Family Issues Ch. 05

Sorry that it takes so long but finding time to write is not always easy.

I would like to thank Madison (ThanatopicFolds) for all the time invested. Your red pen is the string that holds the story together and prevents it from falling on its ass.

I also want to thank all the nice people who wrote me and encouraged me to keep going.

On with the story.

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Helen bounced up and down to the rhythm of Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' as it pumped through her headphones. Patches of sweat soaked her T-Shirt, her long legs kicking as she bypassed every runner in sight. She was the fastest kid in elementary and the fastest kid in high school. It came naturally and running always made her forget

Her date with Dennis was still a stinging memory, but whenever she remembered last night, it was Kevin that was in her thoughts. His hands hugging her body, offering comfort and understanding. There was something new in the air. Expectation. She felt like she was on the brink of a great discovery. It was frightening, but she knew that the first step was made and there was no turning back.

The afternoon sun tinted the skyline with pink, and the seagulls from the bay filled the air with shouts of glee. She felt someone running beside her, and it was surprising because most joggers wouldn't opt to train at her pace.

"Yo, snail lady, move aside! You're killing my rhythm."

She turned and had to slow down and laugh. It was Kevin.

"I saw you jog already in the morning," she kept jogging side by side with him.

"Must've been someone else; I'm too fast to spot."

"Looked kinda slow."

"Wanna race?" He huffed.

"Only if you promise not to cry when your ass gets owned," she said.

"From here, back to the house. First one who gets there showers first. On your mark, get set." He shifted gear and left her in the dust.

Helen laughed and took off after him. Her long legs ate the distance, but he was surprisingly hard to match, even though he had to make almost two steps for each one of hers. Her heart was pumping, and a sense of wild joy overtook her. They sprinted past the trail under the wooden bridge, and Helen changed her course, cutting through the playground wall. Kevin followed, but he had trouble climbing the tall fence and she laughed as she left him far behind. She ran through the line of Scarlet Oaks and checked behind her, just to be sure. To her surprise, not only had he not given up, but he was gaining on her.

They burst into the street, zigzagging past surprised pedestrians. Kevin had the size advantage here, as he was more agile. She gave everything on the last street, going into the road, to cut a straight line. She was confident that she had it in her pocket, but Kevin surprised her again. Proving that he too had some reserves, he accelerated to a mad dash and passed her in the last ten meters, almost hitting the building's wall.

"Yeah!" he roared. "What a twist, ladies and gents! He changed the game he flipped the script!" Kevin dabbed twice and did a backflip.

"Goddamn," she bent over, gulping air. "How the hell- did you do that?"

"I was the best runner in my high school cross country team."

"You were in a cross-country team?"

"I know that you look at this body," Kevin stretched his small, willowy form and posed like Mr. Universe, "and immediately you're thinking, 'sumo wrestling team' or 'basketball team'. Something that goes better with my physique. But running was my call."

She laughed.

"Whose ass got owned?"

Helen lifted her hand.

"You can shower first," Kevin said. "Your humiliation is a big enough reward. But be super quick about it, or we'll be late for the movie."

"What movie?"

"The one we're going to catch."

"What?"

"Wonder Woman. You like science fiction stuff, no?"

"I do, but I can watch it in a few weeks when the DVD is out."

"I don't see the point. You'll know the plot in advance because you'll be watching it with me tonight. Or maybe you think the DVD version would have a different plot?"

"Kevin," she smiled, "I'm not going."

"Tonight, is Diana's night shift at the store, and we're going to catch a movie like we do every Sunday night. It's a tradition. You can't break tradition, Helen."

"We have never watched a movie together."

"Every tradition's gotta start someplace, no? Look, I already bought tickets because you asked me to, so not coming is a dick move."

"I never asked you to buy anything."

"I have it on record, so you can either come or expect a heavy lawsuit."

"You have nothing on record."

Kevin sighed, pulled out his mobile and pressed a recording application. "Kevin, please buy two tickets for Wonder Woman Sunday night." He imitated Helen's throaty voice. " I wanna munch on a massive popcorn bucket, while watching Wonder Woman kick ass on a big screen. Watching movies on TV sucks ass."

"That doesn't even begin to sound like me."

"Tell that to the jury."

-----

"It was good," Kevin said. "I didn't expect to like it, but I did."

"Why not?" Helen said.

