Chocolate Eyes

Due to the two hour time difference, Brian landed in Oklahoma earlier than he’d planned. It was just before 6am there, 4am in California, and it was a three hour drive in a rental car to Broken Bow. Trying not to wake her, he waited until he was closer to town to check in with Michelle and confirm that everything had gone according to plan. After he talked to her, he tried to contact the Kents to no avail. It was complete radio silence from the people who were looking out for his son. And even though Brian knew it could’ve been because it was still early, it still pissed him off.

He followed the GPS until it stopped working when the road curved into Broken Bow. He was practically in the middle of no where and the satellites had no hope for regaining a connection. Brian cursed as he smacked his hand against the dashboard, and then turned his eyes back to navigate his way into town. On either side of the street were buildings containing numerous stores and shops. It was a typical down town to a typical little city. Without other options, Brian pulled into one of the parallel parking spaces and turned off the car, grabbing the piece of paper with the Kents’ address written on it.

He climbed out of the car and locked it behind him with a click. It wasn’t a flashy car, but it was nicer than most of the others lining the road and both it, and Brian, were catching some attention from the few people loitering on the sidewalks amongst the snow.

Brian offered a muted smile to a group of women who paused coming out of one of the diners and then turned and stepped into the coffee shop, shoving his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. Due to the time, it was almost empty inside, with only a couple people lingered at the dark wood tables. Bri turned to the counter top and stood between the glass cases containing baked goods, his fingers gripping the end of the counter as he waited for the barista to notice him.

A woman smiled at him as she turned around, eyes raking over him. “Good morning. How can I help you?” she asked, pressing her hands down on the wooden countertop.

Brian fished the paper from his pocket. “I’m looking for this address,” he responded, sliding the crumpled sheet across to her, “Do you know where it is?”

The barista read the numbers and street name and nodded. “I know the neighborhood,” she explained, “It’s only a few minutes away.” She relayed the rest of the directions and asked him if he wanted to order anything, but didn’t say much else. When he stepped out of the coffee house, he didn’t pay any attention to the people noticing him. He wondered how cliche this small town really was and climbed into his car maintaining the thought that they would probably know his entire life story by the end of the day, if they didn’t already.

When he turned onto the unfamiliar street, there were both nerves and excitement building in the pitt of his stomach. He wanted to see his son more than he wanted anything else, but he wasn’t particularly thrilled about showing up on the doorstep of the two people who least liked him most in the world.

He rolled into the plowed, blacktopped driveway and nothing else really mattered except for the thought that his son was just inside. He got out, leaving everything in the car, and hurried up the snowy path of the little house. It was small and the yard didn’t back up to a beach like his own (in fact, there wasn’t much of a yard at all), but it was a decent home. He could picture a small family growing up inside. The building itself was a small rectangle and Brian couldn’t imagine that many more people could fit inside it.

He knocked on the door and it opened simultaneously. EJ was alone on the other side in just his pajamas and rocketed into Brian, wrapping his arms around the older man’s waist. “Daddy!” the four year old shouted, holding on for dear life, “You’re here!”

Brian managed to disconnect EJ from him long enough to lift him up and wrap his arms around him again. It had only been a few days, but it felt like much too long already. He buried his face against his son’s shoulder gratefully. “E, I missed you,” Brian murmured, kissing the boy’s blonde head, “I’m so glad to see you, man.”

Evander repeated similar words as his grandparents stepped up in front of Brian. Brian shifted so that he was holding EJ with one arm, the boy on his hip, and turned to face the older couple. “Holly, James,” he said softly, “How are you?”

“Come in,” Holly responded, motioning for him to step through the doorway so she could close it behind him, “How was your trip? Did the snow cause any trouble?”

“Dad, let me show you my bed,” EJ said, scrambling out of his dad’s arms as he ignored the woman who’d been speaking. His cloth covered feet landed on the carpeting and he grabbed for Bri’s fingers to pull him past Holly and James and down the short hall to the bedroom that used to be his mother’s.

Brian was surprised by how typically ‘boy’ it was. The walls were pale blue and matched the comforter and the sheets poking out were white and matched the dresser. It was sailer themed, with a chest as a toy box and a white wooden ship steering wheel on the wall among the photos of EJ as a child with his mother.

Brian’s eyes raked carefully over the images of Claudia and Evander together. He was put off by the images of her, unsettled, but taken with the photos of his son as an infant. “This is nice, E,” Brian commented as the boy jumped up onto his made bed, “Look at those toys.”

