Chapter 5
TYLER WOKE to getting his face licked. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found Daisy with her paws on his chest, looking down at him. “I take it you want some attention.”
“What I think she wants is to go out, and then she needs to eat,” Anthony said softly and then yawned. “Morning, gorgeous.”
He pushed the covers back and then pulled them up again. “It’s cold out there.”
“Yeah.”
He got out of bed anyway and pulled on sweatpants and a shirt before lifting Daisy off the bed and setting her down.
She followed him down the stairs and through the house to the back door.
He let her out and then got her some food and fresh water before letting her back in.
Daisy attacked her dish, cleaning it quickly, and then drank before trotting through the house and up the stairs.
She still had a few issues with her leg, but fortunately she had her mobility back, which was good. Nothing much stopped her now.
By the time he got back to the bedroom, Daisy was on the bed and had settled on his side. “Come on, princess. You have your own bed. This is mine.” He carried her to her bed and then climbed in with Anthony, who was warm and still half sleepy. “I figured you’d be keyed up.”
Anthony groaned. “I’m sorry. I have been working insane hours for months, and I finally get to relax. I have the whole weekend with nothing to do. I don’t even have to go into the office, and I get to sleep in a little.” He yawned and tugged Tyler to him. “You’re warm and comfy.”
“Yeah. Ummm.” He whispered something, and Daisy joined them on the bed. She tramped around until she found a place she liked near their feet.
“The princess doesn’t want to get left out,” Anthony whispered. “What do you have to do today?”
“I need to visit my mom. She had her last chemo treatment earlier this week. I stopped in to check on her Wednesday, and she was resting. I’ve talked to her a few times, but I have to go see her and see how she’s doing.” He settled down because it was warm and cozy in bed with Anthony.
“Do you need to see her now?”
“No. I can go visit her later this morning,” Tyler said.
“Good.” Anthony pulled up the covers and snuggled against him. “Give me an hour and I’ll be all ready to go.” He sighed. “You wore me out last night. I have to have a little time to recover before I meet your mother.”
GETTING READY to go took more time than Tyler figured.
First they had to shower. You’d think showering together would save water, but nope.
It took until the hot water ran out for them to get out and dress.
Anthony ran home to get fresh clothes because he didn’t think he needed to meet Tyler’s mother in his rumpled tux, and Tyler picked him up ten minutes later.
He drove to his mother’s in town, and once inside, he set Daisy down. She immediately began exploring, sniffing around the furniture and into each corner. “What is she looking for?” his mother asked as he gave her a hug.
“Who knows? She’ll be over to say hello in a minute.” He sat down and introduced Anthony.
“You’re the lawyer,” she said and sat back against her pillows. “How did the party go last night?” She seemed with it, and her eyes were bright.
“It was nice. And the senior partner’s wife used her influence to stop her husband from requesting the Chicken Dance, so that was a real win.” He smiled, and Tyler took the chair near his.
“Anthony just won a big case.” Tyler seemed proud, and Anthony liked that. Tyler took his hand.
“How are you feeling, Mrs. Lemieux? Tyler said that you had your last treatment this week.”
She nodded. “I know it’s too soon, and maybe it’s just anticipation, but I feel better than I have in a while.
It will take a while longer before my energy begins to come back, but every day I feel better.
It won’t be long until my hair grows back, and I have some real plans.
A bunch of my friends go to the Y every day for exercise class, and I’m going to join them and keep moving. That’s going to be my new life.”
“Well, Mom.” Tyler looked over at Daisy. “You asked me to get you a dog, and I originally thought that—”
She put up her hand. “No, honey. I was out of my mind on pain meds and chemotherapy drugs. You know that.” She called Daisy, who came over, got pets, and then hurried over to Tyler and put her paws on his knees to tell him to pick her up.
“Besides, she’s your dog. Daisy is all about you, and that’s so good.
The more I think about it, the more I want to travel and see as much of the world as I can in the next few years. ”
“Okay.” He cuddled her closer. “That’s really good, because I was going to tell you that I was going to find something else for you for Christmas, because this little one is too precious to me.” Daisy licked his chin.
