22. Tell Me Anything

22

TELL ME ANYTHING

M ichael pulled into the parking lot next to Electra’s car on Sunday morning. Kelly was at his house, he was getting Ty, bringing him to his parents, then going back to get Kelly.

He didn’t want the two of them meeting right away.

Probably wrong on his part to want his parents there to help out.

Since it was the first woman he’d brought around his son, he wanted this to work out.

He hadn’t even told Ty it was happening today because he didn’t want him to ask a million questions and then go to Electra’s and bring it up.

He walked to Electra’s apartment, knocked on the door, but got no answer. Her car was here, so he couldn’t imagine where she was.

He knocked again and waited, then looked at his watch. It was just a few minutes before ten. His normal pick-up time.

“Electra,” he said loudly. “It’s Michael.”

He figured Ty had to be up and would hear his father’s voice and at least come to the door to talk. Ty could reach the lock but had been told never to open it.

Michael pulled his phone out to call, his anxiety building that something had to be wrong.

Before he could hit the dial, the door opened and there was Electra in a tiny tank top and her underwear, her brassy blonde hair messed up and almost knotted. She moved around in her sleep and he remembered she always woke up looking like that.

“Sorry,” Electra said. “Guess I overslept. I was out late.”

“What?” he asked, moving past her into the apartment and looking around. “Where is Ty?”

“He’s with my parents,” Electra said. “They should be here any minute. They know you come at ten.”

His heart stopped racing hearing that. At least Ty was fine if he was with his grandparents. It didn’t change the fact he didn’t know that information and was annoyed over it.

He had primary custody of their child and he should be privy if his son isn’t where he was dropped off.

“Did you have to work last night?” he asked. “How come you didn’t tell me Ty was staying with your parents?”

“I didn’t know I had to tell you that,” Electra said.

“Yes,” he said. “You do. You know that. It’s in the custody agreement. If Ty is supposed to be with you and he isn’t, you just have to let me know where he is.”

“Oh,” Electra said, covering a yawn. “Come in. I can’t think this early. I might be hungover.”

Which told him she was out partying. “Was this a last minute decision?”

“What do you care if I was on a date last night?” Electra asked, moving over to make coffee. He wished she’d put some damn clothes on.

“Are you going to get dressed?”

“Why?” Electra asked. “You’ve seen it all before. Do you want to see it again?”

She was grinning and turned to walk toward him.

He took a few steps back and put his hand up. “Stop. Don’t go there. You went on a date or whatever. I just ask that you tell me where our son is at all times. Go get clothes on and stop trying to embarrass yourself.”

She pouted. “Whatever. You can fuck some other girl when Ty isn’t at your house so I can do the same thing. Maybe I was with a woman last night too.”

He ground his teeth. He’d never told Ty he couldn’t say anything to Electra, but he’d hoped his son would have forgotten about it.

“We both know you like men,” he said. “Get some pants on or something before your parents get here. I hope you don’t walk around the house like that with Ty.”

Her ass was hanging out, her tiny underwear almost up her crack like a thong.

“It’s nothing more than if I was in a bathing suit,” Electra said, strutting out of the room. “You’re obviously looking at my ass to know that.”

He rolled his eyes and moved into the kitchen, opened the fridge to see if there was food in there or if he had to pick up more before Tuesday when Ty came back.

There was milk and the date was fine. Electra didn’t drink milk so he knew it was for Ty and what he’d brought. Though there wasn’t a ton of food, it wasn’t empty and plenty for Ty.

The freezer still had a bunch of Ty’s breakfast foods and some of his microwave things that would be quick for dinner.

Good enough for now.

He turned when Electra walked back out yawning, her hair in a ponytail, tiny shorts pulled on, but at least covering her better than she’d been.

“Your parents are late,” he said. It was almost a quarter after at this point.

“They will be here soon,” Electra said. “They don’t clock watch like you. So tell me about this woman you’re fucking.”

There was no reason to lie about anything. “I’m not you,” he said. “I’ve got a girlfriend. If you want to know if I’m going to have her meet Ty, then the answer is yes. But ask that and don’t try to make what I’ve got in my life cheap and dirty.”

“Meaning that is what I’ve got in my life?” Electra asked, lifting her chin.

“I didn’t say that. I said don’t make what I’ve got into that. We don’t need to know those things about each other.”

“I thought we did,” Electra said. “You told me not to bring men around Ty. I could say the same about you bringing women around Ty.”

“Actually you can’t,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “You know why?”

“No,” Electra said frowning. “Why?”

He shook his head. “Our legal documents say all of that. You signed it all away. I explained everything to you before you signed it and you didn’t care one way or another. You just didn’t want to have full responsibility for Ty. Remember that now?”

