“Yeah, I’m seventeen.I’ve had my license for a year now.
“Umm, did your mom teach you or…?”he looked over at me and laughed.
I smacked him, “Oh stop!I’ve gotten better!”
Dylan laughed at that and shook his head, “No you haven’t, who are you kidding?”
“What!You don’t even know what he’s talking about.”I shot back.
“I can figure it out.”
“Let me guess, she still has a lead foot, doesn’t she?”Lee asks and Dylan raises his eyebrows and nods.They high five like they’re best buds and laugh at me.
“Oh right!Gang up on me now, I see how this is gonna be!”I laugh along with them and then shoo the kids out the door, giving me and Lee a bit of time alone.
There’s been a lot to take in over the last hour and I want to make sure he’s okay with it all.When I ask, he crushed all my doubts into a ball and tossed them out the window when he wrapped his arms around me and told me that nothing I could say would change him wanting to spend the rest of his life with me.And just like that first day with him, I melted from his words and the gentle caress of his thumb on my palm.
* * *
Maggie arrived first and was awkwardly sitting across from Lee at the patio table when I got up to answer the door to let Carrie’s dad in.We had about fifteen minutes to fill her in on the shocking reappearance of the man we had both once loved tremendously and she took it as well as could be expected.Lee has not been able to completely forgive and forget just yet; that will hopefully come with time.
I greeted Carrie’s dad– I just realized that I still hadn’t been told his name –witha friendly hug and told him how I had been looking forward to meeting him for quite a while.Carrie had told me so much about him and how she loved getting to see him for dinners with just the two of them, and I was glad to not have cancelled that night for them.
I pulled away and introduced myself, saying, “I’m Ellie.”I glanced at him, anticipating a response with his name, but noticed his brow was creased with a perplexed expression.Before I could ask him what was wrong, his lips parted, uttering a single word that jolted me to the core, making my knees wobble under me:Watermelon.
We both looked at each other with the shocking realization of who the other is and I stole a glance over my shoulder.Seeing the people sitting on my patio, I thought,Damn!Can this get any more complicated?Before anyone became suspicious of the amount of time it was taking to return to the patio, I shook my head, silently begging him not to say anything.I only just got Lee back and with everything going on, I had completely forgotten about that one night stand which was the result of a life altering event involving those two people over there.
I rubbed my forehead and tried to smile, “Freddie, right?”
“Yeah.”He smiled back and then hesitated, “Is he…”
“Come on, let me introduce you.”I didn’t let him finish before I turned to lead him to the group.I wasn’t ready to have a full conversation with just him right away.
Freddie and I walked out to the patio, and I could feel his eyes burning through the back of me while he followed my steps and I introduced him to Dylan first, then Lee.At the mention of Lee’s name, I saw an almost invisible jolt of recognition before Freddie reached over to shake his hand and the guilt raced through me as if I was back in his apartment, drunk and disgusted with myself, crying over my mistake.He heard me call out Lee’s name that night, I know that because the words that followed were what made me cry.
The dinner that was meant to be happy and full of excitement over our reunion, was the most awkward I’ve ever felt in my life.I was, ironically, seated with Lee on my left and Freddie on my right and both of them were stealing glances at me throughout our meal.I decided I needed to tell Lee about the rest of that night once everyone was gone.
When Maggie left, Dylan and Carrie excused themselves to watch a movie in the living room and that left me alone with both of these men.Lee offered to clear the table and Freddie waited until he was out of earshot to ask if we could talk.
“I actually cannot believe this is happening.”I told him in a hushed whisper.
“You have no idea!I’m here, finding out my daughter might be dating her half brother?”His question was slightly accusatory, and I looked at him thoughtfully –that thought hadn’t crossed my mind.He was looking into the living room window at Carrie and Dylan when I responded.
“No.”I shook my head.“I was already pregnant.”His eyes darted back to me sharply.“I didn’t know; I never would have…” I took a breath,guess I owe Freddie an explanation toobut just as I was about to start, Lee was heading back to the patio.He slid open the glass door and strode over to me, arm swinging around my shoulders in confidence.Confidence that I really didn’t want to shatter.
I looked from Freddie to Lee and back again and decided that there just couldn’t be any lies or secrets between us.My mind was echoing what Lee said earlier,we’ve been given a second chance, and we were going to do this right.
I sighed, “Can we all sit back down?”The three of us sat down at the table again and I began to relive that excruciating night one more time.For Lee, it was knowing what happened after I left him and for Freddie, it was learning what led me to the bar.
When I finish, I look over at Lee.He swallows hard, letting his throat roll on the clarity of the events from our last night together.Then he inhales and gets up from his chair, pacing the patio.Freddie and I don’t say anything until Lee returns to the table and tells me, “Okay, it’s in the past and I told you I could take it as long as I know about it.Whatever happened between that night and tonight, it doesn’t change the fact that I love you.”
And then, as if something had just struck him, Lee looks over a Freddie and narrows his eyes.He tilts his head and I notice his hands formed fists at his sides.I slide the seat out and quickly jump up to stand in front of him.“Lee, what’s gotten into you, what’s wrong?”
“Did you know?”He asks Freddie.
“Know what?”
“That she was only sixteen?”Lee takes a step toward Freddie, and I push him back, shaking my head.I look over at Freddie, apology written on my face.