EJ glanced unimpressed to the half-full toy box. “Yeah,” he commented nonchalantly as he nodded, eyes moving right back to his dad, “When are we going home?”

Brian faltered, knowing EJ’s grandparents were in the doorway behind him. He walked across the room and sat down next to him. “I figured we could both stay here for a couple more days,” he said, noting his son’s glum expression, “If that’s okay with James and Holly.” Brian turned his gaze to the older couple, knowing he wasn’t giving them much room to back out and feeling satisfied by it. They wanted EJ there more than they wanted Brian gone, so they’d have to settle for keeping him around.

Holly nodded without looking to her husband. “That’s fine, Brian, we’re happy to have you,” she got out, moving into the room, “What do you say that the four of us go out for breakfast? We can show you Claudia and Evander’s hometown.”

Brian didn’t correct her with the information that Huntington Beach was E’s hometown, instead he nodded and stood up, speaking as he turned back to his son. “That means that someone is going to have to get dressed.”

EJ laughed and shook his head, climbing over his bed quickly to escape his dad. Holly spoke up, “I can do that, you can bring your things in from the car and get settled.”

Evander spoke before Brian could. “Can I see the car!?” the little boy shouted, popping out from behind his bed, “Did you bring me anything?”

Brian grinned at his son. “Why would I bring you anything?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest, “I’m the one coming to visit you, buddy.”

EJ climbed up to stand on his bed. “Can I, please, see the car?” he asked again, putting on his sweetest face.

Bri wrapped his arms around his boy and lifted him up. He made a committal noise and stepped around Holly to leave the room.

“His shoes and coat are in here,” the woman rebutted, following after the father son duo, “He really shouldn’t go outside without them, Brian, he could get sick.”

“No,” Evander said and then ignored her in his footy pajamas.

“I’m not putting him down,” Bri rebutted, knowing that long sleeves and covered feet was good enough for a minute, “I’m just going to grab my bag from the back and we’ll be back in.”

EJ grinned and nodded along. Brian carried him outside, along the snow-framed path to the driveway. Bri opened the backdoor and pulled out his suitcase before tossing EJ inside and pushing the door closed as the little boy giggled and reached for the handle. He opened the door and went to climb out, but Brian gave him a look.

“You’re not wearing any shoes,” Brian said, crossing his arms, “You better not get out of that car, mister.”

“But, Dad!” EJ shouted, still giggling to himself, “I’m gonna get cold.”

Holly was talking to them from the doorway of the house, asking them not to mess around because he really could get sick if he decided he wanted to climb out of the car and run through the snow.

“What kind of car is it?” EJ asked when Brian picked him up again to take him back inside. The little boy stared over his dad’s shoulder at the vehicle, “I like it better than yours.”

“You do?” Brian asked, smiling, “Why’s that?”

EJ scrunched his expression up and shrugged. “I don’t know. What is it?”

Brian stepped through the front door and set E on his feet. “A BMW X5,” he answered, heading to his son’s room as the child followed, Holly behind him. “Why the sudden interest in cars?”

“I dunno,” EJ repeated.

Brian nodded, offering his son’s grandmother a smile as she followed them into the room and went to EJ’s dresser to pick out an outfit. Brian noticed the couple new sets of clothes she pushed aside, but didn’t say anything. They could dress EJ up all they wanted, it still didn’t make him a permanent fixture in their home.

“What have you been doing with your grandparents, E?” Brian asked as the child sat on his bed and let Holly take off and put on clothes.

“There were people here yesterday,” he said as Holly pulled his shirt off over his head, “We ate food and I played with a little girl.”

“What little girl?” Brian asked, amused by the boy’s diction, “You made a friend already?”

“She’s a granddaughter of a friend,” Holly explained, “Her name’s Justine, she’s seven.”

Brian nodded. “That sounds nice. I’m glad you all had a good Thanksgiving,” Brian answered, knowing his own had been cut short by their issues yesterday, “How many people were over?”

“A lot!” EJ said excitedly, “They all wanted to meet me.”

Holly explained again, “They knew Claudia when she was growing up. They wanted to meet her little boy so we decided to have them for dinner. Everyone loved him, of course.” She paused and looked back at the guitarist. “How was your holiday?”

“We went over to my wife’s parents’ house,” he answered, leaning against the wall, “They were disappointed that EJ wasn’t there, but we’re going to have a dinner when we get back into town.”