He’d been disgusted over it and his parents said he should be thankful. Maybe he was deep down, but it still hurt that his son’s mother couldn’t be bothered to want to fight for anything.

“I guess,” Electra said. “It was so long ago. I just figured you’d remind me like you are now.”

Just like everything else. “I don’t have to tell you when I’m dating someone, but I am. I’m going to let Ty meet her soon.” No reason to say it was today. He was positive Ty would share that.

“Do I get to meet her?” Electra asked.

“There is no reason for it,” he said. Electra would only cause trouble.

“Whatever you say,” Electra said, moving back to get her coffee that she’d left while it was brewing.

He was going to say yes, that it was whatever he said, but the door opened and his son came running in.

“Dad!”

“Hey there, bud. Did you have fun at your grandparents?”

“I did,” Ty said. “They took me to the movies last night.”

“That was nice of them,” he said. He looked at Electra’s parents. Neither had a smile on their face as they looked at their daughter.

“Did you just wake up, Electra?” her mother asked, disapproving.

“I overslept,” Electra said. “Michael banging on the door got me out of bed. But I’m dressed.”

“Barely,” her father said. “Ty, give us a kiss and have fun this week. Glad we got to see you.”

“Thank you for my Easter basket,” Ty said, giving both of his grandparents a hug and kiss. They remembered even though Electra hadn’t. He was happy his son thanked them without being prompted.

“Thanks for taking him to the movies last night,” he said to Electra’s parents.

“It was our pleasure,” Electra’s father said. “We’ll let you get a move on so we can talk to our daughter.”

Michael didn’t want to stick around for another lecture Electra was going to get. He’d heard about them enough when the two of them were dating for that short month.

He supposed he was thankful that Electra’s parents didn’t fight the custody arrangement, but they didn’t have the money to do it. They lived a simple life and worked a lot. They treated their only grandson well and loved him and that was all he could ask for.

“Please stay,” Electra said to him.

“Nope,” he said. “See you on Tuesday. We’ve got things to do today. Ty, go hug your mom.”

Ty ran to Electra, hugged her, and then grabbed Michael’s hand for them to walk out together. Ty didn’t do that often and he wondered what might be going on. He’d find out soon. The last thing he wanted to do was cancel on Kelly meeting with everyone, but if Ty wasn’t in a good frame of mind, it might not be good.

They got in his SUV and Ty said from the backseat, “Grandma and Grandpa got me some fun coloring books and crayons and candy. They are in my bag. And they took me to the movies as part of my gift too.”

“That was nice of them. I’m glad you had a good time.”

“I did,” Ty said. “I like spending time with them, but not as much as my other grandparents. Is that bad to think that?”

“No,” he said. “Is there a reason you feel that way? Remember, you see my parents more so you will always feel more comfortable with them.”

“Mom’s parents just aren’t as fun. They never want to play with me. Grandpa Kirk just watches TV and Grandma Amber is always in the kitchen.”

“But they did take you to the movies and you had fun, right?”

“I did,” Ty said. “What are we doing today?”

“Well,” he said. “We are going to my parents right now. I thought you could meet Kelly if you want. But if you don’t feel like it’s something you want to do today, we don’t have to.”

He hoped Ty said he wanted to do it, but he wouldn’t push either.

“You said she’s fun, right?” Ty asked.

He smiled as he looked in the review mirror to see Ty’s hopeful face. “She’s a lot of fun. She’d like to meet you, but if you aren’t ready that is okay too.”

“I want to,” Ty said. “I told Mom about Kelly. She got annoyed. Mom never gets mad and she did. Then she called her parents to come get me.”

His jaw hurt he was clenching it so hard. “Did she yell at you?”

“No,” Ty said. “Just that her smile dropped and she asked me questions. I didn’t know the answers. But then she got quiet and called someone to go out and then her parents. I heard her say she wanted to get drunk.”

Things that shouldn’t be said in front of their four-year-old child. “You had fun with your grandparents that you don’t get to see often, so it worked out.”

“Yes,” Ty said.

“Is everything else okay?” he asked. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“Can we have something good to eat today?” Ty asked. “I had oatmeal for breakfast. I don’t like oatmeal even though Grandma Amber put bananas and syrup over it. I only ate the bananas.”

He laughed. “Sure. I think Grandma Susan is making her famous big burgers today.”

“Yes,” Ty said, pumping his fist in the air.

He’d requested that, knowing his son enjoyed them. Maybe he was nervous about it all and wanted Ty to think of the things he liked rather than meeting someone who might be taking his father’s attention away.