CHAPTER 12
When I check the time, I see that it’s way past 7 pm. I already made dinner, but if it’s going to be like the previous day, Dominick will have eaten by the time he comes home. I try not to be nervous, but I can’t help it. I’m just one step away from grabbing my car keys and heading over there, to pick him up myself. But, I remind myself that he’s probably on his way. I also remind myself that Adrian will be driving him. He understands where I’m coming from. I could hear it in his voice. Unlike Mason. Everything seems to be just amusement to him. I doubt he takes anything seriously in life.
At that moment, I hear the front door open, and I rush over there. Dominick is already inside, and he’s taking off his helmet. He offers it to Adrian.
“You keep it,” Adrian shakes his head.
It only hits me now that he has no hair. For a moment, I wonder if he’s bald or if he shaves it all off. His beard is longer than Mason’s. Still dark and bushy. So is his moustache. He is holding a pair of dark sunglasses in his hand, which rests by his thighs.
“Hey, mom!” Dominick waves at me cheerfully.
I see he’s totally messy. His clothes are splashed with paint, and he even managed to get some in his hair.
“I see someone needs a thorough bath tonight,” I smile.
“Moooom…” Dominick whines, and I know when it’s my time to zip it. “Thanks, Adrian.”
The two bump fists in some weird, elaborate way, which I don’t even try to follow in order to remember. Hopefully, next week will be the last time Adrian will be taking him for a ride. The thought fills me with hope and serenity. Life will go back to what it was.
“Did you guys have dinner?” I ask.
“No, it was only Adrian and me,” Dominick explains. “Mason was there for a little, but he had to go, with the rest of the gang.”
“So, you must be hungry,” I smile, referring only to my son.
But, words tend to be taken out of context, especially when you least want them to be.
“Oh, we are,” Dominick nods at me. “Hey, Adrian, why don’t you stay for dinner?”
I open my mouth to thank Adrian and wish him a good night, but my son’s words make me swallow my own before I even say them. I look at Adrian. I’m confused, expecting him to graciously refuse.
“I haven’t had dinner yet,” he replies. “It makes sense.”
And, with those words he enters our house, making sure to take off his shoes. Dominick rushes after him excitedly, and I hear them talking in the kitchen. I’m still standing by the open door, wondering how the Hell this just happened.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. It’s just a dinner guest. No one special. And, besides, better him than Mason. I assure myself that it’ll be all over quickly. Adrian is practical, led by logic. He’ll probably leave the moment he’s eaten enough. I smile at the weirdness of the whole situation, because, what else is there to do?
When I enter the kitchen, I see Dominick is sitting next to Adrian. He’s busy explaining something about one of his previous school projects, the one about the mill. And, surprisingly, I hear Adrian reply with suggestions on what he can improve next time. The smile on my son’s face is priceless. Suddenly, it hits me. He doesn’t see these men as I do. To him, they aren’t criminals. He isn’t afraid of them. Fear is probably the last thing on his mind when he sees them.
I set up plates for all of us, and Adrian’s barely audible thank you doesn’t escape me. Dominick keeps on talking, and the sight fills me with joy. I take out the chicken and peas, and toast some bread. I put some food on everyone’s plates, starting with Dominick’s and ending with mine.
“If you need more, feel free to help yourself,” I tell Adrian.
“Daily calorie requirement for active males age 31 to 50 is 2,900. I had only 1 serving of meat today, and two servings of vegetables. That leaves one serving of meat and two servings of vegetables.”
“I could make you a salad, if the peas aren’t enough,” I reply all confused, looking at the food before us. Dominick has a sneer on. He’s obviously used to Adrian acting this way.
“I see you have apples there,” he points at the fruit bowl on the kitchen counter. “May I have one before I go?”
“Of-of course,” I mumble, nodding.
Adrian adjusts the napkin on his lap, and aligns his elbows on the table, as he takes the fork and knife. Dominick isn’t so attentive to detail. He starts shoving the food into his mouth immediately, while I’m still trying to process if I should go and whip up a quick salad for everyone, in addition to the peas.
