New Life (14 page)

There was some background noise, lunchroom
chatter and loud laughter, before Katie spoke again. “Gotta go.
I’ll buy Mom’s gift, loser, but don’t forget you owe me.”

The phone went silent. I put it away and gave
in to Baby’s desire to lunge forward. We were near a small pond
where geese were gathered, and as we got close, she jerked the
leash out of my hand. She tore off, yapping and sending geese
scattering in all directions, honking and hissing.

The bench-sitting old woman called out, “Keep
that dog under control.”

Yeah, thanks, lady, because I wasn’t trying
to. I ran after Baby, dove for the trailing leash, and ended up
flat on the ground, driving the air from my lungs. I pushed up on
my hands to see Baby in the distance running after a goose that
kept just out of reach, flapping its wings but not bothering to
fly.

I yelled for her as I climbed to my feet and
hurried after her. She ignored me, too thrilled to be free and
chasing live game to pay any attention. I called and ran till my
hip gave out and I crumpled to my knees. Baby had nearly reached
the edge of the park and beyond that was a busy street. If she got
hit…

Just then the goose got tired of its little
game, spread its wings, and took off with a mocking honk. Baby
leaped into the air a couple of times as if she might follow it,
then gave up and ran back to me.

“Stupid bitch,” I cursed as she jumped on me.
I hugged her and slipped my hand through the loop of the leash so I
wouldn’t lose her again.

We made it back to Anna’s apartment. The pup
was so filthy from romping in the mud at the edge of the pond that
I had to wash her. I started filling the tub and spread a towel
beside it. It wasn’t easy to kneel and get the struggling dog into
the water. My leg hated bending. By the time the bath was finished,
water was all over the floor.

I dried Baby as best I could before she
squirmed away and streaked through the apartment, leaving wet paw
prints on the carpet. On Anna’s pristine floor, the slight
muddiness—since I hadn’t cleaned between Baby’s toes—looked
disastrous.

Gritting my teeth, I captured Baby and put
her in her kennel to dry while I cleaned the bathroom, including
the ring around the tub, and wiped up the paw prints throughout the
apartment. With everything as close to clean as I could make it, I
pulled a beer from the fridge and collapsed on the couch to drink
it. I’d just popped the top and taken one swallow when the doorbell
buzzed.

I couldn’t imagine anyone coming to Anna’s
apartment in the middle of the day expecting to find her there.
Maybe it was a package that had to be signed for. I pressed the
button and spoke into the intercom. “Yeah?”

“Is this Anna’s apartment?” a woman’s voice
asked.

“Yes, it is. Who’s this?”

“Her mother. Who are you?”

My mind went completely blank. Had Anna told
me to expect her mom and I’d somehow forgotten? I grabbed my phone
from my pocket and checked for missed messages.

“Hello?” Anna’s mom sounded impatient.

“Sorry. I wasn’t expecting you. I’m Anna’s
friend, Jason. I’m pet-sitting today.”

“Pet-sitting what pet?”

“Her dog, Baby.”

“When did Anna get a dog?” a man’s voice
chimed in.

It was ridiculous, carrying on a conversation
through the intercom. “Why don’t I buzz you up?”

“That might be good,” Mrs. Stevens said
coolly.

I pressed the button to open the outer door,
then hurried to the bathroom to check my appearance. My shirt and
jeans were dirty from when I’d landed on the ground, and I had
nothing to change into. I ran a comb through my hair, untangling
it, but there wasn’t anything I could do about how long and shaggy
it was. I practiced a smile in the mirror, hoping it wouldn’t
appear as fake to Anna’s parents as it did to me.

There was a knock on the door. On my way to
open it, I texted Anna.
Your parents are here. Surprise!

Chapter Fifteen

Who shows up at someone’s house, unannounced,
days earlier than they’re supposed to arrive? Who doesn’t call or
text to let a person know their plans have changed? My mother
didn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body, so this sudden arrival
was bizarre. The moment I received Jason’s text, I called her, but
her phone went straight to voice mail. I sent a text:
You’re
here? What’s with the change in plans?

