Chapter Eight - Father Son Day
"Don't let me show cruelty,
Though I may make mistakes.
Don't let me show ugliness,
Though I know I can hate."
~Show Me Love by Hundred Waters
~~~
I was staying late at the diner again, this time with Morgan. She was really sweet and actually quiet talkative once she opened up.
Since the diner was empty, we were sitting in a booth talking as we waiting for someone to show up, which probably wouldn't happen since it was six o'clock on a Thursday.
"So, any boys in this town have your attention?" I asked, mixing my drink with the straw.
Morgan smiled and blushed a but as she nodded, "Yeah."
I smiled and sat up in my seat, "Who is it?" I asked, wanting to kniw who my new found friend was crushing on.
"You don't know him." She tried to wave me off.
"Aww, how long have you liked this boy for?" I asked, loving how sweet and innocent she was.
"Not long, we talk after church sometimes, his dad is the youth pastor." She said. My grandparents tried to get me to join to youth group but I didn't feel religious enough to do it, they didn't push me to join any more.
"That's sweet, you should ask him to go to lunch with you or something after church. It can be at the little diner that everyone gies to so it's not so awkward." I suggested.
She looked at me like I was crazy, "I can barely talk to him, theres no way I can ask him out."
"It doesn't have to be like your asking him out," I smiled, "Just ask it like your really good friends and you want to talk over lunch."
She thought for a moment, "I'll see how confident I feel Sunday." She offered a small smile.
Just then Jaxon walked in with his patents Morgan and I got up out of the booth and she sat them down while I cleaned up the booth we were at for our short break.
After sitting them down, Morgan met me back in the kitchen where the cook, Jason was falling asleep in his chair along with our boss, who was falling asleep in the chair beside Jason. It happened sometimes when they worked to much the day before, which they had.
"I'll wake them up, you go get their orders." She said.
Morgan usually stayed in the kitchen, cooking with Jason unless she was needed as a waitress on busy days.
I walked back out and greeted them with a smile, "Good afternoon, what brings you guys here tonight?" I asked.
"We all got finished early and we decided to go out to eat." Jaxon's mom answered.
"That's nice," I smiled at her, she was what I pictured a mother being like every time I thought of one, not like my own mom, "What can I get you to drink?"
Just like almost everyone else that had come in the diner, they ordered sweet tea.
I got their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. I took their orders and passed it off to Jason as a few more people walked in.
I was waiting three tables and it would be my last three for the night. Jaxon and his parents stayed the longest, talking and laughing.
Morgan ended up having to leabe early so I was about to call my dad ti come pick me up, Jason was closing up today.
Jaxon's mom noticed me calling, "Do you need a ride sweetie?"
My dad didn't answer, he was probably taking a bath and fell asleep, he did that a lot when he got home from work.
"I don't want to burden you." I said, trying to call my dad again.
"Don't be ridiculous, we're going to to same place." She said getting up out of their booth, they had already paid and were ready to leave.
Jaxon smiled and pulled me out of the diner with them. I waved bye to my manager and Jason before walking out.
I got in the back with Jaxon and we talked as we rode back to the house. Texting my dad telling him I had gotten a ride.
We were all laughing at a joke Jaxon's dad had made when we parked.
"Thank you so much for taking me home." I smiled at them all and got out if the truck.
I waved to all of them before going into the house, where everyone was getting ready for bed. Braxton greeted me at the door and smiled, "Night night." He said, hugging his stuffed animal like he always did when he was tired.
I picked him up just as my grandpa walked in, "I was gonna put him to bed."
I smiled as Braxton laid his head on my shoulder, "It's alright, go ahead and get ready for bed." I said and walked up stairs with him, parting ways as he went into his room.
Before I got to Braxton's room my dad walked out of his bedroom, and I knew he had just gotten out of the bathtub by the smell of the body wash he had always used for bubbles in a bath for himself and my siblings.
"I'm sorry I didn't get your call." My dad sighed.
"It's fine, Jaxon's parents gave me a ride."
My dad was silent in thought for a minute before he smiled, "We don't have work tomorrow, so how about we go do something."
"Like what?"
"Well we can go to town and go see that movie that you've been wanting to see." He suggested.
I smiled, it was too mature for Bailey and since she was deaf we rarely went to go see movies. The only way Bailey would watch a movie or show is if it was colorful and the subtitles weren't difficult to read, she was still learning to read.
"Really?" I asked surprised by his suggestion.
He nodded, "Grandma and grandpa are taking Bailey and Braxton to the zoo so we can do something."
"Awesome," I smiled, "Good night." I said, walking to Braxton's room to put him to sleep, which he was already falling asleep on my shoulder so he passed out when I laid him down.
I walled to my room, got changed and went to bed.
