Thicker Than Water - 47. Chapter 47

Judge Arthur called in sick for the rest of the week after testing positive for Covid, which meant that everyone in Court that day also had to get tested, as well. Bryan hoped he was positive, but alas, he like the rest of the family and Billy, was negative. Diego was pro-vaccine, so Bryan knew the odds were slim; however, a negative test result meant that another visit with Calvin was going to happen.

Being grounded sucked. The only silver lining was Kenny coming over every day as part of the deal with him living with Billy and Trevor. Kenny still wasn't happy that Valentine's Day was ruined, but he wasn't holding it against his boyfriend.

Bryan told Terra and Kenny about the protesters, and they were both enraged. Kenny was scared that someone might take things too far, while Terra wanted to organize a counter protest.

“I think that would only make things worse,” Bryan said at lunch the day returned to school.

“How? We could do a kissing protest!” Terra said enthusiastically. “We could get queer couples making out to counter the hate those bigots are slinging.”

“Are you saying you finally found someone?” Kenny asked, with a giggle.

Terra, who was usually never easily embarrassed, blushed and said, “No, for your information, but people like me--”

“--You mean 'single people'--”

“--people like me,” Terra continued, rather annoyed, “could chant positive affirmations about love and acceptance, while weirdos like you two could get your freak on...PG, of course,” Terra added as a teacher, who had been over hearing the conversation, gave her an odd look.

Bryan rolled his eyes. “I think you just want to see Kenny and I make out.”

“Gross. You two are like brothers to me, so the fact you're dating each other is incestuous enough.”

“I think she's jealous,” Kenny said.

It was Terra's turn to roll her eyes. “Whatevs. The point is that we can't just sit around while the bigoted minority are out there spewing hate, especially towards Bryan and his family.”

“Well, I suppose I could make out with my boyfriend. I mean if it's to stop bigotry, I will just have to make the sacrifice.”

“Ha ha,” Bryan grumbled, as Kenny and Terra laughed. His face lit up suddenly. “We could do it this Saturday!”

His friends gave him looks that plainly said they weren't buying it. “You're still grounded,” Terra said.

“And you have your visit with bitch boy,” Kenny added.

“Mr. Mitchell, do you want to go to see Mr. Deacon?” The teacher scolded.

“Sorry,” Kenny said. He looked at Bryan and continued. “There's no way Diego and Steve will let you miss this visit. Besides, isn't the courthouse closed on the weekends? We'd need to be there during or after school.”

“Fine,” Bryan said, and went back to sulking about the coming weekend.

*     *     *

Saturday came too soon. Bryan's anxiety was up and he spent most of his time pacing his room. He seriously considered breaking a finger or toe during gym class on Friday, but changed his mind since he'd probably still have to go anyway.

“Bryan,” Steve called out from the living room.

I fucking hating this shit, Bryan thought as he grabbed his jacket.

Calvin seemed to be in an extra good mood that only made Bryan even more suspicious. The man didn't really smile, but his tone was somewhat lighter, and his severe, resting bitch face wasn't quite so severe. Bryan noticed that Calvin was driving a really nice car, and he assumed it was a rental, since it was well beyond what a fast food worker could afford.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now,” Bryan groaned as he saw a sickly thin and tastelessly dressed woman sitting in the front seat of Calvin's car. Sure enough, it was Ashley Rickman, Calvin's supposed fiancé.

Caleb opened his door and began to cough heavily. Ashley was chain smoking and hot-boxed the car with tobacco smoke.

“What's his probable?” Calvin asked, stopping to only look at Caleb.

“He's got a mild asthma, you dick,” Bryan replied. “Your human fleshlight of a chimney shouldn't be smoking around him.”

“Watch what you say or the judge will put you in jail.” Calvin said to Bryan. To Caleb, he said, “roll down the window. You'll be fine.”

Caleb looked to Bryan for help as he tried to breathe without coughing. Bryan stormed back into the house, despite Calvin's protests. Steve asked what was going on, but Bryan ignored him. Instead, he went to Caleb's room and grabbed his little brother's inhaler. Steve stood in the doorway with his camera pointed at everyone.

Once he was back outside, he helped Caleb with the inhaler and made everyone wait until Caleb's coughing stopped. He looked at Calvin and said, bitterly, “You either make her stop smoking when we're with you, or I'll make last Saturday seem like a tiny spat. I don't give a flying fuck if I go to jail. You put my brother in harms way, and I'll fucking destroy you, you weak, pathetic, little man.”

“There's no need for all this drama,” Ashley said, flippantly, as she took one last drag and threw the butt out the window. “All you had to do was as nicely.”

