Chet Clancy AHS:1984 One-shot and Shorts

I Love Boats: Part 2

Los Angeles, California
January 25, 1981
10:02 a.m.

     "Oh, Baby." Chet moans as he stretches. "I'm so glad you didn't have work today. I didn't wanna leave you just yet." He rubs Avery's chest, seeing that he's still fast asleep. "I like laying here with you, next to you. You make me feel safe, and comfortable. Being with you makes me feel like there's another person who actually cares what happens to me, someone who'd miss me. Leaving you Saturday nights is the worst feeling. But when I get to see you again Monday after work, it makes up for the day apart. I just wish we didn't have to leave each other. I've tried for so long to find love, but I was starting to think either it doesn't exist, or I can never have it. But when I'm with you, I have hope that love is possible."
     He lays his head on Avery's chest. Avery takes a sharp breathe and opens his eyes. "You awake?"
     "It's kinda hot in here." Chet says softly. "I'm gonna get some water. Go back to bed, baby." He kisses Avery's cheek and gets out of bed, walking into the hallway and to the bathroom. He flips a plastic cup into the sink and turns the water on, staring at himself in the mirror. A series of mouth shaped bruises wrap around and up his neck, with a matching bite mark on his shoulder. He makes eye contact with himself, starting to tear up.
     He grabs his now overflowed cup of water and walks into the living room, sitting on the couch next to Mork. She was still in her sleeping position, but wide awake and wagging her tail. Normally she would have shared the bed with them, but they would never let their little girl in the room during what they had done the night before. He rubs her head, sipping at the water.
     Mork's ears perk up, followed by her jumping up and running to the door, starting to bark. Sure enough, there's a knock a second later. Chet gets up and opens the door, getting it open just as Avery comes running out.
     "Who are you?" Chet asks.
     "Excuse me? Who are you?" The woman asks.
     "I asked first."
     Avery gets in front of Chet. "Jordie, hi. What are you doing here?"
     "It's Sunday at ten in the morning. I'm dropping off our son. Like I have a hundred times before, literally, two years." She states, narrowing her eyes at Avery, then glancing down at the toddler holding onto her leg. "Why do have a half naked man in your apartment?"
     "Don't worry about him. You said you were keeping him this weekend 'cause you're going to your parents' place."
     "That's next weekend, Avery. The first of February. I told you three days ago that next weekend I'm not bringing him."
     "I thought you meant today."
     "Because you're an idiot."
     "Can't you just keep him for today?"
     "I'm busy! I schedule everything around the twenty-four hours a week I don't have a toddler and I have the day off. This is the one day of the week I can get anything done. I have appointments to keep, Avery. Figure it out. Get your boy toy to help. Again, who is this?"
     "Just don't worry about him, nosy bitch."
     "Fucking asshole." She retorts.
     The toddler whimpers, wiping the tears off his wet cheeks. Chet sits on the ground next to Mork, holding her and comforting her. "Don't fight in front of the kid, you're making him sad. And Mork."
     "Stay in your lane, Chet."
     "Who the fuck are you?"
     "My boyfriend, back off him Jordie."
     The toddler bursts into full tears, running into the apartment and wrapping his arms around Mork, falling into Chet's lap. "Hey, it's okay little guy." He comforts, patting his head. "If you're gonna keep fighting, take it outside. He shouldn't have to watch this."
     "I'm not done with this conversation." Jordie states.
     "Chet, watch Kayden for a second, she's about to bite my head off like the snake she is." Avery starts to close the door.
     "I'm not leaving my son unattended." Jordie stops the door.
     "Chet's good people. It's just for a second." Avery slams the door shut.
     Chet gives Kayden a cautious smile. "Hi, little buddy, I'm Chet." Kayden stands, wrapping his arms around Chet's neck. Chet puts a hand on the toddler's back. "It's okay. It's all okay, buddy."
     Mork licks Kayden's cheek, making him giggle and forget his plight. He claps and bounces on Chet's leg. "You like the dog?"
     "Uh-huh, doggy. Moor, Moor doggy."
     "Yeah, Mork's a doggy."
     "Whi' doggy." Kayden says, pointing to Mork. He points to the white sleeves of his shirt. "White."
     "Yes, very good, Kayden. You're a smart boy, aren't you?"
     "Yea!"
     "How old are you, Kayden?"
