Chapter Twenty
BETHANY
As soon as I got off work, I called April to let her know that I wasn’t going to make it to her house tonight. “Hey girl, I have to go by Gavin’s house and check on Vinny. Gavin has no clue what he is doing, and Vinny came down with some kind of stomach bug at school.”
“Oh, so you’re playing mommy tonight, huh? Okay. Well, be safe, and I guess I will talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
I hung up the phone and made my way to Gavin’s house. Ever since I saw Anthony’s truck right next to my car a few days ago, I’d been increasingly nervous when I drove around the city by myself. I didn’t tell April the truth about why I came back to her house because I didn’t want her to worry. I told her that I had forgotten my notebook there, and I needed to come back and grab it. After that, she didn’t think anything else of it, but I was nervous. I went home that night and didn’t see any sign of Anthony or his truck. I dreaded what would happen if I did because I didn’t know what lengths he would go to just to make sure I got whatever message he was trying to send.
I stopped at the store to grab a few things for Vinny: soup, applesauce, bread, and rice. Things that would help soothe his upset stomach for the time being. I also grabbed some spaghetti to cook for the night. I figured that since April was showing me how to handle myself in the kitchen, I may as well start showing off what I learned. When I arrived at Gavin’s house, he opened the door with a smile on his face and greeted me with a hug. “It is good to see you again.”
“Likewise,” I said as I stepped inside. “How is Vinny?”
“He is up in his room right now, sleeping. He threw up a lot when he first got home. It was all in the driveway. I had to take a hose to the cement because I hear if that stuff sticks, it is nearly impossible to clean off.”
She chuckled, “Yeah, that is true. You did the right thing.”
He took the bags from my hand, then led me into the kitchen. “So, I just want to thank you for coming over. I know you didn’t have to, but trust me, I have no clue what to do with Vinny. I wish I did, but this is not my area of expertise.”
I pulled items from the bag, “Not a problem. I guess that is another reason why I am here.” I smiled, then poured the contents of the can of soup into the pot on the stove. I set the eye so that the soup would come to a boil, then prepared some other things to take up to Vinny.
“So, how did you become so good with children? I mean, where did all of this come from?”
“Well, I don’t know, honestly. I’ve always been drawn to them, ever since I can remember. When I was younger, I would ask to babysit other people’s children, and the funny part about it is that I would do it for free. I just loved being around children, you know?”
“Wow. So, I guess it would make sense for you to find yourself in a school setting now. Why haven’t you crossed the line to become a teacher yet?”
The soup simmered on top of the stove. I sighed. “Yeah, that’s another thing. I know I was telling you about school and how close I was to finishing it, but, I guess I am kind of nervous. I mean, I like where I am at now, but whenever I do become a teacher or whatever, I feel like I will be stepping into something I have no clue about. I know how to take care of children and how to connect with them, but I’m not sure if that translates into teaching. Maybe I should just like… open a daycare or something?”
He laughed. “Well, that is another way to think about it. But, then again, you can’t let fear push you away from doing something you want to do. That’s all it is. Fear. Hell,” he stood up and occupied the space next to me by the stove, “if I let fear control me, then I would never be the CEO of my own company. I would’ve never taken out a loan. I would’ve never moved to Roanoke. There are a lot of things that I wouldn’t have done, but fear is nothing except false evidence appearing real. That’s it.”
“Wow. I’ve never thought about it like that.”
“Yeah. Most people don’t. And most people give up because they don’t know how close they are to the finish line. It is depressing sometimes, you know? When you look at people who have given up and you’re just like, ‘Man, if you went a little further, you would’ve made it.' That’s why I keep going, even now. I want to make it to the end.”
His words were life to me. It encouraged me to keep going, no matter what was ahead of me. Right then and there, I wanted to call my school and let them know that I was going to finish up my hours so I could graduate. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I just have to gather myself and get back on track.”
“You should. That is exactly what you should do. School. Your career. Whatever it is, just go for it. It really doesn’t make much sense not to.”
Steam rose from the pot of soup as I stirred it around with a spoon. “I think it is just about ready. So, I am going to put this in a bowl and take it up to our sick – I mean, your sick little boy, and hope this makes him feel better.”
He smiled. “Right after you.”
When we got into his room, Vinny was on his bed, curled up in the fetal position with his eyes closed tightly. “Vinny?” I said as I eased into the room with the bowl of soup and a side of crackers. “Vinny, we’ve got some food for you, kid. Can you pop up for us?” He slowly opened his eyes and raised himself in the bed. He rested against the headboard as I put the tray of food in front of him. “Now, the soup is kind of hot, okay? So, take your time with it.” He nodded his head. I put my hand on his forehead while he looked down at his food. “He feels like he has a slight fever. That is a good thing, though. That means his body is fighting whatever it is that is attacking him.”
