AN: Thanks for the reviews, guys! Sorry, this is a little short, but hope to write more soon :) Any suggestions are most welcome….
After he'd knocked on the door, Shawn felt the sudden urge to run. What on earth am I doing here? The boy thought, and when the door didn't open within the first second, Shawn, thinking perhaps he hadn't been heard, decided to turn and leave. But before he'd even had the chance to back down the two stairs up to the trailer, the door flew open and Shawn was pulled into a tight bear hug. "Shawnie!" Chet exclaimed, as he held his son close. Shawn forced a smile as his father pulled back to look at him, grinning.
"Good to see you son!" Chet beamed. "You look well."
Unlike last time you saw me, Shawn thought bitterly. "I am, thanks," Shawn said, a little too briskly.
"Great! Come in, come in!" As Chet moved aside to allow his son into the trailer, Shawn noticed the woman sitting at the small dining table in the back. Actually, Shawn thought, she was barely a woman. She looked quite young, compared to his father, maybe late twenties. She was pretty, with long dark hair and a fair complexion, and she was sitting quite primly in the worn out vinyl chair, an open book in front of her.
"Oh, Shawnie, this is Jessica. Jess, this is my son Shawn." It was only then that it dawned on Shawn that this must be his father's new girlfriend. Jessica stood nervously, and approached Shawn.
"Nice to meet you, Shawn," she said with what Shawn picked as a British accent. Jessica extended her hand, and Shawn shook it.
"You too," he replied, with a questioning look. Jessica was definitely way out of his father's league. Heck, she was probably way out of Brad Pitt's league. Jessica simply smiled in return.
"So, Shawnie, how have you been?!" his father asked enthusiastically. "Pull yourself up a seat, my boy. Here, you want a glass of cola?" And when Shawn nodded his head in reply, Chet boomed "Of course you do! Of course you do! How stupid of me!"
Shawn was a little overwhelmed, but this was just the beginning. He knew that his father was trying to make up for what he had done to him, but the number of presents he had bestowed upon Shawn by the end of the evening was bordering on ridiculous. Each time his father gave him a new present, Shawn felt embarrassed for him, and hoped it would be the last. No number of gifts would ever make up for what his father had done. However, the rest of the evening went well. Jessica loosened up a little, and Shawn really enjoyed her company. It made him much less nervous to have her there, rather than to be alone with his father. Jess had cooked them dinner, which Shawn had quite enjoyed, much better than fish broiled on the engine of Chet's pick up, like in the old days. And a home cooked meal was a nice change from takeaway meals and TV dinners eaten on the sofa at Jon's place. Jonathan might have had a heart of gold, Shawn thought, but his cooking sucked. The subject of what Chet had done to Shawn was tiptoed around all night, as was Chet's time in jail. As much as Shawn had wanted to confront his father about that on the way over, now, since they were all getting along so well, it hardly seemed appropriate. Instead they talked about how Shawn was doing in school, and his friends.
"And how's that friend of yours Shawn? The one with the rich parents? Corky, isn't it?" Chet asked, over desert.
"He's good, Dad," Shawn said, not bothering to correct his father. Chet was never one for names, unless it was that of a police officer. Chet Hunter seemed to know everyone in the Philadelphia precinct, and not in a friendly way. Shawn tried to push the dark thought from his head, as he played with the bowl of berry pudding and custard in front of him. It really was delicious, but Shawn had lost his appetite. The mention of Cory also brought back the fact that it was his friend who had found Shawn bleeding to death on the floor of this very trailer. Shawn's eyes drifted to the "kitchen" floor, down by the oven, and swore he could still see a stain there. Chet caught Shawn's gaze, and quickly changed the subject.
Standing to pick up the empty bowls from the table Chet said "Well, how about a game of cards then?"