I got an expected visit from Lilly’s mom.  I wasn’t living up to my end of the bargain, and at this point, I didn’t care anymore. I was already starting to think of new options. Maybe after we lost the house we could rent a place for a while or maybe move to Georgia and stay with some family until dad and I got back on our feet. I had already started looking for a better paying job while still helping to maintain the garage, just in case a miracle occurred.

“A deal’s a deal, Devin. My daughter’s miserable. What did you do and how are you going to fix it?” She picked at a piece of lint on her perfect coat.

“I didn’t do anything. She hates me. She should hate me after what I was attempting to do. The deal’s off, and I don’t care if we lose everything. I can’t do it.”

She took a deep frustrated breath and pinched the bridge of her nose like I was causing her a headache.

“Look, her birthday’s this weekend. There’s going to be a big party at my house—I can’t believe I’m about to do this, but please come to the party.”

“I can’t do this, it’s wrong and she’s really a nice girl, I just don’t…”

“Twenty thousand,” she said. She was now rubbing her temple.

“What?” I almost choked on my own spit.

“I will personally hand you a check for twenty thousand dollars if you do this, that doesn’t include the money I’ve already given you.”

“You’re fucking nuts, lady!” I ran my hands roughly through my hair in frustration. “Let me think on it.”

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Why? Why? Why?

She pulled out a card and handed it to me. I looked down and it had her name and address on it.

“Call me when you figure out whether you want to be a man and take care of your family or not.”

Then she was gone.

I made that decision later that night. After a hard day of work in the garage, I ran into the house and saw my dad sitting at the kitchen table. I could tell by the slump of his body that he was drunk as a skunk, but the tears on his cheeks are what really did me in.

“What kind of man am I, Devin?” he slurred. “I can’t even take care of my own damn family. We’re gonna lose it, all of it, and it’s my own fault. I’m not a man, I’m a drunk. She made me this way, your momma. She made me this way. I was a good man, Devin, I was, and she made me this way.” He pressed his forehead against the table and cried until he passed out.

Jenny helped me drag his limp body to the couch.

It’s been years since I’ve seen my father cry, not since right after mom walked out on us. In that moment the wall around my heart hardened immediately. Seeing him that way gave me a fresh new outlook and reminded me what women were capable of. I couldn’t allow Lilly’s innocent attack on my senses to take over. She was a woman…they hurt you and they leave you. They were only good for one thing and I would not be doing that one thing with Lilly. I’m not some wet-behind-the-ears pussy boy. I’m Devin Michaels, the playboy of the south, and it’s about damn time I started acting that way. I don’t know why I ever doubted myself to begin with.  I knew what needed to be done and it was time I manned up and did it before my family lost everything.

I barely made it into my bedroom before I pulled the card out of my pocket and grabbed my cell phone. I dialed the number and waited. It rang twice before she picked up.

“I’ll do it,” I said before rudely hanging up.

Thirteen

Birthday Wishes

I stuffed another spoon full of cookies and cream into my fat trap. Ice cream makes me happy, I wasn’t happy, hence the ice cream.  Is it even possible to really be that into someone after such a short period of time? He’s all I can think about. Does that make me crazy?  Like, should I reach someone at the local mental health institution? I felt like I was losing my mind.

I haven’t been this depressed since I was a miserable teenage punching bag. I guess realizing that I wanted something that Devin didn’t want brought back too many old memories—memories and emotions I thought I buried so many years ago.

“Put down the ice cream, Lilly. A customer’s coming in and he’s sexy with a capital S,” Shannon said as she tried to get a better peek at the new customer.

The bell above the door rang out. I sat down my life force of cookies and cream, wiped my mouth and headed to the front of the store. I stopped dead in my tracks when I was met with a pair of dazzling blue eyes.

“Hey there, sweet cheeks, fancy meetin’ you here.” Matt smiled his slanted smile.