Chapter Fifteen
GAVIN
“Hey, Dad, are you going to wear that?”
I looked at my clothing in the mirror while Vinny sat on my bed. “Yeah. Why? What is wrong with what I have on?”
“Um,” he chuckled, “nothing. I mean, that’s if you’re going to do something active. I think you should wear something a little more formal.” He walked into my closet and grabbed another shirt from the hanger. He held it up as he came out of the closet. “Like this. This white shirt would go better with that.”
“This one?” I held it over my chest as I looked into the mirror. “Well, it does seem to go a little better with these pants. Alright, kid, you won. I’ll change.” He smiled, then climbed back onto the bed as I switched shirts. “So, it’s been a month since me and Bethany started dating. Do you still feel the same way about her?”
“Yes, I do. I really like her, and that hasn’t changed. She hasn’t changed the way she treats me at school, either. Sometimes, I think people would try to be nicer to a kid in this situation, but she hasn’t. Not that she has started being mean or anything, but she has been the same nice woman that she has always been.”
“Good. I am happy to hear that. And I know you love hanging out with us from time to time.”
“Yeah, I do. I love that the most. She always invites us to do fun things together. I think this is the most time I’ve spent with you since I can remember.”
As he continued talking, I thought about all the time that the three of us had spent together for the past month. Bowling, skating, trampoline parks, and miniature golf. Wherever we went, Bethany always made sure to include Vinny, and that was a load off my shoulders because I rarely had to balance time between the two of them. Hanging out with them both was like killing two birds with one stone. “Yeah, I know, Vinny. I’ve had fun, too. I love that we are all getting along with each other.”
“Yeah.”
“So, when is your mom coming to pick you up?”
He looked at his watch, “She said she would be here at around 3 pm.”
“Okay. Well, it is 2:35 now, so you should be getting your things ready. Are you excited to see her?”
“Yes. It’s been a few months, so I'm anxious. I’ve missed her a lot.”
“I know you have.” Before he left my room, I called out to him, “Oh, and Vinny? Don’t mention Bethany to your mother, okay? If she asks if I have been dating anyone, just tell her to ask me. I don’t want any problems between us while she is here visiting, okay?”
“Got it, Dad.”
“Alright.”
As he left the room, I thought about Karen. She moved to Philadelphia a while back after she lost the custody trial. She had gotten another job out of state and wanted to take Vinny along with her, but I couldn’t stand the fact of my son being miles and miles away from me at any given moment. Looking back, I realize that if he did to go Philly with her, then not much would’ve changed since I hadn’t spent that much time with him to begin with. Thanks to Bethany, that was all going to change. But, I had to admit that Karen still had a special place in my heart. I felt that if I’d just gotten things right with her, then we would still be together today. I mishandled her, and that was the reason we split.
I didn’t know how I was going to react once I saw her, but if I could be honest with myself, I was just as anxious as he was. After I finished getting ready, I walked downstairs. Gavin had his bag packed for the weekend with his mother. He sat on the couch with his legs swinging back and forth when I came downstairs. “Well, kid, it’s 3 pm, and if I know your mother like I do–” the doorbell rang before I could finish my sentence. I smiled as he stood up and put the strap of his bag onto his shoulder. “Right on time.”
I opened the door, and as soon as I saw her, my heart skipped a beat. A breeze caused her hair to flutter as she stood in front of me. She wore prescription frames now, much different from the contacts that she wore earlier. Even still, she was as beautiful as I remembered her. Her brown eyes seemed to magnify behind her lenses. Her eyebrows were arched and looked sharp enough to poke someone and sent a trickle of blood down their finger. She wore jeans and a tight-fitting t-shirt, and when she folded her arms beneath her chest, her B-cup breasts sat up perfectly. I had to force myself to look away from them. “Hello, Karen. It’s good to see you.”
Vinny sprinted past me and into his mother’s outstretched arms. “Hey, Vinny!” She kissed him on the top of his head as he held onto her like he was on the edge of a cliff. She smiled and kissed him again. “I missed you too, son.” Slowly, her eyes fell onto me, “It is good to see you, too, Gavin. I see you’ve done well for yourself.”
“Yeah.” I glanced down at her wrist. A diamond encrusted bracelet shone brightly in the sunlight. “And I see you have done well, too.”
“Thank you. Yes, business has been great out in Philly. I am here on business, but I got everything out of the way so I could spend some time with Vinny. The summertime just isn’t long enough for us, you know? He is growing so fast.”
“Yeah, he is.” An awkward silence festered between us.
Vinny finally spoke up as he released his mother, “Mom! You look good. When did you start wearing glasses?”
“A couple months after you left last summer. I hated putting those blasted contacts in every day. It took too much time, so I just went with the frames. Do you like them?” She posed with her hand on her hip.
Vinny laughed, “Yes, mom. You look, um, refined.”
