Chapter Thirteen
GAVIN
I went straight home after work to pick up Vinny. Mike asked us to come over so we could try out some brisket that he was going to cook on his new grill. As soon as I got home, I blew the horn for Vinny to come out of the house. He walked out with his bookbag still on his shoulders. I laughed at him when he got in the car. “What are you bringing your books for? You’ve got work to do?”
“Yeah.” He closed the door behind him. “Mrs. Henderson said that there might be a pop quiz tomorrow, so I just wanted to read over my chapter to make sure I understood everything. I want to make sure I make A-honor roll this year.”
“I see.”
He pulled his seatbelt across his body and right after he snapped it, we drove to Mike’s house. “So, you know I am going out with Miss Bethany this weekend, right?”
“Yeah, I know. I figured that was what the note was about.”
“Oh, really? How did you know?”
“Um, just a guess.” I narrowed my eyes at him. A wide smile jetted across his face, “Dad, I swear I didn’t read the note!” My eyebrows lifted to the middle of my forehead. He exhaled. “Okay, okay. Maybe I read a little tinsy, winsy bit of it, but that’s it. I just wanted to make sure that you didn’t say anything bad in it.”
“Bad? Like what?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I know what Ms. Pope likes, and I know what she doesn’t like.”
We arrived a stop sign. “Oh? And how do you know that?”
“Because I pay attention. I know that she likes flowers. She really likes those. Oh, and chocolate candy. Maybe you should get those things for her before you go out on the date. She likes that kind of stuff.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. I’ve seen flowers on her desk before, and anytime somebody gives her something as a gift, she always smiles when they give her flowers. And she smells them, then puts them on her desk. So, I know that she likes those things.”
I eased my foot onto the gas pedal, then eased through the intersection. “Okay, Vinny. I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice.”
“You’re welcome, Dad.”
We drove a little longer, then parked in front of Mike’s house. The sun was on its way down on the horizon, but it still held onto its yellowish glow before it completely disappeared. “Vinny, I need to ask you something.” He twirled his thumbs as he waited for me to continue. “I know that you like Ms. Pope, but I also know how you feel about your mother. Well, about the possibility of me getting back with your mother. I just want you to know that it will not happen. Now, knowing that, are you completely okay with me seeing Ms. Pope?”
He took a deep breath, then exhaled. His gaze remained fixed on the tree just to our right. I valued what he thought about this situation in particular because I didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable or forced into something that he didn’t want to be in. “I know, Dad. I mean, I wanted you two guys to be together, but like you said, we don’t always get what we want in life. So, I am okay with it. I really like Ms. Pope, and if you’re not going to be with mom, then my next vote would be her.”
I glanced to my left. I hated that our original family had been torn apart, but this was the next best thing that I could offer him. The chance to have a blended family and, hopefully, Bethany would fill the gaps that his mother left in our lives. I put my hand on his head, “Alright, Vinny. Thanks, son. I appreciate you more than you know.”
Just then, Mike stepped out of the house. “What the fuck? Are you guys gonna stay in that car all night? The meat is goin’ on the grill! Bring your asses in here!”
I shook my head, then tapped Vinny’s leg, “Come on, kid, let’s go before I have to punch your uncle in the face for cursing so much.” He reached for the handle, but I grabbed his arm, “I love you, Vinny. And again, I am sorry for not being the father that you needed me to be earlier.”
“It’s okay, Dad. I forgive you. Let’s move on.”
“Yeah,” I said with a smile, “let’s move on.”
We walked inside of Mike’s house. The smell of barbecue danced in my nose as soon as I closed the door behind me. Vinny went to the back room while I followed the smoky, barbecue smell out on to Mike’s patio. “Look at this baby. Gas grill. It cost upwards of one-thousand dollars, but I didn’t give a fuck. I had to have this bad boy. Here,” he stabbed a piece of meat with his fork, then handed it to me, “Taste that and tell me what you think.”
I took the meat off the fork, then popped it into my mouth. The juices swirled around on my tongue as soon as I bit into it. “Wow, this really is good. This grill must make your cooking better because I swear your barbecue didn’t taste like this before.”
