“You, Daddy, need to come back when Drew’s show opens,” Maxine added. “Mom would have loved that!”
“Little one, blow out the candles before we set this kitchen on fire…”
“Again…” she whispered from the corner of her mouth, reminding Drew of his foible with the toaster.
Tom, though, didn’t miss a trick. “Fire?”
“Don’t worry,” Ben brushed him off. “Drew bought us an extinguisher after that little…indecent…”
As she pulled a deep breath into her lungs, she wished for one precious thing and smiled longingly before extinguishing the flames. She simply hoped that this dream in which she was so happily strolling would never end.
The cupcakes were a divine treat, and Maxine, for once, didn’t stop and think about the calories. It was her birthday. They’d have cake, too, later in the day when they met up with the McKenzies. But she couldn’t allow her food guilt to consume her.
Meanwhile, Tom’s mind flooded with thoughts of her birthday the previous year—Maxine’s first without her mother. He and Ben tried so hard to make her smile, but Maxine wanted nothing more than to have Judy back. Seeing the joy on her pretty face and hearing her laugh this year was a gift to them all.
As Tom slipped away from the small gathering for a moment, she sipped her second cup of coffee with her other two favorite boys. She truly was such a lucky young lady. Life wasn’t easy for her, but she did make the most out of every second now.
When Tom returned with his hands around his back, he smiled somewhat shyly, then held out two packages—one for Maxine and one for Ben.
“A little birthday gift to my twins here…”
First, Maxine opened the card, just as she always did. The words always meant just as much—and often even more—than the gift itself. For a man who often concealed his emotions, Tom certainly chose a greeting filled with heartfelt sentiment. He’d even taken the time to write her a note, reminding her how proud he was of her and how much he adored her. Huge teardrops fell upon her dad’s familiar script as she reread his message and then reached out to hug him.
“Princess, don’t cry,” his voice soothed her.
“You are my birthday present,” she said, giving his shoulders a quick squeeze. “That’s all I wanted this year.”
Even Drew and Ben found themselves a bit misty-eyed. Maxine and Tom were always close. Although he wanted a boy, she was Daddy’s Little Girl from the moment she arrived in this world. Now their love and reliance upon each other escalated to new heights without Judy. She knew far too well how precious life was, and now that she was living so far away, Maxine took extra care just to let her father know how much she loved him.
“Open your gifts, you two…” Tom said suddenly. This swell of feelings was a bit much for him to handle.
Both Maxine and Ben took their time in tearing away the wrapping paper. For a man whose job revolved around precision, though, his skills in the gift wrap department lacked greatly. Judy always prepared their presents with the perfect folds and ribbons and bows.
Ben was first to open, and a sob stuck in his throat as he held the framed sketch in his hands. He recognized that signature in the lower right corner immediately.
“Daddy…” Maxine could barely breathe as Drew hovered over her shoulder and rubbed her back. “These…it’s…”
“Your mom’s sketches from art school, and I made the frames,” Tom said. “I found those after you left for New York. And those two are actually details of the building that I was working on when I first met her.”
The pencil lines had remarkably only faded a bit with time. Maxine had to force herself to stop crying, lest she ruin these rare and precious renderings of a clock tower and the grand entrance to the building.
“So talented,” Drew whispered as his fingers traced over the edge of the thick, carved wooden frame. “Both of your parents, Maxine…”
“Tom, I can’t accept this. These should both go to—”
“They should go to her children, Ben, and she considered you the son she never had,” Tom assured him.
“Please keep it, Ben,” Maxine begged him. “I want you to have it, too…”
Slowly, he nodded. “Alright. For you, Captain…”
Visibly touched by the entire scene, Drew had to put his arms around Maxine and just hold her. He didn’t care if Tom was standing right there. She needed that closeness, and she relaxed against him.
“I shoulda brought you a present, too, Drew,” Tom said.
“You brought yourself here, Tom, and you made good on your promise to Maxine,” Drew said. “That’s the only gift I need.”
