Courting Mrs. McCarthy

by Ian Thomas Malone

  “Nathan, you are the most amazing young man I’ve ever met, but I’m a grown woman with children. This cannot happen,” she said, seemingly ignoring what had just occurred. The bliss was gone.

  Nathan felt terrible. The “young man” comment bruised him hard as he tried to figure out what had gone wrong. He questioned his ability to please her, as his sexual inexperience was hard to ignore.

  “I know you’re only here for the summer, but I get that,” he said. “I know what it’s like to get attached to someone when it’s not the right time.”

  Jackie’s despondent expression showed that what he’d said had struck a chord inside of her if only just a small one. “Nathan, I’m not just here for the summer. I’m leaving Steve. I’m not going back to Seattle.”

  He struggled to understand why this curveball was accompanied by a rejection when it was supposed to be good news. He was supposed to get rid of Steve so he could have her for good. “If that’s the case, why can’t we see each other?” he asked. It was difficult for him to be honest without sounding desperate or clingy. He saw a glimmer of hope that he needed to kindle quickly before losing her entirely.

  Jackie continued to look conflicted. “Nathan, you’re seventeen and I’m thirty-five. Is that something that really doesn’t make sense to you?”

  He saw an opportunity to rebuff a few of the claims she’d made. He was still naked, but this was somehow empowering rather than humiliating, as if he could speak honestly without a fear in the world. “Am I going to say that we don’t have a chance and that I don’t want to see you because of numbers? No. Does it make a difference to me? No, Jackie. It doesn’t. I don’t think it matters to you either. You and I are fundamentally compatible people. We exist outside the normalcy of our surroundings and that doesn’t bother me a bit. Age may not just be a number, but we’re compatible beyond that. You know it.”

  She started to speak but Nathan cut her off to make his full case before she could rebuff it and squash their chances. He spoke with both sincerity and diplomacy. “Look, I get that this is weird. I’m not drawn to it for any other reason than I like you. When I looked at you I saw someone different from the rest, and by everything that’s happened since that, I know you’ve definitely felt something for me too. I’m not saying we do anything drastic, but there’s no reason to close doors that don’t have to be shut. Whatever happens, happens, and then neither one of us needs to spend any time wondering what could’ve been if it fizzles out.”

  Nathan laid back comfortably as he gave Jackie time to absorb what he’d said. He knew he’d been at least somewhat convincing. The last time he’d been in a bedroom with a girl, he let her dictate the tone of the room because the passion to speak differently just wasn’t there. The doubt he’d had from that night was whisked away, for he had just proven to himself that he would fight for what he felt for Jackie.

  He wasn’t nervous and he wasn’t drunk anymore. He could go to sleep that night knowing that he had made his stand. He wondered what Mrs. Buchanan would think if she could see him now, and then was grossed out by the thought.

  Jackie looked like she was trying to look for a reason to say no. Nathan added, “Just give it a chance.”

  She said, “Okay,” almost instantly.

  Then she climbed back into bed and snuggled up next to him.

  Nathan had won their brief conflict. He had courted Mrs. McCarthy at least for another date. Any doubt had left his mind. He lay in a bed in a house that he once lived in but never really called home with a woman more than twice his age. All the things that seemed wrong with the situation didn’t matter. Nathan felt right.

  After a half hour of quite non-argumentative snuggling, Jackie started to lay down some ground rules. What they were doing had to be kept a secret. They could not be seen in public displaying anything that might be interpreted as affection. For the time being, Nathan had been relieved of his duties as babysitter for the McCarthy children. He wanted to object to this, but Jackie said it made her uncomfortable and could be revisited at a later date.

  Given the terms that were agreed to, Nathan found himself in a more defined association than what he’d had with Sarah. Of all the things that were strange about them, they both knew that one night of romantic relations did not equate a relationship. They were seeing where things went. Nothing more, nothing less.

  Jackie left to go home a little before midnight. Nathan wanted to ask her to stay, but decided against it. The night had been enough of a victory. Jackie gave him a kiss and exited his bedroom. It was a perfectly reasonable time for him to go to bed, but he felt wide awake and spent the next hour or so thinking about the most insane home dinner date he’d ever have in his life.

  The night had been a whirlwind to say the least. In a medley of absurdist scenarios, Nathan had achieved his coming of age moment into manhood and also retained the companionship of the much older woman he’d shared intimacy with. Defying odds almost summed it up too well, as there was nothing in his mind to compare this to.

  She also apparently was no longer leaving to go back to Seattle when the summer was over. This didn’t need to be just a fling with a finite ending. Nathan didn’t want to think about that just yet, but he was pleased to have been blessed with such a fortunate situation.

  His usual fear of abandonment when making new relationships had not applied yet. Previously knowing their time would be limited, Nathan had felt at ease with the fact that Jackie would be a temporary person in his life regardless of what he could try to do to stop it.

  Now that things had changed, he tried to figure out how he felt about that. His emotions were at such a high level anyway that such an endeavor was pointless to attempt at this moment in time. When the emotions started to settle, he drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning, he woke up and cleaned up the house. There wasn’t much of a mess, but he put everything back in its place and put all the garbage into a big bag that he would need to dispose of somewhere else. Jerome had canceled the garbage service while in London. He doubted that his aunt would approve of him using his house for dates regardless of what age the girl might be. The thought of having that conversation with his father was worth the extra precautions.

