Black Smoke

Unfinished Business

With Dante's mother returning home, it had been a few relieving weeks after at best. As confusing as it sounded, my old man took time out of these past few days to bond with me.  He no longer called me boy and kid. It was now Son and Zayden. I accepted the fact that this was going to take some getting used to and that it also wasn't going to be overnight. Still, it was the effort that counted for me. 

Dante, however, wasn't too easy to convince. I remembered telling him about it this morning on my first day back to school. He was more upbeat than the previous few days before he got that call from his dad about his mother being discharged from the hospital. We both came to realize it was a scary situation in the beginning, but now that she was better than before, his worries flew away with the morning breeze. 

"Nah, man. I'm sorry, but all those years of him being a low-life drunk to you, and now all of a sudden, a full bottle of Vodka and an empty gun with a waterworks show changes your mind about him?" 

I stuffed my hands into my pockets as we continued down the road. Dad offered to take us but then realized he had to clean out his truck. His dashboard and floorboard were still covered in aluminum tabs from beer cans. 

"It's not that I changed my mind about him, but I mean, hey, you were the one who said change eventually happens to everyone. Or was it that I needed to accept it?"

He rolled his eyes at me, kicking a small rock off to the side of the road, his hands tucked loosely in his hoodie pocket. "First of all, this isn't the time to be using my own words against me. Not because you're right, but because, you know..." I waited for the rest of the answer, but he brushed it aside. "Another is that I also said it's for better or worse, and your old man is the epitome of worst. I also find it coincidental AND ironic that the same night I talk to you about becoming different from him, he ends up deciding to change his ways as well!" 

"I know what I believe, and so do you. Let's keep it at that." A moment passed as a gust of wind hit us before I finished what I said with a better ending. "At least, for now."

He sighed, pulling out his phone and bringing up some messages. "Speaking of change, is there any way you'll be talking to Vanessa again? She hasn't talked to me much, and that's a bit bothersome. Mostly because it was my idea from the get-go to get you two talking. If this ends up working out, I'll be more than just a one-of-a-kind matchmaker. I would have gotten you an actual girlfriend!" Braggadocious as he was, he still needed to remind himself why she was giving the me cold shoulder. 

"I don't know," I answered. "I already told you what went down that day, D. Let's just call it what it was- a distraction I think that fits perfectly. A distraction from school. From Dad. From going every day having to be the guy born as Zayden Markson. I'll give you your credit. It was fun while it lasted." I ran both of my hands through my hair. If there were even the slightest chance of trying to start things back up again, I had to make sure my dad had changed completely, and in Dante's words, for the best.

Another would be if she even wanted to talk to me again. I told her not to chase after me. I told her it wouldn't work out AND tied her parent's disapproval into it. Why on earth would she be upset? She should be thrilled! Thrilled about not having to try any more on me. Charity case or not, I was no longer included in the equation. 
Unless of course...she did like me after all this time. Unless she hasn't been faking it. 

Unless she lied to her parents just to get the approval and nothing more.
Was it for my sake? Was it so that way we could receive a blessing in the most illegitimate way? 
Was I looking at this all wrong?  

Wait...why the hell am I worrying about this right now? 

"Because she's on your mind," I heard him say as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket.