Chapter Nine ~ Change of Heart
I woke up early the next morning because Dad was at it again. I heard his moans and Mrs. Samuels’ cries from the room next door. It didn’t take rocket science to figure it out. I waited until the noise died down and then, I went downstairs. Dad was making breakfast and Gretchen sat patiently on the sofa.
“Good morning,” I greeted them.
Gretchen stretched her red stained lips into a grin. “Hello there, Damien!” Her blonde hair was a tousled mess on top of her head which was shocking, considering she was such the well groomed person that she was.
Dad added, “Gretchen and I were just discussing your paycheck.”
I faked a smile. I highly doubted it. They didn’t mention me when they were blowing each other’s brains out. That, I was sure of.
“Do you want breakfast, son?” Dad asked me, leaning on the kitchen counter, awaiting my response.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ll stop by the diner or something. Have a nice day, Mrs. Samuels.”
She smiled in response.
I headed out of the door with no hesitation at all. It really sickened me that Gretchen and Dad were having an affair. It was unprofessional of him. As I got into the mid-sized sedan, I decided that I would stop at the grocery store to stack up on things that we may need for the rest of the week.
* * * *
In the grocery store, I grabbed food and coffee for the both of us, then I went over to the medicine aisle. It wasn’t like we were sick, but it helped to be prepared for all possible outcomes. Dad never thought of this.
I never realized how hard it would be to shop for cold remedies. There were so many different kinds with so many different flavors. I overlooked all the options when a familiar male voice caught my attention.
“Are you sick?”
I looked over to the voice and saw Levi there, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. He looked good, as always and it pained me to say that. I ignored him and picked up another bottle of cough syrup. I rotated it to look at the label and smiled when I saw that it was bubblegum flavored.
“Seriously, are you sick?”
I cocked a brow as I picked up another bottle, continuing to ignore him.
“Oh, trust me. You don’t want that kind.”
I fixed my attention on the bottle to see that it was the children’s kind. Annoyed, I placed the remedy in my cart. I turned in the opposite direction of Levi and began to leave when he jogged over to my side.
“I doubt even you would want a bottle that’s leaking.” Levi reached into my cart and pulled out the bottle. Sure enough, red goo was dripping down the sides.
I could practically hear my teeth grinding together.
Amused by my expression, Levi placed the gooey bottle on the shelf, picked up a different kind and put it in my cart. “There," he said with satisfaction. “Cherry flavored, and it’s on sale.”
Rolling my eyes, I pushed my cart forward. Levi was still trailing by my side, an amused grin on his face. “Can you stop following me?” I snapped at him.
“I knew that I’d figure you out, eventually.”
“You haven’t figured anything out besides how to be annoying.”
Levi shoved his hands into his front pockets and grinned. “I’m going to ignore that because I know you don’t really mean it.”
Continuing to push my cart down the aisle, I scoffed. “Get lost.”
“Is your Dad sick?”
Stopping my cart, I turned to face him. “What?”
“Well, you seem fine. So, I assumed your Dad was sick.”
“No one is sick,” I spat.
When Levi didn’t respond, I started to push my cart again, heading for the checkout line. I had spent way too much time talking to him and if I kept it up, I would end up feeling sorry for it. And not to mention that Dad would kill me if he knew about these feelings stirring inside me.
“What are you doing today?”
“Nothing.”
Levi’s eyes swooped down to mine and they enticed me with their warm pools of emerald green with specs of yellow and brown. He smiled. “Have you ever been to the pizza parlor at the edge of town?”
“Pizza parlor?”
He nodded. “You’re not doing anything today so I figured you’d want to go.”
I narrowed my eyes. “With you?”
Levi sighed. “Yes, with me.”
This wasn’t right. I wasn’t supposed to be having this sort of relationship with him. “When?” I asked anyway.
“Uh--” Levi’s eyes drifted down to his watch where they stayed there for a good minute, “--how about around seven?”
“Yeah, sure.” I tried to play it cool, but my nervous high-pitched voice ruined my nonchalance.
