23. The Promise Of Cake
Chapter twenty-three
The Promise Of Cake
Edward
It’s been a while since Maria has stayed for dinner for a few hours after I get home from work.
As soon as I step through the door, she’s all smiles, packing up her things and leaving.
She always bids Alexander a cheerful goodbye but her greeting to me is more out of politeness than any fondness she feels for me.
She always returns later that night, though, a few hours after I’ve gone to bed. I know it’s none of my business to ask. She’s an adult who can do whatever she wants. That still leaves me concerned, however.
I don’t know what I did to make her feel this way. Or if she blames me for what happened that night. I had no way of knowing that she was still so uneasy about all of it. Can she really blame me when she didn’t speak her mind?
That’s why I arranged for her to bring Alexander to the hospital for lunch with me.
She can’t just leave my son with me at the hospital for hours on end; she has the responsibility of bringing him back home.
Hopefully, that will afford me enough time to say what I have to and maybe get an explanation from her.
I perk up when I finally see a cab pull up to the front of the building. As nice as the walk would be with the weather outside, I don’t think Alexander has the stamina to go eight whole blocks on those small legs of his.
“Daddy!”
He comes running in and throws himself against my legs. I all but stumble, grabbing onto the nearest bench to stop myself from falling over.
“Hey, sport. How was the drive over here? Are you excited to see where your father works?”
“Mm hm!”
I scoop him up and seat him in the crook of my arm, my attention turned to the woman who brought him here.
“Hi, Maria. Thanks for doing this for me.”
“My pleasure,” she replies a little coldly. Even her smile isn’t as warm as it used to be. It all leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
“I’m glad you stayed. There’s something we need to talk about.”
Her expression changes and her pallor pales.
“I don’t think this is the best time,” she whispers.
“You don’t give me any other time, Maria. As soon as I get home, you leave to go… somewhere.”
“I have... other things to do. I have a busy life, you know.” She tucks some hair behind her ear and she chews on the corner of her lip. If she’s telling the truth, this ‘busy life’ isn’t something she wants to share.
“I can tell you’ve been avoiding me for a while, Maria. It’s not that difficult to figure out why.”
She shrinks within herself as we head to the front door of the hospital. I don’t mean to put her on the spot like this but talking about it now will make the later conversation much easier to navigate.
“I thought you said you were fine. Was that... not the truth?” I hadn’t considered that she wasn’t okay after what happened. Her assurances had convinced me otherwise.
“I’m sorry, it’s just a little weird that that happened.”
“What’re you guys talking about?” Alexander interjects. Sometimes I forget there’s another pair of ears everywhere I go. I place him on the ground since my arm is starting to ache.
“Miss Bailey and I are just having a conversation about an agreement we made and it didn’t go so well. We’re trying to figure out how to fix it.”
“Oh.” He quickly loses interest and runs up to the nurse’s station to try and get a peek over the counter. Thank goodness for short attention spans.
“You really think it’s a good idea to talk about this in front of your son?”
“I haven’t exactly said anything specific. And he’s not dumb. Kids pick up emotions more readily than we give them credit for. He was bound to notice something different is going on between us eventually.”
Maria’s eyes dart to Alexander, who is already stealing the hearts of a few nurses as they show him a few things behind the desk.
“You’re right. I said I would be fine with it and then I wasn’t. So that’s sort of my fault. I guess I’m not sure how we go back to normal after a conversation like that.”
“It’s a lot easier than you think if you just try.” I extend my hand and put on my winning smile. “Hi, I’m Edward Gutierrez. Nice to meet you.”
Maria tries her best to chew back a smile, but she ultimately fails. I knew she would crack eventually.
“Thankfully, that’s not the only reason I asked you out here. With that out of the way, I’m wondering if you could help me figure out his schooling situation.”
“You mean getting him to and from school?”
“Well, that too, but I mean picking one.”
The last time I reviewed the brochures of the kindergartens in the area, my head grew dizzy. Different teaching methods, socialization, and costs... Why is there so much detail involved in a child learning his numbers and letters?
“It would be easier if you knew what you wanted him to get out of it.” We venture over to the nurse’s desk to keep an eye on the boy, ready to step in if he starts to overstep some boundaries. He seems to be having a grand old time looking through rolodexes, though.
I thought we’d thrown those out years ago.
“I’m not exactly sure. I see all these words and I have no idea what they mean. I’m asking you, as my son’s father, if you can help me.” I don’t want her to think that I’m trying to get into her pants. Things have already been made awkward for everyone involved.
“As his nanny, I’ll explain everything to you so that you can make the best choice for him.” She looks slightly defeated, like she didn’t want to say yes. I guess she’ll do anything for the little guy, won’t she?
“Thank you. Thank you. Another thing. Do you think you could drive him to and from school?” I guess I could do it some mornings, but with my shifts, probably not every morning and I have no intention of hiring some random stranger to drive my son to school.
“There’s one problem there. It’s been a few years since I’ve been behind the steering wheel of a car, so I might’ve forgotten.”
“You’re kidding me. How do you get around the city?”
“I walk or take the bus or a cab. I’ve always enjoyed public transportation better.”
She’s got a point there.
“Do you even have a car right now?”
“Yeah. Sort of? It’s a small little beat-up thing that hasn’t left the garage in a while. I should really just sell it since I haven’t used it in so long.”
“If it even still works. Let me take care of that part for you, at least. When it's time for Alex to go to school, you can just drive my car.”
Her eyes go wide and her cheeks flush hot.
“You’d trust me with it?”
“Absolutely. I trust you with my son already, don’t I?”
Maria’s mouth twists to one side in thought.
“I’ll have to think about it.”
“No rush. The offer remains open until you’re ready. But it would still be a good idea to give you a refresher course before I let you take my son to school.”
“And you’ll need a car seat.”
“Car seat. Right.”
“Don’t tell me you need help getting one of those too.”
“Maria, I think I can handle looking at cat seats and picking one out. It’s not rocket science.” And if it is, I can always get someone in the store to help me.
“Now that that’s over, how about we actually get some lunch? I’m starving.” Maria reaches into her large purse and pulls out a small Tupperware container.
“I’ve had the cafeteria food here. I’m not letting your son eat that swill.”
“Ha ha, fair enough!” It’s not the best, but I wouldn’t exactly call it terrible.
“You’re doing what now?!”
Uh oh. Stan’s pissed again. I know he keeps trying to get the money he needs to give his patients the best care they need, but it must feel like banging his head against a wall at this point. The last I heard, his online donation campaign hasn’t made much either.
“I’ll go talk to him. Go spend some time with Alex.” Maria gently touches my arm and nods down the hallway toward the cafeteria.
“He’s not your responsibility, Maria.”
“And I’m not yours. Pretty sure I can do what I want. Now go.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek but reluctantly comply, taking the container in one hand, and Alex’s little wrist in the other.
“Come on, buddy. It’s lunchtime! What do you think Miss Bailey packed for you?”
“Carrots and yogurt. I saw her put it in there,” he says with a slight wrinkling of his nose.
“Don’t like yogurt?”
“Not really.”
“Well... I hear the cafeteria might have chocolate cake today. I won’t tell her if you won’t. It can be our little secret.”
“Miss Bailey says I’m not allowed to have secrets. That if someone tells me to keep a secret, I should immediately tell her or you about it.”
I’m a little stunned at his response but it gives me the peace of mind I need to know that she’s helping my son in the right direction.
“... but chocolate cake does sound tasty...”
As long as he’s not bribed with desserts, I guess.