“All you had to do was be aborted, yet here you are, anyway.” Nobody replied, while Bryan helped Caleb get in the car.

The ride to the mall was very quiet. Caleb had his mouth covered as the windows had to be rolled down to clear out the car. Cold air wasn't good for his lungs, either, so he was in a pretty fucked situation. Bryan seethed and wanted to spend his time kicking Ashley's seat, but he needed to keep his temper and focus on Caleb, not wanting to repeat the previous weekend.

They drove around the parking lot for what felt like ages. Calvin was determined to find a parking space near the building with cameras pointing directly at whichever spot he settled on.

By the time they entered the building, Calvin's mood had shifted, but Bryan seemed to be the only one who noticed. As with the previous weekend, Bryan took hold of Caleb's hand, yet nobody said anything. Ashley and Calvin seemed to talk nonstop about the different stores and items they contained. Bryan even heard Calvin laugh at a stupid joke Ashley made...he even smiled. Bryan didn't know what to make of it. This certainly wasn't the man whom he yelled at on multiple occasions. He wasn't sullen, moody, nor bitchy. Calvin seemed to be having a good time and was pleasant if not jovial.

After visiting a few shops, they stopped at the food court. Instead of heading to the cheap dive they went to last time, they went to a barbecue place and got some ribs, baked beans, coleslaw and cornbread. Bryan gave his brother the slaw and bread, and slowly ate his food, trying not to lose his shit again.

“How's school?” Calvin asked Caleb.

“Good,” the boy said, seemingly oblivious to Calvin's personality change. “We're studying all 50 states right now.”

“Which is your favorite?”

“I don't know. California has Disneyland, but Florida has Disney World.”

“Florida also has Florida Man, junkies and bigots,” Bryan added.

“So does everywhere else,” Ashley said. “Florida just doesn't hide their freaks.”

“Is that why you were in Florida, Calvin? Looking for freaks or just tired of hiding?”

“Looking,” Calvin said, ignoring the jab. “We should go sometime. We could go to Disney World, too.”

Bryan gave a derisive snort. “On your minimum wage? Caleb will be in college before you could afford the entry fees.”

“Your father will be manager soon,” Ashley said, with a bit of pride and annoyance.

“My father co-owns two restaurants that my family started, thank you very much, so I don't know why he'd demote himself to manager.”

“I wasn't talking about your babysitter, and you know it.”

Bryan went to say something, when Calvin said firmly, “Knock it off...please. Let's just have a nice family lunch.”

Bryan, again, went to say something, but Caleb grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Bryan looked down at Caleb and saw the boy pleading with his eyes for him to just drop it. He gave a heavy sigh and said, “Fine...for now,” and went back to eating his food.

Caleb and Calvin continued to talk about video games they liked, which got them both excited.

“So, do you know who your dad is?” Caleb asked abruptly.

“Yeah. We don't talk anymore,” Calvin said, looking down and picking at his food.

Bryan's ears perked up. My grandfather is still alive?

“Why not?” Caleb asked.

“He really wasn't in my life growing up. My mom moved all the time when I was your age, and I hardly saw him. When I did, he was a jerk to me, so I stopped talking to him.”

“What's his name?” Caleb wasn't able to hide the desperation in his voice.

“Calvin. I'm named after him.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“I don't know. Maybe. I haven't bothered checking or looking.”

“Why not?”

“Just not interested.”

Caleb looked defeated. Bryan took the opportunity to ask a few questions of his own. “Do you have other kids?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Did Donna?”

“I don't know. You should've asked her.”

“We tried, and she was as good with details and stonewalling us as you've been.”

“Look,” Calvin said, “I don't have a lot of answers for you guys, because I honestly don't care. I prefer to leave the past in the past.”

“Is that the reason you didn't come back for us? We were in the past and you just wanted to leave us there because you don't care?”

“Okay. That's enough,” Ashley said, her temper getting the better of her. “Your father is trying his best here--”

“Again, my father is Diego Padilla, and he's currently at work, which he does full time at one of the businesses he owns. Calvin will never be my father. He gave us up, and along with that, any associated titles. Got a problem with that, take it up with him.”

“Let's go,” Calvin said, seeming to be back to his normal, morose self. “Time's almost up, anyway.”

*     *     *

“How was the visit?” Steve asked once the boys came in.

Bryan didn't say a word, but walked over to the big man and gave him a hug with everything he had, without trying to hurt him, of course.

