Just Another Lovesick Boy

It took my mother a while to understand the situation. My incessant stammering made it difficult for her to comprehend that Jack was on our porch with some strange woman wrapped around him like a scarf. I had not heard from the man, much less even seen him in ten going on eleven years. I had no idea why he was here. There was no reason whatsoever. He was probably here just to antagonize us. To show us how well he did without us. How that woman could change him in ways we never could. That was probably his reason. I could not think of any other reason. So there I was, in my mother's room, sitting on her bed and stuttering away, while she rubbed my back and patiently waited for me to explain. How could I though? This was the man who called my mother horrible things and broke her heart into tiny shattered pieces that seemed insignificant to only him. He made and ruined our lives. My mother had to see all the families in the neighborhood be together and happy while she was the only divorced and single parent. He was the reason why all the kids at school to tease me every single day until fifth grade about how my daddy did not want me anymore. So I could not even possibly know where to start when it came to explaining that he was on our porch.

"Honey, you have to tell me what's wrong," she said calmly. The doorbell rang. I tensed at the sound. Her eye rolled to her bedroom door briefly before she looked down at me.

"It's j-just...he's just; I can't...why is he here?" I finally got out. The doorbell rang.

"Who's here, sweet pea?" she asked as she rubbed my back.

"Jack. He's here with some woman," I said slowly under my breath.

The feeling of her hand on my back ceased. I looked up from behind my still slightly tinted blue hair to take a view of her face. She was staring down at me in horror. Her lips moved soundlessly. I licked my lips and grabbed her hand. She jumped at the contact and squeezed my hand once. She sniffed once and fanned her face with her other hand. The doorbell rang.

"What is he doing here?" she whispered.

"I don't know. Mom, I don't want him here," I groaned.

"I know, sweetie." The doorbell rang. "But we have to see what he wants. Otherwise, he won't go away."

I nodded as she grabbed my hand and walked us out of her room. The walk down the stairs seemed to take an eternity. I watched from the infamous stairs as my mother fixed her necklace and straightened her shirt. She flipped her dark hair behind her shoulder and held her head high as she opened the door. And there we saw the redheaded woman with a curious expression on her face and Jack in his leather jacket and his finger inches away from the doorbell. He grinned his wolfish grin at my mother and I could hear her heart flutter like a bird. But I was the one who knew her better than anyone so the strangers on the porch heard absolutely nothing. My mother coolly leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms. I knew she was letting her eyes fall up and down their frames, allowing herself to freely evaluate them.

"Jack, what brings you to the neighborhood?" she asked.

"Jocelyn. I heard my baby boy was turning eighteen soon. I had to visit," he stated with a smile.

My mom quickly turned around to shake her head at me before I could scoff and roll my eyes. For her sake, I bit my tongue and clenched my right fist to keep myself from doing so. She smiled at me before turning back around towards the strangers.

"Well, Jack, if he was truly your baby boy, you'd realize his birthday isn't for another four months. Besides, you haven't told him happy birthday since he was eight."

"You caught me. It wasn't the reason. But could you please let us in so we can explain?" he asked.

How pathetic. Using me as an excuse was as pathetic as he could get. But nevertheless, my mother nodded and leaned against the door as she opened it wider. Jack grinned wider and his woman, who I thought couldn't smile any bigger, proved me otherwise. The woman immediately allowed herself in and Jack slid past my mother way closer than he should have. He led his woman to the living room and automatically made himself comfortable on our gray couch without invitation. His woman sat down and snuggled up against his side after he put his arm around her. I honestly would not have been surprised if he put his feet up on our coffee table. However, he proved to us that he had at least that many manners. My mother glanced up at me with her eyebrows raised before turning to walk into the living room. She sat on the black leather chair delicately with her back straight and her ankles crossed. They all simultaneously looked up at me expectantly.

I suddenly felt so out of place in my own living room. My mother was in her work clothes, which consisted of black form fitting dress pants, a light blue silk shirt, matching blue heels, and her silver watch. I noticed Jack still had an eternal youth complex when I realized what he was wearing. I could never understand how Eddy could wear multiple layers of black clothing on warm days and here was Jack wearing a black leather jacket in ninety degree weather. His woman was wearing a white shirt with skinny blue jeans and brown leather boots. She dressed more like a teenager than a grown woman. Everything she wore seemed to accentuate her plainness but she wore them beautifully, to my displeasure. I wanted to hate her automatically because of her connection to Jack and her full head of red hair but I had to give her the fact that she was beautiful. Everyone in the entire room was beautiful and seemingly well dressed and there I was, plain as can be and still dressed in what I slept in. I was standing in front of the infamous stairs in my blue striped boxers, my somewhat loose white shirt and my black socks, one of which was slowly coming off my foot. I bit my bottom lip before sitting down on the black leather bench that was against the wall and underneath the television. I leaned against the wall and refused to look at anyone. My mother glanced at me before turning to the strangers.

"So talk," my mother said to them.

"Now, now, Jocelyn, aren't you going to be a good hostess and offer drinks?" he asked wickedly.

"Obviously not. So either talk or get out," I muttered.

I saw Jack sharply glance at me. I slowly turned my head over to his direction to find him giving me a cold but blank look while his woman was looking at me in confusion. I kept eye contact with Jack, never looking away, never blinking. I held his gaze until my mother spoke up.

"Adrian," was all she had to say before I looked away.

"Still a mama's boy, I see," he smirked.

"I'd rather be a mama's boy than a douche bag who abandons his child," I said coldly.

Jack threw me a glare that ultimately broke down into an apologetic gaze towards the floor that filled with me with confusion. My mother was about to open her mouth to say something when a very loud noise came from above us. His woman jumped and Jack was about to get up - probably to prove his manliness by protecting the women and child - when Eddy noisily came stomping down the stairs.