Neither of my parents is technologically
ignorant. There was no reason for this lack of communication unless
my mom or dad wanted it that way. They’d intended to “surprise” me,
and somehow I didn’t believe it was in the spirit of fun. Now poor
Jason was stuck entertaining them until I could finish a few things
at work and get home.

I returned his text.
On my way ASAP. Offer
them refreshments, please.

I grabbed files from my desk and loaded my
briefcase. I’d just wrapped a scarf around my neck and was heading
out when I ran into Cindy.

“Going to court?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Home. Parent emergency.
They’ve arrived a couple of days early.”

Cindy winced. “Eesh. I’m so sorry. Good luck
with that. You know it’s not going to be good news.”

“Huh?” I hurried toward the exit with Cindy
tagging alongside me.

“Sounds like somebody’s got a divorce
announcement to make and couldn’t wait any longer to break it to
you.”

I didn’t even have a response for that. Cindy
was apparently reliving some personal experience. My parents might
be many things, but divorced was never going to be one of them.
They were an unshakable unit. But it
was
weird and totally
unlike my well-organized and punctual parents to simply show up
unannounced, and not even at my office, where they might reasonably
expect to find me on a weekday, but at my home. Did they expect to
catch me there, maybe sitting around the apartment shooting up
heroin in the middle of the day?

I said good-bye to Cindy, dashed out the
door, and drove home well over the speed limit. I entered my
apartment in time to hear Dad quizzing Jason about work. “So you
own a janitorial service?”

“No. I…work for one.” Jason’s halting speech,
which I’d grown accustomed to over the past weeks, sounded more
pronounced as I heard him with my parents’ ears.

From the foyer, I studied the trio sitting in
my living room before announcing my presence. My mom and dad sat in
the two armchairs. Dad wore his golfing uniform of a polo shirt and
slacks. He looked like he should be on the links. Newly retired,
that was where he spent most of his days now. My mom was as stylish
as always, every hair of her short hair perfectly groomed and her
makeup impeccable. One eyebrow tilted up as she regarded Jason, who
sat across from them on the couch. His clothes looked as if he’d
been rolling on the ground. His hair was long and shaggy, and
several days’ worth of scruff shadowed his jaw. Everything about
him from his appearance to his job proclaimed “underachiever”—the
biggest taboo possible in my parents’ book.

I’d thought about introducing Jason to my
parents, but not so soon, not on this visit. We were in a
relationship of some sort, but we hadn’t defined it yet, and I
wasn’t ready to present him to my parents. With him looking so
disreputable and my parents staring at him like
that
, I
hesitated to march in and claim him as a guy I was dating. Couldn’t
he be merely the pet sitter today? But no. It would be unforgivable
to treat him like hired help, ignoring whatever was growing between
us.

I drew a breath and walked into the living
room. “Hi, Mom. Dad. I’m so surprised to see you. I thought you
were arriving tomorrow.”

My parents rose to greet me. The familiar
scent of my mother’s perfume and the strength of my dad’s hug
overshadowed my annoyance at their presence. For a moment, I was
purely glad to see them. But when I stepped back and the
questioning began, my gladness curled up like a dying leaf.

“How are you, sweetheart? Everything good at
work? I haven’t heard from you recently.” Mom’s smile was overly
bright.

I fell into old habits and responded too
sharply. “I have a phone. You could’ve called any time. It might
have been nice to know you were coming a day early.”

“That’s my fault,” Dad said. “We were going
to stop and see the Lowells on our drive down from Michigan, but
that fell through. I thought, why stop at a hotel, why not drive on
through?”

“I’m glad to see you both, but I would have
appreciated a text or phone message.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “Your father swore he
packed the recharger, but he didn’t. My phone is dead, and he left
his at home along with the recharger.”

“Oh.” As if there weren’t still payphones
left in the world. But I dropped the topic. Baby’s whining and
scratching at her crate door in the other room was reaching
meltdown proportions.

“I’ll, uh, let Baby out if you want.” Jason
raised questioning eyebrows, and I knew he was asking me about more
than the dog. How did I want to play this? Were we a couple or
not?

I needed a moment to consider. “That’s all
right. I’ll get her.”

