Every floorboard seems to be in on an elaborate plot against her. She steps lightly trying to avoid the spots she knows will groan under her weight, but she’s taking all the wrong steps. Each misplaced foot results in a small squeak or crack that to her might as well be a fog horn. When she reaches the desired door she leans forward and pressed her ear against it straining to hear any noise on the other side.
Satisfied that the older of the two people on the other side is still mostly comatose she pushed the door open slowly and smiles when it compiles with her silent pleas not to make a noise. The carpet makes for much quieter walking and when she makes it to the side of the bed she pauses for a moment in her haste.
She hadn’t really thought about it being a breech of privacy to come this far without him knowing, but now being so close that it’s almost useless to turn back she takes in a slow breath and takes the scene in front of her in.
Justin’s long body is curled around the much smaller body of his son, creating a human cage of sorts. His eyes are shut solidly, determined not to let a little thing like daylight break his slumber. Jonah on the other hand has long abandoned sleep. As Mae’s face comes into view the baby grins and waves his arms wildly at her signifying his need to be picked up.
Mae smiles and reaches carefully into Justin’s body to pull Jonah away. When the tiny mass is pulled from its position Justin shifts suddenly and Mae winces waiting for him to wake completely.
He throws a heavy arm over his face, but doesn’t move any further. Mae lets her breath exhale slowly and widens her eyes at Jonah who giggles in response. She quickly leaves the room not waiting for a repeat performance. As soon as the door is closed behind them Mae lets out an exaggerated breath blowing a raspberry on Jonah’s neck in the process.
“That was a close call Jones,” she whispers. The baby babbles in response.
***
The first thing Justin notices when his eyes begin to flutter open is that he’s alone in his bed. Unlike so many times in past years where the previous occupant having left before he work being a welcome surprise, Justin is suddenly wide awake with fear. Panic clenches his chest as he sits up straight and begins to feel around under the comforter. Not finding what he’s looking for he pushes his body over the side of his bed, his head dangling over the edge peering under the bed.
The beat of his heart is so strong it’s pounding in his ears and vibrating his chest. His hands go to his hair tugging on the short strands there. Taking a deep breath he tries to recall the night’s events looking for that missing piece where he took Jonah back to his room or he handed him over to another adult.
And then its hits him. Mae. Justin falls back against his pillow his hand clutched over his chest. He glances over at the clock ad groans. Noon. Its been a long time since he’s slept so late. Since, well since Jonah moved in.
Justin bursts from his room, completely uncaring that the only thing clinging to his body are his black boxer briefs. His bare feet obnoxiously grip at the wood floor making his journey seem longer.
The door to Jonah’s room is open and the smell of baby lotion soothes him before he even passes the threshold. The empty room dampens his spirits a little and as he turns to continue his search he hears it.
“He’s in love with Janie Jones, but he don’t like his boring job, no….”
Justin turns on his heels as the familiar voice flutters into the room. Mae enters the room with Jonah wrapped in a hooded towel in her arms. Her lips are near his ear and the baby is kicking and giggle with every word she sings.
Justin leans back against the railing of the crib and catches Mae’s eye as she lays Jonah down.
“Daddy isn’t feeling well Jones. That’s what responsible adults call a hangover,” she says the baby. Justin rolls his eyes at her back.
“You could have told me you were going to take him this morning,” he chides. Mae doesn’t turn to face him, instead she focusing on pulling a tiny t-shirt over Jonah’s head. The baby squirms and squeals in protest.
“Considering you were comatose I didn’t really think it would have made a difference,” Mae states. She turns with the now dresses baby in her arms and passes him off to Justin.
“And it would really help if you could put on some clothes before we have any kind of conversation,” she adds. Justin glances down at his body and is grateful for Jonah as some kind of cover. He can feel his cheeks burning as Mae brushes by him on the way out of the room. He balances Jonah like a football on his arm and retreats to his room.
