Not Done Yet - 15. Wanted

Wanted

“No, I can’t come over right now. I’ve got work to do around the house… I already explained that. You were sick with the flu… No, it was important that I go… Because the team needed me there…” Casey’s eyes were beginning to glaze over, talking with Sara over the cell. “Sara, listen, really, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye.”

Casey ended the call and dropped the phone on the bed before he dropped alongside it. He lay there quietly, staring at the ceiling. That was where Carol found him when she walked in with clean towels. He had his arm over his eyes, and looked like he might be asleep. He must have sensed something, though, because he brought his arm down and opened his eyes to look at his foster mother. “Hey Carol.”

“Hey yourself.” She mimicked his soft tone. “What’s on your mind, kid?”

“Lotsa things. Sara’s not very happy right now.” He sat up and ran his fingers slowly through his hair.

“Oh, Casey, is she still upset that you went with Karen to the banquet?” Carol walked over and sat on Casey’s bed next to him.

“Yep. I thought this had blown over, but someone told her I’d bought Karen flowers, and now she’s upset. Again.” Casey dropped his head into his hands. “I thought… Oh, never mind. It doesn’t matter what I thought. Or so I’ve been told.”

“Honey, it’ll blow over. Just wait.” She set her hand on Casey’s shoulder for an instant.

“I’m not even sure I want it to.” Casey looked her steadily in the eyes. “I keep thinking about how Karen seemed to just enjoy being there. We had a great time, laughing, telling bad jokes. The whole evening, I never thought about Sara... Does that make me a bad person?” He waited for Carol to say something. Finally, she laid her hand on Casey’s leg and squeezed.
“No, honey, that doesn’t make you a bad person, but what you do about it might.” She stood up to leave, but Casey stopped her.

“Mom?”

“Yes?”

“I – I think I need to tell Sara I can’t see her anymore. I like her, but I’m not in love with her. I – I don’t think it’s fair to her. She’s a nice girl, and she deserves someone who loves her.” He had been looking at the floor, as if memorizing the pattern in the rug under his feet, but he looked up at Carol, and said, “I don’t want to hurt her.”

Carol reached down and laid her hand on his cheek. “Honey, sometimes, the best we can do is hurt somebody a little less. We just can’t help it. If you do this, though, I’ll ask one thing of you. Tell her in person and tell her in private. And don’t tell anyone else for a few days.”

“Sure. Sure, Mom. That makes sense. Thanks.” Casey looked down and picked up his cell, absently turning it over and setting it down again.

“Casey, I –,” Carol’s eyes began to get misty.

“Yeh?” Casey glanced up again, setting his cell down on the bed again.

Carol crossed over to the window and looked out. She sounded a bit distracted when she said, “It’s just, sometimes, it feels like you’ve been with us for a lot longer than just a few months.”

Casey laughed a little, nervously. “Does that mean I’m wearing out my welcome?”

Carol shed a few tears for real then. She sat down on the bed smiling, and wrapped her arms around him. “Boy, I bless the day I found out about you. And I really like it when you call me mom.” She looked deep into his eyes. “Jim and I were done fostering, until James talked to us. Even then, we hesitated. But there was something in the way he told us… Jim felt it, too. It just sent a shiver clean through us, and we knew it was the right thing to do, sight unseen. John Weaver said something similar happened to him.” She laughed lightly. “He ‘just happened to come by,’ he said, but it was pretty obvious James thought you were pretty special when he told us the ‘news’ about the new kid in town.” Carol brushed Casey’s hair behind his ear.

Casey dropped his gaze then. Carol reached out and turned him to face her. “What is it?” She whispered, scanning his face.

“I hadn’t hardly talked to James except for a few times since I came here to live with you. I didn’t tell you, but he came by a few weeks ago when I was out front, and stopped to talk to me. I wanted to, I dunno, hang out with him, but every time I saw him, I felt like there was a moat in between. When I stayed over at Sam’s the other night, though, we got to talkin’ some, and… maybe the water’s gone down some…” He trailed off.

Before Carol could answer, Casey’s phone rang, startling them both. She told him, “Answer it. When you’re done, I’ll be in the kitchen. Maybe I can teach you to swim. It’s never too late to learn,” and with that, she was gone, leaving Casey alone with a phone call.

He picked it up before voice mail kicked in, and recognized the number. “Hey Karen...”

“No, I’m sorry, I can’t. Something’s come up, and I’m going to be tied up for a few days. I’ll tell you more about it later.”

Casey grabbed his Oakley cap and headed downstairs. Carol was reading a food magazine at the kitchen island. “Carol, thanks a lot for listening. Right now, I kinda need to think about things so I think I’ll take a walk.”

“That sounds like a good idea. When I get to overthinking things, it seems to help to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, and get my mind off what’s bothering me. Do you have your phone with you? I promise we won’t call unless it’s something important.”

“I’ve got it. Thanks. Look for me about sundown.” Casey stopped in the entry hall to put on his boots. He paused lacing them to call out. “Hey Carol? When do you expect Jim to get home?”

