He didn’t answer. He was sitting in his deck chair, staring out silently into the woods, empty beer bottles at his feet and covering the table in front of him.
“Babe? Did you hear me?” I walked closer to him and the door closed itself behind me. “Are you drunk? Did you and Michael have your own little beer fest out here or something?”
He took a final swig from the bottle in his hand, emptied it, and reached for another from the table.
“Babe… you’re scaring me. Are you okay? Talk to me.” I pulled up a chair and sat facing him, breaking his sightline to the trees. He looked so sad. What happened?
“I met Amber today.” His voice was soft, yet broken, as if he had been wounded. “Remember what you said about you and Michael being on Oprah?”
“Yeah, I do, but…”
“Well, you may as well invite Jett along to the taping. He got a new dad today, too.”
“No.” It sounded like a whisper coming from my lips, as if someone else was speaking for me.
“Yep. Me. I’m Jett’s father.”
I walked him inside the house and set him down on the couch, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders and handing him a glass of water. I started the coffee pot and gathered up the bottles on the back deck, putting them in the recycling bin by the door. He takes care of me all the time. Always. It was my turn to step up.
“Luke, we have food if you want some, but there’s no rush.”
“I don’t feel like eating. Did you get pulled pork?”
“Yes. And hushpuppies and green beans.”
“Okay. I feel like eating.” Well, that was a good sign. At least he wasn’t in the mood to torture himself. I made two plates of food and brought them into the living room, setting them down on the coffee table in front of us.
“Do you want to talk? Or just eat? No pressure. You decide.”
“I just feel kind of numb. I don’t know what to say.” He took a bite of his sandwich, but he looked a bit like a zombie eating a body, not caring where the chunks of flesh fell. I reached up with my napkin and wiped his face. He was really not himself.
Two cups of coffee and a full meal later, we were still on the couch, and he was feeling a little better.
“Thanks for taking care of me,” he said. “Sorry I was such a mess when you got here.”
“No worries at all, babe.”
“I went over to Amber’s today. Lana called me and asked me to meet them there.”
“And?”
“Lana knew. All these years. She knew Jett was my kid.”
“Holy shit. But are you sure? I mean, I know that sounds awful of me, but should we get a paternity test?
“That’s what Lana was saying. About the math. It makes sense. That’s why she was always trying to get me and Amber back together.
“Let me guess? I messed that up for good?”
He looked over to me, his eyes so troubled. “Not you. Us. We did that, together.”
“So, this whole thing… it was ‘kind of’ about us being gay, but mostly just about Amber feeling rejected and wanting revenge, and Lana wanting you to get back together with her best friend? And they did all of this?” I was floored.
“What’s that quote about a ‘woman scorned?’ Yeah. They went pretty far.”
“Damn,” I said, quietly. “I have to give Amber mad props for her follow through. When she sets her sights on a plan, she goes for it. Three husbands later, even. Talk about playing a ‘long game.’ So, what do we do now? Is it over?”
“I don’t know.” He sounded defeated. “That’s just it. We didn’t agree on a solution. She wants time to think. She wants me to meet with Jett, of course. She still wants me back, Derek, and I don’t think she’ll accept anything less. It’s crazy. The kids go back to school on Monday, but you and I are still suspended through the week, no matter what. Then we have the school board meeting on Friday.”
“And who knows what will happen then?” I asked.
“Exactly.”
“Well,” I said, firmly, “it’s super important that those kids don’t go back to school. Not until this is over. It’s still about the money. I’ve got calls to make. You just relax. I’ve got this.”
Since I didn’t have to work on Monday, I agreed to meet Johnny for lunch at his parents’ old place. It was kind of nice to be free, but honestly, I would have rather been at the school. I actually liked teaching, and I felt like I was having a positive effect on the kids’ lives, just as so many teachers had influenced mine.
I was walking out the door to run some errands before meeting my dad, when I received a text from Bammy. “No kids,” was all it said. I gave her a quick call.
