Exiting the bathroom, I overhear the siblings talking. Nothing is big until I hear my name come out of Micks's mouth and my ears perk up. I know it's immoral to eavesdrop but I'm a sinner, sue me.
"…So Marleene…" I can virtually hear the smirk in her tone.
"What about her?" asks Punk.
"Oh, I dunno…" she sing-songs.
"Fine, I know how crazy your little curiosity is driving you…Nothing happened, kiddo. Nada. Zilch."
The pregnant chick blows a raspberry, "Liar! What was that…you know, you guys rolling in the leaves? Don't forget that moment in the kitchen," I can imagine her silly grin.
"Stop trying to jump to conclusions, squirt."
"Philly we both know that that's not the case. You find her attractive, don't ya'?"
"Don't call me that, Mack. She's cute…" few seconds late, "Stop looking at me like that…okay, okay…she's fucking beautiful, damn," I hear a muffled shriek and the a string of giggles.
"Ooh, Uncle Punk likes Auntie Marley!" that line gave me butterflies, "Tisk, tisk, tisk Uncle. Ladies cloud the mind but my auntie is super nice…ask her out!" aw, too kind!
"Hmm, I don't know, champ. How about you run along and play you Nintendo before I tuck you in for the night."
The kid lets out a whoop and dashes out of the living room and into me, "Aunt-"
I scramble to put and over his mouth, "Shh…whisper!"
He churns out of my grips, "Why are you hiding?" he asks.
"I'm just playing spy," nice save
He lights up enthusiastically, "Can I play too?"
"No!" he pouts, "I mean, isn't near your bedtime? I'd rather log in more minutes on that gaming system of yours."
He takes my suggestion into consideration, "You're right."
"Always am, now run along but keep shush, okay?"
He nods and skips off into his room. I sink to the ground relieved and keep listening in for anything worth hearing.
"…forgotten because reminiscing about those days is like sprinkling salt in the wound. You can mend that!" Mackenzie sighs agitatedly, "I know you never forgot and I'm sorry but there's still a chance, especially now."
"I…I don't seem to remember anything. Must be all the bumps I've taken over the years."
"Your twenty-five going onto twenty-six, Phil," breathing heavily Micks lowers her voice to an a despair-filled whisper, "You're young…you're young and uncompromised…no kid, no nothing…you have time to do college, Phil. Wrestling, I know it's your life but…" her voice begins to crack, "I…I am terrified. Every time you fail to drop me a line on Wednesday exactly at ten at night…I panic. I plunk down on my bed clutching the phone and pray to whomever will hear my pleas asking for you not to be fatally concussed-"
"We spot everything out, no need to worry about me. It's not good for you or the munchkin or-"
"Let me talk!" shrieks his sister, "I walked out on Dad. He was rotten motherfucker, so I was more that fine. Mike dropped off the radar and to this day I don't know how to feel. Elle disappeared all together like without a trace. Ace he hasn't been home in months. Don't you see? You're all I got left, Phil! You…you're all…I…don't wanna lose you…Phil," her voices breaks into a heart achingly painful sob. I'm guessing Phil is holding her due to her muffled sounding sobs.
Punk lulls his youngest sibling into soundless sobs, "Squirt, I am not going anywhere. I might be in Kentucky but you can call me anytime, anywhere. I am not abandoning my baby sister, ever. You gotta understand that my dream is so close, so close that I can touch it. I am signed already. Only a matter of time 'till they call me up to one of the shows. Don't ask me to give up my dream, kiddo. I've made it this far, I'll be fine. We'll be fine. Ace'll come home, you'll have this munchkin, and we'll be just…fine."
Crawling away with guilt weighing me down, I creep into Dom's room to find the joyful kid already asleep. I crawl into bed with him, heavy hearted, and pray for uninterrupted slumber - Dreamless slumber.
ΔΔΔΔ
Upon waking up from another restless night of slumber, I find myself cursing out in pain. Somehow by some weird act of nature, I wake up with my head dangling from the edge of the bed. My neck's stiffer than an erection. Mind still foggy, I can still make out snickers. I sit up and notice that the light's on.
"Fuck bills!" I mumble, feeling ever so irritated – not a morning person or middle of the afternoon either. I hear full out bursts of unbridled laughter and crane my neck, paining it more, over to the door, "You demon spawns!"
"Sorry, Auntie, but you're super funny when you wake up!" laughs Dom almost keeling over.
"Couldn't agree more with Spunky," adds the midget's uncle failing to wipe that stupid grin off his damn face.
Regardless of the kid's presence, I flip Punk the bird, "I hate you guys right now."
"Hate us somewhere else, Spunky and I have important matters to discuss," grunting I slide off the bed, wedgie and all, but Phil stops to whisper in my ear, "Wait for me outside the door."
Nodding, I half-close the door behind me and spin around to see what this "important matter" is all about.
Punk pats the space next to him, on Dominick's car bed, and the kid jumps up, "What's up, Uncle?"
The uncle pats the little man's head, "What'd you think about our trip to Chicago? Was it fun?"
The kid jumps up and down, "It was cool! Your friends are so cool! 'Specially that place where they had ginormous pizza!"
Punk grins, "I knew you were one of us. I glad you enjoyed it. I've enjoyed all the time we've spent together, sport."
"Me too; you're awesome, Uncle Punk. You tie with my dad."
A pierced brow shoots up, "Really?" the kiddo nods, "That's pretty rad. Thanks," demeanor changes in a blink of an eye, serious, "Look, buddy, the head honcho down where I work called me this morning. He said that I need to head on back."
