Son for Hire: Chapter 74

Brief as it was the interruption was enough to reset the vibe between the two tables.  While fake as a three dollar bill Julie and Gregory at least looked cordial while Kitty had plastered on a more calm and humble expression.  Inevitably attention is drawn to the table.  In front of Evelyn and Kitty is a single small plate and a cup each.  In front of me is a king’s banquet of quiche and treats and crepes heaped with mountains of whipped cream.

I look around and shrink in my seat shyly  In a small naive voice I peep.  “I think I ordered too much.”

The self-deprecating icebreaker worked like a charm as all but Evelyn share a laugh at the obviously ridiculous order.  Sure Julie and Gregory and the others would think me silly but as far as I could tell that was already their first impression of my anyway.  I didn’t mind being the butt of the joke as it helped lighten the mood.  

Evelyn just beamed her beautiful smiling eyes my way.  “Just eat what you can.”

“That’s my Donny.”  Kit chuckles.  “His eyes are bigger than his belly.”

As our table busy ourselves with attending to breakfast Kit and I are both grateful that the others return to their own business.  The four of them converse as we begin to eat.  Kit plants her elbows on the table and picks up her breakfast sandwich.  Under the table I tap her knee with mine and whisper.  “Manners.”

“Mmm?”  She looks at me.  “Oh, right.”  Sitting up straighter she pulls her elbows off to eat more ‘ladylike’.  It was kinda funny to watch her make a show of it honestly.  After taking a small bite and chewing it she daintily dabs the corners of her plump lips with her white cloth napkin.  Both of us have to hold in a giggle.

I look to Evelyn and whisper.  “It’s just breakfast, um, so am I still supposed to put the napkin on my lap or not?”  She gives me a very slight nod, her bright eyes gleaming.  “Thank you.”

As I lay my napkin out over my lap I could sense just how much she wanted to reach over and help me with it.  I sense that it killed her not to be able to touch me.  When we were alone she was constantly holding me and stroking me and just touching me in a thousand little ways.  Simple contact was as much a part of our physical relationship as anything sexual.  Sliding my foot toward her I nestle it along side hers which brings a warm smile to her face.  We begin to gaze.

Hiding her mouth with her coffee cup Kitty whispers.  “Cool it you two.  Seriously.”

Evelyn tears her eyes away from me.  Taking a sip of her espresso she starts up a light and friendly conversation with Kitty as I turn my attention to the feast before me.  I try a bit of this and a bit of that, choosing a new plate with each bite.  I’d never had quiche before and discover that I quite like it.  Everything else was sweet and delicious.  I take a swig of my hot chocolate to wash the first tastings down and start again.  As I eat I catch little glances from the next table as well as others around us.  My overabundance of breakfast had become something of a curiosity as people wondered how much of it I could eat.  Pacing myself I take small, deliberate bites and do my best to ignore the attention.

During a pause in the discussion Evelyn looks my way again.  “How is it Donald?”

“Delicious!”  I say.  “But…”

“But?”

Lowering my head I say softly.  “It’s not as good as my Mom’s food.”

“Not as…?”  Evelyn bites her lips to compose herself a moment before saying.  “There’s nothing better for a boy than his Mama’s home cooking, is there?”

“No Ma’am.”  I bat my eyes.  “Nothing at all.”

From my peripheral vision I catch Kitty rightfully cringing at our cringe worthy behavior.  I didn’t care though.  Mommy liked it and that was all that mattered.  Besides, it was the truth.  I am sure Harper went to a fine cooking school but to these taste buds this stuff couldn’t hold a candle to Evelyn’s love filled creations.

“You have such fine table manners Donald.”  Evelyn says.  “Your Mom must be so proud of you.”

“I hope she is.”

“I know she is.”  

She sighs softly.  Her hand moves…then pauses…then reaches out to swipe a little dab of cherry syrup from the corner of my mouth.  She simply could not stop herself.  And I cannot help but push my cheek into her hand in response.  Too quickly she must pull her hand away before anybody else but Kitty noticed.  With a quick and subtle dab of her tongue she licks the cherry from her digit and savors the sweetness that had just been on my skin.  She looks at me for a moment, then looks back over her shoulder left and right, then to the other table, and then all around.  She gives me one last lingering glance.  There was a fire in that glance that let me know that she was thinking about me in all of the right ways.

Taking my hot chocolate I take a sit, letting the warm foamy froth coat the area above my lip like a mustache, then set the mug back down again.  Without wiping my lip I move on to a forkful of crepe.

Beside me I sense Evelyn nearly vibrating.  “Um, Donald.”

I look over to her chewing my food with big innocent eyes.  “Mmm?”

“Donald.”  She points at her own upper lip.  “You have…you have a little…chocolate…”

“A little what?”  I tilt my head, feeling the liquid begin to dribble down around the corners of my lips.

