TABOO: THE COMPLETE SERIES(20)

I followed them inside to the counter, where the waitress saw me and waved. My usual table was ready and waiting.

“So, Jake. What do you do?” My sister asked. I wanted to laugh at the prospect of her knowing he amused his father’s clients for a living.

“I’m kind of in between jobs.”

“Oh. So, who takes care of you? How do you pay the rent?”

“Jackie!” I scolded her but she didn’t budge.

Jake looked at me. “I’m so sorry,” Jackie had a massive grin on her face. “You two are living together, aren’t you?” She turned to Jake. “You’ll have to excuse me, Jake, my brother never tells me anything! I always have to find out this way. Don’t you think that’s mean? Of course, he doesn’t think so!”

No amount of rolling my eyes at her made any difference. She continued being nosy. “Jake, my family is going to love you. Trust me. In fact, why don’t we go see our father? He’s in the hospital. Lung cancer. He would love visitors. I know he will like you, Jake.”

“I don’t see why,” I interrupted her. “He doesn’t even like his own son.”

“Weldon, he’s changed. He’s not the same person anymore. But how would you know, you haven’t visited him in seven years.”

“And I’m not about to now.”

Jackie was clearly hurt. But she recovered soon enough. “Maybe Jake would still like to go.”

I laughed. “I doubt it,” I turned to Jake. “Coming here was a bad idea. Let’s go home.”

But Jake didn’t move. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind at all,” he said, smiling at my sister. Jackie was happy of course. “Well, then. I’ll drive you to the hospital. Weldon can go home.”

Jake looked at me and I put on a fake smile. “You know what,” I said. “If he wants to go, I’ll go.”

Jackie basically stared at me for the next fifteen minutes. “You’re really coming?”

I glared at Jake. “I guess I am.”

“Oh!” My sister said excitedly. She stood and took out her phone. “I’ll tell them we’re coming. Oh Jake, you made this family really happy!” She kissed Jake and left.

I grabbed Jake’s hand under the table. “You like to play games?”

“What’re you talking about?”

I gently pushed his wrist and twisted it, so it would hurt. “Ow!” Jake cried. “What’s wrong with you!”

“One wrong word from you, Jake and I’ll break your bones. Don’t give me reason to hurt you.” I was barely done giving him that warning when my sister came back. She looked at Jake nursing his wrist and got concerned. “What happened, Jake?”

“I think I might have hurt it earlier,” Jake replied.

“Jake’s real clumsy,” I said. “He’s always getting himself hurt. I was just telling him he needs to be more careful.”

“Do you need Tylenol or something?”

Jake stood. “I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Jackie asked when he walked up to her.

Jake nodded with a smile that was as much on the surface as his happiness.

And just like that, we were heading off to my worst nightmare.





WELDON


We watched Jake playing with my sister’s kids in the waiting room. Jackie had two children, a girl aged six and a boy who was about ten. I could never understand kids but Jake seemed to be at ease with them. “You really hit the jackpot this time, didn’t you?” My sister said in a low voice.

“What’re you talking about?”

“You’re kidding, right? This guy is perfect for you!”

“Stop it, Jackie.”

The nurse came and told us we could see Dad. Great. We took Jake and left the kids with the nanny and went up to his room.

It seemed like a long way from where we were. But maybe that’s because I hadn’t gotten used to the idea of seeing him yet. Jackie showed us the room and the man I saw on that bed was familiar but I couldn’t recognize him. He could have been anyone. If it wasn’t for Jackie, I would have worried we were in the wrong room. But the minute he saw me, his eyes lit up. “Weldon…” he could barely speak through the coughing fit. I went to him and sat next to him on the bed.

“Dad…” I couldn’t help that my eyes were damp.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Weldon. I told them you’d come. They didn’t believe me, none of them did, but I knew. I knew you wouldn’t break my heart.”

If only he knew how close I’d come to doing it. He probably would have some different emotions on his face.

“Daddy, this is Jake.” My sister pushed Jake forward. My father had to squint a little to see but then he smiled. “Is that the boyfriend?”

“Dad, we’re not…”

Jackie cut me off. “Yes, Daddy that’s him. Isn’t he cute?”

“What do you do, Jake?” Dad asked and I almost rolled my eyes again. My family could be the lead detectives on a cop show in a heartbeat.

“Dad Jake’s not working at the moment,” Jackie explained. “And why would he, my brother can afford to give him that luxury.”