Just Like That

61. "the ladies man"

Grayson Reid Jansen

"Hey, Mom," I said out of breath from playing soccer with my friends from the high school team. The guys flooded my kitchen and raided the pantry and fridge for drinks and snacks.

"Grayson, what did I tell you? Didn't I say I was having company?" She nagged as I kissed her cheek in front of the women in the living room for my mother's book club.

"Oh, shit. Hi, ladies," I greeted them with a chuckle.

Mom giggled after all the other women did. She began to introduce me.

"Ladies, this is my oldest son, Grayson. He's captain of the football team and student body President with a four point zero GPA," Mom boasted proudly. The guests clapped for my accomplishments and I just let them.

I waved, wiping sweat from my forehead with the bottom of my white reversible penny.

"How handsome," one woman spoke.

They all murmured, agreeing, and looked me over.

"Just like his father," another lady commented.

I felt flattered at the same time I felt uncomfortable. While they were innocently complimenting me, they were hitting on my father and Mom said nothing.

"His wife is very lucky then," I said in a rush to her defense, "excuse me."

"See ya, honey," I heard Mom say as I made my exit, "don't eat all the snacks! And keep the ball off the counter, Grayson Reid! Hey, no cleats on in the house!"

***

"See ya, bro," my friend Matty from the team said to me. We slapped hands before he descended the outside steps to get to his mother's mini-van.

She honked the horn and put the passenger's window down to wave at me. I waved back, getting weirded out by her wide, eager grin.

Thinking nothing of it, I shut the door and turned only to see my mom and a friend right behind me.

"Shit," I gasped, scared. I laughed it off and wondered what they were doing.

"Vera had a bit too much to drink, I'm going to let her stay here a while longer," Mom explained simply. I nodded, understanding, and walked through them to get to the kitchen where I looked for something other than salad to eat.

The two women followed me and drank some more wine.

In walked my father after a long day.

"Hey, honey," he said to Mom, "where's Colson and Holland?"

"At camp, remember?" Mom had to jog his memory. I watched as she stripped him of his brief case, shoes, necktie, and coat.

"Hey, champ," Dad spoke to me. Our fists connected before he tussled my hair.

"Oh, hi, who's this now," Dad wondered about Vera, Mom's friend from their book club. Really, they just drank wine and gossiped for a couple hours. No books were ever involved.

"I'm Vera," she spoke through this Russian accent, "you have a lovely home, Mr.Jansen, and an even lovelier son." It was the first time I'd heard her speak, I liked it.

"Who, Grayson," Dad chuckled, Mom joined in. "Huh. That's a first. He must be showing off for you," Dad talked, playfully elbowing his wife.