Page 39 of Night Blind

“Yeah, I go out to fish or when he’d bottling his homemade hooch he calls wine,” Slow said. “Mom and Dad go every June; you know Father’s Day is also right around both Jay and my Dad’s birthdays.”

“Still not clear on the expectation thing,” Cherry pushed.

“Listen, he is a stallion, always has been, always will be, and he’s free-spirited. He doesn’t want kids and doesn’t really like a woman fawning over him, but he will allow Mom to fuss over him every once in a while. There is a little bit of affection between him and Rebecca, and she thinks the world of him, but there is…well.”

“Well, what?”

Slow drove down the highway, ready to turn into his favorite Mom & Pop diner. They had meat and two sides as the blue plate special and seemed to have liver with onions on the menu every day. Cherry could get what she wanted, and he could get himself half a chicken and a hunk of red meat.

“Well, after Rebecca came home, she didn’t want any of us, I mean, me, Dad, or Jay to make contact with her skin,” he said. “She didn’t want to be touched by a man. Five years later, she’s still not dating. Helen, after five months…I dunno. I just don’t want things to be strained over the holiday turkey.”

Cherry heard what he said. He may have been a trained criminologist who understood the criminal mind, but her husband didn’t necessarily understand women. There were days she didn’t think she understood Helen either, but this portion she could address directly with him, easing his concern.

“To be honest, this is none of your damned business, but to ease your concerns, she took back her power,” Cherry said. “Most of her life, men have found a way to try and control her either through manipulation, coercion, or force. I don’t know what it is about her that makes men want to own her like she is a pet, but I think with him, she made the move. She made the decision. She’s taken back her power, and now she feels stronger. And yes, Cinderella is what you think it is.”

“She also killed two fuckers, shot up the dude who did a bad thing to her, and freed the women as she promised to do,” hesaid, pulling in to park. “And I’m mad at you for telling me that. Yuck.”

Cherry was smiling at him, “All in one week, along with you finding out you’re going to be a Dad again. This is a lot; are you okay? Do you need a pickle, some ice cream, or a hug? Should I say thank you?”

He smiled back at her. “Yeah, this is a lot. My arms are strong, my shoulders are steady, and if you guys are good and happy, I’m good and happy.”

“I’m happy, but I can’t work for a while,” she said, looking him in the eyes. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“Not if you take your ass out in my golf cart and go shoot us some dinner,” he said, laughing.

Cherry swatted at him playfully. “No seriously, will we be okay on one income for a while?”

“I have no mortgage or car payments, so yeah, plus I still have my side gig,” he said, winking at her. “If you want to be a stay-at-home mom, it’s okay. I’m okay with it.”

There was another thing on his mind that he wanted to address. Now was the time since they were sitting in a well of honesty. He was also curious and needed an answer. He asked, “May I ask, Mrs. Hump, you had no reaction to her.”

“No need,” she said.

“She is a stunning woman, even with the short hair. When it was longer, even longer than yours, she entered a room and sucked the life out of it,” he said. “You didn’t seem fazed by her, and neither did Helen.”

She shrugged, “it’s the way you look at Rebecca.”

“Huh?” He asked, uncertain what she meant, “What do you mean, the way I look at my sister?”

“When Mrs. Hump saw you enter, her body language didn’t brace as if she were in a space with a former lover and his new wife,” she said. “She was happy to see you as I guess her friend.The boy was happy to see you too as if he had something to catch you up in his little boy life. Hump gave off the same vibe. When she sat down at the table with you, you blessed the food, took a bite, and looked up at her like you look at Rebecca. As if you were waiting for her to say some shit to annoy you. That’s how you look at Rebecca.”

“I do not!”

“Yes, you do,” she told him, “You also, in your speech to Rebecca, talk to her as if she is still your annoying little sister. Naomi picks up on it, which is why she makes a wide berth for Rebecca. Naomi senses Rebecca is someone who annoys you. You treated Mrs. Hump the same way. Does she annoy you?”

“Never thought about it,” he said, “her role is to seduce men. I always wanted her to feel safe around me, so I turned off the sexual side of myself in her presence.”

“Turned off the sexual side of yourself?”

“Men can do that Abigail,” he said, smiling. “Jay does it as well. I saw him turn it on for Helen.”

“Yes, I saw him turn on the charm for Naomi,” she said. “Keep in mind, Naomi reacted to Jay based on your vibes to him. She watches everything you do and if she senses you don’t like someone, like your boss, your daughter responds in kind.”

“You’re interesting. I like you. Yes, I am madly in love with you, but I also like you,” he said grinning. “Again, are you going to be okay being a stay-at-home mom?”

“You’re changing the subject,” Cherry told him.

“I just found out I treat my sister as an annoyance, my daughter mimics who I like and don’t like, and Helen named her lady parts Cinderella who had a ball with Jay,” he said, “but the good news is, I also found out I’m going to be a Daddy again, and I get to cut the cord when Luke arrives. I’m good. I’m so good.”

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