Javi, Come Home

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

     After breakfast, Javi asks Oscar if he can go grocery shopping with him. There's foods he wants in the house, but he also feels like he needs to be helping out with the bills. His dad's not going to take his money, though, so he's gotta be stealth with it.

     They drive into town together and walk the aisles of the local supermarket, dropping items into the grocery basket Oscar's pushing. It reminds Javi of being a kid and going to the store with his dad, one hand holding onto the cart the whole time.

     When they go to check out, Javi asks Oscar if he can check if they have a nondairy creamer he likes. He knows they don't, and he also doesn't like nondairy creamer, but Oscar is happy to go look for him. While he's gone, Javi pays for the groceries, and puts all the bags in the cart. Oscar returns empty-handed, as expected.

     "They didn't have it," Oscar says. "But I can check the supermarket in Marin when I head up there later today. They're a little more hoity-toity."

     Javi laughs and shakes his head. "It's totally fine, dad. I could probably use the calcium."

     Oscar eyes his son and nods. "Yeah, I wasn't gonna say anything, but you could use some beefing up. Your mother probably thinks you're starving."

     Javi's throat tightens at the mention of his mom. "Alright, I checked us out already."

     "You didn't have to do that," Oscar says, a little testy.

     "Consider it the rent you won't take from me."

     "You don't need to pay rent. It's your home."

     Javi throws his hands up. He's not going to argue with his dad. He'll just find subtle ways to support him financially. They load the groceries into his truck but before they leave, Javi asks, "Do you need my help putting these away or can you drop me off at Margie's?"

     "I got the groceries," Oscar says. "But you know it's actually Tate's house, right? He bought it."

     Javi kinda knew that but also doesn't mind the actual confirmation. It just leaves him curious as to how Tate managed to afford buying a house.

     "Okay, well, drop me off at Tate's house then but I'm only going to see Margie."

     "Right," Oscar agrees but his expression tells a different story.

❂

     Tate's outside in the garage he turned into a work space. The doors open to help ventilate since he has a dresser covered in Citristrip. He hears a car come up his path and looks up as Javi gets out of Oscar's truck. Oscar waves from the driver's seat and Tate raises his hand to him.

     Javi notices Tate but doesn't move until Oscar's started driving away. Then he walks over. He looks the same, kind of weary, but he's dressed nice. His hairs pushed back off his face and wavier than usual. It's getting long.

     "Hey," Javi says biting his bottom lip. He's nervous, Tate realizes. But he doesn't understand why. Javi's eyes roam over the space. "You did that?" he asks next pointing to a vintage armoire he'd restored.

     Tate nods. "Yeah, I do restorations in my spare time."

     Javi's brows go up. "Wow. That's impressive."

     Tate doesn't know why Javi's praise sinks into him so deeply. But it makes him feel good. He wipes his hands on his shorts and walks over to him, picking up some polaroids he has. "This was the before." He holds them out to Javi.

     Javi takes them and Tate can tell he really is impressed, that he's not just pretending to be, which makes him feel even better. When he's finished shuffling through the photos, he holds them out to Tate and asks, "Do you still play?"