Summer Swing

by Delia Delaney

  “What are you talking about? I don’t give a crap about what Gage thinks. And Mom and Dad liked Tyse.”

  She snickered.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “It means that they’re worried about him too, and they’re politely declining to say how they really feel about him.”

  “What? What are they worried about?”

  As we stopped in the driveway of my parents’ house, she gave me a look. “Do you really think Dad wouldn’t look into him a little more, Ellie? All he does is make one little phone call to Mitch and he’s got anybody’s police record.”

  I let the information settle and then sighed. “So you guys know he’s served time. So what. It doesn’t automatically make him a criminal. Come on, Dawn, don’t be like that, too.”

  “Like what? I’m only trying to protect my little sister.”

  “No, you’re being judgmental—”

  “Ambrielle Christine Abbott, had I known he had served time in prison there would have been no way he’d be staying in my house! I could sue those stupid baseball people for putting an ex-con in someone’s house without informing them firsthand—”

  “It was Wyatt’s choice, Dawn. It was his house, and his decision, and yes he knew about it. He agreed to it. Apparently he was willing to give a guy a break, and I’m very grateful for that.”

  “Ooh, don’t even go there, Ellie,” she snarled. “Like I really want to hear adoring praise about my idiotic cheating pig of a husband.”

  “Well, then don’t be idiotic yourself.”

  “What!?”

  “Pop the trunk,” I growled.

  I got out of the car and slammed the door shut. She did the same but only stood there glaring at me.

  “Pop the trunk or you’ll be unloading it all by yourself,” I threatened.

  With a smirk she shook her head at my audacity. “Wow, is that the kind of attitude you get when you talk to him, Ellie? Your little boy scout rubbing off on you?”

  “Oh, shut up, Dawn. I can’t even believe you’re being so unfair. He lived with Wyatt for how many weeks? Ten? And did he ever do anything to offend you? Or did he ever say an unkind word to you?”

  She didn’t respond.

  “No,” I answered for her. “And I know he helped you guys out a lot, too. He even had a job—at three in the morning—just so he could live up here to play baseball. And Wyatt even said he paid for more than he really had to. He left him an extra fifty bucks just as a ‘thank you.’ And Tyse didn’t even tell me that. Wyatt did.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Who cares what the guy can afford.”

  “He can’t afford anything! That’s the freaking point, Dawn! He doesn’t have any money! He works hard just to make his own way! He even pays for college because he doesn’t have parents that support him—”

  “Duh! He’s an ex-con! He killed someone, for crap’s sake!”

  “What in the world are you two yelling about?” my mom exclaimed from the porch. “Get in the house before the neighbors call the police!”

  Dawn angrily popped the trunk, so I grabbed as many bags as I could and stormed into the house while my mom was right on my heels.

  “What in heaven’s name is the matter with you?” she asked.

  I dropped the groceries on the counter just as Dawn came storming in with her own armful, and she slammed the front door shut with her foot.

  “Ellie wants us to share our home with an ex-con for Christmas,” Dawn offered snootily.

  My mom looked at me with confusion, and then she slowly shook her head. “Oh, Ellie…” she said softly.

  “Don’t ‘oh, Ellie’ me, Mom. Unless you’re saying it because you realize what a warm and loving home we have, and you’re glad to share it with someone that really needs it.”

  Dawn snorted, but my mom didn’t say anything. I proceeded to put some of the groceries away, and when my sister plopped down on the couch, my mom decided to help me.

  “Yes, Tyse does worry me,” she finally said.

  “You don’t have anything to be worried about. Yes he went to prison for involuntary manslaughter, but what happened wasn’t his fault. He was defending himself.”

  Dawn chuckled sarcastically. “That’s his version.”

  “Oh, shut up! You don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

  “I don’t? I think I read almost everything that I could find about it, Ellie—which wasn’t much, so it was probably an open and shut case. He went looking for some guy that was sleeping with his girlfriend. It’s pretty cut and dry from there.”