Dropping Jonah onto his closet floor, he scrambles to pull on a t-shirt and shorts.
“Bubba, you’re supposed to tell me before you leave. This can be your first lecture. You can’t just leave your old man and not tell him, ages me early. And you don’t want me looking like an old punk do you?”
The baby gazes up at his father and blows a couple of spit bubbles.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Justin replies. He scoops him back up and winds his way back through the house.
“Mae!” he calls. Jonah tries to mimic the noise, but produces only a grunt.
“If you’re dressed I’m in the kitchen. If not I’m on the front lawn,” she yells back. Justin chuckles and follows the sound of her voice.
“I’m going to tell you now Bubba that all women are a hell of a lot more trouble then they seem,” he informs the baby. As he enters the kitchen he slides Jonah into his seat and walks up behind Mae peering over her shoulder.
She’s mixing some kind of batter furiously. Before he can even attempt to guess what it is the oven buzzer goes off and she rushes to it. Justin hoists himself onto the counter and watches as Mae carefully pulls a tray of muffins from the over. He begins to reach for one when his hand is snapped by a dish towel.
“Owww,” he whines. Mae doesn’t even stop long enough to acknowledge his pain. She’s already pushed another tray into the oven and has settled down in front of Jonah ready to feed him.
“If you wanted me to wait until they cooled you could have just fucking said that,” he complains.
“First off, Don’t say fuck in front of Jonah. Second, those are for my Nana,” she replies. Justin mouths the name she just muttered hoping the action will bring something to mind.
“Your Nana?” he repeats. Mae moves the baby spoon around in a circular motion as it nears Jonah’s mouth.
“Remember last week when you and Trace were having a Wii golf tournament?” she urges. Justin bites down on his lower lip and pulls up the memory. Even if the game is deceptively realistic there had to be a fatal flaw because Trace had kicked his ass.
“Yes.” He doesn’t quite follow her train of thought but he plays along anyways.
“And I asked you if it would be ok if my Nana came by this week to meet Jonah?” she prompts. This is where he draws a blank. He remembers the game, remembers Trace’s gloating and remembers Mae pestering him about something, but that’s the extent of his memory.
“I don’t remember you asking that.”
“I asked if she could come by and you said that as long as I quit talking and let you focus on getting your birdie you didn’t care if the Queen of England stopped by.” Instantly the light inside Justin’s head goes off. It was the 11th fairway and he was inches from knocking off two strokes.
“Well hell. That’s today then?” There really isn’t any point arguing. Who is he to turn some little old lady away?
“Yeah, she’ll be here in like half an hour,” Mae answers. Justin watches her eyes light up and feels guilty that he’s never seen that in her before. Has working for him been that hellish?
“Do you need me to leave?” he asks. It takes her to long to answer for his liking. He hadn’t realized before this point how much weight he places on Mae and the fact that he doesn’t see her as an employee, but a member of the family.
“Stay. I’m sure Nana will have all kinds of questions for you,” she replies. The thought of being grilled by Mae’s grandmother makes his stomach sink. He seriously considers getting a fake call into the studio to avoid it.
“I don’t want to crash your family time,” he argues. She finally meets his eyes and the smile on her face makes him stumble a little.
“Seriously stay,” she requests. He nods wordlessly and eases his way from the kitchen. His feet take on a life of their own and before he knows it he finds himself back in his bedroom. The chair he falls into slides backwards with the full impact of his weight.
It shouldn’t have this effect on him. He’s just her employer and her grandmother probably wants to question the main that makes her life hell. Not that he tries to make her life hell but there have definitely been moments, especially in the beginning, where he could have been nicer, more friendly. But he hadn’t know than that…. His mind pauses at the statement unsure where it might lead him.
The sound of the doorbell echoing through the house saves him from taking that path. He stand slowly and decides to take him time coming down. Give them a little time before he shows up.
