Cake Love: All Things Payne(38)

We all continue eating in silence. My dad excuses himself from the table and heads upstairs after about ten minutes. I talk to Aria for a bit. She seems hesitant. Acting as if she is about to tell me something but stops herself. Our conversation ends up being about New York and all the potential bakeries I can discover there.

After some time passes, I hear moaning coming from the kitchen and realize my brother and his date are still in there; my father comes down the stairs. He points to me with a shaking smile and motions for me to go up and talk with Mom. He then focuses his attention on the noises coming from the kitchen and yells to my brother, “Hey! This isn’t a motel Daniel! What do you think you’re doing? We make food in there for Christ’s sake!”

I walk around my dad and head up the stairs to the back room, my parents’ bedroom. Opening the door, I see my mom sprawled face down on the bed. I rub her back as I come to sit next to her.

"I'm sorry Mom. I just found out this week. I have been working for this for years. Please, don't be mad at me."

There is sniffing coming from her pillow. After a few minutes of silence, she sits up and puts her arm around me, brushing the hair from my face.

"I know my love. It's just that you are my baby. I'm very protective of you. When you were born I was afraid you wouldn't live, you have no idea what that does to a mother. For weeks I cried and prayed and then cried some more. When you came home on April ninth, it was the happiest day of my life. I vowed I would always be there to protect you. Now you will be far away. How am I going to protect you?"

Now I am crying. I wrap my arms around Mom and squeeze her with all my might, like I used to do when I was little.

"I love you Mom. I promise to call you all the time. If you’re worried about me, you can always call me too. Also, I would love it if you and Dad visited."

She is looking at the ground as she sighs. "I guess I can consider leaving the state for you. I just don’t understand why anyone would want to go anywhere else when they have everything right here? Big city, great people, beautiful country, a big lake, and my wonderful family." She smiles at me and cups my cheek.

"The Earth looks different everywhere you go, Mom. Some people like to see the different scenery and cultures and people."

"I guess. Well, at least I will have a reason to travel now. To see my baby girl."

My mom and I hug and talk some more before we make our way back downstairs for cake. I can understand why Daniel freaked out when my mom mentioned not making cake until I return. One of the reasons I hope she visits me is so she can bring her cake.

When I get to the bottom of the stairs, I see Daniel's girlfriend crying as he closes the front door behind her.

"Oh Daniel, did Dad kick her out?"

I’m surprised Dad didn’t kick them both out based on the glimpse I saw when I passed Dad on my way to go see Mom.

Daniel shakes his head and shrugs as he heads over to the couch to sit.

"Nah. We just broke up."

I stop mid stride to the loveseat next to the couch and stare at him.

"But you were making out with her just twenty minutes ago? Did something happen?"

Daniel picks up the television remote and starts channel surfing. “Yeah, she told me she wants us to get matching tattoos.” He barely glances up to meet my eye before continuing, “Once a girl wants matching anything, the next thing I know I’m married with two point five kids running around my feet. I can’t have that, I’m too young.”

I scrunch up my brow and shake my head. "You're thirty-three."

"Exactly! She was smothering me."

"Daniel, you're the worst."

He winks at me and smirks as he nods his head.

****

I stare at the key fob to make sure I am on the correct floor as I roll my black suitcase behind me through the dark musty hall with outdated burgundy carpeting and gray walls. Room six hundred and fifty-two. Looking back up at the doors I roll past six forty-eight and then six fifty and finally in the corner is apartment six fifty-two. I am about to put the key in the door to the apartment that I will share for the next six weeks and wonder if I should knock first. Perhaps my roommate is already here and indecent.

I'm excited to meet her, but a bit tired. I am hoping she isn't here yet so I can get a nap. I want to be fresh for orientation tomorrow. This feels so much like university: assigned roommates, orientation, and cafeteria. I just hope I don’t have an instructor like Mr. Dickerson, my swim professor. I thought swimming would be a great physical education credit, until Mr. Dickerson kept screaming in my ear as I swam laps like some sort of Olympic coach. I should have gotten the bronze medal just for putting up with him.

I bring my hand up to the door and knock. I can hear movement on the other side and am a little disappointed that I probably won't get that nap. I jump with surprise as the door swings open and my mouth dries up as I see a very attractive man stand in the doorway, shirtless.

My eyes gaze up into his sandy blonde, shaggy hair and travel down his golden skin to his hazel eyes, strong jaw, and pouty lips. I take a break at his smooth broad shoulders before continuing down his defined chest to his washboard abs and come to a halt at the hem of his frayed jeans. I do notice before looking back up he is barefoot. Oh yeah, nothing like a shirtless man who looks like a surfer god, to be walking around barefoot. As if at any moment, he will rip off his jeans and take me.