  “What? That’s not what happened. His friend’s sister cried rape. His buddy went there to confront the guy, and the guy ended up going after Tyse with a knife! Get your facts straight!”

  “Have you done your research, Ms. Research Queen? Because I read the article and I know exactly what it said.”

  I stared at her for a few seconds. Finally I said, “His family wouldn’t even pay for legal representation. He had a crappy lawyer that barely—”

  “Because they knew he was guilty,” she smirked.

  “If you weren’t pregnant right now, I would beat that smile off of your face!”

  “Ellie!” my mom exclaimed while Dawn began laughing.

  I dropped the two cans of cranberry sauce on the counter and faced my mom. “I invited him for Christmas. Do you have a problem with that?”

  “Yes,” Dawn answered.

  “I’m not talking to you!”

  “Dawn, just stop,” my mom told her. She faced me again and sighed. “Your father and I are concerned about your friendship with this boy, yes.”

  “Concerned how?”

  “Well, I don’t really know what his story is, sweetie. Like Dawn said, there are conflicting accounts of the incident, and I’m not sure what to believe.”

  “Mom, he was here in your house. You had dinner with him. You mean to tell me that you can’t see a person for who they are and not what they’ve been told they are?”

  She sighed again. “No, sometimes it’s not so easy. Yes we enjoyed having Tyse here for dinner. Your father liked him, and David liked him… But you know your dad. He always does background checks on your friends. Especially boyfriends.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  She disregarded that and said, “Your father and I were just a little caught off-guard. If it was something that you knew, then you should have told us.”

  “I wanted him to have a fair chance,” I replied quietly. “I wanted him to just enjoy being here without any preconceived notions because of his past.”

  “We don’t even know anything about his past, sweetheart. He barely shared anything about himself.”

  “He does keep to himself. But I really don’t think it’s for any bad reasons. He just tries to protect himself from…something. I don’t know. I’m still working on it Mom, but I just think he wants to forget a lot of things.”

  Dawn tried to retort something but my mom shushed her with a hand.

  My mom looked at me again. “Maybe right now isn’t the time to be inviting him to our house, Ellie. Why don’t we just hold off on that for now?”

  “Why? Hold off until when?”

  “Until you get a clue,” Dawn snapped.

  “Dawn Marie Abbott!” my mom yelled. “You stop being so nasty!”

  “Nasty?!” she exploded as she jumped up from the couch. “Why can’t I have a say in this? I don’t want an ex-con in the family! Next thing ya know we’ll have little convict babies running around!”

  “And how’s that any worse than your lying, cheating husband?” I retorted. “Huh? So what’s that make your baby—”

  “Ambrielle,” my mom warned quietly.

  Dawn was about to pounce on me, literally, and she was just waiting for me to finish my sentence. But my mom was right, and I knew I was already fighting an uphill battle against Dawn and her army of hormones.

  “I gotta go,” I said quietly. My mom proteste
d, but I just shook my head and left for home.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  My dad called me later that night, trying to be the peacemaker. The conversation started out pretty friendly—my dad stated that he understood, and he only wanted me to understand how much my family loved me and looked out for me—but I kept getting the feeling that I was just being fed lines. Lines that were meant to seem supportive, but I didn’t feel they were sincere. I almost felt like my dad was trying to say just the right things to keep me reeled in close enough, because if I were to get upset with him, he assumed I would rebel even more. Wasn’t that parenting rule number nineteen or something?

  “Your psychology isn’t going to work on me, Dad,” I finally said. “I’m not twelve and you’re not going to manipulate me into seeing the ‘errors of my way.’ I thought you of all people would understand. You’ve had friends with shady pasts. You’re kind of rough yourself. But why would you be friends with these people?”

  “They’re not in my daughter’s life. Yes they are friends of mine, and yes I trusted them with my very life when we served together, but I wouldn’t let them around my daughter. I’m not saying they’re bad people, but I wouldn’t let them build a friendship with any one of my kids.”