“Does he always say the right thing?” Tom asked Maxine. “You picked a good one.”
“Now, Tom, Drew’s just—” Ben stopped suddenly when the doorbell rang. “Who the hell is that? At nine on a Saturday morning?”
“The window guy!” Drew said. “So I should probably answer….”
“Uh, Drew?” Tom scratched his stubbly chin. “Do you…really know anything about window installation? Especially in a house of this age?”
“Er…”
“Let me come with you. Excuse us, Birthday Girl and Birthday Boy. We’ll be back…”
# # #
While both Drew and Ben wanted to keep Tom thoroughly entertained, they remained mindful that it was Maxine’s birthday and chose their stops carefully. Together, they had actually planned out their entire day keeping both father and daughter in mind, and they decided to begin the celebration late that morning at the Guggenheim.
Perched on Fifth Avenue right beside Central Park, the bastion of modern art was an architectural wonderland for Tom. Not far from the Kirk abode in Pennsylvania, Frank Lloyd Wright had built Falling Water, a home set deep within the woodlands that was literally designed over a waterfall. A fan of his work, Tom naturally wanted to see Wright’s masterpiece of a museum. And just like her mother, Maxine never protested a visit to a museum
For lunch, they’d dined at the Guggenheim’s award-winning restaurant, and Tom’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as he read the prices on the menu. No one in their right mind paid twelve dollars for a salad of greens, tossed with oil and vinegar! However, he fought with Drew at the end of the meal—and won—in his insistence to pay the check.
A walk through Central Park followed, and Tom loved the notion of being one with nature in a city as big as New York. They’d had some plans to play tourist the following day before the hockey game, but he was quite content to just take in the changing leaves and the sights and sounds of the people.
They’d stopped to watch a flamboyantly dressed man with a rainbow colored beard as he entertained the crowds in a ball gown while pushing his poodle in a baby carriage. He was actually quite well known for his showmanship on the streets of New York. And Ben recognized him from all of the Gay Pride events throughout the city.
Tom certainly never saw anything quite like that bearded drag queen back home, but he stood and watched with a sense of detached amusement. What amazed him is that the guy didn’t have to do anything to attract a crowd but push that poodle in his baby buggy. Just another day in New York, he supposed. He could sense that everyone was waiting for his commentary, but he just didn’t quite know what to say.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Ben broke the ice and teased him.
“With inflation, that would be at least a thousand bucks, Ben,” Tom said.
“No animals were harmed in the making of this performance art, Daddy….”
“That dog’s pride was wounded, though, I am sure!”
Onward they strolled, down toward the Literary Walk, one of the most iconic images of the grand landscape of the park. Lined with a lush canopy of some of the oldest elm trees in the country, the promenade featured statues of some of the most prolific writers of all time, including William Shakespeare.
While it was so easy to get lost in the sylvan serenity of it all, Tom had a few other things on his mind. He’d watched as Drew
so affectionately slipped his arm around Maxine, and he hung back a little to give them some space. Ben, however, minded his cue and stuck by Tom’s side. He could almost read his thoughts before the words began to dribble from his lips.
“She’s all grown up now, Ben,” Tom said. “My baby girl…”
“Yeah, but she still loves her pops more than anything, Tom,” Ben said and patted him on the back. “Of that, I can assure you.”
“Just tell me again,” Tom said and stopped suddenly to look Ben right in the eyes. “He’s right for her?”
“Tom, I swear to you, if I thought for a second that she was making a mistake, I would have given both of you a piece of my mind,” Ben said. “He cares about her. He looks out for her. And his family is wonderful. You’ll see tonight. They’re good people.”
“He’s just…he’s her first. And I don’t want her to get hurt. And I certainly don’t want her coming back to Pennsylvania with a baby on her hip and wallowing in misery because she lost out on her New York dreams.”
Ben nearly had to fight himself to hold back his laughter. No, she wasn’t going to be getting pregnant anytime soon—that he knew. However, he couldn’t tell her father that he was the one who escorted her to the gynecologist.
