looking at. The green trees
and the crystal clear water are beautiful, and for the first time
in a long time, I don’t feel the pressure to entertain. I get to
relax and just enjoy her company.
We motor down
the road, passing trees, lakes, and fields of corn. The simplicity
of it all is something I feel like I’ve needed. I mean, when was
the last time I’d just gone for a ride to clear my head? Far too
long.
After about
forty minutes on the road, Ellen leans forward to call into my ear,
“I need to get home now.”
I do what I
need to do to get the bike moving in the right direction. Twenty
minutes later, we’re pulling up to her front door. Ellen slides off
the bike, looking slightly bow legged.
I point down
to her thighs. “You need to ride more.”
“ I really do. God, that was exactly what I needed. Things have
been kind of crazy for me lately, and I didn’t know just how much I
needed to escape for a little while.
“ Crazy how? Charlie mentioned the other day that you were
going through some stuff.”
Ellen presses
her lips together and shakes her head before reaching to undo the
chin strap on her helmet. “Don’t you worry about it. Just know that
I really enjoyed myself.”
Sliding off
the bike, I take a step towards her. “Don’t do that. Don’t blow me
off.” Reaching out, I hook my finger under the chin strap and use
it to pull her face to mine, my lips mere inches from hers. “In
case you haven’t noticed, I want to be around you. I want to know
all about you, El. But I can’t do that if you keep pushing me
away.”
“ Mom? What’s going on?”
Our heads whip
to the side, and standing in front of us is one pissed-off looking
kid. I can tell just by looking at him that he’s Ellen’s. He has
her eyes.
“ Bryce! What are you doing home? I thought that you
were—”
“ Jimmy had a doctor’s appointment.” He waves a hand in my
direction. “Who’s this guy?”
I watch as
Ellen stands there, mouth hanging open in shock, so I take a step
forward and stick out my hand. “Hey, man. I’m Jase, a friend of
your mom’s.”
The kid’s eyes
narrow on my outstretched hand longer than necessary before
wrinkling his nose at me in disgust and storming back inside the
house.
Ellen’s hand
flies up to cover her mouth. “Shit. I’m sorry, Jase. I gotta go.”
Whipping the helmet off, she thrusts it into my arms and runs after
her son.
All I can do
is stare after her, one thought running through my head.
Ellen has a
fucking kid?
Ellen
“Bryce, we
need to talk,” I call through his closed bedroom door. The response
I get is the sound of his music being cranked up even louder to
drown out the sound of my voice. I twist the doorknob and find that
it’s locked.
Using the heel
of my hand, I pound on the door loudly. “Bryce Alexander! You open
up this door or I will take it off its hinges!”
Down the hall,
the phone rings, distracting me from screaming at my kid. Worried
that it might be work, I hurry into the living room and scoop up
the receiver from where it lays abandoned on the couch. It’s
Julie.
“ Hello?”
“ Hey, girl. How’s it going?”
“ Not so good at the moment.”
Julie’s voice
rises. “What? Why not? And what is that awful noise? It sounds like
you’re at a concert, for God’s sake.”
I sigh and
move out onto the front step so I can hear myself think. “No
concert. Just Bryce throwing a tantrum.”
“ Bryce?” she says, surprise dripping from her voice. “My
Bryce? I don’t believe it. What’s he so upset about.”
I sigh again,
this time heavier. “Yes, your Bryce. He’s not the angel you think
he is, you know. Anyways, he was supposed to be at his friends
after school until suppertime, so I went—” Crap. I don’t know how
much to tell her. I hadn’t mentioned my recent encounters with
Jase.
“ Spill it, girl,” she says, suddenly all business.
“Fine. I
went for a ride with Jase on his motorcycle.” Julie’s
and the crystal clear water are beautiful, and for the first time
in a long time, I don’t feel the pressure to entertain. I get to
relax and just enjoy her company.
We motor down
the road, passing trees, lakes, and fields of corn. The simplicity
of it all is something I feel like I’ve needed. I mean, when was
the last time I’d just gone for a ride to clear my head? Far too
long.
After about
forty minutes on the road, Ellen leans forward to call into my ear,
“I need to get home now.”
I do what I
need to do to get the bike moving in the right direction. Twenty
minutes later, we’re pulling up to her front door. Ellen slides off
the bike, looking slightly bow legged.
I point down
to her thighs. “You need to ride more.”
“ I really do. God, that was exactly what I needed. Things have
been kind of crazy for me lately, and I didn’t know just how much I
needed to escape for a little while.
“ Crazy how? Charlie mentioned the other day that you were
going through some stuff.”
Ellen presses
her lips together and shakes her head before reaching to undo the
chin strap on her helmet. “Don’t you worry about it. Just know that
I really enjoyed myself.”
Sliding off
the bike, I take a step towards her. “Don’t do that. Don’t blow me
off.” Reaching out, I hook my finger under the chin strap and use
it to pull her face to mine, my lips mere inches from hers. “In
case you haven’t noticed, I want to be around you. I want to know
all about you, El. But I can’t do that if you keep pushing me
away.”
“ Mom? What’s going on?”
Our heads whip
to the side, and standing in front of us is one pissed-off looking
kid. I can tell just by looking at him that he’s Ellen’s. He has
her eyes.
“ Bryce! What are you doing home? I thought that you
were—”
“ Jimmy had a doctor’s appointment.” He waves a hand in my
direction. “Who’s this guy?”
I watch as
Ellen stands there, mouth hanging open in shock, so I take a step
forward and stick out my hand. “Hey, man. I’m Jase, a friend of
your mom’s.”
The kid’s eyes
narrow on my outstretched hand longer than necessary before
wrinkling his nose at me in disgust and storming back inside the
house.
Ellen’s hand
flies up to cover her mouth. “Shit. I’m sorry, Jase. I gotta go.”
Whipping the helmet off, she thrusts it into my arms and runs after
her son.
All I can do
is stare after her, one thought running through my head.
Ellen has a
fucking kid?
Ellen
“Bryce, we
need to talk,” I call through his closed bedroom door. The response
I get is the sound of his music being cranked up even louder to
drown out the sound of my voice. I twist the doorknob and find that
it’s locked.
Using the heel
of my hand, I pound on the door loudly. “Bryce Alexander! You open
up this door or I will take it off its hinges!”
Down the hall,
the phone rings, distracting me from screaming at my kid. Worried
that it might be work, I hurry into the living room and scoop up
the receiver from where it lays abandoned on the couch. It’s
Julie.
“ Hello?”
“ Hey, girl. How’s it going?”
“ Not so good at the moment.”
Julie’s voice
rises. “What? Why not? And what is that awful noise? It sounds like
you’re at a concert, for God’s sake.”
I sigh and
move out onto the front step so I can hear myself think. “No
concert. Just Bryce throwing a tantrum.”
“ Bryce?” she says, surprise dripping from her voice. “My
Bryce? I don’t believe it. What’s he so upset about.”
I sigh again,
this time heavier. “Yes, your Bryce. He’s not the angel you think
he is, you know. Anyways, he was supposed to be at his friends
after school until suppertime, so I went—” Crap. I don’t know how
much to tell her. I hadn’t mentioned my recent encounters with
Jase.
“ Spill it, girl,” she says, suddenly all business.
“Fine. I
went for a ride with Jase on his motorcycle.” Julie’s
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