Another Lifetime - 3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kyle’s mother came to pick him up from the hospital a few hours later, after she got off work. She looked tired, with bags and dark circles under her eyes. It looked as if she hadn't gotten much sleep in the past year. She walked over to him, where he was waiting in a green molded plastic chair in the waiting room.

“How are you feeling hon?” she asked him, placing her hand on his shoulder. She caught sight of his bruised lip. “What on earth happened to you?”

“I’m alright, just a little bruise,” he said, looking at the floor. “It was an accident, I wasn’t looking, and ran into someone’s elbow.” she smiled, thinking that he was so short, it might be true. She had her doubts, but decided to stay silent.

The truth was, Kyle was nervous to be around her. After the talk he’d had with Leo’s father a few hours before, he now knew what he had to do, but that still didn’t make it any easier.

“I’m a little tired, too,” he said quietly.

Kyle’s mom’s hand tightened on his shoulder.

“I know hon,” she said with a small smile. “This has been so hard on you.”

Kyle fought back his tears. “Are you ready to leave?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Come on, I parked in the back, in the visitor parking.”

They walked out of the hospital together, and Kyle shivered in the chilly night air. He’d forgotten his jacket in Leo’s room and didn’t want to take the time to go back for it. Like with a lot of things, he would have to deal with it.

Kyle walked a little behind his mom, trailing behind a step or two. As long as he remembered, he’d done that. Maybe it was his natural tendency to be a follower, Kyle didn’t know for sure.

Kyle looked over at his mother, and wondered as he had many times before about how different he was from the rest of his family. His mother and father were both devout Irish Catholics, but Kyle didn’t quite think he liked all the rules and regulations the catholic church followed. He believed in God, and in Jesus, but that was about as far as he knew for sure. His parents even looked Irish, but Kyle had dark brown hair, with gray eyes, and stood much shorter than both his mom and his dad. He just didn’t understand where it could have come from.

Kyle and his father were polar opposites. Kyle’s father was as masculine as they come, big and strong with the slight beginnings of a beer gut. He had reddish brown hair with green eyes, and stood well over six feet.

His mother had bright red hair, fair skin with freckles, and stood about five-feet eleven inches. She’d always told him he just hadn't hit his final growth spurt yet, but at fifteen he’d pretty well grown into his body, and didn’t suspect that he had much growing left to do. He tried his best to just shrug it off. Another thing to add to his growing list of oddities.

Kyle’s mom reached the SUV first, and unlocked the doors. Moments later they were on the road again. Kyle stared out the window, watching the world pass him by. He sighed, and decided he might as well get it over with.

He took a deep breath, and said, “You know, don’t you?”

“I know?” she asked. “I asked you what you wanted for dinner. I’m not a mind reader.”

Kyle was confused for a moment, but then realized she must have been talking to him while he wasn’t listening.

“No, that’s not what I meant…” Kyle said, looking back out of the window. “You saw me yesterday, didn’t you?”

She was silent for a long moment. Kyle’s heart was hammering against his ribcage, it felt like it was seconds away from bursting through his chest. He was sweating, and his hands were shaking. He gripped onto the door handle with his right hand, as if he was preparing to throw himself out into the road. He wasn’t, of course, but the thought did cross his mind.

“Yes,” she said simply, like she would answer a simple yes or no question. Technically, it was a simple yes or no question, but to Kyle it was anything but simple. And “yes” just simply wasn’t good enough.

He stared at her, his mouth hanging open. Waiting for her to say anything more. Finally, she glanced over at him, and realized he was waiting on her to continue.

“Well, I can’t say I wasn’t surprised,” she said. “Although I guess I shouldn’t have been. I’ve never once heard you even mention a girl you find attractive, so I guess I should’ve seen it.”

“Is it really that obvious?” Kyle asked, horror plain on his face.

“No, of course not,” she said with a laugh. “I really had no idea until yesterday.”

Kyle was speechless. This was not at all going as he had expected it to. He’d expected a huge argument, some accusations, he’d even gone over a worst case scenario in his head where she threw him out of the car. He knew that wasn’t going to happen, but he’d planned what he would do if it did.

In actuality, the way she was taking it was phenomenal. He’d never expected her to be so cool with it. But a morbid part of his brain was a little disappointed. That morbid part that makes you slow down when you pass an accident on the side of the road, the part that you try to block out, but is secretly hoping to see something horrific.

She looked at Kyle again, and seeing the confusion he was in, she smiled at him.

