Awaken
Devon tossed in his sleep and moaned. His room was silent, though his mind was not. He was coming out of strange dreams and hearing a song. It was a lilting tune sung slightly off-key. The voice and the melody were both familiar to him, though in the confused state of post-dreaming, he couldn’t focus enough to identify either. He wanted to follow the sound, and felt a sensation, like his soul was stretching out towards its source.
Devon snapped awake and popped up in bed. The knowledge of the dream was gone, but the song was still in his head. His heart was beating fast, his muscles hurt, and he was sweating.
As Devon caught his breath he could just make out singing in the house. He listened. It was his dad. Devon swung his feet out of bed and looked around his room. It was a spartan room, containing his bed, a desk and lamp for homework, a side table with his alarm, an alarm he wasn’t going to need this morning, and his dresser with a dock for his smartphone. A pile of clothes by the door betrayed the rigid discipline and simplicity of the room. He walked over to the pile and reached down for a pair of shorts and t-shirt. He held them up briefly to his nose, did not flinch, and put both on. The shirt was a little tighter than normal. He shrugged it off and turned to look at his reflection in the mirror over his dresser.
He blinked as the disorientation of waking from strange dreams took over his senses once again. Gray eyes blinked back at him. They’re brown, not gray. He stared at himself in the mirror, trying to see into those alien eyes. After a few moments he closed them and shook his head. When he opened his eyes again the gray had settled into flecks of gray highlights across his brown irises.
His eyes were set into a tanned face and framed in black curly hair that was a little too long to be trim and a little too trim to be long. He opened and closed his mouth, as though trying to become accustomed to how it worked again. He shook his head and smiled at himself in the mirror as his senses began to clear. He was going to have to get used to waking early in the morning again.
The singing was still going on downstairs. Devon realized that his dad’s voice was off key in a similar way to the singing in his dream. Devon paused at the top landing and listened a moment. His dad had reached the chorus. “Uptown Girl” really? Can’t he manage anything more modern? Devon walked down the stairs to the origin of the singing, the kitchen, and sat down on one of the stools at the island counter. His father stood in front of the stove, cooking. Devon could smell the bacon, a sweet, salty, smoky smell that made his stomach rumble.
His dad turned around from cooking on the stove and stopped signing. Andrew James was a good-looking man, the kind who went from youth to middle age smoothly. The slight graying of his hair seemed to draw attention to his brown eyes and his square cheeks resisted the temptation of wrinkles. He was not as muscular as Devon, nor was his hair as dark, but otherwise the resemblance was there.
“Morning,” Andrew said. “Eggs over hard or over easy?”
“Over hard,” Devon replied. “Why are you making breakfast? I figured you would want to sleep in your first week home.”
“It’s the first day of your senior year. I wanted to be all father-like and make you breakfast.”
“Thanks.”
It was nice to have his father home and staying for good. Since before Devon was born, his father was a military man. As chief warrant officer he had served his time overseas on multiple deployments Devon’s whole life. Devon had been spared the typical life of a military kid by his dad’s insistence that they keep a house here in Eduli Springs, Georgia. Andrew owned an auto shop that his father had left to him. Andrew was the “Son” in James & Son Automotive Care. He trusted it to the good care of his other mechanics, and served his country working on jeeps, tanks, and planes.
There was a price for his choices. Breakfast was nice, but Devon understood that it was also to make up for not being there so much. And for his mother. Devon knew that his father blamed himself for her absence. He’d said once, when Devon was old enough for the conversation, that army wives have a close network of support because their husbands are gone, risking their lives, leaving them to take care of the kids, bills, and home responsibilities. He also said that the network was dependent on proximity, and his insistence in living off base kept her more isolated than he realized.
Devon never felt like he missed much without his mother. His father was gone a lot, but he was always attentive when he was home. The guys who worked for his dad acted like surrogate fathers for Devon. The shop itself was on the same property as the house, and Earl, who ran the shop for his dad, lived in the attached apartment over it. When Devon was young and his father was away he would sleep in the spare room of Earl’s apartment.
And then there was always Susan Benton if he needed anyone to be motherly. He usually skipped the formality and just called her “mom.” She was his best friend, Stan’s, mother and treated him like family any time he was over. Really Stan was like a brother. Of course, Stan’s sister Marilyn tended to remind him he wasn’t really part of the family by doting on him. That had gotten better over the last few years. He supposed the trips the Benton’s took to Europe every summer had matured her. Having a boyfriend now probably helped too.
