Changing Seasons

One

PART ONE

It began with that friend request through Facebook on a dreary Wednesday evening in November. Rocco was in bed for the night. Krist, tired but not ready to lie down, was scrolling through his feed at his kitchen table when her request appeared. He almost couldn't believe his eyes, Atira. It had been ten years since they'd last spoken. He often thought about what she was up to; he'd even looked her up a few times but never messaged her. She looked happy and like she was doing well for herself. Krist wasn't necessarily doing wrong, but they appeared to be living two completely different lives, and he wasn't even sure what they'd have in common. Not that they'd ever really had anything in common; she was always out of his league, but even more so a decade later.

Hesitating momentarily, not wanting to seem overeager, he accepted her request and began looking at her profile. Atira Allen, 26, HR Manager for a large company in the region, lives in Seattle, Washington, and loves hiking, running, dancing, and outdoors. Krist Samson, also 26, is a part-time doorman at a local strip club, a gig worker, and a full-time dad in Vancouver, Washington. Likes...at this point, sleeping in when he can? Krist only had a little time for hobbies with work and a kid. So they didn't have anything in common; Krist supposed the worst that would happen is they would exchange a couple of messages, maybe they would even meet up a time or two, although he couldn't imagine anything coming of it. He didn't want to be too hopeful, but knowing she was still thinking of him felt good.

Despite the fact a decade had passed, Atira still looked like Atira. Just older and slightly more trim. She was not thin but lean from being active. She still had the same oval-shaped face, soft cheeks, doe-like brown eyes, and sun-kissed skin. Her hair was dark blond with silvery highlights hanging loosely around her face. She was pretty as fuck still in what his friend, Bryanna, would describe in a "basic white bitch" type of way.

Atira's profile showed a busy life full of friends and outings. She stood in front of a mountain with a triumphant smile, running towards the cold ocean water with a dog, sharing a giant margarita with four straws and her girlfriends. Living her best life. What was missing in it that would have made her want to reach out to Krist, of all people? Sex?

Krist had laid on the couch for an hour, phone in hand, watching the ten o'clock news, hoping she would comment or message him. When nothing came through, he got up, was disappointed, took a shower, and went to bed. He had to get up at six anyway to get Rocco ready for Head Start and then spend the day doing grocery delivery.

****

The rest of the week flew by. Krist had been busy working; he did his door shifts at the club on Fridays and Saturdays and would also do some food delivery for a few hours before he had to go in. Those days, Rocco would go to his grandparents' home or occasionally to his aunt Marisol's house. Krist would join him for dinner on Sunday evening before taking him home. It didn't make sense to drag the little boy home when he got off work at 3 a.m. only to bring him back when they woke up. Besides, Rocco loved all the spoiling from his grandparents and aunt. It also gave Krist time to be an adult, which generally never amounted to him getting it in with the girl downstairs and maybe a beer or blunt on the balcony, but it was a nice break.

Krist woke up around two on Sunday afternoon, stumbling into the kitchen half asleep and hungry. He'd brought a burger basket home from the club and ate it cold over the counter. His phone buzzed. It was April, the girl from downstairs. "Come by before you get Rocco?" her text read. He'd gone by her place Friday before he went into the club and when he'd gotten off his Saturday shift. Krist generally was not someone to turn down sex with a cute chick, but he could tell she wanted more than their fuck buddy relationship. There was nothing wrong with April; she was attractive and had her shit together, but he couldn't see himself with her. He had gone into the arrangement very clearly that this was just sex, and she was more than okay with it.

It was great at first, he'd go down there, or she'd come upstairs and they'd fuck. It wasn't always a quickie, but there was little to no conversation, kissing, or cuddling. A few months in, April would try to hold him or rest her head on his chest. She'd want to kiss him at the doorway and text him beyond the "Want to come over?". He would have to cut it off with her sooner than later, and it would probably be awkward around the complex until one of them moved.

The phone buzzed again. April: "You sleeping the day away, lol," followed by another buzz. She'd sent a picture of herself lying in bed with her long brown hair covering her bare breasts. Krist would be lying if he said he wasn't aroused, but he wasn't trying to see her a third time this weekend.

Krist began wiping down the counters when the phone went off a fourth time. He almost didn't look to see what it was. It was Atira on Messenger. His stomach dropped a bit, a feeling he rarely felt.

"I hope it's not weird that I added you," she'd written, adding an uncertain-faced emoji to the end of her sentence.

"No, not at all! How have you been doing?" Krist replied.

He could see Atira typing in the chat window, "I've been really good. I'm living in Seattle now. How are you? I can't believe you are a dad now!"

"I'm still in Vancouver, near the river. I'm good, work and my boy. Don't have much time for nothin else....hbu? You got any kids now?" He knew she didn't because he'd scoured her entire page but was unsure what else to say.

"No....unless you count my cat, lol, but it's just me."

"So, no lucky guy in the picture?" He teased her. Clearly, there was not, or else she wouldn't have hit him up.

"Gosh, no, lol! Are you with your little boy's mom?"

Krist's stomach tightened-Rocco's mom. Karla. She was probably the last person in the world that he'd wanted to think of, talk about, see. Garbage-ass broad. She'd been a fling. Not like a fling like April, but the type of thing that involved lots of dirty sex and dope in a skeezy motel. He hadn't even known she was pregnant until Rocco was a few months old, and her boyfriend, Josue, demanded a paternity test since Rocco looked "too white." He'd heard that Karla tried to say her grandma's side was Spanish with lighter skin and light eyes. Lo and behold, the DNA proved that Rocco could not belong to Josue. So Karla hit him up.

"Yo, I need you to take a DNA test. I think this kid is yours," she had messaged him.

Krist was ashamed to admit it, but he left Karla on read when he'd seen the message. He didn't trust her because she was known around town for being shady as fuck. Then he'd seen that picture of Rocco. He was three months old then. He had Karla's light caramel skin but Krist's gray-blue eyes. He didn't need a DNA test to tell him he was his father but agreed to take one anyway. 99.97% that was his son, and now he was tied to a bag bitch whore for the next eighteen years.

Karla was impossible to co-parent with if you could even call it that. She refused to let him see Rocco unless he had cash in hand. If he offered to buy things, Karla pitched a fit and claimed he didn't need them. That he would need to reimburse her for what was spent on Rocco. Sometimes, she would agree to meet Krist with their son for visitation only to be a no-show, or she would call to demand he drop everything to come pick him up. Sticking to an agreed-upon schedule with her was impossible.

In hindsight, Krist realized he should have involved the courts long before she abandoned Rocco just before his first birthday. Of course, nothing could change the past, and Rocco was safe with him.

Krist did not want to unload that mess on Atira, "No, we haven't been together since before Rocco was born."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Atira replied.

"Trust me, it's for the best," Krist typed. Before Atira could respond, he told her, "I've got to head over to my mom's, but if you're up later, I'd love to chat more."

"Of course! We could even video chat if you'd want :)"

A smile spread across Krist's face, "I'd love that. I put Rocco down to bed at 8. Would 9 be too late?"

"Not at all! Looking forward to it!"