A Simple Life: Chapter 112 (Patreon)

Winona rolls into the spot and is quick to unbuckle as I sit there looking down at my mom’s car.  Even though it was such a short drive Mom rarely came down here to visit her dad.  Why did she have to be here today of all days?  I wanted so bad for this moment to just be for Winona and Grandpa.  I consider delaying the introductions but the more I turned it over in my mind the more I realized that this was probably a stroke of good luck in disguise.  Mom was always on her best behavior around her father.  And at this time of day at least I knew that she’d be sober.

“Something wrong Sprout?”  Winona asks when she sees me still with my belt on.  “You okay?”

“That’s m-my mom’s car.”  I say softly.  “I d-d-didn’t think she would b-be here.”

“Great!”  Winona slaps my knee.  “Two birds, one stone.”

“Yeah.”  I look over at her.  “Hey.  If M-Mom says anything f-funny…um, she doesn’t m-mean it, okay?”

She gives me a curious look.  “That’s an odd thing to say.”

“I know.  J-Just…she’s got, um, issues.”  I sigh.  “She means well but…I d-dunno.  Like mother, like son I g-guess.  Don’t judge her too harshly?”

“Alright.  Not my place to judge in the first place.”  She says as she rubs my leg.  “Is everything okay Avery?”

“Yeah.  Everything is f-fine.”  I say.  “I just w-wasn’t expecting to see her.”  Unbuckling my seat belt I take a deep breath and nod.  “Alright.  Let’s do this.”

Winona’s eyes narrow as she searches my face with concern.  After I give her an assuring smile she nods back.  “Lead the way.”

I slip out the door and meet Winona at the front corner of the truck.  Taking her hand in mine I lead her out onto the docks.  With the sun shining and the free sea air in our faces my mood lifts again as we make our way closer to the Bella.  Along the way I point out the different yachts and pleasure craft and tell her little tidbits about their various owners until at last we are closing in on Grandpa’s big home.  Unsurprisingly, since I knew he already had company, the gangway was already down.

“Woahhh.”  Winona marvels at the old trawler turned houseboat.  “This is your Grandpa’s place?”

“Yep!”  I say proudly.

“This thing is awesome!  You can actually drive this big beast?”

“Excuse me?”  I lift my chin indignantly.  “Bella is a L-Lady, thank you very much.  No things nor beasts here.”

We share a chuckle as I lead her up the gangway onto deck.  I am barely on board when a sound I’d heard less than a half dozen times in my whole life stops me in my tracks.  It was my Grandpa’s voice raised in anger.

“Avery is getting Bella!”  He says, his raspy voice cracking with emotion.  “I’ve made my decision, Joni, and that’s…”  His point is cut off by a fit of coughing.

“And what about the rest of us, Dad?”  My mom snarks back.  “This damn tub’s the only thing of value you’ve got left to…”

“Shhh!”  He hushes her as he hears the clunk of Winona stepping off of the gangway.  “Is someone there?”   He calls.  “Hello?”

My cheeks burning with an embarrassed blush at hearing what I wasn’t supposed to hear and hoping with all my heart that Winona hadn’t heard my family’s dirty laundry I clear my throat and say.  “It’s m-m-me.”  Winona steps in beside me and quietly slips her hand into mine.  She gives it a supportive squeeze.  Yeah.  She heard them alright.  How embarrassing!  “I-It’s me.”  I say again a bit louder.

Up from below deck comes my mom looking quite nice today in a casual outfit of beige slacks and blouse with a brown denim jacket.  She was a petite, like me, had blond hair, like me, and bright blue eyes, just like me.  Add to this her similar fine boned features and slender physique and there wasn’t a person in the world who could have mistaken us as anything but mother and son.  The thing that stood out today though was her red nose and bleary pink eyes.  She’d been crying.  Oh God!  Grandpa just broke the news!  Why hadn’t I figured that out sooner!?  How could I be so foolish?

“Avery.”  She huffs as she rushes to me and pulls me into a hard hug.  “Dad just told me.”

I hug my mom unsure of what to do or say that would make her feel better.  Winona steps to the side to give us a moment together.

Slower up the stairs comes Grandpa looking scruffy as ever and a bit sheepish as he realized that I’d probably heard some of the argument not meant for my ears.  As he always did though he brightens the moment that he sees my face.  Even more so today when he sees who I’d brought with me.

“I think I might know who this is.”  He walks across the deck with a big grin and his hand extended.

“Hello Sir.”  Winona says with utmost manners as she hurries forward to take his hand.  Little did she know that the hand had been a ruse.  As I knew he would Grandpa pulls Winona into a hug of her own.  I continue to try to comfort my mom but seeing the two of them hug was the most beautiful thing ever!

Mom steps back from me with a sniffle and wipes her nose with a tissue as she turns to see our guest for the first time.  “Oh!”  She swallows and sniffles again.  “This must be the new friend I heard about.”  When their hug ends mom offers her hand to give Winona a shake.  “Sorry.  You’re not catching me at my best.  This is not a great time I’m afraid.”

“It’s cool.” Winona says, straightening her glasses from the embrace.  “We never meant to intrude.”

“It’s m-my fault.”  I apologize.  “W-We were passing by.  W-We c-can come back later.”

“Later would be good.”  Mom says to Winona.  “Family business you understand.”  She takes my hand, holding it in such a way that signaled that while Winona could leave I had to stay.

“Nonsense.”  Grandpa says with a wave.  “We were talking in circles anyway.  My door is always open to friends of Avery.”  He looks to me, a twinkle in his eye.  “How about a proper introduction?”

“Winona.  This is Grandpa and Mom.  Mike and J-J-Joni to most.”  I say, my eyes only on Grandpa.  “Mom.  Grandpa.  This is Winona.”  My breath catches a moment with joy as I add.  “M-My girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?”  Mom gasps, her face brightening into a disbelieving smile despite the grim news she’d just received.  “Girlfriend!”  She looks at me with pride sparkling in her blue eyes.  “Avery!  You never told me that you had a girlfriend!?”

“Ha ha!”  Grandpa laughs a happy laugh and claps his hands.  “I had a feelin this one was special.  I can tell you that you made one heck of an impression on my Buttercup here.”

“The feeling was mutual.”  Winona smiles bashfully.  “Pleasure to meet you both.”

This time it’s Mom who pulls Winona down into a hug around the neck.  “Girlfriend.  I didn’t even know he was seeing anyone.”  Holding Winona by the shoulders she steps back to look her up and down.  Since Mom was even shorter than me there was a lot more up than down.  “My!  You’re a big one.”  As I blush Winona laughs it off.  Mom shoots a look to me.  “Avery.  Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I-I’m telling you n-now.”

“This kid.”  She rolls her eyes.  Coming back to my side she takes my arm and holds it tight to her side.  “I told you it was a phase.”   She whispers.  “Didn’t I?”

A flinch crosses my face despite my best effort to contain it.  Even before my first date with Eddie, back when she saw my internet history which included both hot guys and girls, she had told me that my interest in men was nothing more than a ‘phase’ and that I was just confused and weak and that Kayla was a bad influence and that I would eventually outgrow it.

“Yeah.”  I wear the fake smile I always used when she hurt my feelings.  “You d-d-did Mom.  You sure d-did always s-say that.  Y-Y-You we’re right.”

“Moms always know.”  She kisses my cheek, just below my bruised eye.  “I’m really proud of you Avery.  She is lovely.”

Chapter 113