“Refined, huh? Why, thank you, my good sir.” She reached for his bag. I tried to grab it before she could, but she waved me off, “No, I got it, Gavin. I’ve learned to do a lot on my own since we went our separate ways. Thanks for the offer, though.”
I was a little disheartened that she didn’t allow me to take the bag to the car for her. “No problem. A lot has changed since we last saw each other. I’m not the same guy anymore either.”
She smiled, then put her arm around Vinny. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before. You enjoy your day, alright? Oh, and if you don’t mind, I am going to hold on to him until Monday evening. My flight leaves that night, and I want to soak as much time up with him as possible. Missing one day of school won’t hurt, will it?”
“Oh, um. No. No, one day is fine, Karen. You two enjoy yourselves. And Vinny?” he turned to me as I kneeled, “Remember what I told you, alright?” I pretended that a zipper was on my lips and with that, he copied my movement. I rubbed my hand through his hair, “Alright. Have fun. Love you, son.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
I watched the two of them walk to her BMW. I knew she didn’t drive that here, so I wondered who it belonged to. Maybe a guy that she was seeing out this way? No. I shut the door before my mind had the chance to fill in the blanks and drive myself crazy. I walked back to my room and grabbed my cell phone. Bethany was the only woman who could get Karen out of my mind. “Hey, sweetheart. Vinny just left with his mom, so I am on my way to your house.”
“Okay. I’ll be ready when you get here.”
I rang the doorbell as soon as I got to her house. When she opened the door, she looked completely different from what I was accustomed to. Her curly hair flowed down to the bottom of her neck. Her red lipstick was a change up from the normal thick coat of gloss. Her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings each time she blinked, and her nails were painted and shaped to a point. My eyes roamed over her body as a smile slowly escaped the corner of my mouth.
“What? Is it too much?”
“Too much?” I asked quizzically as my eyes circled her breasts. “No. Not too much at all. Just right, if you ask me.”
“Really? Because April decided that it would be a good idea to take me out and get a makeover. She treated me like I was her life-size Barbie doll. I hated it at first, but she said that you would love it, so I took her word for it.”
“Well, she was right because I love it.” I kissed her on the forehead. “You look stunning, and I am proud to have you as my date today. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
I took her to an orchestra concert. She said that she had never been to anything like that before, so I wanted her to experience some of the finer things in life. We sat on the upper balcony, which provided an excellent view of everyone beneath us. The conductor snapped his arms in the air to each section, ordering the flute and base players to stop and start at his whim. I glanced at Bethany as she held onto my arm. Her eyes were glued to the front of the room, seemingly immersed in the beautiful music they played from their instruments. I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled, then repositioned herself in her seat as the music played on.
After our date, I took her back to her house. “Gavin, that was so,” she searched for the words, “so elegant. The music. The way everything was conducted. It was just… I can’t explain it. I enjoyed it, though. I didn’t think that I would, but I was open to it.”
“Yeah. I figured that we could try something new together. To me, you’re like an open book. I am just reading you to figure out what you like and don’t like.”
“Well, if I am an open book, we will call this chapter ‘The Symphony.’”
I smiled. “That sounds good to me.”
After I sat down on the couch, she scurried into the kitchen and came back with a small tub of ice cream and two spoons. “Now,” she said as she plopped down beside me, “it is time for something sweet.” As she handed me the spoon, I couldn’t help but steal a glance at her breasts. They sat perfectly beneath her dress, seemingly begging me to press my lips against them. I couldn’t push the envelope, though. If she wanted to go there with me, I was going to allow her to make that choice. I grabbed the spoon from her hand.
“Sounds good. Red Bee? That is my favorite brand.”
“Mine too! Wow. So, we have something else in common. I should’ve known.”
We dug our spoons into the ice cream. I caught her eyes gazing at me from time to time as we ate. “Is something wrong?” I asked with the spoon just leaving my mouth.
“No,” she said bashfully, “I wouldn’t say ‘wrong.' Um…” suddenly, she got up, “hold tight, I’ll be right back.” My eyebrows wrinkled together like an accordion as she hurried to the kitchen. When she came back, she had chocolate and strawberry syrup in her hands. “I can’t believe I forgot these,” she said as she took a seat next to me again. I watched her snap the top off the strawberry syrup, then coat her lips with it. She turned towards me and, without saying a word, she moved in closer. Her strawberry flavored lips smashed into mine like a gentle accident.
Her saliva was mixed with a sugary sweetness, forcing me to want more of her taste. She grabbed my hand and placed it on her breast, but I pulled back. “Are you sure?”
She licked her lips and nodded her head, and with that, she pulled me on top of her. I put the tub of ice cream on the table and mounted her like a lion ready to pounce on its prey. All I needed her to do was give me the sign, and after that, I was going to tear her apart.