Marco flips through the channels on the cable for the third time. He went to the dog park earlier and Magoo had met a new pup there. They had played for nearly two hours. Marco’s companion lays near the woodstove, completely spent. He’s not so young himself anymore.
A knock on the front door pulls him out of his absent-minded shuffling.
“Hi!” greets Alejandro, an usual shy smile on his lips. “I’m sorry for coming unannounced. I was–,” he gestures with a finger in the air, “–in the neighborhood.” His voice rose at the end, as though this was a question.
“Are you alright?” Marco asks, concerned.
“Oh yeah!” shrugs Alejandro. “Well, no. It’s Cat’s first day working at the Community Center today, and the kids are acting strange. I just drove Celia to her art class and… Pfff!”
Alejandro puffed, eyes wide. He actually puffed. Something is really wrong.
They barely have time to settle down when another knock interrupts them.
Marco opens on a jumbled Max.
“Oh! Sorry,” he says, noticing Alejandro behind his father. “I didn’t know you had company. I’ll come back later.”
He turns to leave, but Marco stops him.
“Hey! Why’re you here? Something’s happened?”
“No, no. Don’t worry about it. There’s nothing new,” Max shrugs with a fleeting smile.
Marco examines both of them in turn.
“Max, wait! Ale, put your coat back on. We’re going out!”
The pub is quiet on this Wednesday evening. Only a few patrons sit at the bar, chatting with the bartender. Alejandro and Max look out of place, apprehension imprinted on their faces.
Marco lights up, “Oh! It’s still there.”
He leads them to a table close to the dart board and calls for a first round of beers. He leans back in his chair, his hands appreciating the curves and sturdiness of the armrests. He always admired good craftsmanship, and the pub’s old furniture had stood the test of time. Why did he wait so long to come back? He should get David, Jeannette and Ernest to move one of their game nights here.
He turns to his companions, studying their stiffened composure. When he saw both of them on his doorstep, so disheveled, he didn't want to choose. Perhaps this might be an opportunity for them to bond.
“How’bout we start a game?” he asks, getting up to grab the darts from the board.
He offers them to both, but they decline. He shrugs and positions himself to take the first turn. His throwing arm finds the familiar rhythm and shoots the dart right in the center of the bullseye. He hasn’t lost his touch, it seems.
Behind him, the uncomfortable silence lingers. Alejandro plays with his glass, hunched over it, brooding. Max subtly glances around, leaning into the chair, as though to blend into it.
“You want to take the next turn?” Alejandro says, breaking the silence. “It’ll be easier on all of us if we go along for a while.”
Max nods. “Okay,” he pauses,“He’s really good at this game.”
“He used to work on the docks. They had tournaments here during their lunch breaks.”
“What was it like, growing up with him as a father?”
“Huh…” Alejandro straightens up, like a schoolboy snapped back to attention. The question has him almost spit his sip. “Well. He made sure we did what we were supposed to do. Homework, chores, being respectful to others… that sort of thing. Basic dad responsibilities.”
Max’s scrutinizing eyes burn Alejandro’s side.
“How about you?” asks Alejandro, clearing his throat. “You have a family?”
Max’s mouth twists downward, “Nope.”
He abruptly stands up and grabs the darts from Marco as they cross paths.
Marco takes his seat. “Okay, tell me what’s going on. You seemed like you needed to talk tonight.”
Alejandro turns away, pinching his lips. “No, you tell me what’s going on!” he says in hushed tones, returning to his father. “You and Celia are keeping secrets from me. Ever since this kid came into our lives, my daughter has been failing in school, skipping curfew, running away. You’re acting… different, and hanging out with a teenager. I know he's a drop-out, he lives on your property. Seriously, I need to know!”
“You can’t put Celia’s actions on him. It’s not fair and you know it,” warns Marco.
“What isn’t fair is you keeping me in the dark about someone who clearly is affecting my family!” Alejandro retracts a little, “I know I have my share of blame for how Celia’s acting, but you can’t look me in the eyes and tell me he has nothing to do with it.”
Marco rubs the armrests, letting the smoothness of the wood ground him before he says something he'll regret. Alejandro has been struggling with parenting and discipline for his children, bordering on psychological abuse. Watching his son and Max go through therapy for this issue has been eye opening. Marco wishes he could slap some wisdom into his boy’s head right now. The urge gnaws at him. But it’s that exact behavior that brings them here tonight. He knows better than to repeat his past mistakes. He can do better. Alejandro can do better too.
“This is a long story,” he says, eyeing toward Max who is already retrieving the darts from the board.
“Then, give me the short version.”
Max puts the darts in front of Alejandro. “I need to use the bathroom.”
“Upstairs,” indicates Marco.
Alejandro gives Marco an expecting look as Max heads away. Marco passes a hand over his lips, contemplating how to start this.
“The short version, heh?” he sighs. “Max is a kid that life has put through the wringer. He came here to get a chance to do the right thing, away from everyone shoving him in the wrong path. I’m doing my part to give him that chance. He’s hard working, he’s kind. I know he cares a lot for Celia and has put her well-being before his own at least on two occasions. If you’re worried about their relationships, I’d advise you not to do what I did with Marisol when she was in high school.” Marco’s mouth curves into a sad smile, “We both know what a success that was…”
Alejandro’s frown doesn’t ease, “What two occasions?”
“Remember that night Celia ended up drunk on my doorstep? He’s the one who found her and brought her home safely. We already had a very tense encounter – you know I don’t take well to trespassers – and he could have left her under the overpass. But he brought her all the way to the house.”
“And you think he had nothing to do with her drinking, or that he didn’t try anything on her while she was drunk?”
“From the information Celia offered. She was already drunk when they met and assured me nothing happened.”
“When he broke things off before Christmas. It was to protect her and keep her away from one of his former friends.”
“What?!” Alejandro’s eyes open wide with rage. “She wouldn’t have been in any danger if it wasn’t for him. Are you kidding me?!”
Marco hears footsteps at the top of the staircase. He gives Alejandro a warning look. Max makes his way down the stairs, but something behind them attracts his attention. The bartender struggles to bring a heavy bax behind the bar. Max hurries to her aid.
Alejandro leans in toward his father, still outraged, “You said he was being pulled into the wrong path. What kind of wrong path?”
Marco holds his breath. There’s no good answer here. “The kind that helped him survive.”
Sucking on his teeth, Alejandro shakes his head in disbelief, “You’re really giving me cryptic bullshit?”
“Watch your tone,” Marco snaps in spite of his better judgement.
Alejandro balks, “I can’t do this tonight.”
He pushes his chair back and scurries through the front door. Max joins Marco at the table.
“He’s worried, and I think I handled it poorly.”
“Do you want to go after him?”
“No. I need to prepare myself for that conversation. It’s… sensitive.” Marco takes a deep breath, defeated, then turns back toward Max, “How about you? What’s troubling you?”
Max shrugs, “I’ve been stuck in my head… I think Thomas is right, I could use a few more occupations.” He points to the bar with his chin, “They’re looking for someone for the deliveries. She gave me her boss’s email to send in my resume.”
“Another job!” Marco chuckles. “I think Thomas meant something more in the lines of hobbies.”
“Those are expensive, and they’ve been cutting our hours back at Simsmart since the Holidays.”
Marco smiles, “Well, good luck then.”
He gets up to take his second turn. Max joins him and has him talking about his dock working days. It’s a pleasant road down memory lane that lifts their spirits a little.
Still, the events of the night bring on a sense of urgency. He will talk to Alejandro again about all of this. The sooner the better.
Chapter 7 What Still Haunts Us | Part 1/5
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