“Ain’t gonna happen, Tom,” Ben assured him. “In fact, I think there’s more there than even Maxine realizes right now. I think Drew’s in this pretty deep.”
“Yeah, I do, too, and that scares the crap out of me,” Tom admitted. “Shouldn’t she live it up a little? Have a few boyfriends before she finds the one?”
Ben could only smile and shake his head. “And what if Judy would have done that?” he challenged.
“Yeah…you’re right…” he said and stuffed his hands into his pockets as they kept walking, watching Drew and Maxine as they giggled along and whispered to each other. “And if you’ve sniffed him out, I have to trust you, too, Ben.”
“Oh, I’ve sniffed him out alright!”
With a slug to his arm, Tom groaned and then turned away. “Benjamin!” he shouted. “I don’t believe you just said that—about my Princess’ boyfriend!”
“God, you sound just like Judy right now…” Ben said. “He’s a handsome man, Tom. Even you can’t deny that!”
“They make a lovely couple,” he answered.
“Come on…” Ben nudged him along. “We need to get those two moving. We’ve got a couple of birthdays to celebrate this evening!”
Both Tom and Ben were wondering how the two young lovers would leave it when they parted at the park exit. Everyone had to get ready for the evening, and Drew needed to head back to his place to suit up. However, he merely kissed Maxine quickly on the lips and held her hand for an extra moment before heading to the corner to hail a cab. Lou would be driving them all around later.
For once, though, Maxine didn’t find herself weepy with Drew’s departure. In fact, she felt a sense of completeness that she hadn’t known for such a very long time. Within the circle of Tom and Ben and Drew, she’d discovered so much affection. Judy’s absence still bore upon her heart, but she focused on how to survive while continuing to honor her mother’s memory.
As they finally made their way back to the townhouse, Ben warned Tom against picking up his damn hammer. They were all going to have a quick rest, and then put on their party clothes.
Maxine was actually fussing with her jewelry for the evening when the soft knock came at her bedroom door. Much to her surprise, she found Ben—not her father—on the other side.
“Hey, Cap….can I take a quick snooze on your bed?” Ben asked meekly as he peered in between the door and the frame. “I just can’t do the couch right now…”
“Oh, Ben, you can always sleep in my bed!” It wouldn’t be the first time and wouldn’t be the last.
Just as she moved to cover the lid over her collar, Ben looked over her shoulder. “What’s that, Captain?” he asked. “You hiding something from me?”
“My birthday gift from Drew,” she said and quickly. “I didn’t even show Daddy yet!”
Stretching his arms out, he yawned, then took a seat on her bed. “Alright then, I can wait.”
“Ben…are you okay?” Maxine joined him and reached for his hand. “I mean…about tonight…”
Mandy and Mike had declined the invitation to join them all for dinner when they found out that Jeffrey would be Ben’s date. While Ben endeavored to hide behind a brave front, Maxine could see that sadness—that look of longing—that was so evident in his eyes.
“Oh, Max,” he tried to brush her off. “One of these days, they’ll come to understand this whole gay thing.”
It was only about once a year that Ben stopped to really think about his parents’ aversion to his sexuality. When that pang of hurt struck, Maxine had always prepared herself to catch him in his downfall.
“Having your dad around has actually soothed my wounded soul a bit,” he said. “I’ve always been accepted in your home—with your family. There was never any question or doubt.”
“Ben, we’ll always be here for you,” she said. “You are truly the brother I never had.”
“Max…I…I really do wish that they were coming tonight,” he said at last. “Just once, I want them to open their damn eyes and show me some support here.”
“Ben, I’ve done it before, and I’m offering again now,” Maxine began. “I’ll talk to them if you want me to. I don’t know what it would actually do to encourage them, but maybe they need a gentle shake from someone they trust in your life…”
“You’re far kinder than I deserve in a best friend, Captain,” he said. “Let’s wait. We both have a lot of good going on right now, and I don’t want to taint that. I’ll get over this…”
“Hey, Ben…” It was then that she gave him a gentle shake. “You can’t keep pushing this to the side and ignoring it. We both know this is going to eat you alive.”
