Page 46 of Takedown

I inhale it in under two minutes and wish she had brought more. I lean back on Lola, spread my blanket over my body, and relax to the sounds of my wife cooking in our kitchen. I look around the place again, amazed at how a fresh coat of paint, new furniture, and a few plants can give the apartment new life.

“Mel, I invited a few colleagues over on Saturday,” I yell.

“Sounds great. I talked to my dad, and he’s coming,” she says back. I grab the remote and put on ESPN. The only thing missing is a dog, but maybe that’s something we can talk about later. I close my eyes for a few minutes.

It’s two hours later when she wakes me up from my slumber. She takes my empty snack tray and orders me to shower before our guests come over.

Twenty minutes later, I’m freshly showered and dressed. Mel changed into blue jeans and a light blue sweater. Just as I reach for plates to set the table, there’s a knock on the door.

I fling the door open, and Addy runs straight to Mel. Jason and Alex follow behind her, and before I can close the door, her mother walks in. There are awkward glances exchanged between Jason and Mel. He approaches her in the kitchen, and they have a quiet conversation. Alex follows them, giving me a fake smile along the way. I didn’t ask Mel if she invited her mother to dinner. I just assumed she didn’t.

“The place looks nice,” Diane says to me. “A big improvement since I was here the last time, but I guess it was a bachelor pad before you and Melanie got married.” I stare at her unsure of how to respond. For once, there’s nothing snarky in what she said, and when I look deeper into her eyes, I can sense her nervousness.

“Yeah, she worked her magic.” I don’t smile at her because that would be a betrayal to Mel, but I can’t find it in me to kick her out either. At least not yet. Mel looks at me, and I wait for her to give me the sign to show her mother the door, but Addy comes and wraps her arms around one of my legs, and I pick her up.

“Adam,” Mel says. “Why don’t you show Alex and Jason the place.” She doesn’t mention her mother, but when I tell Alex and Jason to follow me, Diane does too. I put Addison on my shoulder and give them the quick tour of the apartment.

“Lots of plants in here,” Alex says.

“Which I’m responsible for, I was told.”

24

My mood is too upbeat to deal with my mother crashing our impromptu dinner party. She was supposed to stay downstairs and watch Addison while the four of us have dinner. I never expected her to show up, and judging from the strained look on Alex’s face, she either didn’t know or couldn’t talk her out of it. But it doesn’t matter. Today’s been a great day. I interviewed three strong candidates for the position at work, and the apartment turned out better than I could have hoped for.

I can’t help the smile on my face while I pull a roast out of the oven. When I lift the lid off my Dutch oven, a cloud of smoke hits me in the face and the delicious aroma of the roast makes my stomach grumble.

Luckily it doesn’t come apart when I put it on a new serving platter. As I reach the cabinets to grab the dishes, I feel someone walking behind me. I grab four plates, but when I notice my mother standing there me, the smile slips from my face.

Not wanting a fight or a confrontation, I walk away and place the dishes on the new placemats.

“Can I do anything to help?” Her voice is tentative and doesn’t hold the usual tinge of judgment or disappointment.

“I got it, but thanks.” I walk around her and get glasses. Since Alex can’t drink, I don’t bother with the new wine glasses. Adam’s not much of a drinker, and I know Jason’s on call tonight.

“It smells good.” This time she offers a smile, which I don’t return.

“Were you expecting Pop Tarts?” I immediately regret my words. I shake my head and say, “Whatever this is, Mother, I don’t have the time for it right now. I’ve had a really good day, and I don’t need you to trample on my self-esteem tonight, okay? I thought you were going to watch the baby.”

She takes a step closer and reaches for my hand, but I flinch as if she burned me. She sighs sadly at my rejection, and for a split second, I feel bad, but I shove that feeling down.

“It was never my intention to—” She doesn’t get a chance to finish her statement. Everyone returns to the kitchen. Alex is laughing at something Adam said, and Jason is shaking his head.

“You ready to go downstairs with Grandma, Addy?” Jason takes Addy from Adam’s shoulder and tosses her in the air. Her giggles fill the room, and I can’t help but laugh too. Adam walks over, throws an arm across my shoulder, and kisses my cheek.

“What can I do to help? And that smells great, love,” he whispers in my ear.

“I stay!” Addy yells. She wraps her arms around Jason, and I know there’s no way he can send her away. I don’t want him to.

“Everyone stays,” I concede. “Sit down,” I tell my guests. “Adam and I will bring the food.”

I grab two extra placemats and plates.

We rinse the dishes side by side. It’s a total team effort. I rinse and he puts them in the dishwasher. Every so often, he’ll lean over and kiss my temple for no reason at all. He did that all throughout dinner too, and each time I’d catch Alex’s eye and she’d smile at me. Dinner was great because I did not allow my mother to ruin it. For the most part, she stayed quiet and helped with Addy. Alex and Jason did most of the talking. I went on with the meal as if she wasn’t there. In fact, I avoided looking at her and focused on the people I invited.

“Dinner was good, right?” I finally say.

Adam bumps his shoulder with mine. “It was great. You throw a mean dinner party, Mrs. Flynn.”

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