Inked

by Everly Drummond

  Hey, Slick! I’ve been really busy with school. My thesis is due in two weeks. What’s up with you?

  She tapped her fingers nervously against the laminate countertop as she waited for his reply. Since when had they resorted to using tacky pet names for each other? Surprisingly, the sentiment felt natural and comforting, and it scared the crap out of her. Within seconds another text message flashed across the screen and the vibration of the phone caused Avery to jump.

  Are we still on for Saturday? There’s a great event going on at the Children’s Museum. Do you want me to buy the tickets online before they sell out?

  Avery tilted her head back and laughed, but quickly clamped her hand over her mouth when she remembered that Parker was fast asleep on the sofa. Their date had been about the two of them catching up and getting reacquainted, but Saturday was about Parker getting to know Brody a little better. Despite her reservations—and the fact that she still hadn’t come clean to Brody—Avery knew he had every right to get to know his son. So with her mind made up, she began typing her reply, but the phone vibrated with yet another incoming message.

  Well? Are we on for Saturday or not?

  “Geez, give me a chance to respond, would ya?” Avery hissed, and tapped the send button with the tip of her finger.

  Fine, I’ll pick you up at nine.

  I’ll pick you up at eight. Breakfast is on me.

  I don’t doubt your mad driving skills, but Parker’s booster seat is already installed in my car. I’ll pick you up at 8:30. That seems like a fair compromise.

  I’m one step ahead of you, Boo. See you Saturday at eight. ;)

  What the hell? Avery thought to herself. It would be just like Brody to run out and buy a booster seat for his car. And what was this whole thing with the Children’s Museum? What did he do, scour the internet looking for activities for them to do this weekend? Admittedly, the thought made her smile. Saturday was certainly shaping up to be a very interesting day.

  Chapter 11

  The lobby windows rattled loudly as sheets of rain poured down and lashed against the glass. Coffee cups, food wrappers, and day old newspapers littered the street as a strong gust of wind caused a nearby trashcan to topple over and blow away, barely missing the silver Volvo SUV parked at the curb.

  The clash of thunder, followed by even heavier pelts of rain, pummeling against the glass, disproved the weatherman’s forecast of sunny with a ten percent chance of rain, and killed all hopes they had of going to the waterfront carnival. Avery toyed with the phone in her hand and weighed her options. Brody was already ten minutes late and Parker was growing more impatient with each passing minute. If Brody failed to show up after her promising Parker that he would see him today, their son would be crushed and she’d be left to pick up the pieces.

  “God damnit!” she cursed under her breath.

  “What, mommy?” Parker asked, and looked up at Avery.

  “Nothing, little man, mommy was talking to herself.” She readjusted the backpack that hung from Parker’s shoulders and ruffled his hair. “Why don’t we go back upstairs and I’ll make you breakfast?”

  “Nooooooo,” he squealed. “Where’s Bwoodie?”

  With her patience running thin, Avery turned the phone over in her hand and dialed Brody’s number, and when there was still no answer after her second attempt, she texted him.

  Where in the hell are you?

  Five minutes passed and there was still no response, no phone call or text to explain his absence. Convinced that he was a no-show, Avery took Parker by the hand and led him back to the elevator. He wasn’t the type of child to throw a tantrum, but the disappointed look on his face and little sobs that racked his chest told Avery that not even a Happy Meal was going to fix this mess.

  As they waited for the elevator, Avery scooped Parker into her arms and cuddled him as she brushed the hair out of his tear stained face. “It’s okay, baby,” she assured him. “We’ll do something fun today. Promise.”

  With reddened eyes and cheeks, Parker looked up and gave her a half hearted smile, “Okay, mommy.”

  God, she was going to kill Brody for this. It was one thing to cancel on her, but you never made promises to a child that you couldn’t keep. Avery had to remind herself that Brody was still new to this. He was still learning how to be a father. Parenthood wasn’t an exact science, it was something that you learned over time, and God knows she made her fair share of mistakes.

