Chapter Nine
GAVIN
I told Vinny about the idea of bringing Bethany to hang out with us. At first, he was resistant to it. In his mind, he always felt like the place next to me would always belong to his mother. I had to explain to him that things wouldn’t work out between me and Karen because we just weren’t meant to be. “Son, listen, I love your mother. I do, but we are just not meant to be. It was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. We just didn’t fit. I know that you want me to be happy just like your mother is, and you are mature enough to understand that sometimes, things won’t go the way you want them to. That’s a life lesson.”
I remembered his face when I told him that. He sat on his bed, looking off into the distance with a blank expression. I could tell he wanted to cry, but he kept his emotions in check. “Alright Dad,” he said, finally. “I understand. I don’t mind if she comes along. You are right. You deserve to be happy, even if it is not with mom.”
I hugged him, and after that, I called Bethany about the possibility of coming on the date with us. I was surprised when she agreed to it because, in my mind, it was a little too soon to ask her that, especially since I’d never introduced any other woman to my son since I split up with his mom. It was a big step for me, but I figured that since I was focused on settling down, Vinny would have to meet the woman eventually. Now was as good a time as any.
Saturday came in a blur. We decided to head to the bowling alley, and then get a bite to eat afterward. I tossed the movie idea out the window because that wouldn’t give us a good chance to interact with each other. I knew that Vinny was a well-mannered young man, but I was nervous about what his interaction would be with Bethany. It was going to make or break our chances of taking things further.
I arrived at her place just before 2 pm. I sat outside of her house and shut off the car engine. Vinny looked straight ahead, not uttering a word. “Well, son, here we are. Are you ready to meet her?” He nodded his head silently. I glanced at her front door. The house was smaller than I’d imagined it would be. The neighborhood was decent, but there were a few houses that had let their lawns get a little out of control. It was the type of area I had lived in before my business became successful, so I could relate to small beginnings.
“Dad,” he said, finally.
“Yes?”
“I hope she is nice.”
I smiled and tapped him on the leg. “Yeah, son, she is nice. If she wasn’t nice, I wouldn’t bring her around you. As a matter of fact, and this is between me and you, okay?”
“Okay.”
I looked him square in the eyes the way that a man would look another man during a business decision. “If you don’t like her… I mean, if you have any bad feelings about her, then I won’t see her again. Your input matters in situations like this, and I don’t ever want you to feel that I am choosing a woman over you. You are my son. If you aren’t comfortable, then I won’t be either. I just want you to understand that. Okay?”
“Okay, Dad. Thanks.”
Just then, I grabbed the handle and stepped out of the car. Vinny followed me to the front door. A cloudy blanket covered the sky above us as we rang the bell. It took a few seconds for Bethany to open the door, and when she did, Vinny’s eyes lit up. “Ms. Pope?”
She smiled, “Wow, this is some coincidence! Vinny?” She looked at me. “Vinny is your son?”
My brows wrinkled at their interaction. “Um. Yes. Now, this may seem weird, but how do you two know each other?”
Vinny walked forward and put his arms around Bethany. She smiled as they embraced. “Vinny is one of my favorite students at Morris Elementary. He is sooo sweet, and I always wondered who raised him because I never saw either of his parents at the school. I mean, I am just a secretary, so I am not there during the parent/teacher conferences, but I know a lot of the parents pretty well.”
“Oh, really?” I was embarrassed that I didn’t think to ask her what school she worked at. It may have been easier for me to let Vinny know that she was coming along had I known that information. “Wow. Look how things work out.”
Vinny released her, and with a smile on his face, he looked at me as he held her hand. “She is my favorite. I wish she was a teacher, but she only helps during recess, lunch, and after school.”
Bethany’s smile mirrored his. “Yeah, I told him that I am working on that part. But, for now, we’ll just have to stick with the arrangement we have. Times will change soon, though. That’s what I believe.”
“Well. Now that the so called ‘hard’ part is out of the way, I guess we can go.”
“Absolutely,” Bethany responded. “Just let me grab my purse, and I’ll be right out.”
