Chapter 23 Spring Cleaning Exposed Skeletons
Dexter
I lay in my bed and repeatedly threw my stress ball up in the air before catching it.
It had been a week since I not only stormed out of Natalie's house, but since I had been back to the shop.
I hated leaving the way I did, but honestly, I was pissed.
How could she not see how messed up her situation was?
I mean, if the shoe were on the other foot, I'm pretty sure Natalie wouldn't have shit to do with me.
I thought about going into the shop to help her with work, but I couldn't do it.
Being around Natalie would bring up too many emotions, and the last thing I wanted to do was get into a heated conversation at her business.
My phone buzzed on my desk, causing me to quickly grab it.
Disappointment ran through me when I saw it was only Ricky calling.
I don't know why I thought it was Natalie. She probably wasn’t thinking about me, or never wanted to hear from me again.
Sadness washed over me with that epiphany, and I prayed that wasn't the case.
“Yo?” I said, answering the phone.
“Dex, man, what are you up to?”
“Nothing at all.”
“I stopped by the shop, and Natalie said you haven't been there in a week. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure? You know you can talk to me about–”
“I said I was fine, damn,” I snapped.
The line became silent as I exhaled a long breath. I've been upset in the past, but after all these years, I've never yelled at my best friend.
“Key, I apologize,” I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
“What's going on, man? The last time I saw you at the Spring Festival, you were good.”
“I…I'm just stressed out.”
“Are you worried about the meeting with G.T. Games on Monday?”
“Nah, I'm really excited about that. I finished the prototype, and the graphics are amazing.”
“So you were able to get the storyline worked out with my sister?”
My mouth became dry at the mere mention of Natalie. “Uh, yeah. With the completed story, the game became ten times better. She was a big help, and I owe her a thank you.”
“Mhm. So why don't you go to the shop and tell her that? I mean, she has been worried and asking about you.”
“She was?”
“Yeah, I mean one of her employees disappeared without a word. I would be worried too.”
My shoulders slumped as I rubbed the back of my neck. “Right, right. Shit, I've been fucking up.”
“Look, I know there's more going on with you, and I'll be here whenever you're ready to talk. Remember that you are my right-hand man, and I don't judge. Whatever you got yourself into, it'll get better.”
My chest tightened, and I could feel the tears brimming on the edge of my eyes. “I appreciate that, man, and I promise I'll tell you everything. I need some time to fully understand it myself.”
A knock came at my door, and I told Key that I'd hit him up later. Standing up from my bed, I opened it expecting to see Marla, but it was my mom.
“Mom! Hey, I thought you and Dad were out of town until next week.”
“We were but our meetings ended early and we came home. Can you come downstairs to the family room? Your dad and I want to talk to you about something.”
I nodded and told her I’d be down once I got dressed.
As I scrambled to get out of my pajamas, my heart began racing.
Did she seem upset? What was happening? Oh no, what if they found out the truth?
They were going to kick me out, weren’t they?
Question after question flooded my thoughts, and panic crept up my spine.
It was becoming hard to breathe as I gasped with quick breaths.
My vision became blurry, and it felt like the room was spinning.
I stopped moving and placed my hands on top of my head as I stood up tall.
Natalie’s calm face flashed through my mind as she instructed me to take slow breaths.
I focused on the low hum of my fan and blocked out any other noises.
Inhaling, I held my breath for ten seconds before exhaling.
I remembered the delicate circular rubs on my back as Natalie held me in her arms.
“Everything's going to be alright,” I whispered to myself. “Breathe.”
Once I felt my heart return to normal, I left my room and headed downstairs.
Stepping into the living room; I saw my dad sitting back in his recliner while my mom was next to him on the love seat.
She waved her hand and patted the seat next to her.
Sitting in this massive room with my parents brought me back to my childhood.
My dad was sitting in that same recliner, reading the paper while my mom read from her book.
I would be on the floor between them, either playing with my toys or reading, too.
While my parents weren't the most talkative, they were always there for me.
I didn't mind sitting with them in silence sometimes because I could still feel their love surrounding me.
“How's everything going, son?” my dad asked. “I apologize for not being around as much, but your mother and I have been traveling to check on our other departments.”
I shook my head. “No need to apologize, Dad. I know how hard you and Mom work.” Bile bubbled in my throat. I really did know how hard they worked, and here I was taking advantage of them.
“Son,” my mother called, placing her hand on my shoulder. “It's okay.”
My eyebrows furrowed as I looked between her and my dad. “W-what do you mean?”
“George told us you never worked in the IT department,” my dad spoke up.
The muthafucka! My nose flared as anger boiled through me. After all that talk about having my back, his ass goes and blabs to my parents. I said I was going to tell them the truth about everything, but I didn't need that tattle-tale ass nigga snitching on me.
“I'm going to beat his ass,” I murmured under my breath.
My dad snorted out a laugh as he took a sip of his coffee. “Calm down, Dex. He didn't want to tell us.”
“How did y'all find out that I wasn't working there then?”
“I stopped in to see my son, hoping to bring you to a couple of board meetings,” my mom chimed in. “I meant to let George know ahead of time, but since we got back early, I wanted to tell you in person. Imagine my surprise when I got down to the IT department, and no one knew who you were.”
“I damn near had to threaten George to tell me where you were. That's what I like about the boy; he's loyal.” My dad huffed.
“Mom, Dad, I am sorry for lying to you both, but I couldn't muster up the strength to tell you both the truth. About everything.”
“Dexter, baby, no matter what, your father and I love you very much. We want you to come and talk to us about anything.”
