Chapter 4 #2
“I like macaroni and cheese,” Carson said.
“I’ll show you where the bathroom is so you can wash up and then we’ll have dinner. Is that alright?” Janie asked, slipping into grandmother mode so easily it was almost scary.
“I guess so,” Carson said, casting a quick questioning glance up at Daisy.
“I’ll be right in there, through that door waiting on you,” Daisy said.
Carson nodded, then shoved his hands in his little pockets and fell into step right behind Janie.
Bane watched Janie and Carson, then turned to look at Daisy. “That’s the little boy we met at the grand opening, right? The one you talk about.”
“Yes. He’s such a sweet kid. And so talented. I wish I had an ounce of his natural ability.”
“He seems like a nice boy.”
“He’s not really good with strangers and new situations. I’m surprised he’s even talking to you and Mom.”
“He knows we’re good people. Kids can sense that.”
“I suppose,” Daisy said, putting Carson’s backpack on the sofa before following her dad into the kitchen to get a look at dinner. “It smells so good, Dad.”
“It’s a good batch,” Bane said, pinching a piece off of one of the ribs to give her a taste.
Daisy took the sample from him and quickly popped it in her mouth. “Oh, yeah. I’m having seconds.”
“Help me get these plates served?” Bane asked.
“Sure,” Daisy answered, taking the plates of ribs, one at a time from him and adding macaroni and cheese, and buttered corn on the cob to each. They were just putting the last plate on the table when Carson and Janie joined them.
“Have a seat, Carson,” Janie said, gesturing at the table.
“Which seat?” he asked, looking at the table. It was a large table that accommodated a lot of people.
“Daisy’s dad sits there, I sit right beside him, and Daisy sits on the other side of him. Which of the other chairs do you want?”
“I’ll sit beside Daisy,” he said, walking over and pulling himself up into that chair.
“Good choice! See? I already put your plate there,” Daisy said.
Carson nodded.
“Do you want tea, or water, or milk?” Bane asked.
“Milk, please. With ice.”
Daisy laughed. “That’s how I like my milk, too. Ice cold!”
Bane poured Carson’s milk, tea for the rest, and everyone sat so they could enjoy dinner.
Carson ate almost all of his macaroni and cheese before he tried the corn, but had left the ribs untouched so far.
“Aren’t you going to try the ribs?” Bane asked.
Carson looked up at Bane over his corn on the cob. “I never ate that before.”
“They’re very, very good,” Bane said, nodding for emphasis.
“They smell good,” Carson admitted.
“You should try one. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to finish it.”
Carson looked down at the two smoked ribs slathered in barbecue sauce on his plate.
“They have bones.”
“Yep. You use them like a handle. And bite the meat off them like you do the corn off the cob,” Bane said. “Watch.” He picked up a rib and demonstrated. “Oh, man, that’s so good! It’s so tender.”
Carson smirked a little.
“What? What’s so funny?” Bane asked, pretending he didn’t know why Carson was smirking.
“You got sauce on your face,” Carson said.
“Naw, I didn’t do that, did I?” Bane asked, swiping at the sauce, but instead of wiping it off, he just made more of a mess by smearing it across his cheek.
Carson laughed. “Now you have it all over your face!” he said.
Bane laughed. “You know what? They’re so good, I don’t mind having sauce all over my face.”
Carson looked down at the ribs before he poked one with just one of his fingers. The sauce stuck to his finger and he brought his hand up to his nose to sniff at it.
“Smells good, doesn’t it?”
Carson nodded.
“Taste it. I promise you’ll like it.”
“What if I don’t?”
“Then you don’t have to eat it.”
Carson looked thoughtfully down at the ribs.
“And, I’ll keep the sauce on my face until the next time I see you just because you tried it, whether you like it or not.”
“People will think you’re silly.”
“If I can make my friends more comfortable, I don’t care how silly people think I am.”
Carson watched Bane for a little longer before he looked down at the ribs again, and slowly picked one up.
He held it like an English lady holds a cup of tea when sipping from it, definitely not wanting to get the sticky sauce all over it.
But to his credit, he did hold it up to his mouth and take a little bite.
He chewed, turned the rib this way and that examining it, then brought it to his mouth again to take another bite.
