Jazz Man

On their ride home, Kim couldn't remember the last time Shawn was so excited. He wasn't just excited, he was...stoked. She laughed at the word, but it accurately described her son's mood as he went on and on about Kyle and how he was going to be his new teacher.

"We can't just let your regular teacher go. That's not fair to him," his mom said, referring to the 50-something year old man Shawn saw three times a week at his father's expense.

Shawn thought for a second then said, "But I'll be twice as good!"

Kim laughed and told him he was already good.

"Kyle said that, too!"

"Yes, he did."

"He's really good. Mom? Do you think I'll ever be that good?"

"I'm sure you will be if you keep playing."

Shawn was now old enough to safely ride upfront, and when she looked over at him, she got another very pleasant surprise when her son said, "I love you, Mom!"

She blinked back a tear that appeared out of nowhere then said, "Ahh! I love you, too, honey."

As soon as they got home, Shawn went straight to his bedroom and grabbed his saxophone and started playing. It didn't sound quite as nice as Kim remembered it, but she was having a hard time concentrating for some reason.

She didn't give it any thought, and even if she had, her brain wouldn't have allowed her to attribute the reason to her handsome jazz man. He may have been a very nice looking young man, but the key word there was 'young', and Kyle was clearly very young.

And yet she found herself recalling his beautiful music, his calm, steady voice, and that incredible smile that, at one point, gave her goose bumps.

By 8pm that evening, she'd mostly stopped thinking about him until her phone rang. She saw the name Kyle and had another flutter that was more intense than the ones she'd experienced at Freedom Park as she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Kim?"

"Yes. Hi."

"Hi. This is...Kyle. From the park?"

"Hi. Yes. Hi," she said, feeling silly for saying it yet again.

"I promised I'd call, and I just finished studying, and wanted to touch base with you."

"Studying?"

"Sorry. Yes, I'm back in school. I dropped out after my junior year four years ago to join the Army, and it's really nice to be back in school."

"That's...impressive. And thank you for your service."

Kyle chuckled, told her it was his pleasure then said, "I spent most of it playing the sax, so the only danger I faced was dropping it on my foot, but..."

Kim nearly giggled as she laughed, and felt even more foolish.

"Mom, is that Kyle?" she heard Shawn ask who came running in from his bedroom.

"Yes," she whispered as she tried to cover the receiver.

"Is that Shawn?" Kyle asked.

"It is. He heard me talking from his bedroom and came screaming out here."

"Mom!" Shawn said, letting her know she was embarrassing him.

She mouthed the word 'sorry' just as Kyle asked if they could discuss when and where to meet.

"It was extremely kind of you to offer to do this, but you know you don't really have to if you've reconsidered," Kim told him.

She held her hand up knowing Shawn would immediately protest.

"Reconsidered? No way. I gave you my word. And the truth is, I'm actually looking forward to it, and I can assure you, it's no problem at all."

"I...I can't afford to pay you, Kyle, so..."

"Pay me? Don't be ridiculous! I don't want any money."

"Well, okay. I...I work Monday through Friday, but I'm home by 5:30 each day."

"I don't want to interrupt your dinner time, so if you just let me know what works best for you, I'll make that happen."

She wanted to tell him she normally fell asleep well before 9pm, but said, "I guess around seven?"

"Okay. Seven it is. May I ask the day of the week and the where part?" he said in a way that told Kim he was smiling.

Realizing that telling him the time alone wasn't enough she said, "Oh, duh. Yes. Maybe...Tuesday? And we live at..."

A brief moment of panic hit here when she thought he could be some kind of...serial killer.

"All right. Got it. I'll see you Tuesday at seven."

"Okay. And Kyle? Thank you," Kim said, still not sure if she'd just made a colossal error in judgment.

"My pleasure. And Shawn? If you're still listening, keep practicing, okay?"

"I will! I promise!"

Kyle chuckled then wished them both a good night.

"You, too, Kyle," Kim said as Shawn nearly hollered the same thing.

She turned to her son who was grinning from ear to ear and said, "Looks like we'll have a visitor this week."

Kim got another pleasant surprise when her son gave her a real hug, his arms wrapped tight around neck while she sat in the recliner.

"A famous person. At our house. Mom, this is so cool!" Shawn said when he let go.

His mom ignored the 'famous' comment then said, "You understand this means someone needs to make sure his room is very clean on Tuesday, right?"