"On the only day of the week on which I have a girlfriend-free pass, I go to see a movie about a girl named Diana who thinks she's a princess."

"Come on, Kevin."

"It's just that superheroes and supervillains aren't really my jam. But it was good. When Steve said he loved her and sacrificed himself... Man." He gave a deep sigh.

"Wuss."

"Fuck off!" Kevin opened his eyes wide. "You wiped your tears on your sleeve when he died. I saw you."

"Totally not. I was just cleaning some popcorn that landed on my blouse."

"With your eye?"

"Yep."

"Is that what they teach you in the Marine Corps? To lie shamelessly? Born Again Hard my ass, more like Born Again Marshmallow."

"I cry in films, Kevin, if that's okay with you?"

"I thought it was sweet."

"Hmmm... Don't patronize."

"That's not patronizing. Patronizing means to look down on someone, just so you know."

Helen kicked his ass, and Kevin laughed.

The movie was excellent, but she liked all the rest even better. Sitting in the dark theatre munching on a bucket of popcorn, joking with Kevin about nothing in particular. At one point Kevin imitated the main actress' accent, and she was glad the theatre was almost empty because she choked on her Coca-Cola.

"Thanks," Helen said.

"For what?"

"For being relentless and not letting me just do what I always do."

"We can really make a tradition out of it. Maybe a Sunday night movie when Diana is working?"

She looked at him, and Kevin gave her a warm smile.

"I would really like that," she said.

They came in a cab but decided the weather was beautiful enough to walk back home. The center was a hub for theatres, shows, restaurants, and clubs. The streets here were big and open, with food stalls selling fast-food in every corner, and they were brimming with locals and tourists. Somewhere to the south and closer to the bay, they could hear soft guitar music, and the happy sounds people make when they have fun. Kevin motioned her to follow.

"It's a street party. They have one here every Saturday, in August."

The street party was in a fountain square near the theatre district. The DJ station was constructed on an elevated stage, where a guy covered in tattoos was sending smiles, good vibes, and pop music to anyone who cared to join. Above the crowd, from street lamp to street lamp, lay a mesh of strings from which white paper chandeliers, flags and colored balloons dangled to commemorate the summer twilight.

People of every age, size, shape, race, and gender, both locals and tourists were having fun and making a lot of noise while they were at it. It was festive, it was loud, and possessed the kind of cheerfulness that crawls under the fingernails, climbs all the way to the face, forces the corners of the mouth to go up, and the legs to follow the rhythm. Life was happening everywhere, and Helen wondered why the hell she chose to sit on the fence instead of taking part.

People moved in pairs or groups, laughing and dancing to the DJ's music.

"I'm crazy about this song," Kevin tried to pull Helen, and when she wouldn't move, he danced around her.

"Do you know what the song is about?"

"Some girl named Despacito?"

"The guy basically tells the girl to make love slowly," Helen said.

"Sounds like a plan," Kevin smiled. He remembered last night and Nadine's soft body moving slowly against his. He really wanted to give her a call but knew he could do without the complication.

Professional dancers wearing white t-shirts and criminally short jeans were leading the crowd through the steps. Helen gave a timid attempt at moving her hips sensually and won a warm smile from Kevin.

"That's the spirit."

"Quiero desnudarte a besos despacito"

"I want to undress you in kisses slowly"

Helen had a flitting image in her mind, of her and a lithe body with enormous purple eyes kissing passionately on a big bed. She blushed and turned her head. The night out with Kevin felt too precious to ruin with childish sexual daydreams.

Someone touched her hand. A tall, dark dancer in a striped shirt tried to drag her into the middle of the crowd. He pulled her hand, and she pulled back with force. The dancer lost his balance and fell on his ass. He was kind enough not to be angry at her, but rose and gave a mock bow, before returning to the dance. Helen saw a couple of faces turning in her direction, curious. She had a sudden sensory overload, as the sounds and the crowd overwhelmed her. Someone grabbed her hand again, and she turned, snarling, then let out a long breath when she saw it was only Kevin.

"Are you okay?" Kevin said.

"No."

"You wanna bounce off?"

"You wanna stay?"

"Nah, you're too stressed," he said.

"Thanks. Too much... The... A little too much."

