The Matchup

by Laura L. Walker

  She spun around and headed down to the frozen foods section. This kind of a day called for some serious ice cream. Chocolate chip cookie dough was just the thing.

  Gage was getting tired of this commute. He’d made it sporadically for the past three years, depending on his job schedule. Pulling his black Chevy Camaro into Oracle Foothills Estates in Tucson, Gage took the familiar turns until he came to the impressive adobe-style home that belonged to April’s parents, Keith and Madeline Westbrook. Keith was a well-respected oral surgeon and Madeline the owner of a prestigious art gallery. April had called at the last minute and told Gage to pick up Zach at his grandparents’ house, leaving Gage with the sneaking suspicion that April had already snuck out of town with her boyfriend.

  He parked the car and wiped his sweaty palms on the denim fabric of his jeans before exiting the vehicle. What was it about April’s parents that turned Gage into a nervous wreck every time he saw them? They were rich, but they weren’t snobbish. Yet they’d been a little cool toward him since the divorce, making Gage feel like he’d disappointed them somehow.

  He rang the doorbell and waited for the housekeeper to appear. Within moments, Gage saw the impish grin of Zach through the glass, and heard his excited chatter muted by the massive oak door. Gage grinned back.

  The door opened and Zach darted out like a bullet, slamming into Gage’s legs with such force that he had a hard time staying upright. “Daddy! Daddy!”

  “Hey, Zach. How’s it going?”

  The housekeeper nodded shortly before ushering him inside and bidding Gage to wait in the formal parlor for April’s parents. “Daddy, look what Grandma and Grandpa gave me.” He ran out of the room and came back holding an electronic tablet up for Gage’s inspection. “Cool, huh?”

  Lifting one brow, Gage met Zach’s excited gaze and replied, “Yeah.” The few times Gage had allowed Zach to play games on his smartphone, the four-year-old had impressed him with his knowledge and dexterity. But he’d also noticed how habit-forming these small devices could be, even for himself. He’d be talking to April about this as soon as she got back from Vegas.

  Gage stood when Madeline Westbrook rounded the corner, wearing a paisley scarf with a stark white tailored pantsuit that accentuated her thin face and dainty frame. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a loose bun. Pulling her glasses down the length of her nose, she peered at her grandson. “Now remember, young man. That is to be kept here at Grandma’s house so that you’ll have it to play with the next time you visit.”

  “Okay, Grandma.” Gage’s irritation eased a little with those words.

  “Hello, Gage. This is quite a momentous occasion for you, taking Zachary for an entire weekend. Are you sure you’ll be able to handle him for that long?” Her skeptical look rankled as nothing else would have.

  “We’ll be fine,” he said evenly.

  She studied him for a moment before adding, “Keith would like to speak with you first.”

  Gage kept his features carefully under control. It wouldn’t do to let April’s mother to see the doubts he was harboring about his parenting abilities. “Sure.”

  She left to summon her husband. Gage only half-listened to Zach’s excited chatter concerning the “trip” he was taking with his dad. He would need to tell Zach at some point that this wasn’t going to be as fun as he was imagining it would be. Up to this point, Gage’s visits had consisted of trips to the zoo or the children’s museum where he and Zach loved to participate in the science-based activities together. But this time, Gage would mostly be tied up at work. He would take Zach to someplace fun today. He just wasn’t sure where yet.

  “Gage, good to see you,” Keith Westbrook said when he and Madeline entered the room, stretching his hand out for a handshake. His grip was firm, his smile tight. His eyes were like steel.

  “Hi, Keith.”

  “Have a seat.” April’s father indicated the stiff settee Gage had been sitting on only moments before. Gage clamped his mouth shut in an effort to keep from blurting out that he’d already waited long enough and would rather be on his way.

  “Now, then,” Keith said in a falsely amiable voice, “Madeline and I want to be sure that we’re on the same page with you. I’m not sure how much April has told you, but we are concerned about the fact that she has this new boyfriend living with her. They’ve been leaving Zachary with us quite often lately to go off to who knows where.”