  He noticed that Griffin had texted him to see if he wanted to have breakfast at Seers Point. He was tempted to cook breakfast at his aunt and uncle’s house since they had taken the twins to softball, but he decided to opt for the social route.

  There was a convenient dumpster on the way to the club, where Nathan dumped the garbage. Griffin’s car was in the lot when he arrived. The combination of punctuality and desire to grab a morning meal told Nathan that he wasn’t the only one who’d had a memorable night.

  He ordered some breakfast and sat down at a table with Griffin, who did not look well. Nathan was still in a very cheerful mood. “How was the party last night?” he asked. “Was the girl from under the covers there?”

  Griffin did not look amused. “Not that I saw, though I didn’t go looking through any of the bedrooms for cheating skanks. The cops busted it a little after eleven. I got out through the basement. Ralph got a mouthful from the cops, but they let him go. Hopefully, that doesn’t set any standards for the rest of the summer.”

  This bit of information might have been noteworthy to Nathan on a different day. He feigned interest. “Oh, that’s no good.”

  Griffin eyed him suspiciously. “That’s not all that was interesting about last night,” he said.

  Nathan wore an expression of curiosity, wondering what would come next. “Oh, yeah? And what might that be?”

  Griffin looked at him like he was angry but he still had a smile on his face that showed he knew something. “Oh, is that really how you’re going to play it? Are you sure you don’t have something to tell me?”

  This was troubling to Nathan. How on earth could Griffin know about his night with Jackie? If word got out this quickly, his future with her was not looking promising.

  He tried t
o play it cool. “I’m not sure. Why don’t you stop playing games and tell me what you’ve heard?”

  This deflection seemed puzzling to Griffin. He replied conspicuously. “Word on the street is that you and Sarah are no longer together.”

  Relief flooded him. Griffin knew nothing after all. Well, nothing important.

  He had to stop himself from looking so relieved, which might instantly give away the fact that he was hiding something else. “Oh, yes. Sorry about that. We broke up, and it was sad. I didn’t want to tell anyone because school was getting out and no one will care come September. I just didn’t want to talk about it.” Nathan spoke in a diplomatic fashion that he hoped would suffice as an apology. This did paint him as a victim even though he’d stopped caring about it weeks ago.

  “I get it,” Griffin said. “Look, I know you need your space and all of that stuff, but I’m your best friend and I’ve got your back always and forever. At the very least, we could have smoked a joint after it happened. You should have told me, man.”

  Nathan wanted to tell him they had in fact done just that, but he decided against it. He felt bad for lying and felt even worse that he was keeping more secrets. But Griffin appeared to be okay with it.

  As they were finishing their breakfast, he heard a familiar voice. “Hi, Nathan,” April exclaimed, as she ran up to him. “I’m sorry you couldn’t babysit us last night. Zhanna isn’t as fun as you. She doesn’t cook as well either.”

  It was as if all the good luck he’d acquired over the past few weeks had crumbled in seconds. Griffin glared at him with a look of betrayal. He didn’t even think he was supposed to be talking to April, who would also be hurt if he brushed her off. Talking to her was more awkward than he ever expected it would be. He glanced off in the distance and saw Jackie wave at him. He wanted to go to her, but he had matters to attend to.

  Griffin started to get up. He didn’t look outwardly angry, but Nathan thought he was being civil because April was there. He started to walk away. Nathan was conflicted as to whether or not he should follow him. He said goodbye to April and started after his friend.

  “Griffin, wait,” he called out.

  His friend stopped and turned around to face him. “You know, I stand by what I said about you needing your space, but that generally doesn’t involve a whole bunch of lies.”

  Nathan saw sadness on his face more than anything else.

  The only real lie had been about his whereabouts the night before, but Nathan felt an urge to come clean to Griffin about Jackie. He desperately wished that he could have more time with his secret, but he would not have something like that damage his longest lasting relationship, his friendship with Griffin.

  “Can we go somewhere to talk? I’ll explain everything, just not here.”

  Chapter 17

  They went back to Nathan’s room at the Thompson family home. Thankfully, his relatives were still out and about.

  When he first mentioned where he’d been the night before, Nathan was met with disbelief.

  “Bullshit. No way,” Griffin said.

  Nathan told him the story, starting with Jackie coming home drunk the first night he babysat that ended with the date proposal. He left out the part about seeing her at the opening ceremonies to deny him the satisfaction of being right about the whole MILF thing. That was his secret and his alone. He told Griffin about their date the night before and what it had led to, and finally the parameters of what they had agreed to moving forward.

  Griffin could not believe what he’d heard. “So, let me get this straight, you are now dating Jackie McCarthy?”

  Nathan felt good hearing that said out loud but answered, “No. We’re not dating. We are keeping things open and undefined and we are going to see what happens.”

  “Sex?”

  “Hopefully more, but that’s none of your business.” He felt relieved. He wasn’t a big secret keeper and the burden of having them was a little much.

