by Laine Watson
“Really? I didn’t even know women still liked to do that.”
“It’s okay. I’m not like a chef or anything. I like to cook small, simple meals, you know? Fun ones.”
“I suck at all kitchen things, but I can handle people. I also suck at personal relationships, but excel at business ones. I’m the go-to-guy to fix shit when somebody makes a mess.”
“That’s awesome. I suck at people in all general ways.”
“Well, yeah. I knew that.”
“What?”
“I’m just kidding; it wasn’t that big of deal. The real reason I remember it is because you flashed me.”
“I didn’t flash you.”
“Oh, you definitely flashed me, and you didn’t even care. You didn’t even look at me like a guy—my pride was hurt.” He laughs.
Why is he laughing?
“Hey, do you want to watch a movie while we eat? Max loves to watch—well, he loves to say he wants to watch a movie, but I don’t know how much he actually watches.” He smirks.
“Yeah, anything is fine.”
“Cool. How about a thriller or something? I can never watch these kinds of movies with Max.”
“Aww, does he get scared?”
“No way! He’s always asking questions, finding weird things about the movie, or giving different scenarios until he ruins the movie—total spoiler.”
I laugh. “Okay.”
He puts on a movie and we watch it, but we mostly eat and talk. He continues to offer me new things to try, like wonton tacos and chicken-stuffed rellenos. Our laughter resonates through out the living room. Every now and then our eyes meet, and for a few seconds, we gaze at one another. My heart flutters and I turn away, laughing off the deep connection I feel to this man. The tranquility and comfort of being around him warms my body and makes my head tingle.
As the movie progresses, I jump when the music signals something is going to happen. Haru laughs at me with a sexy tone. From time to time, I get lost in his eyes and his smile while my soul experiences happiness it never has.
I can feel him smiling at me, but I can’t move because I want to know what’s going to happen.
“Ah!” I scream when I see the guy bust out of a teenager’s closet.
He laughs. “Are you seriously scared?”
“I’m not scared.”
He smirks. “You can sit closer if you’re a little scared. I don’t bite.”
“Okay, I may be a little jumpy.”
“It’s fine, bring it in. I’ll protect you from the random guy with the rope running after six teenagers in the woods.”
We both laugh as I scoot closer to him.
I wonder what’s too close.
I scoot even closer to him and his arm falls at my side.
“Is this okay?” he asks.
“Yeah.” I smile, sitting sideways with my back against his ribs, my feet and legs on the sofa.
Maybe he wants to be close to me, too. I wish he’d put his arm around me, but that would probably be awkward.
Max, your Dad is amazing, I think as I snuggle into him and continue to watch the movie. I jump sometimes and Haru laughs at me. Somehow, we drift off to sleep.
***
“Shit! It’s midnight. Summer!” Haru’s voice wakes me.
It feels like I’ve only been asleep for five minutes.
“Yeah?” I say, sitting up from lying on his lap.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to feed you until you fell asleep.” He laughs.
I giggle.
He stretches. I stretch after him.
“It’s okay. I had fun. I would have been at home listening to my mom bitch tonight, anyway.” I look over at the television. “Aw, man. How did the movie end?”
“I have no idea. I was asleep too.” He laughs.
“Oh,” I say sleepily. “Well, I should probably go. It’s late.”
“Yeah.” He watches me get up before standing and walking me to the door.
“Thanks…” I smile as he opens the door.
“Yeah, no problem. Actually, thank you. You’re the one who’s a lifesaver. Thanks for watching Max and for being … you, I guess. I like this you.”
“Oh?” My cheeks warm up as I bow my head to hide my eyes. “Yeah, uh… I had a lot of fun with you and with Max. He’s awesome. I like this you, too.”
“Oh, let me get you a check.” He walks over to the coffee table and grabs the black credit card. “Actually, what would you say to watching Max on Tuesdays and Thursdays? I can try to make those my long days. When I get this promotion, I probably won’t need as much help, but for now, I could really use it.”
“I could definitely do that. I don’t have class on those days. I could pick him up from school and take him to speech, then bring him home.”
“You don’t have to do that. The bus can bring him to your mom’s office.”
“Yeah, but I think he’d like it better if he didn’t have to ride the bus, and we sort of sing in the car.”
“Yeah, he’s definitely a singer. All right, then. I’m sure he’d love that.”
“Okay.” My heart flutters a little at getting just what I wanted: more time to spend with Max and more time to potentially spend with Haru.
“I’ll be getting home around the same time, eight-ish or nine-ish. I promise I won’t kidnap you anymore and feed you Mexican until you pass out.”
“Don’t worry, you can totally do that too.” I giggle.
Did I really just say that? I hope he took it as a joke—I mean it wasn’t but…
“Good deal! So, here’s this.” He hands me the black card.
“What’s this for?”
“Gas, maybe getting Max some kind of treat, or whatever. You can use it. It’s fine.”
“Um…”
“Don’t worry. You can get whatever you want with it. I could never pay you enough for what you’re doing. I really appreciate it. So just take this, and get whatever you need to take care of Max and you, too.”
