Paper Cranes

by Nicole Hite

“You kids be good. I’m headed to bed; very nice to meet you, Kat. Come back anytime, bebe.”

  “Nice to meet you too, Mr. Daniels. Thank you for the cola.”

  He didn’t respond, but instead snuck out of the room and down the hallway.

  “Sounds like you and dad hit it off. He didn’t tell you any embarrassing stories about me, did he?”

  “No, but now I’m intrigued!”

  “Maybe another time,” he smirked.

  Lee tried to pull me into his side again, but I sidestepped his advances. Instead, I went to a wall full of pictures. I didn’t want to embarrass myself anymore then I had already done tonight. Ironically, being caught by his son and father was far worse than singing on the cash register half naked. At least I wouldn’t see those people again.

  Pointing to a picture closest to me, “Oh my God. Is that you?”

  Before me was a nerdy little boy just about the same age as Jackson. He had giant glasses, a mouth of braces, and an atrocious plaid shirt on.

  “My style was on point,” he laughed, “besides, it was only dad raising us then. He tried his best to raise us.”

  “And this little guy,” I pointed to a mirror image of Lee, only a little smaller.

  “That’s Gage,” he snickered as he filled the bowl with popcorn.

  “My God. He looks just like you. The resemblance is uncanny!”

  “People always think we are twins – it’s annoying as shit.”

  “I’m warning you right now, if JoJo gets her hands on him, you’re screwed. You think she’s a pain in the ass now? HA. You just wait.”

  “How does JoJo feel about casual sex?” Lee laughed.

  “I think that’s all she knows to be honest.”

  “They’ll be perfect for one another then,” he smiled.

  “Commitment phob?” I asked.

  “Big time. I’m not sure he’s ever had a steady girlfriend. Truthfully, he’s missing out.”

  “I thought you were supposed to grow out of that,” I chuckled.

  “One would think. Not so much.”

  Just then, the sound of plastic flapping on the kitchen floor got our attention. Jackson’s little footie pajama’s pattered their way directly to us.

  Placing his hands on his hips, “Are we going to watch this movie, or not? I’m getting older every second.”

  His sassy little self clearly came from Lee. Jackson was one hundred percent Lee’s, all the way down to his mannerisms. It was adorable.

  With our giant bowl of popcorn, we made our way into the living room. Spinning in rotation was the start up screen. Jackson was being very patient not to hit play, however the second we appeared in his line of sight it was game over.

  “Kat, I wanna sit next to you. Sorry, Dad.”

  “Kat’s only been here an hour and already you’re taking over my girl? What’s that about, little dude?”

  “She said I was cute. Didn’t you, Kat?” he flashed me his innocent smile.

  “I did say he was cute,” I raised my eyebrows, stifling a laugh.

  “Yeah, Dad. She’s my girlfriend. Right Kat?”

  I had to laugh out loud. Only a five-year-old would say something so darling.

  “I am A girl who is your friend,” I winked at Jackson.

  “Oh okay. Can I share my popcorn with you?”

  “Sure, buddy. Hit me with a kernel.”

  Jackson’s little fingers, literally, tossed me a piece in the air. Sticking out my tongue, I let the fluffy corn land on my tongue.

  “Yummy!” I chomped.

  “Can you teach me how to do that someday?” Jackson asked.

  “Yeah, Kat, can you teach me how to do that thing with your tongue too,” he suppressed a laugh.

  Looking at Jackson, “Sure, bud. I then turned to Lee, “Nice try.”

  “A guy can hope, can’t he?”

  Rolling my eyes, “He can hope, doesn’t mean it will come true.”

  Jackson practiced his kernel toss until he could barely keep his eyes open anymore.

  “I can put him to bed. I don’t mind.”

  “Are you sure you can handle it?” Lee questioned.

  Scooping up Jackson’s tiny, tired body, I padded my way down the hallway. Placing him down on his Spiderman bed, I pulled the covers up nice and tight. I even wiggled Gus under his arm, and flicked on his Captain America night-light. The actions felt so natural, as if I’d done it a thousand times over.

  Right as I was about to shut his door, a little voice called me back.