Dominick's eyes furrow, "What? Why?" his eyes glisten.
"My mini-vacation is over, champ. I gotta go wrestle and earn some more money so I can come back."
Broken-hearted the midget asks, "When?"
His eyes flash and his hands fidget around with a frayed seam, "I don't know."
Dominick promptly latches onto Phil's side, as if that'd stop the man from leaving, "I don't want you to go, it's not fair!"
Pulling an arm around the boy, Phil rubs his nephew's back, "I don't either, but I have responsibilities. I have to go through with them, bud. Believe me when I tell you, if I could, I'd take you on the road with me."
My heart sinks for the hundredth time as tiny but audible sobs rack my little man's body, "No, no, no…No! You don't have to! Uncle, stay here with Mommy and the baby! Stay with me and Auntie Marley, I know you like her…please? Don't leave me like Daddy always does, please," begs the child and tears roll down my cheeks.
Finding his steel ship sinking into the waters of emotion, Punk sniffles, "Don't do this, buddy. This was so much easier the first time when you were but a little pipsqueak," Phil wipes his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie, "I swear to Jebus almighty and any higher power that I'll return as soon as I can. Maybe I'll bring my best buddy, Colt, so we can have another escapade or something, okay? But you, champ, you gotta promise me something, yeah?"
"Anything."
"Take extra special care of your mommy. She's a little loony right now. Keep a close eye on that aunt of yours, as well. Be the man of the house 'till your pops comes home, okay? These women, we can't ever be sure about them…they cloud the mind," they laugh, a soft, short, remorseful laugh.
"Promise, cross my heart and hope to die."
After a noogie, Punks speaks up, "Okay, you promised…better keep it. Now give this old man a bear hug," they embrace tightly like they're each other's life support and Punk comes apart like a glass vase, "I love…love you so much, champ, don't you ever let anyone tell you any different. You're my most favorite kid on earth."
"I love you so, so, so much, Uncle Punk. Don't forget me."
One last squeeze and Punk lets go of the fragile child, "I've gotta get going. Stay here, okay? Because if you come out, I'll never have the nerve to leave and I'll have no job to go back to. I love you."
He approaches the door and I wipe all evidence of my having listened in off my face. Blondielocks squeezes past me beckoning for me to follow him to the living room where his baby sister is already crying.
"What did I tell you?" lectures Blondielocks, "No tears, squirt!"
Blubbering, "I…I know it's just…hormones and I'm going…to miss you, asshole."
Punk laughs and cradles his sister, "I will too, but it's not forever. I promised your kid and I'm promising you: I'll be back as soon as Paul lets me off again," he kneels to eye-level talk to Mick's protruding belly, "You're not off the hook, little developing alien. Behave yourself, okay? Stay in there for as long as you can…the real world sucks." I smile at the endearing moment, "This is it, I am off. I love you to infinity and beyond, not just quoting Toy Story, okay?"
"I love you too, Philly. Say 'hello' to Colt and Maria, I guess."
"Sure will," he sets towards the door snagging me along. The frigid air greets us upon swinging open the front door. His grip is still secured onto my arm until we're in the driveway and I'm fretting over developing pneumonia, "So…"
Thirty-two degrees and only one syllable? Shivering somewhat fiercely, "So? I…I'm freezing!"
"I know you listened in on my conversation with the alien incubator, sweetheart," he says flatly.
Due to the arctic-like temperature, my blush can luckily hidden by the already rosiness in my cheeks, "Curiosity…it killed me…so, so sorry…heard my name and-"
"It's fine, nothing confidential," he toys with his lip-ring, "Yesterday was pretty sweet. You're not as bad as I thought you out to be. I've seen your work, by the way, I still stand corrected," my lips quiver wanting to smile but due to the weather…, "You're a beautiful chick. If I were single, I wouldn't let you slip by. That bitch wasted a good girl. You deserve better than better-"
"You trying to stuff me up with a these compliments?"
He smiles, the kind that brings out his Crow's feet and squints his eyes – his real smile, "I'm all about honesty, beautiful," he reaches into his pockets and takes out his vintage looking Pokémon wallet, "I don't know when and if I'll make it back before the bun is out of the oven so please take care of my baby sister," he hands me some cash, "Fill up the fridge and pay off some of her bills. My apartment, I'm renting it out to a friend so that cash will flow into Mick's pocket as well."
My eyes bulge, "Are you hiding a Superman suit under your clothes?"
He pulls up the elastic band of his boxers, "Batman."
I laugh, "You've got nothing to worry about. Micks and I have had each other's backs since middle school," I tell him reassuringly. Mustering up some much needed courage, I hug him, "Thank you for everything."
He rubs me back soothingly, "It was nothing," he pulls back just enough to look me in the eyes, "It was a pleasure meeting you."
The intensity in which those olive pigmented eyes envelop me, draw me in like. They send out sonic waves, entrancing me. Something about them…something gives me flashes of I don't know, like I've known them for long and I don't want to let them fly.
Before I know anything, his forehead makes contact with my. His icy breath further chaps my lips and for a moment…for a moment…I believe he's going to kiss me and thing is I don't mind – wouldn't mind, "I have Maria waiting for me…" he kisses my forehead and slips away leaving me stunned in his wake.
An engines roars to life and promptly takes off and I stand there long after. Wondering. Yes, wondering what in the fuck has just happened.
A/N- Feel. Feels everywhere! If my work ain't cutting it, my girl LeylaChaz's "We Will Always Have Twitter" won't disappoint!