* * *
My dad and I were on our way to the movie theater joking and listening to the radio when I got an unexpected, and quiet frankly, unwanted call.
It was my mom, I hadn't talked to her since after my parents quick divorce, which she didn't even fight for anything but money and what was rightfully hers.
She only sent cards in the mail for us with twenty dollars for our birthday, that was the only time we heard from her.
My dad glanced over and saw who it was, "Answer it." He said, knowing I was just going to let it ring.
I sighed, my good mood gone as I answered.
"What do you want?" She only ever called my dad when she wanted something, so I had no idea why she was calling me.
My dad smacked me when we stopped at a red light but I didn't apologize.
"I was just calling to see how you were doing. I heard that you guys moved back to Texas."
"Yeah, but I don't see why that is important. Why did you really call?" I asked.
She sighed, "Listen, I know your mad, sweetie-"
"Don't call me that. And of course I'm mad, you left us, you didn't even try to raise Brax, you just left when things got hard."
She was quiet for a moment, "I'm sorry, Blaine, really I am. I feel awful that I didn't try to raise you guys, I'm an awful mother."
I was quiet for a second, "Why did you call me?" My voice was light.
"I'm in Texas, and I'm stopping to visit my parents for a week, I'd love to see you guys." She said.
I looked over at my dad, we were almost at the movie theater.
"I'm going to let you talk to dad." I said and handed the phone to him. Whether she came to see us, wasn't up to me, it was up to my dad since he was our legal gardian.
"Hey," My dad's voice was light, scared of scaring her away, "I'm sure they would love to see you... Of course, sometime next week then?" They said a little more before he hung up and gave me my phone, trying to find a parking spot at the theater.
I sighed and texted Grace, knowing I would need to vent to her later. So I told her that I would be calling her soon. She was the only one that really knew how I felt about my mom. I had told Jaxon what had happened but only Grace would truly understand how I felt.
She texted back an 'okay' before I had to turn off my phone as we walked in the theater. My dad paid for the tickets and the popcorn.
As we took a seat in the theater the commercials were playing and few people were there, leaving us a lot of room.
My dad and I started eating the popcorn even though the movie hadn't started yet.
I turned to him, "So we're going to see her?"
He nodded, "It will be good for Braxton, he's never even seen her, so if she's trying to be in his life, in all of your lives, then I'm going to let her. She's still your mom." He said.
My thoughts raced as I thought about what she'd look like, what she'd act like after almost three years of not seeing her.
"Dad?" I asked, my voice a whisper as I thought about something that scared me.
"What is it?" He asked looking at me.
"What if she realized what she missed and tries to take us away?" I asked, meeting his concerned gaze, "I'm going to be eighteen soon so she can't fight for me, but if she tries to take Braxton or Bailey I will never forgive her."
My dad sighed, "I won't let her break up the family that we've become without her, not again." He reassured.
I smiled, that was the first time he offered to go against her.
Just then the movue started and our focus was back on the screen.
After the movie we went to the diner to get lunch. Daniel was working and was our waiter.
When Daniel left after me and him had a short conversation, my dad looked at me, "Do you like him?"
I rolled my eyes, "No, just because he's gay doesn't mean I like him."
"Sorry, so you're just friends then?" He asked and I nodded, "Have you heard anything else from Josef?"
I shook my head, taking a drink, "I'm kind of glad, I can move on now. I think part of me had hope that we could get back together."
"I'm sorry he did that to you." My dad gave me the look he always gave me when we talked about it. He acted like a family member died.
"It's okay." I smiled as Daniel brought us our food.
We ate and we laughed. But half way through our meal a lady walked up, "Hey Peter, I have a proposition."
My dad looked over surprised at the beautiful woman staring down at him, making me smile.
"What is your proposition?" I asked for my dad, since he wasn't doing anything.
"How would you like to go to diner tonight?" She asked, I could tell she was nervous but my smike grew as she glanced back and a girl in a booth a few yards away smiled and gave a thumbs up.
My dad was still silent making me lean over the table and smack his arm, bringing him back to reality.
"Like a... date?" He asked, like a sacred teenager.
"Yeah, I guess." The womam said.
My dad looked at me and I nodded, smiling wide. He turned back to the lady and nodded, "What time do you want me to pick you up?" He asked.
"Six o'clock." She smiled and walked back to her table.
When my dad turned back to me I gave him a questioning look, "How do you know her?"
"We went to high school together and we work together now." He said.
"You know where she lives?"
"Yeah, I've had to take her home from work a few times because her car wouldn't start."
"Aww, I'm so proud of you." I smiled like a proud father.
My dad rolled his eyes, "Shut up."
"This is your first date since mom isn't it." I said.
