November 2088. Jordan Graham is 28, Maria Boone is 26, Johanna is 4, Felix and Milo are 9, Nessa Phoenix is 38, Colette Marin is 31.
previously: climb club family // the plain-looking plucky friend // the blonde photographer // the boys always know first // they made vows
warnings: little bit saucy, additional spice linked elsewhere
Jordan had been distracted since Maria and JoJo came to join his adventure. He had skipped more climbing sessions than he wanted to admit. But now that they were settled, it was time to pick up the slack. “Go climb, my love,” Maria told him. “You’re not quitting this thing on my behalf. Isn’t it the whole reason we’re here?”
“So you guys check out the park. Nessa will show you everything, and I’ll meet up with you later for dinner.”
Jordan was quite proud of the skewers he’d grilled for the group tonight. It was his turn to make dinner for climb club after hours.
So Maria met Nessa by the pool, and the kids enjoyed the warm, heated water. In November now, the dry northern desert took a sharp turn for winter. They didn’t stay in the water for long, especially in the late hours of evening when the heat of the day dispersed quickly. They were happy for as long as they were submerged, but quickly after, they had to get dressed and moving again to keep warm.
Maria took an instant liking to Nessa, a woman ten years her senior and so accomplished and cultured in life. Maria couldn’t help but feel a little star-struck, but Nessa was so welcoming and easy to talk to, and she never made Maria feel inferior for anything—not finishing college, not having a career, not living in a proper home with her daughter. In fact, she even took an interest in Maria’s hobbies and music, and it felt genuine, too.
Meanwhile, they were also pleasantly surprised at how well Johanna and the boys got along.
With the children playing nicely, they went to check in on the guys.
Jordan’s training had been fragmented by travel, but the last task on his to-do list was to attempt the medium wall. There were only three weeks left in this climbing session before they broke for winter. If he didn’t make this attempt now, he might as well start over from scratch in the spring. And that sounded demoralizing. So he gave it a shot.
It was challenging in the best way. Jordan was meticulous and careful, and he did great, surprising even himself!
He reveled in his success for a moment, then he started his equally meticulous descent.
That was where Maria found him, dangling from the highest point of the cliff face, one-handed, swinging his body from one handhold to another.
She heard her mother’s voice in her head, Oh, God, she’s going to be a widow again!
“I know, right?” Nessa said, “I think it’s better not to watch.”
When he reached the bottom, Maria didn’t have to explain what she was thinking. Her face said it all. Perhaps he should have gotten her used to the little wall first.
“Hey, I have an idea,” he said. “I want to show you something.”
“Is it up there?”
“It is, but we can take the stairs.”
A tidy hiking trail wound up and around the boulders, with well-maintained stairs leading to the top. He led her past the rock spa, past the clearing where yoga classes gathered, to a small rocky outcrop under a sprawling shade tree.
“Open your eyes! The view is incredible up here.”
She opened her eyes, just a peek, keeping her gaze on the far horizon and not the steep hundred foot drop below them. Her safe and protected suburban life had never given her the chance to explore whether she was afraid of heights. Now, she learned, she was!
So Maria met Nessa by the pool, and the kids enjoyed the warm, heated water. In November now, the dry northern desert took a sharp turn for winter. They didn’t stay in the water for long, especially in the late hours of evening when the heat of the day dispersed quickly. They were happy for as long as they were submerged, but quickly after, they had to get dressed and moving again to keep warm.
Maria took an instant liking to Nessa, a woman ten years her senior and so accomplished and cultured in life. Maria couldn’t help but feel a little star-struck, but Nessa was so welcoming and easy to talk to, and she never made Maria feel inferior for anything—not finishing college, not having a career, not living in a proper home with her daughter. In fact, she even took an interest in Maria’s hobbies and music, and it felt genuine, too.
Meanwhile, they were also pleasantly surprised at how well Johanna and the boys got along.
With the children playing nicely, they went to check in on the guys.
