Any More Surprises?

(Mason)

Construction was officially underway. The new building was going up. We were swamped with orders and there was buzz about me getting back into the game. For whatever it was worth, people actually gave a shit what I did with my life. To me, that was strange. But it worked.

I got on my motorcycle and looked at what used to be an empty lot. Now there was an entire construction crew there, with machines, supplies, and lots of noise.

I ran my hand over my super-short hair and grinned. The look on everyone’s face that night at Violet’s parents was priceless. I knew Hank was feeling like shit and he hated losing his hair. So why not just chop mine off, too? It was just hair. It meant nothing to me but a clean bill of health. Hank didn’t need to wander around with some damn bandana strapped to his head, trying to cover himself up. Fuck that. I grabbed scissors and made the first cut as everyone gasped. Then I let Violet, her mother, and even Hank himself cut and shave my head. And I swore that night when we left, Hank looked happier and healthier than when we arrived.

Who would have thought: I, Mason, doing things for the benefit of others. What a fucked-up world.

I fired up the motorcycle and took off.

I had just got finished with a major project and needed to clear my head. A guy came to us with a motorcycle that he wanted dedicated to his wife, who had passed away from breast cancer. The crazy part? He’d survived prostate cancer just a year before his wife passed away. How fucked-up was that?

It was a hard one to work on.

The entire motorcycle was designed to honor his wife. And every time I touched the ride I thought about Kate. I thought about all the crazy stuff we were forced to go through and if any of that stuff contributed to her death. The houses we lived in. Was there mold? Mouse shit? Cat shit? Sleeping on hard floors. Sleeping with dirty sheets and pillows. Fuck, so many nights just sleeping outside. Not to mention the crappy food we ate all the time. But we had no choice. It was the only way to survive.

It angered me to think that something like that could have brought cancer upon Kate. Honestly, I didn’t know if that was the truth, and I never would. Sometimes, I put myself in a really shitty spot wondering what would have happened if Kate had survived. Would we have ended up together for good? What about Violet?

But I’m glad I got to work on that project. I was also glad it was done. Cutting into scars just makes new wounds.

I took a little ride for an hour before heading back to the apartment.

There was something comforting in going home and finding Violet there. All her shit was moved in once and for all now. No more surprises from me. No wives showing up at the door to ruin everything.

As I pulled into my parking spot, I saw Violet’s car. Next to that was a yellow moving truck. I grinned. Looked like they’d finally rented out Violet’s old apartment.

When I got inside the apartment, I saw Violet sitting at her laptop, busy working. I had to hand it to her. She really worked her ass off. She paid off her parents’ house to make sure they didn’t have to move or worry about money. She and her friend Victoria were cranking out hours on some new addition to their original app. I didn’t know how it worked but I loved watching her talk about it. The way her face lit up. The way her hands flew around as she spoke. It was everything to me.

“We’re getting new neighbors,” I said.

“I saw the truck, too,” Violet said.

“How much longer are you working?”

“Why?”

I stood behind her. “I was hoping you’d join me in the shower.”

“I haven’t showered today,” she said. “So, that’s not a bad offer.”

“Well, it wasn’t an offer, babe. More of a command. Shut the damn laptop and get in the fucking shower with me.”

“So demanding,” Violet said.

“I’m good at that.”

“And surprising me,” she said.

“I already warned you…”

“Are there any more surprises, Mason?”

“Plenty. But that’s part of my charm.”

“You’re not the only one who can deal out the surprises.”

“What’s that mean?” I asked.

“Nothing. Just putting that out there.”

“Are you pregnant?”

“What? No.”

“Okay.”

“Wait. Would that be bad?”

“As long as it was mine,” I said.

“Mason…”

“Violet,” I said. I touched her face. “See? I can surprise you.”

I winked. She broke away from me. “I hate you.”

“I’m going to take a shower. You better join me.”

I turned and walked to the bathroom door.

Violet? Me? Kids?

I tried to picture her pregnant and it wasn’t the worst image ever. But we had lots of time together for all of that. As a guy that chased down the days waiting to die, I just wanted to keep time alive and real.

That’s what…

I opened the bathroom door and let out a scream.

A fucking puppy barked and jumped at me.

* * *

I stared down at a yellow-haired puppy as it jumped at me, biting at the knees of my jeans. It had already pissed on the floor. I looked back at Violet, curling my lip.

“Surprise!” she called out. “I can’t believe she kept quiet that long.”

“Surprise? She? A fucking dog?”

“What? You don’t love her?”

I looked down. The puppy was now sitting. Her little tail was sweeping quickly back and forth on the floor.

Her body shook for a second and then she jumped at me again.

I succumbed and dropped down to one knee, and the damn puppy jumped into my arms. She licked and bit at my face. Scratched at me. Within seconds I was on my ass and holding her up. She squirmed and growled a cute little puppy growl.

I put her down and she dove right at me again.

“She loves you, Mason,” Violet said.

“You really brought a dog into my place?”

“Our place,” she said.

She sat next to me on the floor.

The puppy then dove between the both of us, so happy to be alive and have attention.

I petted the puppy and she gnawed on my hand with her tiny razor teeth.

“How much do you hate me right now?” Violet asked as she put her head on my shoulder.

“You know… I’ve wanted a dog since I was a kid. A retriever just like this. When I was kid I had a stuffed animal and I would pretend it was a real dog. I was a total fucking dork, dragging the dog down the sidewalk on a leash, talking to it. My foster father at the time thought I was gay and beat me for it. Then he took the stuffed animal and burned it and made me watch. But I’ve always…I’ve always wanted a dog like this.”

“And what would you name her?” Violet asked.

“Honey.”

“I love that.”

“Yeah?” I asked.

“Yeah. Honey. That’s her name.”

The puppy curled up between my legs and plopped down. Her eyes were shut a second later.

I looked at Violet. “I’d be a liar to say I wasn’t pissed off right now.”

“But you’ll forgive me, right?”

“Only if you earn it,” I said.

Violet kissed my cheek. “Why don’t you put the puppy away and play with a pussy?”

I raised my eyebrow. “Filthy. I’ve turned you into a filthy woman…”

“And you love every second of it,” she whispered.

Our lips gently touched. “Yes…yes I fucking do.”

We kissed. And we kept kissing.

We had time. We had a life. We had love. And now we had a fucking puppy.

But the thing was…it was much simpler than that.

I could be as greedy as I fucking wanted.

Because as long as I had Violet, I had everything.