I looked over at my dad, who nodded his head in agreement.
Taking a deep breath, I bore my sin to my parents.
With each truth that spilled from my lips, a chunk of relief lifted from my shoulders until there was nothing left.
Years of holding on to that burden, and I was finally free from it.
As much as I was afraid to come clean, I was happy I did.
I hated that I had lied to my parents this whole time after everything that I had done for myself.
“I'm sorry, Mom and Dad,” I said, my head hanging low. “I promise to pay y'all back my full tuition.”
My mom smacked her lips and waved a dismissive hand at me. “I don't want to hear any of that foolishness. Your dad and I will always do what we can to ensure you have an education. It doesn't matter what degree you decide to pursue.”
“Your mother is right. While I am a little disappointed that you don't want to take over Green Tech, I admire your passion, and I apologize for not listening to you before when you tried to tell us. Do you know I had that same type of passion and drive to start Green Tech when your grandfather was against it?”
“Wait, what?” I asked.
“Oh yeah! Your grandfather wanted me to work with my hands.
You know, he was a blue-collar worker like his dad.
He didn't understand how rapidly technology was growing, and refused to learn more about it. He expected me to take over his landscaping business, but against his wishes, I got my degree in information technology. After finding out that you were not working with us, I can admit that I was upset, but then I quickly realized that I was turning into my dad. I never want to hold you back, son. Had I not followed my heart, we wouldn’t be here in this house today.
Anyway, son, go after your passions. If you don't want to work in Green Tech, that's okay as long as you are pursuing your passion.”
Standing up, I walked up to my dad and hugged him. As I walked back to my seat, I kissed my mother on the cheek. I felt extremely grateful that things turned out the way they did because I stressed that my parents would have disowned me.
“So,” my mom chimed. “What have you been doing this whole time? You're usually gone early in the morning and not back until after ten in the evening.”
“I, uh, found a part-time job across town at a bookstore. I wanted to be somewhere y'all wouldn't run into me, and I wanted to make sure I was out of the house during the day in case y’all came home early.”
My dad burst into laughter. “Clever.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, but I messed that up.”
“How?” my mom asked.
“Well, I fell hard for the boss.”
“Oh,” my mom gasped.
“And the boss happens to be my best friend's sister.”
“Gotdamn boy!” my dad chortled. “Lydia, baby, let me talk to him.”
“Gladly!” my mom said, standing up from the couch. Leaning down, she kissed the top of my head. “I'll get us some more coffee.”
As my mother walked away towards the kitchen, my dad stood up and sat next to me on the couch.
“Looks like you've got yourself into a dilemma.”
I nodded. “I know. Things are really a mess.”
“It doesn't seem that big of a mess.”
I shook my head. “There's more to it, Dad. Long story short, we aren't on speaking terms, but I miss her. Not to mention, I need to find a way to tell my best friend the truth.”
My dad hummed as he folded his hands over his lap.
He clicked his tongue before clapping a hand on my shoulder.
“If you really care about this woman, then go after her. Whatever argument or disagreement you two had, go squash it. I promise this will be your biggest regret if you choose to let her go. Trust me.”
I arched an eyebrow at my dad as he stared off at nothing in particular.
“Dad?”
“I never told you this story, but I lost someone I truly loved once upon a time. Understand that I love your mother, but she wasn’t my first love.”
My eyes widened as I stared at his profile. “What are you saying?”
“I was a stubborn, cocky man when I was your age.
Thankfully, you didn't get any of those traits.
Anyway, I was so bull-headed over something so trivial that I left the woman I was madly in love with.
I tried to live my life without her by filling my desires with money and random women, but I soon learned that leaving her was the worst mistake of my life.
At the time, I didn't realize how much I loved her because my pride was blinding me, and every day that I went on without her crushed a part of me. When I finally snapped out of it and tried to get her back, it was too late.”
We sat in silence for a beat as I pondered over my father’s words.
I wasn’t listening to him from a son’s point of view, but from a man’s perspective.
He allowed pride and anger to keep him away from the woman he truly loved.
A part of me wanted to not care because he had my mother, but the other part understood.
“What were you two arguing about?” I finally asked, breaking the silence.
He shook his head. “That's the crazy thing; I still can’t remember. Like I said, I love your mother, and without her, we wouldn’t have you. However, if you love this woman, you should do everything you can to win her back.”
“What if what she wants is for me to wait until she figures out how to solve her own problems?”
“Then give her the space to do so, son. If she cares about you in the same way you do about her, then she'll welcome you back, but you cannot force her. You cannot give her an ultimatum because that will only drive her away.”
“What if,” I began in a low voice. “What if she doesn't care about me in the same way?”
My dad squeezed the top of my shoulder. “Then you move on. As much as it'll hurt you, learn from your mistake and continue to live your life.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.
I had no clue how Natalie felt about me, but I knew what I felt about her.
Indeed, we hadn't known each other for long, but from the first time I laid eyes on her at the club all those months ago, I wanted her by my side. Despite trying to ignore my fluttering heart when I thought of her, I knew she was meant for me. Then again, I doubted she wanted us to be anything more than friends with benefits. I mean, why else would she agree to keep helping her ex-fiancé? Hell, she didn’t care that I was upset about their agreement.
I closed my eyes and took a few breaths as I made up my mind.
I’d give Natalie a few days and reach out to her.
If she needed more time to end whatever agreement she had with her ex, then I’d give it to her, but in the meantime, I’d give her all the time and space she needed.
.