Jordan’s training had been fragmented by travel, but the last task on his to-do list was to attempt the medium wall. There were only three weeks left in this climbing session before they broke for winter. If he didn’t make this attempt now, he might as well start over from scratch in the spring. And that sounded demoralizing. So he gave it a shot.
It was challenging in the best way. Jordan was meticulous and careful, and he did great, surprising even himself!
He reveled in his success for a moment, then he started his equally meticulous descent.
That was where Maria found him, dangling from the highest point of the cliff face, one-handed, swinging his body from one handhold to another.
She heard her mother’s voice in her head, Oh, God, she’s going to be a widow again!
“I know, right?” Nessa said, “I think it’s better not to watch.”
When he reached the bottom, Maria didn’t have to explain what she was thinking. Her face said it all. Perhaps he should have gotten her used to the little wall first.
“Hey, I have an idea,” he said. “I want to show you something.”
“Is it up there?”
“It is, but we can take the stairs.”
A tidy hiking trail wound up and around the boulders, with well-maintained stairs leading to the top. He led her past the rock spa, past the clearing where yoga classes gathered, to a small rocky outcrop under a sprawling shade tree.
“Open your eyes! The view is incredible up here.”
She opened her eyes, just a peek, keeping her gaze on the far horizon and not the steep hundred foot drop below them. Her safe and protected suburban life had never given her the chance to explore whether she was afraid of heights. Now, she learned, she was!
“Don’t let go.”
“Not a chance,” he said. “But you know, we’re still ten feet away from the edge.”
“Ha! Ten feet is not far enough! What if you got dizzy? What if you slipped? What if the wind blew really hard?”
“Hmm,” he mused. “You know what’s funny? Now that I’ve met her, I see a lot of your mother in you.”
“Not a chance,” he said. “But you know, we’re still ten feet away from the edge.”
“Ha! Ten feet is not far enough! What if you got dizzy? What if you slipped? What if the wind blew really hard?”
“Hmm,” he mused. “You know what’s funny? Now that I’ve met her, I see a lot of your mother in you.”
Down below, JoJo had made fast friends with Jack and Nessa’s boys. They worried about her sometimes—she could be feisty and aggressive, and her little friendships had been hit or miss. But out here, on the road, in the wild, with these feral children of other feral families, she had found a natural fit.
“That was a good climb,” Jordan said. “Really good. I don’t know, I think you’re my good luck charm.”
“Aww, don’t say that. You should take credit for your hard work,” she said. “But… I only wish I liked watching you do that more.”
“That’s okay, you don’t have to watch. But it’s safe, we’re on ropes. You can’t see them from down there, but it’s safe.”
“It’s just a lot higher than I thought it would be. And it’s not even the biggest one? The one in Japan is higher?”
“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. We’re not in Japan yet.”
“One thing more.” Maria pulled something from her pocket. “I bought this in the gift shop. You’re not allowed to say no.” She didn’t hand it to him, she just took his keyring from his pocket and slipped the tiny flashlight onto the ring.
He laughed. “If I had a bad fall and nobody found me, the dark is the least of my worries. All the scavenger animals out here, coyotes, mountain lions, vultures…”
“Are you trying to make me feel worse about this?”
“Sorry.”
“Well, then maybe the dark won’t be another worry.”
“Right, I’ll be able to see which animal is about to eat me.”
“Stop it,” Maria laughed. “And maybe we’ll put a GPS tracker on you, too.”
“You can if you want.”
“But don’t climb alone.”
“I never would. But thank you. I’ll cherish it.”
As the sun passed behind the rocks, night fell swiftly over the park, and it was time to call the group to dinner.
They came home late from the adventure park, all three of them well exercised and well fed. Johanna was so exhausted she fell asleep right away with no fuss.
“That was fun,” Maria said. “I like it there. I like your friends.”
“It was fun. But… I was so focused on the wall, I didn’t get to see you in your new bathing suit.”
