Hotbox

by Delia Delaney

  “Ty,” she breathed.

  “Okay.” I moved away from her and let out a breath of air. I had pushed my luck and instantly regretted it. “I’m so sorry,” I told her. “I got a little carried away.”

  “It’s okay,” she smiled, “so did I. I just… I’m not…”

  Her phone rang and I think she was relieved. I was sure she was going to tell me I wasn’t about to get lucky any day soon. I hoped she didn’t think I was that kind of guy.

  “Okay,” she was saying to Cali, “I’m on my way.” She hung up and smiled at me. “They’re just leaving the club, so I’m going to head to her house.”

  “Sure,” I nodded.

  I started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. She slid to the passenger’s seat and buckled her seatbelt, and then took my hand in hers.

  It had been an interesting night to say the least, and if I had been able to predict certain things to happen, I would have changed a few little moments along the way. But the bottom line was that Jayden was an amazing girl, and being that I liked her so much, I was in for something different than what I was used to. I worried about how much of a problem Aaron was going to be, if Chris was ever going to stop despising me, if Jayden’s father would end up throwing me in jail someday, and if Jayden and I were even going to last another week.

  I wished I could predict the future.

  Chapter Seven

  “So where’d you two end up going last night?” Aaron tried to ask casually. It was eleven-thirty on Sunday morning, and although he’d only been awake for an hour, he had pretty much kept his distance from me.

  “You think I really want to talk to you about my girlfriend?”

  He laughed. “What’s the big deal, Ty? Was she really that offended?”

  “No, but her friends were. And I think they’re probably more sensitive to it than Jayden would be. You just don’t say stuff like that around people you don’t even know.”

  “Ty’s right,” Jesse said from across the room. “I was embarrassed for you.”

  “You guys are hilarious,” Aaron laughed. “What’s the big deal?” he asked me again.

  “The ‘big deal’ is that you keep cutting her down for some reason. Why? What’s your problem? She was nice to you, invited you to sit with us, and then you turn around and say something crass in front of her friends.”

  “Crass? That was crass? Oh Ty, what has she done to you? One week with her and talk about sleeping with girls is suddenly offensive to you?”

  “It’s not really the subject of it, but how you said it and in front of who.”

  “You guys are a joke,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Fine, but I’m just telling you… Lay off, okay?”

  “Whatever.”

  I hated the fact that there had been so much contention in the house for the past week. The three of us had always gotten along, even though we were all so different. There had never been any arguments except over an occasional card game, or stupid stuff like taking food that didn’t belong to you. But there had never been fights over girls. Period. The three of us talked about girls all the time. We were guys, what would you expect? We’d all had our occasional girlfriends or one time dates, hung out together, talked about it, and moved on.

  But since Jayden… Aaron had said all kinds of things about her. I was really intent on keeping the peace in the house—playing ball with guys you can’t get along with is not easy—but Aaron made it really hard. I didn’t want it to come down to a major blow up, so I wasn’t quite sure how to handle it.

  There was a knock at the door, and since Aaron was closest to it, he pulled it open. Jayden was standing on the porch and she said hi to him, but he just left the door open and walked away.

  “Hey,” I said, jumping up from the couch. “I was waiting for your call. Come on in.”

  “Hey, Jayden,” Jesse said.

  “Good morning,” she smiled. Looking at me she said, “Actually I have something in my car for you. I’ll be right back.”

  Before I could respond she turned around and began walking to her car. Out of curiosity, I followed after her and asked, “What could you possibly have for me?”

  “Food,” she answered over her shoulder.

  “Food?”

  She turned around before opening the car door. “I told you I like to cook, remember? And I especially like to cook for other people, so get used to it.” She opened the door and pulled out a brown grocery bag and handed it to me. It was pretty heavy, and whatever was inside was still warm. Then she grabbed another bag that looked a little lighter.

  “Wow, what do I owe you?” I asked.

  With a laugh she softly kissed my lips and replied, “Just that.”

  Like a puppy I followed her back into the house. Once in the kitchen, she began explaining the contents of the bags as she pulled out each dish, and Jesse joined us with a smile on his face. Before us was a feast of barbecued ribs, spicy buffalo wings, potato salad, baked beans with sausage, and homemade salsa with a bag of tortilla chips.

  “And…” she pulled out what seemed to be the last item, “…apple pie.”

  “Holy crap!” Jesse exclaimed. “Is that all for Ty? Jayden, make him share.”

  “It’s for all of you,” she told him. “I think there’s enough for your friends that are coming over to watch the game—if you want to share with them,” she smiled.

  “Sweet,” he replied. “You’re awesome.”

  When Jesse left the kitchen, Jayden raised her eyebrows at me. “I’m awesome.”

  “You most certainly are,” I replied, pulling her close for a kiss.

  “I hear there’s good food in here,” Aaron interrupted, entering the kitchen. At the same time the front door opened and Jack and Devin came into the house.

  “It actually smells good in here for once,” Jack announced, sniffing the air. “What happened to the dirty sock aroma?”