Not one to reject a hug, Steve embraced Bryan back. The two just held each other for a few minutes, then Bryan broke the hug. Steve looked at the teen in the eyes and asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I just wanted to show my appreciation. I know you've only been in our lives a short time, and I haven't always been the easiest person to get along with, but you've been one of the best dads I've ever encountered. I don't know where I'd be without you, and I love you.”

Steve started to tear up and pulled Bryan back into another hug. “I love you, too, Buddy. That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

*     *     *

Once Diego got home, he knocked on Bryan's door.

“Come in,” the 14-year-old called out.

Diego walked in and saw his son doing homework. Given that Bryan had been taller than Diego for a few years, it hadn't really struck him before just how much his little boy had grown over the years. Bryan had gone from one of the smaller kids in his Kindergarten class to among the tallest in his junior high. Diego also couldn't help but notice that his boy's leg hair was coming in thick and dark, while his voice had gotten deeper.

“Looks like we might have to get you new shoes soon,” he said, as he sat on the bed.

“Why?” Bryan asked, looking confused. “There's nothing wrong with what I've got now.”

“You're feet are getting huge, and you don't want tight shoes. Looks like you're about a size nine.”

Bryan looked at his bare feet then his shoes. “Maybe. Those are an 8, I think. I don't really remember.” He went back to his science textbook, wondering if his dad was really there to discuss his shoe size.

“Steve told me a little about your visit with Calvin today.”

“Yeah? What did he say?”

“Not much. He said you were acting a little out of character when you got home and he was worried.”

“Because I gave him a hug? Hardly seems like a drastic change, Dad.”

“Want to tell me about the visit?”

Bryan set down the book, unsure of what to say. It would've been easy to say that he didn't want to talk about it, that nothing really happened once they got to the mall, and that it might have all been in his head; however, there was still a part of him that was bothered to no end by the way Calvin had been behaving, and as much as he tried, homework was not distracting enough.

“Calvin was acting...strange.”

“Strange? How so?”

Bryan inhaled slowly and told his father about the entire visit, including the conflicts before getting in the car and the issues he had with Ashley, and how Calvin even tried giving them each a hug after they got out of the car.

“He tried hugging you?” Diego asked, suspiciously, trying to make sure that he heard Bryan correctly.

“Yep. Didn't work, though. I grabbed Caleb and walked right inside. Caleb barely managed to say 'Bye' as I opened the door.”

“I see what you mean by he's acting weird,” Diego said, patting Bryan's knee, “but that's typical Calvin for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was hoping that you'd figure it out on your own, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to recognize a few behavioral traits or tells that Calvin has. First off, Calvin is a sociopath. He honestly doesn't care about anyone but himself. Look at the way he abandoned you and your brother for a woman across the country and never came back for nine years. It's hardly a secret.”

“Not when you put it that way. But if he only cares about himself, then why is he trying to take Caleb and I away from you now?”

“The second thing you have to know about Calvin is that he's very self-serving. He will not do anything unless there's a benefit in it for him. So, whatever brought him back here, has to be really important to him.

“Third thing, he'll use anyone, including you and/or Caleb, to get what he wants, and doesn't care if those people get hurt in the process. Let me ask you something: Was he laughing at jokes that you, your brother or his girlfriend made, even if they weren't funny?”

“Yeah.”

“Was he talking about life before he took off, especially while he was with you guys?”

“A couple of times.”

“Did he avoid talking about anything personal or kept things annoyingly vague? And if pressed for details, did he get dismissive?”

“He did. Caleb asked about our grandfather, and Calvin didn't really answer anything and wanted Caleb to drop it.”

Diego nodded. “That's because he's trying to impress his girlfriend with how much of a 'good dad he really is.' Before taking off to Pennsylvania, Calvin used to meet girls online and video chat with them, showing you and your brother off in the videos, cracking jokes, making you guys laugh, being silly...but once the camera was off, he'd yell at you guys to be quiet. I remember coming home from work, and he pulled that shit. He even slapped you on the mouth for sticking your tongue at him, which he started during the video. I came unglued and threatened to pop him in the mouth if he ever did that again. Come to find out, the woman he was talking to was the woman he'd leave you for.”

“What a prick!” Bryan didn't remember, and wondered what else he didn't recall; it made him sick.

“Yep. Calvin is your best friend, so long as he's getting what he wants. He's father of the year if it means getting a girlfriend. He pretended to be the perfect son, as long as your grandmother gave him money when he demanded it. What was the reason he told you that he doesn't talk to your grandfather?”

“He just said that his dad didn't want anything to do with him, even after Calvin reached out to him.”

