Saved and SAINTified (24 page)

“Oh
!” His father laughed and clapped his hands together. “That’s just wonderful, Saint, congratulations. I’m so happy for you two. How far along is she?”

“Only a few weeks
, but we planned it.” Saint grinned. “And her pregnancy test came up positive. She goes to the doctor next week to start her exams.” Saint opened the master bedroom door, exposing an elaborately decorated room with all the bells and whistles. Saint set his father’s bag down on the middle of the bed, rocked on his heels and watched as the older man walked slowly around the room, perusing-judging-taking it all in.

“Why is this room
… so gaudy?”

S
aint grimaced and rolled his eyes.

I don’t know why I ever get my hopes up with this man. I have to accept him for who he is…

“Dad, it’s not gaudy. What you see is a nice king-sized bed for relaxation,” Saint pointed to the bed, “with quality sheets. None of that scratchy, thin, cut-rate shit you like to buy.  Shit so cheap and abrasive you wake up looking like someone played tic tac toe on you in your sleep with a red marker or broken tree branch.”

S
aint’s father waved him off.

“
Hard, crunchy ass sheets.” he grumbled. “Now look, you have a matching dresser, very nice wood, and…”

“What kind of wood is that? It looks expensive.” His father ran his finger over the glossy dresser.

“It’s Brazilian rosewood. Anyway, this furniture is well made and has a great design. Over here, you have a nice mirror, a vanity, and a smaller dresser for your incidentals. Up here,” he pointed across from the bed, “is your television. Nice and wide, a hundred and three inches. All the stations are on it, HBO, Showtime, all the sports channels, you name it.”

“It takes up practically the entire wall!” The older man said in awe as he stared at the electronic monstrosity.

Saint smirked and continued with the tour. “I know you don’t drink, but if you did, there’s also a small wet bar in here. This is so when we have friends and family over, they are comfortable and don’t have to leave in order to get a nightcap.”

“It looks like a Vegas hotel room
in here,” his father scoffed as he sat on the bed and continued to look around with a squinted, judgmental eye.

“Fine
.” Saint threw up his hands in exasperation. “There will be some big titty slangin’ strippers, cocaine lines on the table and hard-core gambling in the next room. Enjoy your stay,” Saint teased.

He caught a slight chuckle out of his father as he pivoted on his heels to leave the bedroom.

“Oh, Dad.” He turned back toward him, making eye contact. “Just make yourself comfortable and dinner will be ready in about an hour. Xenia really put her foot in some shit; I think you’ll like it. See you soon and if you need anything, just come back to the main house or call me.” He walked back toward his father, kissed his cheek, then left the house with pep in his step.

****

One week later…

“Grandpa
, Please?” Hassani bounced up and down in his bed while Mr. Aknaten and Saint stood over him.

“No, Hassani, he has read you three stories
in a row now. That’s enough. It’s time for bed.”

Dak
arai was already fast asleep, slumped beside his big brother in a blue fleece bundle.

Hassani grumbled and flung the
colorful sheets angrily over his lanky body. He crossed his thin arms over his bucked chest.

“Daddy, you never let me have no fun!” he pouted.

Saint bent down, kissed Hassani’s forehead and whispered, “
Any
fun…” He cradled Dakarai’s sleeping body, bringing him forward from the bed, and embraced the little guy tightly in his strong arms.

Saint’s father
rose to his feet and turned to the door.

“You are mean, Daddy!” He poked his bottom lip out angrily.

“Hassani, you are getting out of hand,” Saint whispered, trying to keep his voice down for fear of waking Dakarai. “Grandpa stayed here more than enough time. Now, it’s lights out and I mean that. Don’t say another word.”

S
aint narrowed his eyes on his son, warning him against any early morning magic-show antics and continued glowering. Hassani grumbled and looked away. Dakarai propped his head on Saint’s shoulder, his eyes still closed as the trio left Hassani’s room and closed his door behind them. They headed down the long hallway to Dakarai’s bedroom, where Saint lay his son gently in his race-car shaped bed. Dakarai moaned lightly and turned on his side. Saint propped the pillow under his head and covered him up with his light green quilt. Both men observed him for a few moments, after which they quietly left the room and went downstairs to the kitchen where Xenia sat at the breakfast island with her laptop. She looked up at them as they entered the room.

“Hello you two
.” She smiled wide, glowing. “I know it’s late, but would you like something to drink? Maybe some coffee or tea?”

Mr. Aknaten nodded
and slid down in a chair next to her. “Thank you, Xenia, that sounds great. I could use a cup of tea.” Saint observed his father watch Xenia as she got up from her seat, and walked away toward the coffee maker. Over the past few days, he’d taken notice of his father’s increasingly strange behavior. His gaze was repeatedly focused on Xenia, and he stood closer to her than Saint liked. It wasn’t a jealousy issue, or even him believing his father was crossing the line—it was simply perplexing, unnerving, the way he’d look at her body, his gaze moving up and down slowly, and focusing on her hips. He pushed it out of his mind and tried to move forward as he sat next to the older man and smiled at him—just happy he was there to visit.

“Dad, it’s been really nice having you here. I’m surprised you wanted to come
, honestly, but I’m happy you’re staying a while.”

“Yes, well, I missed you
… missed my family.” His father’s lips curled up slightly. “I’d like us to spend more time together.”

S
aint cocked his head to the side and stared at his father. He was taken aback by the earnest expression of the man’s desires. The once self-proclaimed recluse was now reaching out.

What’s going on? I don’t trust this shit. I’m calling you out on this shit.

“Are you sick?” Saint asked quietly as Xenia set down two light tan coffee cups, one in front of Saint, filled with black tea, and one in front of her father-in-law, filled with green. “Is that why you’re interested in being around now?”