  Jack said hi to Jayden and the guys gathered in the front room and began predicting the outcome of the game they were going to watch. Jesse came into the kitchen and asked if it was okay to eat the food because he was starving. For a skinny kid, he sure ate a lot.

  “Are you ready to go?” I asked Jayden.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I have no idea. You were the one that said she’d call me with a ‘plan,’ ” I smiled. “Surely it doesn’t consist of hanging out with a bunch of rowdy guys and watching sports, does it?”

  “Well, I don’t mind—I actually do it all the time—but maybe the guys might care,” she added uncertainly, glancing out at Aaron. “But I don’t want you to miss watching the game with your friends—”

  “You should stay,” Jesse said, filling a plate with food. “I think Megan’s coming over, too. She’d like not being the only girl for once.”

  The kitchen suddenly filled up with bodies trying to get at the food, so I pulled Jayden into the front room and asked her what she wanted to do.

  “Unless you really want to get out of the house, I’m perfectly fine hanging out here. We can always leave if you change your mind.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. I prayed that Aaron wouldn’t start any trouble, but I really did want the guys to get to know her better.

  “And you should go get some food before it’s too late,” she said, pushing me toward the kitchen.

  “What about you?” I asked.

  “I already ate. I test everything as I make it.”

  “All right,” I replied, kissing her before I left.

  Jesse came out of the kitchen, eating some of the barbecued ribs as he found a spot on the couch. “This is rad!” he exclaimed with his mouth full.

  I entered the kitchen as most of the guys had their plates filled.

  “I guess we know who to call when we need a caterer,” Jack said as he left the room with Trent right behind him.

  Aaron was leaning up against the counter eating some of the potato salad, eyeing me from a distance. “Good stuff,” he t
old me as he chewed. “She puts bacon in it. Is she trying to win me over? I think she’s just using you to get to me.”

  “You wish,” I replied, filling a plate.

  He was quiet for a bit as he took another bite. It was kind of an awkward moment because I felt like he actually thought about apologizing for being such a jerk, but at the same time, I knew he wouldn’t.

  I left the kitchen and found Jayden sitting near Jesse, talking about music. He asked her about Shawn and how long they had been playing together.

  After she answered his question Trent said, “I heard you guys were a thing.”

  Jayden lightly laughed. “No, not me and Shawn. You’re probably thinking of Camryn. She also plays with us a lot. She and Shawn were together for a while.”

  “So Ty doesn’t have competition then?”

  She looked my way and smiled. “Oh, no way.”

  The rest of the afternoon consisted of baseball. Megan did end up arriving around the third inning and she and Jayden got along really well. Aaron didn’t seem to concern himself with Jayden since he was too wrapped up in the game to bother, but I did hear him compliment her on the food. I was beginning to wonder if she really had planned on using it to mend things between us. I was pretty sure Cali told her what he said, and based on everything else I’d heard—either from Cali or Jayden herself—Jayden was really uncomfortable with being in the middle of conflict.

  My pleasant day came to an end, however, when I received a call that I really didn’t want.

  “Hey son,” my father slurred. He was completely wasted. “Got myself in a little jam, here. Could you come up and help your old man out?”

  I silently groaned and gently moved Jayden so I could stand. She watched me walk into the other room as I was imagining the sort of trouble he could possibly be in.

  “What happened this time?” I asked quietly.

  He laughed his usual drunken laugh. “Well, uh, funny thing…”

  I begrudgingly listened to the story of how he “accidentally” broke more of Lenny’s glasses at the bar. Lenny took his keys from him and now he was stranded without even a dime for a cab.

  “Can you call Sue?” I asked him.

  “In Idaho for the weekend.”

  “What about Dave?”

  “Won’t talk to me no more.”

  I groaned. “Can’t you walk? It’s only two or three miles.” But as soon as I said it I pictured him staggering into oncoming traffic. “I’m sure the police can give you a ride home.”

  I heard the payphone demanding more coins. Knowing Lenny, I assumed a quarter was his gift to my father as he shoved him out the door.

  “Come on, son. You’re not gonna leave me here, are ya?”

  “Dad…” I sighed. I really didn’t want to see him, but I guess I was a little relieved that getting kicked out of a bar was his only trouble. “Fine. But it’s going to take me two hours to get there.”

  “Sure, sure. I’m just gonna sit under this big fir tree. You know, right?”

  Yes, I knew exactly where Lenny sent him to get him out of his sight. I almost wished he would just have the police haul him away again.

  The line disconnected.

  I took my hat off and ran my hand through my hair. Another ruined Sunday afternoon. I didn’t know how many times I could deal with this anymore. Three weeks ago he had gone home with some woman and forgot which bar he left his car at. It was towed, and I ended up just paying the fine so he could get to work two days later.

  What was I going to say to Jayden?

  I walked into the front room and she got up when she saw me, meeting me near the kitchen.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked quietly.

  “Uh… I need to help my dad out with something. I’m sorry.”

  “Is he okay?” Her concern was so innocent; it almost hurt to think she was wasting it on my father.

  “Yeah, he’s…fine. I’m sorry to cut our day short, but I’ll make it up to you.”

