The Hard Way Read online

  He poured himself a glass and savored the flavor of the wine as it washed over his taste buds and painted his tongue red. I’m being too melancholy. I’m thinking too much. Maybe I’m just a little lonely.

  Issac looked down and found an empty glass between his fingers. He refilled it to the top and thought as he sipped it. What would Mom do if I just didn’t want to be alone tonight? She has to know that I was going to want to reconnect with my family eventually. Dad doesn’t have to be involved.

  Or I could work on my case.

  He went over to the couch and sank into it. He picked up his phone and unlocked it. He sent a text to Charlene. Is Dad around? Just wanted to see how you guys were doing.

  Issac’s phone hummed with a reply a moment later and her message flashed across his screen, he read it again to make sure that he understood it correctly.

  Come on over, son.

  Chapter 20

  Issac tipped the cab driver, and the burly gentleman offered him a polite nod. He closed the car door and waited on the sidewalk. I’m here. I can’t turn back around. The long, beige curtains shifted in the windows, and Tristan’s head emerged from one of them before quickly disappearing again.

  Okay, he’s not here. I can do this. Issac strode up the walkway and as he took one step onto the porch, the front door flung open. Charlene stood in the walkway with the warm lighting from inside spilling out onto the porch. Her long blonde hair fell around her as she tugged her sweater down to cover her jeans.

  Mom wears jeans now?

  Tristan reappeared and broke into a grin. “Issac! Issac, you’re here!”

  Charlene stepped out on the porch and wrapped her long arms around her oldest son. “It’s been so difficult not being allowed to talk to you. I will not let Gordon pull something like this again,” she swore as they separated and she invited him inside.

  Issac was bathed in the smell of home, the smell of his mother’s perfume and the potpourri she purchased from the “hippy” store that Gordon despised so much.

  “Come with me, Issac.”

  She led him to the newly redecorated den, the striking animal statues that decorated it before had been replaced by a more modern, minimalistic theme. Issac took a seat onto the gray sofa and Charlene came over with two glasses of bourbon.

  Issac accepted one and took a small sip. Charlene frowned and said, “You can drink in front of me. I don’t care that you got a DUI. You made a mistake that I think that Gordon overreacted about, you know?”

  Charlene answered the puzzled expression on his face with her next statement. “I know. I haven’t been in touch, that’s terrible. I could have gone out of my way to see you but I knew that if you really needed me, you would come home. Gordon feeds off of his own rage. I think that he thinks anger helps to keep him focused.”

  “I could have come home this whole time?”

  “Yes and no. I would have found a way for you to come see us without clueing Gordon in. But you never came, so that led me to believe that you were alright. How are things at the firm? Is Hugh treating you nicely?”

  Issac shrugged. “About as nice as he treats any third-floor lawyer. He gave me a pretty big case at work today.”

  Charlene drank her bourbon and toyed with a strand of her hair. “I want you to come around more and tell me how your work day went.”

  “Mom, you know that I can—”

  “Tristan needs it too. I don’t know how to explain it, but he’s gotten reclusive since you stopped coming by every so often. I think he needs to be around his big brother.”

  “He could come live with me.”

  Charlene scoffed. “You can’t be serious, Issac. Gordon won’t even allow you inside of the house, what makes you think that he’d let you leave with Tristan?”

  “It was just a thought, Mom. I think about him too. And you. How is he treating you?”

  Charlene finished off her glass of bourbon and set it down on an end table near the couch. “Well, he’s treating us about as good as he always has, you know him. He’s just touchy. I wish he’d learn how to relax. I wish that he would stop thinking that he can only give you so many chances before he has to give up on you.”

  “You gave up too.”

  “I didn’t give up, son. You just didn’t give me much to work with. We were so proud when you got hired at the law firm after graduating law school, but then you insisted that you would never get married.”

  “To a woman,” Issac clarified. He ignored the anger welling up inside of him.

  “You know how things are. You know how Gordon feels about it—but I don’t want to focus on that. I just want to focus on being with my son.”

  Charlene wrapped her arms around Issac and his arms lingered at his sides. She pulled away and said, “I’m getting kind of tired, and I’m more than a little drunk.” She rose to her feet and squeezed Issac one more time. This time, he raised one hand and patted her arm.

  Charlene smiled and Issac was unable to shake off how wistful it felt. “Goodnight, Mom,” he said.

  Charlene left the den and moved towards the staircase. Issac took one look around at all of the new trimmings and scoffed at a new photograph of his father shaking hands with the mayor. He certainly knows where to keep his nose. Issac moved towards the front door.

  I bet Dad will be home soon. I should call my cab. Issac dropped his hand from the doorknob and made a left down the hall. The hallway was dimly lit, but a soft white light crept from a cracked bedroom door.

  A solo from an electric guitar could be heard flowing from out of the room. Issac pushed the door all of the way open. Tristan sat at his desk, in a pair of sweats from his high school, with his eyes glued to his computer screen.

