by Alex Hayes
“So where to?” I ask her, as we drive into town an hour later.
“How about the bookstore?”
A familiar twist tightens in my belly. “Isn’t Cadi working there?” Part of me wants to see her, to clear the air and start over, but another part wants to run and hide.
“We can say hi. She’ll be working, so I doubt she’ll be able to talk.”
Or want to, I’m sure. I sigh inwardly. “Are you setting us on an intercept course?”
She smirks. “Not if it means you’ll crash and burn.”
The road takes a sharp turn, pulling my attention to the approaching intersection. “I doubt any conversation between us would be that colorful. Assuming we got past the stony silence.” Is there any hope of breaking through the granite wall she’s erected?
Shri spots the bookstore and points.
As I pull in and park, my phone buzzes with an incoming call. I check the screen. Mom. As if dealing with Cadi wasn’t enough.
“I’d better take it.”
Shri nods. “Okay, see you inside.”
“Hey, Mom.” I hide my total lack of desire to talk to her.
“Dean, where are you?”
At her tone, the kid inside me cringes, but I stuff him into my inner dungeon and slam the door. “Somewhere safely away from Dad.” My voice sounds strong, at least. This isn’t about me anymore. I’ve got to be tough for Ty.
“But, hun…” she says, nursing a dramatic sigh. “You can’t go running off without saying a word.”
I lean my head into the seat back. “Mom, I won’t sit around and let Dad beat up on Ty. I can’t believe you let him back into the house.”
“This is my house, Dean. And I get to decide who comes inside.” Her voice is sharp, and there’s a slight slur at the end of her sentences, which tells me she’s had at least two glasses of wine in the past half hour.
I abandon anger for indifference. “Fine. Let him in. Let him stay. I don’t care. But don’t expect us to stick around and take his abuse.”
“Dean, why are you making a mountain out of this? Are you jealous?”
What the hell? “Jealous?” I don’t hide my incredulity. “Jealous of what?”
Mom sighs down the phone line. “Because I’m not giving all my attention to you boys.”
“When did you ever give us your undivided attention, other than while telling us what to do? What I care about is Dad laying a finger on Ty. And it won’t happen again,” I say, sharply.
“You just listen to me, young man,” she snaps. “You will not raise your voice to me like that!”
“God, Mom, where are we? Back in grade school?” I bend forward over the steering wheel. “I turned eighteen two months ago. I’ve graduated from high school. I’m an adult.”
“That doesn’t mean you can just take off with your brother. He’s my responsibility, not yours.”
Responsibility? Like you’ve taken any responsibility for him over the past few years. “Then I’m helping you out by protecting him from a child abuser.”
“Your father never abused anyone.”
A scream of frustration grapples at my throat. I clench my fist and stuff the feeling back into my chest. “I guess shoving his son into a wall and smashing his guitar into a thousand pieces doesn’t count?”
“I saw Ty’s guitar.” There’s the merest hint of distress in her voice. “That was just an accident.”
“An accident?” My volume elevates. “With what? A steamroller? Is that what you’re going to say when Dad does the same thing to Ty? When he’s lying, broken in pieces on his bedroom floor. It was just an accident?”
I throttle the anger writhing in my chest, so I can speak coherently. “No way, Mom, because by then it’ll be too late. I won’t let that man touch my brother. Period.”
I don’t wait for an answer, just disconnect.
The phone rings but I ignore it. I eject myself from the car and storm toward the bookstore.
Shri’s standing near the entrance when I walk in. Her eyes widen when she sees my expression. Not surprising, because I’m angry enough to plant a baseball in my father’s face.
She gestures me down an empty aisle between bookshelves. “Okay, talk to me.” Her voice is soft, calming.
With the help of a few deep breaths, I pull myself together. “More of the same shit. What else should I say?”
Her lower lip twists as she pinches it between her teeth. “Maybe what you’re feeling?” Her voice is tentative.
“Like I’m hemmed in at the end of an alley and a garbage truck’s headed straight for me.”