  “Can’t I come with you? I’ll love the drive if I get to be with you.” She put her arms around me and gave me a kiss. It was so tough for me…

  “No, I’m sorry. I should just…take care of this on my own. You should probably head out. I don’t want you to be here without me.”

  Her face held a frown and I knew she didn’t understand. There was just no way I wanted her to meet my father.

  “Okay,” she nodded. “I’m sorry for…whatever’s wrong, Ty.” She gave me a long, loving hug, and then grabbed her purse to leave.

  “You’re heading out?” Jesse asked, realizing she was leaving. “How come?”

  I was thankful Kemp hit a homerun because it made the perfect distraction for the awkward moment. I walked her out to her car and kissed her goodbye. She didn’t press the issue any further and I was surprised, but she told me to call her when I could.

  Sometimes I hated my life.

  Chapter Eight

  “Hey Dad, wake up.”

  He was either passed out or asleep. Maybe he was dead. But he moved, groaning as he sat up trying to see me clearly.

  “Tyler?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. Come on, let’s go.” I pulled him up into a standing position and held onto him while he swayed. “Can you walk?”

  “Yeah, sure, sure.”

  “Okay, get in the truck.” I led him to my rig and stuffed him inside. “Sit there for a minute. I’m gonna go talk to Lenny to see if he’ll give me your keys and not haul your car away.” I didn’t know why I was explaining to him what I was doing; he didn’t comprehend any of it anyway.

  I made my way into the bar and found Lenny at the counter. He looked surprised to see me.

  “Ty? Hey, kid! What’re you—? Oh,” he remembered, thinking of the drunk he had thrown out of his bar for the tenth time. He frowned and handed me the keys.

  “How much?” I asked him.

  Lenny sighed. “Including the glass he broke? About fifty.”

  I shook my head and opened my wallet. I handed him sixty and turned to leave.

  “Hey, Ty?”

  I spun around to face him.

  “I don’t want him back,” he said softly.

  I paused, tightened my jaw and said, “I can’t make you any promises. If he comes back…just have him hauled away.”

  Lenny nodded sullenly and I left.

  I got in my truck and slammed the door. My dad was already passed out again so I was glad for the silence as I drove him home. I patted his face to liven him up when we got there and helped him inside, tossing him on his bed.

  The house smelled like garbage. I cleaned up a little bit and threw out two bags of trash. His outside garbage can was full to the max and I could tell he hadn’t put it out to be picked up for at least two weeks. I was lucky to find a bottle of disinfectant spray to wipe down some of the grime all over the kitchen counters. The sink was piled with dishes and I practically held my breath just to get them into the dishwasher. I opened the fridge and almost keeled over. Holding my breath again, I went through it and tossed most of the things that were in it. I washed it out and then hauled another sack of garbage outside, shoving it all down as much as I could so it would fit.

  My father lived like an animal.

  I was so glad that Jayden hadn’t come with me. I could only imagine what she would think if she saw the house I grew up in and my father living in his own garbage. I knew she wouldn’t judge, but just the thought of her seeing this made me sick.

  I headed to the store and bought him some groceries. He wouldn’t eat anything that took more than just opening up a can, so I had to be very selective about what I got. I put everything away and sat on a kitchen chair, trying to massage away the headache that had formed. I had no idea what to do for him anymore. Every time I saw him I always promised myself it was the last time.

  Somehow I always got sucked back in.

  My phone rang and I assumed it was Jayden, but the voice on the other end was another very recognizable
voice instead, and I was not happy to hear it.

  “Hello, Tyler. I see you’re once again cleaning up your father’s mess.”

  I looked out the window and groaned to myself.

  “Come out and have a chat,” he instructed, hanging up the phone.

  I reluctantly made my way to the dark sedan parked behind my truck in the driveway, and slid into the back seat.

  “It is good to see you,” he said with a smile, his accented voice quiet and collect. “It has been…a month or two?” When I didn’t say anything he nodded to the house. “Did your father give you a call to help him out? I am glad that he did. It gives us a chance to get together.”

  “What do you want?” I finally asked.

  He smiled. “I just wanted to check on you. See how things were going. How is baseball? I heard your team is ranked second right now. Nice job. I can still make that call if you are interested in playing with a professional team. I hear you have already had them knocking at your door, so to speak, but I could assure that it happens.”

  “I’m not interested.” I could only imagine what it would be like to have the Russian mafia controlling my life when the stakes were so high.

  No, professional ball wasn’t even an option. I would have too much to lose. My life was already like being constantly stuck in a hotbox during a game. Do I steal the base to better my chances for a win, or do I return to the safety of the one I was on? Am I good enough to out-maneuver the opponent to advance myself?

  Whenever I was dealing with this man, I knew I’d always be called out. It was a loss no matter what.

  He smiled and said, “Okay. Just let me know.” He reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out a few one hundred dollar bills. “Here is for all your trouble tonight. I am sorry you had to come all the way up here to pull your father out of the gutter.”

  I declined it.

  “Oh Tyler, it is just money. Buy your buddies a night out; do something fun.” When I still wouldn’t take it, he smiled and slipped it back into his pocket. “I have some good news for you. Due to some…changes in the organization…you won’t be seeing us for a while.”