Page 13 of Sins of the Flesh
As if he was in a daze, Caleb shakes his head and steps back, "Of course."Turning to look at my reflection, the purple bruising is starting to form under my eyes, but that's not what gets my attention.I lean in closer, holding my hair back, over the bridge of my nose, and on the right side of my forehead near my hairline are SpongeBob Band-Aids.
Turning to Caleb, I quirk an eyebrow in question."SpongeBob?"He shrugs, grinning.
"It’s all I had.Haven't needed bandaids since the kids."I can't help it, I just laugh, wincing as I do from the headache that's now set in.Everything about this day has been so embarrassing, and you would think SpongeBob Band-Aids would take the cake, but no, they have the opposite effect, especially when I look at Caleb's giant grin.
"Thank you, I needed that laugh."I smile at him with genuine appreciation.
"Thankfully, there’s no concussion, but you will probably want a few of these," he hands me a bottle of Ibuprofen.I smile, and it makes my nose ache.I'm a damn mess right now but my mood has improved by a ton.
"Let's go to the breakroom, it's time for lunch anyway."I follow Caleb to the breakroom and he directs me to sit, handing me a glass of water.I pop out four of the small brown pills and take them with a large swig.
"Okay, now close your eyes because I actually have a surprise for you today."I obey and close my eyes.There is rustling, then the hum of the microwave, and within seconds, a delicious smell makes my mouth start watering.
"What's that?"I ask.
"You'll see," After a few minutes, he says, "Okay open your eyes."When I open my eyes, there is a plate filled with fried chicken, potato salad, and okra.
"Omg, is it my birthday!?"I grab a piece of chicken and bite into it.I can feel my eyes flutter at the flavor."Wow!This is almost as good as my Mom's."I hum.
When I look over at Caleb, he is just watching me with a small smile on his face."Caleb?"He snaps back into focus."Yeah, sorry, so you like it then?"He asks, and I can swear there is a hint of vulnerability in his tone.The hit on the head is really messing with my brain.
"Hell yeah, it's delicious.And no offense, I'm super grateful, but why did you say it was a surprise?You share your lunch with me every day," I ask, my mouth half full.
"Because I made it," he whispers, not looking at me, his eyes and tone earnest.
"No way!You can cook this good and you've been hiding it from me!?"I am genuinely impressed, is there anything this man can't do?
He lifts his head and smiles
"Can't give away all my secrets."He says and I swear I see a faint blush cover his cheeks.My inner swoon is in overdrive, he really is the total package wrapped in a straight man human suit.Fuck my life!
"I've always liked cooking, in another life I might have been a chef, who knows."He shrugs.
"Well now I want to find out all your secrets."I say laughing."Favorite movie as a kid?"I ask, taking another bite.He shakes his head, swallowing his bite.
"I wasn't allowed to watch tv or movies as a kid.You?"He says so nonchalantly it's as if he told me it was raining.
"Hold up, you didn't watch any TV or movies when you were younger?Nothing at all?"I don't know why this baffles me so much.
"Nope, nothing.I did watch them with my kids when they were little though, my favorite was Ratatouille."
"That one was good.My favorite was The Lion King."I say smiling remembering the days when I would secretly watch it as a teenager.What!?It was a guilty pleasure and I own that.
"Because of Simba's bravery?"He asks, looking at me with a forkful of okra hovering near his mouth.
"No, Hakuna Matata.When life was little too much it reminded me to just let it go."I smile.
"What about you?Why Ratatouille?I mean besides the cooking rat," I ask.
"That you don't have to be defined by where you come from," he says.A shadow coming over his eyes and gone within a second, he shines a smile at me that doesn’t reach those whiskey depths and for the first time I think I am really seeing Caleb the man, not just Father Nichols.
Eight
Cole
You’ve Got A Friend In Me - Randy Newman
O