“Does this message mean what I think it does?” I asked.
“No one showed up. Only a handful of kids. Like they didn’t get the secret memo,” she whispered. “We had to send teachers home. We’ve consolidated classes and we’re basically conducting an eight hour study hall. The school board is freaking out.”
“Amazing,” I said, smiling. “Let’s see if they can make it till Friday. Operation Walkout continues. I’ll catch you later.”
I didn’t tell her about Jett. I didn’t tell anyone. It wasn’t my place. I promised Luke that until he dealt with it privately, I wouldn’t discuss it publicly, though I strongly suggested to him that he share the news with Michael. They both had dealt with shocking news in the last week, and they could support each other, I figured. That’s what brothers are for, right? Suddenly, I was carrying a huge suitcase of secrets. Jett, Belle, Miss Mabel, Red and Barry. It was almost too much for a talker like me.
I drove over to Pleasant Hills, the subdivision that Red had put together in the deal when he sold Johnny’s family farm. There was nothing pleasant about it. Road after road of McMansions, one piled on top of another, with absolutely no privacy. And hills? Were they kidding? It used to be a farm. All the hills had been plowed down years ago. Only the trees by the main road were large. The rest were newly planted saplings, waiting their turn.
Thankfully, Johnny was smart enough to save a few acres around the original farmhouse, so it still felt like he was a bit removed from the creeping civilization. I preferred it that way.
The house was dusty and fairly unorganized, objects scattered here and there. It looked like Johnny had been excavating boxes, unearthing memories from his youth.
“I like what you’ve done with the place,” I teased.
“It could use a woman’s touch, for sure,” he said.
“Speaking of…”
“Is that why you wanted to meet me? To put the hammer down on me and your mom?”
“No, not at all,” I said. “But I do want to get a better idea of what you’re thinking. Do you mind sharing?” If I learned anything from that night at the Walcott’s, it was that getting to the point quickly was the way to get things done.
We took a seat at the old table in the kitchen. It was one of those 1950s Formica dinette sets, with teal and white stripes. Amazing. Kit would love it.
“Did Barry send you?” he asked. “He doesn’t trust me yet. I don’t blame him.” He reached for the teapot and poured us two cups.
“How’s your reentry?” I asked, figuring I’d start from a simpler place. “Coming back to Parkville isn’t easy. I know.”
“The town’s changed a lot. But then again, it hasn’t. Same families. Updated issues. It’s still home.” He handed me a cup.
“You plan on sticking around?”
“I’m not running away this time, Derek. I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” I said, sipping my tea. “But you’ve gotta make up with Barry. He should be first on your list, right now.”
“Any suggestions would be most appreciated,” he said, his hands wrapped around the mug in front of him.
“Well, he’s really fond of diamonds.”
17
NO MORE SECRETS
Tuesday morning arrived and even fewer kids showed up at the school tha
n the day before. It seemed the word was officially out. Bammy called to tell me that they decided to send everyone home, including the teachers. The school board was extremely anxious to resolve the situation, and they were simply counting the days until the public meeting on Friday. They needed the kids in their seats in order to make their numbers, but the students weren’t following the board’s plan, they were following ours. And it was perfect.
I pulled Willie into Luke’s street and immediately saw the shiny red Corvette parked in the road out front. Shit. Jett was here. I wondered if Luke was okay, but I didn’t know if I should I leave them alone or get involved. I knew I was going to have to deal with this eventually, so I decided to throw my hat into the ring. Solidarity, right?
I opened the door, and the living room was empty. I stepped into the kitchen and could see Jett and Luke out on the back deck. Neither of them appeared to be physically wounded, so that was a good start. Nobody was bleeding. Jett was lounging casually in one of the deck chairs, legs wide open, one arm tossed languidly over the back of the chair. He didn’t seem to have a care in the world, and the smirk on his face spoke volumes. Luke was sitting close by, hunched forward, elbows resting on his knees. His hands were clenched together and his brow was furrowed. It was plain to see who was in control of the situation, and I didn’t like it.
