Friends with Benefits

by Olivia Gaines

  Charlize rose and embraced her, “I am not sure what to say to that, Mrs. Broche, but I will hold your words close.” Before there could be a retort or another statement, Charlize was out the door and headed home.

  The words hung heavy around her neck like a dead albatross as she dragged herself through the week. Three sprains, a severe case of jock itch, two cases of venereal disease, and a HIV positive player, seemed to drain the life from her. By the time Friday rolled around she just wanted to sleep. She drove to Grayson’s and sat in the car for a few minutes. What she really wanted she was not going to get tonight, and it would probably just fray her nerves even more to stay in his home this evening.

  After a lovely dinner of roast chicken with balsamic bell peppers, and a lovely crisp white wine, Charlize wanted to curl up. She was not much on conversation tonight, but Grayson had something to say to her.

  “Charlie, I am at a loss for words of my appreciation for what you did for my mother.”

  “I was just glad I could help.”

  “But to have helped my mother bathe....is a tad bit above and beyond. Again,” his words trailed off as his voice became thick with emotion.

  “Grayson, your sister was not there, so I leant a hand, besides, I am a doctor,” she told him as she put the last of the dishes into the washer and went for her purse and keys. He knew they were both too raw for her to stay the night, and after a half a glass of wine, she was okay to drive. It still did not stop him from pulling her into his arms and breaking the rules by kissing her with love and tenderness that made her melt.

  “Goodnight Grayson,” she said as she pulled away and walked to her car. This was a turning point in their friendship and in their relationship. The true test would come when she met the whole family.

  Chapter Thirteen

  THE NEXT FEW WEEKS sped by and they were loaded up and headed to Warner Robbins, Georgia for Aunt Lula’s eightieth birthday celebration followed by the Fourth of July picnic. Lula was the oldest of the Broche clan, followed by Arthur, Reginald, and Stanley, with Benjamin being the youngest. Reginald—whom they called Buddy— was a little different. Exceptionally smart, a whiz with computers, but his social skills were a bit off.

  The Broche’s were an unusual group, who all were employed in some form or another in the judicial system. Grayson’s father, was the only judge. Lula was a retired professor who taught courses in sociology which focused on African Americans and the penal system. Arthur retired from the penal system as a corrections officer. Stanley was a Marshal, and Buddy, was the local sheriff.

  After checking into the Courtyard, she and Grayson had time for a brief shower before heading downstairs to the afternoon’s festivities. The hotel had been oversold with his family so they had to share a room. She watched with pride as Grayson introduced her to his uncles and then presented her to his aunt, whom Charlize immediately fell in love with. It amazed her that Grayson did not mention in his introduction that she was a doctor. It was Ayanna who spouted off to the family that Charlize was now her personal physician. The family took to her immediately with hugs and warm greetings and she instantly felt welcomed.

  Uncle Buddy, well, that was something altogether different. He watched her from the corner which set off alarms in her head, but she gave him a smile and waved at him. No matter which way she turned, Uncle Buddy was staring at her. The resemblance between he and Grayson was uncanny, but Buddy had gray in his temples and a low haircut. When there was no one around, he made his way over to her, “I heard you were a doctor.”

  “That’s right, I am,” she waited to see if he was going to give her a list of his ailments to start a free consultation. Instead he told her, “Did you know that mouthwash can cure toe nail fungus?”

  Her eyebrows went up, “Well, that is good news, especially if you have a foot fetish.”

  Uncle Buddy stood there staring at her for several long seconds, finally he spoke, “You are funny; want a cookie?”

  The cookie she had to decline because he pulled it from underneath the flap of his overalls. It was more of a concern that he did not have on a shirt, and she did not want to start to think about where he had stored that sweet treat.

  Grayson walked over to join in on the conversation, but Uncle Buddy had wandered off, nibbling on his underwear cookie. There was no way to stop the thoughts that were flooding her mind, until finally, she had to ask, “What the hell is wrong with your Uncle Buddy?” That question seemed to provide the theme for entire weekend’s activities.

