BOOK ONE: DECEPTIONS
Chapters One to Twenty Six
Vignettes 1 - 140

BOOK TWO: YESTERDAY ECHOES
Chapters 27 to
Vignettes 141 -

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Vignette #136: Forward

But Ian Justyn kept moving forward, smiling, making everyone feel special. He shook, hands and thanked people for coming as they began to say goodbye. He wrapped food and make sure everyone had a little something to take with them.

“Are you sure you are going to be alright by yourself?” He said as he sat on the bed and watched the overnight bag being zipped up.

“It’ll be hard, but I think I can survive one night.”

“I’ll only be a phone call away if you need me.” Ronnie told his father.

“I’ll try to keep busy to make the time go by faster.” Ian sat beside him and folded his hands in his lap.

“Your not gonna cry or anything are you?”

“Maybe.” Ian hid a smile. “But you’ll be back tomorrow, right? This isn’t like a forever thing is it?”

“Oh, no.” Ronnie said. “Just the one night, you couldn’t make it much longer without me.”

“You’re so right.” Ian hugged his little boy and kissed the top of his head. “Did you remember to put food and water out for that thing?”

“Taken care of.” Ronnie said. “Rodie will be fine until I get home tomorrow, but if you get lonely she’ll cuddle up with you.”

A shiver went down Ian’s spine. “If I ever get that lonely, I’ll have somebody shoot me.”

“Papa!” Ronnie moaned.

“The rodent will be fine.” Ian said, give the boy’s shoulder a little squeeze. “I’ll be fine, just pretend to miss me when you get home and everything will be A-Ok.”

“Oh, I’ll miss you, Papa. I’ll miss you till I get back.” Ronnie smiled.

“Me, too.”

“Ready to go, Slugger?” Susan popped in the bedroom.

“Yes, ma’am.” Ronnie stood and grabbed his bag. “I was just makin’ sure Papa wouldn’t let the house fall to pieces while I was gone.”

She smiled. “It’ll be tough, but I think he can manage. You ready?”

Ronnie nodded his head and gave his father one last big hug and kiss. Susan turned to Ian. “Are you ready?” Ian seesawed his head back in forth to indicate he’d live with it.

“You take care of my boy.” He warned her.

“Of course.” She said. “Otherwise, who’d take care of you?”

As much as he didn’t want to, he watched his son piling into the car with two other excitedly hyper little boys, and two adults. He waved as they drove off and stood in the driveway for just a little while trying to convince himself that he’d be back soon.

“Let the little guy runaway for a while?”

Ian turned around, but had to shield the evening sun from his eyes to see the man the voice came from. “His first sleep over. I think it’s going to be harder on me that it will on him.”

The man took a step toward him. “So…you never called.”

“No, Blue. I didn’t.” Ian said firmly.

Blue nodded his head. “I understand. Things got busy.”

“Yes.” Ian smiled and walked past him; up the driveway toward the front door he’d left standing open.

“What do you say, we make a little time now.” Blue gently grabbed Ian’s arm as he tried to walk past him. “No one will notice if you and I slip off somewhere private and get naked.”

Ian firmly pulled his arm from the man’s grasp. “I’m flattered, but no. I’m not interested.” He continued his walk to the front door.

“Sure. People are starting to leave now. How ‘bout if I help you clean up and discreetly stay behind. No one would know, just us.”

“No. I’m not interested.” Ian started to walk away quickly. He got to the steps of his front door. “Blue, go home. Hop into whatever transportation got you here and go home to Ella. She’s a special woman. Go home and have a chat with her. Don’t understand all this cavalier sex stuff, Blue, and quite frankly I don’t ever want to. If it’s something you want to do, fine. Just be honest about it with the person you are supposed to be honest with and leave me out of it.”

Ian left the man standing in the front yard and closed the door. He looked at the cat, sitting in the window looking outside. “Did you put him up to that, Rodent?” He squinted at the cat, who decided to ignore him and lick her front paw. Ian curled up his upper lip and walked away.

“Who are you talking to?” Saxon asked him, as she met him halfway between the kitchen and the living room.

“The varmint. I told it I knew what it was up to, but it decided to ignore me and lick itself. It was disgusting.” Ian said taking her arm and guiding her back outside.

“You’re just jealous.” She said.

“Jealous? Of that fur covered alien from Hades?”

“Yes, Rodie can lick her feet and you can’t.”

Ian stopped and turned to her. “Oh yes, I can. I just choose not to do it in front of others. I certainly have enough class not to sit in the front picture window and chew on my own toenails.”

“Of course.” Saxon agreed. “That sort of thing is for the bath.”

Ian held the door for her. “Well after the bath. The hot water and steam makes the toe nails much easier to chew.”

“See, I knew I’d been doing it wrong.”

“Now you know.”

Saxon giggled and put her head on Ian’s shoulder as they walked arm in arm. “Now I know I didn’t show up early and help with all the cooking and stuff. I’m just not real good with the hotty uppy thing.”

“Well at least you’ve learned the scientific name for the stove.”

She shoved him playfully with her hip. “But if I do say so myself, I’m quiet professional with a box of Press ‘n’ Seal.”

“Gosh, I don’t know that I can afford a professional.”

“I’ll offer my services…for free…on one condition.” She said.

Ian rolled his eyes. “Saxon Allen, always trying to weasel amendments to the contract.”

“I was thinking…bowling.”

He stopped and turned to her. “Bowling? You’re a terrible bowler.”

“Better than you.” She said firmly.

“Oh please.” Ian rolled his eyes.

“Remember the last time we went?” She reminded him. “Who broke a hundred?”

“You did.” He confirmed. “But three lanes down from where you were throwing the ball.”

“Anyone can knock pins down in the lane in front of them.” Saxon said firmly.

“That’s the point, Saxon dear.”

“Then stop plying me with tequila and spinning me around when it’s my turn.”

“Only if you stop lifting up your brassiere and flashing me when it’s my turn.” Ian grabbed her hand and headed for where the Shores had already begun to clean up. “It’s embarrassing, having to help you pick up all that Kleenex.”

The couple had to sidestep Billy and Reese who we’re pulling stuffed liners out of trashcans. “It’s about time, the one who made the mess showed up to help clean it up.” One of them said.

“I’m here, and I brought help.” Ian said. “Oh and guys, I thought I’d give you a little heads up.”

“Ronnie off with the Tysons for the night?” Reese asked.

Ian nodded his head. “And I’m gonna show this poor deluded thing how to bowl, so the house is gonna be empty. If you catch my drift.” Ian wiggled his eyebrows.

“Hmmm.” Billy tied a knot in the ties of his garbage bag. “I guess that means I’m stuck watching the cat lick itself.”

“Afraid so, but it’s always taken both me and Ronnie to do that, so if you might need to find a friend to help.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Billy smiled and looked at Reese.

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