As he walked into the house, Lance could see there was a light on in his kitchen.
"Who’s up?" Lance said quietly as he stepped onto the ceramic tiled floor.
"It’s your Dad." Jim answered him.
Lance put his keys on the counter and tilted his head, "Dad? What are you doing up already, it’s five o’clock in the morning!"
"I was waiting to see if you were going to come back."
Lance raised his hand and dragged his fingers through his hair, "Dad, please. Don’t start."
"Son, do you have ANY idea what in the world you’re doing?"
Lance closed his eyes and sighed, "Dad, I’m tired and I’m going to bed."
"You think you love her, don’t you?"
"I KNOW I love her, Dad."
"And so you’re sleeping with her now, I take it. Since you didn’t come home last night and..."
"Dad, I am NOT discussing this with you."
"I’m sure you’ve talked about this with Justin and Chris and Joey and Johnny..."
Lance leaned on the counter and put his head into the palms of his hands, "What’s your point, Dad? Do you honestly expect me to open up and discuss this with YOU? You’ve made your position abundantly clear."
"No, you chose to discuss this relationship of yours with people you knew would not disagree with you."
"Oh, come on, Dad."
"You have Justin whose parents divorced, Chris and Johnny are both living with someone, Joey, Lord knows what really is going on with that paternity test and..."
"Stop it!" Lance raised his voice.
"Who can truly give you the objective insight you need into what God would want for you and your personal relationships?"
"Not you! You couldn’t be objective!" Lance said.
"All you are experiencing at this point in your relationship with Mercedes is sex. This is not love."
"I am THIS close to losing my temper, Dad. I am going to bed before I say something I know I’ll regret saying."
"Son...I know you‘re inexperienced. Please take my word for this you are mistaking the lustful feelings you‘re having for love."
"Please, Dad, don’t say anything else. Just don’t."
"You need to put some distance between you and that woman so you won’t be so tempted to repeatedly commit this sin."
"THAT WOMAN is Mercedes. And I suggest you and Mom get used to the idea that I love her. We are together. Don’t let this issue come between us, Dad. For the first time in my life I’ve found someone who means as much to me as you and Mom and Stacey do. Don’t ever push me to chose. I don’t want to. I refuse to hurt you, so don’t push me."
Lance slept until noon and when he woke up his parents were having lunch on the back patio.
"Good morning, honey."
Lance kissed his mother’s cheek. "Morning Mom. Dad."
"Good morning. When do you have to be at the Civic center?"
"Not until Five for a sound check." Lance grabbed some cereal and a banana and sat down next to his Mom.
"What will you and Mercedes do today?" she asked.
"Mercedes is packing up some things to ship off to her house on the Vineyard. I will see her later at the concert. I thought there might be something special you’d like to do Mom."
"This is special, honey." she patted his hand, "Just sitting here talking with you."
Lance smiled at her, "I hope this visit hasn’t been difficult for you, Mom. As I told Dad last night, my relationship with Mercedes is very important to me. I know you aren’t used to me skipping out on you to be with a girlfriend."
"Well, we knew that day was bound to come along eventually."
"He’s had other girlfriends before." Lance’s father said plainly. "But, I guess they were more chaste than this one."
"Jim." Diane warned him. "You promised."
"You know what? It doesn’t matter, Dad. Say whatever you want to me." Lance continued to eat his cereal. "Mom, why don’t we go over to Cyprus Gardens, I know how much you like it there."
"Oh, I would really love that, honey."
Mercedes had her pot of tea out on the porch with her, enjoying the early afternoon. She was making a list of things she would have shipped up to her Vineyard home. An old wicker rocking chair, an antique mirror...Mercedes reached for her cell phone as it rang.
"Hello."
"Hello, Darlin’. How did you sleep?" Lance’s masculine voice made her smile.
"Why, hello you." She giggled. "WONDERFULLY. How did YOU sleep?"
"Hum...it could’ve been better."
"Hum...I wonder what you mean by that?"
Lance chuckled. "I’m not saying a word."
"I’m making a list of things I’m going to ship up to the Vineyard...may I put you on the top of that list?"
"Wrap me up and send me off. What would we be doing today on the farm?"
"First thing I must get you to do..."
"Yes?" he asked in a seductive voice.
"Wind surfing. Absolutely."
"Anything a little more...strenuous?"
"We could...go for a bike ride!"
"Mercedes."
"Lance."
"I miss you."
Mercedes felt a pang, "Oh. No, you can’t be missing me."
"And why not?"
"Because what’s it going to be like for us when I go back to the Vineyard?"
"I guess I won’t be able to let you go back." There was a pause. "You always seem to know the right things to say."
"Mercedes, you know that most of the time I share a hotel room on the road with Justin." Lance said.
"Yes."
"I’ve asked Tim Miller to have that changed...if that’s alright."
Mercedes grinned, "I’m not saying a word. Did you make some plans with your Mom this afternoon?"
"Yes, we’re going to Cyprus Gardens."
"That will be nice. I’ll think of you and the lotus flowers."
"You’ve been to Hawaii, haven’t you?"
"Ummm. The fragrances, the warm balmy evenings, low humidity...I love Hawaii." Mercedes said wistfully.
"We should make plans to go there after the tour is over."
"I don’t need a tropical paradise. I just need the extravagance of having time alone with you."
"You said I always knew the right things to say."
Mercedes giggled. "You better get going with your Mom. What time should I go over to the Civic Center?"
"I’ll be there at 5. Anxious to see you."
"Me, too."
"Bye, darlin’"
Mercedes drained the tea from her cup and placed it back on the saucer. She walked back into the house to get the box she was using to pack a few smaller items into.
Mercedes stopped at her desk. She glanced down at the envelopes Lance had unstuck from the drawer the other night. Her fingers fanned them out so she could take a closer look. There were some letters addressed to Liam and there was a white narrow envelope with the address of some pharmacy in Paris. It had Lance’s name on it! "huh."
Mercedes picked up her cell phone.
"Yeah. Lance."
"Hey you."
"Hey yourself, Darlin’ What’s up?"
"You’ll never believe what I have here."
"Tell me."
"Remember the other night when you helped your sister get these papers out of a drawer in my bedroom that was stuck?"
"Yeah."
"There’s an envelope with your name on it from some pharmacy in France."
"Really? That’s weird."
"Lance, it’s REALLY weird, don’t you think?"
"What is it? A bill?"
"No, there are still a couple of tablets in the envelope."
"You mean there’s a prescription? What for?"
"It doesn’t say."
"I don’t recall anything. Is there a date?" "No." Mercedes chuckles, "I’m sorry to bug you when I know you’re getting ready to take your Mom out, but I just thought it was odd."
"That is odd. I’ll think about it. Maybe Johnny has an idea. I can’t remember being over there and being sick. Why would Liam have it anyways?"
"Well, I’ll throw all these in my box. We can solve the mystery another time. Have fun with your Mom."
"Mercedes?"
"Yes."
"Bug me any time."
"Okay. Bye." Mercedes smiled.