Diego gave a derisive chuckle. “That's part of it. The fourth thing you need to know about Calvin is that he speaks in half-truths. He'll tell you the part of the truth that helps make him a victim or will manipulate you into doing things for him. Calvin's dad wasn't around when he was younger, which was true, but Calvin spent summers with the man. At one point, Calvin lived with him in Madison while going to high school.”

“That's when Calvin met Raul?”

“Apparently, so. Well, while living with your grandfather, Calvin started stealing. First it was small items he could sell at school then at pawn shops, then it was cash. Your grandfather was a functioning alcoholic, so he worked all day, came home, got drunk and would pass out. One night, while passed out in his chair, Calvin stole your grandfather's wallet, took all his cash, including the rent money, and the keys to your grandfather's work truck.”

“Why?”

“To impress a girl. He took her out to dinner, drove around until he found someone to buy them beer, they got drunk, and he wrecked the truck. Luckily, nobody got hurt from the accident, but your grandfather, still drunk, kicked the shit out of Calvin.”

“Oh shit,” Bryan said, unable to correct himself.

“Yep. Calvin went to the ER the next day and reported your grandfather for child abuse. CPS was called, your grandfather was charged with assaulting a minor, and Calvin was sent back to your grandmother's. CPS investigated and pressed charges. That's why you and Caleb couldn't live with him after your grandmother died. There was no way CPS was going to allow it.”

“How about now? I don't mean that Caleb and I should live with him, obviously, but can we, you know, see him?”

Diego took Bryan's hand and said, “I don't want you to get your hopes up, Chico. I never brought him up before, because he's still a heavy drinker and can be really mean, especially after what Calvin did to him.”

“Why haven't you talked to us about him before? Why are you telling me now?!”

“I didn't want to get your hopes up. You and Caleb have been through a lot, and not being able to see a lone connection to your blood family seemed to be a huge burden to place on you. The last I spoke to him, Calvin Sr. said that he didn't want to see either of you and told me to fuck off. That was...two or three years ago, I think.”

“Oh,” Bryan hung his head. “I wish you had told us, anyway. We have a right to know, even if he didn't want anything to do with us.”

“You were transitioning into junior high and still struggling. Caleb was finally sleeping through the night without wetting himself most nights. You two seemed too fragile still to put that kind of pressure on guys. I know I've kept stuff from you, but it was never meant to isolate you.”

“I know, otherwise, we wouldn't have ever talked to Donna, so I get it, but at least we knew she was alive.”

“I know that, but Donna and Calvin Sr. were two very different addicts. Donna got belligerent, but Calvin Sr. got really mean and threatening. Donna at least tried to get sober, but Calvin Sr. has never bothered to my knowledge. He's given up entirely. It's a horrible thing to see.”

“Is that how things were before Uncle Luis went into rehab?”

“Yep, which is why I didn't want to subject you two to your grandfather. If you want, I can reach out again, but you have to understand that there's a chance things haven't changed...provided he's still alive.”

“I'll think about it. What about Caleb? Should we tell him, too?”

“Part of me thinks we should, but with Calvin still around, I don't know how that would go. The fifth thing you need to know about Calvin is that he hates having his lies uncovered and his past dug through. He never wants his girlfriends to speak to anyone he's been with in the past or his current friends to talk to his old ones. The fewer people who compare notes, the better he feels, since it gives him opportunities to manipulate those around him.”

“I get it. He's just using Caleb and I. But if he got a girlfriend without using us, then what does he need us for?”

“No idea, but Billy is working on that. Hopefully, the truth will come out before the end of the hearings.” Diego reached into his pocket. He took out then handed Bryan his phone.

“What's this for?” Bryan asked, surprised.

“I think you've earned it back. You've handled this last week well enough, and honestly, being forced to see Calvin seems to be punishment enough; however,” Diego added, “that does not mean you get a pass with your attitude from now on. You hurt your brother very badly, and you owe him for it. I'm glad you were there for him today, but you need to be there for him every day, not when it's convenient for you. You're his big brother, and he looks up to you, Chico.”

“I know. I screwed up. Does this mean I'm not grounded anymore?”

“Let's just say, you're on probation with a suspended sentence. Keep being good, and we'll discuss early release. Screw up again, and your punishment continues with extra time tacked on.”

“You've been hanging around Billy too much,” Bryan chuckled.

“No, no. I got that from sitting in courtrooms with your uncles.”

Bryan hugged his dad. “I'm sorry I keep screwing up. I don't mean to.”

“I know you don't, Chico,” Diego said, holding his son tight. “Being a teenager is hard, but try not to make it harder on yourself. You're too smart to keep doing stupid shit.”