Holly stuffed EJ’s feet into a pair of socks before he pushed off the bed and was back at his dad’s side. “Did you ride in a plane too?” he asked, looking up at the dark haired man, “Do you think it was the same one?”

Brian and EJ sat together in the living room as Holly and James got ready to go into town for breakfast. Like Brian had assumed, the house was miniscule. It was two bedrooms, a living room, small bathroom, and manageable kitchen. The living room was stuffed with furniture and the walls were lined with it. There was no TV, just two bookshelves were it should’ve been, and a large, outdated stereo system with fake potted plants on top.

Evander was at Brian’s side the whole time, holding onto his jeans, his shirt, his hand. On the surface he was ecstatic to have his dad there, but beneath that, he was scared that Brian would leave without him.

James had been silent up until this point, and he continued to be on the ride over to the restaurant along the same road that Brian had stopped for directions. They parked across the street from where he did and Brian carried EJ from the car to keep him from slipping on the ice.

“This place is wonderful,” Holly said to them both as they headed inside, “We used to come here every couple weeks for dinner. They have a new chef now, of course, but it’s all the same recipes.”

The woman working the front of the restaurant knew Holly, which wasn’t surprising, but she also knew EJ and fawned over him. “Oh my lord,” she said, coming around the counter with wide eyes, “Holly, he’s gorgeous. I can’t believe something so precious even exists.”

Brian stood awkwardly as the woman came over and touched EJ’s cheeks and hair and ranted about him. When she saw his eyes she raved about how she’d never seen a color like it, and then gawked when she realized that an identical pair were in Brian’s skull. Obviously she knew what that meant, and she obviously hadn’t been prepared for Claudia’s one night stand to come waltzing into her diner.

“I’m Mrs. Caradan,” she introduced, glancing between the Kents and Brian as she spoke to him.

“Brian,” he answered, deciding that his first name was good enough, “Evander’s dad.”

“Oh lord, well, isn’t that special,” she commented, grinning despite the blatant awkwardness, “You’ve got them both for the holidays, Holly, how did you manage that one.” Then she turned back towards Brian and continued talking. “It’s wonderful to meet you. I don’t think anyone was expecting you to come all the way out from California. We all figured you’d be spending these days with your own family out there.”

Brian wasn’t oblivious to the comment underneath it all. “Evander is my family,” he answered, his tone slightly darker, “I just came to take him home.”

The woman was slightly taken aback by Brian’s words, having picked up on the point he was trying to make. She looked to Holly and James to bail her out, but when they were at just as much of a loss for words as she was, she switched gears, motioning for them to follow her.

“Table for four,” she said, not daring to glance back at them in case she would meet Brian’s eye, “Do you prefer a both or a table?”

“Table,” James spoke gruffly.

As they sat down in the back of the small place, Brian helping Evander out of his coat, the woman said that she’d send a waitress right out to them with their menus and hurried off to the back of the business. Brian yanked the roll of silverware from EJ’s hands. “She seems friendly,” he commented, dark eyes looking at his supposed in-laws, “You must be close with the whole town. They all seem to know your business.”

“Now Brian,” Holly stated, “We’re allowed to converse with our friends openly. We’re sure that you do the same with yours. There’s no reason to get bent out of shape about a wrongly phrased sentence.”

“Oh, I’m not,” he answered, sitting back in his chair, “I’m getting ‘bent of out shape’ over the fact that you’ve seemed to convince everyone you know that I’m some wild musician from California with some crazy family who has absolutely no right to my son.”

“That’s not what we’re saying at all,” Holly said.

“Well, aren’t you?” James said at the same time.

Brian stopped himself from glaring at them across the table. He composed himself and fiddled with the napkin in his hands. “I’m doing you a favor by not taking off halfway across the country with EJ right now,” he answered, “So I suggest you tell your friends to cut out the ‘wrongly phrased comments’ in the future.”

He turned to EJ as though he hadn’t spoken to the Kents at all. Evander was grinning and laughing with his dad during their down time. They ordered, the waitress brought some crayons for EJ, and then Bri and Ev drew on the back of his placemat as they waited.

When she returned again with a better basket of crayons, dark hair slung over her shoulder, she smiled at Brian. “New to town?” she asked, hands shoved into the pockets of her apron, “Or just visiting?”

