Soul Food Pt. 05

"Why?"

"I know you know I love Mom, that l love the both of you, yet I can't explain it. If I had to define it," Denis mused for a moment, "a part of me knows her in some cheap sci-fi/fantasy kind of way. If that makes any sense to anyone?!" Imagining his father bent over the side of his wheelchair like he normally when he cut loose with his father. This was something only his family that has ever made him feel safe enough to relax. Plus, he loved seeing his father laugh.

"I think I can understand where you're coming from, son. I can't pretend to know what you are going through right now. But she is good to you since you've been there, hasn't she?"

"Yeah," Denis admitted, sinking down onto the bed he was using during his stay. "But how is Mom going to take it when... you know if that point comes with Coraline and me when I start to use that term for her if I start that is."

"Oh, your mother is going to hate it. Not going to lie about that, but you already knew that." Denis nodded that he did. "However, I know your mother, as long as it's good for you, that it brings some peace to you, then she'll be happy that you're happy."

"Okay, so you think I should at least see where it goes?" Denis typed out, chewing on his lip.

"Personally, no, I'm like your mother; I want you home. Although, if I did that, I would be a selfish parent when I know you need this. If, for some odd reason, that something happens between now and when you come home, if you wish to continue this reconnection with your birth mother, then you know your mother and I will stand beside you. To help you through with this. So don't let your fear of hurting us hinder you. Only if it feels right to you, son, only then, you decide what you want to do."

"Thanks, Dad, miss you, tell Mom, well, I think you can take a guess."

"I think I can." Hearing his father's chuckle in his head. "I have to go if I want to make it to eight."

"Can't wait, it's going to be awesome?! Love you, Dad, see you soon." Denis rose as his heartfelt light; it always happened when he spoke to his father when he sought his wisdom.

"Hello, baby," a warm, sensuous smile formed on her lips when Denis neared the kitchen, "I take it, the talk with your Dad went well?" Coraline asked, sensing a change about her son, feeling the distance between them had lessened.

"Alright I'll go, but on one condition," Denis said, stopping within reaching distance.

"Oh?" Coraline mused, perking up at the news. "What is this condition?"

"That I can video call my father for the first thirty minutes of the fight. We wanted to watch that fight, but he had to pull a rotation, and it slipped my mind that tonight was the match because of it. So if they're okay with that, tell them that's okay. We can be there at seven for whatever... within reason," Denis stated, seeing an array of emotions playing out in his birth mother's eyes as those words left his lips.

"Let's check; you're sure about this?" Coraline asked, not wishing to push her son into it.

"As long as they're okay with it, I'm not unreasonable, you know," Denis grumbled.

"So cute," Coraline giggled in her mind. "Let me call," she said; while her face may be placid, she was screaming out in joy that her son opened the door just a tiny bit. "Mom?" Her voice trailed off as her bedroom door closed behind her.

"What is it, honey? What did Denis decide?"

"He'll come over as long as he can video call George, his adoptive father, for the first thirty minutes of it. I think Denis was going to do it, but it slipped his mind on the date of the fight when he came down here, or that's what I took from it when he told me," Coraline said, there was no hiding the joy in her voice.

"Of course, that will be fine with us; I'm sure Teagan wouldn't have a problem with that either when he gets in from the feed store."

"Okay, we'll be there at seven," Coraline said excitedly.

"Oh, then I'll start getting our dinner ready. You drive safe; I love you."

"Love you too, Mom," Coraline stated before shutting off her phone. Stripping off her shirt, knowing her son needed a little reward for this. Unhooking her bra and opening up the top left drawer of her dresser. A smile graced her face when she pulled out her favorite push-up bra. She stood before her closet, her hand resting on the door handle, her eyes moving along the blouses she wore to the office. Wondering which one would look good in her bra and with her jeans.

Coraline smirked seductively at her son when she walked back out into the kitchen. While her breasts were on display, which was true given her display of her bra, however, once they left, the modest mother would reappear. Displaying her body to him as she got them both glasses, bending over slightly as she stood in the light of the refrigerator, showing off her lack of panty lines. Holding out a glass of ice tea for him, running her hand down Denis' right arm. "Now, before we leave, why don't you come tell me when you trusted your family to open up to them," Coraline spoke as she ran her hand down Denis' right arm leading him towards the couch.

