“This shit really is something else. How was it? I mean, I’m not asking for the gory details. I’m just saying, as this is something you’ve be waiting for for so long, was it what you expected, what you wanted, or…?”
“Man, it was more than I could have dreamed of, or asked for. Like, out of this world good. The sex always was great between us, but I wasn’t sure if that was just because I was a teenage horn dog and so happy to get my rocks off, that I didn’t know good from bad from ugly. But as a grown man, with plenty of miles on the clock, I can safely say that it was the best sex I have ever had and probably ever will have.”
“Oh shit, you’re so fucked.”
“I know. I’m one hundred percent screwed up the ass with a ten foot pole. I’m also so fucking happy, you wouldn’t believe.”
“I feel you man. So what do you need from me brother?”
“Well first, I guess it’s obvious we’re not going to make it to the rest of the chemistry session. Sam’s doing okay, but he’ll be discharged in a few hours and when he is, I want to be there. Can you please pass on our apologies to the rest of the group, and just say that Mel had to deal with a family emergency in the city, and I kindly drove her there. No need to go into any detail, about the nature of the drama. I’ll leave it to her to decide what she’s going to tell her colleagues—we all know how secretive she can be.”
Possibly the understatement of the century. I wasn’t too blinded by love to see that her “secretiveness” went beyond wanting to keep one’s private life private, and strayed firmly into “web of lies” territory.
“Could you also please have housekeeping pack up our bags so that they can come back to the city with you guys tomorrow morning?”
“Sure, not a problem at all. In fact that’s all too easy. Are you sure there’s nothing else you need from me?”
“No thanks, apart from for you to be your usual charming self, and make sure despite all this, we still win this fucking pitch. Yeah?”
“Well, that all goes without saying, on any given day. Today is no different.” Confidence personified.
“Yeah, I know, and I appreciate it, today more than ever. Thanks man.”
“Don’t mention it, you go take care of business, and I’ll deal with everything here, including telling the other guys. Keep us updated, and let us know if you need anything else. If not, we’ll catch up with you back in the city tomorrow.”
“Okay brother. Thanks again.” We hung up then, and I stood up, then headed down the hall in search of coffee.
When I returned to the room, Sam was sitting up in bed, looking perkier than he had been when I left. Mel was sitting in the chair next to the bed holding his hand, and he looked faintly embarrassed. I guess he was getting a bit big for that kind of stuff. Kate was nowhere to be seen. I handed Mel a cup of coffee, and a peanut butter and banana bagel. She took both from me gratefully, placing the coffee down by her feet, and quickly unwrapping the bagel.
“Thanks. I’m starving all of a sudden. I sent Kate home to catch up on sleep, she has been awake here all night, by Sam’s bedside.” She said all this through mouthfuls of bagel. It wasn’t pretty, but I still loved watching her.
Sam was observing the exchange carefully, his gaze flicking back and forth between the two of us as though following a tennis match, as he tried to work out what was going on. Mel must have noticed at the same time, as she suddenly looked at Sam and stopped chewing mid-mouthful to explain.
“Oh, Beck and I were close friends when we were at high school, darling. We just haven’t seen each other for years. We met again at work, and he still remembers my favorite bagel. Isn’t that funny?” Sam nodded slowly, but said nothing. He wasn’t buying her story for a minute.
Of course, it was partially true, but it was the partial part that made all the difference. Sam looked wise beyond his years, and reminded me so much of myself at the same age, that it was almost painful to look at him. If he was anything like me, he would be halfway to working out what was going on already. I mean, he had eyes. The resemblance between the two of us surely couldn’t have escaped him. Mel seemed oblivious to the potential unfolding drama, as she demolished the bagel like she’d never eaten before.
Forcing myself into this situation without time to even plan what we were going to say to Sam—or how we were going to handle it—had probably been a mistake. Hindsight was a bitch like that, but there was no way in hell, even with hindsight, that I was going to walk away from the hospital without having seen my son.
I glanced over at him again, marveling at the wonders of genetics. He was like a carbon copy of me, except a little darker, due to his mother’s coloring—her dad was originally from Cuba, and her mom had Spanish and Italian heritage—and with darker, wavier hair than mine, also thanks to his mother. All in all, the combination of our genes had created a ridiculously perfect-looking child.
I was fascinated by the way he did exactly what I would have done in the same situation when I was his age, sit back and observe the adults, while trying to work out what the fuck was going on. Not that he had any choice in the sitting back part—being laid up in a hospital bed, didn’t give him many mobility options.
Even still, instead of feeling obliged to fill the empty space with mindless chatter, he was happy to close his mouth, open his ears and see what he could learn. It was either an only child thing, a single-parent child thing, or just a Beck and Sam thing, but from what I could remember of being that age myself, it wasn’t the approach all kids of his age would take in the same circumstances.
In the face of silence from both of the men in the room, Mel was left to fill the void with chatter. Having inhaled her bagel in record time, she picked up the coffee at her feet and sipped at it tentatively. I had foregone the hospital cafeteria in favor of a nearby coffee shop, and had finished my own coffee before returning to the room, so I already knew it was decent. She visibly relaxed as she swallowed the first few mouthfuls.
“Ah…so good. Thank you for insisting that I ate and drank something. I hadn’t realized how much I needed it until I had that bagel in my hands. It was divine by the way. Well chosen, and well-remembered.”
Her lips turned up into a shy smile, and it was as though someone had punched me in the gut.
“Don’t mention it. Just like Kate said, that’s what friends are for. I knew that once the adrenaline started to wear off, the tiredness, hunger, and thirst could kick in, which is why I decided to override you.”
“Well. thank you, friend. Whatever the reason, I really appreciate the gesture, and of course, we are so grateful for you driving me here. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t have offered.”
I shrugged, noncommittally. “Happy to help. And for the record, any of the others would have done the same, if I wasn’t there. That’s how we roll.” I returned her smile.
“Oh, I don’t doubt it. I can tell you guys are tight, and look out for each other. It’s great.”
“Yeah I know, and I don’t take it for granted. Good friends are hard to find. People who are loyal, caring, and truthful.” I leveled her with an unforgiving stare. While I had said to her that I wasn’t going to dwell on the past, there was no way I could just forget it, especially when the evidence of her deceit was laying two feet away from me. I was sure she didn’t miss my intent, as she bristled at my words.