ADAM
“Thank you for doing this for me, Adam,” Mom said, zipping up the picnic bag.
“Look, last time we did something like this, I ruined it for you. So, thanks for asking. Did you pack any water?”
“No, honey. Would you mind?”
“Sure.”
I went looking for a proper container while Mom was checking if she had packed everything.
I had another chance at making a good impression thanks to Mom trying to smooth things over with Mike. I didn’t like the situation with her, but I had promised to let her manage it. It was her relationship. I was only lodging at her place until I found a suitable apartment of my own. Mike was not my concern; he hadn’t made himself look like a jerk yet.
And then, there was Lindsey. We had seen each other sporadically since that awkward dinner, and I had made the impossible to cut every meeting short. I hadn’t figured out my reasons yet, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
But today, the anticipation of seeing her again made me feel both excited and annoyed. It was like I wanted to see her, but I hated myself for feeling like that. I would’ve preferred to watch her from afar, without her being aware of my presence.
The weird thing was I was interested in all she did, but I wouldn’t have admitted that to her, or anyone else, if my life depended on it.
I pictured her in her work attire for a second, trying to imagine her outside the circumstances I knew her from. So, she had a job, and a supervisor.
How was she like with other people? Was she as bitchy with them as she was with me?
The only way to find that out was if I could watch her.
“That’s creepy,” I said to myself, then, to recalibrate my mind onto less sinful thoughts, I asked Mom “Did you know Lindsey has a job?”
“Of course, honey. Only weekends. Her father doesn’t really see the need for that, but you can’t really argue with Lindsey’s logic. She’s a good girl.”
“I don’t see the logic in it either.”
“She wants to do something with her life. Spending her father’s money is easy, but she said she wants her own.”
“Why are you laughing?”
Mom shook her head, looking like she didn’t want to tell me.
“Mom?”
“You’ve been talking about her a lot lately. Did you two patch things up?”
“What? I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did. Yesterday you asked me how she does in school, and then last week you told me she looked very professional in her work clothes. Oh, and you asked about her new boyfriend too.”
“OK, OK, I get it. You don’t have to list everything I said. I’m not doing anything wrong anyway. I want to know about her. She could be family; you know?”
A shadow crossed Mom’s face when I said that.
“Yeah, I guess,” she said quietly.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m sure things would get better with Mike. Ready?”
“Yeah, I packed everything.”
I took the bags and carried them to the car. Mom started the engine, and I could see she wasn’t in the same good spirits and I felt guilty for upsetting her. She was a sensitive woman.
The entire trip to the park I tried to find a way to make her feel better, but the right words escaped me. We ended up driving in silence and when we finally got out of the car, it felt like relief.
Mike was waiting for us in the parking lot.
“Hey, honey. How was the drive?” he asked Mom, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. Was it just me or the whole scene looked colder than it was supposed to be?
“Fine. Quiet. Is Lindsey here?”
“Yeah, she’s at our spot. Making sure we don’t lose it,” he tried to joke but it was clear neither of them felt too amused. It was sad to watch.
“OK, Chief, where do I take these?” I interrupted.
“Let me help you with that.” He took one of the bags and motioned for me to follow him.
The picnic table wasn’t very far from the road, but somehow felt secluded enough. Willow trees were guarding the place and the lake provided a cool breeze in the rising heat of the late spring. On the iron table, they had already spread an assortment of cheeses and sandwiches; their version of a first course. Mom’s pie almost seemed like too much after such a light meal.
I left the bag on one of the chairs and looked around for Lindsey. She was out of earshot, talking on the phone. When I saw her laugh, I felt a pang of jealousy. Weird.
“Adam, would you like to join me?” Mike asked, pointing at his fishing rod. “I’ve got a spare one.”
“Sure,” I said with a shrug.
“Change of plans, everybody!” Lindsey said, putting her phone in the breast pocket of her checkered shirt. “My boyfriend is going to join us.”
“Wonderful. There’s plenty of food for everybody,” Mom said, smiling.
“Isn’t it a little early to be meeting the family?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“Excuse me?”
“I mean, a couple of weeks is not too long, right?”
“It’s alright, guys. Nothing wrong with vetting a guy early on,” Lindsey’s father intervened.
Lindsey exhaled loudly, visibly making an effort not to get sucked into yet another argument with me.
“Anyway, he’ll be here in a minute.”
I shrugged, my signature gesture whenever I wanted to make Lindsey mad without saying a word and turned my back on her. I was certain that, if she could, she would stab me.
As the argument had been avoided successfully, I chose to err on the side of caution and keep my distance from her. Fishing, albeit mind numbing, seemed like the best viable option.
“You don’t look like someone who fishes a lot,” Mike commented.
“Once or twice, when I was a kid. My dad used to take me with him, but I never liked it.”
“The fishing or spending time with your father?”
I didn’t want to answer for a moment. I knew Mom was supposed to share about her past relationships with Mike, but I wasn’t expecting him to know about me and my father.
“He wasn’t the most pleasant man,” I finally said. Mike nodded.
“I understand.”
We didn’t talk after that. I was starting to enjoy the quiet. The way the lake moved, the discrete noise around us, it was almost hypnotic.
“He’s here!” I heard Lindsey exclaim. When I turned to look, I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows.
“Everyone, this is my boyfriend, Mark. Mark, this is my father, and Karen, and... Adam.”
Something felt weird about the guy. I shook his hand reluctantly, and spend the next ten minutes trying to figure what was it that I didn’t like about him.
He seemed to have the same effect on everyone else. Both Mike and my mother exchanged glances several times, and seemed somehow reserved around Mark.
“So, it’s not just me, then,” I thought.
“Shall we eat?” Mike asked, suddenly. Most likely, the awkwardness was getting to him.
“Sure, honey. Adam, would you give me a hand with this?” Mom asked. Lindsey was much closer, so why was she calling me?
“Is she going to spend the whole time attached to that guy?” I muttered, taking the stack of paper plates from my mom.
“This feels eerie,” she whispered.
“What’s that?”
She looked at me puzzled. “Don’t you see it? Mark looks just like you.”
The shock from her statement made me physically take a step back. I stared at him for a good couple of minutes, before Lindsey looked my way and frowned. Then she kissed him. Did she do it on purpose so I could see?