Skater Boy

Chapter 11

Days at a Time - Three and a Bit Years Later

Scarlet

"Mummy!"

"Coming Bentley!" I said, as I finished putting on my lipstick. The small two-bedroom apartment, was paid for by my grandparents in this small university town, we had a deal that as soon as I got back on my feet, with paying for food and other Bentley necessities, I would pay them back. "Where are you my sweet boy?" I called as I walked from the tiny bathroom into the lounge room.

"I here!" he shouted and jumped out from behind one of the walls. "and I have shoes." His big toothy grin and a point to his feet, made me smile just as much.

His blonde hair was all shaggy and so much like his father, his blue eyes were bright with curiosity. Bentley loved life and meeting new people, that's what made today both dangerous and exciting.

Today I was meeting up with Cleo and Nikki after all these years, they both reached out to me when they found out that I moved to his university town, the two of them had gotten into the local uni. I was so angry with them to start off with, since neither of them send me letters back when I was pregnant but since having my son I have learnt not to hold grudges.

My new phone pinged from the kitchen bench, where it was charging, Bentley jumped up on to the bar stool where his cereal bowl was sitting next to the phone. "Who Cweo mummy?"

"She is an old friend of mine."

Bentley tilted his head and looked at me with a look of question. "Who Cweo?"

"I will tell you when you are older."

"Like when I twee?"

"Yes, like when you are three." I kissed Bentley on the head before I grabbed my phone and checked the messages.

Cleo: Hey Scar, Nikki and I are out the front of that café that you said to meet you at

Me: fantastic! I'll be there soon, please don't freak out when I get there x

Cleo: aww hell! You can't say that to me and not expect me to ask questions x

I giggled as I read the text. "Come on Bentley, it's time to go." I called.

"Coming mummy." Bentley came running up to me, his jacket in his hand and a beanie askew on his head.

"Come here." I smiled, before fixing up his beanie on his head and zipping up his jacket. "Ready?"

Bentley smiled. "Weady."

Bentley and I walked the short distance to the small café that Bentley proclaimed had the best milkshakes ever. I saw Nikki and Cleo through the window, sitting at a four seated table. I walked in first and when they saw me Cleo let out a shriek that had alerted the entire café to our arrival. "Scar!" Cleo got up from her seat and ran over to me, that's when Bentley made himself known, he made Cleo stop and look at me with so many questions. "Are you babysitting?"

I looked at them, what are they talking about? They have to know what who Bentley is, or did Mason not tell them anything? Fucking bastard.

"No!" Bentley said. "she's my mummy." And just like that Bentley dropped the bomb.

"You have a kid!" Cleo shouted, trying to make sense of the situation. "You have a kid! You have a kid!! Aww he is so cute." And just like that Cleo engulfed Bentley in a massive hug.

"How old?" Nikki asked, making Cleo and I stop.

"I be twee in Otober!" Bentley said with a big grin on his face, holding up three of his little fingers to Cleo and Nikki's faces.

Nikki and Cleo looked at each other and then back at me. "October." I clarified. Yeah they've figured it out, with a nod I confirmed it, he was Mason's.

I ordered Bentley a chocolate milkshake, which distracted him enough for me to talk with my friends. "He speaks well for a two-and-a-half-year-old." Nikki said.

"Nothing to do on my part, he's just a very smart kid." I said, looking at my mini Mason. "He was speaking and walking a lot younger then all of the other kids."

"So what happened?" Cleo asked, around her extra shot, extra foam cappuccino with three sugars.

"Mother and father found out about," I pointed at my son. "and they sent me to my grandparent's house, I thought I was going to be on my own after I had him but they let me stay around until I got on my feet with a job, you are now looking at a fully certified child care worker. Its great I get to learn about taking care of kids and Bentley gets free child care."

"Wow Scar, that is amazing! You really came into your own haven't you." Nikki said, around her soy milk hot chocolate.

"So, I have to ask, how is Mason?" Cleo and Nikki look at each other for a second, I knew that they were debating whether or not they should tell me everything.

"Fallen Empire were finalists in a Battle of the Bands about a year ago, Mason has been trying to get over you after all this time, he was devastated after you left. Especially after all those letters..."

"And yet, he never responded when I told him about Bentley, when I asked him if he wanted to give him away or if we should keep him, even when I asked him what we should name our son when I found out that he was a boy."

"What? You never told us any of that in your letters." Cleo said. "Trust me, I was the one that had to tell Mason, every time I got a letter from you, also some of your letters didn't make much sense. You kept on telling us that you had another letter for Mason but we never found a letter like that, or any of the photos that you promised us."

"But I put in letters for Mason along with pictures of Bentley..." that's when it dawned on me, "They've been messing with my mail... they took out everything that I needed to tell Mason, they took out every baby picture. Oh my god, that's why he never wrote back."

Nikki came over to sit next to me, and Cleo grabbed hold of my hand and started to rub her thumb over the back. "Are you going to tell him?" Nikki asked.

"I'm going to have to aren't I?" I asked, although it was more of a statement then anything else.

Cleo and Nikki both nodded, "Yeah, I think you know what he as a right to know about Bentley." Cleo said.

"How about we go out one weekend, one of us can look after our god son, and the other can show you the sights of this small town." Nikki said, with a sly grin on her face.

"Especially the night life." Cleo smirked.

Bentley and I spent the rest of the day with my friends and now his self proclaimed aunts, he loved all of the attention that he was getting from them, they took him toy shopping and bought him gifts that they missed out of giving him over the past few years.

That night I read my son, a few chapters from the Harry Potter novels, and put him to sleep, thinking about what it would have been like if Mason did know about his son, would he sing to Bentley as he went to sleep, would he tuck him in and kiss his forehead?

"Are you okay mummy?" Bentley asked.

"Yes, my sweet boy, it's just time for you to go to sleep." I kissed his head. "Goodnight baby."

"Goodnight mummy."