“Great,” he answered, grinning as he backed away slowly. “I’ll see you there at seven.” He turned on his heels and jogged down the aisle and around the corner until he was out of sight.
I stood there in awe. I was going on a date with Levi Samuels.
* * * *
At the local diner, I ordered a plate of pancakes and a drink and found a seat near the window. I watched as people walked into the diner and conversed with each other. It was nice to see how humans interacted with each other.
“There you are!”
My eyes lifted up and I saw Melanie heading my way. Her bronze skin glowed like usual. On a dull day like today, she brightened the day. She took a seat across from me and flashed me a friendly smile. “I didn’t expect to see you here! I wanted us to hang out but then I realized you never really gave me your number to contact you.”
I wasn't going to give her my number. “Sorry.”
“No, no. You’re fine. I thought that I’d see Joe here today, I guess that was sort of dumb.” Melanie bit down on her bottom lip before bringing her eyes up to mine. “How was your day?”
“I’m going on a date with Levi,” I blurted out.
Melanie’s eyes almost bulged out of her sockets. “You’re kidding!"
“I really wish I was.”
“Just because you guys aren’t together, doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy.” she pointed out, “Actually, seeing as he isn’t your boyfriend, means he’s definitely not a bad guy.”
I crinkled my nose. “What are you trying to play at, Melanie?”
She giggled, “I’m just joking with you, Dame.” Melanie reached over the table and poked my shoulder.
“You’re the one who said he was a bad guy.”
“I did,” she agreed, “but have you seen Joe and I? I really have no place to talk about relationships.”
I stuck my fork into my pancake and watched Melanie carefully. “Everything is going to be okay in the end,” I told her, “and if it’s not okay now, then it’s not the end.”
She flickered her chocolate orbs up to mine and smiled. “I like that.”
“That’s what my mom used to tell me.”
“What happened to her?”
I was stunned by the question. I wasn’t supposed to talk about my mom. How could I have let that slip? “My mom and dad are divorced.”
She eyed me skeptically. "What’s a grown man like you doing living with your dad, anyway?”
I shrugged. “I guess I’m not ready to leave yet.”
“Are you going to eat your pancakes?” she questioned, glancing down at the plate in front of me.
I looked down at my plate and noticed that I hadn’t touched it. “You know what,” I said, “I’m not hungry anymore.”
“Damien."
“I’ll see you around, Melanie.” I stood from my seat and placed a ten dollar bill on the table before I dashed for the exit. Something was definitely wrong with me. I was letting out things that weren’t supposed to come out. I was slacking.
I stalked down the sidewalk and as I turned the corner, I stumbled into someone who was sitting on the ground. “Sorry,” I apologized quickly as I glanced down at the person. He was recognizable but I couldn’t figure out from where.
He had a forming gray beard and was dressed in a large coat as he held up a cardboard sign in his hands. He was a beggar. A homeless beggar.
“Help a guy out man," he said to me, holding up the sign higher.
“Phil,” I said, “you’re Phil from that tuxedo shop. You sold me the two suits?”
His eyes lightened. “I remember you boy, it’s so nice to see you again.”
“What are you doing out on the streets?” I asked him out of genuine curiosity. “They shut down your store without giving you anything to get you on your feet?”
“I refused to take their money.” he told me. “The reason why I’m out on the streets is because my wife kicked me out. She said that I wasn’t worthy enough.”
I frowned. What I was about to say next was something that I should have thought through first. I knew how much consequences I would get in for this but I didn’t care. This man needed help and I was willing to give it to him. I held out my hand to him. “Come with me.”
He stared at me in bewilderment. “What?”
“Come with me,” I repeated. “You don’t need to be out on the streets like this. I have a place where you can stay.”
He shook his head in protest. “No, I can’t possibly do that.”
“I insist.” I flashed him a friendly smile. “Let me do something nice for you.”
Phil stared at me for a couple seconds before agreeing. He took my hand and rose to his feet.
“You’re not going to be on the streets again.” I assured him, “Not as long as I’m alive.”
~*~*~
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