Southern Seduction (134 page)

Bobby

“Bobby! I missed you so much, sweetie!” Mom gushed as she pulled me in for a hug. She was one of the few who called me Bobby. Just her and my bandmates.

“I missed you too, Mom. How is your job at the casino?” I questioned. She’d recently started at a new casino as a dealer. Sitting down at the kitchen table, she lit her cigarette and took a drag.

“Oh, just like every other casino job, Bobby. It pays the bills.”

“Mom, I told you. If you need money, I would give it to you. You don’t have to work, you know. I have plenty to take care of you with.”

She waved her cigarette in the air. “No, Bobby.”

It was our routine every time we saw each other for me to offer her money and for her to decline.

“Son, I need to speak with you about something that has been bothering me,” she began, and the tone of her voice made me a little nervous. I hoped she wasn’t ill or something.

“Sure, Mom. What is it?”

Taking another long drag of her cigarette, she shakily set it down in the ashtray and looked up at me.

“Your father is dying.”

Looking up at her, I fought the anger that instantly bubbled to the surface.

“Who the fuck cares?” I spat at her. She flinched at my tone and I instantly felt guilty.

“Well, Bobby, I haven’t told you the entire truth of how the divorce evolved. You see, I had an affair on your father with a fella down at the 5
th
Street Pub. Your dad was so upset about it. We’d talked about divorce many times, but when he caught me cheating and confronted me, I took the opportunity to leave with you.”

She put out her cigarette and lit another one before she continued. Reaching over, I grabbed one for myself and took a drag while I waited.

“Bobby, I never told you because you were my baby boy. I wanted to be the better parent in your eyes even though it was my fault.”

“Mom, it still doesn’t change the fact that Dad didn’t give a shit what happened to me. We’ve been surviving just fine the last fifteen years without that deadbeat.”

Her eyes filled with tears as she snuffed out her cigarette. My own hands were shaking as I wondered where she was going with all of this.

“There were some things I never told you.” A choked sob escaped her lips.

The beating in my chest intensified. “What things, Mom?”

“For one, he always paid child support and sent money for every holiday and birthday.”

My fists tightened at her admission.

“But you told me he didn’t care about us and refused to send a dime,” I whispered, my voice unsteady with anger.

As she nodded, the tears fell from their pools above her eyelids, and she stood suddenly, walking to her bedroom. A minute later, she returned with a sack full of something. Setting the sack on the table, she proceeded to pull out bundles of letters wrapped in rubber bands. There were hundreds of them. I suddenly felt very nauseated.

She searched until she found the one she was looking for and handed it over to me. Reluctantly, I accepted the letter that was addressed to me in my dad’s distinct handwriting. Ripping it open quickly, I read his letter.

Bobby,

God, I miss you so much, son. She hasn’t let me speak to you on the phone. I can only hope she is forwarding these letters to you. You guys have only been gone a week and I miss you terribly. The house is so lonely without your laughter and sweet spirit. I’ve kept your room exactly the way you like it and even added some new Star Wars posters to the wall that I hope you’ll like.

Your mother thinks it will be too hard for you to bounce back and forth between Vegas and Texas for shared custody. I’m going to fight for you in court, son. You belong here with me. June comes by every day asking when you will come back. I always tell her, “One day.” And I hope that day will be soon.

If you get this letter, please call me. I just want to tell you how much I love you. I’ll write again soon.

Daddy

My own tears fell and splashed the letter, smearing the ink. Mom sobbed loudly as she pushed the large bag full of letters to me.

“I’m so sorry, Bobby. He’s dying now, and I kept you from him. Please forgive me,” she begged, grabbing my knee.

I stood quickly, pulling from her grasp. My mind was racing and I felt completely betrayed. Wordlessly, I tossed the letter into the bag and picked it up to take them with me. As I stalked towards the front door without saying goodbye, she called out after me.

“Bobby, where are you going?”

“Texas.”

June

“Ju Ju, you got yourself quite the shiners! What in the world happened?” Aunt Linda asked as she tightened her apron straps. Linda was my mom’s best friend who worked with me at the diner. I was surprised Momma hadn’t told her already.

“Markwayne hit me. I’ve left him, and Momma is letting me stay with her until I can get on my feet.”

Today, my bruising was horrible. He’d really hit me hard, and I was shocked my nose wasn’t broken. The black eyes still shone through my many layers of makeup. The questions would be endless today from my customers.

“Good for you, girl. I always thought you were better than that boy. He doesn’t deserve such a pretty, smart woman. A woman like you deserves a real man, not a redneck boy.” And this was why I loved Linda. She was always Team June, even when Momma and I had our fights. She truly was like an aunt to me.