Brian glanced across to Holly and James. “Just visiting,” he answered, arm around his son, “I don’t know if I could function in a town like this.”

The waitress, whose name tag read Isabel, nodded and laughed. “Yeah, I understand that. Unless you really grew up in a place like this, it’s hard to assimilate. People get used to being anonymous, and you don’t really have that here.”

Evander looked at the woman, his unbridled gaze catching everyone’s attention, and even though they could see the gears turning in his head, he didn’t speak. He just turned back to his drawing and reached for a different colored utensil.

The woman smiled at the four of them and had a short conversation with Holly and James, who she’d known her entire life, before she headed back to get EJ a chocolate milk refill and check up on their meals.

“Brian,” Holly spoke, “We were thinking about planning a playdate for Evander later this afternoon. One of Claudia’s friends from high school has a son about the same name and would love to introduce the boys. They were friends a long time and James and I would hate for Evander to be disconnected from his mother’s life.”

“How does that work?” Bri asked, “You just drop him off at someone’s house and pick him up later?” He swallowed down the nerves that were rising up from the pit of his stomach. He didn’t even want to leave the boy at preschool alone, how did they expect him to drop him on a stranger’s doorstep?

“We were invited to lunch,” Holly explained, “I was going to have lunch with Viv while the boys played. I wasn’t just going to leave him there to fend for himself.”

He nodded. “I guess that’s fine. As long as you’re with him I don’t see a problem with it.”

Evander perked up, proving that he’d been listening the whole time. He turned to Brian and grabbed his arm. His eyes were wide as he asked, “You’re not coming too?”

“I don’t see why I should, E,” Brian answered, “You’re just going to be playing and I’ll be sitting around doing nothing. I might as well get some work done while you’re having fun.”

Evander pouted slightly, turning away from his dad with his arms crossed and his gaze set in front of him. Brian didn’t pay him any mind, knowing that he’d be over it in a matter of minutes.

“What work do you have to do?” James questioned sounding reasonably pleasant as the waitress came out and set their plates down in front of them. Evander dived into his french toast, completely blocking everything else out.

Brian was surprised by his interest. “We’ve got some studio work going on,” he answered the man, “The guys sent me some tracks to listen over and I’ve got to make some notes and email them back. I left in a hurry so I didn’t really have time to explain that I wouldn’t make it in.”

“Can let down your team.” James nodded. “I sold cars for almost forty years. If I didn’t meet my quota when I needed too, I stayed late and worked harder, because I knew that it needed to get done. People respect men who work hard for a living, who provide for their family, I’m relieved to see that quality wasn’t wasted on you.”

“Brian, what does your father do?” Holly questioned.

“He’s a musician also,” Bri answered.

“So it runs in the family,” Holly commented, smiling slightly, “That’s surprising, but interesting. I hope Evander gets enough of your skill to make an instrument a hobby in his future. Claudia was hopeless at anything musical.”

“Claudia knew better than to put her time into something that wouldn’t benefit her in life,” James answered, shaking his head, “Claudia knew what it really meant to work hard and she put in her time and effort to make it happen. She couldn’t rely on charm and talent to make it in the world.”

“I don’t either,” Brian answered, “My band and I have put in a lot of work and heart and determination to get where we are now. We found something we loved doing and made a career out of it. I don’t see how anyone could find anything negative in that.”

“What are you teaching your son?” James questioned, “A musician’s lifestyle is no place for a little boy. He shouldn’t grow up believing that all you need is sex, drugs, and rock and roll. He will learn to idolize the people he should stay far away from.”

“He’s not going to learn that philosophy from me or my band, James,” Brian rebutted, stabbing his fork through his waffle, “My entire life is about family and music. He’ll learn that family is the most important thing, followed by choosing a path in life that will allow him to be in a place that makes him happy.”

“I understand that’s what you believe, Brian, but that’s not how it’s going to happen. Evander needs structure and a realistic setting in which to grow up in. Children who grow up in the spotlight, with everything handed to them have no idea of the real world. They’re living a fantasy. We don’t want that for Evander.”

“He’s a happy and healthy four year old,” Brian answered, “I think that’s all that really matters. I don’t think there’s anything I could possibly do that could turn this child into a spoiled brat, he’s too good of a kid for that. I know you don’t have any faith in me that I could raise your grandson decently, but have faith in your daughter that she spent the first four years of his life instilling some values into him. If you can’t even trust a child that you raised, why would I ever trust you to raise mine?”