14. Kellen
Fourteen
Kellen
Of all the gin joints…I still can’t believe I ran into Beth at the podiatrist. I’m wearing ratty old clothes since I didn’t know what I’d have to take off or put on.
And now she knows my old-man secret. Yet still, I find myself telling her more about it, how I have to wear the splint at night when I sleep and take ibuprofen for weeks.
She doesn’t seem grossed out by it, though. Just nods along, telling me about her own foot-care regimen. “I don’t know what I’m going to do about Jake,” she confesses, worrying her lower lip and tapping her fingernails on my console.
“What about him? Doesn’t he take the bus to and from school?”
She nods. “Yes, but now I don’t have any way to get to him if they call and he’s having a meltdown. You know, if I don’t get there fast enough, they call the cops.”
“The cops?”
“Oh, don’t get me started. Nobody knows what to do with an autistic kid once he starts screeching, and they usually try to pat him or hug him and he flails out…and they call the cops.”
“Jake has had the cops called before?” I just can’t picture it. The kid has always responded to quickly to me, even that day he was so upset in the rain.
She shakes her head. “Not Jake, no, but friends of ours.” She stares out the window. “I’ve always managed to get there quickly if he gets upset. It’s why I never went back to work.”
I think about how very hard she has worked to help her son succeed, to keep him from harm, and I tell her, “I’d say you’ve been working plenty.”
She smiles at that. “Doesn’t help me get to Allderdice High School from Morningside if there’s a problem,” she says.
“I assume his father isn’t a resource?”
She snorts out a laugh at that. “Uh, no. I don’t even think I ever wrote Todd down as an emergency contact, even before we were divorced.
” I have nothing to say in response to that.
It’s unthinkable to me, a parent not willing to go to bat for his child.
Mick and I may have traveled a lot, but the kids always knew one of us would be available. The older boys had their mother, too.
I grind my teeth together, wishing I could ask Elizabeth to list me as an emergency contact for Jake. But I don’t know her well enough, not anymore. That would be inappropriate. They’re not mine to take care of.
The thought rattles me. Why would I want to take care of them? Where had that even come from? Based on the state of my own feet, I’m not doing the greatest job taking care of my own damn self, let alone Beth and her boy.
Eventually, she says, “I guess I’ll just have to ask my parents to be on call for a few weeks until I’m allowed to take the boot off to drive,” she says.
Then she sinks lower in the seat of my car.
“Ugh, telling them I have a stress fracture is going to open up a whole bunch of scrutiny. They’re going to come take my temperature,” she says. I laugh, because she’s right.
“They’ll probably bring a gallon of chicken soup.”
She snorts again. “Wait til I tell them you have a hurt foot, too. Distract them a bit. Spread out the panic.”
“I’d eat the soup,” I tell her. “No. That’s not entirely true. I’d put it in my fridge, and Orla or Cal would come take it.”
We both share a laugh at that and I pull into her driveway. I don’t want her to have to walk too far. I’m sure her foot must be hurting her.
“Thank you so much, Kellen. Truly.” We both get out of the car and lean on the railing leading up to her steps.
“Give me your keys,” I tell her. “The boys can go get your car later after family dinner.”
“Oh, that’s too much,” she protests. “I just…” She drifts off and stares at her house. Takes a deep breath and fishes in her purse, shaking her head. “Thank you,” she concedes, handing me the key ring. “I’m working on saying yes to help.”
“Oh yeah?”
She nods. “It’s new to me, having help offered.
And even newer for me to accept. Ever since I walked in on Todd with that stupid, vapid asshole woman…
” She drifts off. “You don’t want to hear about that.
Anyway, I’m here now, living in my own house, and I’m saying yes to your generous offer to have your nephews fetch my car. ”
“You and Jake should join us for dinner,” I blurt, before I can think twice about it.
The words just fall from my mouth, right after she told me she felt overwhelmed by my offer to fetch her car.
“I’d like it,” I say, and it’s true. “I like spending time with Jake. He’s so curious.
And,” I pause, clear my throat, and fix my gaze directly on her eyes.
“I like spending time with you, too, Beth. It’s good to see you after all this time. ”
Her eyes well up, and I worry I’ve overstepped.
She confessed a lot here in the past few minutes—her dirtbag husband not only isn’t there for his kid, but he was sleeping around on an amazing woman like Elizabeth.
I worry about what I’ll do if I ever lay eyes on him.
When she still doesn’t say anything, I add, “You don’t want to stand around and cook dinner tonight on that boot.
And I don’t want to stand and cook, either.
I’m ordering out. Burrito bar.” I decide it as I say it, knowing it’s a fantastic idea because I’ll have leftovers for a few days and not have to worry about my lunches.
She brightens at that idea and reaches into her bag again.
“Let me chip in,” she says as I start waving her hands away.
“Please, Kellen.” She thrusts a few twenties into my sweatpants pocket as I’m protesting and we both look down at her hand in my pants.
I cough and adjust my stance, but based on the look on her face I’m too late.
My body definitely noticed her fingers near my cock even if my brain was busy trying to refuse her money. “Thank you,” I tell her. “I’ll order extra guac and make sure your boy gets his fair share.”
She nods rapidly. “See you around six?”
“Sounds perfect,” I tell her. I hurry back around to my side of the car and reverse across the street and into my garage. I shut off the engine and exhale long and slow. I’m going to need a few hours to calm down.