He grabbed a beer off the table, “Ha, fuck you, man! My barbecue has always been exquisite.” He dipped his head back and threw a few gulps of beer down his throat, then placed it back onto the table. “Anyways, take a seat out there. Make yourself at home. Where is the boy at?”
“I sent him to the back room to play video games.”
“Hell, the way that kid acts, you might as well have told him to come out here and grab a beer. Shit. He seems like he is already 21.”
“Nah, man. I need to enjoy him at his age right now before he gets that old. I don’t need him growing up any faster than he already is. I can’t believe I missed out on so much of his life. I mean, he is only seven years old, but still, you know? Canceled dates. Broken promises. I was a shitty ass father, but luckily, he is forgiving.”
“Yeah man, kids forget shit and get over it a lot quicker than adults. I envy that sometimes, you know? Maybe things would’ve worked out with my wife if I’d learned that at a younger age.” He grabbed his beer and took another swig before continuing, “But fuck it! I’m fuckin’ single now and lovin’ every minute of it. But you?” he glared at me, shaking his head, “You are finding yourself going backwards, and I can’t understand why, for the love of God. Why would you willingly lock yourself in prison?”
I snapped the cap off a beer bottle, then propped my leg up on his table. “Like I said, man, I just want to see what that life is like. I want to experience life as a married man.”
“Let me help you out. It is bullshit, mixed with a little bit of sex, but a lot more bullshit on top of that. In the end, you get shitted out just like everything else you swallow. It’s a waste of time and money, but hey, I guess every man needs to experience that on his own.”
Smoke billowed out of his barbecue grill as he flipped some of the strips of meat on the other side. With his fork, he stabbed a pile of brisket and slid it onto a plate just to his left. He had a good reason to be hard-hearted on the issue of marriage because, from what I could remember, the relationship between him and his wife was hell. I remembered the times he would come over my house seething after something she did. Somehow, it all went to shit, but in my opinion, the two of them were a bad fit from the beginning. It didn’t feel that way with Bethany. The chemistry we had between each other was there from day one, and I was anxious to see how much further it would go between us.
“So, speaking of that, I need you to watch Vinny for me tomorrow night. I’m taking Bethany out again.”
“Oh, yeah? Sounds good. You need the house to yourself, huh? Have you two done the do yet?” he asked with a smile coated in beer.
“Nah, we haven’t. Not yet.”
“God damnit! You’re getting soft on me, man! The Gavin I knew would’ve been had her spread out in his bed by now at least a handful of times. What the fuck is going on with you?”
I took another swig of beer. “It’s not like that this time. I mean, I want to cross that line with her, but I don’t want to pressure her into doing it. I don’t want to treat her like I treated women before. If I feel like this is going to be different, I have to treat her like it’s different.”
“I have to treat her like it’s different,” he said in a tone full of mockery. “Look, man, I’ll watch the kid for you, but to me, he may as well come along with you two if you don’t plan on taking her down afterward. Seriously.” He glared at me as smoke billowed from the grill in an oblong shape. I took another drink of my beer just as Vinny walked outside. “Heey, buddy,” Mike said with a wide grin as he extended his hand. “Slap me five, buddy!”
Vinny slapped the palm of his hand into Mike’s. Seconds later, Mike put his arm around his shoulder and eased him closer to the grill. “Now, let me teach you something that your old man doesn’t have any business trying to show you. Uncle Mike is gonna teach you how to grill. Lesson one,” he looked at me, “make sure you don’t act like your father when you grow older. He doesn’t really know how to, um, handle his meat.”
“Mike!”
He laughed out loud. “What? I’m teaching this boy some valuable lessons. He’s got to learn how to handle himself if he wants to have success with this. Anyways,” he looked back at Vinny and continued showing him the ropes of grilling.
I kept my feet propped up on the table as I leaned back in my chair. I knew Mike would give me a hard time about my decision to not only take it slow with Bethany, but lean towards settling down with her permanently, but that didn’t matter to me. This was my life, and I had to make the best decision for me and Vinny, and right now, this seemed like the best one out there for the both of us.