Chapter 10 #2
“I’ll wash the dishes after dinner,” he offers, throwing himself down at the table, shoulders slumped. “And help you fold the towels. I’m sorry.”
Pushing a bowl of spag bol in front of him, I take a seat and wonder how much of this I’ll actually manage to swallow. Eating feels impossible.
“You don’t have to apologize, and I’ll handle the rest of the cleaning tonight. Then we’ll relax and play a game, yeah?”
“Yeah,” he whispers, popping a spoonful of noodles into his mouth. He looks frightened, glancing constantly at the front door like he’s waiting for the police to show up and take him away, the way they did at his friend’s house the night his parents died.
Distract him , Desy, Victoria whispers and I nearly sob in relief. I miss her so much in this moment, it feels like acid on an open wound.
“Did you decide what you want to do for your birthday?” I ask.
“I just want to hang out with you,” Parker says immediately. “I don’t want to go to Grandma’s. I want to stay here.”
“Okay,” I agree. Thank God. I don’t want him to go to my parents’ either. “Still want to do go-carts?”
He nods, chewing on his bottom lip and fiddling with his spoon.
“And laser tag?”
I sigh, chewing through a small mouthful of noodles. I’m not a fan of that game, but he’s set on the idea and it is his birthday. I can suffer through a few rounds for him.
“Sure. Laser tag, too. Want to invite some friends? Maybe your buddy Seth?” I offer.
“Can we invite Jack? ”
“My Jack?” I ask, the words slipping out before I even realize what they are. My Jack? What the fuck? I shake my head, unsure of where that came from. “I mean…yeah, if you want to. And your school friends?—”
“Just you and Jack,” Parker requests, sitting up straighter and scooping up a massive bit of noodles. His eyes widen as another idea occurs to him. “And maybe we could go to that house to play with Drou? For dinner?”
“You want to hang out with a bunch of stuffy adults, and a puppy for your birthday?” I clarify, grinning when he nods enthusiastically. “All right. I’ll ask.”
“Ask right now,” he urges, shoving so many noodles in his mouth, I watch for signs of choking. He widens his eyes as he chews, a clear request to get a move on. Sighing, I stand up to grab my phone.
Desmond
Hey, Jacko, you right?
Jack
Hi!! Good, how are you?
Is everything okay?
Desmond
Everything is fine. Wanted to see if you were up for some laser tag and go-carts on Sunday?
Jack
For Parker’s birthday?
Sure! I’ve never done laser tag or go-carts.
Are you sure? Am I allowed to?
Desmond
Pretty sure. I’ll check with the boss, yeah?
Jack
Cool. Does Parker have a list of things he wants?
Desmond
No pressies, Bluey, just you.
I hold my phone up and wiggle it in Parker’s direction. Once he swallows, I tell him the good news.
“Jack is in.”
“Yes!” he exclaims. “Jack is so cool.”
Hiding my grin by looking back down at my phone, I type out a message to Nico as well.
Desmond
Sorry to bother you on an off day, but wanted to run something by you.
Nico
No bother.
Desmond
Parker’s birthday is on Sunday. He wants to play laser tag and go-carts with Micky, and eat dinner with your puppy to celebrate.
Sorry. Don’t feel obligated.
Nico
I’ll let Anthony know—Sunday is just fine. What time will the laser tag be finished?
Desmond
You tell me. We can make anything work.
Nico
How does six sound?
Desmond
Perfect.
All right for Micky to come with us?
My phone rings, startling both me and Parker. His spoon clatters against the side of his bowl, and he squints at my phone in mistrust.
“Is it that lady?” he asks, eyes darting toward the door again, expression tightening with fear.
“Nope, just Nico. Give me a second,” I request, sliding my chair back and answering as I walk to my bedroom. “Hey, Macca.”
“Sorry. Texting is infuriating, and I’m old enough that I can still manage phone calls.”
Snorting, I take a seat on my bed, glancing around my room and finding it undisturbed as far as I can tell. I wonder if Lorna Myers peeked in the bedside cabinet drawers, and whether she was disappointed to find them empty of anything but my extra pair of reading glasses.
“Anyway, dinner on Sunday is fine. As is go-carts with McIntire. Invite the whole team, if you’d like.
” He sighs, and I can picture exactly how he’s probably rubbing his temple, the way he does when we’re seated in the office together.
“Look, a handful of years ago, there was a well-publicized scandal involving a softball coach and several of his players—after that, we were all a little more hesitant about how we interacted with the athletes. However, the bottom line is, as long as you’re not exploiting them or engaging in a sexual relationship, there is no issue.