I hurried to the laundry room and let Baby
out of her cage. She greeted me by jumping on my leg and licking my
hands. “Don’t you dare slobber on my mother or get so excited you
pee,” I warned as I scratched her head.

Baby raced into the living room to see the
strangers in our house, and, of course, she did both of those
things—licked my mom and trickled a little in her great
excitement.

“You always wanted a puppy,” Mom commented as
she brushed a dirt streak from her cream-colored slacks. That was
when I noticed there were smudges all over the carpet. What in the
hell had Baby and Jason been up to today?

I grabbed the pup’s collar and pulled her
away from Dad’s shoes. “Sorry. She’s not always this wired. She’s
not used to guests.”

I glanced at Jason. Putting off introductions
any longer would be weird. He was the elephant in the room, the big
question that required an answer.

I sat on the couch beside Jason. “You’ve
already met Jason, but I should introduce you formally. These are
my parents, Jackie and Stan Stevens. Mom and Dad, my…friend, Jason
Reitmiller.” I hadn’t exactly introduced him as my boyfriend, but
it was implied by the pause.

My parents’ gazes went from Jason to me and
then to the dog as if saying
I thought he was the pet
sitter
, then back to Jason and to me again. My mother recovered
first.

“Nice to meet you, Jason.” She smiled with
less than one hundred percent sincerity before turning her
attention to me. “It seems you’re settling in nicely down here in
Columbus. A new friend
and
a pet. I’m happy you aren’t
working too hard and are taking time for yourself.”

“Can’t live for the firm,” Dad added. “I
spent way too many years of my life doing that.”

I remembered. Dad had not been much of a
presence in my childhood. His work hours were outrageous. Mom had
been almost as busy.

So far this wasn’t going too badly, but what
next? It was early to suggest going for dinner, but not too soon
for drinks. That’s what we needed, something to lubricate our way
through the awkwardness. Before I could make the offer, Jason spoke
up.

“I, uh, think I’ll head home now to get
cleaned up.” He indicated his shirt. “Had a little problem at the
duck pond today. Sorry about any mess. I bathed Baby and cleaned
the floor as best I could, but the carpet may need a
shampooing.”

That explained some things.

“How about if you meet us later for dinner?”
I tried to smile at Jason but couldn’t seem to manage it under my
parents’ scrutiny. Part of me was praying he’d say no and we could
avoid more awkwardness.

He glanced at my parents and back at me.
“Sure. Text me later.” Jason bent to ruffle Baby’s fur, and she
pranced alongside him to the front door.

After he left, my mother turned to me.
“There’s no polite way to ask this. Is there something wrong with
your friend?”

“Jackie.” My dad’s warning tone was
completely ignored.

“How did you two meet?” Mom continued.

“Want a drink?” I asked. “I sure could use
one. It’s been a long day.”

“Scotch if you’ve got it.” My dad kicked off
his loafers and made himself comfortable in the armchair.

Mom followed me to the kitchen and leaned
against the counter, arms folded, watching while I got liquor from
a cupboard. “Seriously, Anna. Tell me about this friend. Who is he?
You never said a word about dating someone.”

“That’s because it’s a new thing. But Jason
and I
are
seeing each other. I had to invite him to
dinner.”

She cocked her head and studied me. “Were you
going to keep our visit a secret if we hadn’t run into him? Is it
because you’re ashamed of him? A janitor! Sweetheart, how did this
happen?”

I slammed a pair of glasses on the counter.
“Stop it, Mom. I knew you’d react like this. Is it any wonder I
want to keep my private life private? But I
was
going to
have you meet Jason—over dinner, not by surprising him here in my
apartment.”

“What’s wrong with him? Other than being a
janitor.”

“I can’t believe you said that! You’re such a
snob.”

“I’m a realist. You’re an educated woman with
a career. What could you possibly find to talk about with some
blue-collar guy? Is it about the sex?”

“Mom!”

“Because I could understand that. Forbidden
fruit can be very attractive. In college, I used to date this
African American boy, and that was before interracial couples were
common.”

“Oh my God.” I poured a shot of the Scotch
I’d bought for my father’s visit and tossed it back.

Mom took the bottle from me and poured a
glass for herself. “So, tell me about this Jason.”