“Well, the Mike and Mandy Monster can feast all it wants—after we celebrate our birthdays,” he said then fell back on the bed and grabbed a pillow. “And right now, if I don’t take a nap, I will be in no positon to withstand this evening.”
“Are you telling me to shut up so that you can go to sleep?” she asked.
“No one reads my mind better than you, Max! No one…”
Before she made her way to the shower, she grabbed another pillow and bopped him on the head.
# # #
“Daddy…” Maxine admonished as she stood in the doorway of Ben’s room with her fists on her hips. However, she was smiling. “Jacket? I know you brought one.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Tom grunted and pulled his dark brown wool blazer from behind the door. He always looked so handsome when he dressed up, and seeing him in trousers and a tie was a treat for Maxine.
As he turned to straighten his tie in the mirror, Maxine stepped up beside him. “Your mom always did this for me,” he reminisced. “She swore I couldn’t tie one straight to save my life.”
“You look so very handsome,” she said as her fingers put his tie back into its proper place. “Mom always said she loved you most when you’d wear a suit.”
“Guess with her macabre sense of humor, she did enjoy a good funeral,” he teased, intimating that was the only time he’d wear one.
Maxine closed her eyes for a moment to fight off the tears as she thought of her mother and father. Always the odd couple, but laughing nonstop.
Together, the Kirks set a rather high bar for Maxine. While others her age saw their parents battle through nasty divorces or suffer through rancorous relationships just for the so-called sake of the kids, Maxine never doubted the faith of Tom and Judy’s marriage. They bickered. They teased. But they never went to bed angry with each other. Once, she’d even stayed up very late with Judy just to bake her dad a batch of chocolate brownies with peanut butter frosting—his favorite—so that her mom could soften him up from a row before their heads hit the pillow.
Their union endured and
lasted for so long because they focused on each other’s needs. Tom never denied Judy a trip to New York, and likewise, Judy never complained about a single football or hockey game, even though she hated sports. However, no couple could have a better conversation over dinner or enjoy an evening stroll through the neighborhood side-by-side like Tom and Judy.
Seeing her father again flooded Maxine’s mind with those tender reminiscences. She could only hope that she and Drew might develop even a fraction of the devotion her parents held for each other.
“You don’t look so shabby yourself, Princess,” he said, and then turned to take a closer look at her. Maxine was just wearing a simple, sleeveless black Ralph Lauren dress with a jewel neckline and dropped waist that she’d picked up off the clearance rack at Bloomingdale’s. It amazed her that she could actually find some lovely outfits for well under a hundred dollars in that store with just a little searching.
Luxury wasn’t something that Maxine ever intended to splurge upon. However, it was that piece of fine jewelry around her neck that left Tom flabbergasted. “This is beautiful, Princess. It can’t be real…”
Face burning with embarrassment, she turned her head. They really hadn’t had a discussion on the wealth into which Drew had been born. It just meant so little to Maxine, and she rather enjoyed their play with her father worrying about how Drew paid his bills on a thespian’s salary.
“Um…it is…”
“Maxie, if that jagoff lied to you about the authenticity of that—”
“Something I sort of left out of our conversations…but I guess you should probably know now…” Maxine spoke over him as she stumbled on her own two feet. “He’s sort of…an heir to a major department store chain.”
“What major store?” he muttered. “What are you talking about?”
“There’s one in downtown Pittsburgh, Daddy—at Bakery Square,” she said. “What’s his last name?”
First, Tom wrinkled his forehead, then realization swept over his face and his eyes widened. “They own McKenzie’s?”
“The one and only!” she said and folded her glossed lips together.
WRAPPED: The Manhattan Bound Series, Book Two Page 29