“Goodness sake.”  Her self control only went so far.  Taking up her own napkin she reaches over to wipe the hot chocolate from my lip.  Not just a quick swipe either but a series of careful pats all across my mouth.  I sit still and soak up the attention like the absorbent napkin that wicked away the mess from my mouth.  Unfortunately this draws the notice of the others though.  Evelyn finishes up and with a big smile and a shake of her head.  “This boy.”  She says cheerily.  “They say artists always have their head in the clouds, it must be true.”

“Thank you Evelyn.”  I say.

“You are welcome Donald.”

“Careful Kitty.”  Comes Julie’s snide voice, shattering the warm moment in an instant.  “If you’re not careful old Evelyn there might just adopt your husband.”  The three of us laugh at the ridiculous notion, perhaps a bit too much.

“I know, right?”  Kitty says, trying to make light of it but with a pointed look our way.  “Mama bear can’t seem to help herself.”  She takes my arm to pull me a bit closer and kisses my cheek as she quips.  “Easy there Evie.  I might get jealous.”

I blush and smile bashfully.

“Oh you silly girl.”  Evelyn rolls her eyes.  “These kids are so silly.”

“I don’t think you have to worry Kitty.”  Julie says.  “I suspect it’s just a touch of empty nest syndrome.  Am I right?”

“Would you stop.”  Evelyn waves a hand.  “You are all being silly now.”

“I remember how she used to coddle her son Eugene.”  Julie laughs.  “She used to dote on him terribly.  He was her whole world.”

“I didn’t and he wasn’t.”  Evelyn denies through a false smile.  “I just have a lot of love to give.  Besides, it’s a mother’s right to…dote.”

“That’s right.”  I pipe up to agree with her.

“He hated it!”  Julie continues.  “He’d squirm and complain and try to get away from her.”

“He did not!”  Evelyn says with rising annoyance. 

“Oh he did.  Stop denying it.”  Julie says.  “She was always hovering around him and he was always trying to get away.”

“We used to joke that that’s how he learned to run so fast.”  Gregory quips.

“It wasn’t like that.”  Evelyn says.  “It really wasn’t.”  Whether she knew it or not, and I suspect she did, Julie was poking at the very essence of Evelyn’s motherly identity.  “Eugene was just rambunctious.  That’s all.”

“I told her not to smother the boy.”  Julie says sagely.  “Isn’t that right Evelyn?  Didn’t I tell you that?”

“Yes.”  She confirms curtly.  “You said he’d become a sissy.”

“That’s right!”  Julie agrees, her eyes flitting toward me for just a split second.  “Nobody wants a Mama’s boy.”

Evelyn’s hand still holding the napkin tightens and her voice hardens.  “That’s not true.”

“No worries there though.”  Julie continues.  “Wait until you two meet him.  You’ll see.”

“He’s certainly no Mama’s boy that lad.”  Gregory chimes in with an approving nod.  “Grew into a real man’s man.”

“I swear if I were thirty years younger…”

“Enough of that!”  Gregory playfully warns his wife to the chuckles of all four.  “How is Eugene doing, anyway?”

“Oh, just great.”  Evelyn says.  “You know him, always looking for that next mountain to climb.  He’s already thinking about his doctorate.  He’s talking about England, though he says he’ll miss the baseball.”

“That sounds like Eugene.”  Gregory says as if he were his biggest fan.  “Those English birds won’t know what hit them.”

“Would you stop.”  Julie laughs and swats her husband’s arm as the others all laugh.  Eugene’s reputation as a womanizer was obviously well known.

Gregory wipes his mouth and drops the napkin to the plate, signaling to the rest that it was time to go.  “I’m glad we ran into you Evelyn.  Say hi to Alan.”

“I will.”

“And I hope things work out with the new tenants.”

“We’re sitting right here.”  Kitty says.

“Of course.”  He grins his smug fat cat grin.  “How rude of me.”  He admits, though offers no apology.

Goodbyes are said and the four of them, thankfully, leave the cafe.

“Well…that could have went better.”  Kitty says.

“It certainly could have.”  Evelyn says.  “I am sorry if they upset you.”  Lowering her voice she asks me.  “Are you okay baby?”

“Yes Ma’am.”  I nod.

“Good, good.”  She says.  “I’ve never seen them so boorish before.”

“Because you are one of them.”  Kit states.  “And we aren’t.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Of course not.”  Kitty leans in to chastise us at a whisper.  “You two!  You are going to blow this whole damn thing if you keep acting this way.  Ease up on the lovey eyes and touching each other and stuff, huh?  Jesus!”

“Settle yourself my dear.”  Evelyn reaches across and pats my sister’s hand.  “It’s going to be okay.  They think I’m acting a bit maternal, that’s hardly out of character for me.  Do you honestly believe they’d think I was coming onto Donald with his wife sitting right next to us?  Or that I’d bring you two to somewhere so public if something was going on between us?”  She sits back confidently and sips her espresso.  “I think not.”

“You are playing a hell of a game Evelyn.”  Kitty says uneasily.

“If this was just a game Kitty…you two would not be here right now.”

Chapter 75