Chapter 8 – Complacency
Another bright morning poured onto Gavin's new Mahomet abode and after breakfast with his daughter he sat on the back patio to smoke a cigarette. He hadn't bought a table and chairs yet so his butt was planted against the cement and his back was against the shingled side of the tan house. He attempted to numb his mind in a healthy way as he watched Faith playing on the playground, but he couldn't stop the train of thoughts and memories sparked last night before his father left. He sat with his knees slightly bent, extended in front of him. In one hand he had his cigarette and in the other he had his head in his hand. His short platinum blonde hair was slightly messy and a little bit of five o'clock shadow was beginning to show.
"Hey Gavin," Cyndi waved as she stepped out onto her back porch. She wore a black bikini. Her hip bones protruded quite flatteringly along with her collar bone, but her figure was still rather curvaceous. He watched as she bent over to lay out her towel and then lathered her skin in lotion.
He shook his head from side to side, feeling his face become warm. "Cyndi, what on earth are you doing?" He took a drag of his cigarette averting his eyes.
"I'm tanning," she said matter-of-factly. "Am I making you blush?" she pulled the glasses from her face with a smile and then took her seat upon the towel in the grass.
"With your fair completion?" he raised a dark brow at her and followed it up with a shrug. "It's too sunny out here."
She then broke into light laughter. "Alright, you caught me Gavin, I came out here to keep you company. You look a little lonely. Something's got you down, but don't dwell on it. Come on, have fun," she suggested. "Life is too short!" Her hair was pulled back into a curly red pony tail so that her face and slender neck was exposed. Her emerald eyes were bright and energetic. He was actually beginning to enjoy her light hearted company.
Gavin smirked and laughed lightly to himself. "Cyndi, I appreciate your concern, but I'm quite alright." He took another drag of his cigarette.
"Then why don't you look like it? You look so lonely and I know what it feels like. Being a single parent is rough. We have a stigma, especially women. Men see my three kids and run away like I'm trying to pawn them off or something."
Gavin laughed about this and smoke billowed out of his nose. "Sounds like you're desperate Cyndi," he jeered jokingly at her.
"Hey, you know, I'm not ashamed to admit it. This body has gone to Hell after three kids and it isn't getting prettier. Next thing you know my children will be out of the house and I'm going to be at home living with nine cats. Then by the time I have grandchildren I'll be lucky enough to be visited by them at least once a year from a nursing home," she shook her head from side to side as she looked over at the playground. Her three little red heads were swinging with Faith. The girl's long black hair swayed back and forth.
"To be honest, I never would've guessed that you had three children." Gavin remarked.
She looked over to him with a half-hearted grin. "I've got the stretch marks to prove it."
He flicked some ashes from his cigarette. "I didn't see any," he breathed.
Later that evening, Gavin and Cyndi saw the last of a paint fight. The children had coated their hands with paint, tackled each other, and spread as much of it as they possibly could upon one another. They laughed and rough housed and despite the mess, Gavin couldn't have been happier.
He then went into his garage and grabbed the water hose. "Time to rinse off kiddos!" he began to spray the kids with cold water. They cringed and laughed running away from him. Once he felt he had rinsed away most of the paint, he coaxed them to calm down and cool off. Cyndi had even gone to her freezer to bring them some ice pops. They sat in the grass and ate them quietly, talking about how much fun they had had.
"I think I'm going to make them something light. It's much too hot for anything heavy. If I make some sandwiches and salad, do you want some?" Cyndi asked.
Gavin nodded his head, "Sure."
The sun became low in the sky by the time the kids were dried off and fed. Gavin and Cyndi were just finishing up their own meals sitting on the open tailgate of his Ford pickup. "You never told me, where do you work?" Gavin asked.
"I'm a bartender," she said.
"I bet you make lots of tips." He laughed.
She took a bite of her sandwich. "Some nights are better than others. It tips well, but it has its drawbacks and benefits just like any other job."
It was then that Faith walked over to the end of the truck scratching her arms. "Daddy, the mosquitoes are biting."
"It's okay Faith, they'll go away. It's about time to head inside, get cleaned up, and go to bed anyway." The little girl yawned and rested her head against his knee. "They'll sleep good tonight," Gavin told Cyndi.
"Me too," she smiled. Gavin took her remark as a compliment.
When at last Faith was bathed and fast asleep, Gavin moved to his bedroom to reflect on the evening. He enjoyed his new place of living. The residents were pretty laid back, the children were well looked after, and the community seemed to put them first. Mahomet was a family friendly town and a great place to raise children. After what felt like so long, he was happy, but he couldn't help but feel a slight void in his heart.