HER | ✓

⍣Two⍣

•December 2013•

__________________

Clayton stood packing his headgear into his truck when Jason's graveled came from behind and filled his ears. "Hey Boss, we got everything loaded up." 

Jason was a big man. He wore a dark beard, a gut, and several tattoos but behind his scary exterior was a heart of gold and muscles of steel.

"Good, good, just as I like to hear, make sure—" Clayton's ringtone cut him short and he dug his phone out of his pocket.

He sighed. "I gotta take it, it's my ma." Jason nodded and walked away.

"Yes ma?"

"Sorry ma, the latest blizzard tore this tree down and we had to get it cleaned up today." He waved to the where to tree once laid, the ground bare of snow except it's surroundings.

"No ma." He laughed. "It wasn't me having one of my moods, I couldn't hear my phone over all the noise."

"Yes ma, I'll be home for Christmas. You don't have to worry." There was a pause. "Yes I know George is bringing his girlfriend." There was another pause. "Yes, I'm excited to meet her too ma," he said although he wasn't enthused at all. "Ok ma, I love you too. I'll see you in a couple days."

Once the call ended he rested his head on the truck window. He wasn't excited to see his brother or how happy he was with his new girlfriend. After a failed marriage and no kids there wasn't much to be happy about anymore. He's spent the past eight years trying to get over Farah and that's what ended his marriage. Morgan wasn't Farah as much as he wanted to believe she could be. She left because he couldn't give her what she wanted and deserved. He still hasn't forgiven himself for the way he treated her, though it's been three years since the divorce.

"You good boss?" Jason's voice came again. He didn't hear him walk up and startled. 

Clayton pulled away from the truck and rubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah I'm good, just ma pestering me about Christmas again." He laughed rubbing his neck.

"Yeah... I know how moms can be." Jason chuckled with a distant look in his eye. "My mom used to call me every holiday, yelling at me over the phone about how I better be at her house no matter what the weather was like." He clapped a hand on Clayton's shoulder. "Man do I miss her." He smiled shaking his head. "Anyways, the boys and I wondered if you would like to come out and have a drink with us tonight, maybe we could find you a lady to bring home and meet your ma?" Jason's eyebrows shot to the sky.

"Nah, it couldn't just be any lady." His mind sculpted a perfect image of Farah, how the sun caught her light brown hair making it look golden, and how her red lips twisted into seductive a smile. He long forgave her for her sudden disappearance and hoped she was happy. Clayton imagined she settled down and made a family for herself. Three beautiful children and a loving man by her side. It was the least he could hope for. 

"Ah, whatever you say boss. So are you coming with us?"

"Yeah sure, let's get this wood to the dump site first." 

•••

"First rounds on me!" Jason roared the second they walked through the bar doors.