  “Kat, are we still going to the pound? I was a big boy, right?”

  “Yes, yes you were, buddy. Now go to sleep,” I said, cracking the door.

  “Any problems,” Lee asked as I made my way back into the living room.

  I knew he was worried about my arm, but he was so little, he felt virtually weightless.

  “Nope. Peachy keen, jellybean. Jackson’s a really great kid you know.”

  “Thanks, Dove. That means a lot. I’ve definitely had challenges, but I don’t regret a single second.”

  With that, I plopped down next to him on the couch. Pulling me toward him, I reclined into his side as we watched the end of Clue.

  “So what’s next on the bucket list?” he asked as he twirled a piece of my hair.

  “Hmm, I have a few, but they seem lame. I’ve never been very outgoing.”

  “What are they? You already know I’m not going to judge you Dove.”

  “Well, there’s this crazy fortune teller on Bourbon. I know it’s lame, but I’m intrigued. I know what she’s going to say, but the experience would be neat. Besides, I’ll be able to tell if she’s full of shit or not,” I laughed.

  “I really like that. I’ve never been to one myself. I could get down with that. What else you got?”

  “I’ve always wanted to swim with pigs in the Bahamas.”

  “Wait. Is that really a thing?” he looked confused.

  “Yep. It’s this island in the Bahamas called, Big Major Cay. I saw it on the travel channel one time.”

  “That sounds…awesome,” he tried to hold back a laugh.

  “Shut up, asshole. They seem so cute and innocent.”

  “Yeah, until they bite your face off. But, who knows, I could be totally wrong. They could be sweet and docile creatures. This surprises me to be honest.”

  “Why is that?” I looked confused.

  “Well, you love bacon, like, a lot. Seems a little masochistic, but hey, if that makes you happy, I’m all for it. But can’t I just put you in a bathtub and throw bacon at you?”

  “You. Are. An. Ass!” I crowed.

  “I aim to please, baby!”

  “Perhaps I should stick to adopting a dog,” I winked.

  “Oh, Lord. Don’t say that too loud, you’ll wake up spawn of Satan.”

  “I just think you need to bone up and get him a puppy.”

  “That’s another conversation for another time, Dove. It’s complicated.

  “Okay,” I said shortly.

  I wasn’t sure why Lee would want to switch topics so quickly on something so frivolous, but I wasn’t about to test the limits. We were having a great night. No need to spoil the fun.

  “What else you got on that list?”

  “Um, well, I’ve never gotten a tattoo before. I’ve always been too chicken shit to allow someone to purposefully stab me over and over.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I have a few in mind, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise yet.”

  That was a lie. There was only one tattoo I had considered, but I didn’t want to freak him out by telling him what it would be.

  “It’s okay. It won’t bother me if you get my name tattoo on that rump of yours. I give you permission,” he laughed.

  All I could do was roll my eyes as his arrogant comment.

  “You know, you never answered my question,” he pulled me closer toward him.

  “About?” I play dumb. I knew exactly w
hat he was asking. I just wanted to hear him say it.

  “Well, can we?”

  “We what?” I asked giving him a cocky grin.

  “Oh come on, Dove. You can’t kiss a guy like that and expect him not to want to do it again. So can we at least be friends who kiss?”

  “I’ll think about it,” I teased.

  Lee started kissing my neck, getting desperately close to my earlobe.

  “Do you really need to think about it, Dove?” he persisted.

  “Don’t make me regret this, Daniels.”

  “Trust me. You won’t,” he said, placing a sweet kiss on my neck.

  “I just thought of another bucket list wish,” I spoke up.

  “Oh yeah. What’s that?” he bent down to listen, nestling into my neck. He placed his lips to my neck where I’m sure he could feel my erratic heartbeat. Oh, what this man does to me.

  “A kiss in the rain.”

  “Consider it done. Now, I guess we wait for rain,” he smiled.

  Turns out getting the team on a float was a lot harder than I had anticipated. From what I found out, some sort of Krewe orchestrates each parade. They have a voting process that begins, practically, the day after Mardi Gras concludes. The voting is to choose themes, colors and whom they want on their float for their official King. Whatever that means.

