First, Best and Always

Chapter 15 – Battin’ A Thousand

Homecoming at the Andrews house was in full swing. Standing Elk had invited just about everyone they knew to celebrate Eric’s return to the family, his return to his people. They were all there, aunts, uncles, cousins, his two nieces and his nephew, neighbors and friends that he had known since childhood, and of course, his brothers. When he walked through the door Aaron was the first to see him, and set upon him like a bear capturing a doe. He grabbed him, lifted him completely off his feet and bounced him repeatedly with a celebratory yell….” Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay!

Setting him on his feet again he embraced him long and hard then released him, only to grab him again by both shoulders smiling his big broad smile saying, “Sunkaku Hohake! Let me look at you!” As the others crowded round to welcome him home Eric smiled brightly, but his thoughts drifted back to Raven, he wished that she was here, with him where she belonged…

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Vin placed his bag on Craig’s bed, and began to unpack. His thoughts went back to the scene at the front door, “I shouldn’t have lost my temper,” he said to himself, “he played me and I fell for it…damn! “

He sat on the edge of the bed, back to the door, bent over with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. “How could I have been so stupid? With everything on the line I go and lose my temper…”

He reached in his pocket and pulled out the small black jewelry box, as he rubbed his thumb over the velvety surface of the box his eyes began to glaze over, “She’s never gonna take this now” he said aloud.

From the doorway behind him he heard, “Take what?”

Raven was standing in the door. He didn’t turn around for fear she’d see his eyes and he was not prepared to be that vulnerable, not after what he’d just witnessed downstairs so, blinking back the tears he secreted the box in his jacket pocket.

“Nothing” he said, “just reminding myself to take my vitamins…I forgot them earlier.”

“So, are you coming down?”

“Thought maybe I’d just take a shower and turn in early, the flight was kinda tiring….”

“What about dinner?” she said softly.

“That’s okay, I’m not very hungry.”

”That figures” she said, exasperation evident in her tone.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It’s supposed to mean that as usual you’re just thinking about yourself, or did you forget that you said you would cook?”

Wanting to get her away from the door so he could compose himself he responded, “Okay, okay, I’ll be down in a minute, just let me clean up a bit…”

Raven was unrelenting, “Forget it, I already did the cooking, I just wanted to see if you would even remember what you said...guess you didn’t. I don't know why I'm surprised, there have been a lot of things that you said to me that you didn't remember...”

Vin knew where this conversation was headed, he'd heard it before on the day she'd kicked him out, she'd tearfully reminded him that he'd told her that he loved her, that he wasn't interested in being with anyone else and now he'd done this...this ultimate betrayal. He knew if he let her get off into that again he'd be right back at square one, so he tried to calm her down...

“Look babe, Vin said tiredly, “I don’t want to fight okay, it’s been a long day and I’m just a little more tired than I thought I would be, that’s all. If you’ve already made dinner then of course I’m gonna come down and eat…”

“Whatever” she said angrily, “the food’s on the stove…I’m goin’ to bed” And with that she turned and stormed off to her bedroom.

“Oh, this just gets better and better” he said to himself as he finally turned, watching her leave. “Ten minutes after ten, I haven’t even been here an hour and already I’ve managed to piss her off, and invite her ex to dinner. Oh yeah, just battin’ a thousand today dude…battin’ a thousand.”