"It will be!" Shawn promised as he headed back to his room humming something his mom didn't recognize.

She also failed to recognize that she hadn't stopped smiling since she hung up the phone several minutes earlier. Then again, she wasn't even thinking about such things—at least not consciously. But were she to give it some consideration, she would have realized that she was feeling good again for the first time since coming home to a scene she would never forget.

Kim even began humming something herself, again oblivious to what she was doing or why.

Like every work day, Monday and Tuesday were exhausting. But because they had a visitor coming over, Kim and Shawn spent some time after getting home both days cleaning the house. It wasn't dirty or messy, there were just things Kim had been neglecting because she was too tired to take care of them.

But by the time Kyle was due on Tuesday, the house, and Shawn's bedroom, looked just the way Kim wanted them to, and she still had enough time to change into something nice. Because, well, they had a visitor coming over, and she needed to look nice. Not to impress him, of course, but because it was the right thing to do. Or at least that's what she told herself as she got ready.

As she took a last look at herself before getting ready to welcome Kyle, Kim was very glad she hadn't cut her hair. She was the last woman in her circle of married friends who hadn't, and had her husband not done what he did, she was pretty sure it would now be chin length rather than to her shoulders.

She was also glad she'd stopped bleaching it. Her husband preferred blondes, like the young co-ed he was boinking, but because her hair was naturally very dark, it never looked quite right. But in its natural color, it framed her pretty face quite nicely, and it had a silky sheen to it with just a hint of a soft wave.

It was cold outside, but it was a very comfortable 72 degrees in her house. Even so, Kim chose a light-pink, long-sleeved sweater she hadn't had a reason to wear in nearly a year. The crew neck in front prevented any cleavage from showing, but then Kim wasn't exactly...huge. Still, she thought that her full-B cup breasts filled the ribbed garment out quite nicely as she looked at her profile. With black pants and a pair of silver earrings under her very dark hair, she actually liked the way she looked, and that was a rarity for her these days.

When she left her bedroom, Shawn was waiting for her.

"Hi, honey. What's up?"

She saw him smile one of his shy smiles then said, "Wow. You look really pretty!"

"Ah! Thank you!", his mom said. "Are you sure there's nothing else you wanted to say?"

She gently turned her son around as she walked him toward the living room, and after a couple of steps, Shawn asked, "Mom? Is Kyle someone you might..."

The doorbell stopped Shawn in his tracks before he bolted for the door hollering, "I'll get it!"

Kim smiled then laughed a little, happy to see her son so excited about anything. As she got to the living room, she heard Kyle's voice saying, "Thanks, Shawn. How you been doing?"

Just as Kyle saw her, Shawn said, "Fine," then turned around to see who Kyle was looking at, as though there might be someone else in his house.

He smiled once he caught her eye, and as she walked up to him, he gave her a very quick 'once over' then said, "Just...wow!"

She went to thank him, but Shawn loudly said, "That's what I said!"

Kyle put his hand on the boys shoulder then said, "Well, you were right, that's for sure."

"Listen to you two!" Kim replied, secretly loving the kind words before noticing the large case Kyle was holding.

"Come in, and we'll find a place for you to set your saxophone down," Kim told him.

"Can I carry it?" Shawn asked.

It was only about ten steps, but Kyle held it out and said, "Sure. Thanks!"

"You're welcome!" Shawn told him as he carefully grabbed the case which was the same size as the one he had.

"I brought the tenor sax with me, because that's the one you play, right?" Kyle asked the boy.

"Uh-huh, and I've been practicing. A LOT!"

"He really has," Kim said. "And I think he's sounding better every day."

Shawn beamed as Kyle said, "I have no doubt. This guy has talent."

"Thank you!" Shawn said as he asked if the spot he'd chosen was okay.

"Sure. That's perfect," Kyle told him. "Where's yours?"

"I'll go get it!"

"He is SO excited, Kyle. Thank you for doing this."

"It's my pleasure. I enjoy teaching, and if I can help a someone like Shawn get excited about playing, it's doubly good."

"He is definitely...pumped," Kim told him with a little laugh as her son came back toting his own sax in the case.

He set it down, unsnapped the case, then told Kyle that was his horn, just in case he didn't know.

"Nice. Why don't you go ahead and pull it out and play a few bars."

"Okay!"

"One second!" his mom said before turning to Kyle and asking if he'd like something to drink. "Coffee? Water?"