“I had a really good friend in high school come out to me,” she began. “We were no older than you are now, and he’d been going through some rough times at home. He’d had an abusive step-father, and needed a place to stay for the weekend.”

Kyle sat in awe at this new side of his mother he’d never knew existed before. Of course, he knew she’d been young once, but to Kyle’s mind, that was so very long ago.

“I’d had a crush on him for so long,” she said with a far off look in her eye. “Well, when he didn’t respond to anything I did to try to get his attention, I wanted to know why. That’s when he came out to me.”

A troubled look crossed her face.

“I didn’t take it too well at first,” she said. “I just didn’t understand, and being from a Catholic background, I had trouble dealing with it. But when he got hurt, I put everything else aside to just be a friend to him.”

“What happened?” Kyle asked her, his attention focused on her story.

“Well, it’s pretty personal, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind telling you, if you want to meet him,” she said.

“Wait, you still know him?” he asked. “I thought you didn’t keep in touch with any of your old friends?”

“He’s the only one I still talk to,” she said. “Your father doesn’t know about it, and I want it to stay that way.”

She gave Kyle a mock stern look, as if she expected him to tell his father on her.

He laughed. “What would I tell him? ‘Hey dad, mom’s been seeing her old gay friend who she’s going to introduce me to really soon’?”

Most of the remainder of the car ride was spent in companionable silence. Kyle didn’t even think about wanting to turn up the volume on the radio, because for the first time in a long while he was happy.

“So, how long have you and Leo been going out?” she asked him with a knowing look.

Kyle’s smile dimmed, and he looked back out the window.

“We’re not,” he told her.

“Sure you aren't,” she said with an exaggerated wink aimed in his direction.

“No, really, we aren't,” Kyle said. “I mean, I wish I could say we were. But he was in love with someone else.”

“Oh,” she said, feeling stupid. “So you…”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said with a note of finality. They had entered their neighborhood, and would be home in moments.

“Okay,” she agreed. “I’ll call Art in the morning.”

“Art?” Kyle asked confused.

“The friend I was telling you about,” she said. “I’ll see if he’s busy for tomorrow afternoon. If not, I’ll have him pick you up from the hospital, and tell your father you went out with a friend of yours.”

“Alright,” he said. “Sounds good.”

Kyle looked over at his mother again.

“You’re really okay with it?” he asked her in a near whisper as they came to a stop inside the garage.

“Yes, honey,” she said with a smile. “Now run on inside and I’ll fix us a couple of chili dogs.”

She knew just how to cheer him up. He loved chili dogs, almost to the point of being an obsession. It was a wonder he wasn’t fat by now.

He got out of the SUV, and noticed that his dad’s car was gone. Kyle hadn't expected him to still be at work, he usually got off hours ago.

“He’s got a big project he’s working on,” Kyle’s mom said from behind him. “And Justin’s at his girlfriend’s house.”

Kyle raised an eyebrow, and said, “Girlfriend? I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.”

“Me either,” she said. “But he said she wanted him over for dinner tonight when he called me.”

They entered the dark house, flipping on lights as they went.

“I told Justin to leave a few lights on,” she grumbled annoyed. “That boy never listens.”

“Isn’t he a little young for a girlfriend?” Kyle asked. “I know he’s bigger than I am, but he’s still two years younger.”

She smiled at him.

“I’ll need to have a little talk with him when he gets home,” she said with a wicked glint in her eye.

Kyle laughed out loud.

“Oh, gross!” he said between giggles. “Sex talk from mom!”

She paused and looked over at Kyle curiously.

“Speaking of the sex talk…” she said.

“No!” Kyle yelled, horrified. “I had Sex Ed., so I’m good.”

“Well, they might not have taught you everything you need to know,” she said reasonably.

“Hey, the curriculum is agreed upon by a board of professionals,” he said. “I’m sure they know what they’re doing.”

She smiled at him, and the wicked glint made a reappearance in her eye.

“But they might not have told you everything you need to know,” she said.

Kyle didn’t think his face could have gotten any more red. He felt the warmth of his embarrassment spread down his neck to his chest, over his shoulders, and down his back. He was stupefied. This was definitely something he didn’t want to talk about with his mom.

“I’m just kidding,” she said, seeing the condition he was in. “Go and sit in the living room and I’ll fix those chili dogs.”

Kyle didn’t need to be told twice. He hurried out of the kitchen, hoping to escape any further embarrassment.

