Just before we finished our task, I heard Vince’s bus pull up to my gun shop. Vince came running along inside, the big grin on his face consistent even after he gave me a tight hug.
“How was your day, buddy?” I asked after Vince loosened his embrace around me. Once again, he showed me the back of his fist, five stars stamped on his hand.
“Teacher said I did great on today’s performance test! She loved how I recited the poem!” I smiled at him, kissing his forehead. He was doing a great job in school, even though I was busy all the fucking time with the shop. The same guilt wrapped around my heart, reminding me of the broken promises I’d made. He deserved better.
“How about I buy you some ice cream and chips? We can watch one of those cartoon films you like afterward. Would you like that, buddy?” I asked, trying to make up to him all the things I said that went to waste. His innocent green eyes grew big in amusement.
“I would love to! I want to watch the one with the huge dinosaur in it, then the boy who can fly, then after that the dog who can speak to humans, then…” He kept on reciting the ones he wanted to watch, getting his movies lined up in order. I looked at Garren, who was watching us the entire time, smiling to himself as he spoke to a newly arrived customer.
“Man, can you fill in for me?” I whispered, keeping my voice toned down so as not to disturb Vince, who was still enumerating the list of films he wanted to watch. Garren nodded, telling me he could take it from there and close the shop on my behalf.
I mouthed him a brief thank you as I took Vince’s belongings and grabbed his hand. “Alright, Mister Big Stuff. Let’s get out of here.”
Vince skipped happily as we walked toward the parking lot, excited for the fun we had planned. As we approached the car, he took me by surprise.
With those tiny arms wrapped around my legs, he looked up at me. “You are the best Daddy in the world.” My heart melted. His approval meant the world to me.
“And you are the most wonderful son in the world.” I patted his head before he ran to the other side and got in, crawling up into his booster seat. I opened the car and started the engine, staring at his happy face as we drove away from the gun shop.
Vince watched the view out the side window, and I took in the scenery in front of me, mesmerized by the peaceful and serene town we lived in.
I couldn’t help but chuckle over Vince’s excitement over our upcoming movie marathon. The little tike had to be tired after a long day at school, but he faked it well. His energy was at the top of the meter, excited for whatever was yet to come.
I took a quick stop at the convenience store to purchase some chips and ice cream, or so I told myself that was the reason. I really wanted to see Kylie. My body hardened just thinking about her. “Come on, man. Let’s get some treats for our evening together.”
“Yes!” He got out of the car and held my hand as we walked toward the store. We walked in and he pulled me toward the freezer section, finding his favorite ice cream flavor. He opened the freezer and took out a gallon of cookies and cream, grinning at me with the most adorable expression ever.
“Dad, can we buy this one?” he asked.
I liked the flavor he picked though, so I nodded and put it in the basket. He walked on, searching for the chips section. I followed him, searching for the ones that were not too salty for us. I glanced over my shoulder, looking for Kylie and hoping like hell she might be there. I hadn’t seen her when I walked in, but the place smelled like her perfume. That I knew the scent was a quick sign that I was in trouble should the pretty girl ever pay me a little bit of attention. I’d have her bent over a table or moaning my name in the shower the second I saw a way to make it happen.
And it wasn’t just about sex, but sex was all I had to give at present. Vince had to come first. Period.
Vince picked up three packs of potato chips, asking if he could take them all. I smiled at him and patted his shoulder.
“We can get them all, but some will need to be put up for next week. That work?” I smiled down at him.
He agreed, promising to eat junk food at a minimum. We continued our stroll through the aisles, grabbing some grape and cranberry juice to restock our fridge.
I took some salad dressing from the shelf, planning on making some greens for later. Vince would love it too. The kid ate anything. Everything. I wished I could cook better. Garren’s words raced through my head. He thought I needed a woman around the house. He was right…I did. For so many reasons. I just wasn’t ready yet.
“You good with everything then?” I asked him since I got everything I needed in our cart already. He nodded and smiled, his eyes glistening. I held his hand as we stood at the end of the line.
After the person before us had checked out, I noticed that it was Mrs. Tomms who took the spot at the counter. Her kind smile greeted me, taking the contents of the basket to scan on the computer.
“You brought Vince along today.” She smiled down at him. “Hi there. You’re getting so big. Pretty soon you’re going to be all grown up and big like your daddy here.”
“I hope so!” Vince waved at her, smiling brilliantly to greet her.
“We’re having some movie time tonight. A movie marathon.” I patted his shoulder as I spoke with Mrs. Tomms. “Has Kylie said anything to you about the hogs tearing up her yard? They’re wrecking mine something awful.” It was the only way I could think of to see if the beautiful woman was working today. I didn’t want to be too inquisitive. It was her mother in front of me.
“She hasn’t mentioned it.” She gave me a knowing smile. Shit. “She was here, but she ran an errand for me. She should be back soon. I’ll ask her for you.”
“Yeah. Thanks. Just concerned about it.” I gave her a sheepish smile. I was caught, or so it seemed. Where I wasn’t looking for a date, her momma didn’t need to know that. I was a good guy or hoped I still was. After so many nights alone, I was starting to second guess myself.
“Here are your shopping bags. I hope you two will have some fun time tonight.” I took the paper bags from her. Vince took the small bags, taking the initiative to lessen my burden of carrying the groceries all by myself.
“And for you, little boy. Here’s a free treat for being a super good kid.” Mrs. Tomms reached over with a lollipop to Vince, giving him a freebie before we left. My son bowed his head a little and stared at his free treat, grateful for Mrs. Tomms’ generosity.