Adrian eats slowly, making sure to chew thoroughly. He is a silent eater, unlike my son, but I’m used to it. We all eat without many words exchanged. When he’s done, Adrian places the fork and knife aligned in his plate. He takes the napkin and dabs the corner of his lips. A few bread crumbs are stuck in his beard, and I don’t know how to tell him.
“You got a little something here,” Dominick does me a favor and tells Adrian himself.
He tries to shake it out of his beard, but the crumbs are stubborn. They won’t budge. Then, Dominick gets up and picks them out himself. He returns to his seat, and smiles.
“Can I get you a coffee?” I ask Adrian. “There’s also ice cream in the freezer.”
“Thank you,” Adrian shakes his head. “Preliminary research shows that late night caffeine intake affects one internal clock, making you feel tired.”
“Something like jet lag?” Dominick asks.
“Exactly,” Adrian nods.
“Have you ever flown with an airplane?” Dominick asks him.
“No. Have you?”
“No,” Dominick shakes his head, sounding disappointed.
“There’s time for all of that later,” I get up, clearing the table. “But, you’re right about the coffee thing.”
“It’s not me,” he shrugs. “There is research behind it.”
I look at Dominick and we both smile at each other. A part of me wants to ask if this is how he acts all the time, but that would sound way too rude. He is my guest after all. And, he makes sure my son arrives home safe.
“I can help with that,” Adrian suddenly gets up and tries to take the plates from my hands.
“Oh, no, no,” I smile. “You’re my guest. He should actually be doing this.”
I point at Dominick, and he tries to hide his face in his hands, as if that will make him invisible. I chuckle a little.
“But, it’s alright,” I nod, taking the dishes to the sink.
“I won’t be taking up more of your time then,” I hear Adrian’s voice behind me.
It’s not that late, and I’m tempted to tell him to stay. Anyone who can make my son smile like that is always welcome in our house. But, I don’t say anything. Instead, I wipe my hands with the kitchen towel, and turn to him.
“Thank you for dinner,” he tells me, as his beard shakes a little.
It’s clean now, free of any dinner remnants. His face is smooth, and I realize he must be younger than I originally thought. There are no lines around his eyes, which are slightly elongated. Then, I see the faint line of a facial scar that starts in the middle of his right cheek, and disappears in his bushy beard. I realize I’m staring, so I quickly look to the side.
“Thank you for making sure my son comes home safe,” I smile back. I really mean it.
Dominick and I walk him over to the door together.
“Next Saturday at 7:30?” Adrian asks.
Dominick and I both nod. He just waves quickly, then his motorbike disappears down the street, swallowed by darkness.
“He’s a bit weird, isn’t he?” I comment, as I close the door.
“Well, you’d be weird, too if you were sold to the circus as a kid,” Dominick tells me, and at first, I’m not sure I heard it right.
“Wait, what do you mean?”
I catch up with him in the living room, and we both sit down on the couch.
“The circus?” I repeat. “Like, the real circus?”
“Not the funny clowns we have today.”
“Then what?”
“The old circus,” he continues to explain. “With the freak shows, where you’d pay to see something strange and unusual.”
“But, he’s not that old!”
“Mom,” he takes my hand in his, pausing a little. “These bikers… they are bear shifters.”
“What!?” I jump from the sofa. “You mean I just had a bear shifter in my home?”
“Yeah,” he nods, looking all relaxed.
“But, they’re dangerous!” I shout again. “You’re not going back there again! And… we’re moving… no way we’re staying in this fucked up town!”
I look around, feeling like a caged tiger. I paid for half a year on this place, and I’ve been considering buying it. But, I didn’t know any of this before. We can’t live in a shifter town. They stay away from humans. We say away from them. It’s been like that ever since we realized that we were all sharing this earth together.
Dominick walks over to me slowly, and he wraps his arms around me. I can feel his still growing chest pressed against mine, his heartbeat slow and steady. Unlike mine. We remain like that for a few moments. He’s waiting for me to calm down. When he lets go of me, I actually do feel a little better.
“Do the rest of the townsfolk know this?” I ask.
“Of course,” he smiles at me. “That’s not a secret they can keep for very long.”
“And, everyone is fine with that?”
“Well, what does it look like to you?” he asks me.