  The elevator chimed and the door slid open at the same time her phone beeped with an incoming text. Balancing Parker with one arm, she unlocked her phone and read the message.

  I’m here. Don’t get on the elevator.

  Avery looked up just in time to see the door of the silver Volvo swing open and Brody step out into the pouring rain. Turning on his heel, he quickly sprinted towards the building and the dryness of the lobby, and in three long strides he burst through the glass doors. At the sight of him, Parker squealed and struggled to free himself from his mother’s arms.

  “Bwoodie!!!” Parker raced across the lobby and jumped into his outstretched arms, the excitement on his face evident even to Dottie Mitchell, Avery’s over protective neighbor, who was standing nearby collecting her mail.

  “Hey, Buddy.” Brody wrapped his arms tightly around Parker and hugged him to his chest.

  “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too.”

  Avery walked over to the other side of the lobby and joined them near the entrance, relieved for Parker’s sake that he’d finally shown up. But as relieved as she was, she couldn’t completely hide the anger from her voice. “Why where you sitting out in the car,” she asked, and looked past him to the silver Volvo illegally parked at the curb. “And why didn’t you answer my call?”

  Brody’s response was short and sweet and to the point. “I was talking to Veronica.”

  “Ah…” Avery replied. There was no more explanation needed. She knew that Veronica was a major thorn in his side and they were still working out the details of the divorce. Even though she hadn’t seen him wear his wedding band in the two months that he’d been back in her life, it was still a none-too-subtle reminder that Brody was in fact still married. She was sleeping with a married man. Even though they were technically separated, the thought made Avery cringe.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  The sound of Brody’s voice distracted Avery from her unpleasant musings. “Sure, but I think we can forget about going to the waterfront.”

  “Oh ye of little faith,” he teased. “It’ll be cleared up by the time we leave the museum.”

  “I thought we were going to breakfast?”

  “We are.”

  “At the museum?” Avery asked curiously, but decided to just go with the flow. If there was one thing she’d learned over the past month and a half, it was that Brody was full of surprises.

  Brody raised his arm and placed it above Parker’s head, using it as a makeshift umbrella to shield him from the rain. He turned to Avery and the corner of his mouth quirked up into an impish grin. “You ready to go?”

  She stepped forward and opened the door, motioning for Brody to lead the way. “After you.”

  “The doors are unlocked,” he called out as they made a speedy beeline for the Volvo.

  Flinging open the back door, Brody rushed to get Parker in the booster seat, but being inexperienced, he fumbled uncertainly with the buckles.

  “Get out of the way. I’ll do it.” Avery had to practically yell to be heard over the sound of the rain pounding down on the roof of the car.

  Brody stepped out of the way, giving her room to work her magic, and in a matter of seconds, Parker was securely fastened in his seat.

  “You’ll get the hang of it eventually,” Avery jeered as she hopped in the passenger seat and Brody slid into the seat beside her.

  Drenched from head to toe, he reached across her lap and opened the glove compartment, retrieved a handful of napkins, passed half of them to
Avery, and shrugged. “Sorry, it’s all I’ve got.”

  Brody started the car and pulled away from the curb as Avery used the last of the napkins to wipe up droplets of water that splattered the interior. It wasn’t until she wiped the dashboard that the realization sank in. This Volvo wasn’t just new, it was brand spanking new, and far more expensive than someone in Brody’s line of work could afford. But the thought was fleeting as he pressed a button on the consol and the DVD player in the back of her headrest sprang to life. The sound of Parker’s laugher filled the air when his favorite cartoon began to play.

  The drive to the waterfront passed quickly, but as they approached, it became evident that parking was going to be an issue.

  “Where did all these people come from?” Avery murmured. “It’s 8:45 on a rainy Saturday morning. Shouldn’t they be at home in bed, or something?”

  “They’re probably here for the same reason we are.” Brody turned left into a parking garage, produced his credit card, and slid it through the automated parking machine.

