David’s Transition To Manhood: Part 4

Finally realizing the better options they both could choose..

Based on a post by dark overlord 6, in 4 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.

Roxy closed the door behind her neighbor, chaining the lock and turning out the light, but in spite of her exhaustion, it was a long time before she fell asleep.

When her phone rang early the next morning, it took her three tries to get her hand on it, and she nearly pushed if off the end table and onto the floor before finally snagging it in her grip.

"This had better be a lawyer telling me I just inherited a million dollars," grumbled Roxy into the receiver.

"Roxy? It's David. Did I call too early?"

"What do you think?" she snapped, sitting up in bed to rub her eyes.

"Sorry; I just wanted to let you know it worked. Heather called me and wants to see me next Tuesday night. She was practically begging me on the phone to go out with her again."

"Oh; Ah; That's good news, David. I'm glad to hear it; "

"You don't sound very excited."

"At this time of the morning, the only thing that would excite me is a big cup of coffee, or for you to hang up so I can sleep four more hours."

"Right; Well, sorry to bother you I; I'll see you at work tomorrow."

Roxy cut off the connection, laying back in her bed. Her mind drifted to the conversation of the previous night with Mrs. Foster. And try as she might, she couldn't get the thought of how handsome David had looked at the water park, out of her head. How comfortable she had been around him, and how perfect his lips had felt on hers.

"This is bullshit; He's just a kid, and I'm an idiot!" she tried to tell herself. But that didn't stop the pain that suddenly flared in her chest or the tears that started to flow down her face.

"Mommy? Why are you crying?" asked Emily appearing at the end of her bed with the same uncanny stealthiness that Roxy herself had displayed on more than one occasion.

"It's nothing, Baby. I just got something in my eye. Hey! You want waffles for breakfast?"

"Oh! I love waffles!" shouted Emily.

Roxy wiped the tears from her eyes and followed her daughter into the kitchen, trying to put the phone call out of her head.

The Measure of A Man.

David pulled the comb through his hair again, annoyed at the stray hair in back that flatly refused to lay down. He slapped some cologne on his face and grabbed his keys off the bathroom counter.

"Where are you heading out looking so fine?" asked his Mom from the couch where she was reading a novel.

"I got a date with Heather," he said, stopping to tie his shoe.

"I thought you two broke up?"

"We did; but she's having second thoughts."

"Good for you guys! I always thought you made a cute couple."

"Thanks. I'll see you later," he said over his shoulder as he headed out the door.

He found traffic to be a little heavier than usual for the time of night, and he slowed turning the radio on to relieve the boredom as he crawled forward. In the distance, a glowing billboard advertising the latest ride at Wave World dominated the skyline. A memory popped into his head unbidden; of Roxy walking toward him in her red bikini, the sunlight falling on her reddish hair, lighting it like a fiery halo. His heartbeat picked up as more images flashed through his mind, Roxy laying with her bare feet in a desert spring, Roxy breathing hard with excitement after their plunge down the slide, Roxy kissing him;

"Shit!" he yelled as he slammed on the brakes nearly hitting the car in front of him that had come to a stop.

"What's a matter with me? This is ridiculous. A couple of kisses that didn't really mean anything and now I can't think straight."

He resolved to put the bombshell woman out of his mind as traffic finally picked up and he exited a short time later pulling into Heather's neighborhood.

The number of times he had pulled up into this same driveway were too numerous to count. He looked up at the big, white, two-story house, recalling all the parties and events he had attended here. He was just about to get out of the car when his cell phone rang, and to his surprise, it was Roxy's number on the display.

"Hello?" he said into the phone, wondering what she could want from him now. She knew he was going to be on his date with Heather tonight.

"David? It's Mrs. Foster."

"Mrs. Foster? What are you doing with Roxy's phone?"

"Oh, she would be mad as a hornet if she knew I called you, but I felt like you should know. Emily had an accident today, and she's in the hospital."