  The first celebration of Aunt Lula’s 80 years of life took place at the hotel in the large meeting room. The family had collected tons of pictures and a slide show played in the background against the wall while the family mixed and mingled. The buffet lines were opened exactly at 6:15, and at 7:00 pm, the presentations began. The Mayor presented Aunt Lula with an award of service to the city followed by the Warner Robins Museum, where Lula had donated many items. The Museum Curator was pleased to announce the Lula Broche Boyd collection on display at the museum. Everyone provided a standing ovation and Charlize felt proud to be at Grayson’s side for this moment.

  After dinner, there was dancing, and Uncle Buddy was in the center of the kids showing off his dance moves. Well, it appeared as if they were dance moves, but what he was doing closely resembled an out-of-work male stripper with palsy. Grayson’s dad put a stop to his big brother’s fancy night club moves, as he called them, in a hurry. Benjamin told Buddy his moves were exciting the women folk. Charlize stifled her laughter when she heard Ayanna ask, “What the hell is wrong with your brother Buddy?”

  Grayson’s cousins were sweet and friendly and quickly pulled her into their circle making her feel like part of the family. She danced with a few of the male cousins and even joined in on a few line dances. When the music slowed down, she looked for her friend to share a nice dance before the evening ended, but instead found herself in the arms of his father. The judge was a very smooth and practiced dancer. He held her firmly as he would his own daughter as he maneuvered her around the floor. “Charlize,” he said as he stared down at her, “I want to say thank you again for taking care of my wife. You have no idea what that meant to our family, to me, to Gray....”

  She looked up into his eyes and saw the sincerity and was completely touched. “I am always happy to help Grayson with anything that he needs.”

  “He needs a wife; are you ready?” Charlize lost her timing and tripped over her own foot and twisted her ankle. Grayson was at her side in seconds. Uncle Buddy quickly wrapped ice in a napkin and hurriedly applied it to the swelling. Ayanna was the first to say, “Grayson, get her off her feet.”

  He swept her into his arms and headed towards the elevator. Brianna was in tow, carrying Charlize’s handbag.

  “Really, guys, you are making too much of this, I will be okay,” but her complaints fell on deaf ears as Brianna took the door key from her brother’s back pocket to let them all into the room. Grayson gently placed her on the bed and grabbed extra pillows to elevate her foot. “I’ll be right back,” he told her as he grabbed the ice bucket and headed down the hall.

  This was the first time she had ever been alone with his sister who sat there like a cat watching her every move. If her ears laid back, Charlize knew she was in trouble with nowhere to run. Brianna Broche Jameson looked a great deal like her mother, dark features, stunning eyes, and a full mouth. Suddenly, Charlize felt slightly uncomfortable and stared at the door willing Grayson to come back. As if she sensed there was little time, Brianna moved in closer to the bed.

  Brianna, in a low voice said, “At first I didn’t get it, you know the whole thing between the two of you. I thought it was just one of Gray’s things, but I see it now.”

  Confused and even more uncomfortable, Charlize asked, “I’m sorry. See what, and what do you mean by one of Gray’s things?”

  “I see why he is head over heels in love with you, but you already know that don’t you? He will give you anything yo
u want, if you just ask. Have you decided what it is you truly want from him, Doc?”

  Before she could respond, Grayson came back into the room. Brianna did not miss a beat, “Again, I just wanted to say thank you for taking such good care of Mamí. We are all very grateful. It makes me feel like we a kind of sisters, you know?”

  Brianna excused herself from the room and Charlize wasn’t sure what had just happened. This past week she had learned a great deal and felt a tad bit of pressure from his family. For the first time in ten years, she was afraid to be alone with her friend. What was scaring her the most was the realization that she could not answer Brianna’s question.

  Chapter Fourteen

  IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE that you can live a sheltered life until you come across those who live it fully. After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, Grayson headed out to the pool to watch his young cousins enjoy some early morning play before he and Charlize drove over to Fountain Park. Grayson’s uncles and father had gotten there earlier to scout out and prep the grill. By 10:30, the ribs were on the fire, hot dogs and burgers were going on next. The family started to arrive at eleven, and many of the children who were in the pool at the hotel, made a beeline to the pool in the Park. She had never understood children’s fascination with water.