“Parkour,” she says.
“What?”
“Parkour,” she repeats. “It’s a sport where you climb over obstacles and run up walls and such. The best way out of a hemmed-in space may be up.” A gentle smile settles on her mouth. “Especially if someone’s standing above, offering you a hand.”
“Guess I’d better start looking up more often then.” I give her a narrow look. “You’re not getting all religious on me, are you?”
“Seriously?” She punches my arm.
I smile and my frustration dissipates. Man, I’m glad I have a friend like her beside me.
“Hey, I want to show you something,” she says.
“Okay.”
She leads me to a bulletin board tucked at the back of the shop and points to a poster.
Join local author
Brandon Williams
in a talk about his new book
Toxic Relationships
Sunday, June 25th from 10am - noon
“That’s this Sunday.” I glance at her. “You wanna go?”
“Sure, why not.” Shri grins. “You’d better hurry up and read the book I gave you.”
“No worries. I read the first few chapters last night.”
We browse around the store for a while. When I reach the teen section, I search out a world-on-the-brink-of-destruction adventure for Ty. The first book in a series I’ve never heard of, but the cover looks interesting.
Next, I wander to the self-help section, curious about Brandon Williams’ book on toxic relationships. What I read last night made me realize I don’t deserve to be treated like a child. It helped me stand up to Mom half an hour ago.
Shri wanders by while I’m reading Toxic Relationships, “Chapter Eleven, To Forgive or Let Go.” And I’ve just come to the conclusion that where my dad’s concerned, forgiveness will never happen.
“Maybe you should buy that one too,” she suggests.
I slip the copy behind the book I chose for Ty and head to the register.
“I can help the next person,” a familiar voice calls.
Wouldn’t you know it?
Huffing a sigh, I head over. “Hi.”
Cadi looks up and does a double take. “Hi. Did you find everything you were looking for?”
Jesus, is she in automaton mode or what? “Yes, thanks.”
She pulls the books toward her and scans the top one. When she gets to the second, she hesitates, then scans that, too.
I bite back a laugh. Maybe she thinks I’m buying Toxic Relationships to figure out how to deal with her. “So you like working here?”
“Yeah. Love it.” She answers, too quickly, then gives me a plastic smile. “That’ll be $29.30, please.”
I pull out my wallet.
“Would you like a bag?”
“Uh, no, thanks.” My eyes slide over Brandon Williams’ book. Between Cadi and my mom, I need all the help I can get.
I hand over the cash.
She rings it in and gives me the change. Her jade eyes meet mine. “Have a great day, Dean.”
Wow, she actually acknowledged she knew me.
17
Cadi
A quiet buzz. I turn over in bed, groggy with sleep.
Another buzz. I grumble and reach for my phone. It’s barely seven a.m.
Idris. Happy Birthday, babe.
A sleepy smile stretches my lips. Th
x. How are things going in the Big Apple?
One more meeting this morning and we can come home.
So I’ll see you later?
As soon as I can get there.
I grin and roll onto my back. Eighteen. Should I feel grown up? I stretch like a cat, from fingertips to toes.
Once showered and dressed, I jog downstairs. I’ve the whole day off and I plan to make the most of it.
Shri and Dean are eating breakfast at the kitchen table. “Hi guys.” Even Dean’s presence won’t get me down today.
“Hey. Good morning,” come their combined reply. Clearly, they’ve been hanging out together too much.
I glide across the kitchen tile, headed for the fridge to assess my options. Today, I can have anything I want. No guilt.
An omelet, with feta, mushroom and spinach. Hmm, that sounds way too healthy. Add fried potatoes. A waffle topped with Mama’s homemade strawberry syrup and whipped cream. Hmm… And maybe a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The sliding door pulls open. Mama steps through and sees me. “You’re awake already.” She wishes Shri and Dean a good morning. “What’ll you have, Cadi?”
I reel off my menu.
Mama crosses her arms and laughs. “Where are you going to put all that?”