"What happened?" said David as a cold chill gripped him.

"She fell on the playground at her day camp. They think it might be a concussion, but they're not sure. We're at the hospital now. Roxy is pretty torn up about it, and she could use a friend. I told her to call you, but she wouldn't do it, so I got her phone out of her purse while she was at the nurse's station. I can't talk long she'll be back any second."

"Which hospital are you in?"

"Park Side General. Oh! I have to go. I can't stay with her tonight, and she could use a shoulder. Todd is nowhere to be found."

"I understand." David took another look up at the big house and then put his car in reverse even as he dialed Heather's number with his other hand.

"Heather? I'm sorry I'm going to have to cancel our date tonight."

Roxy sat by her daughter's bedside, holding her tiny hand in hers, fighting back the tears that she knew would have only served to frighten the little girl. The doctors had assured her that the concussion was mild, and though they were going to hold her overnight for observation, she should be able to go home in the morning. The fear that had gripped her when the people at the day camp had called, hadn't been lessened by that prognosis, and she still felt it like a weight sitting on her heart.

"My head hurts, Mommy" whispered her little girl.

"I know, Baby. The nurse is going to be back in a minute to give you something to make it feel better."

The door to the room opened, and Roxy turned expecting the nurse, wondering for a moment if the one time she had smoked a joint back in college was coming to haunt her; because it appeared that a giant Teddy bear was pushing its way into the room.

"You know they really should let you use the freight elevators when you have a load this big," said David as he carried the stuffed bear in front of him.

"David; Is that for me?" asked Emily, her headache forgotten for the moment.

"I thought we could call him, Bonk, after what you did to your noggin," said David grinning.

"I love Bonk!" said Emily, pressing her head to the enormous bears stomach after David situated it in the bed.

"Where did you find that monstrosity?" asked Roxy in surprise.

"In the gift shop. He looked lonely, and I thought I knew the perfect home for him."

"I'm going to have to get a bigger apartment," she said in fake irritation as she pulled David aside.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Heather, on your big date?"

"Yes, but Mrs. Foster called me and told me what happened. I canceled my date with Heather. We can still do it tomorrow night, no big deal."

"I'm touched David, but you don't have to be here. Emily is going to be alright, and there's no reason for you to miss your date."

"You're here alone," he observed.

"Yeah; I tried to call Todd, but I'm sure he is passed out under a pool table somewhere."

"I'm not going to leave you alone in a big hospital, dealing with this by yourself. My date can wait."

"David; You really don't have to be here," she insisted.

He took her hand looking into her eyes, "Roxy, I'm right where I want to be."

David looked so much older all of the sudden, like he had matured in front of her eyes, though she suspected a part of her had always seen him this way.

She fought down another urge to cry as she hugged him close, whispering, "I'm glad you're here."

He gave her a tight squeeze, drinking in the softness of her cheek on his, before he took a step back and smiled at Emily.

"Now!" said David dramatically, "who wants to hear a story about dragons!"

Emily eventually got sleepy from the meds the nurse gave her and dozed off clinging to the soft fluffiness of the over-sized bear in her bed. Roxy sat next to her, stroking her hair.

"You look tired," said David in a low voice.

"It's been a long day," she admitted.

"Why don't you rest in the chair? I can watch over Emily for a while. I promise I'll wake you if anything happens."

"I would argue, but I'm too tired," she admitted changing places with him.

It wasn't easy to get comfortable in the narrow chair, but she managed to find a position that didn't hurt too badly. As she started to drift off, her last clear image was one of David holding Emily's hand and singing softly to her while she slept.

In the morning, Roxy brought David a steaming cup of coffee, waking him from where he was dozing. They had changed places during the night, and though she had offered to let him go home, David had insisted on seeing things through, now that he was here.

"I'm pretty sure my boss will give me the day off," he said yawning before he curled up in the chair.

"Smart-ass!"