“In about three hours, why?”

“Just wondering. See ya later.” He checked his pockets for his keys and wallet, and walked out, locking the door behind him.

*
Jim parked in front of Slither. Backing toward the house, he chuckled. From where he was standing, it looked like the giant snake was taking a bite out of the back side of his car. He walked through the door and dropped Casey’s mail on the table. Kicking off his work boots and nudging them under the bench with his foot, his and Carol’s mail went with him into the kitchen. “Hey honey, I got you some new windows,” he teased his wife, talking about their mail.

She looked up from her magazine and smiled. “Oh goody. Windows just mean somebody wants you to buy something, or they want you to pay for it. Put them in the pile, and I’ll get to ‘em tomorrow. You’re home early.”

Jim said, “As much as I like work, I like home more.” He walked around the corner of the kitchen counter and gave Carol a friendly kiss on the cheek, and wrapped an arm around her from behind, putting his head next to hers to glance at the magazine she had in front of her. “That’s a beautiful spread. If that food tastes as good as it looks, let’s go grocery shopping right now.”

Carol laid her hand on Jim’s arm and leaned into his arms. “You can’t, Dad. You’re on call. Our boy has something on his mind, and he was asking when you’d be coming home. He’s out on a long walk right now.”

Jim looked thoughtful when Carol turned toward him.

“Well, you’re always good with the spiritual side of things, so that just leaves physical, mental, and emotional. Casey’s got a good head on him, so that rules out mental. We talked about the stork and the cabbage patch, already, and he’s shaving fairly often, so most of those surprises are behind him. That leaves the emotional. You got any idea what the issue is?”

“Just a hint, so I don’t want to say too much. I can do the mother thing fine, but a boy his age needs a man in his life to balance things out, and he’s got a heck of a fine one to talk to right here.

Jim gave his wife a little squeeze. “Thanks, honey. Let me grab a glass of water, and I’ll call him. Maybe go pick him up.”

“Jim, I told him we wouldn’t call unless it was important.” Carol looked over the rim of her glasses with a hint of a smile, while Jim pulled out a glass and filled it with ice from the dispenser on the fridge, and then water.

Jim looked over his shoulder and returned her smile. “When our son asks when I’m coming home, it’s not ‘cause he wants to know what time supper’s being served. I think that’s kinda important, don’t you?” He leaned back against the counter, propped on one hand, ice water in the other, taking a sip.

Carol had spent the last twenty five years with Jim, and they knew each other well enough they didn’t just finish each other’s sentences – they could start them, too. She walked over and slowly wrapped her arms around her husband. She laid her head against his chest. “Jim, have you ever called him that to his face? Son, I mean?”

“Darlin’, I woulda sworn you’d heard me, but yes, I’ve said it, and I’ve meant it. You and that boy are my life. It seems like he’s been with us forever, sometimes, it feels so right.” Jim chugged the glass of water and set it down, then caressed Carol’s cheek. “I’d best give him a call. I’ll be out on the porch.” He and Carol gently hugged. Jim refilled his glass and took it over to the back door, letting himself out.

He hit speed dial for Casey’s cell, and it rang a couple times before the call went through.

*

Nearly two hours after starting out, Casey was walking along, when an old Chevy went rumbling past, stirring up a cloud of dust on the unpaved road. The windows were down, the music playing, and even when it was a quarter mile on down the road, the air still vibrated.

Then, something else vibrated, and when Casey fished out his phone, Jim’s number came up. “Yeah?”

*

Jim let out a deep chuckle. “Well, that’s a cordial greeting. How ya doin’, Sport? I heard you were askin’ about me. I just got home, and was gonna buy a coupla bottles of wine for tonight. Wanna come with me? Maybe we can find a cheap video to watch, too.”

Jim took a sip of his water and listened. “Uh huh… K, where are you? I can pick you up.”

He drained his glass and threw the ice cubes off the porch. “Right. Be there in ten. Don’t run off.” He walked back into the house, chuckling.

Carol was putting away clean dishes from the dishwasher. “Do I even want to know what’s so funny?”

“That son of yours could use a refresher on telephone etiquette, is all. ‘Yeah?’ is not an optimal greeting.”

“Son of mine, you old fart? What did you just get done tellin’ me? Get your ass out of my kitchen, Jim Fisher, and don’t come back without our son. I’ll get a start on supper.” Carol’s tone was light, and she wore a big smile as she walked to the pantry and began to round up ingredients.

In the entry, Jim slipped his boots back on and called out, “We’ll be back in an hour and a half or so, I guess. Can we bring you anything?”

Carol was in the doorway, and Jim hadn’t heard her walk up. He looked at his wife for just a second, standing there, trim and shapely in grey flannel pants and a crisp white blouse, as he stood up and stepped towards her. He softly gathered her into his arms and gently kissed her on the lips, but before he could step back, she put her hand on the back of his head and returned the kiss with a bit of heat, nipping his lip. “Just bring me my two most favorite men in the world.”

Jim smirked and stepped out the door, walking to the car, adjusting himself.