by Andrew Grey
His mom returned his call, and Wes pulled into a parking space to take it. “What’s happening?”
“Your father met with the insurance men today, and they gave him a check so we can pay for temporary housing, clothes, and stuff. They suggested that we start looking for a new house and said that they’ll process our claim just as soon as possible.” She sighed. “They want us to make a list of what was in the house and how much we paid for it.” His mom seemed completely overwhelmed.
“Don’t worry, I can help you with that. Start with the things in your bedroom, the personal things like clothes and stuff. The big things are easy to do. Just take it one step at a time, I guess. I’ll start listing mine and Greyson’s things.” Then, because he thought she would need some good news, he told her how kind the people at work had been, which only made her cry.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
“Mom, call a real estate agent. Ask your friends and get a good one. They can help you find a new place to live and decide if you want to buy or rent instead.” He’d help them, of course, but that sort of thing wasn’t something he’d had much experience with.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to your father about it.” She sniffed again and seemed to get herself back together. “I suppose there’s nothing to do other than move forward, but everything is gone. Those pictures I had of you and Trey when you were babies. They were in the house, and—”
“Some of those I have because I helped Dad transfer them to the computer, and they were backed up to the cloud. When he gets a new computer, we can download them onto his new one. Yeah, some things are gone, but there are things that we can find again. Just concentrate on one thing at a time.”
“I will.” She seemed a little calmer now. “Are you still staying with a friend?”
“Yes. He invited me to stay a few days. Greyson really likes him, and he has room for both of us. I know you and Dad are busy, but we can meet for dinner.” It would be good to see them and make sure they were okay. “We can have Asian food, if you’d like.” It was his mom’s favorite.
“That would be nice.”
“Good. I’ll meet you and Dad there in two hours. See you then. I love you.” He tried to be as normal as possible, but the implications of what had happened were just beginning to hit him. He had almost no clothes for himself, and he was going to need to go shopping for a few things very soon.
Wes put his phone down and pulled out of the parking spot to pick up Greyson and then drive the rest of the way to Evan’s.
The house felt strange with just him and Greyson there. He left him sleeping in the carrier as he looked around. There were touches of Evan everywhere, but nothing overt. It was kind of strange, and yet comforting at the same time, like Evan was there with him, propping him up even though he wasn’t actually there.
It took a while to unload the things from the car and get them inside. By the time he was done, Greyson seemed active, so he set him down and held his hand, letting him wander all over. He seemed to be looking for Evan and was getting ready to go off on his own at any time. Wes released him, and Greyson immediately sat down. Wes took his hand again, and Greyson toddled farther through the house.
His phone rang, and Wes lifted Greyson into his arms and answered Evan’s call.
“I’ll be home in about an hour.”
“Okay. I’m supposed to have dinner with my mom and dad. Do you want to come?” Wes asked. “We’re meeting at Lee’s at six thirty.”
“I’d like that.” Evan cleared his throat. “I hope your brother is going to come too, and I need to try to meet with him. He and I talked, and I really need him to get me into the group. I’m telling you because I want you to know what’s going on, but you need to act normally. Be there for your parents, and let me and Trey sort of work things out.”
“So I take it we can expect a ton of subtext,” Wes said, chuckling. He doubted his brother was capable of the subtlety required for subtext, but then, given his last conversation with him… Wes might have underestimated his brother.
“It’s complicated, and I think the less you know, the better, right now. Getting into one of these groups is a complicated business. And I’m hoping that if he sees that I’m aligned with his family… I’ll gain some credibility with him. Just be yourself and everything will be fine.”
Greyson struggled to get down.
“Okay. I’ll see you at dinner.” Wes ended the call and put Greyson on his feet to let him wander once again. It did wonders to keep his worries at bay.
“HI, MOM,” Wes said, standing up as she and Dad joined him at the table. He hugged her, and she trembled in his arms. His mom seemed frail, clutching at him as though he were a lifeline. His dad hugged him as well, and Trey followed them in. He nodded solemnly, his expression stern and serious.
“I’m going to make this right,” Trey pronounced forcefully.
His father didn’t react, and his mother only nodded like she was humoring him.
“The insurance company sent a check.” His father reached into his pocket and handed Wes a stack of twenty-dollar bills. “We figured you could use this for things for you and Greyson.”
“Thanks.” Wes put the money in his pocket, wondering what his dad was doing with that kind of cash. A check would have worked just as well. “What did they say?”
“That they’ll get the claim processed as soon as they can. There were people at the house today, looking at it, and they have assessed it as a total loss, so that means we’re going to get the full value. And since the borough isn’t going to allow the house to be rebuilt because of the lot size, they’re going to buy that as well.”
Evan walked in, and Wes stood to greet him. Wes introduced his dad and mom, and Greyson pounded his tray, giggling happily and lifting his arms for Evan to pick him up. Wes unstrapped him, and Evan lifted Greyson into his arms. “You’re such a good boy.” Evan swung him around and then “flew” him back into the high chair, where Greyson clutched at his Cheerios with a gummy grin.