  “That or they always have a whole horde of other adults at their place,” Madeline said, “like they’re indulging in one endless party. I’m having difficulty finding a moment to talk to April alone.”

  That came as no surprise. “She’s been asking me to watch Zach more often as well.”

  Looking at his wife solemnly for a moment, Keith continued, “We can’t seem to get it through April’s head that she needs to stop acting like a teenager and take care of her son. Madeline and I have decided that it’s time to take some course of action, namely seeking custody of Zachary, so that he will have a stable home and more positive learning environment.”

  Along with a set of grandparents who will spoil him rotten like they did with his mom, Gage thought sourly.

  “I don’t know if you are aware of this, but things don’t seem quite right with April lately. Whenever we take care of Zachary, he devours his food before asking for seconds.”

  “He’s a growing boy,” Gage said, although he had a feeling that Keith was leading up to something more serious.

  “That’s true, but this isn’t our only concern. Zachary has nearly grown out of his clothes, yet when Madeline asked April when she was going to buy him some new outfits, April only gave vague excuses. We’ll gladly help out with expenses if necessary but Madeline and I are wondering if you are keeping up on your child support payments.”

  “Of course I am.” Gage gritted his teeth to keep from shouting. “She obviously isn’t using it for Zach’s care.”

  Keith appeared thoughtful. “Well, it isn’t right or fair to make Zachary suffer the consequences of April’s poor choices.”

  “Are you saying that the only time Zach gets a decent meal is when he’s at day care or when he’s with you?” Gage growled, becoming angrier by the second.

  Keith’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “The situation needs to change soon,” he said, neither validating nor assuaging Gage’s alarm.

  Gage couldn’t agree more. He decided to lay it to him straight. “Keith, you don’t need to worry about filing for custody of Zach. I’m already planning to do that.”

  Keith studied him shrewdly before agreeing. “I’ve always felt that I could trust you, Gage. When April met you, we had high hopes that you could help her turn her life back around. However, she was already a party girl by that time. You may not believe this, but she really did love you, even though she wasn’t a good wife for you.”

  Gage quirked an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that? It seems to me that keeping the news of Zach’s birth from me points to the exact opposite.” The fact that April’s parents finally convinced her to do the right thing was the only reason Gage was working so willingly with them now.

  “She was afraid you’d take him away from her. We’re sorry, Gage. Instead of protecting April, we should have allowed the two of you to work things out for yourselves.”

  “Well,” Gage said tightly, shrugging off his apology, “the good news is that we can at least help Zach now. It sounds like we want the same thing for him.”

  “Absolutely. But my question is, how are you going to take care of him, being a single father? Relocating him will take quite a bit of adjustment on both your parts. Maybe it would be best if Zachary stays with us, after all.”

  Not a chance, he inwardly seethed. This family had cost him enough already. In a neutral tone, he replied, “Let me worry about those details. At least we both agree that April shouldn’t be his main caregiver anymore.”

  Keith sighed. “No. Zachary needs you right now. But are you sure that you are r
eady for this responsibility? Kids aren’t easy to haul around. You have to carefully choose your activities with them. What about your penchant for weekly cocktail hours or your Cardinals football games?”

  Gage’s face grew hot with Keith’s interrogation. So what if he went out with his co-workers once in a while after a long week and attended the NFL games more religiously than church? His life wouldn’t change all that much. There was no reason that Gage couldn’t take Zach along with him to the Cardinals’ games during the Diamondbacks’ off-season.

  An inner voice pierced his conscience. Would your way of raising Zach be much better than the Westbrooks’? Gage squelched the thought immediately. He wasn’t a bad guy just because his lifestyle differed from that of his parents. Unlike April, at least Gage had a sense of responsibility where a kid was concerned. It wasn’t like he kept whiskey in his home. In fact, Gage had given up drinking alcohol a long time ago. When he went out with his friends, he opted for a cola because he was the designated driver.