I looked at Vinny and asked, “Can you eat?”
He nodded his head, then lifted the spoon to his lips.
“That’s my boy,” Gavin said as he watched his son force the food into his mouth. “Eat as much as you can, alright? Your body needs the energy to help it fight.”
“I know, Dad.”
He smiled. “Well, excuse me. I forgot I was talking to the smartest kid in America.”
Vinny smiled. That bid well for both of us to see because before then, he looked as if he wasn’t going to make it. We stayed in the room with him to keep him company until he finished his food. Afterward, I took the tray away from him, and Gavin went to tuck him back into his bed. “Do you need anything else, Vinny?” He shook his head no. “Alright. We will be downstairs, and we will check on you from time to time to make sure you are still alive.”
I nudged Gavin in the side. “Ouch,” he said, playfully. “I mean, did I say alive? I meant okay, Vinny. Make sure you are still okay.”
Vinny smiled, then Gavin kissed him on the forehead. With that, we left his room. “Why did you tell him that we were going to make sure he was still alive? He probably already feels like he is going to die.”
“No, he doesn’t. I was just joking with him. Vinny is smarter than that. He knows that this is just a stomach bug and it will all be over soon enough.” I walked into the kitchen and cleaned up the mess I’d made. After that, I started to prepare dinner. “Oh, and you cook, too?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say it like that, but I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade since I’ve been here. April taught me, so I figured I’d try my skills out on you.” I looked at him as he sat at the table, “You don’t mind being my test dummy, do you?”
He laughed. “Hey, as long as you don’t try to kill me, I don’t mind.”
“Kill you? What fun will that be?” I winked at him, then broke the spaghetti noodles in two and dropped them into the pot of water. I remembered everything April told me, from the seasoning to how to sprinkle the salt in the water so that the noodles wouldn’t stick to the pot. This was the first time that I was going to prepare a meal on my own, but for some reason, I wasn’t nervous at all. I felt like Gavin’s presence was strong enough to give me the confidence I needed to complete the meal. “So, how was your day?”
He exhaled. “Man, today was not good at all. We have a new secretary named Shirley. Now, initially, she had made a few mistakes when she first came on board. She wasn’t really familiar with a few of the programs and things like that, but I overlooked it. I figured she would get it together eventually, but she actually got worse.”
“Worse?”
“Yes. She missed two big time meetings. She forgot to mention them to me, and the first time she did it, I lost the potential partner. The second time she did it was today, and if it wasn’t for my ingenuity, I might have lost them as well. I called HR when I came to pick up Vinny from school. I had to let them know that she needed to be replaced. I can’t have that kind of incompetence, especially when millions of dollars are at stake.”
I stirred the noodles around in the pot, “Yeah, I can understand that. She can’t make those kinds of errors. Hmm… maybe you should hire me?”
“Hire you?” He laughed. “No, there aren’t any children around, so I am sure you would get bored rather quickly.”
“Well. I know a few things that we could do to um, pass the time.”
I had been horny ever since our last sexual episode together. I didn’t want to force the issue again, though, and I didn’t want to have sex with his son here and risk the chance of Vinny walking in on us. But, I wanted him again, and there was nothing funny about it. “Yeah, I bet you could think of a few things,” he added. “So could I.” He stood up and wrapped his arms around me, then eased a kiss onto the back of my neck. We talked until the spaghetti was done. I fixed his plate and eased it on the table, crossing my fingers, hoping that it came out right.
He took a bite, then started to gag. I punched him in the arm, “Stop it!”
A smile stretched onto his face, “I’m kidding. This is good. Really good, actually. I am impressed.”
“You should be,” I said, confidently.
Afterward, he asked me to stay the night, but I refused. I had to go to work tomorrow, and I didn’t want Vinny to have any negative thoughts about me or ask why I spent the night. “No, I’m going to go. I think that is the best thing to do for now.”
I stood at the door as his hand was locked in mine. “Okay, I understand. Well, please tell me that you will see me again this Saturday. I will not take no for an answer.”
I kissed him on the lips, then spoke, “And, I will not give you no for an answer. I will see you Saturday.”
I could feel his eyes on me as I walked to my car. I loved the way things were going, and as of that moment, if he had asked, I would have told him yes to anything.