I climb into bed and hope that he will sneak in during the night.
It never happened.
There’s a corner in my guest room upstairs with the most magnificent view of my neighbor’s backyard, replicating an oasis.
The trees are leafy, green, and spread throughout the manicured garden enhancing the main feature—the Olympic-size swimming pool. On a warm day like today, I’m really trying to suppress the urge to strip off and jump into the pool. The pool may have been the main attraction but superseding that would have to be the young pool boy. He’s easily in his early twenties, a tan to die for, and snake hips which will get any libido up and dancing. The first time I saw him, I knew Eric would be all up in that like an ill-fitting swimsuit, so I call him immediately.
Never in my life have I ever known Eric to be on time for anything, so you can imagine my shock when the doorbell rings fifteen minutes later. The profanities Eric can think of for a man-part never cease to amaze me.
Much to my disappointment, pool boy’s off duty today. It doesn’t stop me enjoying the view, though, and with my headphones on, the shuffling of my music drowns out the silence allowing me to work on some new designs for beachwear I’ve been playing around with. Somewhere during ‘Footloose,’ I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder. At first, my imagination does that ‘you’re cuckoo,’ and I ignore it, but it becomes heavier, and I turn slowly to see Lex standing behind me. Startled, I pull off my headphones and drop my papers and pencil on the floor.
Crouching down, he assists me in picking up my papers as I mumble under my breath. “What are you doing here? You scared the shit out of me, Lex.”
I place everything on the side table and walk away, ignoring that he’s following me downstairs to the kitchen. He stands in the archway, and I open the dishwasher and start unloading.
“I’m here to pick up Andy.”
I don’t look at him, taking the plates out one by one. “Well, he’s not here.”
“He has soccer training in half an hour,” he points out.
“They changed the time. It started an hour ago, and besides, Julian took him.”
The earth may just have shaken with the rage flooding Lex’s veins. This is mainly my fault. Early this morning, I suggested Julian take Andy to soccer. Once Andy had it in his head, he wouldn’t let up, even getting himself dressed as best as he could. Soccer for little ones mainly consists of running around and tantrums. It isn’t competitive and a great way for them to learn how to play sports.
Lex always takes him to soccer, except for last weekend, and that’s his own stubborn fault for using Andy as a pawn in this twisted situation.
Amongst the clink of the dishes, I can hear the sound of him grinding his teeth, his eyes are closed and fists clenched tightly against the wall, and he lashes out, “Why the hell aren’t you with them?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, the smoke alarm is faulty, and someone is coming over to look at it.”
He is glaring at me, eyes blazing trying to intimidate me, and I ignore him much to his annoyance. That used to work on me, but I’m not ten anymore. The doorbell rings on cue, and I walk past, knocking into him on purpose.
Thank God, the electrician is here.
“There’s my beautiful daughter-in-law!”
Mary Jean pushes past me, carrying an overnight bag. Oh, fuck no. She places it down and hugs me so tight my body is mushed into her boobs. The cheap scent of her drugstore perfume invades my nostrils as I struggle to break free.
“I bet you’re shocked to see me so soon?”
“Yeah, shocked would be one word for it,” I respond plainly.
She pulls my arm toward the kitchen, and the second Lex is in sight, she lets go of me so fast, smothering Lex in an over-friendly hug which is borderline dry humping. He’s uncomfortable and awkward, trying his hardest to pull away. Sucked in. Serves him right.
“What brings you to LA, Mary Jean?” Lex asks politely, using his arm to create a respectable distance.
“Well, I haven’t seen my grandbaby in almost two months, and every time I try to call this lady, she’s busy and can’t talk.”
Dammit. We could’ve avoided this if I had just called her more often. Too bad you were thinking with your vagina rather than your head.
Mary Jean scans the room. “So, where’s Andy?”
I shoot a glance at Lex who’s obviously relishing in my awkwardness, waiting for me to respond. I’m about to open my mouth when Andy comes running through the house. Covered in mud, his blond hair is almost brown, and his face is streaked with dirt. Grass stains cover his knees, but he couldn’t have looked any more pleased with himself.
“Mama! Mama!” He stops in his tracks when he spots Mary Jean. With a wide smile, she beckons him. Quick to run into her arms, she smothers him with kisses despite being covered in dirt.
Julian soon follows, walking into the kitchen, spotting Lex first. Immediately, his face drops, his smile is soon replaced with an arctic glare, and the room temperature rises as the tension hits an all-time high.