Page 57 of Afternoon Delight

“I don’t think so. That’s the real reason I came home tonight. They had a huge fight last night.” He grimaced at the memory. “I had to watch Freddie while Dad ran after Wanda ’cause she walked out.”

“Without Freddie?”

“Yeah. But they came back a couple of hours later. She’d calmed down a lot. I guess Dad was being Dad and wouldn’t set a wedding date. They’ve got one now. June fifteenth.”

“Oh. That’s good.” I guess. I mean, I kind of wanted to host a small intervention and ask Wanda if she really knew what she was doing, but... “Were you okay by yourself with Freddie? You could’ve called me.”

“I’m sure Wanda would’ve loved to come home and find you giving Freddie his bath,” Roddie said, grinning as he shoveled food into his mouth. “It was fine. There was a thing of breastmilk in the freezer and Shelby texted me, so I fed him and talked to her until they got back.”

“She told you she’s not coming back this summer?” Shelby had called me the other night to say she’d been accepted into a work-study program that would keep her in Alberta.

“Yeah. It sounds cool. Hopefully she can still come to the wedding.”

That was very much for Joel to work out with his daughter. I was super proud of myself for acknowledging that.

“Grandma will probably be here then. She’s getting a couple of rooms painted, then staging the house. I told her once she lists it, she should come stay here so she doesn’t have to worry about keeping it clean for viewings.”

“That’s a good idea. What about when she moves? Zak has that big truck.”

“I’ve already booked movers, but yeah, he offered to help.” And had promised to fuck my brains out while I was in town, which I was planning to encourage.

“If—” Roddie started, then paused, fork down, silent as he looked at his nearly empty plate.

“What?” I prompted. “This?” I passed my plate to him. “Sure.”

“No.” He scraped my leftover rice onto his plate, though.

“I was just wondering...” He rolled his eyes to the ceiling in a long-suffering way.

“I’m trying to respect your privacy, but I’m also wondering why you didn’t tell me that you and Zak are still together.

I like him. I’m wondering why you left if. .. Is it because of Dale?”

“No. Not really. Obviously, Zak needs to stay with Dale and I live here, so in that way, yes, it’s a little bit about Dale.”

“But you don’t have to.” He frowned. “Live here, I mean.”

“I’m sure you’d love to have this place to yourself, but?—”

“No. Mom.” He was sounding very adult and borderline patronizing.

“No. Rod,” I said more firmly. “ You live here. You’re my kid, and we’ve had a lot to adjust to over the last few years.

” Losing Dad. Shelby leaving for university.

The divorce. Him coming out. “Now your dad is having another baby. I’m not going to drop you into that without a safety net.

You need stability. Something you can count on.

I’m trying to find the same thing for myself, to be honest. And—” I drew a breath, choosing my words carefully.

“When I married your dad, I loved him. I have no regrets about the life we made with you kids, but I cannot move across the country for a boy again. Whatever life I build now has to be one that works for me .”

“I get that, but...” He chased a few grains of rice with the edge of his fork.

“You know how you were obsessed with getting Grandma out of her funk and into a better place? I feel the same way about you. I mean, I thought you’d had a full psychotic break with reality when you quit your job and started working for Georgia?—”

I sputtered a laugh, but he didn’t crack even the tiniest smile.

“Oh God, you’re serious.”

“It wasn’t you. Or, I didn’t think it was.

Then I talked to Zak about it, and he made me see that you really were just trying to help Georgia.

He said grief is hard, and that divorce is a type of loss, and that for you, making everyone around you feel safe and happy is your painkiller of choice.

He said I couldn’t really do anything except wait for you to deal with it in your own way. ”

“He said all that?” I lifted my head. “Did I really worry you? I’m so sorry.”

“Whatever. I mean, one of the reasons I stayed with Dad was because I thought you had enough with Grandma being super sad and everything. And, honestly? I couldn’t take you asking me if I was okay every ten minutes. It was too much.”

“Oh,” I groaned, cradling my head. “I didn’t mean to. Grandma turns into helicopter-mom with me too. It drives me nuts.”

“You’re still doing it, by the way. You don’t have to text me twenty times a day. I can get myself to school and find my own lunch. At least now I know why you do it. It’s because you miss Zak, isn’t it?”

I felt absolutely transparent. Kicked in the stomach. Heartbroken .

“Don’t cry,” he said with distress.

“I’m not,” I lied, touching the edge of my cuff to the brimming corners of my eyes.

Roddie got up and brought the box of tissues from the counter. “Do you want more wine?”

“Sure,” I choked, and he topped me up.

“You and Dad getting divorced sucks,” he said, returning the bottle to the fridge. “But I’m over it. Dad having another baby with Wanda? That’s not something you can fix for me. I mean, I’d rather live with you and just visit them, if that’s okay.”

“Always.” My voice was strained by the tears gathering in my throat.

“Thanks. I feel bad about not really liking Wanda, but I honestly can’t tell if Dad likes her either.

That’s what makes it so uncomfortable. I did think you and Zak make each other happy, though.

Like, if he was going for coffee, I’d offer to do it and he’d say, ‘I want to say hi to your mom.’ And you always talk about him like he’s the funniest guy in the world. ”

“He is.”

Roddie shook his head and rolled his eyes. “If you think that, and you want to move to Victoria to be with him, I’d try living there with you. I could always come back and stay with Dad if I didn’t like it. It’s only four more years, then I’ll leave anyway.”

“Roddie—”

“ Mom . You just said you don’t want to move across the country for a boy. Don’t do it for this one, either.” He pointed at himself.

“That is bullshit,” I said fiercely, rising to hug him. “You can tell me how to parent once you become one. And that better be at least twenty years from now.”

“I don’t know if you understand how gay sex works, boomer, but accidental pregnancy is almost never a problem.”

I squeezed him harder.