As he rounds the corner to the living room he halts in his progression. He can see Mae’s face, animated and smiling and he can see the tback of what he can only assume is her ‘Nana’. This is what stopped him. He’s not entirely sure what he was expecting, but even from that back he can tell he was dead wrong.
His own grandmother is a very matronly person. Wears a lot of sweaters and these huge glasses that define her status as an old woman. Mae’s grandmother is wearing Levi’s and what he thinks may be a Juicy Couture hoodie. Not that he would ever admit to being able to spot one. Her short grey hair is spiked all over her head and the giant carpet bag hung on her arm looks eerily like one Kate has.
“Justin! Come meet Nana,” Mae calls when she spots him. He tries to stand up a little taller and summon his most respectful smile. It seems like the safest bet. The old woman turns to meet him, her smile matching Mae’s. She pulls him into her arms and chuckles at his awkwardness.
“Good Lord boy ease up would you. I thought Maebelle here told me you were laid back.” Her voice contains no soothing twang or softness.
“I usually am Mam.” The answer seems acceptable. The old woman looks at Mae aghast.
“Look at the manners on this one!” Mae chuckles softly and switches Jonah from one hip to the other.
“I think you make him a little nervous,” Mae offers. Justin’s eyes widen as the truth is told.
“Hell boy I haven’t made a man nervous in at least 10 years and I think that’s being generous,” she replies heartily. She falls into the sofa behind her and reaches for Jonah. Justin watches, frozen, as the woman softens considerably as she beings to tell Jonah a fairy tale he’s never heard. It involves trolls and ducks and a man named Bob.
The baby watches her expressions and hand gestures with a curious gaze, laughing whenever she uses appropriate sound effects. Before Justin can stop himself he’s settling on the edge of the couch listening in. He turns to gage Mae’s reaction only to find her gone.
There’s a slight rustle from the kitchen so he heads that way. He leans against the doorframe and watches as Mae delicately pulls each muffin from the pan and arranges it on a plate.
“Your Nana is a little different than what I expected,” he states. Mae turns towards his voice and offers him a warm smile. She wipes her hands on the front of her jeans and assesses her work.
“She’s a special lady. And this is her at 70. I wish you could have seen her 15 years ago,” she chuckles. Justin eases forward hoping not to break the conversation they have going. Mae’s never spoken to him about anything remotely personal.
“So you two are close then?” he asks. Mae nods her head a little before cocking it to one side and focusing her gaze on a spot on the wall just above Justin’s shoulder.
“It kind of happens that way when it’s just the two of you,” she breathes.
“Do you all live together?” Mae chuckles a little and shakes herself out of her momentary daze.
“It was just my and her growing up. My mom, well she was the last of the hippies and having a child didn’t really fit with her lifestyle.” Justin marvels at how she says this with no bitterness no remorse. If anything it carries a wistful tone like her mother was Grace Kelly or something.
“What about your dad?” he presses. Mae purses her lips in thought at the question.
“Well here’s the thing with that, my mom was never quite sure who my father was. She has it narrowed down to a lama farmer in Idaho or the drummer from a Led Zeppelin cover band. Personally I’ve always hoped it was the drummer. Can’t really see me living on a lama farm,” she trails off. Justin fights to keep his mouth from dropping.
“Regardless. It was just me and Nana growing up. Best childhood a girl could ask for. She took me on regular trips to the thrift shop and taught me who the Beatles were,” Mae grins.
“Didn’t you ever miss having a normal family?” The words slip out before he can make them more PC. Instead of getting angry Mae laughs.
“Normal is relative. Besides you of all people should know that it’s not blood that makes a family,” she answers. She tosses him a muffin on her way out of the room and he stands rotating it his hands in the now empty kitchen.
The laughter from the next room beckons him and he shoves a piece of muffin in his mouth feeling better about the life he’s trying to give him son than he ever has before.
Author's Chapter Notes:
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