  “You’re still not going to tell me why we’re here, are you?”

  “You mean you didn’t Google it?” he asked in mock disbelief.

  Avery twisted her face and stuck her tongue out at him. “Of course I didn’t! You told me it was a surprise.”

  “Don’t stick that thing out unless you intend to use it.” He growled low in his throat and turned the car off, earning him a grunt of disapproval from the backseat when the DVD player suddenly shut off. Looking in the rearview mirror, he saw Parker slouched back in the seat with his arms folded across his chest and a scowl painted on his face. The corner of Brody’s mouth crooked up into an amused smile. “Don’t you want to go get some pancakes?”

  At the mention of the word pancakes, Parker’s face lit up.

  “How could you possibly know that’s his favorite food?” Avery whispered.

  “Call it an educated guess.”

  “Seriously, how did you know?” she repeated.

  “Because, pancakes were my favorite food when I was a kid,” he replied matter-of-factly.

  “Pancakes at the museum? I must admit, I’m intrigued.” Avery hopped out of the car and opened the back door, dexterously unbuckling Parker from the booster seat.

  They ran the block and a half to the museum using the awnings and storefronts as shelter from the storm and arrived at the entrance only partially drench. Crowds of families gathered in the lobby of the museum, all lining up in front of a set of double doors. On the wall above the doors hung a huge, multi-colored sign that read “The Lunchroom”. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that this must be the museum’s cafeteria. Avery looked around at the smiling faces of the children, still not knowing exactly what it was they were smiling about. It wasn’t until Parker tugged at her sleeve and pointed frantically to a sign on the wall did she clue in to what all the fanfare was about.

  Taped to the wall beside them was a glossy poster that depicted an animated, brown aardvark, and beneath that the bold, orange letters read Breakfast with Arthur and Friends.

  “You’re unreal,” Avery murmured as they took their place in line.

  “Good unreal or bad unreal?” Brody teased.

  “I’ll let you know when I figure it out,” she teased back.

  The crowd thinned out and the line moved forward as families anxiously entered The Lunchroom and found their seats. Staff members scurried around, and when everyone was seated, stacks of pancakes and jugs of juice found their way to the tables. Children squealed with delight when a museum employee dressed in a brown aardvark costume made his way from table to table greeting the children. The look of complete and utter happiness that spread across Parker’s face as Arthur approached the table absolved Brody of his lateness earlier that morning.

  As the excitement in the room mounted, staff members clad in green polo shirts bearing the museum’s insignia began to gather the children and whisk them away to the far end of the cafeteria where a makeshift stage had been erected. And to Avery’s amazement, Parker didn’t protest when a young brown haired girl took him by the hand and led him to the stage.

  “He’s changed so much,” Avery sighed wistfully as she watched Parker sit cross-legged on the floor in front of the stage. Even when the curly haired boy sitting beside him got overly excited and grabbed Parker’s arm, he didn’t shy away.

  “What do you mean?” Brody mumbled around another mouthful of pancakes.

  “Parker’s always been so shy, almost borderline anti-social, but since you’ve been in his life, he’s come out of his shell. Just look at him talking and playing with those kids.” She pointed towards the other end of the cafeteria where the kids now formed a large circle on the floor, laughing and singing as they passed around a bright, blue ball. “Two months ago he would’ve run yelling and screaming from something like this, but now, he’s acting like a child his age. He’s having fun!” Avery paused and took a sip of coffee to clear the lump that was forming in her throat. “I owe that all to you.”

  “I don’t know if I can take all the credit,” Brody laughed, and nudged her leg with his knee. “He’s got a pretty awesome mom.”

  The corner of Avery’s mouth curled up into a shy smile and she nudged him back under the table.

  The next hour was spent sipping at coffee and watching Parker have what could very well be the best day of his life, both of them laughing simultaneously at the multitude of expressions that passed across his face and gasping in unison when he lost his balance and fell head first into the child standing beside him. Much to their relief, Parker quickly recovered with the assistance of a green shirted staff member. And when the last game was played, and last song sung, Parker came bounding across the cafeteria and straight into Brody’s waiting arms.