“Huh? Huh? I told you it was good!” Bane said, taking another huge bite and making sure to get more sauce on his face.
Carson smiled at Bane and took a big bite, not caring, or maybe even proud, that he too had sauce across his face.
Daisy smiled as Janie winked at her across the table.
A knock at the door had Janie getting up to answer the door. Minutes later she was returning with Charlie.
“Hi!” Daisy said, when she saw Charlie walk into the dining room between the kitchen and the living room.
“Hi,” Charlie said. He chuckled when he got a good look at Carson and Bane.
“We’re having ribs,” Carson informed him.
“I see that. You like ribs?” Charlie asked.
“Yes, sir. Mr. Bane makes good ribs.”
“Have a seat,” Janie said. “I’ll get you a plate.”
“Oh, no, thank you. I don’t want to be any more trouble than I’ve already been.”
“It’s no trouble! Sit down,” Janie said, pointing to the empty place beside her chair.
“You may as well sit. You won’t get out of here until she feeds you,” Bane said.
Charlie glanced in the direction Janie had gone, which he assumed was the kitchen, then toward the front door.
He held a single strawberry shake in his hand.
“I, uh, I brought you a shake. When I drove past Vince’s it was a spur of the moment decision.
I didn’t know you lived with your parents or I’d have brought more than one. ”
“That’s so thoughtful of you,” Daisy said. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome,” Charlie said.
“Dad, this is Charlie. He’s Carson’s dad. Charlie, this is my father, Bane.”
Charlie stuck his hand out before he noticed that both of Bane’s were sticky with sauce.
“I’ll take a rain check on the handshake. Next time bring more just in case. I like chocolate. But for now, sit. We’ve got plenty of food,” Bane said.
“I will remember you like chocolate. And thank you,” Charlie said, pulling out the chair and having a seat.
“Here we go!” Janie said, placing an overloaded plate in front of Charlie.
“Oh, my gosh, Mom! That’s a lot of food!” Daisy exclaimed.
“Sorry. I’m used to Bane and all the rest of our family.
The men are really big eaters,” Janie said, as she started in on her meal again.
“And if everyone finishes their food, I have chocolate pudding for dessert! Well, everyone except for Daisy, she already has a strawberry shake. Did you know that strawberry shakes are her absolute favorite?” Janie asked.
“I found out earlier today when I dropped Carson off at the art studio. She was having one and telling me how much she likes them,” Charlie admitted.
“Loves them. Not likes. She loves them,” Janie said.
“Dad, are you going to get barbecue sauce on your face like me and Mr. Bane?” Carson asked.
“I might,” Charlie said.
“You have to. It’s how you do it,” Carson said.
“Well, then, I’m sure I will,” Charlie said.
“Mrs. Janie? Could I have some more macaroni and cheese?” Carson asked.
“You certainly can!” Janie said, dabbing at her mouth before she reached for Carson’s plate.
“I’ll get it, Mom,” Daisy said.
“No, you finish eating. I like taking care of my guests. I’ll get it,” Janie said.
“So, tell me, Charlie. What do you do?” Bane asked.
“I’m a civil engineer. I’ve been working with the parish government on updating all the infrastructure in the rural areas of the parish.”
“I see,” Bane said, nodding his head in understanding. “You been at it long?”
“Yes, well, not here long. Moved here for the job and the only thing I’ve managed to get done so far is figure out that it’s like pulling teeth to get anything done.”
“Welcome to Louisiana and her politics. It’s not just this parish,” Bane said.
“Yeah, that’s what I hear. I’m not giving up, though,” Charlie said.
“So, your wife make the move with you?” Bane asked.
“I don’t have a mommy,” Carson said.
“She passed,” Charlie said, his voice softening a little.
“You know what that means, don’t you?” Janie asked, returning to the table with Carson’s plate with fresh macaroni and cheese and another rib on it.
Carson shook his head as he looked at Janie.
“It means that you and your dad have a very special angel in heaven watching over you both.”
“You mean my mommy?” Carson asked.
“That’s right,” Janie said.
Carson sat completely still while he thought about the idea that his mother was in heaven watching over him. “I don’t think so,” he finally said as he picked up his fork and started eating again.