  It was nice to see how organized the events and scheduled day had been, to include a horseshoe competition, a softball game in the afternoon and a nature hike at 11:30 led by Grayson. The swelling in her ankle had gone down and minus a twinge of soreness, she was okay, but she was getting lost in her own head. What did she want from Grayson? She fully understood they could not go on like this indefinitely and the once-a-month sex thing was already getting old and it had only been three months. As good as the loving was last month, she wanted several more helpings of what he had served and she still had to wait until next week for some more. She had an idea.... This time around, she would take charge of date night. A quick text message on her phone and a call to his assistant to clear his calendar on Friday and they would be all set. She was smiling from ear to ear and when she looked up, a young boy was standing in front of her.

  “Are you Gray’s lady?” The boy appeared to be between the ages of eight and ten years old, with Asian set eyes, a low haircut and a small face full of concern.

  “I am,” she told him as butterflies hit her stomach. She had admitted to being Grayson’s lady; maybe she was making some progress on how she was feeling about her relationship with her friend.

  “I need you to come and look at Bok Choy.” He turned his back and started to walk away.

  “Why do you need me to look at a vegetable?”

  The look on the boy’s face as he turned around made Charlize feel rather small. “Bok Choy is my dog.”

  Now she really felt stupid and asked the question anyway, “Why would you name a dog Bok Choy?”

  The second look he gave her was intended to make her feel stupid, “It’s an Asian dog.” He turned and motioned for her to follow him.

  “Sweetheart, I am not sure what is wrong with Bok Choy, but I am a human doctor, I don’t work on animals,” she tried to sound reassuring but continued to follow him anyway.

  “You went to doctor school, right?” The boy asked.

  “Yes, I went to medical school.” She wasn’t sure where he was going with this or where he was leading her, but she followed along with him as he headed towards the wood line.

  “Then you should be able to look at Bok Choy’s foot and tell me whether or not it is broken, right?”

  “That I can do. Would you like to tell me what happened as we walk to where he is?”

  It seemed that Bok Choy was chasing a few squirrels and ran into a possum that he needed to dominate. Evidently, the possum didn’t get the memo that he was supposed to be scared or to play possum, which was a major concern to Charlize. Maybe the possum was rabid. She finally got the young boy’s name—Marquez who said that his dog was a Jindo Gae, a Korean dog breed. The fawn-colored animal had laid and waited patiently for his owner to return as if he knew the boy had gone for help. She wanted to correct the child and tell him that Bok Choy was a Chinese vegetable, but lost her train of thought with what occurred next. The thing that truly blew Charlize’s mind was the way Marquez communicated with the animal.

  “Hold on Doc, I need to introduce you two before you try to touch him; he can be funny sometimes.” Charlize stood back and waited for her introduction. Marquez called a few commands in what sounded like Korean and the dog attempted to stand. A few more commands and the dog hobbled over to Charlize and presented his leg for her to examine. Since Marquez had gone to so much trouble to introduce them, she made a point of showing the boy’s best friend the same respect.

  “Hello, Bok Choy. I am Charlize and Marquez asked me to look at your leg. I will try to be very careful and not make it hurt more.” Either she was losing her mind or she could have sworn the dog understood her. As she knelt down beside him, he placed his paw on her thigh and she was able to see the bite marks.

  “Marquez, when was Bok Choy’s last rabies shot?”

  “Two months ago when he went to the vet.”

  “That’s good, we need to get this wound cleaned and get this bandaged up. I am going to have to carry him,” she felt silly but she had to ask, “Will you let him know what is going to happen?”

  Marquez said a few more commands and the dog leaned against her, waiting to be hoisted up into her arms. She arrived back at the pavilion and sent the boy to find Grayson to get her medical bag from the car. She laid the dog on the cool concrete and began to explain to him what she was going to do. A small crowd was gathering around her and Grayson came running with the bag, only to stop short when he saw the patient was a dog.