  “Tristan?”

  Tristan turned and a smile crept up on his face. “Hey, Issac.”

  Issac stood by the doorway. “How have you been?” he asked.

  “Fine,” Tristan replied. “I’ve been getting really into band at school. I wish you could have seen some of the shows before.”

  “I know. Dad didn’t wa—”

  “Dad is being a dick, I know.” Tristan pushed away from his computer and sighed. “I wish that I had just gone to see you anyway. You only live twenty minutes from here. I can’t talk to Mom because she’s always gone or drinking with her friends. I can’t talk to Dad unless I want to talk about the mayor.”

  Issac nodded. “I hear you. I tell you what, you can come by any time. I’ll tell the front desk person at my apartment that you’re my brother and you need access to my apartment if I’m not around. If you need to escape to feel less alone, then that’s fine.”

  “Thanks, Issac. By the way, I don’t care that you’re gay.”

  “I know you don’t. Be good until I see you next. I gotta go and do some things for work. I’ve got a big case.” Issac squeezed Tristan’s shoulder before leaving his bedroom. He opened his phone and searched for a cab to take him home.

  Chapter 21

  Issac pulled back the thick, heavy curtains that lined his window and let a burst of sunlight come through the glass. He returned to the kitchen and selected a skillet from the hanging set against the wall. He worked a knife down the middle of an avocado and pulled it apart. As he slid his knife just underneath the avocado pit, his phone sang from the living room.

  This is early for even Noah on a Saturday. Issac scooped up his phone from where it had been lying on the sofa, and his heart sank as he saw DAD flash across the screen. Is he calling to bitch at me for stopping by?

  “Hello?” He answered the phone as if hello were an accusation and not a greeting.

  Gordon’s authoritative voice oozed through the speaker. “Good morning, Issac.”

  “What is it, Dad? You made a pretty big deal about my never speaking to you again and I’m doing exactly that.”

  “Oh, drop the act,” Gordon demanded. “Charlene was awfully upset this morning. She wouldn’t drop the topic of letting you near the family again.”

&nb
sp; Issac scooped the filling out of one half of his avocado. “I miss her too. However, you were the one that told me to stay away. I don’t know what you want me to do about that.”

  “Well, this was the first time in your life that you’ve actually listened when I’ve instructed you to do something. The fact that you did it all is astounding. I want to make you an offer.”

  Issac slid his breakfast onto a plate and said, “I’m probably not going to want to take it. What’s the offer?”

  “You can come back and be a part of the family like you were before. Especially, if you lay low on any antics until the election in a couple of months.”

  “Antics?” Issac repeated. “I didn’t go out getting DUIs every weekend before that happened, you know. What do you mean by antics?”

  Gordon sighed. “Okay, you’re going to make me say it. While this may seem unfair, I need you to lay low on any… relationships that you might have going on right now.”

  Issac pushed his plate away as he asked, “You want me to act straight? I’m not putting my life on hold for your election! It’s none of the mayor’s business.”

  “You’re being unreasonable. It's only two months. I’m sure that any guy you’ve started messing around with will not even notice that you haven’t been around.”

  “I’m not being unreasonable. I’m in the middle of breakfast, Dad. Bye,” Issac said as he drowned out Gordon’s outraged tone and pressed end on his phone. Issac grabbed his breakfast and shuffled over to the couch so that he could be in front of the television.

  As Cora Williams gave him the weekend forecast, his phone chimed again. He peeked, his eyes ready to see Noah’s name on the screen but a text from Gordon flashed across the screen. We’re going to be going out to dinner, later. We’ll be at The Heights at 8. Will you be there?

  He sighed and turned up the volume on the television. Maybe I should turn on do not disturb or something. He opened his phone and tapped Noah’s contact icon. It went straight to voicemail.

  “Seriously?” Issac muttered as he placed his plate with half eaten bits of avocado and egg onto the coffee table. He raised his feet onto the coffee table as well, and his right leg jiggled as Cora pointed at a snow storm heading towards Baltimore.

  He picked up his phone again and tried Noah. Straight to voicemail again. “Hey, babe. It’s me, give me a call when you can. Bye.”

  Is he really that tied up that he forgot to charge his phone? I guess that it’s no big deal… maybe he turned it off so that he couldn’t get calls that would interrupt his time with Jade? Issac left his phone on the couch and walked to his bedroom. He slid into a pair of thick sweatpants and pulled a tangerine sweatshirt over his head.

  It’s been a tumultuous twenty-four hours. I need to clear my head. He dug out a pair of beat up tennis shoes from the back of his closet. His eyes drifted over to the couch as he headed towards the front door but he pulled his gaze away. I’m just going to enjoy this run.

  ***

  Issac came through the front door, his chest heaved and his cheeks had been whipped by the wind. He rubbed his sleeve on his bright red face and set about the task of peeling off the sweat-soaked clothing. He shuffled to the shower and spent a while warming up.