Andrew laid Devon’s plate in front of him. Eggs over hard, bacon, and toast. “Dig in.”
Devon thanked him and took a bite of eggs. He always enjoyed his dad’s cooking, and he thought to himself it really was a nice thing for his dad to do.
Andrew stood back to look at Devon a moment. “You’ve gotten bigger.”
“I guess. I’ve been working out this summer. I’m on starting defense now.”
“It’s just that you bulked up overnight. And it’s been a while since I played football, but I don’t think a corner needs so much muscle.”
Devon looked up at his dad. “What do you mean?”
His dad leaned over the counter and pulled on the sleeve of Devon’s t-shirt. “It’s wearing tighter than it did last time you wore it. You know, yesterday.”
Devon shrugged.
“Anything we should talk about?” Andrew asked. “You okay?”
His dad was trying to have the “drug” talk with him. Devon was struck for a moment with that feeling of being at home with a father. It only lasted a moment. Breakfast was waking him up, and he was feeling playful.
“I’m using AAS,” Devon said, “but I’m thinking of switching to testosterone. What do you think?”
Andrew stared at his son. Devon took a bite of his bacon.
“I’m not juicing, Dad. Muscles heal while you sleep. So yeah, I got a little bigger.”
Andrew frowned, but said nothing. It was the gesture of a father who wanted to avoid confrontation.
“Did Stan spend the night at Sheila’s last night?”
Devon coughed as he swallowed his bite of eggs. If this was going where he thought it was, he'd rather talk about the non-existent drug use.
If I’m about to get in trouble for being Stan’s alibi for last night, he will get paid back at football practice. He looked up at his dad. “What?”
“Susan called a little bit ago. Apparently, Stan spent the night last night? ” Andrew didn’t wait for his son to answer. “I told her you were both still sleeping, and that I’d have him call on the way to school.”
“Oh.” Devon scratched his head. He didn’t expect that. “Yeah, I think he was going to sneak into Sheila’s room last night. I’ll call him in a bit and have him check in.”
Andrew sat down next to his son with his own plate of food.
“Stan’s eighteen now. Why doesn’t he just tell his mom he’s spending the night with his girlfriend? They’ve been dating for a long time now.”
“I think if Stan admitted to his mom that he had sex, he’d have to accept that his mom did too. I think he’s still going with immaculate conception for him and Marilyn.”
“Mention it to him, please,” Andrew said. “I don’t want to get in trouble with Susan if he gets caught lying.”
Devon nodded. “Will do, Chief.”
Andrew gave his son a light punch in the arm, and they finished their breakfast.
********
The first day of school was mostly a flurry of students trying to find their classes before the tardy bell rang. Devon thought to himself how pointless the rushing was. Most students were still finishing their class selections on the first day, so no teacher ever counted tardiness or absence. It was expected, and they didn’t sweat it if students didn’t make it. Most of the teachers just assumed that a late student was held up with a class counselor or a previous teacher.
It was the start of Devon’s work-out period, but there was no working out today. The weight room was closed for cleaning and repair from summer use. It would open back up next week, so this period, for the time being, was free. Normally, Devon didn’t use the school’s workout room, so the period time was unnecessary. This year, he had no other classes that he needed, so it was either a useless class and unneeded study, or useless workout period and hang out with the guys.
It made him wonder why he didn’t do it sooner.
Devon took a leisurely stroll down the hall, waving and smiling to girls and giving high-fives to guys as he passed. A pair of bellbottoms decorated with pastel flowers caught his eyes. They worked their way up over the tight end of the jeans, the slim waist, and the generous bosom of their owner. They stopped at the blue eyes.
Devon smiled into them. “How’s it going Iris?”
“It’s good.” She looked Devon up and down and gave a whistle. “You’ve been hitting the weights.”
“I’m starting this year. You know how it is. So, any beavers need my assistance this year?”
Iris wrinkled her nose playfully at him. “They’re doing very well, actually. With all the money the football team dedicated last year, we were able to get our motion through the city council and protect the areas where they were building their lodges.”
