The Years After (24 page)

He stared with his heartbeat drumming again in his ears. They were joking, kidding around, and strangely enough, they were very much at ease and included him, despite Gretchen seeing him coming out from Olivia’s bedroom. Gretchen stopped by Olivia and reached her hand out toward the collar of her shirt. “Might want to put this on right side out before your dad gets home. Tags are kinda obvious, you two.” Then she turned and strolled out, casually, while Olivia grabbed at the tag. Sure enough, it was poking up from the collar of her t-shirt.

Her face turned red, but she only laughed and said, “Point taken, Mom.”

Stranger still, Gretchen didn’t kick him out of her house, like he deserved. He let out a deep breath, and almost started hyperventilating when Olivia suddenly slipped her arms out and reversed the shirt
right there
before sticking her arms back into the sleeves.

“What are you doing?” he hissed at her, throwing his hands up in panic.

“Fixing it. Rookie mistake.” He shut his eyes while she fixed it right there in her kitchen. Meanwhile, Derek could only wonder when Tony Lindstrom would walk in, since it could be at any time. Setting her dishes down, she walked towards him and cupped his face in her hands. “Derek, really. No one will kick you out. Or hurt you. You’re a guest here. Relax a little bit.”

He pulled at her wrists to get her to quit touching him. “Don’t do that. Your dad could walk in at any time. You’re severely underestimating how badly he does not want me to come near you.”

She lifted her hands. “Okay. I know you’re intimidated, but try to calm down a little, okay? Lighten up.”

She returned to the sink to finish her dishes after directing him to the media room. Apparently, the eighty-inch TV needed its own room. Derek left to watch some sports and relax. He tried his best, but couldn’t help looking around and seeing all the things he never had or saw before.

Tony came inside the house. Derek shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and steeled himself for round two with Tony Lindstrom. This time, he was actually staying in the man’s house. Tony walked into the kitchen and stood at the entrance while Olivia continued setting the table.

He was wearing a business suit and had just set down a briefcase. “Hey, kiddo.”

“Hi, Dad,” she said, without even glancing up while she set out the silverware.

Derek had never eaten at a formally set table inside a house before. Never. Not even once. His mom had never served him a meal like this. And they never sat down and ate as a “family.” And the way both of her parents just came in and casually said their greetings, were also something he’d never witnessed before. Olivia didn’t even glance up. Perhaps, she didn’t realize that her dad’s greeting was a precious, rare gift. It would have been as precious as a shooting star in Derek’s life, at any time. No one ever greeted him in any kind of endearing way. He pushed his knuckles into his eye sockets. The familiar pain flashing through his head had returned. He felt so odd there, he couldn’t seem to get a grip. He lowered his hands and made fists before facing Tony, while his stomach churned in knots.

“Hi, Derek.”

Olivia finally glanced up.

“Mr. Lindstrom,” he mumbled with his head down and his posture rather sloppy. The ensuing silence was nearly unbearable. Derek jumped when a hand touched his shoulder.

“You can call me Tony. You have a nice Christmas?”

He was staring up at Tony, eye-to-eye. Did he have a nice Christmas? No. He’d never even had one nice Christmas. But Tony expected polite, simple conversation. That was normal. You didn’t spout how crappy your life was. You just said whatever was expected. Derek took in a sharp breath to at least try and act
normally.
“Uh, fine. I had my brother over.”

“How old is your brother?”

“Thirteen.”

“That’s good. I’m a big brother too. Mine never listens to a thing I say, but he never really needed my advice anyway.”

“I’m not much of a brother,” he again mumbled, staring at the tips of his orange-soled gym shoes.

Tony tilted his head. “You two alone?”

“Pretty much.” Unless you included all the regular clients he had, and the suppliers he usually dealt with. Or everyone at the drug house where he met with Quentrell; then, yes, they were all alone.

Tony’s gaze was on him. Derek had no idea what he thought, so he just kept his head down. Tony leaned in closer while Olivia turned towards the fridge and was grabbing stuff for dinner. “Relax, kid. I’m not actually going to hurt you.”