“S
aint.” Xenia shot him a look and frowned. He looked at her and quickly turned back to his father.

“Well?”

There was a long silence.

“No, I’m not sick
, Saint.” His father stared down into his hot coffee mug. He was hiding something. Saint was surer of it now more than ever.

“Spit it out,” S
aint said gruffly as he angrily pushed the coffee mug away, causing his hot tea to slosh about. “What brings you here? I should’ve known you weren’t here because you missed me. It’s all bullshit, isn’t it?!”

“Saint, stop it right now. D
on’t speak to him that way.” Xenia put her hand on her hip. “And you’re going to wake the kids if you keep yelling!”

The older man
continued to look down at his coffee. “No, it’s okay, Xenia. Saint has always hated me. I expected this. I’m just trying to make this right.”

S
aint threw his arms in the air in disbelief. “Man, please! Just … just stop, seriously, okay? Enough. You and I both know that there is an ulterior motive here. I was so busy trying to believe that you wanted to spend more time with me, your daughter-in-law and your grandsons that I—”

“I do!” Mr. Aknaten jumped to his feet. “That’s why I’m here! Now S
aint, I know we haven’t been close. Things were getting better though. Why are you doing this? Picking a fight with me? I love you very much.” The older man’s voice trembled with each word uttered. “I—I just needed to see your face, to make sure everyone was okay. I wanted to hug you, be around you.”

I know you’re lying, old man
. That’s okay though. I’ll let this go for now since Xenia is standing here giving me the evil eye…

“Okay, Dad. Fine.” S
aint looked away, out the patio doors at nothing specific.

Everyone was quiet for several minutes.
Xenia shut her laptop and took her father-in-law’s hand in hers.

“Dad, we were going to wait and have it as a surprise, but…”
She shot Saint a look. He was still looking outside the patio doors, his pent-up anger oozing out of his pores. He felt her gaze but refused to meet it. “We’re expecting! We’re going to have another baby.”

The man
feigned ignorance. “That’s terrific news, Xenia. I’m very happy for both of you. … Uh, how far along are you?”

“
Almost four weeks.” She smiled.

S
aint turned back toward them and leaned back in his chair. His father glanced down at her stomach—an intense look.

That’s it. He’d had it. The final straw had been broken.

You’re wearing on my patience. Why in the hell do you keep looking at her like that?!

“There’s nothing to see. She isn’t showing yet.” He interrupted his father’s train of thought with the snippy remark.

“Oh yes, I know that, Saint. I taught biology and had my own child,
you
… You don’t think I recall how this works?” He grimaced, seemingly tired of Saint’s jabs.

S
aint turned away from his father in disgust and sipped his tea, but the intermission was short-lived. He just couldn’t help himself. A fight was brewing and Xenia or not, Saint couldn’t just let it go.

He stopped and stared at his father
, crossing his hands over the kitchen island. Both men locked eyes; the stare-down was in full force. “Then why in the hell do you keep lookin’at my ol’ lady’s stomach like that?!” Saint’s voice was low and maniacal. The hatred and anger were blending together. He felt himself become possessive and volatile. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all.

S
aint’s father stood from his seat and sighed. “I see it was a bad idea to come here. Saint, your irritation with me never lessens. I can never seem to make you happy and I’m finished trying. Thank you for your hospitality, Xenia. I will be leaving in the morning.”

“Classic!” S
aint screamed as he leapt up from his seat, racing after his father out the patio doors, past the pool and toward the guest house.

“I’ve forgotten my glasses.” His father said nonchalantly as he turned and begun to make his way back towards the big house, but not before Saint grabbed his arm by the pool, trailing him right on his heels.

“I ask you a question, and you think because I’m your son you don’t have to explain shit to me.”

“Saint,”
Xenia attempted to interject to no avail. She disappeared then returned with her Father-in-law’s eyeware.

“There is constant tension between us because of you and
you
alone.” He pointed at the man. “You don’t try to get along with me.  You do the same crap you always do—never expecting to be called out on your shit. Well, I’m tired of it! Nothing is ever good enough for you. Don’t try to reverse this and be the martyr.”

His father put on his glasses, turned and tried to walk towards the guest house but Saint grabbed the man’s
arm and forced him to face him. “You came to my wedding, things were great. Then I kept trying to call you and reach out to you after my honeymoon, and you were nowhere to be found. You wouldn’t call me back, ’cept to say you were fine. You were not a good father to me when I was a kid! The least you could do is try to be a good one
now
.”

His father shook his head. “What do you want me to say, Saint?”

“Pretend like you give a damn! Fake the shit. You can’t even do
that.
I have no fuckin’ idea why I keep chasing after your acceptance, your love.” Saint stuck his finger in his father’s face and spoke through gritted teeth.

“I promised my children, when they were growing inside
Xenia, I promised both of ’em, and now I’ll promise this one too, that I would fuckin’
NEVER
be like this with them!” His voice continued to rise as the fusion of resentment and grief danced together inside his heart. “Not under any circumstances would I be like you, with
my
kids! That’s my blood! They come from me!” Saint picked up a patio chair and tossed it violently into the pool.

Xenia
raced out onto the patio and pulled on his arm. “Saint, stop this craziness! What has gotten into you?!”

“
Xenia, let me go.” He shook free from her and looked his father in the eye. “You know something, goddamn it! You’re hiding something, and you won’t fucking tell me. You know I know, Dad! I knew as soon as I picked you up from the airport. I waited for you to say some shit, but you never did. You’ve been acting really strange, especially around Xenia. You know who I am … and
what
I am … and you hate me for it … like I can control this shit! Like I asked for it!”