Got Milk? 02 - The Reunion Ch. 08

Mac looks at George, his smile now turning into a concerned slight frown. He asks "Is everything ok?"

George nods, placing his glass down after sipping more of his piña colada. He then says back "Oh, yes, everything is fine on my end. I've been blessed to have this gifted life full of amazing people in it. It's actually you that I've been worried about, Mackenzie."

Mac raises an eyebrow, not fully comprehending what he means. "Me...? Um, I don't quite understand, George... why are you concerned about me?"

As he chews the last of his lasagna, George calmly explains to Mac "Well... it seems my daughter is quite smitten with you, especially over the past few years. She's... she's really fallen for you, Mackenzie."

The frown turns into a slight smile once again, and Mac says to George "Well, I've really fallen for her, too, George. But, if you're worried about that, then I can assure you that--"

"Oh, no it's not that, son" George cuts him off, adding "I've known you since you were 12. You have always been an amazing kid, and a perfect gentleman to my Delly. If it may seem that I've been kind of negligent with the concept of you both in a relationship lately, I just want you to understand it's not on account of me not 'accepting' you or anything in that matter."

"Well, to be honest with you, sir, my mind has been all over the place lately to notice that. But I can understand if you WERE like that."

"Don't get me wrong, kid. I love my daughter to death, same as my sons. I will not tolerate anyone hurting them, no matter how long I've known them."

Mac stops chewing the last of his ribeye, his frown turning into a bit lip of distress. Was George subliminally threatening him? As he ponders, Mac asks him "Um... so what is this conversation really about, George?"

George chuckles, and answers back "Relax, Mackenzie. You've always had my blessings to be with my daughter. I don't want you to take what I'm saying the wrong way."

"It's kinda difficult not to, sir. I honestly feel like I'm being interrogated now. If that was the case, why not do this when we first started going out? I mean... why start this now?"

"Different colleges, that's why."

"Ok, fair enough" Mac says, smirking once more. "But let me just make this clear, George. I have no intentions of hurting your daughter in any way or form. She puts so much happiness into my life that I would be an idiot to throw that all away."

George nods and says "I know, son, and I am grateful that you've treated her with the kindness and love she deserves. I'll admit, I've been a strict father to my kids, but I'm just sharing the same discipline that my parents gave me and my own brothers. One thing you have to realize, it doesn't matter how much you think you know; you don't know a damn thing. Even at the age of 59... I'm still learning how to be a parent."

Mac chuckles, and nods back "I understand... sometimes, I feel like even though I'm 21, I'm still... I'm still learning how to be a man."

"You got a long way to go, kid."

"I believe you, George... It's just been really hard... really, really hard..."

George looks at Mac, and says softly "I hear you kid... That's the real reason why I wanted this conversation. Because Delilah's been worried about you, too."

Mac looks up at George, and says "She has? But, why...?"

George shakes his head, and tells Mac "Let's be real here, kid... You haven't really taken the time to mention your father since... since that day."

Mac clutches onto his fork, and softly says back to George "My... my Dad...?"

*****

"Jesus, Delly, did you have to wear those beat up flats tonight?" Christina says to her daughter as she looks down at her feet. "Oh, give me a break, Mommy, they were only pink ones I had, and I wanted to match." Delilah says as she lifts up her leg, showing off her flat. The form of her toes can be seen wiggling inside of the shoe. Delilah adds "Just be glad they aren't ripped or have any holes in them! Hahaha!"

Christina laughs as she wipes her mouth, and asks Delilah "Well, at least you're not wearing those disgusting converse of yours. Lord knows you would if you were given the chance. Hey, do you still do that thing where you constantly take your shoes off and put them back on quickly?"

"Of course I do. I happen to think that's one of my deeming qualities!" She retorts as they both share a laugh.

Delilah is standing side-by-side with her mother as they both pamper themselves in front of the mirror in the women's restroom. "Dinner seems to be going really great so far, don't you agree, honey?" Christina asks her daughter as she puts on more red lipstick.

"Hehe, yes, Mommy. That chicken fried steak was so delicious! I was really worried that Dad would freak out about Mac joining us tonight, though." As she fixes her hair, Delilah has her right foot stand on top of her left. Her pink satin ballet flat burrows its toes on top of the left foot that is still on the ground. It eventually raises up, and her toes inside her shoe begin to flex around the back of her left shin, giving it a nice caress into the pantyhose.

"Yeah, I know you were. You gotta have more faith in your Dad, Delly" Christina says back as she works in the lipstick with a couple of air kisses. Delilah brings her right foot back down on the other, and asks her mother "So... how did Dad actually take it when you asked him about Mac joining us?"

"To be honest... he was the one who brought it up first."

"Huh? Wow, really?! Are you serious, Mom?"

"Totally serious, sweetie. It shocked me, too. Haha, right before I was about to open my mouth, he just blurted out 'Hey, so you think we should invite Mackenzie with us to dinner tonight?' It totally caught me off guard, but I just gave him a quick nod!"