  She removed betadine, gauze, antibiotics, and a straight razor from the bag. “Bok Choy, I am going to remove some of the hair around the bite so I can see how deep it is, okay?” The dog whimpered a bit as she cut away the dense fur. There were three bites, one was deeper than the others, bleeding and was going to require some stitches. For some reason, Marquez was trusting her to take care of his friend and she did not want to let the little fella down.

  “Now, I need to clean it. This is going to sting a bit. Marquez, can you get down here and hold his head, talk to him and keep him still, okay?” She added the antiseptic and Bok Choy jumped up trying to get away. She sprayed on some Lidocaine to numb the site while she threaded a needle and sewed up the gash. A few quick flicks of her wrist, and the wound was sealed, the bleeding had stopped, and she was able to bandage the area. She sent Marquez to find two sturdy sticks, emphasizing they had to be the same size. The small cousins all ran off to help returning shortly with a great number of stick choices. In minutes she had made a splint for the injured leg and Bok Choy was up and about.

  “Marquez, he still has to see a vet, okay?” She was still on her knees, removing her gloves and bagging up the materials that she had used, when Marquez flung his small body at her nearly knocking her over. She was grateful the blade was no longer in her hand as his small arms enveloped her neck and she could feel the wet tears on his face. She pried his arms away and placed her forehead against his, “Did I do okay, Marquez?”

  “You did just fine Doc,” he told her as she quickly wiped away his tears. Bok Choy was also grateful as well and he began to lick her face.

  “You are welcome too, Bok Choy,” as the family all began to clap, Uncle Buddy, who had been watching the whole scenario added, “You might want to give the dog some Tylenol.”

  Brianna looked at her dad, “What the heck is wrong with Uncle Buddy?”

  THE PICNIC CONTINUED without much fuss for the majority of the day. One of Grayson’s cousins had an extra tee shirt that Charlize changed into since her shirt had been laden with Bok Choy’s blood. The tee was perfect for many of the afternoon activities, which first started with a father-son three-legged race. Grayson convinced Marquez to become his partner and issued a challenge to
his younger brother, Antonio. At the end of the race, Grayson and Marquez came in third, and their butts came in last, with scrapes and bruises. Charlize used the first aid kit to doctor them both up, quickly realizing the scrapes were more of a badge of honor than the 3rd place ribbon.

  Soon the bell rang to start lunch and all the moms lined up first to make plates for the kids. Marquez’s face was a little saddened as the moms yelled at the kids asking what they wanted to eat. Without giving it a second thought, she jumped in line and called him over, “Okay, you want a burger, a hot dog, and what else?” He smiled and told her what he wanted, and grabbed a cold Coke from the cooler. She took it from him and handed him a bottle of water. “You will thank me later,” she didn’t know if she was transgressing someone, but something was off with this kid, and she sat him in between her and Grayson as she took a bowl and filled it with water for Bok Choy, and crumbled up a burger in a bowl for the dog to eat as well.

  The ribs smelled delicious as the wives lined up to make their man a plate of food. She followed suit and served Grayson, which met with many approving eyes by his mother and his aunts. Her plate, finally made, she slid in next to Marquez, who had more barbecue sauce on his face than anywhere else. There was always a supply of antibacterial wet wipes in her bag and she used a few to clean the boy’s face. Marquez protested a bit, but seem to enjoy being fussed over. Maybe she was overstepping, but she looked up at Grayson, whose face was filled with tenderness, as she took care of the little guy.

  The families were paired up for a game of horseshoes after lunch, and Charlize was terrible at the game. She was only able to land her horseshoe in the sand once, and Marquez said to her, “Sad, just sad. I’m going to have to teach you how to play.” Dejected, she went back to the pavilion and took a seat with the old folks. Uncle Arthur pulled her to the side asking for a word, “I want to thank you for what you have done for my grandson, Marquez.” Lula may have been the one to turn 80, but Uncle Arthur truly looked it.