The Aftermath

“So, you just swing the putter as if it was a pendulum and…”

I did as Lion said and watched the ball sink its way into the windmill’s wall.

“I don’t think that’s where the ball was supposed to go.” Ryant cracked.

So, I went running down to the windmill, screeching as I did so and shoved the ball through the hole to the other side.

“I win !” I jumped and clapped in the air as Lion laughed.

“Actually, you’re about 10 points behind me.” Rodney smirked.

“Whatever! Let me have my fun!”

We were on the third hole and all of us except for Rodney happened to be horrific mini golfers.

“What I don’t understand about this game is why everything is so miniature is?”

I laughed at Ryant. “Weren’t you the one that suggested this?”

“I didn’t suggest me losing! Usually I win!”

“But, that’s only because I’m here, right?” Rodney seemed to be flying on some infinitely high cloud.

“Yeah, son. You’ll have to accept losing eventually.” Lion teased him. Lion was wearing loose fitting cargo shorts and a breezy shirt.

“I wish we had a gym to play dodgeball in because then I’d knock a few faces around.”

We walked the small path around the windmill to the other side of our putting hole. We were at Washton Mini World Golf. It was an expensive mini golf course Ryant and I had discovered since our many adventures in Washington and it wasn’t too far from Ryant’s house.

“Actually I was 2nd in my school’s dodgeball-“

“Don’t wanna hear it! Don’t wanna hear it!” Ryant jammed his fingers into his ears and started shouting. A few onlookers seemed interested at the boy and Rodney chuckled further.

Our mini golf tirade went on and just like predicted, Rodney won hands down. Lion said as a celebratory gift, he’d buy us all lunch at the golf course’s food area.

We made it to the mock grass area with tree food stands and umbrella shaded tables. Lion handed over the money to Ryant to pay for our food and Rodney followed him to order as well.

I took my place at one of the mesh metal tables and smiled, overlooking the sun and the highway sky. One thing I could appreciate about Washington was the clear blue skies and the fresh air.

“Enjoying the view?” Lion said, hands crammed in his pockets.

I looked to him, surprised at the surfacing sadness in me. “Yeah, I like the view.”

He tottered over next to me, sitting down and even weirdly I noticed his scent was something he shared with his son. From all the smothering hugs Ryant liked to force on me, he smelled clearly of vanilla and clean linen.

“You know some things about the world never change, right?”

A flock of gray birds whizzed by in the sky in V formation.

“When I was younger, about your age, I always thought my mom never understood me, that she was out to ruin my life. Then, she died and I promised my dad I’d make something of my life, get a job.”

“Is that how you ended up working at Lexicon?”

He nodded. “Exactly. Then, I met Clarissa and your uncle…”

Of the many things that had been on my mind, one of them was Lion’s relationship with Clarissa and my uncle. I’d known they were friends. But, past that I hadn’t known much. I remember distinctly Alex telling me one time that Clarissa had been closer to Lion than anyone else.

“What were you guys like, back in the day?”

Lion chuckled, grinning at me. “Now you’re making me feel old. But, back then? We were a tight group. Even when we worked at Lexicon, we stuck around each other. I’d had my suspicions for a while, but nothing was truly confirmed until your cousin died.”

Meg Rushman, the infant child of Trevor that Lexicon had tested on.

“I never saw a pair of people as torn up about something like Trevor and Meg where. They couldn’t even face to have a funeral and I knew I had to tell Trevor the truth.”

The truth sounded awfully dangerous sometimes.

“Do you think I have the right to be mad at Trevor, about him not telling me and my mom about Gladis?”

Ryant could be heard yelling at Rodney at the food stand.

“I think people do things for reasons and you should try and understand his reasoning.” He fashioned. “I mean, look at me and my kids. I try as hard as I can, but I could never stop the virus from getting out, no matter how much I tried. I could never stop it from hurting them.”

Ryant had told me how Max sometimes had nightmares like I did, waking up screaming in the middle of the night and rain slashing on his windows.

“You love your kids and I’m sorry about your mom. Never got to know mine’s either.”

“Growing up with a dead parent can be hard. You’re a strong girl.”

Was it both strange and horrible to say that I wished Lion was somehow my dad? That his words could soothe me into the night because I knew I trusted them?

You don’t need to answer that. I know it’s weird.

“Rodney over here chose to order a large milkshake! He’s so greedy!” Ryant carried the food over all by himself, obviously refusing Rodney’s advances of help.

We all chowed down on our food. Ryant was eating more grossly than everyone else. I’d ordered a double decker burger with fries. Lion had gotten a trim salad, saying he needed to watch his health and Rodney wasn’t much better. He’d ordered a fruit salad.

“Huh, fruit salad. I’m not surprised.” Ryant remarked.

I had a feeling he was going too far with his sly remarks so I decided to change the subject.

“Do you think those people on the set were right? That the Rogue Virus isn’t gone?” I asked Rodney.

He wore his usual clothes in a business casual manner. He looked to me thoughtfully under the shade of our umbrella table.

“I think it’s possible. Viruses are capable of finding ways to emerge decades into the future and the Rogue Virus is already so viscous.”

Ryant frowned at that fact. “I hope it doesn’t come back. I kind of actually want to go back to school, feel normal again.”

Lion stared down at his son, eyes smoldering and I exhaled. “I wanna feel normal too, but maybe we’re all crazy. We’ve definitely done things normal teenagers haven’t.”

“Like kill their own fathers.”

“Or get kidnapped and injected with stuff.”

“Or fight sadistic families on highways.”

That got all of us to laugh and Lion turned quiet.

“Dad/ what’s wrong?” Ryant asked. Lion had stopped eating his salad.

He pinned his eyes shut and pressed his lips together. “I don’t feel so well… I think I’m going to the restroom.” He was gone in a flash and quiet overtook us.

“Your dad, okay?” Rodney asked, green as green eyes on Ryant.

Ryant’s own gaze still followed his father. “I hope he is.”

Then, Rodney’s cell phone went off like a torpedo, sprouting off short blasted rings and Rodney fumbled to answer it, face flushing as he did so.

“H-hello? Who’s this?”

We both stared to him and he departed from the table, walking a few feet away for privacy. And for some reason, Ryant and I had nothing to talk about when Rodney was gone.

After a few long minutes, he came back.

“Sorry you guys, I’ve gotta. I just got a call about some business…”

That was one thing about Rodney that surprised me. Even with his father’s dominating pressures on, he still pursued the financial side of things.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

Rodney looked to me, swallowing. “Yeah. I’ll talk to you guys later. Tell Lion thanks for the good time. I haven’t had fun in a while.”

Rodney then left, dialing away at his phone, probably for a taxi service and the mood at our table shifted.

It shifted to anxiety.