Kevin nodded. "Just a sec." He ran to a street corner where a man wearing clothes that hadn't seen the inside of a washing machine this century sat drinking from a bottle. The homeless man had cardboard that read 'Family kidnapped by evil ninjas, needs $ to learn karate.' Kevin shook the man's hand and gave him a thumbs-up. "That sign is the best yet, Jacob," he said. Kevin then pulled out his wallet, but the Jacob stopped him.

"You know I don't take money from friends, Kevin."

"Just this time. You'll be doing me a huge favor," Kevin placed a stash of bills in the hat and ran off back to Helen before the astounded Jacob could say anything.

"Let's go," he beamed at her.

"Did you just put a shitload of money in that hobo's hat?"

"His name is Jacob, not 'Hobo'."

"How do you know his name?"

"I know him. He always sits here, and he always makes funny signs. He's a nice dude. Used to be a stevedore in the Northern Docs. He's a cool guy."

Helen looked back at Jacob. He had gray in his hair, and his face was a map of creases that people who spent all their years under the sky have. Growing up in West Englewood she knew more than a few dockworkers. A hard bunch with a strong union once, which like the projects and the rest of the east side succumbed to progress. "Ships don't roll up in the North Docks anymore," she said. "They laid everyone off ten years ago. I still remember the strikes. It was very sad."

"Something like that happened with the quarry near my hometown. Half the town became unemployed when it was closed."

"How much did you give him?"

"Four hundred and forty dollars."

"Are you insane?" She stared at him, eyes wide. "I thought you were broke?"

"I am. I won it last night gambling, and I think it's bad money."

"Because it's gambling money?"

"Because I think it came from exploiting prostitution, and extortion, and probably other stuff that I don't even want to think about."

"Where the hell were you and Diana last night?"

"I'm not so sure."

Helen sighed. "You should have kept the money, Kevin. Money is just money; it doesn't stink."

"Let's say you find Pablo Escobar's hidden stash. Would you feel okay to take it knowing that people paid with their lives, families were ruined, and bad people got richer because of it?"

"Yes." She shrugged. "No. I don't know."

"It's bad karma, Helen."

"Do you believe in Karma?"

"No, but my mom always said that for everything that you do there is a reward, and there is a punishment."

"Was your mom super religious?"

Kevin's leaned back and looked up. "Depends on what you're comparing to. We used to go to church every Sunday, and we thanked God a whole lot. But everyone in my hometown is like that. Anyway, it's not what you think. My mom used to say that bad deeds and good deeds are rewarded in this life, not just in the afterlife."

"No, they're not."

"If you do shitty stuff, it makes you a shitty person, and you have to live with yourself knowing that you're a shitty person. It's an instant punishment."

Helen snorted, "I bet that punishment kept Pablo Escobar awake at nights."

"I know it sounds stupid to you, but-"

"It sounds stupid because it is stupid."

Kevin tensed, and she tried to read his face, but he wasn't half as transparent as she was, and understanding people wasn't Helen's forte. "That sort of bullshit is exactly what a priest on a Sunday sermon would try to sell," she said.

"You got something against priests now, or does my religiously fanatic mother rub you the wrong way?"

"We had a Catholic church in West Englewood not far from where I used to live. Father Nicolas taught his flock that futanari are an abomination, an insult to the All Mighty. I had to suffer ricochets from his sermons through my entire childhood, so excuse me if religious bullshit rubs me the wrong way."

"I don't believe you're an abomination, Helen, but I do believe that bad deeds and good deeds are rewarded in this life, and that the only virtue that can be completely good is a good will. My mom didn't quote a priest, she quoted Kant," he said in a quiet voice. "I believe both my mom and Immanuel were right."

"Belief has nothing to do with it; it's just false."

"Maybe. But it's something that my mom used to say all the time, and I try to live by it, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because my mother said you should." He started walking down the street leading to the park, and Helen hurried after him.

"You always do what your mom tells you, Kevin?"

"Always."

"No doubts? Parents are sometimes stupid. My mother, bless her heart, always had the best intentions, but she was so wrong about so many things. "

"Always, Helen."

"Okay, I'm not judging."

He stopped walking. "Sounds like you are."

"I'm sorry."

"Are you?"

"I didn't mean to belittle your mom's beliefs."

"Yes, you did. My mom..." His voice trembled a little. "My mom has a part in everything that I am, Helen. She taught me how to cook, she taught me to love the ocean, she took me to my first scuba diving, she taught me fishing, playing guitar...everything."