All that is to say: laser tag is allowed. ”
“Figured I’d make sure.”
“I’m glad of that. It’s all right to be close with the team, as long as we don’t use our position to…take advantage of them. Inviting Micky to play laser tag for Parker’s birthday is fine—fo rcing him to go is not.”
“Noted. Parker thinks he’s the coolest thing since sliced bread—didn’t want to invite a single person his own age. Apparently, all he wants for his birthday is Jack and your puppy.”
Nico chuckles softly. “I can provide the puppy and dinner. Any favorite foods that he’d like for a birthday dinner?”
“His favorite thing is spaghetti Bolognese, and frozen pizza with ranch dressing on top.”
“Well, I think even Anthony and I might be able to manage that in the kitchen,” he replies dryly.
“Don’t worry about food, mate, I’ll just pick up something on the way over. A few pizzas or something easy.”
“We’ll handle dinner,” Nico tells me. “Sunday at six.”
“Thank you. Really. He’s going to be excited.”
“No need to thank me. I’ll go ahead and send over the information for the breeder we used for Drou too, while I’m at it,” he adds slyly.
I hang up on a laugh, feeling, if not happier, at least a little bit better than I was an hour ago. Life might be out of my control right now, but at least I can do my best to give Parker a happy tenth birthday.
Parker comes out of his room the morning of his birthday, eyes rimmed in red and expression downcast. He’s wearing an old T-shirt I know used to belong to his dad, far too big for his skinny, ten-year-old frame.
“Happy birthday, Parks,” I greet him, tactfully ignoring the fact that he was obviously crying. He wavers for a second, eyeing me up like we’re two combatants in a boxing ring. After a moment, he walks over and hugs me. I wrap my arms around him, and do my best not to squeeze him to death.
It’s less of a hug on his part than a collapse. He’s leaning more than anything, cheek pressed to my middle and arms so loose around my hips that I can barely feel them. It’s the best hug I’ve ever received, and the only one he’s given me since he was placed in my custody.
He pulls away after a minute, cheeks dusky with embarrassment. I squeeze his shoulder and steer him toward the kitchen, determined to make this the best day it can be even though I mostly want to curl up in bed and curse the universe.
“Pancakes with chocolate syrup?” I offer lightly. His expression brightens and I think, bingo.
“Can I put the syrup on?” he asks slyly. “Since it’s my birthday?”
“Sure, little man.” I push the plate of pancakes and the bottle of syrup his way, trying not to cringe when he upends it over the stack. If Lorna Myers was here, she’d probably shit herself.
Parker, not yet old enough to be chill about the prospect of pressies, opens everything with the sort of enthusiasm I would expect from a tasmanian devil.
I almost expect another bout of crying when he opens up a second PC monitor, eyes shiny as he looks at me.
I probably shouldn’t be buying him something so expensive—let alone something he already has, and really doesn’t need a second of—but if a dual-screen gaming setup makes him happy, then who the fuck am I to deny him?
“Wow. Thank you,” he says, hands tight on the box. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. Not sure we have time to set it up now…” I check the clock on my phone, wanting to make sure we’ve got time to hop over to the university campus to pick up Jack.
“That’s okay, we don’t want to be late,” Parker tells me, scrambling to his feet amid the piles of ripped-up wrapping paper. Before he can pick up the computer monitor, I do it myself, images of him dropping it flashing before my eyes. “We can do it later, right?”
“Right.” I put the box in his room, proud of myself when I catch him smiling happily at it. “Should we go pick up Jack?”
The tears of this morning are a thing of the past when we pull up to the footpath near the bench Jack is waiting on. Parker, grinning, leans forward over the center console as he gets into the car.
“Happy birthday, Parker,” Jack greets him. Parker somehow manages to smile wider. Jack, blushing sweetly, hands a package wrapped in newspaper back to him. “This is for you.”
“No way, you got me a present?” Parker asks, snatching it away and glancing over at me for approval. I nod, and he rips into it. When I look at Jack, he’s already watching me, cheeks pink.
“It’s his birthday,” he mumbles, before he’s cut off by an audible gasp from the back of the car. We both turn around to see Parker clutching a navy-blue shirt.
“It’s not anything spec—” Jack starts, but is cut off by Parker.
“I love it! Look, Des”—he turns it around to show me the front—“it’s a Minecraft shirt! I love Minecraft.”
I laugh. “I know you do, bud. That’s awesome.”