“Hey there, Derek,” Jett said, turning to face me as I opened the door to the porch. “Or should I call you ‘step daddy’ now? Pops and I haven’t gotten that far, yet.” Luke looked at me uncomfortably. Jett was enjoying every minute of this.
“Why don’t we stick with ‘Mr. Derek’ for the time being?” I said, firmly. In the South, it’s quite common for kids to call their elders by their first name, but as a sign of respect we add Mr. or Miss before it. I wasn’t ready to welcome Jett with open arms just yet, even if he was Luke’s son.
“All right then, Mr. Derek,” he said pointedly, that self-satisfied grin still plastered on his face. “Pops and I were just talkin’ visitation rights. Mom’s place is totally better, but I’m sure I could have some pretty wicked parties back here, don’t ya think? This deck is perfect for a kegger. Pops is gonna set up that second room for me to stay over and I’ll be all set. Isn’t that great?”
I looked at Luke to gauge his reaction. Jett is moving in? What the hell?
“Luke, could I borrow you for a minute, inside?” I said, with a bit too much edge in my voice. “I’m just about to head on over to Mom’s house and I just wanted to show you that broken light that’s acting funny. You mind?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah. Sure,” he said. “I’ll be right back, Jett.”
“No sweat, Pops,” and he threw his legs up over on the seat of the next chair, arms folded behind his head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Like hell you aren’t, kid.
The door closed behind us and I pulled Luke into the hallway by the hand.
“Listen,” he started, “before you say anything, he’s my son, all right? Just cut me some slack. I have no clue what I’m doing here.”
“Yeah,” I nodded, eyes wide open, “that’s kinda obvious. That kid’s running all over you and loving every minute of it.”
Luke put his hand to his forehead and sighed. “I don’t know what to do, Derek. I’m his father, but I’m not. Everything is so fucked up right now. He just showed up on my doorstep. I told Amber that he and I should meet, but we didn’t talk about when or where. I thought we would ease into this, slowly. But he’s been here like an hour, and he’s all ‘Pops’ this and ‘Pops’ that. He’s pushing me, I know he is, but honestly, Derek, I’m kinda freaking out. I know I need to take responsibility, but I don’t know how to be a parent, yet.”
“It’s okay, babe,” I reassured him. “I can’t even imagine what you’re dealing with. Sorry. I’m sorry. I’ll back off. You two need to get to know each other, for sure. But a keg party on the back porch isn’t the way to do that. That kid’s not dumb. He knows he can wrap you around his finger right now.”
“Yeah, that’s for sure,” he admitted. “Whenever he starts talking, which is always, by the way, I just kind of freeze. My father wasn’t the warm and fuzzy type, so I’m at a bit of a loss here.”
“We’ll figure it out together, right?” I said, my hand on his shoulder. “But first, your priority has to be Amber. And if Jett is the way to get her to stop the CCCP, then that’s what we have to do.”
“Jett said she wants me to come over for dinner tomorrow night,” he said. “What should I do?”
“I think you should go. You have to.”
“You’re coming with, right?” he asked. “Please?”
“Babe, I think this is one you may have to take on your own. Amber won’t take too kindly to me being there, especially if she’s really in this for the reasons we think she is. We were supposed to meet Bammy and Michael tomorrow, but I’ll send your regrets. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“All right,” he said, accepting his fate. “I’m going back out there. Wish me luck. I have to figure out a way to connect with my son.”
“Good luck, Pops,” and I gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.
I met Bammy and Michael on Wednesday at the Tater Tot for dinner. They were already seated in a booth towards the back when I arrived.
“Hey,” she said, getting up to give me a kiss, “I hope you don’t mind, but we took a booth back here in the shadows. There are just so many whisperers, lately. I was hoping to be a little inconspicuous.”
“Embarrassed to be seen with the enemy?” I teased as I took my seat.
“Derek, come on.” She sounded tired. “I know you’re joking, but I’m just at my wits’ end, these days.”