Kid?
He just called his own daughter that. Now him? Again, no one had ever said something so endearing to him before. He looked up at Tony, but had no idea how to respond. Tony let out a short bark that was supposed to be a laugh as he slapped Derek’s shoulder when he passed him and went down the hall.

Derek let out the breath he was holding.
Christ!
This was exhausting. Olivia came over with a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry so much, you’ll survive. Just relax a little. You act as if one of them is going to jump you and carve out your liver. Calm down, okay?”

Her hand was on his arm, but he shook it off. “Quit touching me in front of them, and it might keep that scenario from actually happening.”

She shook her head. “Okay. I will try to consider your high level of discomfort in this. But really, relax.”

Easy for her to say.

Dinner was strange. They sat down together and passed food around. They
talked.
It was all seemingly trivial stuff. Work. School. What errands Olivia forgot to do. Apparently, she often forgot mundane things. Derek spoke as little as possible and tried to concentrate on not spilling his meal, or chewing with his mouth open, or whatever other faux pas he might make. That was quite a feat since he wasn’t even sure what exactly a faux pas was.

Finally, it ended and they could leave the kitchen. Olivia led him into a downstairs bedroom with a large guest bed and bath. He’d never stayed in a place so nice. When he briefly escaped everyone to grab his shit, he fought the urge to jump into his car and leave. But instead, he dutifully carried his duffel in and set it on the floor of the guest room. He waited for another warning from Tony, but nothing more was said.

Her parents went to bed at some point, leaving them alone in the media room. She tried to kiss and pet him, but he sat there stiffly, nervous for the first time in his life. Of what? He couldn’t say or totally articulate his concern, but he was worried. What if Tony discovered them? What was the worst he could do? Kick him out? Forbid him from ever seeing Olivia? As if Tony had the power to stop him. Hell no. All he had to do was wait for her to come back to school and voila! They’d be together again. In fact, that was what he should have done. Instead of sitting there frozen, in freaking anxiety that some old asshole might catch him kissing his daughter. The daughter he’d never even had sex with.

Somehow he managed to disentangle Olivia and flopped alone on his bed. She still tried to come in and mess around with him. What was she thinking? It wasn’t her balls being put into the meat grinder, was it?

But why did he care so much what her parents thought of him? He never cared about what anyone thought before, not until Olivia.

He turned over and stared out the window where he left the shades up. The few lights down the neighborhood seemed very distant. It was totally quiet, and not even a passing car could be heard. It started freaking him out. Everything about this place made him uncomfortable. He didn’t even recognize himself. He felt alien in this place with these people and wondered what their reaction to him might be.

Over the next few days, he was more uncomfortable and his mood reflected it. Olivia was patient with him. He knew that. But he couldn’t shake his anxiety or how weird he felt. The parents went about their routines as easily as he did when he prowled the streets of Marsdale at night. They went to work and interacted, always being nice to Olivia and him. They strangely accepted his presence. Olivia often tried to sit on his lap or hold his hand, and once, she tried to kiss him in front of them. It was insane. He could not believe how relentlessly she kept trying, nor their ready acceptance and calm reactions.

One evening, he accidentally passed the media room where Tony was stretched out in one of those crazy comfortable recliners. He noticed Derek and called out, “You like football, kid?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

“Forty-niners are playin the Seahawks. Kicking our asses. But sit. Get pissed with me.”

Derek sat down, but was somewhat shocked to do so. He stayed there for three hours on purpose with Olivia’s dad. He wasn’t a talkative guy. Tony didn’t initiate any of the get-to-know-you crap and courteous niceties that Gretchen did. Tony stayed silent, but for random comments about the game. Eventually, Derek sat back and let his shoulders fall a fraction of an inch. He was beginning to feel a sense of comfort and decided it wasn’t a trap. He didn’t yell or cuss at the TV as Tony did, but did let out a little whoop! at an interception.

Tony was on his feet, his one fist clenched and cussing before he finally whooped too and yelled, “’Bout fucking time!”

Derek noticed that Tony rarely swore around Olivia or Gretchen. But around him? Every other word was
fuck this
or
fuck that
. That was also how Derek talked. Strangely enough, Tony talked his same language.