  “Tyse isn’t anything like those men, Dad. Tyse just had crappy thing happen to him, and he’ll have to live with that for the rest of his life. Why can’t he have a second chance? He’s a good person.”

  “I don’t doubt that, honey, but I’m just a little concerned about…”

  “About what? What is the real issue here?”

  “Are you romantically involved with this boy, Ellie?”

  I didn’t respond for a long time because I was trying to understand the intent of his question. Was that going to make a difference in how they treated him? Were they only concerned, like Dawn said, about ‘little convict babies’?

  “Why would that matter?”

  It was his turn to be silent, and I was sure he was just plotting his reply.

  “Dad, I don’t want to talk about this anymore, okay? I’m tired, so I’m just gonna take a bath and go to bed. Maybe if I get a chance I’ll call Tyse and we can plan our wedding. I’ll make sure we play ‘Jailhouse Rock,’ and only ex-cons will be invited.”

  “Ellie…” He was annoyed at first, I was sure, but then he softened his tone. “You’re still coming over tomorrow, right?” When I didn’t answer right away, he added, “It’s Thanksgiving, sweetie. I want all my kids there. We won’t talk about Tyse, I promise.”

  “Well you might as well because he’ll be here for Christmas. Just get it out of your systems. Actually, I think I’d rather go see him for Christmas. If my family can’t stop being cold-hearted, judgmental fools, then maybe I don’t want him here.”

  “Ellie, Tyse is welcome to come for Christmas. There isn’t a problem with that, honey.”

  I knew that would be his response. Anything to keep me close enough.

  “I’ll think about tomorrow,” I sighed. “Goodnight.”

  I hung up before he could respond, and then I really did pour myself a bath. I was glad that Kailey was gone for the Thanksgiving holiday, so I had the house to myself. I wasn’t sure if Dawn would be coming home that night or not, but I assumed she was going to stay at my parents’ house instead.

  My cell phone rang just as I got into the tub. I don’t know why I always bring it into the bathroom with me, especially when I’m trying to relax, but there it was, ringing with a phone call from Tyse. I almost didn’t answer it because the fight with my family was still fresh, and I didn’t want Tyse to know about it. But I decided the need to talk to him far outweighed how awful the day had ended.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I answered cheerfully.

  “Hm, I think you’ve got some explaining to do,” he replied.

  My heart raced. “Uh, what?”

  “I got something mailed to me at the shop today.”

  I had to laugh out loud. “Oh, yeah? Was it anything cool?”

  “Yeah, super cool.”

  “Was it all intact? No eyeballs fell off, or no molting feathers?”

  “Nope, it looks pretty nifty.”

  “Awesome. So what do I have to explain?”

  “What motivates you to turn a pine cone into a turkey?”

  “Well, a group of awesome kids at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, actually. I happened to arrive for craft hour, and decided to make you a turkey.”

  “Aw, that’s really cool, Ellie. You’re amazing.”

  “My artistic skills? Thanks.”

  “No,” he chuckled. “Your big heart. But you’re pretty crafty too, because this is the coolest turkey I’ve ever seen.”

  “Maybe it can be your mascot for the turkey bowl in the morning.”

  He laughed again. “Yeah, maybe so.”

  “You’re still playing, right?”

  “Yep. Drew teams tonight, so now I don’t have to worry about being pummeled by Nate since he’s on my same team.”

  “Hmm, yeah that would give me nightmares too. Wait, I have been hit by Nate.”

  “Oh, that was ages ago. Can’t you forgive and forget?”

  “I can forgive. But a woman never forgets.”

  “Yeah, I think they teach us that in kindergarten.”

  I laughed. “That’s right. But I don’t even know why. It doesn’t get through to you guys until you’re, like, fifty, right?”

  “Exactly,” he chuckled. There was a pause and then he asked, “Are you in the bathroom?”

  “What?” I said automatically. “Uh…”

  “I can hear the echo.”