“Oh, no! That’s tragic,” Maria teased. “It’s a really cute bathing suit.”
“Would you consider putting it back on?”
“Even if it’s wet?”
“Maybe that’s not a bad thing?”
“Hang on.”
Maria left the bedroom to retrieve the wet bathing suit from their beach bag. “Close your eyes,” she said at the door.
She crept into the room, padding softly to the bed on bare feet, trailing a soft hand over his shoulder, bringing her chest to eye-level and whispering, “Okay, now. Well? Is it everything you dreamed of?”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
She giggled. “I’m so cold. You better get your hands on me and warm me up.”
He did as she asked and pulled her body closer.
“They’re so—wow—the bathing suit, I mean.”
“Sure you do.”
“The tie—if I pulled it, would they fall right out?”
“Maybe you should try it and find out.”
She hoped this would never change. After three months together, he still made her feel so adored. Even if he’d seen her naked a hundred times by now, he was just as mindblown as the first time.
And he was absolutely still thinking about those boobies.
“Aww, don’t say that. You should take credit for your hard work,” she said. “But… I only wish I liked watching you do that more.”
“That’s okay, you don’t have to watch. But it’s safe, we’re on ropes. You can’t see them from down there, but it’s safe.”
“It’s just a lot higher than I thought it would be. And it’s not even the biggest one? The one in Japan is higher?”
“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. We’re not in Japan yet.”
“One thing more.” Maria pulled something from her pocket. “I bought this in the gift shop. You’re not allowed to say no.” She didn’t hand it to him, she just took his keyring from his pocket and slipped the tiny flashlight onto the ring.
He laughed. “If I had a bad fall and nobody found me, the dark is the least of my worries. All the scavenger animals out here, coyotes, mountain lions, vultures…”
“Are you trying to make me feel worse about this?”
“Sorry.”
“Well, then maybe the dark won’t be another worry.”
“Right, I’ll be able to see which animal is about to eat me.”
“Stop it,” Maria laughed. “And maybe we’ll put a GPS tracker on you, too.”
“You can if you want.”
“But don’t climb alone.”
“I never would. But thank you. I’ll cherish it.”
As the sun passed behind the rocks, night fell swiftly over the park, and it was time to call the group to dinner.
———
They came home late from the adventure park, all three of them well exercised and well fed. Johanna was so exhausted she fell asleep right away with no fuss.
“That was fun,” Maria said. “I like it there. I like your friends.”
“It was fun. But… I was so focused on the wall, I didn’t get to see you in your new bathing suit.”
“Oh, no! That’s tragic,” Maria teased. “It’s a really cute bathing suit.”
“Would you consider putting it back on?”
“Even if it’s wet?”
“Maybe that’s not a bad thing?”
“Hang on.”
Maria left the bedroom to retrieve the wet bathing suit from their beach bag. “Close your eyes,” she said at the door.
She crept into the room, padding softly to the bed on bare feet, trailing a soft hand over his shoulder, bringing her chest to eye-level and whispering, “Okay, now. Well? Is it everything you dreamed of?”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
She giggled. “I’m so cold. You better get your hands on me and warm me up.”
He did as she asked and pulled her body closer.
“They’re so—wow—the bathing suit, I mean.”
“Sure you do.”
“The tie—if I pulled it, would they fall right out?”
“Maybe you should try it and find out.”
She hoped this would never change. After three months together, he still made her feel so adored. Even if he’d seen her naked a hundred times by now, he was just as mindblown as the first time.
And he was absolutely still thinking about those boobies.
“I, um, kind of want to rub my face in them.”
“Just your face? Jordan, you can rub whatever you want on them.”
“Fuuuuck.”
“Wait, I’m sorry. You’re just so beautiful. So soft, so sexy. I always thought so.”
“Hey, you don’t have to charm me, mister. You already have me in bed.”
