The doorbell rang while I was finishing up in the shower. Bridget had just left for the grocery store, and I’d planned to fix the flat on her bicycle while she was out. We thought we’d surprise Brendan and take him to the bike trail that ran through town later today when he got home. Hopping out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around my waist and yelled, “One minute!” so I could pull on some pants before opening the front door. But as I passed the window in the kitchen, I saw the truck parked outside and thought better of putting on clothes.
“Nick—buddy. How’s it going?” I opened the door and smiled broadly.
Nolan looked me up and down. “It’s Nolan. I thought you didn’t live here anymore?”
I hung onto the top of the door and made sure to flex. “Ah. That was a little misunderstanding. I’d just returned from a trip back home to England. But I’m back now. So we won’t be needing your services anymore. I can take care of the bedroom for Bridget. Sorry to make you come out here this morning. We would have called earlier, but we slept in after being up half the night. You know how it goes when you get back from a trip, mate.”
“Uhh…Is Bridget home?” He tried to look around me, but I filled most of the doorway.
“Nope.”
“I’ll just give her a call then.”
Considering she’d forgotten her cell on the kitchen table, I thought that was a great idea. “Good. Yes, you do that.”
I shut the door. Change of plans. I needed to spackle a wall before patching a bike tire.
Bridget stormed inside of the bedroom where I was working on the wall.
“What the hell did you do, Simon?”
I was covered in patch paint. “Hello to you, too, luv.”
“You fired Nolan and didn’t even consult with me. I just got his voicemail. You can’t fire someone who doesn’t work for you.”
“I thought I already made it clear that I had this situation under control. Why pay someone when I can do the work myself?”
“You didn’t have a right to make that decision. I had promised him the work.”
“I don’t want him in your bedroom. You don’t know who he is, and I don’t like the way he looks at you.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you didn’t have a right to make that decision for me!”
I could feel my face burning up with anger. “Why don’t you tell me what rights I do have, then? Who am I to you, Bridget? Your boyfriend? Your roommate? Your fuck buddy? What the hell are we doing? I came back from England to tell you that I love you, that I want a life with you, and you haven’t even answered me as to whether I should find a new flat or not.” I placed my hand on her chin, prompting her to look up at me. “Do you want me here?”
Her eyes were moist and her breathing quickened. I hoped I hadn’t scared her.
She finally answered, “Yes. I do want you here. It just feels…hard to believe, okay?”
My tone softened. “What does?”
“That you’re really staying. I can’t seem to…truly believe it.”
“Was I not clear on my reasons for turning down the job?”
“You were…I just…I guess I don’t understand why you would choose this life over that one.”
Did she seriously believe I would be better off without her?
“If it’s hard to understand why I love you, that’s because it’s not really something I can describe properly with words. It’s a feeling of just not being able to live without you.”
“It’s not just me in this scenario…”
“You don’t think I know that? You don’t think I know what an incredible responsibility this is?”
“Exactly! Why would you choose it?”
She seemed to think she was making a point I hadn’t already long considered.
“Incredible doesn’t mean unwanted, Bridget. I fully understand and accept the magnitude of this.”
“He’s going to fall in love with you, Simon. Are you going to be able to return it? Can you really love someone else’s son?”
I told her the absolute truth. “I already do.”
We needed a change of scenery. Things were getting too intense in the house. I convinced Bridget to follow through with our original plans to head to the bike path with Brendan, even though I was far from finished with my spackling job.
Having spent the entire morning working in her bedroom, I didn’t have time to finish patching her bike tire before we left. So, we opted to walk together while Brendan rode his new bicycle. He was up ahead of us as we strolled.
I originally figured we would continue our talk from earlier in a less stressful environment, but our conversation on the bike path turned to lighter topics, like the upcoming school carnival. That was just as well since I needed to keep an eye on Brendan and couldn’t be distracted too much. The weather was nice, which meant there were lots of people out cycling or rollerblading today. I needed to look out for him.
“Don’t go too far ahead, buddy,” I shouted.
Brendan promptly slowed down. Even though Bridget and I were chatting, I didn’t take my eyes off him for one second. If I saw an adult rider ready to pass him, I’d yell, “Watch out, Brendan! To your left!”
It was interesting. There were certain times when Bridget was the more protective one, but today I was definitely proving to be the bigger worrier. It must have had to do with the body of water nearby. When it came to Brendan’s physical safety in this environment, my mind couldn’t help wandering to Blake, especially since a lake ran right alongside the path.
“Watch out,” I said, pulling Bridget toward me. “You’re stepping in goose droppings.”
For some odd reason, our town had an influx of geese this time of year. They would all congregate in certain areas like the high school track or especially around the bike path. Bridget checked the underside of her chucks to make sure she hadn’t stepped in any residue.
Everything was going great until about a mile into our trip. That was when a flock of geese unexpectedly crossed in front of Brendan’s bike, causing him to brake so hard that he went airborne.
For a brief moment, it felt like my world went dark.