******

"Hello, Denis, how are you?" Arely asked in a polite tone, noting the change in his since the dinner Wednesday night.

"Hello, Arely, I bet the winters here are too bad here," Denis greeted, making small talk.

"Sometimes it is," Arely supplied, thinking of the time he lived on the streets. "Come, Tegan has something to show you," she said, holding her arm to him, noticing how her daughter lightly touched Denis' shoulder when they shared a knowing look. Wondering if her daughter learned the cause of Denis' distrust of strangers. "So Denis, how do you like Knoxville so far?" Arely asked, leading the both of them towards the back of the house.

"Hey, Denis," Teagan greeted with a smile as his wife, with Denis and his daughter stepped out onto the patio. "Glad you could make it; you ever seen one before?" Nodding towards the boxing dummy he bought and delivered while he was slow cooking the ribs they would be having along with the burgers and hot dogs. When Denis had asked about streaming his father in for the first half, he had to call Phil, who understood and would be there at eight-thirty. He would just have to DVR the first half of the fight for him. "I thought that you don't have to drive into the city to get a workout whenever you come and visit us. I know you need to stay in shape. Your mother told me the size of glove you wear, the guy at the sports shop said these would be good for practicing against it, also got you some hand wraps," Teagan said, knowing for right then that was enough gear, he'll get more if or when Denis returned to visit them.

"Denis, show me how you really box like you do in your matches," Coraline spoke, seeing her son turning his gaze at her. "You should have seen him sparring; it kind of seemed like he was dancing."

"Oh, I thought you didn't like boxing," Teagan teased.

"I don't, but Denis does, and I bet that boy didn't think he would be sparring with a champ, did he?" Coraline asked, shooting her son a taunting look. Walking along the patio table, feeling the metal surface pattern from its casting beneath her fingertips, taking the roll of tape from the table as she passed it. "Show me how your Dad showed you how to tape your hands," she directed, holding out the roll to him. Noting how her father was observing their exchange.

"You learned something, haven't you?" Arely whispered when she stepped up to her daughter's side.

"I have, but Denis feels he needs to keep that to himself. Trust me, if you knew, you'd be livid as I was and so broken at the same time," Coraline responded in that same low tone.

"I see," Arely muttered low, knowing it had to be bad, watching how Denis approached the dummy.

Coraline's eyes were hypnotized as she watched her son's muscles ripple when Denis's fist hit squarely on the right lumbar area of the dummy. Seeing how taut his muscles were as they cushioned the force of the blow. Noting the focus on her son's face before he quickly followed up with a jab. She was so taken aback by the force of his punch. Wondering what her son was imagining at the other end of his fist to get that kind of power from his one hundred and twenty-pound frame.

"You have a strong stance. I can see you making it to the world belt," Teagan said with pride, knowing his father would have said the same thing to Denis.

"Maybe," Denis mused before giving Teagan a nod.

******

"Dad, this is Teagan, Teagan, this is my father," Denis introduced the two of them when they were settling into Teagan's man cave. Their plates rested on the folding, wooden TV trays, loaded down with a half rack of ribs for all of them, two stuffed bacon cheddar cheeseburgers, and the beef franks with two bowls of chips BBQ and plain. Where Denis placed his phone into a standing tripod, so his father could have a stable platform after the two of them exchanged their greetings.

"So, George, what are you a doctor of?" Teagan asked once they all got settled in to watch the fight.

"Nephrologist, I focus on the kidneys," George said in a prideful tone. "That's my private practice, here, at the hospital I work in the CCU. So, what are you fine gentlemen dining on for this fight?" Denis reached over as he chewed on his bite of rib while holding it by the bone in his right hand. "Denis, you got ribs, and is that bacon inside of that burger?!"

"Oh, yeah, it's a good burger too, the ribs... don't tell Uncle Stan this, but these are better," Denis whispered low as if his uncle was two feet away.

"That good, huh?" George's tongue clicked against his teeth at his son's nod, knowing firsthand how good his brother's ribs were, given they won every cook-off the church held to fundraise. "Now I'm downright jealous."

"Thank you, Denis. I know Arely will enjoy knowing you liked her burgers. George?"

