Bonefish Blues Read Free Page B

in.
    Will pulled out onto US1 and headed north. “Where’s your dad?”
    “Think he had too much to drink again. Took off.” Matt put his head down and stared at the seat. They drove in silence, though Matt watched Will out of the corner of his eye. He knew he had some trust issues after dealing with his parents’ divorce, and watching his dad gamble and drink. Will was someone who he could count on, although he’d never really tested the trust. It was just nice to have someone that did stuff for you; knew when you needed help and when you needed to be left alone. He’d never seen Will drunk or abusive either.
    “Barbeque okay?” Will broke the silence as he pulled into the parking lot. 
    “Oh, sure.” 
    The place was quiet. Thursday nights in November were slow. The summer crowds had left and the snow birds would not start arriving until after Thanksgiving. They ordered ribs, filled their soda cups, sat down and ate. They didn’t talk much as they plowed through the food, watching the end of the game as Georgia rolled Vanderbilt 42-7. “Do you even drink?” Matt asked, watching Will sip his iced tea.
    “Sometimes, but nothing good comes of that. Learned that lesson a long time ago. I’ll have a beer once in a while, but …” He stopped.
    “Yeah, I know. My dad drinks too much.” Matt’s eyes teared. He got up, took both trays and dumped them in the trash, turning away so that Will would not see his face. 
    “Staying with your mom?” Will asked as they pulled back out on the road.
    “Supposed to be with my dad this week, but he’s drunk and mad. My mom said when he got like that I should stay with her. She’s trying to get the custody thing changed, but she says my grandpa has too much clout here.”
    “No worries. I’ll run you over there.” Matt watched the road as Will turned off US1 toward the Gulf side. The houses were dark, vegetation taking over many of the yards. Twice he hesitated and had to ask Matt for directions. After several turns they pulled into a small driveway. The house stood on wooden stilts, clapboard siding in need of maintenance, probably built in the 1950s, like many of the houses in this area. A light was on in a back room. 
    Will paused, then turned to Matt. “Hey, you good? I’ll wait till you get in.”
    Matt opened the door and got out, “Thanks for the ride and dinner,” he said as he closed the door and went for the stairs, wishing he could talk to him more about his dad. 
    “Hey, hang in there,” Will called after him.
    Matt walked the unlit path to the stairs. A security light came on as he hit the first tread illuminating the steps and front porch. Before he reached the top, the door opened and his mother appeared in a bathrobe. Matt went to her for a long hug.
     
    ***
     
    Will saw the tears roll down her attractive face, illuminated by the security light, and watched as Matt went in. The woman remained, squinting past the light at him. She put up a hand with a finger extended, asking him to wait, and then went inside, the door closing behind her. Will sat in the truck, wondering what she wanted, not wanting to get involved. Matt talked about her occasionally, but he’d never met her. 
    Then the door opened and she reappeared. He watched as she walked down the stairs and followed the path of the headlights to the truck. The bathrobe was gone; in its place she wore tight jeans and a low cut white t-shirt. The tears were gone as well, and her auburn hair was brushed. 
    He rolled down the window as she approached. “Hi, I’m Will.”
    “I know,” she said. “Matt talks about you all the time. Thought it was time to meet you.” She leaned in toward him with a smile, close enough for him to smell the freshly applied perfume. “I want to thank you for looking after him. His dad’s not very responsible.”
    Will looked at her his silence prompting a response.
    “Okay, he’s an irresponsible ass. Anyway, my name’s Nicole,” she smiled again