“What?”
“It’s easier than writing a check, and you can always use it.”
“You must trust me a lot. I don’t know why, though. You don’t even know me.”
“I know who I gave my card to, and Max likes you, so I feel like it’s all right. After all, I’m insured up to one hundred thousand on this card. And if you do anything stupid, you’ll be the one going to jail, not me. So, I feel just fine giving it to you.”
“Oh, when you put it that way...”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just kidding. Like I said, it’s easier than me having to remember to write you a check every Tuesday and Thursday.”
“Okay then, I guess.”
“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Maybe we can finish the movie,” I suggest.
“Maybe.”
Chapter Ten: Sitting
I spent the whole night thinking about things with Haru. It seems like I’m a babysitter on one hand, and on the other, I’ve made a connection with a man—which is amazing in and of itself.
I hope this connection is real. He’d better not be hooking up with other girls while I’m babysitting Max. That would suck.
I breathe deeply. I thought he was out of my league, and yet somehow, he seems nearer to me than any other man ever has.
Am I supposed to take five hundred dollars from the card every Tuesday and Thursday? Or keep track of gas and stuff for Max? Maybe I’m just supposed to use it when I need to—that’s probably it. He doesn’t seem like he likes to make things complicated.
My thoughts are interrupted by my phone ringing.
“Hello?” I answer the phone as I pull into the parking space at the store and shut off the car.
“Summer, where are you? I haven’t seen you in two days. Did you even come home last night?” my mother asks.
“Oh, yeah. I was hanging out with a friend.”
“A friend?”
“Yeah, remember you were giving m
e crap about not having any?”
“Well, good. I’m tired of seeing you at my office wasting away. You’re young. You should spend time with your friends. Not too much, though. How is school?”
“School is okay. I’m still going if that’s your actual question.”
“I didn’t think you weren’t. I was just checking on you.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Have you started finalizing your degree and getting into a dorm?”
“I’ve been working on stuff.”
“Good then. I won’t put too much pressure on you. I’m glad to see you’re doing something.”
“I sort of have a job, Mom.”
“Oh, that’s also good. Hopefully, it’s not taking away from your studies.”
“No, I’m just going to be picking Max up from school and bringing him to your office.”
“Mr. Arima is trying to make sure Max doesn’t miss the bus again, I see.”
I’m pretty sure that’s not it, but I’m not going to say anything because that’s a good explanation.
“Yeah. Plus, I can save my money for when I move onto the dorm.”
“Wow, sounds like you have a plan. That’s better than playing on your phone all day, letting your life slip by.”
“Mom, playing games and stuff is relaxing.”
“Whatever, Summer. It’s just nice to know you’re not being as lazy as you have been. I’ll talk to you later.”
“All right, Mom.” I end the call.
I exhale heavily. I do need to pick a major. But… I’d rather go hang out with a five-year-old than actually think about my future. I get out of the car and walk into the store. Haru made it seem like they never really have food in the house, so I’m getting some food that’s good to have around: grapes, strawberries, apples—all stuff they can snack on.
I smile as I stroll down the aisle, plucking things off the shelf and thinking of meals I can make tonight. I even grab a pretty apron. When I get to the register, the bill is two hundred dollars.
I gasp. I’ll just use this as a portion of my payment. I slide the black credit card to pay for my things. After taking everything out to the cart, I put it in my trunk. I pick Max up from school and take him to speech therapy. After dropping him off, I take all the groceries and things to the house.
I find a fancy bowl that has different random things in it, like keys, mints, ink pens, and candy. I dump the contents into a bag and place the bag under the coffee table in a cabinet. I refill the bowl with fresh apples, bananas, oranges, mangos, and kiwis, then place it on the kitchen island. I put the cold food where it needs to be and everything else goes into its respectful place.
I head back to my mom’s office to pick up Max. I walk onto her office floor hallway where I see Max and my mother standing near her office.
“Summer!” Max smiles, running down the hall toward me.
“Hey!” I smile back and hug him.
“You’re taking him home?” my mother asks, folding her arms.
“Uh, yeah. His dad’s working late again. He’s really trying to get this promotion.”
“So, you talk to him?”
“Oh, um … a little bit.”
“So, he’s not going to spend any time with his son? He saw an opportunity to take advantage of a college student and throw his money around, and he took it.”
“Well, I could use a job. It’s just until he gets the promotion.”
“Trust me, I don’t have any complaints. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a man like him. He’s probably not even working late. He’s probably hooking up with random women that he’d never actually be with, getting expensive hotel rooms, showing them a good time—that’s fine, as long as he pays you, and as long as he pays me.”
I really hope he’s not doing that.
“Mom,” I whisper. “I don’t think you should talk like that in front of Max.”
“What? He doesn’t know what I’m talking about.”
“I do. But I don’t c-c-care. My dad does-sn’t eben like random women. He only likes women he knows, and he doesn’t know any women,” Max says.
I cover my mouth to hide my smile and eye my mother.
“I’m sorry then, Max. I need you to say all that over, using what I taught you, please.”
“Oh… My dad doesn’t e-v-e-n like random women.”
