He's My Teacher!

Chapter 13-Knee Hugger

Chapter 13

several days later…

After 30 text messages, 15 phone calls, and three incessant poundings on my door I have turned my phone off and dead bolted my door. Ava seems concerned but I assured her that men can be idiots at times and this is his time. She gave me a nervous laugh and put her head phones in and walked off. She finally warms up to the idea of me dating again and this happens. Knocking started again and I was about to come unglued and call the police to remove him from my porch when I heard a voice that was not his.

“Come on my little minx let me in or I will huff and puff and well you know the rest,” Keith said. I flung the door back to see him smirking at me. What struck me first of his appearance is that he looks much younger than even Darrel. Why hadn’t I noticed that when he brought me home? Probably because I was so devastated that I didn't even really look at him

“Oh God, what do you want Keith?” I ask.

“You are being awful rude today sweet pea,” he said looking me up and down. What a hormone infested goober.  I took his chin.

“Eyes are up here Keith,” I said irritated.

“Oh, but the rest is so much more fun,” he said chuckling at my now red face. “You gonna let me in?”

“Yeah, come on in,” I said trying to hide my embarrassment. As we sat at the kitchen table he looked me in the eye for once.

“My boy is a mess without you. He has been doing an awful lot more drinking than usual and he mentioned quitting his job. He said you won’t even text him,” he said accusingly.

“Don’t start with me Keith. He isn’t grown up enough to be in a relationship with someone like me,” I told him flatly. He reached over grabbing my arm.

“He’s in pain Carolyn. He misses you,” he replied. Shaking off his arm I stood to dump my left over coffee.

“Just talk to him so he can stop moping around, please?” he begged.

“Fine, I will talk to him but that’s not to say I will give him another chance,” I warned frowning at how his face beamed at me.

“Let’s go, I'll drive,” He said. I could argue but it won’t do me any good.

“Okay, just let me tell my daughter I am leaving,” I tell him. He nods and waits for me by the front door.

“Ava, I have to go see Darrel for a little while,” I yell down the hall. She stepped out of her room, not realizing that anyone was here.

“Okay momma, I am just gonna hang here today because everyone else is busy,” she said sadly.

“You are welcome to join us, peaches,” Keith said from behind me. My blood boiled, I realized for the first time that Ava was standing there in a tank top and her boy shorts. I turned and punched Keith in the stomach causing and oomph sound to escape his mouth.

“I’ll be back Ava,” I said and smiled hearing her laugh at me punching a complete stranger. Pushing Keith out of the door I smacked his head when he tried to get another peek of my baby girl.

“Don’t make me castrate you, manho,” I said serious enough that he cringed.

“How old is Ava?” he questioned after we had been in the car for a few minutes.

“Too young, so help me if you even go near my baby, I will tear you a few new holes to breathe out of,” I sneered.

“Calm down momma bear, just making conversation,” he said. We finally made it to Darrel’s house and I noticed his car parked on the lawn. I looked questioningly over at Keith.

“I told you he is in bad shape,” he said shaking his head. Keith opened the door and I was shocked by the state of his home. I had been inside his house before and it was very tidy for a bachelor pad. It now looked like a landfill of aluminum beer cans, beer bottles, and delivery food cartons. Kicking and stepping over beer cans and bottles Keith drug me to Darrel’s bedroom. He was laying cattycorner on his bed with his arm hanging off the edge of the bed and it held a beer bottle that looked to be empty. Keith walked over and rolled him on his back and in his other hand which was clutched to his chest held a long rectangle of white paper. Keith took it from his hand and motioned for me to look at it. It was a string of photographs we took at the mall in one of those little photo booths. My heart melted all the anger I had held the last couple of days at the sight of our faces staring back at us.

Keith shook Darrel waking him from his passed out state, but he just rolled back to his stomach, taking a swing from the near empty bottle in his hand.

"Go away," Darrel mumbled.

“Well, I brought Carolyn here but if you don’t want to talk to her I guess I will just take her back to her place,” Keith told Darrel. It took a moment, but when the words registered he shot off the bed wid-eyed and stumbled into the wall searching the room for me. When his eyes met mine I was shocked at just how bloodshot they were. He was a mess. His hair was sticking up everywhere and his face looked shaggy with the facial hair that had sprouted in the past days.

“Lynnie,” he said as a tear started rolling down his face. He reached for me but leaned a little too far over and fell flat on his face.

“Get your drunk ass off the floor man, your woman is here and you are making a punk out of yourself in front of her,” Keith said as he hauled him off the floor and onto his feet.

“Lynnie, I was so stupid. I am so sorry if I made you feel less than you want it to be,” he said as he fell back to his knees and literally crawled over to me. “I am crawling, begging and I will grovel if that is what you want because I can’t do this anymore,” he said slurring the entire time. While it was sweet, he was also completely schnokered and probably wouldn’t remember any of it tomorrow. I motioned for Keith to get him off of me. Keith came over and tried to remove his hands from around my legs but he held on for dear life.

“Come on man, you are embarrassing me here, and that is saying a whole hell of a lot. Have some pride,” Keith said as he gave up on trying to force Darrel’s hands off of my legs.

“Look, Darrel,” I commanded and he immediately complied. He was giving me the saddest and cutest puppy dog face I have ever seen. “You smell like a brewery. I want you to go take a shower and shave your face,” he started to protest as I said this but I cut him off. “I will be here when you get finished, but I refuse to talk with you in the state that you are currently in. Keith and I will make some coffee and find you some nice, greasy food. Then and only then will I talk to you about us,” I said sternly.

“You won’t leave, you promise,” he asked sounding like a scared little boy.

“No I promise, I will wait right here in your house until you are cleaned up, now go,” I ordered him. He quickly let go of the death grip he had my legs in and started digging through his clothes.

“Help him, so he doesn’t kill himself getting to the shower,” I told Keith. He nodded and for once he didn’t look amused by anything at all. Walking into the kitchen I let out a breath from the overwhelming situation in front of me. I had the dishes soaking in the sink and the table and counter tops clean by the time Keith made it to me.

“How did he and his place get this bad in just a few days?” I asked.

“Well, he was really messed up and drunk the other night and decided to have a hell of a party. This is what happened,” he says motioning around the room. “I wasn’t lying when I told you he has been drunk since you took off from him the other night.”

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poor guy is so lost...let's hope he chooses his words carefully