  The Westbrooks weren’t members of the Church and had never condemned Gage for his indulgences. If Gage was honest with himself, he’d admit that he’d be hard-pressed to find a willing babysitter for those visits to the bars and clubs. Neither Noelle nor his mother would put up with that.

  Gage groaned, accepting the inevitable. His life was about to change in a big way. How he’d manage, he didn’t know.

  Sarah Nielsen slammed the trunk of her car down with a little more force than necessary after loading her groceries. Rounding the car, she turned the key in the engine and waited for the hot air blowing from the vent to cool. Or maybe it was her own vent that needed to cool. Because of Gage’s shocking revelation from the night before, Sarah was having difficulty putting one foot in front of the other today.

  Gage? A father? Something he’d known for several years and had refrained from telling his family? Oh, Gage. Where did I go wrong with you?

  If only things had been different while raising her boys. She and her ex-husband, Jared, shared the blame. But enough time should have passed since those difficult years for Gage to recover from her and Jared’s neglect and become a responsible and trustworthy man, right?

  Her cell phone chimed. Sarah’s oldest son’s number illuminated the screen. With a shaky voice, she answered. “Hi, Craig.”

  Craig, who normally thought everything through before acting, blurted, “Is it true?”

  Which meant he could only be speaking about Gage.

  Sarah sighed. “Yes. How did you find out?”

  “Through Pierce. He called late last night with some halfbaked story about Gage and April having a four-year-old son. Did he really just tell you about him last night?”

  Sarah rubbed the spot where a headache had badgered her since this confusion began. “I’m afraid so, Craig. I knew that Gage was traveling back and forth to Tucson for the past few years but he wouldn’t tell me what was going on, only that it was something that I didn’t need to worry about. I don’t understand why he excluded us.”

  “He’s probably embarrassed about it.”

  Sarah found herself nodding even though Craig couldn’t see her. “Yes. Gage mentioned that last night.” But Sarah knew that couldn’t be all. Something else must have held her youngest son back, in spite of the unconditional love they’d shown.

  “So what’s going to happen to this boy now?” Craig asked.

  “Gage says that April’s behavior is becoming more erratic lately. He’s decided to file for custody of his son, but he’s unsure if he can pull it off with his tough job schedule.”

  “Hmm. Maybe we could all fast for Gage.”

  A tiny seed of hope loosened the tightness in Sarah’s chest at his suggestion. “Yes. Let’s do that. It isn’t just Gage who needs the Lord’s help, Craig. This is threatening to divide our family.”

  Craig gave a low whistle. “You’re not kidding. Pierce was still pretty upset when he told me. He was grumbling about Noelle having to watch Zach for a couple days. Said something about not letting Gage pawn his kid off on her any longer than that.”

  “I confess I want to throttle Gage too.” She smiled at Craig’s chuckle. Then she grew serious. “But Gage has been struggling for a long time. Now we at least know where he’s coming from. No matter how tempting it is to stay angry with him, we need to show him our support.”

  “I agree. Have you already talked to Dad about this?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “Would you like for me to call him instead?”

  Craig had always been a pillar of strength in their unhappy home. Now, as a school counselor, listening to others and helping them understand and work through their difficulties was his specialty. Even though Sarah appreciated his willingness to ease her burden, she declined. “This is something I need to do. Why don’t you call Pierce back, though, and let him know about the fast? And if you feel a lecture about treating his younger brother kindly coming on, I won’t stand in your way.”

  Craig guffawed. “Will do. Keep me in the loop.”

  “Okay. Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Ending the call, Sarah brought up Jared’s number in her list of contacts. Taking one more deep breath, she pushed the call button and waited. Two rings later, Jared Logan answered. “Hi, Jared. It’s me.”

  “What do you need, Sarah?” His voice sounded mildly surprised.

  “I, um, need to talk to you. About Gage.”

  In the awkward pause that followed, Jared asked, “What about him?”

