Page 46 of Afternoon Delight
Zak
I glanced in the rearview mirror of Zara’s minivan to see Ollie sacked out in his car seat. Jade was leaning against the side of it, also fast asleep. Lance had put up a good fight, but he’d lost, too. His head was tilted against the window.
Sorry, Zar . They’d be up late on a school night—but maybe not. We’d logged a lot of miles today. It had been fun, especially having Roddie along. He was good with Ollie, Jade adored him, and he’d been willing to run point on Lance at the arcade while I entertained the little ones.
“Mom is driving Georgia home. She says she’ll pick up dinner,” Zak said after glancing at his phone.
“Tell her I’ll get it next time, but that it’s just you guys. I have to get these brats home. They’re all going to need a Silkwood shower.”
“What’s that?” Roddie asked.
“An old movie. My mom brought it home one time when Zara and I were still pretty young. Grade six or seven, I think. Fun fact: Brim Stokers used to be a video store.”
“I’ve heard of those. They’re like the antique store, but for movies, right?” Roddie joked.
“Yeah,” I said dryly. “And we quit letting Mom go there alone after she brought home Silkwood. To be fair, it’s an Oscar winner. Kurt Russell. Meryl Streep. Cher, too, I think.”
“I’ve heard of Cher.”
“You don’t know Snake Plissken? I’m going to send you some homework.
Anyway, this one’s based on a true story.
Streep works at a nuclear plant and becomes a whistleblower.
At one point, she gets contaminated and has to shower while guys in hazmat suits scrub the hell out of her with long-handled brushes. It left an impression.”
“I’ve seen parodies of that in cartoons and stuff. I didn’t know what it was from.”
“I would have blocked it out completely, but Zara brought it up a few days ago—” I realized where I was going with this and shut my mouth.
Zara had asked why Kyle had covered for me with Dad. When I admitted I’d had a date, she demanded, With who? Meg? I told her it was none of her business and she’d said, If you hooked up with a stranger off Tinder, I suggest a Silkwood shower.
It was such an old reference to something that had scarred the two of us for life—and was such a Mom thing to do, bringing home a movie like that—that we had doubled over with tears in our eyes.
“Was it like a cautionary tale? Like, ‘you kids stay away from that radioactive waste.’” Roddie shook his finger.
I snorted. “Pretty much. Mom was always trying to elevate our taste. She sure as hell didn’t want us watching Dumb and Dumber again.
” I glanced at his blank expression. “Jim Carrey? Ace Ventura? He’s a Canadian icon.
I’ll add them to the list.” Even though I was pretty sure those movies hadn’t aged well.
Roddie twisted to look at the sleeping kids, then said, “Speaking of moms…”
Right. After I’d kissed Meg the way my parents used to kiss before one of them left the house, he’d given me a few curious looks, but the kids had been so excited, he’d spent most of the day answering their nonstop questions.
“We’re friends.” Who talk dirty and smash.
“I like her. A lot. I honestly don’t know how I’d get through my days with Dad if I didn’t have your mom next door, making me laugh.
But I know you guys are going back to Toronto.
I have to stay here. And... Remember when I said I was dumped? I was actually engaged.”
I could feel his stare as he took that in. “To who?”
“Erica. She’s a nurse. We bought a condo together a couple years ago, but when I said I had to move in with Dad, she didn’t want any part of it.
I don’t blame her. I really don’t. This is not the life she signed up for when we talked about getting married.
But it also made me realize this isn’t something any woman would want to tie herself to.
It’s brutal. And Alzheimer’s can be hereditary.
So your mom and I are keeping it light.”
“Mom wouldn’t care about something like that.”
“No, it sounds like she’s willing to put up with a lot of bullshit before she calls it quits.” I said it before I remembered who I was talking to. Not cool, but Rod didn’t flinch.
“She told you about Dad and Wanda?” There was a tinge of disgust in his tone.
“Yeah. And I don’t want to be the guy who takes advantage of her just because she’s nice.”
“Hmph.” Roddie looked out the side window.
“Thanks for helping out today,” I said as I pulled into Vickie’s driveway.
“It was fun.” Roddie slid out of the passenger seat. He paused before shutting the door. “For the record, I’m not mad that you guys are seeing each other. I’m disappointed you thought you had to hide it from me.”
The door slammed shut, leaving me chuckling—and suspecting I was falling in love with this whole silly family.