Nothing unusual or profound occurred during those three hours, but it was not… terrible. You only had to sit in a chair that molded to your ass with stupid perfection and watch TV with ridiculous surround-sound that vibrated through your entire body. It wasn’t half bad to yell and cuss at the TV with another dude.

Why didn’t Tony hate him though? He couldn’t figure that out. He saw the protective way he felt about Olivia. He was a father whose entire life seemed devoted to the two women in it. Of course, he would detest Derek for trying to sully his daughter. At the very least, even if he were a decent guy, Tony should not approve of Olivia doing any of the stuff they did.

Gretchen, too, was nice to him. She made great meals. For God’s sake. Real meals. No one had ever done that for him. Meals? Shit. He had never tasted so much good food. He observed all the damn care those two put into everything they did, not only with Olivia, but also their jobs and each other, their house, and now, were they extending that concern to even him? It was not sane. No one lived like that. Not every day. Not in a way that mattered or lasted very long.

But then, if they didn’t, how could Olivia be the wonderful person she was?

They didn’t protest when he and Olivia went out with Kylie and Ally. A couple of the parties they attended kept them out past midnight. But no one commented, except to say, “Be careful. Call if you need a ride; and don’t be stupid. And please let us know when you’re home.” They gave her so much respect, and she reciprocated because of it. Keeping tabs on her was only an expression of their love.

When they came in, Olivia texted her parents they were home. They didn’t come out. Not once, did they check to make sure Derek stayed where they wanted him. Although he did.

The people of Calliston were… funny. There was no other word Derek could think of to describe them. There were the preppy college kids, who were so much like Olivia, it was comical. They tried so hard at pretending to be cool. There was some shit available there, but nothing too strong. And some booze. They were mostly harmless kids, just playing around. He was introduced to a lot of people and many of them watched Olivia and him closely. When he asked her about it, she blushed and said it was because she was so quiet and uncool in high school. Most of her friends couldn’t believe a guy like him would be her date. He stared at her as if she’d suddenly grown Dumbo-sized ears. Believe he was her date? He shut his eyes at the absurdity that she felt somehow lucky to have him.

Holding her tighter, and longer, he kissed the shit out of every free moment they got. Let them all realize now and weep over the precious gift they all overlooked.

Then there was the get-together to end all other get-togethers. Olivia’s entire family came over for dinner. That included her aunts and uncles and grandparents. Thank God, Kylie and Ally were there too. They both hugged him with familiarity and pulled him into their conversations. He was on display in a way he’d never been before. No one noticed him ordinarily. He was a shadow in his own world, but that was on purpose. Now? He was being introduced to Aunt Tracy, Aunt Vickie, and Uncle Donny who was once married to Aunt Vickie, as well as cousin Julia’s dad, who was now married to Aunt Tracy, who was Kylie and Ally’s mom. His head spun trying to place everyone in the family tree.

“What do you mean your uncle is your stepdad?” Derek’s eyebrows shot up at Kylie’s statement.

She shrugged as if it had no monumental value. “Yeah. My dad screwed us all over and ran off when we were little kids. He did time in jail. After that, Mom and Donny hooked up. After ending his marriage to Aunt Vickie…” The story went on.

“Don’t you hate them?” Derek was nearly reeling that such a scandal could happen to these seemingly normal people.

“Uncle Donny? No. He’s more my dad now than my own. My real father keeps trying to make contact with me, but I’ll never forgive him. Never.”

Kylie’s hand squeezed the pop can in her hands and flattened it. The residual soda sizzled up over the open lip. She wiped her hand on her pants and ducked her face, as if embarrassed to emerge from her usual apathy.

Ally groaned when a guy around their age approached them. “Who’s that?”

“Aunt Vickie’s lover,” Ally said between tightened lips of disapproval.

Aunt Vickie was hot. Crazy hot, even for an old chick, and she had a body that didn’t quit. The guy walking up to them couldn’t have been more than Ally’s age. Twenty-two, tops.

Kylie shook her head. “It’s not her lover. Not anymore, that is. He’s her stepson now. She married that old guy over there.”

“What?”

Olivia leaned her head over his shoulder and smiled. “Vickie met Nate and they had a thing, until she met Nate’s dad, who she eventually started dating and just recently married.”