“That’s nice,” Devon said, a little absently. Those weren’t exactly the beavers he had in mind, but they were important to her.
“Well, I’m glad you think so.” Iris frowned.
“What’s wrong? Someone going after them again?” Devon asked.
Iris shook her head. “No. People are just upset with them. You didn’t hear?” She paused and Devon’s blank look told him that apparently he had not. “Without interference from people, they were able to build their lodges and dams. It was really nice. I took some pictures. I was even able to get some pictures of young beavers. Did you know there has not been a strong population of breeding beavers in this area in twenty years?”
Devon nodded his head in what he hoped was a knowledgeable gesture and hoped she would continue. Iris wrinkled her nose at him. “Anyway, the beaver dams caused quite a back-up and flooded a neighborhood in Roswell during a really bad summer storm. I don’t mean a few inches of water. I mean three-feet-high-say-good-bye-to-your-paint-hello-to-mold flooding.”
Iris’s voice had a hint of delight. Devon shook his head. “That’s not good. Did people lose their homes?”
Iris shrugged her shoulders. “That’s what homeowners insurance is for. People get it. Beavers don’t. If people don’t want their homes flooded by beaver dams, then they shouldn’t build so close to the river.”
Devon laughed a moment. “So, you have a class?”
“Yeah, but I can’t find it. I think they misprinted my schedule. Why? Are you lost too?”
“No,” he said. “Since the weight room is getting cleaned and set up again, I’m free for the next week or so. “He leaned in closer. “You want to go find a place behind the bleachers for a little while?”
Iris narrowed her eyes at him, but smiled. “Aw. Did you miss me over the summer?”
Devon raised his eyebrows. “Maybe a little. So, you want to come with me?”
She tilted her head to one side.
“Maybe a little.” She turned and started walking. The way she wiggled her hips told him to follow, and he obeyed.
********
Iris leaned back against the wall and exhaled slowly. She hadn’t really intended to have sex with Devon under the bleachers: just a little teasing and maybe an Australian kiss. She’d always enjoyed the way his back would arch when she gave him one. Only this time, when she looked up at him, the look in his eyes had told her that it wasn’t going to be enough, that it wasn’t really what he wanted.
And how could she resist those eyes?
Of course, she wasn’t really prepared for what happened after that either. It wasn’t that he was rough. She wasn’t completely sure, as she pulled on her jeans and zipped them up, if she was going to walk right. He was far more energetic than she expected. It was almost like he was hungry for something, and she was just a warm up. It wasn’t a shallow hunger, either. It was intense, far more so than she remembered him being before. She also realized that it wasn’t really her that he was having sex with. It was like he was trying to reach through her to someone else.
Devon sat down against one of the support columns for the bleachers and looked up at her. “We can skip the next class, you know.” He’d already zipped up his pants, but Iris could tell the invitation was serious.
“You’re a little more than I think I can handle sweetie,” Iris said.
Devon was of two minds about what she said. On one hand, he wore her out. On the other hand, he was pretty sure that was a turn-off for her, once all was said and done. He frowned. Iris looked down at him, and realized what she’d just done. She knelt down and put a hand on his knee.
“You’ve gotten very,” she paused a moment to think, “energetic. I couldn’t keep up on my best day, much less between classes.”
Devon put his hands behind his head and leaned back against the bleacher’s support. The gym was quiet. No one used it this period, so they had it to themselves.
“I’m just so hard to handle,” he said and winked at her.
Iris looked at her watch in the light that peeked in between the bleachers. She gave Devon a small kiss on the lips and rocked back on her heels.
“I need to get to class,” she said. “Maybe I’ll see you around again.”
She stood up, blew one last kiss to Devon and walked to the end of the bleachers. She looked around the gym a moment to make sure it was clear before stepping out. Devon waited a few minutes, thinking about the little tryst. He didn’t think that it would happen again.
It was nice. Iris always was. She was a very attentive girl, responsive, and full of energy. But he could tell he’d scared her a little, and no girl liked that, no matter how good the sex. No, this had been a nice reminder of last year, but that’s all that it was going to be.
Devon stood up, walked to the end of the bleachers, and peered out. A janitor made his way across the gym in front of the stage and turned the corner. Devon looked up and listened a moment. No sounds. All was still clear. He walked out and decided it probably was a good idea to go to class himself.
