didn’t have a
choice but to take him along. None of Dean’s school friends could take him for more
than one night. “Look, it may only be a couple of days. I’m sorry, but I’m not
willing to risk leaving you here alone. If your mom would stop being so
selfish…” He let that trail off. He tried his damnedest to keep from berating
Lynn in front of Dean. None of this divorce crap was his fault, and he had half
of her DNA. Jake didn’t want to stomp on his son’s self-esteem by coloring his
mom as a villain…even if sometimes she was.
“You don’t trust me, do you?” Dean’s face was red from the
effort to yell as loud as he possibly could. Just what Jake needed—for the
neighbors to complain to the super about noise. He needed to regain control of
this conversation.
“Dean, I trust you for your age. I know you think you’re a
little adult but you’re not and some problems would be beyond your control, like
a break-in, a fire, a problem with school.”
“I can handle school!”
“Whatever. I’m not leaving you in the city unsupervised.”
“You suck.”
“Have you ever considered that you might enjoy Florida? The
weather said it got up to the low eighties yesterday. We were in the low
forties.” That certainly sounded good to him. He wished Dean had a place to
stay so he could hash out his mess with Christine without worrying about what Dean
might hear, but he wouldn’t bend on this staying-alone issue. Dean wasn’t even a
teenager yet.
“My life is here and you’re screwing it up!” He stomped off
to his room and slammed his door, which was getting to be a daily habit. Jake
tried to step back and remember his own adolescent craziness but sometimes it
was hard not just to react.
“It’s only a few days,” he shouted at the door, but Dean had
probably already donned his headphones to block him out.
Jake dealt with the silent treatment by setting up a flight
reservation for that night and packing his duffel. He emptied his gym bag for Dean.
When was the last time his son had been out of the city? Three years ago? That
camping trip to the state forest? He probably couldn’t even remember it. Kids
in the city, whether Manhattan or the boroughs, grew up so fast. This trip
would be good for him, as long as he and Christine could get along, and since
Christine might not even let Jake in her house, this was far from a sure thing.
Dean left his cave at seven when he was too hungry to deal.
Jake let him cook some Easy Mac and gobble half of it down before he told him
the time of their flight.
“Tonight?”
“Look, you’ve pushed me as far as you’re going to. Here’s a
bag. You’re packing as soon as you finish eating. Got it?”
He left the half-eaten bowl of mac on the table, grabbed the
bag and stomped to his room again.
Two hours later, Jake guided his cab into long-term parking
at Newark. It was so weird to leave it there since he never actually parked
when he came here normally. Dean picked up his backpack and marched toward the
walkway, so Jake grabbed the other two bags with a sigh. He wished he knew if
his son was second-natured or not, and whether the were side could wreak havoc
with hormones. Was Dean normal for his age—if so, God bless every parent of an
adolescent—or did he have that extra magic against him? Jake’s change had
occurred during winter break his freshman year of high school. His parents had
left him alone for the weekend. They would not have survived had they been with
him.
Jake hated accepting a full-body pat-down at security, but
he wasn’t sure if his second nature caused any anomalies in his body. He hadn’t
seen a doctor in years. Dean did the same, joking that he wanted a female
security agent to do his. He got a female, but she had the attitude of a prison
warden and the face of a tank. Jake did his best to repress a chuckle as his
son scowled.
Everything else went smoothly. The plane actually left on
time and he’d paid extra for a direct
choice but to take him along. None of Dean’s school friends could take him for more
than one night. “Look, it may only be a couple of days. I’m sorry, but I’m not
willing to risk leaving you here alone. If your mom would stop being so
selfish…” He let that trail off. He tried his damnedest to keep from berating
Lynn in front of Dean. None of this divorce crap was his fault, and he had half
of her DNA. Jake didn’t want to stomp on his son’s self-esteem by coloring his
mom as a villain…even if sometimes she was.
“You don’t trust me, do you?” Dean’s face was red from the
effort to yell as loud as he possibly could. Just what Jake needed—for the
neighbors to complain to the super about noise. He needed to regain control of
this conversation.
“Dean, I trust you for your age. I know you think you’re a
little adult but you’re not and some problems would be beyond your control, like
a break-in, a fire, a problem with school.”
“I can handle school!”
“Whatever. I’m not leaving you in the city unsupervised.”
“You suck.”
“Have you ever considered that you might enjoy Florida? The
weather said it got up to the low eighties yesterday. We were in the low
forties.” That certainly sounded good to him. He wished Dean had a place to
stay so he could hash out his mess with Christine without worrying about what Dean
might hear, but he wouldn’t bend on this staying-alone issue. Dean wasn’t even a
teenager yet.
“My life is here and you’re screwing it up!” He stomped off
to his room and slammed his door, which was getting to be a daily habit. Jake
tried to step back and remember his own adolescent craziness but sometimes it
was hard not just to react.
“It’s only a few days,” he shouted at the door, but Dean had
probably already donned his headphones to block him out.
Jake dealt with the silent treatment by setting up a flight
reservation for that night and packing his duffel. He emptied his gym bag for Dean.
When was the last time his son had been out of the city? Three years ago? That
camping trip to the state forest? He probably couldn’t even remember it. Kids
in the city, whether Manhattan or the boroughs, grew up so fast. This trip
would be good for him, as long as he and Christine could get along, and since
Christine might not even let Jake in her house, this was far from a sure thing.
Dean left his cave at seven when he was too hungry to deal.
Jake let him cook some Easy Mac and gobble half of it down before he told him
the time of their flight.
“Tonight?”
“Look, you’ve pushed me as far as you’re going to. Here’s a
bag. You’re packing as soon as you finish eating. Got it?”
He left the half-eaten bowl of mac on the table, grabbed the
bag and stomped to his room again.
Two hours later, Jake guided his cab into long-term parking
at Newark. It was so weird to leave it there since he never actually parked
when he came here normally. Dean picked up his backpack and marched toward the
walkway, so Jake grabbed the other two bags with a sigh. He wished he knew if
his son was second-natured or not, and whether the were side could wreak havoc
with hormones. Was Dean normal for his age—if so, God bless every parent of an
adolescent—or did he have that extra magic against him? Jake’s change had
occurred during winter break his freshman year of high school. His parents had
left him alone for the weekend. They would not have survived had they been with
him.
Jake hated accepting a full-body pat-down at security, but
he wasn’t sure if his second nature caused any anomalies in his body. He hadn’t
seen a doctor in years. Dean did the same, joking that he wanted a female
security agent to do his. He got a female, but she had the attitude of a prison
warden and the face of a tank. Jake did his best to repress a chuckle as his
son scowled.
Everything else went smoothly. The plane actually left on
time and he’d paid extra for a direct
Similar Books