“Okay, before we eat and everything, there are some things your mother and I need to say,” his dad began seriously. “We’ve been talking, and she and I think it’s time that both of you are out on your own. When she and I get a new house, we want something smaller, maybe just two bedrooms. We’re getting older and both looking toward retirement, and we want a smaller house with less for us to work on.” His dad took his mom’s hand. “She and I want a house that will take less of our resources to maintain so we can maybe travel a little.”
“But where are we supposed to live?” Trey asked, as though that was the most pressing question.
“You’ll need to get your own apartments,” his mom said rather timidly, and Wes’s father nodded, his jaw set.
“It’s time you were on your own—especially you, Trey. You’re twenty-six years old and should be living in your own place, making your own life, rather than relying on us.” He was putting down the law, and Wes wasn’t going to try to change his mind. “Wes is younger, and if he needs a place for him and Greyson to get his feet under him for, say, six months, that’s fine, but then he will need a place of his own as well.” He leaned over the table. “Your mother and I deserve a life with just the two of us. This whole experience has been very traumatic for both of us. Everything she and I worked for went up in flames. We’re going to start over, and we feel that each of you needs to make an independent start in life now.” He patted the table a couple of times, which always meant that he was done and that the subject was closed.
“Excuse me,” Evan said and stood. “I should probably let the four of you talk.” He stepped away from the table, and to Wes’s surprise, Trey followed after him, both heading outside.
“Are you okay with this?” his mom asked, and Wes nodded.
“Yes, Mom. Greyson is nearly a year old, and, well… I’m assuming that Trey is going to want me to continue being his guardian. There are support programs that I can apply to, and the
college has been really great helping me with day care and things. I’ve honestly been thinking that I should find an apartment for the two of us anyway, and I have saved for the security deposit and things like that.” The worst fear he had was that Trey was going to take Greyson.
“Okay,” his dad said with a smile. “You were always more independent than Trey.”
“It’s time, Dad. He needs to stand on his own two feet. Good or bad, they need to be his, and you and Mom can have a life of your own.”
“That doesn’t mean that we don’t want to see Greyson and that I won’t babysit and watch him for you,” his mom said quickly, reaching around to tickle Greyson’s belly.
“I know that, Mom.” Wes wasn’t going to argue with them. It was time that he and Trey needed to be independent, and his parents had the right to have a life of their own. “Don’t worry. I’ll start looking for an apartment.” It was just that simple. Wes figured that Trey was going to have a more difficult time with their parents’ pronouncement than he was.
Trey returned to the table, and Evan followed, each taking their seats again. Evan seemed strained, and Trey’s lips made a straight line. Wes had no idea what had Trey so on edge. It could be the announcement from their parents or whatever he and Evan had talked about. Wes wanted to ask but knew he couldn’t, and Evan was providing no answers either. Wes busied himself with Greyson simply to give himself an excuse to ignore the tension until the server took their orders.
“How long have you known Wes?” his mother asked Evan.
“He and I met a little while ago. It was more like our paths crossing a few times until he and I became friends.” Evan was exaggerating things between them, but Wes didn’t correct him. Whatever game Evan felt he needed to play, Wes had pretty much figured out that he had to go along with it. Like it or not, part of his future had been tied to Evan and what he was trying to do, and the strings were becoming thicker by the second. “He’s a wonderful person.”
Trey turned to his mother. “What am I supposed to do until I can find a place to live?”
“You’ll figure it out. I have faith in you.” She smiled and patted his hand.
The tension within Trey didn’t abate, and when Trey’s phone beeped, he snatched it off the table and stood. “I need to go.” His chair nearly toppled. “I’ll see you later,” he told Evan, and then strode out of the restaurant without looking back or saying anything more.
Wes sighed and shook his head. He would have expected Trey to act the way he did, but he also would have hoped that Trey would grow up eventually.
“Maybe we should go ahead and order,” Wes offered. There was no use in trying to go after Trey. He needed some time to calm down and start thinking things through rather than simply reacting to his parents’ announcement.
“Are you okay?” Evan asked.
Wes nodded. “I think so. The last few days have meant a lot of change for all of us. I guess we all need to get used to a new normal, and given a little time, I think I can figure this out.” God, he hoped so. Wes had a pretty decent job with a stable employer. Even though his belly was doing flips and rolls at this moment and everything seemed up in the air, he’d figure it out. At least he kept telling himself that.
“What do you do?” Wes’s father asked once the server left.
“I’m a consultant,” Evan answered. “Most of the time it’s pretty boring.” He smiled, and some of the tension Wes had been carrying lessened. He hoped that once they got back to Evan’s house, he would explain what was going on, but until then, Wes tried not to act as nervous as a cat. “Still, it’s a living.” Evan shrugged, and thankfully the conversation shifted back to their current predicament and potential plans for what lay ahead.
Mostly it was a matter of waiting—for the insurance company, the police, and eventually the fire marshal. Everyone had a report to file and information that needed to be gathered before his parents’ claim could be settled and they could move ahead with getting a new place to live.
“Have you thought about where you might want to move?” Evan asked. “I saw a really nice home on the south edge of town. It’s in one of those neighborhoods that not many people realize is there, but the houses are really nice. It’s brick with a nice yard that isn’t too big.”