  “Did you have fun?”

  “Yes!” Parker squealed as he climbed into Brody’s lap and wrapped his tiny arms around his broad shoulders in an attempt at a hug.

  Brody’s arms encircled Parker and squeezed him affectionately. When he spoke, his voice was thick and laced with emotion. “Anything for you, Buddy.”

  Following breakfast, they spent the remainder of the mourning leisurely touring the rest of the museum; the Science Playground, the Construction Zone, and finally, the Art Studio, where Parker’s simple art project resulted in a paint fight that left both of the boys covered head to toe in blue tempera paint. Avery couldn’t be certain, but she was pretty sure that the green shirted employee’s suggestion for them to change their clothes before touring the rest of the museum was his polite way of asking them to leave. So after a quick stop at the restroom to clean up what paint they could, they obligingly left.

  As they pushed through the doors and stepped outside, Avery noted that Brody’s weather prediction had come to fruition. The rain had subsided and the sun shone brightly overhead.

  “I told you so,” Brody said smugly. He picked up Parker and swung him over his shoulders as he continued gloating about how he was right and she was wrong.

  Avery stood frozen in place and watched as Brody swaggered along the sidewalk ahead of her while Parker rode piggyback on his shoulders. There were so many similarities between them; the eyes, the hair, the smirk. But there were also subtle differences. Brody was tall and broad shouldered where Parker was petite. Of course, he could always fill out when he got a bit older, but most of the men on Avery’s side of the family were slender and gangly. Brody was outgoing, his presence always demanding attention everywhere he went, and Parker was shy, but even that was slowly changing. Brody’s presence in Parkers life was bringing him out of the shell he’d been living in. So, was keeping Parker in the dark about Brody being his father protecting him, or hindering him? Would Parker look up to Brody and want to be just like his daddy, funny and outgoing? It was obvious that Brody was a very positive force in his life, and after seeing them interact together at the museum there was no doubt in Avery’s mind that the two boys shared something very special, so mayb
e it was time to tell Parker the truth.

  “Are you coming, or what?” Brody yelled over his shoulder.

  Avery startled and looked up. She spotted Parker bouncing up and down on Brody’s shoulders amid a crowd of people about a hundred yards ahead of her. By the time she made her way through the throngs of people entering the park, Brody was standing at a nearby hotdog stand and had already ordered three hotdogs, a side of fries, two sodas, and a can of juice. With the food in one hand and the drinks in another, he precariously balanced Parker on his shoulders as he made his way across the park to a vacant picnic bench nestled in the shade of a large oak tree. But the sight of Parker clinging to Brody’s shirt as the only means of support caused Avery’s heart to skip a beat and the breath to hitch in her throat. Instinctually, she lunged forward, snatching Parker from Brody’s shoulders and placing him safely on the ground.

  Admittedly, she was overprotective by nature, but making the decision to tell Parker about Brody also meant having to give Brody more leniency with their son. She was going to have to learn to let go and let Brody test the waters for himself. This was going to be a learning process for both of them.

  The feeling of Brody’s warm hand on hers jolted Avery back to the present and back to the middle of their impromptu picnic in the park. Their park.

  The look of recognition that swept across her face and the warm blush that reddened her cheeks caused him to smile. “Are you going to join us?”

  Placing one leg and then the other over the rickety picnic table bench, she sat down and examined the junk food buffet that was set out before her. It wasn’t the healthiest of meals, but it was a perfect picnic feast. Avery was about to ask Brody how he could possibly be hungry after having just devoured four plates of pancakes, but one look at her watch told her that it had been hours since they ate breakfast, and as if to confirm this, her stomach growled in response. “You’re batting two for two,” Avery joked as she reached across the table for a hotdog. “First pancakes and now hotdogs? A sure fire hit with any finicky eater.”