  “Oh.”

  “You wanna finish your business and call me back?”

  I laughed. “I’m not going to the bathroom.”

  “Oh.” There was silence again and then, “Oh.”

  “Yep, sorry but I just got in here when you called.”

  “Why do you take your phone in while you’re taking a bath?”

  “Just waiting for a call from one of my VIP’s.”

  “And?”

  “And I’m talking to my number one.”

  “Ah-ha. Who’s your number two?”

  I paused because I didn’t know if I should make a joke or just be honest. “Probably Dawn,” I admitted.

  “You put me above your sister? I’m flattered. Wait, Dawn must be majorly hormonal today, right?”

  “Totally. But hey, a win is a win, right? Who cares how you earned the number one spot.”

  “Normally I’d agree with you, but I like to win because I did better than the other person, not because they made a mistake.”

  “Hmm, I see your point. It feels better that way.”

  “Yep. So what’s going on with Dawn? Is she doing okay? How is she feeling lately with her pregnancy?”

  It almost hurt to hear Tyse be so concerned about my sister—my sister that had just ripped him apart only two hours ago.

  “Um, she’s doing okay. She’s really cranky about everything, and pretty much a rollercoaster of emotions. You should have seen her in the grocery store. I almost had to hold her back from eating all the cheese samples. The sample lady looked pretty frightened.”

  He laughed. “I guess she probably doesn’t show much since she’s, what, three months? People can’t automatically give her a free pass if they can’t tell she’s pregnant.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, at least you were there to tame her if needed.”

  “I don’t know; she’s hard to tame lately.”

  “Just tell her she’s having a girl and all will be well.”

  “A girl, huh? Just to shut her up, or because you really think that?”

  “Both.”

  “Expound.”

  “Don’t women crave dairy when it’s a girl?”

  I chuckled. “You reading up on your issues of Motherhood?”

  “Nah, I just heard that somewhere. Or maybe if you want a girl you eat a lot of dairy…
I don’t know. Either way I think she’s having a girl.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “I don’t know; it just seems that way.”

  For some reason we spent a few minutes talking about weird pregnancy things, and I had to laugh when he told me Nate thinks pregnant women are hot.

  “Do I want to ask why?”

  “I don’t know, do you dare?”

  “Hmmm.”

  “Actually Nate just thinks a woman that’s carrying a baby is pretty sexy. You know, life within a life? Something like that.”

  “Well, maybe he should just get a tattoo of a pregnant woman. Then he’d have sexy right on him.”

  Tyse laughed. “I’ll have to tell him you said that. No, maybe I won’t because he’ll do it. All his tattoos have some sort of strange meaning to them. Well not all of them are strange, but some are pretty unique.”

  “And what about yours? Do yours have significance?”

  He paused for a few seconds before he replied, “Yeah, of course they do.”

  I thought I was going to have to pry, and he would probably refuse to tell me, but he volunteered the information on his own.

  “Uh, the one on my shoulder? –The tribal one? That, uh, represents a man’s peace with himself… You know, accepting yourself and your life as it comes to you. Uh…the one around my other arm… I guess it’s easier to explain if you were looking at it, but…”

  “I remember it. It circles your arm and has kind of…a pattern to it? The line dips, and then it comes up and wavers a little, and then it really peaks, and then it comes down and wavers again, and then it dips… And it repeats, right? All the way around?”

  He softly chuckled. “Yeah. You’ve studied my body more than I thought.”

  I kind of snorted, but I could feel my face turn red. Maybe I’d just been in the bath too long. “Well yes, I guess so,” I tried to reply casually. “So what do the ups and downs mean? The tattoo.”

  “Where the line dips—”

  “The lows in life?”

  “No, actually the opposite. The dip is like a safety net; a protective valley that keeps you secure and comfortable. It’s the moments in your life that make sense; the moments that you’re with the right people, making choices you feel good about—a cozy hammock where you can relax and feel content with who you are and the way your life is going.