"Wow... that is really uncharacteristic of him. I usually had to persuade him to let Mac come over back in the day!"

"That man is always full of surprises, isn't he?" Christina asks with a giggle. Delilah giggles along with her mother, and her heel begins to pop out of her shoe from the pressure of her bent toes. Resuming to fixing her hair bangs, she asks her mother "So... what made him have that change of heart?"

"Well... he..." Christina says, not sure on what to say to her daughter. The sudden stumble of words causes Delilah to raise an eyebrow, and she asks her mother "Ok... Moooom... what's going on...?"

Christina sighs, looks at her daughter and says to her "George has been... been worried about Mackenzie's state of mind ever since his father's... passing."

Delilah widens her eyes in concern, and says "Oh... But, I mean... I mean Mac... Mac told me that he's gotten over it. That he's m-moved on from that. He never really told me the entire details, and I understand why. That's why I never bring it up when I see him. It could be too much for him."

"I get that, honey. But George can see that it's been eating him alive since he won't let anyone in about it. He's been keeping the pain to himself the past year and a half since Stanley died. Think about it, sweetie; Haven't you notice how almost every time Jessica brings it up, he tries changing the subject or goes somewhere else?"

Delilah ponders for a second or 2, eventually pushing her heel back into her worn out flat. She says to her mother "I mean... yeah, you're right. He never really talks to me about it. I told Daddy that I've been worried about him, and Daddy said that he would try to talk to Mac one day."

Christina pieces it all together, and gasps, saying "Well... it seems that talk is tonight, sweetie..."

*****

"With all due respect, sir, I don't think this is a good time to bring my Dad up" Mac says to George, almost bending his fork in his hands. George looks at Mac and says "Mackenzie... you cannot keep this anger and rage bottled up any longer. It's consuming you, can't you see that?"

Mac takes a forced sigh, and looks back at George "Again... with all due respect, George... I don't think that it's any of your responsibility to judge how I am feeling on the death of MY father."

"I never said it was, Mackenzie."

"Then why are you constantly pushing me to talk about it?" Mac says in a more stern tone.

"Mackenzie, you might want to watch your tone, we're inside a resta--"

"I mean, seriously, why is everyone trying to be my therapist all of a sudden? Where was all of this when it happened? Where was all of this when I was alone with him and WATCHED HIM DIE?"

A couple of customers enjoying their food suddenly look up towards the volume of Mac's voice, and watch on in concern. George looks at Mac, saying "Relax, Mackenzie... relax, son. Here, just relax, and we can just drop it, alright?"

Taking a few deep breaths, Mac closes his eyes, and looks down. Delilah and Christina make their way back to the table, and Christina reaches in for her husband to give his a loving kiss on the top of his head. "Did we miss anything, dear?" She asks him. George looks at Mac, and says to his wife "Nothing at all, beautiful, just enjoying the food."

Delilah reaches for her own hug around Mac's neck, and leans in closer to him, kissing his cheek. "I missed you, Macky." Mac bites his lip, but tries to hold onto her arms with his left hand. A single tear begins to run down his right cheek, and he clears his throat with a pained grunt.

Christina looks over to Mac, and notices the tear. "Mackenzie... sweetie, are you alright, darling?" Delilah looks at Mac with concern, and sees the same tear. "Mac... Mac, what's the matter? Are y-you ok?"

Mac slowly stands up, and softly says "I'm sorry, but I need to go." Delilah asks "Mac, sweetie, what's going on?"

The male waiter (named Carlos) comes to the table, sending them the check for the meal. He looks at Mac's plate, the ribeye steak only halfway eaten. Carlos asks Mac "I'm sorry, sir, was the steak not to your liking?" Mac turns to the waiter and says "It was fine, thank you. Just not feeling very well, not much of an appetite."

Christina turns to George and asks "What's wrong with Mackenzie, honey?"

"Daddy, what did you say to him?" Delilah chimes in, walking towards her father.

Before George can even speak, Mac says "He didn't say anything, I just need to go home." Reaching into his pocket, Mac pulls out his black wallet, and pulls out a $20 bill. He hands it to George, and says "Thank you for dinner, George. I really appreciate it."

George shakes his head and says "No, Mackenzie, no need. I told you I would pay for yours, too."

"Well, just put it towards gas, then. But thank you." Mac says back to George.

"Mommy, what is going on here?" Delilah says to Christina. "George... tell me you didn't..." Christina says to George. Delilah walks back over to Mac and says "Baby, please, you don't have to leave! We want you to stay with us. Please!"

"Yes, please, Mackenzie! We were gonna go for ice cream afterwards!" Christina adds in.

Mac ponders on the persuasion, but ultimately says "I'm sorry, Chris... but I just need to go home right now. I have too much on my mind, and I don't want to ruin the rest of your night with my negative vibes." He goes towards Delilah and plants a small kiss on her right cheek, causing her to softly say "Mac, I..."