“No idea. Maybe Ty can help me.” I glance at the others. “Or these two.”
Dean frowns. He would. “We just ate.”
Shri shifts her head. “What am I missing?”
My phone buzzes. I pull it out of my jeans pocket.
“Cadi’s eighteen today,” Mama answers.
Idris. Mtg delayed till 2. Late dinner 2night?
I pull back a sigh. That’s fine.
Sorry, sweet stuff.
“Happy birthday, Cadi,” Dean and Shri say at the same moment.
Whoa. They’re totally in sync.
Recapturing my smile, I meet their gazes. “Thanks. Sure you can’t eat more breakfast?”
Dean stands. “I’m good, thanks. Gotta get to work, anyhow.”
Shri looks apologetic. “Me too. Catch up with you at lunch.”
“Sure.” I pour myself a glass of juice and help Mama make the food.
Ty arrives in time for waffles. I manage one bite and surrender my plate to a boy who, it turns out, has a bottomless pit for a stomach. “Bon appetit!”
He grins and stuffs a creamy forkful into his mouth.
Mama refuses to let me help clean up.
“Guess I’ll go for a walk then,” I say.
Dean and Ty’s dog, Pepper, leaps from the mat by the back door and rushes me.
I squint at Ty. “Did he just read my mind?”
The boy finishes chewing. “He heard you say walk.”
“Oh, right. Should I take him along then?”
“Sure.” Another forkful heads down the hatch.
“Is he okay without a leash?”
Ty nods enthusiastically.
Papa talked about getting a dog. Guess this is my opportunity to test out his logic. Not that Pepper’s going to be able to protect me from a black bear. Or that he’ll need to. If I can keep my head on straight, I’ll be able to protect myself.
I discover Pepper loves sticks, especially when thrown, and I spend a good portion of the walk tossing a short stubby branch with favorable aerodynamics.
He races back and forth, grabbing the stick and bringing it back, and takes the odd break to chase squirrels that chatter at him from high in the trees.
We reach the path to the cave. I’ve no plans to go inside today. Seems smart to give Mama Black Bear a few days to forget about my visit to her den.
I pull out my phone and switch to the monitor app. The readings come back all zeros, lit up in red. What the heck does that mean?
Panic sends me rushing down the narrow path toward the cave opening. I’m about to push aside the mammoth boulder when I remember I need to be in Livran form before entering the cave.
Pepper arrives at my side with his stick.
Crud. How will he react if I shape shift in front of him? Guess I’ll have to give it a go and find out.
I pat his head and keep hold of the stick. “Okay, buddy. Here goes…”
The dog stares at me as I transform, then whines.
“See, it’s still me. Let me throw the stick for you.” I toss it as far as I can.
He barks and takes off at high speed.
While he’s gone, I shift the massive rock aside and slip into the cave. The crystal tree looks like it did yesterday. I snag the weather monitor. It’s dead and shaking it doesn’t help. Why did I think doing so would?
Batteries, I hope. I joggle the four AA batteries. The LED screen lights up, then goes dark again. I pop out the batteries and drop them in my pocket, then hightail it outside.
Pepper sniffs at the edge of the path, his stick abandoned a few yards away.
I shape shift back to human. “Hey, boy.”
He barks and jumps up and down, like he’s saying, Great, you’re back! Now throw the damned stick!
I grin and hurl the branch through the trees, then slide the boulder across the front of the cave.
The moment we get back to the cabin, Pepper passes out on the mat, while Ty practices scales on the piano and Mama busies herself in the kitchen.
“Mama, do we have AA batteries?”
She looks up from her mixing bowl. “In that drawer, over there.”
I grab four fresh batteries and stuff them in my pocket. There isn’t time to go back to the cave before lunch, and I can’t skip the meal. Mama is making something special for my birthday.
While she’s buzzing around the kitchen, finishing up the meal, I help Shri lay the table and Dean fetches his brother and Papa.
