Serial - Suddenly Daddy Part 15

You look at the closed door and shake your head.  You take a swig of beer.  Good but over complicated and kind of bitter, you would have preferred a simple Budweiser or something.  You sit in the living room alone for a couple of minutes just looking around Claire's beautiful home and waiting.  Patience was never your strong point.  You get up and head into the kitchen.

Claire was tossing a Caesar salad in a big wooden bowl as Jeremy was slicing an absolutely delicious looking hand tossed pizza.  A basket of fresh garlic bread sat still steaming.  You can't help but think of the frozen microwavable dinner you'd been picking at before Claire called.  Coming over had definitely been the right decision.

You set your beer on the table and step around it.  “Oh wow guys, this all looks amazing!”  You walk up behind Claire and put your hands on her upper arms, your head coming just over her shoulder to look down at the salad.  “You never told me you could cook too!”  You kiss her hair and just hold her.  “You are too good for me woman.”  Truer words never spoken.

She hums happily and leans her head into yours.  “This is our thing.  Cooking.  Jeremy and I do it whenever we get the chance, which isn't as often as I would like.”

You wander over to Jeremy at one of the islands.  The pizza was a masterpiece of simplicity.  Homemade dough and sauce, some sort of cured thin sliced meat, full fresh basil leaves visible through the milky translucent layer of just the right amount of mozzarella cheese.  The smell was out of this world.  “God damn that looks good Jeremy!  Like restaurant good, better even.  Are you thinking about becoming a chef?  Looks like you'd be a natural.”

He is beaming at your praise.  He shrugs.  “I don't know, that's a lot of work.”

His mom chimes in.  “These two haven't decided what they want to do yet.  I don't want to rush them, they need to figure themselves out first.  Find their passion, you know?”

You raise an eyebrow.  You weren't sure you liked the sound of that.  Something about it just rubbed you the wrong way.  The kids were just going to sponge off their mother till they found their passion?  You take Jeremy round the shoulder as you continue to look at his pizza.  He immediately presses his svelte delicate frame into your side, eager for your touch.  “Yeah it'd be a lot of work, but anything worth doing is a lot of work.  You should think about it anyways, you're obviously very good and it sounds like something you're interested in.”

Claire comes up beside you on the other side and sets down the finished salad beside the other food.  “Now don't pressure him Ted, I want him to have the freedom to really figure things out on his own.”

You don't respond for a moment.  You think about yourself at that age.  Freedom was one thing, but too much freedom and a young man would feel like he had been set adrift in the middle of a vast ocean.  Surely a gentle well meaning nudge now and then wouldn't hurt.  But...what the fuck did you know about parenting?  You finally just say.  “Fair enough.  I was just saying it is a fine looking pizza.”

You look down at him and you see those clear light blue eyes looking at you with that adoration Claire had talked about.  That pure unfiltered puppy love he obviously harbored for you was flattering to say the least.  It got to you.  You'd been quietly a little bi-curious for most of your life but never acted on it.  Suddenly having this attractive feminine young man so blatantly crushing on you was rekindling this curiosity and stoking it up.  You have a very palpable urge to kiss those pretty pink lips.  Instead you give the boy a little squeeze then let him go.

Rubbing your hands together you say.  “Okay.  You guys sit down.  Let me serve out, it's the least I can do after all this.”

Claire and her son smile at each other then go and take their places at the table, taking the basket of bread with them.  Claire sets the garlic bread in the middle of the table then pours out some wine as you dish them out two slices each and a big tong full of the fresh salad.  You place a plate in front of each of them then head back for your own and join them.  Together you enjoy a delightful and absolutely delicious meal together.  No sibling bickering or footsies under the table this time, just a pleasant time eating and drinking and sharing company.  The evening so infinitely better that what you usually experienced that it was actually humbling.  You'd always been happy enough by yourself but...things were changing.  This felt nice.  This felt really nice.  Maybe it was your age, maybe it was Claire, maybe it was being a father figure, maybe it was everything at once, but this time was different.  This time you felt like you belonged.

You have a few beers, Claire has a few glasses of wine, and the pair of you were feeling pretty good after a while.  The conversation was waning as you and she began looking at each other more and more, staring into each other's eyes.  Shooting little flirting smiles back and forth.  You had her hand in yours and you were both rubbing and caressing each other.  Her other hand resting on your forearm. Seeing this Jeremy takes the hint and gets up and quickly clears the table.

You say in a low quiet tone.  “I brought an over night bag.”

A wide grin spreads across Claire's face.  She just quietly nods.  You grip her hand and bring it to your mouth for a kiss.

Getting up you feel just a moment of unsteadiness from the alcohol.  You steady yourself then hurry to get the bag.  You slip on your shoes and coat and hustle out to your truck to grab your duffel bag.  As you get back in you see Jeremy bent over turning on the game system under the television.  He looks over with a happy grin.  “Mom's upstairs.”  He informs you.  “I'm...I'm glad you're staying.  Are you going to stick around again tomorrow?”

You shake your head.  “Sorry my boy...”  It rolls so easily off your tongue.  “...I've got to go to work.”

He gives you a look of “too bad” and turns his attention to the screen.  

You stand and watch him a moment.  He didn't have school, he didn't work, he didn't even seem to be trying to work toward either one...it just didn't sit right with you.  Such a bright and kind young man, you hated to see him fritter his time away on video games and jerking off..or whatever he did with his days.  Given his mother's lax attitude it could be years before he found some direction in his life.

He notices you watching him and looks over at you.  “Say, Jeremy.”  You say.  “How about you come ride with me tomorrow.  Feel like being a garbage man's assistant?  Just for a day.  It gets kind of boring alone in the truck all day.”

“Um...”  He starts.  He seemed both anxious and hesitant at the same time.  He shakes his head.  “No, it's okay.  But thank you.  I...uh...I wouldn't want to embarrass you or anything.  Thank you though.”

You tilt your head in curiosity. “Embarrass me?”  You laugh.  “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing.”  He says quickly and turns back to his game.

You remember Claire talking about the children's father, how the man had messed these two up with emotional abuse.  How much he'd tease and berate them, especially Jeremy.  You had a feeling this had something to do with that.

“You wouldn't embarrass me Jeremy.”  You say in a steady voice as you start toward the stairs.  “It is pretty boring though, so I'd understand.  If you change your mind you gotta get up early.  5 am.”

He doesn't respond.

You head upstairs and into the master bedroom.  You swing the door closed behind you and toss the bag onto the bed.  You could hear Claire in the attached bathroom.  Taking a step to the side you peer in.  She was still clothed but you just stand admiring her curvaceous body.  She smiles at you as she removes her earrings.  “Yes?  Need something?”  She asks, a playful twinkle in her eye.

Being a bit tipsy your filters were down, your crude bachelor ways showing through.  “Yeah...I need you to come out here and sit on my face.”

She being a tad in her cups herself can't help but let out a loud belly laugh.  “Jesus Ted.  What a sweet talker.  A true romantic.”  She shakes her head still laughing and thoroughly amused.

“Is that a no?”

She is grinning ear to ear.  “With an invitation like that how could I possibly refuse.”

There is a moment of frisky silence...then you both begin peeling off clothes.