Mom smiled. “I know who’s important to you.
You could never keep that sort of thing a secret.
Remember Lance Crawford in the tenth grade?
You had such a crush on him. He never knew; no one else did but me.
And you don’t need to worry about that sort of thing.
I want you to be happy, and Daisy—and Anthony—make you happy.
” She turned to Anthony. “He told me about you last summer. You were the hot neighbor who mowed his lawn without a shirt.”
Anthony laughed, while Tyler wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole.
“I talk to people all day and I can be a tiger in the courtroom, but when it comes to my personal life, I’m a mess.
So I would mow my lawn on hot days, without a shirt, to try to get the attention of my cute neighbor, and I was sort of hoping that he might come over and say hello or something.
But he never did. And I got too busy and wound up in my own crapulence until a few weeks ago, when I needed a date for my work party and I thought I’d ask my cute neighbor. ”
“Awww,” Mom said softly. “You two are so cute… and so stupid.”
“Mom,” Tyler protested.
She waved her hand at him. “Just like most men, you are so oblivious to everything around you. And you need to get hit on the head before you realize what is right in front of you.” She rolled her eyes.
“I thank your boss for having his party. Otherwise my son would never have figured anything out.”
“Geez, Mom. You know I’ve been busy too.”
“Yes. Taking care of your old mother rather than keeping your eyes open to someone who might love you. I am going to be fine, and you need to find yourself a life—something more than killing zombies.” She sighed. “I wish you would make a less death-like game.”
“The good guys kill the zombies,” Tyler explained. “And when they win the game, they kill the alpha zombie, the one who started it all and infected them. So when they kill him, they rid the world of zombies and everything is good.”
“Have you played one of his games?” Anthony asked.
Tyler’s mother scoffed and pointed to the cabinet under the television. “I have one of those video game players. Tyler bought it for me some time ago. I play all his games, and I’m very good. I haven’t played in a while. But I will when the next one comes out.”
“I had no idea,” Tyler said.
“You’re my son. Of course I look at your work. It’s very good. But after cancer and all these months of surgery and treatment, I want something less—”
“Bloody?” Anthony asked.
“I want something playful and funny. I don’t have any ideas, but that’s what I really want.”
Tyler took his mom’s hand. “I know you do. But it’s these kinds of games that really sell. I could try to come up with something different next time, but I’m not sure what it would be. Save Grandma? Maybe a game where you battle disease and in the end cure cancer.”
She shook her head. “Or maybe a game with ducks, geese, and turkeys where you try to keep them from becoming dinner. I can just imagine. The ducks drop eggs and bomb the hunters who are trying to shoot them. Or maybe they just poop on them.”
“Mom, I am not going to make a feces video game. Can you imagine what that would look like? It’s gross, and what happens if the hunters get the birds? If they shoot them, then do they instantly turn into duck dinner? No, sorry. I’m going to stick with zombies. They pay the bills.”
His mother rolled her eyes. “Fine. But I’m going to think of more ideas. I’d like something I can play with the ladies when they come over.”
Anthony giggled like a teenager. “You could develop a whole new video game segment. Games for old people.”
“They already have those. It’s called solitaire,” Tyler grumped. “Can we please change the subject? I brought Anthony over to meet you, and you both gang up on me.” He held Daisy like a security blanket. “Do you really not want a dog of your own?”
“Nope. Not right now. Though if you need someone to babysit my grandpuppy, I’m more than happy to do that.” She yawned and leaned back. Soon she was asleep, and when Tyler gently set Daisy on the sofa, she curled up near Mom. Tyler got a blanket and put it over her before leaving the room.
“Old lady video games,” Anthony said. “I really think there’s a market.”
“Seriously?” Tyler questioned.
“Yeah. It doesn’t have to be a first-person shooter game, but something where an older person as opposed to a marine or an army guy is the hero.
Think about it. Your mom probably played on the first Atari system all those years ago.
Or maybe she had one of those Texas Instrument game systems. She started playing when she was a kid, and most older people did.