“I’m not just trying to charm you. I mean, I am also trying to charm you. But, I was remembering. That night I told you I was leaving. I hate that you thought I didn’t want to date you because you were plain-looking. You were never plain-looking. Not for a minute, not even close.”
“Oh… well, you did tell me it wasn’t that.”
“I tried to. I don’t think you believed me. Not entirely. But I meant it. I loved you then, too, but I didn’t know how to tell you that when I also didn’t know how it could work. You were always perfect, and I always wanted you. I’m so lucky you want to be with me, that you put up with me and all of this.”
“Okay.” She didn’t brush him off, recognizing that desperate panic he got in his eyes sometimes. He was doing the work of digging into his hurts and mistakes and regrets, and sharing them. That was what she asked him for, and she appreciated it. “Do you want to know a little secret? You were never very good at hiding how much you liked me.”
“But isn’t that worse? If I obviously loved you and I took off and broke your heart anyway?”
“Well, I forgive you for that. Now it’s your turn to forgive you.”
He shrugged.
“Yes?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll see.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
💋 [tiny nugget of additional spice] rated 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Now she was remembering all those months ago, too. Last summer, when she couldn’t deny she’d been sideswiped and heartbroken by his plans. But one thing was always clear—how much he hated to disappoint her. How much he cared. That was how she knew, even when things were so uncertain, that he would be worth all the trouble.
“Do you know you have the purest heart?”
“Hmm,” he mumbled with a soft laugh, probably already well on his way to dreamland on a pillow of her soft breasts, which he’d happily gotten his fill of tonight.
———
The Graham boys were very good boys, as far as nine-and-a-half year-old boys go. They came home from school and called their dad at 4:00 on the dot. They asked any homework questions they might have, or otherwise talked about video games and skateboarding and superheroes. Then they finished their homework, mostly, maybe guessing at a couple questions. Then they had a little over an hour left to mind their own behavior until their mom came home.
Their favorite thing to do was to call some friends over to the local basketball courts and shoot some hoops.
Jordan was enjoying a pleasant evening at camp and he really didn’t want to bring the mood down. There was absolutely no way Colette had anything pleasant to say.
So…
Colette: declined.
Colette: declined.
He would let her complaints go to voicemail, like he usually did.
Then, a short while later, a call from Milo, which was unusual because he’d spoken to the boys only an hour ago.
“Hey, what’s up, buddy?”
But it wasn’t Milo. It was Colette.
“It’s endearing, truly, how quickly you answer the phone for your son.”
“What are you doing on Milo’s phone? Where is Milo?”
Colette’s voice in his deeply-buried memories shouted, Answer your phone, you asshole. He’s dead. Why aren’t you here? You need to be here!
Several combined nightmares flashed through Jordan’s head—that he didn’t answer Colette’s call and something was wrong this time, that something happened to one of the boys, that he wasn’t there, that he didn’t get to say goodbye. Again.
“He’s fine,” Colette said. “He’s playing basketball across the street. But you wouldn’t have answered if I called you from my phone.”
Exhale.
Maria watched him with wide eyes. He patted her shoulder as he got up, mouthing, It’s okay.
He walked off into the dust where they couldn’t hear.
“You blame me for not answering? You usually don’t have anything productive to say.”
“What was so important you can’t answer?”
“My whole life is important,” he said.
“What if something happened?”
“I read the texts, I listen to your nasty voicemails. I talk to them every day. I talked to them just an hour ago. I knew it was just going to be your usual nagging.”
“So, this is what we do now? You send my calls to voicemail, then answer back hours later with a text?”
“It works for me,” Jordan quipped. “How’s Milo’s homework?”
Milo had shown him his most recent report card already, and it was solid B’s and C’s. She couldn’t fault him on that.
“It’s a passable idea only because you’re not here to help him properly,” she said.
“Hate me if you want,” he said. “But you don’t have to punish the boys because you want to punish me.”
“I’m punishing the boys? Oh, that’s rich.”
“You are, because you like being mad more than you like being happy.”