As she walked away, Vinny and I stood on the porch. His snaggle-toothed grin gave life to me. “I like her, Dad. I really like her a lot.”
“Really? That is a good thing, then! A real good thing.”
It felt like confirmation that I was headed the right way with Bethany. I thought it was going to be tough to get him to warm up to her, but seeing as how he already adored Bethany, half the battle was already won. Now, I just had to focus on building more chemistry with the three of us as the day went on. A few minutes later, Bethany came back to the door with her purse on her arm.
With the initial surprise taking over the moment, I didn’t get a chance to see how she looked. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail that hung to the middle of her back. She wore jeans that hugged every curve below her waist and a pair of sneakers to cover her feet. Her t-shirt clung to her body like it was full of static. After she locked the door, she faced me, “Ok, I am all set.”
Her lips glimmered from the thick coat of gloss. The arch of her eyebrows looked sharp enough to cut someone. I was allured from the very first moment. “You look amazing.”
She glanced at her clothing. “Seriously? In this?”
“Yes, in that. You look amazing.”
She blushed. “Well, thank you, Gavin. You don’t look so bad yourself.” She looked down at Vinny, “And you? You always look handsome every time I see you. Now I know where you get your good looks from.”
He smiled. “Thank you, Ms. Pope.”
“Oh. While we are out, you can call me Bethany.”
“Okay, Ms. Pope,” he nervously corrected himself, “I mean, Bethany.”
After that, we all went to the car. Vinny opened her door before I had a chance to, then he climbed into the back seat. It seemed as though he had a crush on Bethany, and for a good reason. She was an attractive young woman who had a way with children. I wished that I had run into some attractive teachers or secretaries when I was his age. I may have done more to pay attention in school. I got into the car and headed to the bowling alley.
When we got inside, Vinny rushed to find a ball for him to use while Bethany and I stayed behind at the counter to pay for everything. “I am so embarrassed that I didn’t know you worked at his school. I should’ve known that.”
“No, it’s alright. I mean, we were just kind of talking about everything. I was just as surprised to see him, though. I didn’t expect that at all.”
“Yeah, me either.” I looked at Vinny as he shuffled through the balls on the rack, searching for one his size.
“Where is his mother? If you don’t mind me asking.”
I took a deep breath. His mother was always a sore spot for me, but I didn’t want to let Bethany know. “We just weren’t meant to be together. She is doing her thing, and I am doing mine. She is still active in his life though. We are just co-parenting. I feel that we are better with that than an actual relationship.”
“Yeah. I do remember you telling me something like that earlier.”
I smiled. “Oh. Were you trying to fact check me? See if I said the same thing or something else?”
“Well,” a crescent smile escaped the corner of her mouth, “maybe I was. I was told that it is harder to remember a lie than it is the truth. So, either you are telling the truth, or you are a good liar.”
“I think we will go with the former.”
Just then, the cashier was ready for me to pay for everything. I figured we would determine who was the best with three games under our belts. As we started bowling, I was surprised at how well Bethany did. She sent the ball straight down the middle on her first three attempts, striking all the pins down at once. “Wow. Are you trying to embarrass the Wallace men today?” I said, jokingly.
She held her finger up and blew the smoke off it like she was holding a pistol. “I am a straight shooter.” She strutted back to her seat as Vinny laughed and made his way to the lane. With his back turned, she walked closer to me. She bumped her backside against me as I stood near the ball rack. “So, you better watch out.”
“Yeah,” I said, admiring her perfectly shaped body, “trust me, I am watching.”
“I did it, Dad!” Vinny yelled, grabbing my attention. He spun around with a wide grin on his face as I looked down the lane.
“Good job, Vinny! A strike? Wow, both of you are trying to put me to shame, huh?”
He ran and gave Bethany a hug, “You were right, Bethany! I just had to hold the ball like you said, and it worked! I got them all!”
“Alright, alright you two. Step aside. Let me show you how it’s done.”
I grabbed my bowling ball and walked by the two of them. I loved the fact that they had already secured a tight bond with each other. I knew that Bethany wouldn’t replace his mother, but she would be an excellent stand-in whenever his mother wasn’t around.