“Oh wow! You said all the sounds just right, Max!” My mom puts up her hand to give Max a high five.
Max jumps high to reciprocate. “Yeah!” he exclaims.
“Great job! I knew you could say all those sounds. Just have to think about it!” my mother says.
“That was awesome. You’re super smart,” I say.
“I am. Tanks.”
“Top row, tip of your tongue.” My mother smiles.
Max, nods determinedly. “T-th-th-thanks.”
“Beautiful.” My mother says, proudly.
“All right, hot shot, let’s go.” I laugh. “Bye, Mom.”
“Bye, Summer—oh, will you be home for dinner tonight?” my mother asks.
“Probably not. I’m going to go make dinner with Darby when Haru gets home.”
“Haru? You’re calling him Haru?”
Good. She didn’t pry when I lied. I knew calling him that would throw her off.
My cheeks rose up. “Yeah, that’s his name.” I give some pouty attitude, quietly. “You want me to bring you some?” I shout out, hoping to redirect the conversation.
“Okay. And yeah, that would be awesome. I’ll be here late.”
“Okay. I will then.”
“Thank you.”
My mother returns to her office and Max talks to me about his day. We laugh and sing on the way home. I didn’t forget to take my shoes off, but Max still reminds me before taking off upstairs.
I should start cooking soon. It’s getting late, I think as Max stomps back down the stairs.
“Summer,” he says, approaching me with a tablet.
“Can I watch v-videos?”
“Oh, yeah, sure. Can you watch them in the kitchen? I think I’m going to cook dinner now.”
“T-C-c-cook? You’re going to m-a-k-e dinner?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you ma-k-e dinner for Daddy, too?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll save him some.”
“No, I mean can you call him and see if he c-can tome-come home early. Can I c-all him on your phone?”
“That was great. See, you’re so smart. I’m not even a therapist, and you’re still doing so well. It’s all you!”
Max smiles. “Thanks! S-o, c-can I?”
“Uh … sure. But do you think he might be busy?” I unlock my phone and hand it to him.
“Yeah, he’s always busy, but that doesn’t mean he c-can’t talk to me,” Max says. “I mean, it doesn’t s-t-o-p him from talking to me.”
I smile. “You’re right.”
Wow, Max is such a good kid, I think. He totally doesn’t reason like a five-year-old.
He calls Haru. He seems to be reading the circles on my screen. He presses the circle that reads “speaker” and I hear the phone ring once.
Summer?” Haru’s voice says anxiously. “Is everything okay?”
“Daddy, it’s not T-s-summer, it’s me.”
“Oh,” Haru breathes playfully. “I don’t know who me is, so I’m hanging up.”
“Daddy! It’s Max!” He laughs.
“Oh.”
Max walks around the house as he and his father ‘talk business.’
They are like best friends. I swoon. I love Haru’s “daddiness.” I giggle, I just made up a word.
They aren’t even in the same room and I feel so warm. Haru is amazing…
“Daddy. Tan you tome home?”
“Max!” I smile at Max motherly.
He looks up at me as he walks over to the stools by the island and hops up in one.
“Oh, I mean, can you come home?”
“Now?” Haru asks.
“She is?”
“Yes.” Max pauses. “Can we all eat together?”
He asks him whatever he wants. I could have never done that when I was a kid with my mom. I barely have enough courage to do it now. She’d never respond like Haru would anyway, I’d just feel stupid for saying the way I feel.
“Buddy…” Haru sighs and takes a moment before he speaks again. “Yeah, I can come home now. I see that you’re trying so hard. You’re doing so well. I’m sorry that I’m not there for you.”
“You are, Daddy. I just want to eat together today, with S-summer.”
“No problem, buddy. I’ll be there in a little while.”
“Really? Yeah!” Max hops down from the stool and hands me the phone before running all the way upstairs.
I laugh.
“Summer…” Haru says.
My heart clenches as he speaks. “Oh, hi!” I take the phone off of speaker and place it to my ear.
“You’re making dinner?” Haru asks.
“Yeah. You said you guys never have home-cooked meals, so I figured I’d make Max some food. I didn’t know he was going to suggest this.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to.”
“Just use the card, get him whatever he wants, you get whatever you want.”
“I did. I wanted to make dinner.”
“Oh, okay then. Um, I’ll be home in about thirty minutes.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.”
“See you then.”
I gulp and end the call. He was so serious, and then so gentle. Kind of vulnerable. I breathe deeply.
I swoon over Haru as I reach in the bag, grab the apron, and tear the tag off. I tie it around me before cutting the avocados. Avocado spring sandwiches sound delicious, but will Max eat that? Probably not, I can make him—no sandwiches are for lunch. I gasp—I can make Haru lunch for tomorrow when I make Max’s. I run and get the rice cooker I bought and put away in the cabinet, take it out of the box, wash it, and put rice in it to cook. I cut the tomatoes, peppers, onions, and the cilantro, and hand mash the avocados. After that, I mix everything together, except the peppers. I butter a pan and let the peppers cook, then add some spices and chicken, letting it all marinate together.