No Spare Key

Chap 9 📺

Going to see my parents is comforting until Mom gets too overbearing.

"I'm still upset you shaved your head, you always had lovely hair." Mom says, rubbing her head over my bald head.

"I was balding at 21 mom, I didn't really have all that much hair anymore and what I did have just made my forehead look huge because it was blonde." I explain for the 30th time

"I know, I know, Jen told me why too. I just always remember playing with your hair until you fell asleep when you were little." She says, sitting next to my dad and me on the couch.

This thing has to be older than me, I could still see the drink stain I left on one of its cushions when I was eight and spilled Mom's wine on it. Now I just feel old. Back in the same house I grew up in, same couch, same parents, watching the same game on the same ancient T.V. Stuck. I'm still not sure why they won't let me help them. Give them a nicer house, ranch-style so they don't have to worry about stairs as they get older. New appliances, new furniture, new something at least. But no, they don't want me to. Especially not Dad. This television set still used antennas until I begged them to let me get them cable, the one thing they let me give them. Of course Dad grew to love the sports channels and Mom loves movies and soap operas. It's funny, the first time I made out with Lucy was on this couch in high school. She was two grades bellow me, I'm a year 1/2 older than her. We had instant chemistry, everything came easy with her. Talking, opening up, even while joking it was like we fed off each other's wit. It was so simple then. All I had to do was break up with the girl I was already with and Lucy and I would be set. Sure, Jade was a little upset since I was her first boyfriend, but I knew she'd get over it. It was just a high school thing after all. Besides, I knew Lucy was special. I'd never felt about anyone the way I felt about her. Not like she made it easy for me to get her, high school sucks whether you're popular or not. Nobody would stop talking about the three of us. Me;the evil cheater or the lucky player depending on who you asked, Lucy; the unwitting side piece and Jade; the idiot girlfriend. It really was a tiny glass fishbowl with not much else to talk about. Of course it also didn't help it was a small town and the school was about 500 kids in total.

"Son???"

I hear my dad calling and I'm taken out of my thoughts and from my gaze into the chess set on the table in the corner of the living room "huh? Yeah, sorry."

"You're not really paying attention to the game, son. I placed a bet on the Packers at work, you'd better hope I win." He says heavily patting my back

"Yeah sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind I guess."

"Is this about Lucy, Sweetie?" Mom asks concerned

"Not just her, but yeah. Pretty much. Though I'm sure Jen's caught you up to speed with that, too?" I sigh, with my hand on my forehead and elbow on my knee.

"Mm, not exactly. She told us you've been thinking more and more about her and the bastard she gave birth too from her affairs." Dad explained

"That's how she worded it?" I ask, genuinely puzzled because Jen loves Lucy.

"Course not, you know she loves that women. She just said you'd been thinking of them a lot and want her back." He says

"Yeah about that, I have to admit a few things." I say, ashamed I ever blamed Lucy for anything.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten how she treated you, you had to go looking to other women to fill the absence she was leaving with you and giving so much to her lovers." Mom speaks up

"That's what I wanted to admit. Lucy never cheated on me, I just told you guys that so that I didn't look like the bad guy for cheating on my wife and kicking her and our daughter out of our home."