first time we’ve been at Neil’s house at the same time. I can tell Scottie’s growing more comfortable with me, but I haven’t exactly wanted Neil to know just yet, especially now that Scottie’s living with Neil.
“You come by to see me?” he whispers. The heat of his minty breath tickles my ear. Neil flashes us a suspicious look.
“Um, hey Scottie, what’s up?” I ask, feigning surprise.
“You want to go up to my room?”
“What’s going on here?” Neil asks. Brax is now tugging his daddy’s shirtsleeve and ordering him to carry him inside the house, but Neil barely pays attention. With Neil’s eyes locked on mine, I hear him mentally asking,
What do you think you’re doing?
“Let’s go inside,” Scottie says to me. Neil is holding Brax and his day bag in one arm. He grabs me with his free arm and pulls me along with him. I stumble on the walkway but don’t say a word.
“Hey, bro, you’re trying to do too much. I can handle Dani.” Scottie removes Neil’s hand from my arm and places his hand in mine. We follow Neil into the house, and I can’t help but wonder what Neil is thinking.
Neil sets down Brax and his day bag once we are inside his foyer. It’s a wide, open space that gives a full view of the staircase. A tiny office with French doors is located right offthe foyer. The stained concrete flooring gives Neil’s house a homey feel.
Brax dashes away, running in a circle and screaming, “I want some chocolate. I want some chocolate.”
“What’s he talking about?” I ask.
“Not real chocolate,” Neil explains. “Hot chocolate. I don’t understand how he can stand to drink something that hot when it’s probably a hundred degrees outside.”
“When Brax wants what he wants, you know he doesn’t care.”
Brax screams, “I want my choc-late.”
“Well,” I laugh, “are you going to go make him some?”
“No,
you
are.”
“Neil,” I plead, feeling like my sticking around right now is not the best thing to do. Earlier Scottie and I made tentative plans to see each other. But I thought he could meet me at the gas station around the corner, definitely not here at the house. “I–I really gotta be going.”
“She sure does. Follow me,” Scottie says. He strides past me with his head held high, then patiently stands at the foot of the stairs.
“She’s not going anywhere, Scottie. I
knew
this was going to happen. Just because I let you stay with us d–doesn’t mean you can have c–company.”
Neil’s voice is strong yet weak; he’s babbling like a punk.
“Where’s your wife?” Scottie asks. “Let’s hear what your wife has to say about me having company.”
“Okay, you two,” I cut in. “This is nuts. We don’t have to be like this. I’m trying hard to maintain my composure. And more importantly, we shouldn’t be a-r-g-u-i-n-g in front of the baby.”
“Where’s my little brother?” Reese joins us from upstairs,her big feet stomping all the way till she reaches the bottom. Grinning so wide that all her teeth are showing, she squats till she’s eye-level with her brother, then hugs Brax around his little shoulders. He pushes her off and continues to run in a circle. Just watching him makes me feel dizzy, like I need to sit down.
“You want to go outside and play kickball? I’ll let you win this time. Come on, Brax.”
I watch as the kids race through the rear door in the kitchen that leads to the enclosed patio and backyard.
The tension feels so thick I can barely think. Although I have entertained thoughts of what would happen if I dated Scottie, I’ve tried hard not to overthink things. And right now it seems Neil, Scottie, and I need to have a conversation I’m not ready to have.
Sighing, I go into the den, the room in which the family usually gathers to watch TV and eat. I take a seat on the plush leather love seat, a piece of furniture I’ve sat on many times in the past, back when I first gave birth to Brax. In the early days,
“You come by to see me?” he whispers. The heat of his minty breath tickles my ear. Neil flashes us a suspicious look.
“Um, hey Scottie, what’s up?” I ask, feigning surprise.
“You want to go up to my room?”
“What’s going on here?” Neil asks. Brax is now tugging his daddy’s shirtsleeve and ordering him to carry him inside the house, but Neil barely pays attention. With Neil’s eyes locked on mine, I hear him mentally asking,
What do you think you’re doing?
“Let’s go inside,” Scottie says to me. Neil is holding Brax and his day bag in one arm. He grabs me with his free arm and pulls me along with him. I stumble on the walkway but don’t say a word.
“Hey, bro, you’re trying to do too much. I can handle Dani.” Scottie removes Neil’s hand from my arm and places his hand in mine. We follow Neil into the house, and I can’t help but wonder what Neil is thinking.
Neil sets down Brax and his day bag once we are inside his foyer. It’s a wide, open space that gives a full view of the staircase. A tiny office with French doors is located right offthe foyer. The stained concrete flooring gives Neil’s house a homey feel.
Brax dashes away, running in a circle and screaming, “I want some chocolate. I want some chocolate.”
“What’s he talking about?” I ask.
“Not real chocolate,” Neil explains. “Hot chocolate. I don’t understand how he can stand to drink something that hot when it’s probably a hundred degrees outside.”
“When Brax wants what he wants, you know he doesn’t care.”
Brax screams, “I want my choc-late.”
“Well,” I laugh, “are you going to go make him some?”
“No,
you
are.”
“Neil,” I plead, feeling like my sticking around right now is not the best thing to do. Earlier Scottie and I made tentative plans to see each other. But I thought he could meet me at the gas station around the corner, definitely not here at the house. “I–I really gotta be going.”
“She sure does. Follow me,” Scottie says. He strides past me with his head held high, then patiently stands at the foot of the stairs.
“She’s not going anywhere, Scottie. I
knew
this was going to happen. Just because I let you stay with us d–doesn’t mean you can have c–company.”
Neil’s voice is strong yet weak; he’s babbling like a punk.
“Where’s your wife?” Scottie asks. “Let’s hear what your wife has to say about me having company.”
“Okay, you two,” I cut in. “This is nuts. We don’t have to be like this. I’m trying hard to maintain my composure. And more importantly, we shouldn’t be a-r-g-u-i-n-g in front of the baby.”
“Where’s my little brother?” Reese joins us from upstairs,her big feet stomping all the way till she reaches the bottom. Grinning so wide that all her teeth are showing, she squats till she’s eye-level with her brother, then hugs Brax around his little shoulders. He pushes her off and continues to run in a circle. Just watching him makes me feel dizzy, like I need to sit down.
“You want to go outside and play kickball? I’ll let you win this time. Come on, Brax.”
I watch as the kids race through the rear door in the kitchen that leads to the enclosed patio and backyard.
The tension feels so thick I can barely think. Although I have entertained thoughts of what would happen if I dated Scottie, I’ve tried hard not to overthink things. And right now it seems Neil, Scottie, and I need to have a conversation I’m not ready to have.
Sighing, I go into the den, the room in which the family usually gathers to watch TV and eat. I take a seat on the plush leather love seat, a piece of furniture I’ve sat on many times in the past, back when I first gave birth to Brax. In the early days,
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