"Yes, Teagan?" George answered, getting his dinner; his wife made him ready as Denis sat him back down before the bowls of chips.

"It was your mother that got Denis to eat yams, correct?" Teagan asked, so very pleased that Denis enjoyed it.

"That she was, along with my wife."

"Well, my wife wanted me to pass on a message; thank you, Denis ate about a third of them the other night. So whatever you're feeding him, keep it up."

"Nothing but good wholesome Soul Food," George said in a proud fatherly voice. "Hold on, I'll tell them now. I guess that be them now," he uttered, chuckling as the tripod vibrated on the tray.

"Have to hand it to you, George, the way you coached Denis; I can see him on that screen," Teagan spoke in a praising tone as he pointed at the TV.

"Oh, Dad, you have to see this real quick," Denis blurted out when only two minutes before the fight was scheduled to start, seeing Teagan nodding his okay when he reached for the tripod. "Teagan said his father won those, so I guess that would make him my great-grandfather," he stated, leaving out the biological part so as not to be rude.

"Have to say this has to be... Nah," shaking it off, "have to say, Denis, you do got the skill and the heritage for it. Are you thinking of going that route after you get out of Havenwood?"

"Denis, what did he mean about Havenwood?" Teagan asked, sitting up in his seat; he followed the college team ever since he went to college there.

"You haven't told them yet, have you?" George asked when he heard the surprise in Teagan's voice.

"No, but if I talk about it, Coraline might..."

"I might what?" Coraline asked, innocently walking into the room with refills for the two of them. "Hello, George," she greeted in a friendly wave, "it's nice to finally be able to see the face of the man I have spoken to. Please, give your wife, and accept my undying gratitude for what you have done for my son. It's my hope that we can co-exist, maybe become friends, because I know you mean a lot to Denis." Nodding when George gave her a look that asked if she knew or not.

"We're the lucky ones, Denis has shown all of us... you know," George trailed off, knowing when Denis wanted to talk about it freely, only then he would do so. Although, he doubted that would ever happen with his son.

"So, Denis, what is it that has my father clearly bouncing in his seat?" Coraline asked, teasing her father. Watching how Denis carefully set his tray aside and stood up.

"Coraline, you see, the coach for the boxing team at Havenwood came to the rematch I had with the former champ, he then offered me to workout with the team," leaving out that it was the female team, seeing the understanding growing in her eyes, "well, they offered me a full sports scholarship if I play for them. So I said yes."

"Really?!" Coraline gasped in surprise. She knew what Havenwood was given her father's obsession with his college sports teams. On the other hand, she went to the University of Memphis when she went to college, and they didn't have a boxing team, much to her father's disappointment. So he followed his old one back in Philadelphia religiously.

"Yes!" Teagan exclaimed, shouting with mirth that he could cheer on his grandson, seeing how the school live-streams all the away games or matches.

"I'm so proud of you," Coraline uttered, rubbing Denis' back as she hugged him.

"If you ever have a match against TSU, you have to let us know; I would love to see you fight in person," Teagan said as the bell for the first round rang out.

"We'll talk about this more when your fight isn't on, George; it was nice to see you, tell Helen I said hello, and that I can't believe she lets a handsome doctor out of her sight," Coraline teased in a friendly manner, getting a smile out of George. "I hope you boys enjoy your match," she said before departing the room.

******

"Damn, my lunch is over," George grumbled when he felt his pager going off when the fight was halfway through the fifth round and still no knockout. "Teagan, thank you for inviting me into your home, Denis; you better tell me who landed the winning punch."             

"You're welcome, George; you'll have to keep me apprised of Denis' fights."

"Okay, Dad, be safe going home, and tell Mom..."

"Way ahead of you, son, now you go enjoy the rest of it. I'll talk to you soon." Denis smiled as he pocketed his phone.

"Have Arely make you a bowl of banana pudding," Teagan said in a grandfatherly voice when Denis gathered up his plate. Pleased that he enjoyed his dinner given the state of his rib bones. "It's good," he said as Phil came in to get caught up on the fight so far.

"Hello, Denis, how did your Dad enjoy the fight?" Coraline asked, sitting at her mother's kitchen table with her mother and Phil's wife as Denis walked in carrying his plate.