Kyle plopped down on the couch, letting out a long sigh as he went. He yawned, and stretched, realizing just how tired he was. He settled in, and was so comfortable he didn’t want to ever move. Then he spotted the TV remote just a bit out of his reach, and decided to just leave it off rather than get up to turn it on.

He wasn’t sure when he’d closed his eyes, but he was awakened by the heavenly scent of the fattening deliciousness on a bun. His mom was standing a few feet away, and smiled when he looked up at her. She handed him a plate of two chili dogs, and he had them eaten before she had a chance to walk away. She laughed, shook her head at him, and took the plate to the sink.

“Looks like someone’s ready for bed,” she said and Kyle happily agreed.

He stood, stretched and yawned again, and headed for the stairs. He glanced over at the clock and saw that it was only seven-thirty at night.

“Wow, I feel like an old man,” he said giggling to himself as he ascended.

He got to his room, and cautiously opened the door, fearing a repeat of what had happened the night before. It was stupid, he knew, because his brother wasn’t even home, but he did it anyway.

He sat down in the chair in front of his desk, and fired up his computer. Kyle and Justin had both gotten matching computers for Christmas the year before. They weren’t top of the line, but Kyle’s father had bought them for a pretty good deal through his work. They were both desktops that had once been used at his father’s job, and had been sold when the company upgraded. Kyle was just glad he didn’t have to use the family computer anymore.

Kyle had just finished checking his mail when the door to the room opened and Justin walked in. Kyle idly thought it was hypocritical that he hadn't knocked first, because Justin had complained about Kyle just yesterday. He didn’t mention it though, choosing to let it slide.

“Mom wants to talk to you,” Kyle said without looking at Justin, smiling a wicked smile not unlike the one his mother had shown him earlier.

Justin walked over to him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and pulled him a few inches out of his seat.

“You fucking told her?” Justin demanded.

“What?” Kyle asked, momentarily forgetting about Justin’s threat. Kyle’s eyes grew wide, and his bruised lip hurt for a second. “I didn’t say anything! It’s about your girlfriend!”

“Oh,” Justin said, releasing his grip and letting Kyle fall into his chair, which nearly tipped over.

“Jesus, dude,” Kyle said exasperated. “You need to lighten up! You said that was nothing, and I believe you. Leave me alone about it!”

Kyle didn’t really believe Justin at all. He knew there was something Justin didn’t want to tell him, but Kyle couldn’t be sure what it was. Is he gay? Bisexual? Just questioning his sexuality? Hell, he’s only thirteen, even if he was a huge, hot-headed beast. Kyle hadn't even been completely sure on his own sexuality at that age.

“Whatever,” Justin said, and walked out of the room. Kyle assumed he was going to find out what their mom wanted.

Kyle looked down at his shirt, and saw that the collar had been stretched out.

“Terrific,” he mumbled to himself. He pulled the shirt off and threw it in the trash. It had been one of his favorite shirts, but it was ruined as far as he was concerned. He hated it when the collar got stretched out.

Kyle finished shutting down his computer, put on a pair of pajama pants, and climbed into bed. He shut out his light as Justin reentered the room.

“You’re going to bed now? This early?” Justin asked.

“I didn’t sleep too well last night,” Kyle said crossly. “Had a headache.”

Justin actually took a moment to look guilty. Kyle thought he saw a trace of compassion on his face, and thought that his little brother just might be human after all.

It vanished just as quickly as it appeared. He scowled, and said, “Take some aspirin then.”

Justin walked to his side of the room, turned on his computer and his bedside lamp. Kyle knew he didn’t need the lamp with the light from his computer, and had turned it on just to irritate him. Kyle rolled over and closed his eyes, determined not to let it bother him.

Kyle was just about to drift off to sleep when he heard a metallic “ding” from Justin’s computer, signaling that he had an instant message. The volume was turned up loud enough for it to be annoying, but not so loud that it could be heard in the rest of the house. Justin was typing out a reply, pressing down on the keys harder than usual, making a loud clacking sound as he typed. There was another “ding”, and another loudly typed response.

Kyle sighed, closed his eyes tighter, and tried his best to ignore that as well.

“Oh yeah baby, fuck my ass harder!” Unless Justin had magically morphed into a girl and was getting nailed in the ass, Kyle assumed Justin had moved on from typing to watching porn.

Fed up, Kyle turned and glared at his brother. Justin wasn’t even looking at the screen, he was watching Kyle, waiting for him to get annoyed.

“Fuck you,” Kyle spat at him.