  With a towel around his waist, he went over to the couch. He pulled his phone from between two of the cushions. He sighed, the text from Gordon still on the screen, and nothing back from Noah

  He could have at least told me that he was going to be using the whole weekend as family weekend. I could have been a part of it though. It’s not like I haven’t spent time with Jade and Madeline before.

  His phone changed from 11:59 a.m. to noon, and Issac double checked the text from his father. The Heights restaurant and bar had always been a place that Gordon and Issac ate at together, usually to celebrate something or blow off steam.

  He chewed on his lip as he read Gordon’s text once, and then two more times after he couldn’t find a hidden meaning underneath. The phone vibrated twice and a text from Tristan appeared on the screen. Are you coming out to dinner with us tonight? Dad said that we should expect you.

  “Damn it, of course he told Tristan,” Issac muttered to himself. He began to respond, He said that to make me—

  He sighed and furiously tapped delete, and then wrote: Yeah, I’ll see you at eight. I’m looking forward to hearing about band!

  Even if I don’t want to be around Dad, Tristan still needs me. I can’t let him go to a dinner alone with Mom and Dad. They’ll pick at his insecurities and call it “constructive criticism” while they order something like asparagus and leeks for him.

  He sighed again and said aloud, “I guess I’ll catch up with Noah later.”

  Chapter 22

  The Heights had recently been remodeled, while in the late 1990s it had been a hangout spot for teens. Young girls in platform flip flops and boys with frosted tips would bop around the dance floor until it shut down every night at ten p.m. As the culture changed in the early 2000s, they shed their image of being a teen friendly hangout and sought to target the patronage of the same kids now that they were adults. Eventually, that gave way to fine-tuning the restaurant to be a classy, mid-level place. They offered valet service at the front door, male and female wait staff dressed in fitted black and ruby uniforms.

  Issac handed off his keys to a young girl with ice blonde hair.

  “Thank you, sir. Enjoy your visit at The Heights!”

  “Thank you,” Issac said as he went inside. Most of the tables were set up to be private booths, as plenty of people working late hours came here for business. The host gave Issac a once over and said, “Do you have a reservation?” The young man pulled out his phone and scrolled through the bright messages appearing on his screen.

  “Yeah, I do. I’m up here by the way. I’m with the Fitzgerald party.”

  The host grunted as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Right this way, then.”

  He followed him to a booth that was closer to the back of the restaurant. Issac spotted his family, Tristan’s head hung low as he scoured the menu, Charlene was refilling her glass from the bottle on the table.

  Home sweet home. As he approached the table, his phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen. A text from Noah lit up the screen. Hey, sorry if you’ve been trying to get ahold of me! Jade hid my phone last night and I just found it underneath her stuffed Denver Dinosaur. I don’t think she’s ready for me to stop the fun this weekend! She’s going to be staying home from Cullen’s so that he can have a kid free weekend before the case gets started. I’ll see you Monday. Love you.

  Issac grinned and slid his phone back into his pocket as he slid into the booth next to Gordon. Charlene threw her hands up in the air. “Son, you’ve made it! Would you like some wine? We bought a bottle of their best stuff. It’s a 1950 Champagne from France.” When she pulled her lips back to say France, Issac grimaced at the red tint on her teeth.

  Gordon passed a menu to Issac as Tristan set his menu to the side and allowed a smile to form on his face. He was being spared from having to suffer through a formal dinner with Gordon and Charlene. “You made it!”

  Issac nodded. “Of course. I thought that it would be a great idea to join everyone for family dinner. Mom, could you pass me a glass of champagne?”

  Charlene nodded and filled his glass to the top before she sent it to Tristan and Tristan handed it off to Issac. The wine was full bodied, the tart taste lingered on Issac’s tongue.

  Gordon tapped Issac and raised his glass. Charlene raised her glass up slowly, her eyes shifting from Issac to Gordon. “I want to celebrate the reunion of our family. We’ve all been at odds for a long time, and I’m looking forward to having Issac around again.”

  Issac reached across the table and touched glasses with his mother, then Gordon. Tristan tapped his knife against his water glass.

  “Thank you, Dad. I’m glad that we could reconnect.”

  “I’m so glad that we can push all of t
his personal nonsense to the side—” Charlene blurted and Gordon’s icy glare from across the table silenced her. She frowned and refilled her champagne flute.

  “I think that’s enough, Charlene.”

  She sighed and handed the rest of the bottle over to Issac. “Anyhow, I’m excited that we get to be part of your life again, Issac. We want to share your successes, your failures, and your future. Let’s focus on that.”

  His father held up his glass again and Issac’s fingers fumbled for the stem of his glass. The wine gave off a sweet smell as he tapped it against Gordon’s. He looked across the table to Tristan and nodded.