"I'm fine, thank you for offering, though."

"Now?" Shawn asked, waiting for his mother's approval.

"Yes. Now!" she told him.

Kyle listened for about 30 seconds, and in that short amount of time, he could tell there were a couple of things Shawn needed help with.

"Can I see your sax?" he asked when Shawn paused to take a breath.

Once he had it, Kyle asked him to come closer.

"See how I place my fingers?"

"Uh-huh."

"This is how you were holding yours. Do you see the difference?"

Shawn nodded then waited to find out what else he could do better. Kyle showed him two other small things then asked him to try again.

After he did, Shawn said, "That made it a lot easier."

"And it sounded better."

He looked to Kim for support, but she couldn't tell the difference.

"Sorry. I think I may be tone deaf," she said almost apologetically. "I have no ear for music."

"The difference was pretty subtle, so if you didn't catch it, it's not surprising. I'm probably no better at it than you are, I've just been playing the sax since I was..."

He looked at Shawn then said, "About this guy's age. Or so."

"Can you play something?" Shawn asked, anxious to hear Kyle play.

"I could, but I came over to help you play. So how about this? You let me help you for a half hour or so, then if you—and your mom—still want to hear me play something, I'll be glad to."

"Okay!" Shawn said without hesitation.

Kim sat and listened as Kyle made one correction after the other, and while she still couldn't hear any difference in the 'before and after', she noticed how good Kyle was to her son. His corrections were more fun than anything else, and he had this gentle, easy way with Shawn that made her smile quite a few times.

But just before Kyle said that was probably enough for the first time, Kim had a sudden flash of anger that surprised her. Not at Shawn, and certainly not at Kyle. It was directed at her ex-husband who had never taken that kind of interest in their son. He was a professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina, and he was more interested in long-dead cultures (and pretty, blonde co-eds) than he was in his own son.

Kim realized Kyle was asking her something, and she snapped out of her mental snit to apologize for not having heard.

"I was just wondering if you had a request. That is, if you still want me to play something."

"Yes. Definitely!" she replied. "I mean, yes, I want you to play something. I just don't know what to ask you to play."

"Have you heard Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty?" Kyle asked.

Kim thought for a moment, then it came to her.

"The song that goes, 'Winding your way down on Baker Street'?"

"Light in your head and dead on your feet," Kyle said with a laugh as he finished the first part of the first stanza.

"Yes! I love that song. And the saxophone is...amazing!"

"It is, and it's one of my favorites."

Kyle reached for his own sax then stood up. When he did, Kim motioned for her son who came over and sat next to her. He didn't even pull away when she put her arm around him. In fact, he put his around her waist and waited, a big smile on his face. Just like his mom's, who couldn't wait to hear the saxophone solo at the start of the song.

Kyle smiled at them both then said, "Lady and gentleman, it is my honor to play for you this evening, and the opening number will be Baker Street."

His 'audience' clapped then waited as Kyle placed the mouthpiece between his lips.

Even though Kim was expecting volume, she still flinched when Kyle played the first note. It was much louder than she'd expected, but it sounded exactly like the song she'd heard so many times on the radio over the years.

Kim would have listened for hours, but Kyle stopped after about two minutes as the sax part of the song would have been repetitive were he to keep playing. She and Shawn clapped loudly again, and Kim told him that was wonderful.

Kyle smiled and bowed before thanking them both for being such a great audience.

"Can you play something else?" Shawn asked, in that pleading tone of voice.

"Honey. I think that's enough, don't you?" she said as she looked at Kyle.

"I guess," her son replied, the sound of dejection now replacing the pleading.

"Next time, okay, Shawn?" Kyle said.

Hearing 'next time' cause Shawn to perk right back up.

"Okay!" he said before looking at his mom in case there wasn't going to be a next time.

"Yes. Definitely," she said. "If Kyle wants to, of course."

"I do," he said as he looked at her. "Very much so."

The way he looked at her made her shiver even as she thanked him for coming over.

"Again, it was my pleasure."

"Would you maybe like something to drink now?" Kim remembered to ask.

"You know what? That sounds really nice. Yes, please."

She'd lost track of time, and glanced over at the clock which read 7:48. It seemed like Kyle had only just arrived, but it had been closer to an hour than the five or ten minutes it felt like.

"I mentioned coffee, but it's getting late," Kim said as she got up.

