AllFreeNovel
Share Us
2
Sam Bethel
“What’s that noise?” I asked Bob even before he got a chance to say hello. I might be a mason, but I’ve done my share of home renovations over the years to know the sound of a hammer making contact with wood.
Bob was a frequent guest at my house, more lately for some reason. Usually I was there to supervise, or better yet, try to keep him out of trouble. His showing up while I was out of state visiting my son Danny and his family wasn’t ideal, but we were close like brothers, not just friends. He’d been the best man at my wedding years ago, and my designated driver when she divorced me several years later. I trusted him with my life. My belongings were another story. I heard another slamming of a hammer, followed by what sounded like a woman’s voice cussing. I hope I’m not going to regret letting him stay the week while I travelled. Because if he’s having a fucking party and trashing it, I’m going to be pissed.
“Neighbor is working on their house,” he replied.
Sure. Nice try.He was fast with his response, but it didn’t seem…truthful. On both sides of my house were elderly couples whose homes weren’t in need of any repair. And if they were, they’d have invited me over for coffee and asked my advice on what to do. I was their ‘Mr. Fix It’, even on things I knew nothing about. Even if they were having work done, I wouldn’t expect to be able to hear it over the phone. “What are they having done?” I pushed, seeing how far he’d go with the lie, if it was indeed one.
“Have no idea. Guess you’ll need to ask them when you get back. Are you still arriving in a couple of days?” he asked.
“Why? Is there a reason you don’t want me back so soon?” I asked.
Bob laughed. “I know if it were me, I wouldn’t be rushing back to work. Then again, we all know you only think work, work and more work. When are you going to take a vacation. Not one to see your grandkids, but a real one that you take with some sexy hot woman to some tropical island and all you do is spend the entire time having sex?”
Bob was never going to change. He’d always been the playboy bachelor. He wouldn’t know a meaningful relationship if it slapped him in the face. “I think you live enough of the wild life for the both of us.”
He ignored that comment and said, “It’ll be good to have you back. Being here without you isn’t the same.”
“Why is that?” I asked. Not enjoying the freedom of utilizing the entire house with whatever female friend you have there?
“You know I can’t cook for shit and the laundry is piling up,” he said.
I’d like to think he was joking, but the man lived a life I couldn’t understand. He ate out all the time and even dropped his laundry off to be washed and folded for him. Not having a spouse or children explained why he could afford to live such a luxurious lifestyle. Didn’t hurt any that when he did travel, he usually stayed with friends, like me.
“Since you seem to be…bored, how about picking me up at the airport?” I asked.
“How about I take your truck and we switch. I’m flying out that night, so we might as well have dinner at the airport and I’ll hand you the keys to your truck,” Bob suggested.
“You’re not staying? I thought you had a couple of more days?” I asked. Now I was concerned. What the hell made him want out so fast?
“Plans changed. And by plans, I mean a smoking hot blonde that can’t seem to get me out of her mind. I better strike while the iron’s hot,” he laughed.
“Are you sure you want to keep her waiting a couple of days?” I teased. Maybe I was wrong and he didn’t have a woman at my house. If I hadn’t been so damn stubborn about not wanting security cameras all around, I could have easily verified that from California. Now all I could do was take Bob at his word.
“Heck yeah. Anticipation is half the fun,” he replied. “Besides, after spending a week with your grandkids, you probably are looking forward to some quiet time, home.”
“Tori and Lucas do have endless energy. Yesterday they ran me around so much all day that I swear masonry work is easier than a seven- and eight-year-old. Remind me again why I agreed to take them to an amusement park all by myself,” I grumbled.
“That’s simple. I bet you that you couldn’t handle it, and you accepted the challenge. Does that mean you owe me fifty bucks?”
“I’m sure you drank more than that out of my liquor cabinet,” I reminded him.
“For the record, you were all out of my favorite. You need to stock up better on the whisky. Even if you don’t drink it, you need to think of your guests.”
“You’re the only one who comes and stays with me,” I said.
“All the more reason why you should have it stocked. You know I come at least every other month,” he stated.
Whether invited or not.
Tori came running into the living room and said, “Grampy, Mom said I have to ask you first, but I told her that you’d want to bring us to the park. She thinks you’re too tired. Are you old and tired?” she asked innocently.
Bet your cute little freckles I am.
“Nope. Not old at all,” I said, dragging myself off the couch. She dashed out of the room beaming. I turned my attention back to Bob. “I got to let you go.”