“Thanks, Aunt Linda. I’ve got to go help that customer that just sat down,” I told her, chuckling. She grinned and swatted my bottom as I walked away.

When I got to the table, my stomach flip-flopped when I realized it was Mr. Acer, Bobby’s daddy. The man’s health seemed to have deteriorated over the past year, but today he looked unusually sick.

“Hi there, Mr. Acer. How are you doing today? Can I get you the usual?” I chirped, hoping to elicit a smile from his gray face.

“June. You are just what the doctor ordered this morning,” he said softly. He hadn’t looked up at me yet, but he knew my voice since he was a regular. Finally, he lifted his eyes to me and the gray from his face disappeared as red flooded it. “What the hell, June? That boy been beatin’ up on you?” he growled.

I sighed because it was already starting. “Yes, sir. He got a good one on me, but it will be the last. I moved back in with Momma. He ain’t gettin’ another opportunity to do this again,” I promised.

The anger dissipated a bit and he smiled at me. “Good girl. I’ll take the usual.” He looked at me expectantly, and I knew what he wanted. We’d done the same song and dance for fifteen years. Even though we both hated the way it made us feel, we still needed the words.

“When’s Bobby comin’ home?” I asked, and my lip trembled like it always did. I could still see Bobby’s mischievous brown eyes looking at mine whenever I closed my eyes, and I missed them terribly, even to this day.

“One day, June.” The tears in his eyes matched my own.

Nodding at him, I went off to fetch his coffee and put in his order. My heart ached because this man would never see his son. The son whom he loved dearly. Deciding that today was just going to suck completely, I took in a shaky breath and marched forward with a smile on my face even though I felt like crawling into a hole and crying.

I managed to make it through my entire double shift without breaking down. It was embarrassing to have to move back in with your momma because your husband had beat on you. The whole thing was so country cliché.

Walking to my truck, I suddenly got the chills as I felt someone watching me. I shrieked when a hand reached out and latched on to my upper arm.

“Shit, Ju Ju! I didn’t mean to scare ya. I just want to talk to ya,” Markwayne explained as he turned me to face him. He cringed when he saw my face, and I hoped he felt guilty as hell for marking me like this.

“Don’t touch me, Markwayne. We’re over, and I already called a lawyer today on my break about filing for divorce. We aren’t happy, and last night was proof that we can no longer be together,” I spat at him. My chest was heaving from a mix of anger and anxiety.

Markwayne had been a football hero in high school and had only grown bigger over the years. He worked out every single day and was absolutely massive. My two black eyes and nearly broken nose were proof that he was the stronger of the two of us.

“Please, Ju Ju. I’m so sorry I did that to yer face. Ya know I love you, girl. Yer my wife,” he pleaded. My heart was already over him and had been for some time. His outburst from last night had been the last straw.

“It’s done, Markwayne. You better be glad I didn’t call the cops. Do not talk to me and certainly do not ever touch me again,” I seethed, jerking my arm from his grasp. Not waiting for a response, I stormed over to my truck and left him in the dust as I pulled away.

Bobby

Not even twenty-four hours after had Mom handed me those letters, I was driving a rental up Dad’s driveway. Seeing my old home for the first time in fifteen years caused emotion to bubble in my throat and I fought to choke down a sob. Parking the car, I nervously stepped out of the vehicle and made my way up the front porch.

The house had fallen to shambles and the porch seemed ready to cave in on some parts. Looking over at the swing where I’d kissed June, my heart hurt as I realized that one of the chains had come loose and the side of it rested on the porch floor. Sighing, I knocked on the door.

I could hear slow shuffling through the house before the door finally opened. My dad looked horrible. His face was void of all color, and he seemed to be a little spaced out. At first, he looked over my tattoos and piercings with a frown, which made my heart race at the prospect of being rejected by him. It was only natural for me to feel that way since I had been made to believe he’d never wanted me my entire teenage and adult life. But when his eyes met mine, the unease faded as I was hit with the love and acceptance I remembered from my childhood.

“My boy,” he choked out. I could tell he wanted to hug me so I made the first move and enveloped his frail body in a tight embrace. We both cried loudly, not releasing the other.

“Daddy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” I managed to explain through my tears.

He shook his head and patted my back before pulling away. “Bobby, it doesn’t matter. You’re here now, son. I’ve missed you so much. Please, come in.”

I followed him into his house and noticed that everything looked exactly the same as I remembered. It was if I’d walked into a time capsule. My heart ached as I took it all in.

“Daddy, if it’s okay, I’m going to stay with you until, you know…” I trailed off, not wanting to say the words. He was dying from pancreatic cancer. There was no coming back from that.

“It’s all I ever wanted,” he said softly.