  In halting sentences, Sarah explained the situation, noting Jared’s sharp intake of breath. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. The boy’s name is Zachary. Zach for short.”

  “What can I do to help?”

  Releasing a pent-up breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, Sarah presented Craig’s idea of the family fast. “Sure, we’ll do that,” he said easily, referring to his current wife, Tamara. “Sarah, I feel that Gage will pull through this in time. He’s a smart guy. He’ll figure it out.”

  “Hopefully before anything else happens.” She hated to sound pessimistic, but nothing had come of the many times she’d tried to help their youngest son. “It seems to me that Gage should have figured out by now that he can’t do this on his own.”

  “He’s tenacious, which can be a good thing in the business world. But in personal relationships, as you know, that characteristic presents a challenge. I’m afraid he may have picked that up from me.”

  A seemingly random memory came to Sarah. “Do you recall when the boys were little and they would get into little arguments? At times, they had more energy than they knew what to do with.”

  “That was when you would take them to the park or set them up with a project to do.”

  “Anything to change their focus. If we can get Gage to focus his efforts on more spiritual matters, he could be a great asset to the Church.”

  “You’re right,” Jared said, considering. “But he’s not going to come back into the Church until he’s ready. God is the only one who can bring Gage back. We can’t force the issue. I have a feeling that we haven’t seen the worst of this situation yet.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Sometimes a guy’s situation has to get really bad before he’s ready to listen and make big changes in his life.” They both knew he was speaking from experience.

  Sarah’s mouth tightened, recalling Jared’s shrill voice several years ago when he discovered that his employee had embezzled a hefty sum of money from his business. In the heat of the moment, without thinking his actions through, and because she had initially talked Jared into hiring the man, the yelling had been directed at her. She supposed that losing his business altogether after they divorced had been a pivotal moment for him. “So you don’t think that Gage has reached the breaking point yet?”

  Jared said, “Trust me. This is only the first phase. Of course, we don’t want to see our children suffer, but if Gage tr
uly reaches the point where he’s ready to ask the Lord for help, he will most likely receive it.”

  Sarah’s heart nearly stopped at the pronouncement. Surely the Lord would be merciful to their son. “Well, in the meantime, what can we do to help him and this new grandson of ours? I worry about how April’s negative influence will affect Zach through the years.”

  Jared’s sigh spoke volumes. “It won’t be easy, but we’ve got to include him in the family. Get to know him and let him get to know us.”

  “Exactly. And somehow introduce the gospel to him in small ways. Let him feel the Spirit.”

  “Which is going to be hard to do if Gage doesn’t allow it.”

  “He gave Pierce and Noelle permission to take him to a baby blessing, at least.”

  After Sarah filled him in on the rest, Jared agreed. “That’s a start. Things like that will make a difference. Let’s pray that Gage wins custody of Zach.”

  “I’ll keep you posted on the situation.”

  “Sounds good. Thanks.” After ending the call, Sarah shifted the gear into drive, hoping that her perishable groceries didn’t completely melt before she got home.

  Gage loved his little boy.

  He really did.

  They’d had a fun day together, going to an indoor recreational park called Amazing Jake’s after they’d driven into Mesa. But now it was almost nine p.m. and Zach’s constant chatter still hadn’t waned, which grated on his nerves. He was used to coming home to an empty house near midnight and crashing in the early morning hours, then lazing around a bit until late morning. Gage wondered if Zach would ever slow down.

  “Hey, Dad. I liked the bumper cars and the laser tag game and the—”

  “Yeah, I did too, buddy.” Cutting his son off may not be the best way to handle his developing headache, but Gage couldn’t take anymore. “But you know I have to work tomorrow and you’re going to meet your cousin Caleb along with Uncle Pierce and Aunt Noelle. We need to close our eyes and get some sleep.” They were lying on their backs on Zach’s bed looking up at—well, nothing. The ceiling, like the walls, were perfectly white.