Page 72 of Tex's Angel

“Yeah, but we’re not spending any of that money because it’s for Levi.”

Something in his expression changes, becomes more contemplative. “Y’all just said we, right after y’all invited me and my son to live with y’all in your home. It almost sounds like y’all want us to be yours.”

“Yes, I’d be happy to be your old lady and eventually, your wife. Thanks for asking.”

The last part of my sentence sounds sluggish.

Tex chuckles, “I’m gonna tell this story at our wedding when they ask how I proposed. I’ll say my drugged-up old lady started propositioning me from her sick bed.”

“I’m not that out of it,” I protest. But then add, “Maybe best to tell them to dial back the pain medications. I’ve never been able to tolerate normal doses. It’s probably what’s making me drowsy.”

He tugs the blanket up over my chest and leans down one more time to give me a kiss on the forehead. This time when I drift off to sleep it’s with visions of Tex and Levi living in my house, making it a home at long last. I don’t look too hard at why I’m ready to take a gigantic leap forward in our relationship.

***

When I wake up the next day, Levi is standing beside my bed. I glance around to find that Tex is nowhere to be found. Levi grins at me like me waking up made his day.

“My dad said you wanted us to be yours and move in with you.”

I start for a moment, vaguely recollecting a dream I had yesterday. But then I relax back down against my pillows and smile, “Yeah, I think that would be nice. What do you think about it?”

“I like having you around and you’re good for my dad.”

“I like having you around too, Levi,” I say.

I glance around the room, looking for Tex.

Levi tells me, “Don’t worry my dad will be right back. He went to the bathroom down the hall to take a piss.”

I gesture to the open bathroom door. “There’s a bathroom right here. Why did he run off to find another one.”

“He says it’s rude to stink up your bathroom.”

I smile up at the teen who’s almost the mirror image of his father, or probably will be once he’s fully grown. “I guess, he’s being extra nice because I’m recuperating, right?”

“Naw, he says we have to take special care of you because you’re a lady.” Rolling his eyes, he tells me. “My dad has a long list of new rules. Not smelling up the bathroom you use is like fifteenth on the list.”

Suddenly, I’m feeling more lighthearted than ever before. “Let me guess, you have the whole list memorized, right?”

“You know that I do. That’s the way I roll.” He fixes me with a big grin, “You want me to recite them to you?”

I nod and gesture for him to bring it on.

“Rule number one is ask, don’t assume. See that one came in handy just now.”

I have to admit that was a good rule.

Levi begins racing through the rules. The list is full of things like ‘don’t talk with your mouth full’, ‘never eat the last piece of something without asking if I want it first’ and my personal favorite ‘always say my outfit looks good even if it doesn’t because it probably does look good, just not to men’. I’m still trying to get my head around this new set of rules the two are planning to live their lives by, when Tex walks back into the room.

Shooting his son an annoyed look he tells him, “Rule number one should have been don’t talk about the rules with her.”

Levi responds with a grin, apparently loving this new game. “How does not telling her about the rules stack up against rule number twenty-seven which forbids me to tell her lies. You taught me what a lie of omission was when I was five.”

Tex just chuckles, “Damn me and my good parenting.”

“You have a lot of contradicting rules. Like some thoughts are supposed to be inside thoughts and the other rule about talking about my feelings so my anxiety doesn’t build up.”

“We’ll have to work on learning about situational context, so y’all know what rule to apply to different situations.”

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