"Cooking? So, all the amazing food in my refrigerator? I should thank her?"

"We owned a restaurant, a family business that she ran, and I worked there for as long as I can remember. She didn't just teach me to cook. She taught me how to make dinner when twenty angry patrons are waiting for twenty different orders, you're missing ingredients, and the stove broke yesterday."

"Maybe we can go and visit her restaurant next Saturday?"

"No." Kevin started walking again, and Helen found herself again running after him.

"Why not? Is it far?"

"There is no restaurant. It's closed."

"What happened?"

Kevin shrugged. "Let's talk about something else, okay?"

"W...Why?" She tried to reread his face, but he was unreadable. "Kevin?"

"What?" He raised his voice.

She touched his arm. He flinched and shook her off.

"My mom died three years ago," he suddenly said. "She and my little brother were both killed in a car accident."

"I'm so sorry." She stared at him with horror.

"She was a simple woman, not a big vice president like you, Helen, but she was the smartest and the kindest person I've ever known, and not you or anyone else gets to say shit about her or what she believed in."

"I'm so sorry, Kevin."

"About my dead mom, or about calling her version of what makes a decent human being stupid?"

"About both."

Kevin stopped walking and stared at her. Helen wasn't just sorry; she was terrified. She was scared that with insensitivity she managed to ruin the fragile thing they began to share this evening. In a sense, she wasn't very different to Iman, Nadine's sister, with her inability to decipher a simple human interaction. Another thing his mother taught him was to never be cruel or impatient in the face of weakness. "I'm sorry," he said, and hugged her, to show her it was alright between them. Helen let out a long breath. "I lashed, and I shouldn't have," he said. "I'm touchy when it comes to her."

"You're not mad at me?" She even asked like a little girl, and it made him smile.

"It's just hard, and I'm...they say that time heals everything, and that life goes on and all of that crap. But that's just bullshit. It's been three years, and I still wake up every morning hoping it was just a bad dream, and that I'll open my eyes, and I'll see them both."

"It's hard."

"She was my best friend. She was..." His voice broke. "Everything I do, and she's there. Like she's watching me."

"Sounds a lot like my mom."

"It's hard."

"Yeah."

They walked in silence for a long while, leaving the noisy center and the party behind them. The sky was clear and the air warm, but they were both shrouded in blankets of past sorrows. It was a heavy burden, and always has been, but sharing made the load a little lighter. At some point, he realized Helen was stressed by that silence, frightened that he was still mad at her, and he gave her palm a reassuring squeeze.

"We used to talk, my mom and me," Kevin said. "Every day. Just talk about everything. I really miss her."

"What...? How did it happen?"

"Just one of those things. Nobody's fault..." he paused and touched the back of his neck. "Nobody's fault. There was ice on the road, and she lost control of the car. My little brother died immediately. She died in the hospital. Everything just went to shit after that."

Helen felt like hugging him, but she wasn't sure if he would like the gesture. She touched his face tenderly instead. "I'm so sorry, Kevin."

"Hey, I made you go out with me because you never have any fun. I didn't mean to be so depressing."

"Talking about real stuff that's... I only ever talk about work. Thanks for sharing."

"I have an idea that'll cheer you up. Ice cream."

"Ice cream?"

"I'm on a tight budget, but I still have enough left of my monthly fun budget to squeeze in two ice-creams."

"I can take us to a nice restaurant if you like. My budget isn't tight."

"Another thing my mom used to say, is that the guy should always pay."

"It's not a date."

"Still."

"Diana buys you clothes all the time," Helen said.

Kevin flinched. "First, ouch. Second, that was under the belt. Third, I never asked her to, and I always ask her to stop. Last, when she buys me stuff, it doesn't really bother me that much, because frankly, I don't like your little sister that much."

Helen blushed. The direct implication was that he liked her which felt nice, which led to her feeling like a Judas. "No comment, Kevin."

"About me not liking Diana?"

"Yep."

"But it didn't come as a complete shock, didn't it?"

"No comment."

"Look, Helen, me and Diana, it's a complicated issue. She's your sister. She's my... Hell, I don't even know. Let's just, you know, declare that topic taboo."

"Pretend it's not there?"

"Something like that. Regarding me paying, there's very little in my life right now that I feel proud about."

"And we're back to Diana?"

"Please let me keep a little dignity. I'm buying."