He nodded, not saying anything.
"It's time for you to let her go, she wasn't just a horrible mom, but she was a horrible wife for leaving you." I said.
My dad sighed, "You shouldn't say thinks like that."
"You know it's true though." I said, getting back to eating.
We finished lunch and headed home, getting home just as my grandparents did with Brax and Bailey.
After a quick conversation with them I disappeared to the garden and called Grace.
"Blaine?" She answered, it had been a while since I had talked to her like we used to.
"Yeah."
"What is it you wanted to talk about?" She asked.
"You're the only one that truly knows about my whole mother situation," besides Josef, "And I need to talk to you about a recent event."
"What happened?" She asked.
"Well she called me today." I sighed looking up at the blue sky, a few clouds in the air.
"What did she say?" She was getting interested now, I could tell.
"She's in Texas too and wants to see us." I said, not telling her about what might happen if she gets too attached.
"Well that means she's trying, right?" She asked.
I shook my head, as if she could see, "No, she just stops by when she feels like being a mother, then she leaves. Bailey gets attatched to easily and I'm really afraid that if Braxton gets attatched then she will try to figjt for them back, thinking she is capable of caring for them."
"Well you better watch out for my baby, if she gets hurt in this drama I will personally come down to Texas and hurt someone."
I laughed at that. Grace had always loved Bailey, having had a deaf baby brother who Bailey had gotten along with at the school for the deaf they both went to.
"Don't worry about Bailey, I won't let my mom break her heart again. But I don't know what I'm going to if my mom fights for them. My dad's already stressed and tired from work, I don't want my mom coming into the picture to make him worse."
"Just be Brax and Bailey's older brother, protect them and help out your dad. Everything will go the way it's supposed to." She reassured.
I loved when she said that, "Thank you." I sighed, looking at the flowers in front of me.
"No problem, call me after you meet her again, or before that if anything else happens." She said and I smiled.
"Will do."
"Before you go, did you find any cute boys down there in Texas?"
I smiled, happy that we could talk about this without it being really awkward, "Yeah, there are really cute guys diwn here, but their all straight."
She laughed and I felt my phine vibrate.
"Wait one second." I said before taking the phone away from my face, looking to see who had texted.
It was the group chat, Daniel texted, telling all of us that there was this really big party going on a few towns over in one of the more populated towns. He had also thrown in that there would be some gay guys for us to dance with.
I smiled and put the phone back to my ear, "I'm back."
"What happened?"
"I got an invite to a party."
"Wow, almost a month down there and you already havr some friends, I'm proud of you." She laughed.
"Yeah, I don't know if I should go though. When we went to parties in New York I had you and... you know who and I knew at least he wouldn't abandon me... until he did." I spoke lightly.
"I know, I'm really sorry about that, truly. But I think you should go to this party, kiss a few boys and forget about the shit that has suddenly appeared in you life." She said, making me smile again.
"Maybe I will." I said.
"Call me tomorrow and tell me how it goes." She said.
I agreed and we talked about a little more before we hung up.
I walked back inside and my dad was telling his mom what he had planned for the night. I'm sure he had already told him about my mom trying to make an appearance in our lives again.
When it looled like they're conversation was coming to an end I asked to talk to my dad for a minute.
"I was wondering if I could go out with a few friends tonight."
My dad instantly knew where I would be going, like he always did.
"Alright, but if you come home drunk again, you are not going to leave this house, except for work." He said sternly.
I had had a little too much to drink one night at a party and when I came home my dad was furious, mostly because Bailey was the one who opened the door for me and she was confused as to why I looked like I was dying.
"I understand and I won't, I felt like shit the next day." I said and my dad smacked me.
"Watch your language." He grumbled before walking off.
I smiled and texted the group chat,
What's the adress?
Daniel responded,
Don't worry about it, I'll pick you up
I smiled at that and went to go plug in my dying phone before walking to the barn and checking on Bacon-Bit, who was really too big to be calles Bacon-Bit, but I didn't care.
He instantly recognized me as I walked in and grabbed some treats for him, stepping into the pin with him to rub down his back and feed him the treats.
He let out satisfied grunts as he took the treats from my hand, sniffing my hand when there were no more left.
I laughed and rubbed his head, "Sorry, there's no more left."
I left after a few more minutes, running to Jaxon on my way out.
"Hey, did you here about that party?" Jaxon asked.
I wasn't so surprised he knew about the party, he was popular and news traveled fast in this town.
I nodded, "Are you going?"
"Yeah, you?"
I nodded, "I'm going with Daniel and the girls. I assume you're going with Isabelle."
He nodded and smiled, "Yeah."
"Well maybe I'll see you there." I smiled and walked back home, instantly going upstairs to help my dad get ready for his date.