"Loved it. But he got paged, so he had to leave," Denis said, tossing the rib bones into the trash and setting his plate in the sink.

"I'm glad the two of you got to enjoy it," Coraline replied with a warm smile. "Denis, I like you to meet Carley, Phil's wife, Carley; this is my son, Denis; he came down from Philadelphia where he lives with his family, to meet us during his Spring Break."

"Hello," Denis greeted with a nod.

"Hello, Denis, it's nice to meet you; your grandmother and mother have talked a lot about you. I also hear congratulations are in order."

"Thanks."

"Is there something I can get you, honey?" Coraline asked, never taking her eyes off of him.

"Teagan said something about a banana pudding, whatever that is," Denis said, coming to stand at the end of the island, fiddling with his glass.

"We didn't know what it was either when we moved down here," Coraline said, getting up from her seat, seeing how her mother smiled at her as she did. "What it is, is a layered dessert with vanilla wafers, a layer of vanilla pudding with a layer of fresh cut bananas on top and so on, till you put a layer of whip cream on very top." Noting how Denis leaned over the counter slightly to peek at it when she set the pudding on the counter. "Trust me, it's good; I didn't lie about the ice cream, now did I?" Holding out the dish to him with a spoon in her other hand. Her eyes were lit with glee when she saw the surprise of enjoyment on her son's face when he took his first bite.

"Mom, you so have to try this?!" Denis wrote out a quick text to the group chat with a picture of his bowl attached to it.

"You have to tell me how it is tomorrow, and if it's good, we'll learn to make it when you get home." Denis read her reply once he had detailed what it was.

"Come sit," Coraline said, "let's let Dad get Phil caught up while you enjoy your pudding out here with us," gesturing to the table while keeping the same distance he had set in her kitchen. Letting Denis come to her at his own pace.

"So, Denis, how do you like it?" Arely asked, with bated breath as Denis sat down beside her across from Carley.

"Pretty good; you have to try my Nana's cream cheese brownies. Mom and sis say they're to die for if you take their word for it," Denis said as he wiped his lips with his napkin as he pulled out his phone. Showing Arely the photo of one he had taken a few months ago.

"I've never made those," Arely cooed as she stared dreamily at the picture.

"Denis, what do you mean 'to die for?'" Coraline asked, taking her love for brownies to the extreme as she stared at the picture when she held his phone.

"Well, whenever Nana makes a batch, it's usually when I go over when no one else can and do a chore for her that she needs done. When I'm done, she gives me half to take home with me. Dad, Will, and me are lucky to get to have one," Denis said, recounting the time he cleaned out her gutters before he knew about his birth parents.

"I see, Denis; when you talk to her next, will you ask if she would give me her recipe so I can mimic something for you here when you come and visit? Coraline asked as she handed back his phone.

"Sure, I can ask."

"Did you enjoy it?" Coraline asked as his spoon clanked against his bowl after Denis finished off his second helping.

"I did," Denis hummed, still tasting the vanilla pudding on his tongue.               "I'll make sure I send some home with you and your Mom. Now I think you should get back and enjoy the fight," Arely said in a warm grandmotherly tone. Hoping that one day Denis would feel safe enough to open up to her.

******

Sunday, one week and a day later...

"I'm going to miss you so much," Coraline said, hugging her son tightly as they stood in the departing area of McGhee Tyson Airport. After getting a two-hour fuck in before he had to leave. Knowing she was going to miss the sex that came after their daily morning naked yoga, the quick screw on top of the washing machine after lunch, and the slow body numbing, mind-blowing, sensuous sex before bed every night, a feat her ex failed to achieve "I promise I am coming for your graduation because I'm hoping that in the coming month and a half or so you think about coming back with me for a month before you start college. No pressure, just think on it, okay?"

"Sure, I will," Denis said, pulling away. He might never want a damn thing to do with the man that raped his biological mother. However, Coraline was a different matter altogether. He didn't mind seeing where this would lead to in the coming days, weeks, years.

"Text or call me when you land just, so I know you got there safely. Tell your family I said hello, and I pray you get to come back soon," Coraline uttered low, placing a lingering kiss on his cheek. "Have a safe flight home, Denis. I'll talk to you soon," she said in a motherly tone, not wishing to let go when they were connecting as her fingertips ran along his forearms.