower and got dressed. I had intended on getting her dinner and having it ready when she came back but as I was getting dressed I found a note in my top dresser drawer.
No Friday night dinner this week. There’s somewhere I wanna take you. See you later. Missing you, R