So give them something they can play together or with their grandkids.
Could you imagine a Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer video game?
Or Nursing Home Breakout? They could be funny and geared to older people. ”
“You’re serious?” Tyler asked, and Anthony shrugged.
“I suppose it isn’t going to hurt to run it by the company and see what they think.
But I find it hard to believe that it’s going to be something they would be interested in.
” It seemed to him like his mother and his boyfriend had drunk the Kool-Aid or something.
“I don’t think this going to be a blockbuster or anything….”
“And that’s the problem. It takes a lot of time and effort to develop, distribute, and market a game, so they have to hope with each one they make that it is a mega hit.
You can’t go through all that for middle-of-the-road returns.
It just doesn’t really work.” It was hard for others to understand, but the stores wanted games that would fly off the shelves, otherwise they weren’t going to put their time and shelf space behind it.
“Can we talk about something else?” He really needed a change of subject. “Anything.”
“Sorry. I was just teasing you.”
“I know. But I have people giving me game ideas all the time. The thing is that if I don’t feel it, I can’t do it.
My job is creative, and it’s not something that I can do on command.
Most people, including my mother, don’t understand that.
It’s not something I can turn on and off at will.
” It was a major source of tension for him.
“I get it, and thank you for telling me.” He quirked his eyebrows. “So no games for little old ladies?”
“Not from me.”
“Awww,” Anthony said. “So I suppose a game about lawyers isn’t going to happen either.”
Tyler grinned. “Oh, that I can do. But it will be underwater, because first we drown all the lawyers.” He grinned, and Anthony groaned.
“I give up,” Anthony told him, and Tyler put his arms around his neck.
“Good. Because I like to win too.” He kissed Anthony as Daisy yipped. He pulled away and peered from the kitchen through the dining room to where Mom sat. Daisy was on her lap, licking her face, and Mom was laughing. He couldn’t help turning away. “Dammit,” he said as he wiped his eyes.
“Is something wrong?”
“No.” He swallowed hard. “It’s just been a long time since I saw her smile like that.” His mother was on the mend, and some of her vibrancy seemed to be starting to show again. That was wonderful to see, and something he had almost begun to think was gone forever.
“You are such a sweet grandpuppy,” Mom said, getting her to calm down and settle back on the sofa. Then she reached for the remote and turned on the television. But instead of a show, there was music—Christmas music.
“It really is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.” He almost gasped as a thought sprang into his head. “What plans do you have for this year?”
“Nothing. I usually either visit my parents or use it as a day to sleep. This year my parents are taking a cruise through the Panama Canal. They asked me if it was okay months ago, and I told them to go. I sort of wish….” He shook his head.
“I’m not going to say that I should have told them not to go, but I guess I wish things had been different. ”
“Then you can spend the day with us. You’ll have to endure my cooking, because Mom isn’t going to be up to her usual culinary masterpieces, so the turkey will probably be a little dry and the beans may be a little crunchy….”
Anthony held him tighter as Daisy slid down off the sofa and bounded into the kitchen, doing this little dance around their legs.
Obviously someone was getting attention and it wasn’t her, and that wasn’t going to do.
“You need to be careful of your leg, sweetheart,” Tyler chided as he picked her up.
Daisy kissed both of them and then settled into his arms like she belonged there. “I think she’s happy.”
“Of course she is,” Mom said from the living room. “Now unless you came over here to hide in the kitchen and talk to each other, come in here so we can have a visit. My nap is over.” She sat up, and Tyler snickered.
“I guess we got told,” Anthony said and headed for the living room, but then stopped. “If I’m going to join you for Christmas, I need to pick up a few gifts. Maybe you can give me a few ideas?”
Tyler grinned, and Daily kissed his chin. “I know, sweetheart,” Tyler said softly, and then he lifted his gaze to look into Anthony’s eyes. “I already got the best gift.”
“What? Daisy?” Anthony asked, his eyes shining.
“No. Both of you,” he told him and brought their lips together in a kiss as Daisy yipped, because, after all, she was the princess.