“It’s probably too big. I found it at the thrift store, and they didn’t have any size options,” Jack puts in sadly, looking apologetic.
“That just means he can grow into it,” I tell him gently. “He can wear it forever.”
“This is so cool,” Parker says, smiling at Jack. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” Jack responds, pleasure making itself known in the form of a flush trailing down his neck. He grins at me, a touch shyly, and I smile back. He’s ridiculously cute for someone so big.
“You didn’t have to do that, Jacko.” Glancing up to make sure Parker is still seat-belted in and sitting back, I get us back on the road. Jack, big hands clasped loosely in his lap, nods.
“I know. I wanted to though. I like getting people presents,” he admits. The words make me sad, knowing how little money he has and the fact that he chose to spend some of it on my kid. He glances up in the rearview at Parker. “So, laser tag?”
“Yeah! Have you played before?”
“Nope, this will be my first time. My friend Nate said it’s a lot of fun, though. He was jealous.” Jack laughs, and I join in. It comes as no surprise to me that Nate enjoys laser tag.
“It’s a blast. Uncle Des hasn’t gone before either, right?”
“Right,” I confirm.
“I’m going to smoke you guys,” Parker says, smirking happily at the prospect.
Parker does, in fact, smoke us. Halfway through our fourth round of laser tag, hunched behind a glow-in-the-dark structure, I adjust the strap on the vest covering my chest. Ahead of me, I see Jack crouched behind a wall.
“I think we need to team up,” I whisper to Jack, who startles as though he hadn’t realized I was there. I have to swallow back a laugh. “Don’t shoot me! I come in peace.”
“Sorry,” he says in a whisper-shout. “I thought you were Parker. He’s weirdly good at this.”
I shuffle closer to him, once more having to fight back a laugh. Jack is huddled down, trying to scrunch his wide 6’5” frame down far enough to keep out of sight. His eyes track around rapidly, as though expecting Parker to pop up out of nowhere and blast him with his laser.
“I think we need to form a coalition,” I tell him.
“You can’t hide forever!” Parker shouts, and I clap a hand over my mouth, nearly losing the battle with laughter. Jack’s eyes are wide and he’s smiling at me, laser clutched in his hands.
“Jesus!” he says.
“You go that way”—I up-nod to indicate the course behind him—“and I’ll go this way. One of us can act as bait, and the other can take Parker out.”
“I’ll be the decoy,” he offers. “I’m so fucking pale, I couldn’t hide in here even if I wanted to.”
“Thank you for your sacrifice,” I whisper seriously, and he snorts loudly. Parker whoops, and Jack wastes no time standing up and jogging off in the direction I sent him.
Hunching, I slip around the barricade in the opposite direction, laser held up in a ready position in case Parker jumps out at me.
I’ve barely made it a handful of careful steps before the buzzer goes off that indicates a player is out of the game.
Quickening my pace, I round another glow-in-the-dark obstacle.
Jack is standing, laser held loosely at his side, and chest guard lit up to indicate he’s been hit. His eyes meet mine over Parker’s dark head of hair and he smiles. Before Parker can, I raise my laser and hit him.
“No way!” he protests over the buzzer, whirling around and looking at me in shock. I smirk at him as the lights in the room brighten, indicating the end of the game. “You betrayed me!”
The look on his face is so comically appalled, I burst out laughing. Jack joins in, which only makes Parker look more scandalized. His jaw drops dramatically and he shakes his head, looking between us.
“On my birthday ,” he adds.
“You may have lost this battle, Parks, but you won the war.” I point over at the scoreboard, showing how many times Parker trounced us.
“I hope you appreciate what I did for you,” Jack says to me, unable to give gravitas to the sentence between the rosy cheeks and the grin. I put a hand flat on my chest.
“Martyrs are never forgotten,” I tell him, which sets him off laughing again. Parker smiles, and wipes an arm across his forehead.
“Go-carts?” he asks hopefully.
“Go-carts,” I agree. Waiting for Parker to pass and lead the way out of the laser tag arena, I step into place beside Jack, walking close enough for our shoulders to bump. “We’re probably going to have to team up in go-carts, too, if we want to beat him.”
“I figured,” Jack agrees on a sigh, dropping his voice low before continuing. “Nate told me my ‘heavy ass’ would weigh down the car.”
Laughing, I reach to put an arm around his waist. I manage to snatch my hand back before touching him, surprised by the urge. Stuffing my hands into my pockets where they’ll be safe, I clear my throat and look to the side. What the hell?