Caving In

“Who the hell does she think she is?” Matt snapped, kicking his front door open. “She tells me I need to be around for my kid, then fucking kicks me out!” Fuming, Matt was beyond reconciling. His vision had begun turning red, and his hands clenched uncontrollably.

“Dude, hulk, cool it. What happened?” Zack asked calmly, putting his game controller down. Matt had been so heated, so insanely livid, he hadn’t paid any attention to the two bums sitting on his couch.

“Albany happened, god damn it,” He barked. Matt stifled an angry laugh, he felt like he was throwing a temper tantrum but he couldn’t stop, the anger was seeping into every bone of his body.

“Matt, you seriously need to chill out,” Zack was ice compared to his friend pacing back and forth. “You need to sit your ass down and tell us what the hell happened,” he stood up, brushing crumbs away and meeting Matt at the door. Matt exhaled loudly, tangling his calloused fingers into his short, buzzed hair. He sat down on the couch next to Brian, beginning to explain to his friends what had happened back at the apartment.

“Well that’s kind of shitty,” Brian said quietly as Matt pushed his head into the palm of his hands.

Zack nodded, patting his friend’s shoulder, “What are you gonna do now?”

“I…I don’t know,” Matt groaned, feeling defeated. “She invited me to Mason’s birthday party at my parent’s house tomorrow.”

“Are you going to go?” Brian questioned, reaching over to grab his beer off the coffee table in front of him.

“I want to, it’s just…Albany,” Matt whispered. He wanted more than anything to go to
Mason’s birthday. Seeing his son today had made him feel like such a douche bag for missing everything, his birthdays, Christmases, every moment in that little boy’s life. He was the worst father in the world, and Albany knew it. She’d been protecting Mason today at her apartment, shielding him from Matt and the pain he caused the boy. He’d already hurt him so much by not being around, it was nearly unthinkable what could happen if he stuck around. Would Mason have to grow up listening to his parents bicker like cats and dogs, traded from one house to the next?

“I vote we go,” Zack announced, breaking the silence that had settled over them.

“We?” Matt asked, looking up from his hands. Mason was his son; he didn’t want to force his friends into parenting along side of him.

“Fuck yes!” He smiled, “Hell, just call me Uncle Zacky.”

Matt laughed, feeling a little bit of the weight lifted off his shoulders. He wouldn’t be going through this alone. Albany would come around too once Matt could prove he was still the same old kid he was in high school. And he’d always have his boys, their immature humor and inappropriate nature.

Zack had picked up his game controller again but Brian turned towards Matt, “So, is Albany a M.I.L.F?”

Shaking his head, Matt laughed loudly again not exactly answering his question. Albany had become so beautiful since he’d left. Her dark hair was longer, her crystal blue eyes brighter. Her long face was tired but happy and the way she looked at Mason let Matt know she loved him more than the air she was breathing. She was a good mother, a caring and loving mother.

Matt had been so incredibly lucky to somehow catch her in high school, a mystery he still thought about from time to time. He’d been head over heels for her since day one, and leaving Huntington Beach and her behind, had been the hardest thing he had ever had to do. Sometimes, on nights when he couldn’t get her or their son off his mind, Matt would scan the crowd hopping to see Albany. Of course, he would always come up empty handed in his search but the hope that one day he would, swelled deep inside of him. It kept him going.

“So when is Val coming back?” Zack questioned, not looking away from the flat screen.

Matt’s eyes widened as his stomach dropped.

Val.