conversation is effective. Stephanie drops the flirty act and says somberly, “Yeah, Paul is gone for good. He didn’t even leave a forwarding address, which is just as well. He isn’t coming back.”
“Well, let’s try to keep it that way,” I strongly suggest, hoping she’s not the kind of woman who will eventually forgive him and let the dick move back in.
Perhaps detecting my skepticism, she says, “I’ll never let that man back in my house.”
Cassie and Will have quit talking, and she says quietly, “Come on, Mom, we better get going.”
Before they depart, Will gives Cassie a good-bye kiss that makes Stephanie clear her throat. And then mother and daughter are off.
When Cassie’s car, with her mom at the wheel, disappears from sight, Will’s eyes remain downcast. Wearing the same scuffed, black Chucks he arrived in, he grinds his toe into the gravel.
“You okay?” I ask.
He nods once. “Yeah.”
“Would you want to do something this afternoon,” I throw out.
He nods, and I ask, “Like what?”
“I don’t know, Chase,” Will says impatiently. “But, shit, let’s do something.”
He glances over at me. He’s squinting from the sun, and his eyes are watery. But, fuck, that wetness isn’t from the bright summer day.
“Hey.” I pretend to punch his shoulder to lighten shit up. “Let’s go fishing down at the creek. There’s a great spot right over the hill.” I point to beyond the tree line. “I took Kay there a while back. We didn’t catch much that day, but she still had a blast.”
“Yeah, sure, fishing, okay,” Will mutters dejectedly.
I drape an arm around his shoulders and nudge him toward the house. “Come on, let’s go grab the gear. Hey, you never know, you may actually catch something.”
I’m trying to get Will to laugh, but he just gives me a sad smile. “Yeah, maybe I will.”
Little bro remains mopey as we trudge down to the creek. He perks up considerably, though, once we’re set up and he does indeed start catching fish.
The hours pass. We don’t talk a lot. We’re content to just kick back and savor the tranquility of sitting side by side on the creek bank, casting lines and enjoying the day. As the sun shifts in the sky, and late afternoon nears, we begin to pack up our gear, along with the several fish we caught.
Out of the blue, Will asks, “Hey, Chase, can you do me a favor?”
I close the latch on the tackle box. “Sure, what do you need?”
“I was wondering if you’d take a look at some stuff I’ve been working on for my comic book. I need an opinion from someone I trust.”
I am touched as hell that Will trusts my opinion, that he cares what I think of his work.
But when I respond, I just leave it at, “Of course I’ll check out what you’ve drawn.”
“Cool,” Will says, nodding, like this is a burden off his mind.
We walk back from the creek to the house, and as we approach the back porch, Will wants to know, “What’s for dinner?”
I hold up our catch. “Fish?”
“Nah…” Will shakes his head. “Kay shouldn’t have to cook again. She just made us that great breakfast.”
“Good point. We can always just fry them up ourselves,” I offer.
But when my brother shrugs, I sense he’s not in the mood to eat what we’ve caught.
“You got something else in mind?” I ask him.
“Yeah, what about takeout?” We reach the back porch and set our fishing gear down. “I could go for some pizza.”
I instantly think of Pizza House, since it’s the only game in town if you want really good pizza. Kay and I tend to avoid the place, though. For one reason only—Nick Mercurio. Kay used to date him—kind of—so she isn’t entirely comfortable dining there. She thinks our presence at the restaurant might make Nick feel uneasy. I really don’t give a shit how the dude feels. Fact is, Kay is with me now, and Nick will never again have a chance with her. Not that the guy ever really had a shot in the first place.
“Well, let’s try to keep it that way,” I strongly suggest, hoping she’s not the kind of woman who will eventually forgive him and let the dick move back in.
Perhaps detecting my skepticism, she says, “I’ll never let that man back in my house.”
Cassie and Will have quit talking, and she says quietly, “Come on, Mom, we better get going.”
Before they depart, Will gives Cassie a good-bye kiss that makes Stephanie clear her throat. And then mother and daughter are off.
When Cassie’s car, with her mom at the wheel, disappears from sight, Will’s eyes remain downcast. Wearing the same scuffed, black Chucks he arrived in, he grinds his toe into the gravel.
“You okay?” I ask.
He nods once. “Yeah.”
“Would you want to do something this afternoon,” I throw out.
He nods, and I ask, “Like what?”
“I don’t know, Chase,” Will says impatiently. “But, shit, let’s do something.”
He glances over at me. He’s squinting from the sun, and his eyes are watery. But, fuck, that wetness isn’t from the bright summer day.
“Hey.” I pretend to punch his shoulder to lighten shit up. “Let’s go fishing down at the creek. There’s a great spot right over the hill.” I point to beyond the tree line. “I took Kay there a while back. We didn’t catch much that day, but she still had a blast.”
“Yeah, sure, fishing, okay,” Will mutters dejectedly.
I drape an arm around his shoulders and nudge him toward the house. “Come on, let’s go grab the gear. Hey, you never know, you may actually catch something.”
I’m trying to get Will to laugh, but he just gives me a sad smile. “Yeah, maybe I will.”
Little bro remains mopey as we trudge down to the creek. He perks up considerably, though, once we’re set up and he does indeed start catching fish.
The hours pass. We don’t talk a lot. We’re content to just kick back and savor the tranquility of sitting side by side on the creek bank, casting lines and enjoying the day. As the sun shifts in the sky, and late afternoon nears, we begin to pack up our gear, along with the several fish we caught.
Out of the blue, Will asks, “Hey, Chase, can you do me a favor?”
I close the latch on the tackle box. “Sure, what do you need?”
“I was wondering if you’d take a look at some stuff I’ve been working on for my comic book. I need an opinion from someone I trust.”
I am touched as hell that Will trusts my opinion, that he cares what I think of his work.
But when I respond, I just leave it at, “Of course I’ll check out what you’ve drawn.”
“Cool,” Will says, nodding, like this is a burden off his mind.
We walk back from the creek to the house, and as we approach the back porch, Will wants to know, “What’s for dinner?”
I hold up our catch. “Fish?”
“Nah…” Will shakes his head. “Kay shouldn’t have to cook again. She just made us that great breakfast.”
“Good point. We can always just fry them up ourselves,” I offer.
But when my brother shrugs, I sense he’s not in the mood to eat what we’ve caught.
“You got something else in mind?” I ask him.
“Yeah, what about takeout?” We reach the back porch and set our fishing gear down. “I could go for some pizza.”
I instantly think of Pizza House, since it’s the only game in town if you want really good pizza. Kay and I tend to avoid the place, though. For one reason only—Nick Mercurio. Kay used to date him—kind of—so she isn’t entirely comfortable dining there. She thinks our presence at the restaurant might make Nick feel uneasy. I really don’t give a shit how the dude feels. Fact is, Kay is with me now, and Nick will never again have a chance with her. Not that the guy ever really had a shot in the first place.
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