  “I can’t believe you did that,” Griffin said. “She’s a married woman.”

  This angered Nathan a bit until he saw the irony. He tried to hold back his emotions. “Oh, you’re really one to talk. And before you say she wasn’t married, well, Jackie is leaving Steve. And you constantly talk about MILFs, so just because none of them actually like you doesn’t mean you have the right to chastise what I do with a consenting adult.”

  “I’m not judging,” Griffin countered. “I’m not necessarily jealous of your situation either. This all looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Looking beyond right and wrong, this is a terrible idea, Nathan. I mean, seriously, what do you think could actually come of this?”

  Griffin had introduced some good points for a change. His friend was looking out for his best interests even if his concern was intertwined with sarcastic comments. He wasn’t sure what to think.

  “Griffin, I’m not doing anything drastic. I’m just seeing where things go.”

  “I don’t think you understand what I’m trying to tell you. The plan sounds great until you actually stop to think about what it really means. There is nowhere for this to go. You are putting yourself in a position where you will get nothing but pain from this outcome. I know you. You shut people out because you’re afraid that you’ll get attached. This woman will do major damage to your psyche. If you don’t believe me, go ask that Scottish lady you cheat on me with.”

  Nathan liked this idea of consulting Mrs. Buchanan. Griffin had made an excellent point. While he considered the notion of “seeing where things go” to be his new motto, he had not really considered that there might be a negative flipside to the arrangement.

  “Good idea,” he said. “I will let you know what I come up with.” Nathan grabbed his keys and left the house. He didn’t stop to think that he was leaving Griffin hanging, but he had more important matters to attend to.

  Mrs. Buchanan was in her chair at the library when Nathan arrived. She was reading an old book when he walked right up to her and said hello. She gave him a disapproving look. “School’s out, what are you doing here? Go enjoy the sun, child.”

  Nathan had made the journey to the library determined to seek answers, but he couldn’t help but laugh at Mrs. Buchanan’s words. “If that’s how you greet people, you won’t get many visitors,” he said, downplaying the idea that he might be there for a specific reason.

  “Good,” she said. “I come to the library to be quiet, not to put up with the likes of you.”

  The library was reasonably crowded, denying Nathan the intimate setting he’d hoped for. Before he could speak, she said, “You haven’t brought anything to work on. What’s wrong?”

  Was anything wrong? That was the question Nathan had set out to answer. “I’m not sure. I suppose that’s why I’m here.”

  Mrs. Buchanan put down her book. “I knew you wanted something. Come on, let’s go outside. I’d rather psychoanalyze your jibber jabber with some fresh air.”

  They sat on a bench outside the library. Mrs. Buchanan refuted several attempts from Nathan to help her down the stairs. She wasn’t very agile, but was perfectly capable of getting around without any help and given her age this served as a great matter of pride for her.

  As they sat down, Nathan started to think about just how much of the truth he wished to reveal. It felt good for him to tell Griffin, but this good feeling might not be replicated with another person. Mrs. Buchanan might be one of the coolest people he knew, but she was from a different era and this was a lot to process.

  He decided against the full truth, at least for now. If there came a time when he felt differently, he could deal with it then. He’d already told Griffin today, who had reacted appropriately. There might be a day where it was appropriate to tell her. For now, all he needed was the advice of a trusted companion.

  Mrs. Buchanan rested her chin on her cane and gave him a pensive stare. When this did not result in any action from Nathan, she said, “Well, are you going to tell me what’s on your mind or not?�
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  Nathan tried to find the proper wording for his question. After a few mental tries, he said, “Should two people who have decided to be together, well…should they be together if their being together doesn’t make much sense?” He doubted that his wording had been anything other than incoherent.

  Mrs. Buchanan looked as confused as he expected her to. “Are you saying that you are looking to start a relationship with Griffin? I don’t think his parents would mind, but your aunt might be a different story.” She broke out into laughter.

  “Oh God, no, that’s disgusting,” Nathan retorted. “We’re best friends, and he’s like a brother to me.” He looked around to make sure no one besides Mrs. Buchanan had heard him. No one had.

  Seeing that he’d been less than ineffective in his asking of cryptic questions, he continued, “There’s a girl I like and she likes me. The problem is that we’re not sure how sustainable it can be because of other people’s perceptions. I know it sounds shallow, but it could be a major problem and I’m not sure how to proceed.”

  Mrs. Buchanan was deep in thought for a minute before figuring out what she wanted to say. “I don’t see why you come to me for these types of things, but I don’t have any children of my own so I suppose this is God’s way of punishing me for failing to raise a family,” she said in a very melodramatic tone.

  Nathan didn’t react to her dry humor as he focused solely on reaching clarification from one of her earlier points. “Two weeks ago, you told me I needed to just go with the flow with girls and see what happens. Is that still true? When does the flow stop?”

  “Nathan, the flow never stops. What I told you was true. But that advice was given to prevent you from trying to force something that might not necessarily be a good idea.”

  This was not exactly what he wanted to hear. “So, you’re saying I shouldn’t intervene if something’s trying to get in the way?”

  “Are you dating this girl?” she asked.

  “No.”