"Hey, Mama D, I was just wondering if I..." Eddy trailed off as soon as he noticed the two strangers that were lounging on our couch.

"Edward, it's been too long. How's your mama?" Jack grinned.

"Cold," Eddy said in a monotone voice.

"And why’s that?” Jack asked, his wicked grin never leaving his face.

"She’s kind of dead," Eddy said.

Jack's smiled faltered before he looked down. "That's too bad, she was very beautiful."

"You would say that after you flirted with her and tried to ruin her marriage," Eddy said coldly.

His woman sharply glanced at Jack before smiling and getting up to walk over to Eddy with her arms open, like she was expecting a hug. Her southern accented voice filled the room as she spoke. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry about your mother. I'm sure you miss her."

Eddy glanced at me with an incredulous look on his face. I shrugged once before he looked back at her. "Okay, number one: lady, I don't even fucking know you. Number two: you have to be an idiot, a druggie, or a slut to be with Adrian's father. Number three: I don’t fucking hug strangers. What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked before he pushed right past her.

I could see her smile falter. She pouted once before sitting back down next to Jack, who was glaring at all of us, especially Eddy who slid me easily over to one side of the bench so he could squeeze in next to me. We all looked at Jack expectantly.

"Anyway, before Eddy came in, you were saying? Why are you here, Jack?" my mother asked calmly.

"Well, I'd like you all to meet my fiancée Cecilia. We're getting married in two months and I just wanted all of you to be there. And most importantly, I wanted my son to be my best man," he said nervously.

I stared at him in serious and in shock. Jack’s back was bent, as if he was trying to shrink into the couch. His eyes were dancing between me and my mother in nervousness. He actually seemed like a real man right at that moment.

All went quiet. Eddy and I looked at each before looking over to take a view at my mother. Behind her smile and perfect posture and deep in her eyes, I could see her heart breaking. I knew my mother had gotten over Jack on a few levels, but deep down, I knew my mother would always love Jack in some way. He was her first love. He was her first husband. He was the father of her child. He was the world to her and in some ways, he always would be. I understood that. But I hated the fact that she loved him so much. He had caused her so much pain but no matter what, she would always look past it and remember all the good times.

"Are you kidding me?" All the heads in the room turned to stare over at Eddy. Eddy was staring at Jack with a look of anger and incredulity on his face.

"You abandoned your child, you call your wife horrible things, you flirt with my mother, you were a drunk, you left them, and you don't have any contact with them for almost eleven years. Then you just waltz back here with some chick who, I'll be honest, is a total idiot and just expect everyone to be okay with the fact you're marrying her? And then, you ask your son to be your best man when the last memory he has of you is being drunk and calling his mother a cunt? How many kinds of retarded are you, dude?" Eddy ranted.

"Edward, I don't believe this is any of your business," he growled.

"Well, Jack," Eddy mockingly laughed, "I believe it is. Were you there when everyone was talking about the divorce behind their backs? Were you there when Adrian got teased at school because his 'daddy' didn't want him anymore? Were you there when he got beat up by the kids because they knew they could because he didn't have a dad to protect him? Were you there to see Mama D have to act as mom and dad to Adrian? Oh wait, that's right, you weren't because you left," Eddy said, his voice getting louder and louder with each sentence as he leaned forward in his seat.

"And I deeply apologize for that and I want to start over," Jack said.

"By getting a whole a new family? Right, that's a way to go, Jack," I scoffed.

"I'd prefer it if you call me Dad, son."

"I'd prefer it if you call Adrian, Jack."

"Is there a particular reason you keep calling me Jack?"

"How much alcohol did you drink? You're not my father. You haven't been one for a very long time," I explained.

"Adrian, I've been sober for about eight years now. I gave up drinking completely," he told me. His woman put her pale hand on his shoulder with a smile on her face. I did not think this woman could stop smiling to save her life.

"Well, Jack, congratulations. I'm proud of you. Back to the main subject of a wedding, where is it going to be at?" my mom asked suddenly, causing me and Eddy to look at her in shock.

"Oh, it'll be in the mountains," his woman, Cecilia, jumped in.

"Is it? How romantic," my mom smiled.

My mother was always a true romantic. She could be absolutely hurt and in so much pain, but if someone brought out something romantic, she would turn to mush. She adored all things that involved love. I could see all the heartbreak disappear from her eyes and quickly replaced by adoration.

"Isn't it just? Jack wanted to be married in a church, but how boring is that? I wanted something different and naturally beautiful," Cecilia gushed.

"And how is the planning going for you?"

“It’s moving along. So far, I’ve only gotten a cabin reserved for the reception and I’m still picking out decorations and I’ve sent out invitations but I haven’t picked out my dress or anything. I’m kind of panicking,” Cecilia said with a nervous laugh as she shifted in her seat. Eddy, Jack, and I were all giving each other odd looks at how easily the women were connecting.

"Oh, I'd love to help. I’m actually a wedding planner and I know all kinds of designers and bridal shops. I could probably do a lot for you," my mom offered helpfully.

"That'd be beyond wonderful! Thank you so much," Cecilia grinned. All went silent. They all looked at me.

"Well, Adrian, would you do this for me?" Jack asked.

I licked my lips before leaning forward. "Let me be straight up with you. You left us. You called my mom horrible things. You come back suddenly without any warning and expect everything to be okay. I will be your best man; I'll do this for you for the sake of my mother. But believe me when I say you haven't been my father since I was six years old and I highly doubt you will be for a long time. But I'll still do it."

All went quiet once more. Everyone looked back at Jack. He held a hard façade but he nodded once. He grabbed Cecilia's hand and my mother smiled at me and Eddy leaned back in the chair.

"Thank you, Adrian."