Before she could offer something else, Kyle said, "I'd love a cup."

"I...I guess I could have one with you," she replied, a very nice smile on her face.

"I have studying to do, so I probably won't get to bed until after midnight."

"Oh, my. I can't remember the last time I was up that late," Kim told him as she went to the kitchen.

Kyle got up and followed her, but Shawn stayed seated and watched, a big old smile on his face.

"I'm lucky to still be awake at 9 o'clock these days," Kim told him as she grabbed the carafe.

"May I ask what you do?" Kyle asked as politely as possible.

Kim explained her job, then sighed, and then immediately apologized.

"Sorry. I was about to say something about why I have the job I do, but that's probably not something I need to say."

Kyle had the impression it involved something personal and didn't ask. He'd noticed the lack of a wedding ring at the park, and after taking another quick look, was reasonably certain she wasn't married. Divorce seemed more likely because most, but not all, widowed women continued to wear their rings for years after losing their spouse.

"I can see how that would wear you out," he replied, trying to be friendly and supportive.

"I'm very grateful to have a job at all, but yes, it's exhausting."

She smiled then said, "And as you can see, I'm not getting any younger."

"I hope this comes across the right way, but I'd say you not only look young, you look very beautiful."

Kim shivered again then smiled.

"Thank you, but I do have a mirror and it says something very different."

"Then you need a new mirror," Kyle told her, a smile on his face, too.

Neither of them noticed Shawn who'd walked over and heard the last exchange.

"Isn't my mom pretty?" he said to Kyle then looked over at his mom who's eyebrows were raised high in what was mostly mock disbelief.

Kyle looked down at Shawn then looked back at Kim before saying, "Pretty? Okay. But don't you think 'beautiful' is the better word?"

He looked back down at Shawn just in time to see the boy's face light up.

"Uh-huh," he said before looking at his mother who was now smiling very happily.

"I don't know about you two," she said with a shake of her head.

"We're just telling the truth, right?" Kyle replied as he looked to Shawn for support.

"Yeah, Mom. We're just stating facts!"

"Stating facts! Listen to you!" Kim said, unaware she used the same phrase again.

Kyle did his best to imitate Jack Webb of Dragnet fame and said, "Just the facts, ma'am."

Shawn had no idea what that meant, but his mom did, and it made her laugh. When Kyle saw the puzzled look on Shawn's face, he explained where it came from.

"It's a really old detective show."

Kim laughed then chimed in.

"It's even older than me!"

"You're not old, Mom. You're pr...beautiful!"

Kyle held up a hand and got a high five as Kim shook her head as though she didn't know what to do with either of them but loving the way she felt.

The three of them sat at the kitchen table and talked until 9 o'clock when Kim said, "I believe it's bedtime for someone."

"Mom, do I have to go to bed already?"

"You have school in the morning, and sometimes someone doesn't like to get up if he stayed up late."

Kyle saw the sheepish smile on Shawn's face but stayed out of it because it was none of his business.

"Can you tell Kyle 'thank you' and 'goodnight'?"

"Thank you, Kyle, and goodnight," the boy said.

"Goodnight, buddy. And I'm really glad I got to come over."

Kim watched as her son debated what to do, and when he stuck his hand out, she did her best not to smile. But when Kyle not only shook it but pulled her son close and gave him a hug, it was all she could do not to tear up.

"See you soon, okay?" Kyle said as he mussed up Shawn's hair.

"See you soon, Kyle!" he said back before looking at his mom.

"Are you too old to hug me in front of someone?" she asked with a hint of teasing.

"I'd love to be able to hug my mom," Kyle informed him.

"No," Shawn replied to his mom before giving her another real hug.

"Goodnight, buddy. I love you," she told him.

"Love you, too!" he said before telling Kyle goodnight again.

"He is a really great kid," Kyle said once Shawn was gone.

"He really is," his mother agreed.

She hesitated, but after thinking about it for a second or two said, "I feel so bad for him. His father lives less than five miles away, and I don't think he's spent one day a month with Shawn since he left."

She assumed from Kyle's facial expression that she'd said too much and apologized.

"No. It's okay. I wanted to say several things, but I don't suppose I have any right to say anything," her guest said.

Kim smiled at him understandingly just as he told her, "Okay, the thing is, I'm sorry, but I don't really care why he's gone. I just can't understand how any man could not want to spend time with his son. Especially one as nice as Shawn."