“I’m sorry, Bammy. I know. Let’s get some cocktails and get to work.”
The waitress came by and we ordered a round of drinks and appetizers. Bammy had called me the day before to suggest we meet to synchronize our next steps, even though they weren’t 100% clear. There were a lot of what ifs and maybes coming up, but we had to be prepared for every situation, even when new monkey wrenches like Jett kept popping up.
“Luke sends his regrets,” I said. “He’s having dinner with Amber and Jett tonight.”
“How’s he dealing with the whole Jett situation?” asked Michael. “A new brother and a new son in one week can’t be that easy.”
“I’m so glad he talked about it to you,” I said. “He felt a little better, after. He’s dealing. It’s tough. Not the brother part, of course, you’re awesome. But Jett? He’s a handful.”
“I can imagine. At least I had some advanced notice,” Michael said. “Thanks to my sneaky super spy girlfriend here.” He put his arm around her and she just smiled. It was good to see that he wasn’t holding her snooping against her.
“Well, Lana said that Amber was the key, and we’re still counting on that,” I explained. “If Luke can get her to call off the CCCP, then all of this will be over. I’m just worried about what he’ll have to do to get her to agree to that.”
“And if Amber doesn’t budge?” asked Bammy.
“Then the school board will,” said Michael. “And I’m afraid it probably won’t be a result that you’ll like. I’ve crunched the numbers, and the school is losing a ton of money on this fight, plus they are racking up negative publicity like nobody’s business. Neither one is good. It’s become a nuisance, and they see only one way out. If those kids don’t get back on track on Monday, then you and Luke will most likely be out of a job.”
“So, Luke and I are really losing our jobs over a kiss?” I said, the reality slowly setting in.
It was almost time to concede this one. But not quite yet. Come on, Luke. Work your magic charm on Amber.
He was sitting on the couch and nursing a beer when I got back home, watching some sports recap show on the television.
“How are Bammy and Michael?” he asked, as I kicked my shoes off and joined him, snuggling in.
“They’re doing great.
” I reached for the remote and turned the volume down a bit. “We had a nice time. They’ve invited us over to dinner when this whole thing ends. How did it go with Amber?”
“You first.” He wasn’t smiling.
“Well,” I frowned, “it doesn’t look so good. According to Michael, if the CCCP doesn’t go away and the kids aren’t all back in school on Monday, then you and I are looking for new jobs.”
He looked at me, defeated. “It’s not much better on my end.”
“What happened?”
“Amber pulled out all the stops tonight. She has this ‘perfect family’ fantasy, and that includes me and Jett. She was ‘Suzy Homemaker’ all night. Huge meal, dinner music, permanent grin on her face. We talked about our days as if we were one big happy family, avoiding any topic of real substance. It didn’t take me long to realize that I’m supposed to play the part of the loving husband and Jett’s role is the handsome, athletic son. It was a joke.”
I could just picture Amber with her red hair in a bouffant, twirling around the kitchen in a red and white checked apron, happily waiting on her beautiful, imaginary family while cartoon bluebirds helped her tidy up. I shuddered.
“Jett went downstairs after dinner to play video games,” Luke continued. “Amber asked me to join her on the couch for a drink. The stereo segued into a music playlist of all of our songs from high school. She actually dimmed the lights, Derek. She thought she was going to seduce me!”
“Seriously?! This is getting good!” I had to admire her brass.
“Stop,” he winced. “It wasn’t funny. I was freaking out, inside. I swear, she thought all she had to do was ply me with some drinks, play some old songs and let me get a good whiff of her perfume and I would just jump her bones. It was kind of sad, actually. I was polite, of course. As polite as I could be, you know? But when I mentioned your name, she just went off. She started yelling at me, crying, telling me how I ruined her life, how I left her with a baby and she got stuck with three crappy husbands that she didn’t want. She blames me for everything.”
The Fire Went Wild (Home is a Fire Book 2) Page 15
