Page 3 of Lost in Yonkers

It took him almost two full days to drive back to Yonkers, New York, and when he got there, he remembered why he moved to Huntsville, Alabama in the first place. Home had become too crowded for him. He liked the South. The houses were bigger, the weather was warm, and the people were nicer. Being back home for just a few short hours had proven to him that he was right to leave when he did.

His mother met him at the front screen door and pushed it open. He thought that she’d be happy to see him, but the scowl on her face told him otherwise. “Hey, Ma,” he breathed.

“I thought that I told you not to come home,” she said. He hadn’t considered New York home for a couple of years now, but he wasn’t about to point that out to her.

“Mom, I told you that I was coming back to help you. I won’t let you go through this again without help,” he said. The first time she had breast cancer, he was just a dumb kid who thought that his mother would always be around when he needed her. Watching her go through hell changed that for him. He was almost too late to help his mom back then, but he wouldn’t make that same mistake again.

“You really didn’t have to come all the way back up here. I’ll be fine, Christopher.” His mom and Wren were the only people still in his life who called him by his given name. Hearing his mom say his name reminded him of the time that he spent with Wren. God, he missed her, but he needed to leave her back in Huntsville—it was the best thing he could do for her. Yonkers had made the mistake of giving into his feelings for her and taking her when she wasn’t his to take. His brother, Blade, had trusted him with his little sister and Yonkers had betrayed his trust.

“I’m sure that you will be fine, Mom, but I want to be here for you,” he insisted.

“Well, then, you should probably come in,” his mother insisted. “I can make up your bed and find you something to eat.”

He followed his mother into his childhood home and looked around. Not much had changed since he left a couple of years ago. He wondered if that place would ever change. “I came here to take care of you, Ma,” he reminded. “You don’t need to make my bed for me or make me something to eat. I’m very capable of doing both. In fact, how about you let me cook for you while you sit down and relax? Then, you can fill me in on when your doctor appointments are so that I can make sure that I can get you to them.”

“That’s not necessary,” she insisted. “I can take the bus to my treatments.”

“There is no way that I’m going to let you do that, Ma,” he said. “Think about all those germs you’ll pick up daily. Your immune system will be compromised while you’re going through your treatment, and you’ll have to limit your contact with other people.”

His mother smiled at him and sat down in her ancient recliner. “You have no idea how good that sounds to me. People are overrated,” she said. “Fine, I’ll let you take me to my appointments, but you can’t stay here forever. You have a life to get back to.” His mother was wrong. He had no life to get back to and no one was waiting for him back in Huntsville, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. When he walked away from Wren, he promised himself that he’d never look back. It was for the best because there was no way that he’d fuck up his friendship with Blade because his unruly dick wanted Wren.

“We can work that out later,” Yonkers insisted. “When is your first treatment?” he asked.

“Tomorrow,” she said. “It’s stage two now, so they don’t want to wait to do treatment. I guess they’re worried that it will spread this time, so I’m starting right away.”

“Good,” he breathed, “it's better to be proactive about things like this.” He had no clue what he was talking about. Honestly, he had no idea what any of this would entail. He really didn’t have time to do much in the way of research when he was planning on traveling north to take care of his mother. But he planned on doing a ton of research while he was in New York.

She giggled as if capable of reading his mind. “You have no idea what’s about to happen, do you, Chris?” she asked.

He shrugged, “Not really, but I’m ready to learn. Just let me help you, Mom,” he begged. “I just want to help you.”

She nodded, “I appreciate that, Chris. Now, about dinner,” she said, “what can you make.”

“Anything,” he admitted. “I’m actually a pretty good cook now.”

“Well, wonders never cease,” his mother teased. “How about you go make us some dinner then?” she asked.

“Sure thing, Ma,” Yonkers agreed. He bent over to kiss his mother’s cheek as she sat in her chair. “You just stay put and relax.”

“Now, that is something that I can do,” she agreed.

Yonkers had spent the better part of the month running his mom to doctor appointments and treatments, watching her get weaker by the day. Seeing her like this broke his heart, but all his mother seemed to care about was his wellbeing. No matter how many times he reminded her that it wasn’t true, she liked to point out that his job needed him and that he couldn’t stay with her forever. Working in IT gave him the ability to work from anywhere. Sure, his current government contract was with the Army, and he was reporting to Redstone Arsenal when he was back in Huntsville, but his boss understood the gravity of his situation and told him to take the time that he needed to care for his mother. He learned to work in hospital waiting rooms and even late into the evening, at his mom’s home, while she slept. He was making it work, but his mother’s worry about him was consuming her.

He didn’t miss having to report to base or having to deal with co-workers. Working remotely suited him. In fact, the only thing he missed about Huntsville was his club and God help him, Wren. He missed her most of all, but putting distance between them was for the best. If Blade found out that Yonkers had slept with his little sister, he’d murder him.

He had just started lunch for his mother, not that she’d eat it when the doorbell rang. She stood from the kitchen table. “I’ll get it, so you don’t burn my grilled cheese—again,” she teased.

“You need to rest, Mom,” he insisted.

“I need to eat more than I need to sit in that chair. You make my sandwich, and I’ll sit down and eat it after I get rid of whoever is at the door.” His mother was always a master negotiator. When he was a kid and refused to eat most of the major food groups, his mother would make him deals that had him eating all his broccoli and green beans.

“Fine, but don’t be long,” he ordered. “It’s almost done.”

“I don’t know where you got your bossy side from,” she said, shaking her head at him.

“I learned it from the best,” he teased. “You were a good role model, Ma.”

She chuckled and shouted for the person at the door to, “Hold their horses,” as she made her way to the front room. Yonkers could hear his mother talking to another woman and from the sound of their conversation, his mom was asking the person at the door a million questions. Yonkers turned off the burner and moved his mother’s grilled cheese sandwich to a plate before walking out to the front room.

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