Chapter 7 Austin - Second Thoughts
Chapter 7
Austin - Second Thoughts
A fter our weekly house meeting, our fraternity president, Andrew, announced that we should go get milkshakes at the diner. Count me in! Eight of us joked around as we paraded down the hill into town. We entered the diner and took our usual corner booth so we could all squeeze in together.
When we arrived, laughing and carrying on, Sydney was the first person I saw. I felt bad that she ran out of the practice room before I could explain myself. In the end, I hoped she realized that my actions, although less than ethical, were done with good intentions.
I shouldn’t have read her diary. However, I knew that this poem, this song, needed to be shared. Hell, it might even be something we could pitch to a big-time country singer.
Then I realized she was sitting in a booth with Danny. If Sydney told him what happened, I would have two people out for my blood. Crap! I didn’t think this through at all. There wasn’t anything I could do about it now. I grabbed a plastic-coated menu from the center of the table to figure out which milkshake I would try this time .
Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I twisted around to see Danny. He looked pissed . Over his shoulder, I saw Sydney. Instantly, my stomach clenched.
“Hey! There’s the lying asshole of the day,” he spat.
I held up my hand. “Danny, if you would give me a chance to explain what happened—”
“Sydney told me everything. You snooped in her diary and invaded her privacy. Well played, jackass.”
The diner became silent. A million eyes on us. People smelled blood in the water.
“Danny, it’s not like that. I swear,” I pleaded. I stood up to face him. “Will you listen to me for one minute?”
“No thanks. You have no honor, and now I’m going to kick your ass.”
I sighed and held my hands up in front of my chest. “Danny, I won’t fight you. I know you’re upset. You’re not thinking rationally right now.” I took my eyes off him and scanned the crowd. That’s where I made my mistake. Next thing I knew, a fist smashed into my nose, knocking me backward on my ass at the edge of the crowd that had formed around us.
“Ow! Your face is like a rock!” Danny held his right hand in his left, cursing up a storm.
I picked myself up off the ground, minus my dignity. “I probably deserved that. I’m going to let you have that one for free.” I wiped the back of my hand under my bleeding nose. I could taste the blood in the back of my throat. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go ice my face.” I hollered at the crowd. “Show’s over.”
As I trudged back up the hill without my milkshake, I touched my sore nose with my fingertips. Danny got in a good punch. I’d have at least one black eye even with ice therapy. Note to self: Do not get in between a man and his woman . My name would be on the Greek gossip circuit tonight. Not that I cared. I had to deal with my momma next.
When I walked in the door on Sunday afternoon, she saw my bruised face and went apeshit .
“Austin James Mitchell! What happened to your face?” she gasped. “What did you do?” She grabbed my chin and pulled my face down close to inspect the damage.
“Mom. Can you calm down for a minute and let me explain?” I took hold of her hand and removed it from my face. I steered her toward the kitchen table. “Come sit down.”
We sat across from each other. She waited; Concerned Mom written all over her face. I took a deep breath and began. “I want you to listen to everything I say before you react. Can you do that?”
She nodded, and I spilled the entire story. I could tell that a few times she wanted to interject, opening her mouth but then stopped herself. After I explained the whole situation, I waited for her to drop the hammer.
“This is a lot to unpack,” she confessed. “You are in the wrong for reading Sydney’s diary, no matter what you ended up finding. She has a right to feel betrayed. Danny does, too. You and Danny have been friends for a long time, and I think he will come around. Since I don’t know Sydney, I can’t speak to that. You may have to find another solution to your music project, and you should prepare yourself for that.”
I gulped. “Yeah. I screwed things up, didn’t I?”
She reached across the table and covered my hand with hers. “Yes, you did. I want to say one more thing. You’re over eighteen now. Fighting can lead to assault charges. Let’s try to stay away from that, shall we?”
“Yes, ma’am. No fighting.” I meant it. Relief washed over me. I couldn’t believe she had been understanding.
She pulled her hand back and set it on her lap. “I have something to tell you as well. I don’t know what your reaction will be, but I would like you to have the same courtesy with me that I have shown to you.”
“Sure, Mom. Anything.”
She licked her lips and sucked in a breath. “I’m seeing someone. We’ve been out a handful of times, and I like him. I didn’t tell you right away because I wasn’t sure if he would be like all of the others I’ve met in person and been disappointed.”
Whoa. Processing…. “You’ve been out with more than one guy? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Please hold all of your questions until the end.”
She waited, and I motioned zipping my lip .
“Dating after forty isn’t easy. Everyone has baggage. An ex. Or two. Several children are still at home. It just depends on what baggage you’re willing to accept and what are your deal breakers.”
I couldn’t help myself. “Does this guy have a name? Then I’ll be quiet.”
“Oh goodness, yes. I’m sorry. His name is Kevin. He works in health care at an executive level, but I can’t remember what department. We met while we were both sitting in the lobby at the tire place, waiting for new tires to be put on our cars. He struck up a conversation with me and we haven’t stopped talking since.”
I’m sure the joy on her face spread to mine, because she seemed encouraged to keep going. “I usually talk to him for at least an hour on the phone before I go to bed. When I’m at work, he sends me cute little text messages throughout the day. I’m totally smitten.”
“I didn’t tell you about any of the other guys because it wasn’t worth it. None of them lasted long enough. It didn’t seem fair to me to have you get your hopes up, too, unless there was a good reason. Kevin is a good reason. After your father, I swore I would never let myself get that close to anyone again. He makes me feel like it’s worth it. Now you may speak.”
“I’m a little bit shocked that you kept this from me, but I understand. It makes me glad to know that Kevin is making you happy. Thanks for telling me. Finally.”
Mom raised her eyebrows. “Hey! Who’s the parent here?”
I held up my hands and laughed. “I’m kidding! Don’t kill me!”
She joined me in laughing. Then she smacked her hand on the table. “I have an idea. Let’s go out to dinner. We haven’t done that in a while. Your choice. You can make me a meatloaf next Sunday. Sound good to you?”
“Definitely. Thanks, Mom.”
She stood up and grabbed her keys. “Let’s get moving before we have to wait in line for a table.”