     "Two." He says, holding two fingers close to Chet's face. "I'm big boy."
     "Oh, yeah, I bet. What color is this?" Chet asks, tapping his finger against Kayden's chest.
     "'Ellow." He puts his finger right under Chet's eye. "Dis blue." He giggles.
     "Yes they are. Good boy."
     The door opens, Jordie walks in and over to Chet and Kayden, she squats down. "You be a good boy for Daddy, Kayden. I love you so much. I'll see you tomorrow." She kisses his head. "And Chet, go find yourself another man, a better man. Leave while you still have a choice and can go. Find s good man, this one is garbage."
     She gets up and leaves, slamming the door behind her. Kayden looks over, but is distracted by Mork going in for another lick. Chet picks Kayden up, holding him out for Avery, who does eventually take him. "Why didn't you tell me?"
     "I'm sorry, Chet. I should've, I know. I was afraid if you knew I had a kid you'd take off."
     "So you've been lying to me? You kick me out every Saturday night and have been telling me it's cause you work Sunday morning but really you're just hiding a whole child from me. I wouldn't have left you if you said you had a kid, but you didn't say anything. You lied. That's why I'm leaving."
     "I'm so, so sorry, Babe. Please, let me make it up to you. Let me show you the other bedroom. I know you've been dying to see it." Avery offers, taking a step closer to Chet.
     "It's Kayden's room, right? Unless you have another big secret you're confessing to."
     "No, it's Kayden's room. Please, just let show you it." Avery takes Chet's hand, kissing his knuckles and guiding him to the other room, taking the key down from the top of the door frame and opening the room.
     The walls are painted a light blue with sailboat silhouettes. The room looked so detached from Avery's apartment that Chet was actually questioning if they'd gone into his neighbor's apartment. Toys litter the floor and pictures and children's books fill the shelves. "I thought you didn't like having photos."
     "Not when it's something ordinary. But babies grow and change so quickly that I didn't wanna pass up any opportunity to capture Kayden in the moment. He looks different every time I see him. Adults look the same from fifteen to fifty. I don't need pictures of adults, but Kayden, he's gonna look different when we wake up tomorrow morning. Life is full of things that never stay the same, so I don't waste time on what will be there tomorrow."
     "You can never know for sure when something will end. And you never know when you're gonna find out that your boyfriend has a kid he's been hiding from you. And I don't care how cute this room is, how many photos you have of him, how much you love him. You lied to me."
     "I love you too, Chet."
     Chet turns around so Avery and Kayden can't see the tears in his eyes. "Don't say it if you're not gonna act like it. The first day I met you, you lied to me. You were shocked that I don't just like men when you've went and had a kid. You kicked me out of this apartment the next morning and told you me had to go to work but really your son was coming over and you didn't want me to know you had a kid."
     "I didn't wanna lose you."
     "Too late."
     Avery grabs Chet's hands. "Please, Chet, I love you. Don't leave me."
     "I can't go. My car is still at work. And I wanna talk to her again. I don't trust you to tell me the truth, and I wanna know what else you were keeping from me. I mean, should I get tested?"
     "No, you don't have to. I promise, I've been safe with everyone in the past, and I've been with only you since we met. I love you. I'll say it until you listen."
     "When is she coming to pick up Kayden?"
     "Tomorrow morning, at eight. If you really wanna go, I bring you back to your apartment."
     "I'll just stay, you can drop me off at work and I'll come back tomorrow morning."
     "Stay the night. It'll the first time you've stayed over a full week. And next Sunday you don't have to leave first thing. You can stay here, with me and Kayden. I was gonna tell you eventually, but now that you know we can be together for real."
     Chet pulls his hands away. "I'll come back after work to grab my stuff and I'll spend the night on the couch, then I'll talk to Jordie and then I'll leave."
     "If that's what you really want." Avery kisses Chet's cheek. "I love you."
     Kayden taps Chet's leg, holding up a toy truck. Chet kneels, rustling Kayden's hair. "You wanna play, buddy?"
     He nods, sitting across from Chet. "Daddy, play too."
     "I will, Kay." Avery sits, smiling at Chet. "Together, all three of us."