"I love you, Del. You look amazing tonight. I'll talk to you soon."

"But, my Dad gave you a ride here. It's like 15 minutes back to our block."

"Bus stop is right outside the restaurant. I'll take the line-up..."

George finally begins to stand up, but Mac is already making his way towards the front door of the restaurant. "Daddy, I... what should I do?"

"He's a man, honey. He made that choice, so I'm going to respect that." George tells his daughter.

"Well, I'm going after him" Delilah says. "Like hell you are! It's almost 10, I'm not allowing you to go out onto the streets at this time of night, Delly." George says back to his daughter.

"Well, I'm a woman now, Daddy. I'm making that choice, so you need to respect THAT" Delilah says back to her father. She walks to hug her mother, who now has her own tears in her eyes. "Don't worry about me, ok? I can take care of myself."

George sighs, looks at his daughter and says "Delilah... if you hurry, you can catch him. Just... just be careful."

Delilah smiles, and says back to her father "I will, I promise, Daddy... he is worth it..."

Delilah runs over to kiss her father, saying "Thank you so much for dinner. I love you." George kisses his daughter back and says "No need. Just go on, you're gonna miss him before the bus gets here."

"Call me as soon as you can, ok?" Christina says.

"I will, I promise, Mommy."

With that, Delilah darts off and heads out of the front door, exiting the restaurant.

*****

Mac slowly walks down the darkened sidewalk, with only the street lights and a few passing cars illuminating his way. It has been about 7 minutes since he left the restaurant, and he has been pacing back and forth at the bus stop. The next line-up bus is still 10 minutes away from arrival. He currently has a lot on his mind, with a unexplained internal anger that he can't really express properly.

He had this entire day planned out: From meeting with his friends that morning, all the way to spending time with Delilah after dinner. What he didn't count on, was Delilah's father trying to bring up Stanley.

Mac sits back down on the bus stop bench, and begins to burrow his head into his hands. He rubs his eyes, and lets out a loud groan into his palms. Closing his eyes, Mac silently goes over the event that just took place in his head. He wonders if George had innocent motives, or if he was just trying to push his buttons. He believes that George always had an issue with him ever since they've met, even if he hasn't done anything wrong in front of him and his family.

As Mac opens his eyes, a pair of feet covered in worn out pink satin ballet flats obscures his expected view. Looking up more, shiny, damp nude pantyhosed legs reveal themselves. Followed by black shorts. Followed by a sleeveless pink blouse. Followed by the most beautiful face.

Mac smirks, shaking his head. "I should've known you would try to follow me."

Delilah softly slaps his head and says "Well, fucking DUH. You made quite an exit back there, man."

"I know... and I'm sorry. I just had to get out of there. No disrespect to your dad, but he doesn't really understand what I've been going through."

"Well, that's because you won't let him, dude. Let's be honest here, you haven't really told anyone how you really feel since it's happened."

"Well, maybe I don't want to be a downer and share my true feelings."

"Even if it's killing you? Tiger, look at yourself. You're saying that you're doing ok, but I can see it in your eyes. You're hurting. You're hurting because you keep it all inside."

Mac stands up, and says to Delilah "Let me ask you something, Del. Do you love your parents?"

"Of course I do, Mac. I love them unconditionally."

"Ok, ok... so would you still love them if your Dad cheated on your Mom?"

"What? Mac, where are you going with th--"

"Would you love them if your Mom had a fuckin' black eye because of your Dad?"

"Mac, just relax and ca--"

"I can't relax, ok? I can't! I've been so pissed for so long, and yes, you're right. It's fucking with me. It's been fucking with me bad. I feel alone here. I feel alone, and no one understands it."

"Then make me understand. For God's sake, just let me in and MAKE me understand!" Delilah shouts at Mac as she puts her hands on his shoulders. Mac feels her firm grip, and he looks at her. "How am I supposed to do that, Delilah? How...? You... you didn't watch him die like I did..."

"Oh, God... oh, my God, Mac... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I didn't know." Delilah brings her arms around his neck and hugs him tightly. Mac returns the hug, and softly says "Nobody did besides my mom and the 911 people I called." Delilah kisses Mac's cheeks one at a time, and softly asks him "Tiger... what happened that night? Please tell me..."

Mac bites his lip, and shivers. Delilah kisses his cheeks again, along with his forehead this time. She caresses the back of his head, and instinctively presses her left foot on top of his right. "Please tell me..." she softly begs, burrowing her flat onto his black Oxford.

Before Mac can open his mouth, he turns to see the bus finally arriving. He looks back at Delilah, and says "Tell you what... let's get back home safe, and once we get to my place, I'll tell you. I promise, ok?"

Delilah nods, saying "Fair enough. Come on, let's go."

Mac and Delilah both get on the bus, and it soon takes off and drives past the restaurant.

TO BE CONTINUED