Colette huffed. “You don’t know anything.”
“Did you actually want something? Or you just called to insult me? This is why I don’t answer your calls.”
“When did you get so snotty? If you were this spunky when we were together, maybe we wouldn’t have broken up.”
“Yes, we would,” he said.
“Yes. I did want something. The boys said you’re coming back in December? Is that true? Don’t promise them things if you don’t mean it.”
“I mean it,” he said. “I’ll be there.”
“For how long?”
“I don’t know yet. A month, at least.”
“Fine. I’ll set the court date.”
“We don’t have to go to court.”
“Yes, we do,” she sneered. “I want a child support schedule. You need a lawyer. There’s a way to do this and you’re doing it wrong. They won’t give you any custody if you don’t have a place to live. That camper is not a home. Not even summers, not even for a few weeks. And my boys aren’t going to sleep on the floor of whatever skank you’ve hooked up with.”
Jordan bristled at the idea of Colette calling Maria a skank.
“You must be fucking someone by now,” she said. “We haven’t had sex for almost a year. And I knew you were with that blonde skank. The photographer. I watched her channel, and she was going on and on about you.”
God damn it, Ingrid. “It’s not real. None of that is real. She’s a writer. She makes shit up. I’m not with Ingrid. I never was.”
He worried then that Maria had been watching Ingrid’s channel, too.
“To be honest,” she said, “I just don’t believe you.”
She must have sensed something was going on, and he hadn’t been totally honest with her. He didn’t know how much information he owed her, but she was the mother of his children and she had to find out eventually. He was surprised, but proud, that the boys hadn’t spilled the beans already.
“So, I have been seeing someone,” he began.
Seeing someone? It was rather more involved than that by now, since she was here with her child, since they were living together, since she left her entire life for him, since he made an irrevocable promise not to break either of their hearts for now and all of eternity? What do you call that? Quite more than just “seeing someone.” They made vows.
“It’s not Ingrid. Her name is Maria and you don’t know her.”
Colette was so silent on the other end that he thought the call disconnected.
Then she finally asked, “How long?”
“Since August.”
“Do the boys know about her?”
“Yes, they do.”
“Those little fuckers.”
“Don’t be like that,” he said. “It’s not their fault. I asked them to let me tell you first.”
“Then what took you so long?”
He couldn’t think of a good answer, but she didn’t wait for one anyway.
“You met her at work?” she asked.
“Uh, yeah. I did.”
“I knew it, you always loved going in there. Must have been some reason, since the money was shit. How are you seeing someone from work if you don’t live here anymore?”
“She’s here now,” he said. “She moved here. She’s living with me. We’re living together.”
“Living together. Ha! She’s living with you, in your camper? Wow.” Colette cackled into the phone. “She sounds like a real winner. Let me guess: bleach blonde, fake tan, tramp stamp, missing a couple of teeth?”
“Fuck off, Colette.”
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” she said. “Whatever, I don’t care anymore.”
He could imagine the way her nose swung up, a single sharp intake and a huff.
“Good, how was your date with the doctor? Everything you ever dreamed of?”
Silence again, a few breaths too long. “He drives a Porsche and his dick is bigger than yours.”
“He sounds like your soulmate, better hang onto him,” Jordan said.
“Since when do you believe in soulmates? Oh, God, never mind, I don’t want to hear it. See you in December.”
click
Jordan knew there was little chance Colette actually went on that date. She should, though. She honestly should.
———
gameplay, notes, and extras:
Yep. He is getting some and you arent, Colette. Better go find that wrestler with a degree to keep up. The divorce is going to be run yet.
ReplyDeleteI’m lining up some dudes for her to meet. I can’t promise she’ll find THE ONE right off the bat, but you know, that’s part of the fun, too! 😂
Delete*Fun not run. Blasted autocorrect on my phone.
ReplyDeleteAutocorrect is the absolute worst. But thank you for reading my story! ❤️
Delete