We’re gathered in the dining room, eating grilled cheese gourmet style, when my phone buzzes.
“Excuse me.” I slip from the table and dodge into the kitchen.
Idris. Mtg now @ 3. This really sucks.
NP. I’ll take you when I can get you. I type, biting back my disappointment.
You are an angel.
Right now, I feel like I have to be. How can I be mad at Idris for missing my birthday? I told him it didn’t matter before he left, and it’s not like he can control other people’s schedules. Being signed with a record label is super important to him.
I put on a smile, like nothing’s wrong, and rejoin the others for lunch.
Afterward, Mama insists on taking me to the mall. A good distraction from Idris’s absence, but we don’t get back until five. I’m antsy to go to the crystal cave with the fresh batteries, but there isn’t time before dinner.
At six, we gather. Eggplant Parmesan—my most favorite dish ever. We’ve just sat down when my phone buzzes.
I apologize and zip to the kitchen to check my messages.
Idris. Leaving NYC. Be there by 11. I pick up through my crystal how bad he feels not being here.
Ugh. Only an hour together, but better than nothing. K. See you soon, I type.
Love you 4ever.
Back in the dining room, everyone is waiting.
My cheeks heat up. “Sorry. You should have started without me.”
“Couldn’t do that. It’s your birthday, Cadi,” Papa says, lifting his knife and fork.
Except for the odd looks cast my way from Dean and Shri, dinner is perfect. We move to the living room for cake and I’m inundated with gifts. I’ve never received so many. Even Pepper delivers.
“That was fun, Cadi,” Shri says on her way upstairs. Dean and Ty wish us good night and follow.
As Mama pours herself a glass of water to take to bed, I tell her Idris is coming to pick me up. “He and his dad didn’t leave the city till six.”
Her smile is full of understanding. “I thought maybe that was him texting.”
I look down at the slate floor. “I’m sorry.”
Mama pats my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, dear. Have fun with Idris. I know if you’re with him, you’re safe.”
After a quick good night, I head to my room. I come across the new batteries in my jeans as I undress to take a shower and slap my forehead.
Even if I ran in Livran form I couldn’t make it to the crystal cave and back before Idris arrives, and I refuse to spend the last hour of my birthday groping through the dark and having run-ins with the local wildlife.
It’ll have to wait until morning. I’ll go early, before anyone else is up.
Headlights flash across the driveway as Idris pulls up.
Finally! I close the front door and zip across the drive to the BMW.
The second I’m in the passenger seat, Idris pulls me into his arms. “God, Cadi, I’m sorry I’m so late.” Warm lips meet mine and sweet tingles spread from my chest as our crystals resonate.
I sense his love and my heart responds. “It’s not over yet,” I whisper.
He grins. “And the best is yet to come.”
The Thorny Rose is swathed in darkness when we arrive. Idris unlocks the back door and we head downstairs.
“Man, I’ve missed you.” He wraps his arms around me. “Happy Birthday, beautiful.”
His lips feel so good against my skin and my hormones start jumping.
“I’ve got something for you,” he murmurs.
I giggle. “I bet you do.”
He laughs into my neck as he nuzzles me. “That too, but…” He pulls away. His face turns serious as he holds out a small green box. “I bought you this for your birthday.”
My brow pinches as I take the gift. The box is hinged. I open it and gasp.
“Oh, Idris!” My mouth hangs open as I look up at him.
He smiles so wide his teeth all but fill his face.
“It’s…” A ring. “Beautiful! Stunning!” A round cut emerald sits amid a circle of tiny diamonds. These stones cannot be real. But somehow, I know they are.
Idris nudges me. “Put it on.”
“Oh my god. This must have cost a fortune.” I look at him. “Oh, Idris, I can’t possibly—”
He frowns. “You can possibly. And you will.” His eyes soften. “Seriously, Cadi.”
“But this is crazy.” How much did this cost him?
“Cadi, this isn’t crazy. The only thing that’s crazy is how much I love you. Dad fronted me the money against my advance from the record company.”