“Why don’t you think so?” Janie asked.
“Because if she was watching me, she wouldn’t let the kids be mean to me,” Carson said.
Bane’s jaw twitched.
“We’ve been having some trouble with some of the older kids in Carson’s school. I’ve been successful at controlling myself and going through proper channels, but let me tell you, it’s not easy. But we’ll get through it. We’ve been working with the school,” Charlie said.
“Some kids were mean to Daisy in school when she was little, too. You know what we did?” Bane asked.
“Dad…” Daisy said, sending a clear warning to him not to tell the story of him and her Uncle Maverik terrifying the kids that had been picking on her.
Bane stared at Daisy as he finished. “We taught her to protect herself. So the next time they were mean to her, she knocked them on their butts and they left her alone after that.”
Carson kept eating, not seemingly engaged anymore. He ate every bite, and shortly after, Charlie had eaten all he could of the massive amounts of food that Janie had put on his plate.
“I’m stuffed. I cannot eat another bite.”
“Would you like dessert?” Janie asked.
“Oh, no thank you. I have no room for it,” Charlie said.
“I want dessert!” Carson said.
“I’ll be right back,” Janie said, gathering plates and heading toward the kitchen.
“I’ll bring my plate. It’s my job to take my dishes to the kitchen every evening,” Carson said.
“I’ll help, Mom,” Daisy said, gathering more dishes and following her mother.
With both women out of the room, Bane sat forward, his hands clasped on the table before him and looked Charlie in the eye. “So, what do you think of my daughter?”
“I’m sorry?” Charlie asked.
“Don’t pretend with me. I know you’re here to pick up your son, I know you were really kept late at work, but I also see the way you look at my Daisy. And you even thought to bring her her favorite treat. So, what are your intentions?”
Charlie sat forward, mimicking Bane’s position, and looked directly into Bane’s eyes. “I’ll be honest with you, sir. It doesn’t seem to matter what my intentions are. She blocks me at every turn. I can’t get much past small talk before she’s shoving me away.”
“But you want more than small talk?”
“I haven’t been interested in anyone since I lost Carson’s mother.
And I thought I never would be, but everything about Daisy screams that I’ll never meet anyone else like her.
She’s amazing. She’s smart, and talented, and sweet, and kind.
She’s both gentle and strong and independent, though she makes me want to protect her.
How do you protect someone that’s so independent that you haven’t even been able to get her to agree to a first date yet?
” Charlie asked, sitting back frustratedly.
“Is that all?” Bane asked.
“No. She makes me want to be a better man. I don’t even know her yet and I can’t stop imagining what it would be like to have a life with her.
And Carson adores her. And you got him to eat ribs.
He doesn’t eat ribs! He eats chicken nuggets, and pizza.
Occasionally he’ll get a vegetable or two down, but for the most part, it’s not happening.
And he’s sitting here talking to you and your wife like he’s known you all his life.
He doesn’t like strangers. I don’t know what to think of this… ”
Bane had listened to all Charlie had said, searching for lies, but found nothing but the truth.
This man legitimately cared for Daisy. And she’d mentioned him and his son several times, so they’d obviously made an impact on her as well.
Bane smiled. “You give them space to come to you in their own time.”
“What?” Charlie asked, momentarily confused.
“How you protect a woman that’s as independent as Daisy… you give them space to come to you in their own time. But whatever you do, don’t give up on her. Daisy is so worth the effort. She’s been hurt, and she’s afraid to trust. But I think you could be a good thing for her.”
Charlie nodded and sat forward again. “Unless she makes it clear she wants nothing to do with me, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good man,” Bane said. “But just so you know, if you hurt her, I’ll kill you. She kept the last one a secret and I’m still searching for answers. If you make the mistake of hurting her like the last one did, it’ll be the last thing you do.”
“Fair enough,” Charlie said.
“Here we go!” Janie said, walking back into the dining room with a tray of individual bowls of chocolate pudding.
“If I finish my pudding, can you teach me how to defend myself?” Carson asked.
Bane reached out and put his sauce covered hand over Carson’s. “You bet I will. It’ll take a little while to teach you everything. But I can show you a few things tonight that will help you out real quick.”
Carson grinned and started spooning chocolate pudding into his mouth.