Page 76 of Being Lost

She might, but if I get my way, she won’t.

“If I move my stuff in, sleep with you every night, it will make it harder to go.”

That right there is my hope. But first I’ve got to make sure it’s safe for her, that she doesn’t need to run anymore. That starts with me getting my ass moving. “I’ll make this right,” I promise her, as I open the drawer, finding a clean t-shirt and underwear, then, show her my ass as I walk toward the bathroom.

It’s only minutes later that I return, showered and dressed. I’ve been thinking of arguments I could use to get her to stay with me, but for now I’ll need to keep those to myself.

She’s fast asleep.

I exit the room, closing the door quietly. The first person I see is Dan.

“Have you seen Mom?” He’s exiting her room. “She’s not downstairs, and not in there.” He waves his hand behind him.

“She’s sleeping,” I tell him truthfully, my head jerking toward the door I’ve just come out of. I raise an eyebrow toward him in challenge. Best get this out in the open right now.

His eyes go wide. “She… You… My mom, Lost?”

For a moment I tense my muscles in preparation for a fist. But then, his expression relaxes, and he looks resigned. “Don’t hurt her, Lost. She, er, with my dad, she hasn’t had a good record with relationships.”

I could brush him off, but I don’t. “Dan, look, Patsy’s spoken to me about Phil. He was wrong for her from the start. If I do anything, it will be to show her what she’s been missing. This isn’t a casual thing for me, nor, I hope, for her. I want her to stay, and if she does, my desire is to make this permanent.”

“It’s what she deserves, Lost. But…” his words trail off.

“But am I the right man for her?” It’s a question I can’t answer. I want to say yes, but at the root of it, I’m Lost. Mindful I’m late to meet Token, I start moving my feet. As I pass him, my hand lands on his shoulder. “Only time will tell.” Time, and whether I can get rid of Alder.

Speeding up my steps, I go quickly to Token’s office. Computers whir, but the man himself is nowhere in sight. I exit again and spy Wrangler.

“They’re in church,” he calls out.

Church?I haven’t called a meeting. Knowing I’m not yet senile, and I won’t have forgotten, I continue to the meeting room, mystified that they’ve taken the unusual step of assembling without me. I’m curious, not concerned.

At least they’ve waited to start their discussion. Brothers are milling around, drinking coffee or even beer. Dart’s hovering near the doorway.

“Prez,” he leans in and speaks into my ear, “Token’s got some info. He brought it to me as you were,” he pauses, grins, then continues, “otherwise engaged. I thought you’d want everyone in on this.”

“How did you know I was ‘otherwise engaged’?” I use air quotes for emphasis.

Dart chuckles. “Seemed likely. Patsy wasn’t in her room, Dan couldn’t find her, and you overslept. Thought it might have been because you overexerted yourself. You’ve got to be careful at your age, you know.”

“My age?” I growl menacingly. “Could still whip your fuckin’ ass.”

He laughs, “Sure, old man,” then ducks to evade my playful fist. He walks off to his seat leaving me mock glaring at him. See? This is why Dart and I make a good team, the ability to joke with each other without causing offence.

He’s not the only one. As I make my way to the head of the table, Salem, who’s already in his seat, leans back on his chair balancing with one foot against the table and calls out, “We gonna discuss this, Prez?”

Puzzled, I tilt my head to the side and pause my step.

“If you’re proposing taking an ol’ lady… Ouch.”

The last is in response to my playful slap around his head.

I take my seat and wait a moment for the table to settle. Waving the gavel rather than banging it, I kick off, not with my request to hear Token’s news, but something else instead.

“Seems I can’t have any privacy around here. Yeah, Patsy and I are getting into something, but it’s too soon to say where it will go. I’d appreciate some respect.”

“Aw, Prez.” Pennywise doesn’t look as contrite as his words suggest. “We don’t mean anything by it.”

“Yeah, we do,” Salem objects. “Prez doesn’t spend the night with a woman, so I’m guessing he’s serious about her. If they get together, she’ll be our first lady.Ifwe vote her in that is.”

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