Now, it seems a little clearer. People are afraid. But, at the same time, they are grateful. They are taken care of. They are protected. Even if that means that the bikers do a little bit of damage here and there. There’s always a price to pay.
“Aren’t you afraid of them?”
I look at my son, my brave son who has survived more than a child his age should, who has seen more than a child his age should see. I watch him as he grows into a fine young man, who, like many of us, does tend to stray a little. But, if he remains on the right path, that’s all that matters.
“They’re actually not that bad,” Dominick tells me. “They’re like you and I. They’re normal. They don’t transform like every day. It’s actually very painful, Mason told me. They do it only if it’s utterly necessary.”
“That’s good,” I reply, not really sure what I wanted to say with that.
“And, they are very open. Like, you can ask them anything and they’ll tell you, straightforward.”
“I see,” I nod.
“That’s how I know about Adrian and his childhood.”
“The circus?” I remember.
“Yeah. Do you want me to tell you?”
“Didn’t he share that in confidence?” I wonder.
“I doubt he’ll mind. He’s not ashamed of it, or anything. But, maybe you’ll understand why he’s so strange.”
And, with those words, I realize the extent of my son’s wisdom. I feel a little embarrassed, so I look down.He’s right. I judged them based on what I saw, based on what others in town were telling me. I never stopped to think for myself that maybe, just maybe they were just like us, with a human story of their lives that might explain why there are as they are.
“Tell me,” I smile, as Dominick leads me back to the sofa.
“Adrian belonged to an old clan of bear shifters. There was a battle and he was the only one who survived, because his mother hid him in the forest. She said she would come back for him, but he waited and waited. When she didn’t come, he eventually returned to their village, only to see everyone killed.”
Hearing this, I gasp, and I see the same sadness on my son’s face.
“He roamed the woods for days, when a poor woodcutter found him. Adrian tried to defend himself, so he transformed into a bear, but he was only a little kid. There wasn’t much he could do. So, this woodcutter took him in, fed him, gave him clothes, but he could barely provide for himself, let alone for a kid, so he sold him to a passing circus. The guy who owned the circus was evil. He made Adrian transform every night, even though Adrian kept begging him. It hurt him. But, this guy just wanted money. Adrian grew up in that circus, and one day, he realized he wasn’t a helpless child anymore. He didn’t want to stay in that place where all he knew was pain and misery. So, he ran away. He didn’t want to hurt the guy. But, he told me he was very close to snapping his neck. Still, he didn’t. He lived alone for a while, and then he met Mason. Adrian said that his life changed the moment their paths crossed.”
“That’s quite a story,” I take a deep breath, letting it sink in.
“He didn’t say it in those words exactly, but I think he feels better when he talks about facts. You know, like stuff that he has researched well and that is grounded in some scientific knowledge or background. That’s probably why he sounds like he’s reading from a chemistry book all the time.”
We both chuckle at the same time, but not because we were laughing at Adrian. On the contrary, this is the moment that I realized how wrong I’ve been to take these men for granted. My son is right. So young, and yet, his horizons are much broader than mine, at least in this respect.
But, fear taps me on the shoulder again, reminding me to be careful. Sure they were nice to him. But, they were still dangerous. Yes, it’s possible that they could be decent human beings, but I can’t let my guard down. It’s too dangerous. Still, I could be nicer to them. That’s always an option. And, one that shouldn’t cost me much.
“I’m happy that he’s giving you a ride on his bike, and not Mason,” I comment, but a moment later, I realize that I shouldn’t have said anything.
Dominick gives me a puzzled look. Of course he has no idea that I was there this afternoon, and that Mason and I had a little chat.
“Adrian just sounds more reasonable, that’s all,” I shrug my shoulders, trying to lessen the importance of my comment. “And, reasonable people are better drivers. Research shows it.”
We both chuckle again at my words, and I enjoy the newly found feeling of closeness with my son. I glance at the watch and realize it’s bed time.
“I know, I know,” Dominick tells me, getting up. “No TV. Bed time.”
“Of course,” I nod. “You’re still grounded, you know.”
“I know,” he smiles back at me, and I realize that maybe, just maybe, things might end OK for us.