“Does it have a porch?” his mother asked.
“Yes. It has a nice front porch, and the street is quiet. Only people who live there actually go down that far.” Evan reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, and wrote down the street and block it was on. “You might want to drive down that way when you have a chance.”
His mother took the paper and put it in her purse. “We’ll do that.”
“How long is the insurance company going to put you up until you can find another home?” Wes asked.
“They’re going to arrange for a short-term apartment. I asked them for three bedrooms so you and Greyson can each have a room,” his dad told him, and Wes wondered how Trey was going to take that little revelation.
“You can’t just write Trey off. He’s going to need a chance to find something,” Wes said.
“Your brother has been putting off leaving home for too long. He’ll find a place and will land on his feet.” His father sipped from his water. “We’ve done a lot for him, but it’s time.” His dad seemed tired, and his mother like she was on her last nerve. Wes knew pushing them wasn’t going to help anyone. They were doing the best they could.
“Wes and Greyson are staying with me for a few days,” Evan said. “I thought it would be more comfortable than a hotel. I have an extra room, and they seem comfortable.”
Wes found Evan’s hand under the table and took it, sending a zing of electricity through him. How holding someone’s hand could make him both calm and excited at the same time was nearly impossible to understand, but it did just that somehow.
Their food arrived, and Evan squeezed his hand and then released it. As they all began to eat, the conversation drew to a halt. Wes kept glancing to his mom and dad and then Evan, but they all seemed a little lost in their own thoughts. Wes took a few bites and kept Greyson occupied so his impending impatience and fussing could be put off as long as possible. Greyson was an amazing little boy, but he would only sit still in a restaurant for so long.
Wes ate more rapidly and finished his beef with broccoli just as Greyson had had enough. Wes lifted him out of the chair. He grabbed the diaper bag and excused both of them to go to the bathroom, where he changed Greyson. When he returned, the others were nearly done as well. Wes sat down with Greyson on his lap, handing him a couple of his toys, but Greyson was having none of it.
“Give him to me,” his mom offered, and Greyson quieted in Grandma’s arms as she rocked him slightly and hummed to him. “He’ll be asleep soon.”
“I know. But if he goes to sleep now, he’ll be up until midnight.” Wes wanted to keep him awake until he got him back to the house so he could bathe him and then put him down.
His dad took Greyson, and they played a spirited game of peekaboo until he and Evan were ready to go.
“I’ll meet you at the house,” Evan said, and turned to Wes’s parents. “It was very nice meeting you both. I wish it had been under better circumstances, but take a drive by a few of the homes in that part of town. I think you’ll like them.” He shook hands with both of them and left the restaurant.
“He seems like a nice man,” his mother said. “Are you dating?”
Wes shrugged. “Not at the moment. He’s a friend who offered me and Greyson a safe place. He has a row house on Pomfret, and there’s plenty of room. Greyson really likes him, and it’s so much easier than dealing with a hotel.” He hugged both his parents and thanked them for dinner before heading out himself.
In the car, Wes talked to Greyson the entire time, parked the car, and got Greyson out just before he fell asleep. Evan met him at the back door, and Wes went right upstairs to get Greyson bathed and into his jammies. With a bottle and a short session of
light singing, Greyson was sound asleep, and Wes joined Evan in the living room.
“Do you want to tell me what happened with you and my brother?” Wes asked as he sat down next to Evan.
“No. I think it’s best if you don’t know anything more than you do. Suffice it to say that I’m making progress.” Evan shifted a little closer. “It isn’t that I don’t trust you and that you haven’t done a great deal for me. I wouldn’t be this close without you, but I don’t want you involved.” He placed his hand on Wes’s shoulder and drew closer. “Undercover work is dangerous, and it can have repercussions. If things go bad, I don’t want the groups equating you with me. If you know nothing, then they can’t get to you and will leave you and Greyson alone.” Evan met his gaze. “These groups are ruthless and don’t care who they hurt when it comes to getting what they want. So I’m going to ask you—please, don’t talk to your brother about any of this. Don’t hint that you might know anything. Just play completely innocent when it comes to his activities.”
“But I want to help,” Wes said. “I need to know that Trey is okay.”
Evan sighed. “Right now, your brother is making his own decisions, and I wish you or I could help him, but I’ll try. That’s the most I can promise. He’s in a dark place, where getting even for what happened is foremost on his mind.” Evan sat back. “I will tell you that your parents’ announcement today didn’t help very much.”
“Huh.” Wes was surprised. “I would have thought it would have made it easier for him to walk away from this revenge thing.”
“Nope. He’s angry and more determined to get even, because not only did he lose his home, but your mom and dad kicked him out because of the fire.” Evan sighed. “Your brother is one of those people who believes that everything in his life is someone else’s fault. It isn’t his decisions that made his life what it is, but the actions of others. And that makes him quite dangerous.” Evan’s gaze grew harder. “As I said, I’ll do what I can, hopefully before he gets in too deep.” He sat back on the sofa and closed his eyes. Wes figured he was trying to relax, but wasn’t being successful. His entire body was wound as tight as any Wes had ever seen.