  New Orleans is pretty much on lockdown for Mardi Gras, which means mini vacation for this girl. There are so many parades going on that a majority of the streets are shut down for at least a week. What would normally only take me 15 minutes to get to work, could take hours.

  I wasn’t complaining too much considering I didn’t exactly want to be stuck in an office. I was feeling so much better, and the last thing I wanted was to fart around when the streets were filled with fun. I’ve lived in N’Orleans for so long and yet I have never once taken advantage of all its amenities including Mardi Gras. I always kept myself at a safe distance, and simply immersed myself in my job.

  Collecting my belongings to “work from home” this week, I saddled up and sent Lee a text.

  Me: You ready to get our Mardi Gras on?

  Nearly seconds later, Lee chimed in as if he were waiting patiently next to his phone. The anticipation of tonight was like the night before a much needed vacation or Christmas Eve.

  Lee: I’m already at your house. JoJo is enlightening me on the guys you’ve dated in the past. It’s proving to be very interesting.

  Me: I’ll be home in ten. Tape her mouth shut if need be.

  Lee: Oh, but why? I’m rather enjoying the talk, however I did have to break it to her that we are just friends. She seemed a little upset with your decision. I think she’s taking a liking to me.

  Me: Make that five.

  Lee: ha ha ha

  I wasn’t sure why I was racing home, but the thought of JoJo scamming on my territory irritated me. She had no mercy for men. She was too bossy, not to mention high maintenance.

  I made it home in record time as I bust through the front door. Sitting in my living room was JoJo, Lee and a guy I vaguely remember seeing before. He was spitting image of Lee leading me to believe it was Gage; Lee’s younger brother.

  The brothers had nearly identical tats, although Gage was cleanly shaven with much shorter hair. In a twisted way, I was glad he was there distracting JoJo from her predatory ways. She knew I wasn’t “dating” Lee, which meant Lee was free game. However, if she were a true friend, she still wouldn’t touch him.

  Sitting in an accent chair no one ever sat in, was Lee himself. Pushing himself off the armrests, he stood to greet me. God, did he look good. He wore a Saints ball cap backwards, clingy v-neck black shirt that showed the faint lines of his chest and worn jeans. He wore work boots, but they were incredibly attractive. They said, “I can get down and dirty, AND down and dirty.”

  “Hey, Dove,” Lee stated as he walked over to give me a hug. He never gave me random hugs at least is front of anyone that is; it was strangely comforting though. Kissing in private, sure, but not random hugs. There it was again, oil and pine needles.

  Pulling back from our hug, I gave him a questioning look. “What was that for?”

  “I figured you were cold-free and you needed it. Plus, I kinda missed ya.”

  “Aw, that was really sweet, but I just saw you the other day. Now what do you really want,” I joked.

  “Dammit, okay, I was wondering if Gage…”

  “AND ME,” JoJo blurted.

  “…and Jo, could come with tonight.”

  “I’m Gage by the way, since my bro is so rude,” he stated as he picked me up and began swinging me around.

  “Nice…to meet you…Gage,” I squealed with laughter.

  “This asshat over here can’t stop talking about you,” he thumbed in Lee’s direction.

  “OKAY, that’s enough talking,” Lee interrupted.

  “Oh, no, no, no. I want to hear what you’ve been saying about me behind my back.”

  “That you’re…”

  “ETT,” Lee tried to interrupt. “Zip it!”

  Gage rolled his eyes, “That you’re beautiful.”

  “That’s it, that’s all he said?”

  “And you’re…”

  “SHUT THE FUCK UP, DIPSHIT,” Lee tried to interrupt Gage’s thought.

  “Smokin’ hot! I tend to agree.”

  Down casting his eyes, Lee covered his face in embarrassment.

  “Is that so?” I gave Lee a wink. “Did he also tell you we’re just friends?”

  “Yep, he said…”

  “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DOUCHEBAG! SHUT YOUR PIE HOLE!”

  “…he didn’t care. He was going to try everything and anything to make you his girl. He’s such a dumbass. Hard to believe we’re related.”

