Page 15 of Rematch
“Looks like you’re all done, Mr. Davis,” the nurse told him as she took the bag off the hook. She gently peeled the tape holdingthe needle down in his arm and carefully pulled it out of his vein. A beige bandage replaced the spot on his arm, barely covering the other small bruises lingering there. “We’ll see you next time.”
We thanked the nurse before heading down to the reception desk to check out.
On the ride home, Dad was awfully quiet. Sneaking glances at him from the driver’s side, I noticed his head leaned back against the headrest and his eyes staring thoughtfully out the window. The sunshine beamed through the glass, illuminating the light he refused to let die in his eyes. The rich brown color of his skin may be growing pale and his burly frame may be shrinking, but his smile never faded.
I’d never forget the one he gave me the first time I met him and Papa. Wide and welcoming and warm. Seeing it mixed with the bright colors of Papa’s outfit and air of confidence slowed the racking in my chest.
After a few not-so-great placements, I’d learned how to read fosters on the first meeting. Anticipate what my stay with them would be like.
Unlike others, no chill ran down my spine. No clenching in my stomach. No uncertainty of their intentions for taking me in.
Looking at them, huddled close and arms outstretched to bring me into their embrace, I felt the tiniest sliver of hope. I thought maybe my prayers had finally been answered. I’d finally found a safe place to call home.
After all the good karma Dad and Papa put out into the world, into me, is this how they’re thanked? By giving dad with an illness he may not be able to beat and Papa the anxiety and fear of losing his partner? I always knew this world wasn’t right, but I didn’t realize it wasthatfucked up.
“Oh shit,” I heard Dad murmur as we rolled down the block towards our house.
“What?” I asked, shooting him a glance. I couldn’t follow his gaze just yet. I still needed to park the car.
Dad was too busy staring out the window to respond. The moment I put the car in park, he opened the door and climbed out. “Damn, Tatianna,” he yelled. “I thought you got back with your ex for a second!”
Our neighbor’s laugh wafted through the air. “Hell would freeze over before I’d eventhinkabout entertaining that man,” she teased.
I scrambled out of the car to rush after my father. Sometimes when he felt good, he started over-exerting himself. I didn’t want him doing too much - especially not right after treatment.
Hurrying to his side, I noticed his long strides were taking us across the small yard towards our neighbor’s front porch. I followed his smile to their porch where our neighbor, Tatianna, was perched next to the clone of her husband. If it weren’t for his hoodie and Nike’s, Mr. Rafael may as well have been sitting there himself. Sounds horrible, but I’d prefer that over meeting the gaze of the boy -man- who hasn’t left me alone since the moment we reunited.
He rose from his seat and welcomed Dad’s outstretched hand. “Hey, Benny,” he said as they used their free arms to hug each other.
“How are you doing?” Dad asked, patting his back. “Feels like I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“I’ve been busy,” he said. His eyes drifted to me. “Hey, Audrey.”
“Hi,” I replied politely. I didn’t want to be rude in front of our parents.
Tatianna glanced between us, a smirk forming on her lips. “You know, I was just wondering what possessed Max to make a visit out of the blue. I should’ve known.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t pop up sooner,” Dad commented.
Max chuckled, unable to combat their jokes. His eyes were fixed on me, examining me as if I were a portrait in a museum.
Rolling my eyes, I started tugging on my dad’s arm. “Come on,” I told him. “You should lay down.”
“Oh, was today one of your…” Tatianna’s smile fell as she trailed off.
“Yeah,” Dad said. “But I feel alright. I was actually thinking about frying some fish for dinner. The two of you feel like coming over?”
“Dad, you arenotcooking,” I hissed. “You need to rest.”
“I can help him around the kitchen,” Tatianna offered. “Take some of the load off.”
“That’d be great.” Dad waved his hand. “Come on over.”
I refrained from gritting my teeth as we all started heading back across the front yard and into our house.
Dad and Tatianna hurried into the kitchen, chatting quietly about the recipes they were going to try. To avoid being alone with Max, I stuck close behind them.
I hovered a few feet away from the doorway, keeping a close eye on my father as he flit around the kitchen. He hadn’t drank anything since before we left the hospital nor has he really eaten anything today. He really didn’t need to be shuffling around so much.
