Read Online Wilson Mooney Eighteen at Last by Gretchen de la O - Free Book Online
Authors: Gretchen de la O
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wooden loveseats. He wrapped his arms
around my stomach. Nuzzling his face close to my ear, he let out a
guttural moan. I felt his entire body push against my
backside.
“ Yeah, right; I know
exactly what happens when you give me your smile. I end up in a
helicopter thousands of miles above frozen cities and uninhabited
wilderness,” I teased before I winked and handed him my
shoes.
“ Now come on—didn’t I make
up for it with the limo ride? I didn’t know you were so terrified
of heli—”
“ Maxi, is that you?”
Nancy, Max’s mother called out as she came around the corner from
the dining room. Her brilliant green eyes met mine, and at once, I
fell in love with her all over again. The love she exuded from
every pore of her body made me feel like I was right where I
belonged.
“ Wilson, sweetheart—come
here, birthday girl.” She waved her hands toward me as she held her
arms out. I let her give me a welcome that, up until today, had
always been reserved for my grandma. “You know, Frank is so excited
to hear about your ride in Ol’ Tweety. Quite frankly, I’ve never
liked riding in that death trap,” she continued as I slipped into
her open arms. She pulled me close and squeezed lovingly. She
smelled like a meadow of wildflowers and felt like the delicate
sunbeams that tickled across my skin on a warm summer
day.
“ Happy Birthday, sweetie,”
Nancy said as I felt one of her hands rub circles across my back
and the other catch the back of my head.
“ Thank you, Nancy,” I
mumbled across her shoulder.
Her maternal love flooded
over me, extinguishing all the times my mother’s deliberate acts of
abandonment burned my defensive heart. Nancy was so good at being mom that I instantly
ached when she let go. Her hand slid across my shoulder as she held
her other arm out for Max to join our intimate moment.
“ Ma, you were right,” Max
mentioned as he slipped next to her and kissed her on the
cheek.
“ Well then, maybe next
time you’ll listen,” she smiled at him before messing up his hair.
“I see you still didn’t get your hair cut.”
“ Aw, come on. Can’t
admitting you were right be enough to keep you from giving me
static about my hair?”
“ Well, just remember, I
didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. I’ve been around longer than
you think,” Nancy smiled before letting go of Max and
me.
Max grabbed my hand before he turned
and asked, “Where’s dad?”
“ He and Camille went over
to the Randohs’. Greg blew a circuit breaker or something when he
plugged in a new plasma TV he gave Pam for Christmas. And, well,
you know Greg—he can’t change a light bulb without screwing it up,”
Nancy laughed as she patted Max on the shoulder and pulled at his
collar. “They should be here any time.”
Max smiled before he cleared his
throat; he was just about to say something when the door
slammed.
“ Helloooo! We’re baaaack!”
Frank bellowed. My heart pattered at the sound of his
voice.
“ Hey, Dad,” Max said at
the same moment Nancy announced, “We’re in the family
room.”
I wanted to soak up the moment Frank
strolled in and saw his son. As generic as their acknowledgement of
each other was, it still was so much more than I’d ever
had.
I never heard my dad
speak. Hell, I never even laid eyes on him. According to my late
grandma, my mom had a one night stand with the spawn of
Satan. Hello, then what does that make
me—half German, half hellion? When I was
little I would run into the bathroom every morning and check my
forehead in the mirror, worried about waking up with horns bursting
from either side of my forehead. Years later, I discovered ‘spawn
of Satan’ was only a figure of speech for a real
asshole.
Frank turned the corner with Camille
trailing behind. His eyes lit up and Camille jetted past him to get
to Max first. She hugged him like she hadn’t seen him in years.
Standing on her tiptoes, she rocked him back and forth.
“ I’ve really missed
around my stomach. Nuzzling his face close to my ear, he let out a
guttural moan. I felt his entire body push against my
backside.
“ Yeah, right; I know
exactly what happens when you give me your smile. I end up in a
helicopter thousands of miles above frozen cities and uninhabited
wilderness,” I teased before I winked and handed him my
shoes.
“ Now come on—didn’t I make
up for it with the limo ride? I didn’t know you were so terrified
of heli—”
“ Maxi, is that you?”
Nancy, Max’s mother called out as she came around the corner from
the dining room. Her brilliant green eyes met mine, and at once, I
fell in love with her all over again. The love she exuded from
every pore of her body made me feel like I was right where I
belonged.
“ Wilson, sweetheart—come
here, birthday girl.” She waved her hands toward me as she held her
arms out. I let her give me a welcome that, up until today, had
always been reserved for my grandma. “You know, Frank is so excited
to hear about your ride in Ol’ Tweety. Quite frankly, I’ve never
liked riding in that death trap,” she continued as I slipped into
her open arms. She pulled me close and squeezed lovingly. She
smelled like a meadow of wildflowers and felt like the delicate
sunbeams that tickled across my skin on a warm summer
day.
“ Happy Birthday, sweetie,”
Nancy said as I felt one of her hands rub circles across my back
and the other catch the back of my head.
“ Thank you, Nancy,” I
mumbled across her shoulder.
Her maternal love flooded
over me, extinguishing all the times my mother’s deliberate acts of
abandonment burned my defensive heart. Nancy was so good at being mom that I instantly
ached when she let go. Her hand slid across my shoulder as she held
her other arm out for Max to join our intimate moment.
“ Ma, you were right,” Max
mentioned as he slipped next to her and kissed her on the
cheek.
“ Well then, maybe next
time you’ll listen,” she smiled at him before messing up his hair.
“I see you still didn’t get your hair cut.”
“ Aw, come on. Can’t
admitting you were right be enough to keep you from giving me
static about my hair?”
“ Well, just remember, I
didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. I’ve been around longer than
you think,” Nancy smiled before letting go of Max and
me.
Max grabbed my hand before he turned
and asked, “Where’s dad?”
“ He and Camille went over
to the Randohs’. Greg blew a circuit breaker or something when he
plugged in a new plasma TV he gave Pam for Christmas. And, well,
you know Greg—he can’t change a light bulb without screwing it up,”
Nancy laughed as she patted Max on the shoulder and pulled at his
collar. “They should be here any time.”
Max smiled before he cleared his
throat; he was just about to say something when the door
slammed.
“ Helloooo! We’re baaaack!”
Frank bellowed. My heart pattered at the sound of his
voice.
“ Hey, Dad,” Max said at
the same moment Nancy announced, “We’re in the family
room.”
I wanted to soak up the moment Frank
strolled in and saw his son. As generic as their acknowledgement of
each other was, it still was so much more than I’d ever
had.
I never heard my dad
speak. Hell, I never even laid eyes on him. According to my late
grandma, my mom had a one night stand with the spawn of
Satan. Hello, then what does that make
me—half German, half hellion? When I was
little I would run into the bathroom every morning and check my
forehead in the mirror, worried about waking up with horns bursting
from either side of my forehead. Years later, I discovered ‘spawn
of Satan’ was only a figure of speech for a real
asshole.
Frank turned the corner with Camille
trailing behind. His eyes lit up and Camille jetted past him to get
to Max first. She hugged him like she hadn’t seen him in years.
Standing on her tiptoes, she rocked him back and forth.
“ I’ve really missed
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