Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“Hey,” Matthew says, coming to us. He walks over to my mother and kisses her on the cheeks, then shakes hands with my father and my brother. “Are you guys coming to the party?”
Chris laughs now. “Private Mark doesn’t do parties. He does the quiet supper after the game.”
“See you tomorrow,” Matthew says to me. “Good game out there.” I nod to them, and they take off toward the party.
“So where do you want to go eat?” I ask them, and we make our way over to the little Italian restaurant where we went the last time. I sit in the corner and never make eye contact with anyone. But it doesn’t stop a couple of people from coming over and asking for a picture. I smile at them and take the picture. “This is why I go straight home after the games,” I tell my parents when we walk out of the restaurant. “It’s just easier.”
My mother puts her arm around me and hugs me close. “Mark, you need a woman who will be there waiting for you,” she says, and Chris groans. “It’s not healthy to be alone all the time.”
“How do you know he’s alone all the time?” my father asks her as we slowly walk toward my house. “Maybe he has someone.” My mother stops walking in the middle of the sidewalk, and she puts her hands on her hips. She stands there in jeans and my jersey, and I swear she looks like she is thirty.
“Markos Stefano Dimitris,” she says my full name.
“Shit just got real,” Chris says besides me. “It’s never a good thing when she uses the middle name.”
“You.” She points at my brother. “Stay out of this or else.” She glares, and just like that, I feel like I’m in high school again when she found my Playboy stash.
“Do you have a someone?” my mother asks me. “Surely, if you had someone, you would introduce us. I mean, I’m your mother.” She puts her hands on her chest, and now it’s my father who rolls his eyes.
“Mom,” I say, going to her. “I don’t have anyone.” I try to smile, but the burning in the pit of my stomach stops me from doing it. “And the minute that I do have that person in my life, you will be the first one to meet her.”
“You promise?” she asks with tears in her eyes. “I just worry about you.” She puts her hand on my cheek. “All alone in the big city.”
“Jesus, he’s thirty,” my brother says and throws up his hands.
“I worry about you, too,” my mother says now, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do you have someone?”
“Mom,” he says. “I have many, which is why you will meet none.”
“You know, your dick can fall off,” my mother tells him, and now my father groans. “If you use it too much, it can fall off. The skin is very thin.”
“Can someone please stop her?” Chris looks at my father, then back at my mother “My dick is not going to fall off.”
“I saw it on Dr. Phil once. It can be caused by unlubricated sex,” my mother says, looking at all three of us.
“I will pay you money if you never say unlubricated sex again for the rest of my life,” Chris says to her and then looks at my father. “Do something, please.”
My father smiles and walks to her, taking her in his arms. I have no idea what he is saying to her, but she just nods her head. “They are grown men, and they will do what they need to do, and you need to stop watching Dr. Phil.” We hear him say, and then he kisses her cheek. “Now let’s get back home. We have an early flight tomorrow.” She nods and takes his hand, and we walk quietly back to my place.
The next morning, I get up and drive them to the airport, and then when I get back home, I toss my keys on the counter right next to the fishbowl. I take the food out and put some in her bowl, then I grab my phone and take a picture and send it to Vivienne
Me: She misses you.
I press send and then put my phone down, not even thinking about whether it’s a good idea. I miss her, I miss her laugh, and I miss her swearing in French when she messes up something. I miss her just being here in her robe while she drinks her coffee and shows me animal videos on Instagram.
I grab something to eat and then start packing. We are on the road for the next five days, going first to San Jose and then up to Edmonton. When I’m finished packing, I take a shower, hanging my robe right over hers in my closet. I also see that she left a pair of jeans and also some yoga pants. She was really good about leaving no traces of herself when she came over, and I pick them up and tuck them into my drawer next to my stuff. When I slip on my suit jacket, I grab my bag and head out to the rink where we are meeting everyone.