Chapter 10 Gifts
Gifts
Havoc
That woman is standing at my door again. This time with a wrapped present covered in a fluffy pink bow. She’s got to be insane. Either she doesn’t take a hint, or she’s feeling desperate.
What do I have to do to get her to leave me alone? I snatch the gift out of her hands. “There. Now you can consider us introduced. We aren’t ever going to be friendly neighbors. If you need a cup of sugar or someone to water your plants, look elsewhere. I don’t want you here. Get it?”
She blinks twice.
Are those tears in the corners of her eyes?
Why do women play dirty like that? Then, like a flip of a switch, she changes before my eyes.
Her already good posture sharpens, and her eyes turn hard.
“I don’t know what your problem is, but let me lay it out for you.
What happened last night isn’t going to happen again.
Nor does whatever this is—” She waves her hand around.
“—allow you to speak to me like that. You don’t need to worry.
I have plenty of friends and am perfectly fine not having a man like you included in that list. The next time I have an issue, I’ll handle it a different way.
” She turns on her heel and stalks off to her yard.
Like she had any right to be insulted. That woman is such a con. I slam the door closed and walk back into the kitchen, dropping the bribe on the bar.
“What’s that? Who was at the door?”
I walk over to the stove and stir the ground beef. “The neighbor.”
“Hot neighbor?”
“Creed.”
He reaches for the present. “What did she do to irritate you this time? I’m guessing she just had to breathe and smile.”
“Creed.”
“I know she’s a scary, sexy lady. What did she get you?”
“Does it matter? She’s just trying to curry favor with me so that I take care of her when her sugar daddy isn’t around.” That woman thinks I’m an easy mark. The way her wrapping paper crackles is even irritating. “Why are you even looking at that?”
“Because I want to know what this temptress got so I can help protect you from her evil machinations.” Creed thinks he’s funny, but he’s not.
“You know this isn’t a game, right?”
“I get that you’re serious, Dad.” Creed starts laughing.
What has gotten into this kid? Is this how he is dealing with the grief?
“You’re right, she’s totally trying to make you fall in love with her. I mean, it isn’t every day a woman sends you a picture of herself in lingerie.”
“WHAT?” I spin around to find my son laughing so hard he’s practically falling off the stool.
“She gave you books, Dad. The most flirtatious books known to mankind.” He slips off, tumbling to the ground, but doesn’t stop laughing.
Books? Why would a woman who doesn’t know me feel the need to gift me books? I slide them over and look at each title: How to Raise Teenagers, What to Do When You Find Your Teenager Drinking, Single Parents and Teenagers, Making It Through the Teenage Stage.
“Who does that woman think she is?” I grab the stack and storm out of the house.
Ignoring the bell, I pound on the door until it opens.
With her hair down and shoes off, she does the perfect impression of a fully domesticated woman. Sexy…
“Why are you pounding on my door after telling me to get out?”
Huh? Oh, um. I hold up the present.
“They’re books. Hardly worth pounding on a stranger’s door over.”
“What were you thinking, woman?”
There goes that straight spine and those angry eyes again.
“That I was politely hinting that you need to control your teenage son. That I was kindly not calling the cops or my lawyer to deal with the drunken teenagers throwing a wild party at your house last night. That I was giving you the benefit of the doubt since you appear to be a single father trying to hold it together. My mistake. Men like you don’t understand kindness and polite responses.
Maybe I should learn to grunt and growl like you when I’m irritated. ”
Don’t laugh.
Don’t laugh. That woman just insulted your parenting skills.
“Do you think teenagers drinking is funny? Because I don’t. The number two cause of teenage death in this country is drinking and driving. Think about that while you let teenagers go wild over there at all hours of the night.”
Wild? Drunken? Saber. She’s talking about Saber.
“What, did you grow up in a convent? You had to in order to think that was a wild party. Because that wasn’t even close to a mild party by anyone's standards. I’ll have you know that I didn’t condone that child’s behavior.
His parent came to pick him up. They’re starting him in therapy to deal with his friend’s death, and they’re dealing with the stupidity of drinking and driving. ”
“He’s in therapy?” She stares at me.
“Yeah. So you can butt out of my business and keep your opinions to yourself about my parenting. If I let my kid have a beer or two in the privacy of my home, it’s none of your business or anyone else’s.”
“It’s illegal—”
Has no one actually read the laws in this country? “A teenager drinking in their home with parental supervision is legal in most states.”
“Kids’ moral growth is everyone’s business. They are our future, and ignoring their needs won’t help.”
“I’m not ignoring my kid. But I will be ignoring you until you move out.” I shove the books back into her arms and stomp away.
The judgey cloistered woman has no idea what she’s talking about. No idea at all.
And she probably made me burn dinner. She needs to go. This woman is a menace.
“So what did she do? Did she throw herself at you?” Creed isn’t helping.
“She was upset about what happened last night. And no, she didn’t throw herself at me.” Yet…that’s how they work.
“She saw us drinking and didn’t call the cops? Mrs. Florintine would have. She did when Liha down the street threw a kegger when her parents went on vacation.”
“Liha’s party was out of control. It wasn’t at all the same.”
“Probably looked the same when Saber came rolling in drunk and stupid.”
“Who’s the parent here?”
Creed grins. “So when does Deacon fly in?”
Subtle topic change. But welcome. I’m done thinking about that woman. “Tonight. Bishop is on the way to his base medical center to take him home as soon as they release him.”
“You know, I thought of enlisting when Deacon went off to basic. Then again when he got into special forces. It seemed cool to be a super warrior.”
No way is Creed joining the Army. No way am I having my kid come back in a body bag…
or having to worry about him being disabled for the rest of his life.
I made it through. And learned a lot from the experience, but it’s not something I want for my child.
There’s enough evil in the world without him having to experience it that way.
“And did Deacon’s injury change your mind? ”
“Nah. I realized I wanted to grow up to be like you, and not Bishop. Though I wouldn’t mind getting a dog like him.”
That woman was so wrong about my kid. “You figure out how to become un-allergic, we’ll get you any dog you want.”
“Even a Malinois?”
“Even a Maligator. But that dog needs care, training, and exercise. Think about how much time it would take before you start planning.” I love that kid. She is so wrong.