  “Well, we’ll see about that,” I grinned.

  “Yeah, he even talks to Jack…” he suddenly cut himself off. Wide eyed, he looked at Lee terrified he had spilled a can of beans.

  “Jackson? Yeah, I know about him.”

  “Oh thank, God. I wasn’t in the mood to have my ass handed to me tonight.”

  “Who’s Jackson?” Jo chimed in.

  “My five-year-old son,” Lee beamed.

  “Wait, you gotta kid?”

  “Yep. He’s my world. My everything.”

  “He really is a great dad,” Gage said meekly.

  “That’s sorta hot,” Jo added.

  “JOJO!” I scolded.

  “It’s okay, Dove. I’ll take the compliment any day of the week.”

  I tried desperately to ease the awkward tension, “I’m going to change out of my work clothes and we can head out.”

  “Okay, Capitano!” Gage saluted me as he snapped into attention.

  “At ease soldier,” I joked.

  Just as I reached the top of the stairs, I could hear the faint sounds of Gage’s voice.

  “I like her, big bro. Well done.”

  “Shut up, dick. Your mouth is going to get you into trouble. Just…lay low if you can, got it?”

  “Roger that.”

  We parked Lee’s truck at their shop towards the end out the route on Canal and took a cab back to Napoleon and Tchoupitoulas where the route started. JoJo and Lee walked ahead as I put my purse under the seat of his truck.

  “You’re girl, JoJo, is smokin’ hot. Sweet Jesus, look at that ass! You gonna hook me up?” Gage waggled his eyebrows up and down as he threw an arm over my shoulder.

  “Something tells me you have no problem getting girls, Casanova.”

  “True.”

  “You are one cocky S.O.B. She’ll love that,” I giggled.

  “So what the hell is up with you and my brother? Why are you dickin’ him around? You know he’s crushin’ on you something fierce, Kat.”

  “I mean I get it. I feel the same way.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “I can’t ask him to sacrifice his time when I’ve got…”

  This time it was my turn to cut
myself off. I wasn’t sure how much Lee had divulged to Gage.

  “ALS?” He finished.

  “I guess you two really do talk about everything.”

  “Yes, we do. He wasn’t always like that though. Lee was in a seriously dark place before Jackson was born. That boy saved him from a life of destruction. Seeing him light up talking about you reminds me of the day Jackson was born.”

  “What if I disappoint him?”

  “He’s offering his heart to you, Kat. My suggestion - take it. If he loves you as much as he does Jackson, and I have a feeling he does, you won’t be disappointed or alone in this.”

  Wiping a tear from my cheek, “What happened with Jackson’s mom?”

  “That’s not a story for me to tell. And Kat, don’t get mad at the guy when he gives you details. He’s changed; he’s not the same guy he once was. Just remember that.”

  “What’s going on slow pokes?” Lee turned around as him and JoJo made their way through the crowd.

  “Just chatting. I was telling her about your weirdo habits,” he smiled reassuringly at me.

  “He’s lying! He was ogling Jo’s ass, saying she’s smokin’ hot!”

  Jo immediately stopped, whipping around sending a clear message that she thought Gage was interested in me and not her. Her sulking expression immediately changed to delight.

  “She’s right though. Baby, you have an ass to die for!”

  Like a scene in a romance movie, Jo ran and leapt into Gage’s arms. Catching her easily, she wrapped her legs around his waist and drew him in for a movie worthy kiss. It’s one thing to see it on the big screen, but seeing it in action was almost comical. I couldn’t help but gape at their public display, then again, nothing at Mardi Gras shocked me.

  “Schanks, At,” Gage tried to get out between the attack of kisses from JoJo. I’m not gonna lie, even I was hot and bothered watching him squeeze her ass as she attacked his face.

  “Well this just got awkward,” I muttered.

  “Forget about them. Let’s go get on this float.”

  “Jo, we’re going to go now,” I shouted above the crowd.

  With a backwards flip of the wrist, she waved me goodbye. Still refusing to pull away from Gage’s hold on her, they continued their shameless PDA.