Saturday evening, Blake and the boys were outside under the garden gazebo. The crisp autumn air carried around the scent of fallen leaves and freshly turned earth around. He was sitting on his favorite oversized outdoor rocking chair, reading one of Tasha’s publications on financial independence for corporate organizations. A glass of wine sat on the rattan side table beside him.
The rustle of the booklet in his hands was a counterpoint to Tyson and Jayce’s excited shouts as they were locked in a fierce digital battle with their handheld consoles. Blake looked at them and smiled in their direction.
“Candy,” he called out softly to Tasha, who was on the other side of the garden. “You’ve been there for almost an hour. I think you should take a rest for today.”
Tasha, her hands stained with soil, was kneeling by a bed of flowers and trying to plant the last of her tulips. Her hands halted at Blake’s voice.
“I’m almost done here.” She turned around to look at Blake. “This is the last one.”
“Okay, babe,” he smiled back at her and his gaze drifted back to his sons. A wave of contentment washed over him as a little smile tugged at the corner of his lips. If anyone had told him, he would be happy just sitting outside in the garden looking over his children and Tasha, the love of his heart, he would have laughed at such a person.
Blake closed the booklet up and picked up the glass of wine on the side table, the amber liquid sloshing as he swirled it around in the glass. Blake made a silent toast to the love that bound the four of them together. He chuckled and took the last of the content in the glass.
Blake remembered he had to call Ethan the moment he set the glass back on the table. He picked his phone and dialed Ethan’s number from the speed dial.
Ethan answered on the second dial.
“Ethan, it’s Blake,” he said, his voice a touch more urgent than usual.
“Hey man,” Ethan answered cheerfully, as usual. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good. I just wanted to let you know I spoke with Fletcher. He wants to meet with you. Is Thursday at 9:00 am okay for you?”
“Wow,”Ethan’s voice, a message x of surprise and excitement floated through the phone. “Thursday at 9:00 is fine.”
“Great,” Blake moved forward in his seat. “I will send his cell phone number to you now, so you can call him.”
“Thanks so much, Blake,” his voice cracked with emotions. “I really appreciate you…for your help always. Thanks.”
“Yoo bro, it’s nothing,” Blake said, smiling with a sense of satisfaction. “What are family for? We are brothers.”
“Men, Blake,” Ethan said from the other end. “It’s not nothing, making Mr. Fletcher agree to see me. It’s huge. Thank you.”
“I will forward his number to you right away.”
“Okay.”
Blake hung up and sent the number immediately.
********
Ethan gently placed the phone back onto its cradle, the soft ringtone echoing through his apartment. He was so excited and felt lucky to have Blake Carter as an older cousin. Blake was always ready to help him. He stood up from the sofa and went to the kitchen.
Kelly was coming over for the evening. And he wanted to cook for her, being her first time visiting him at home. Though he wasn’t much of a cook, he wanted to try to make her visit special.
Ethan brought out all the ingredients he wanted to use on the worktop. He had settled on making pasta, a dish he presumed was easy to make.
He got to work and the walls of his kitchen were soon coated with a mixture of tomato sauce, olive oil and other things. The once-organized kitchen was now a chaotic symphony of pots, pans, and half-finished dishes. His phone rang, but he ignored it. He couldn’t believe he had made a mess of everything, but he still kept on with his guess work.
The doorbell rang, startling Ethan out of his cooking frenzy.
“Shit, shit, shit!” He muttered. “That must be Kelly, oh no!”
He took one last look at the disaster he had created, removed his apron, and took a deep breath. He walked out of the kitchen slowly to open the door. As he was expecting, Kelly was
standing there, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
“Hey,” she said, a smile spreading across her face. “I hope I’m not too early.”
“No, not at all,” Ethan replied, attempting to sound calm and collected. He hugged her, “please come on in.”
She walked in and he shut the door.
“What’s going on?” She asked, seeing how unhappy he was looking.
His shoulders slumped. “I was trying to cook for you but…” He shrugged, “it just didn’t work out.”
Ethan’s face was so sad, as if something really bad had happened.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “You were trying to cook for me?”
He nodded.
“It’s okay,” she wrapped her arms around his middle. She felt so loved and cherished that he tried to do something special for her. “I’m so happy that you tried.” She gave him a soft kiss. Her heart thumped painfully against her chest with love for him.
“Take me to the kitchen,” she hugged him. “Maybe I can salvage it.”
“Okay,” he held her hand. “Come with me.”
He led her into the kitchen.
She looked around with a smile. “Wow, Ethan,” she said, taking in the sight. “It looks like you’ve been having quite the adventure here. I’m sorry it looks like nothing can be salvaged here.”
His heart sank. He had wanted to impress her, not scare her away. But instead of recoiling in disgust, Kelly stepped closer and put her hand on his shoulder.
“It’s okay,” she said softly. “You know what? I think it’s even more romantic. You tried, and that’s what matters.”
Relief washed over Ethan, and he couldn’t help but smile at her words. “Come here,” he growled, pulling her into his arms. He gave her a very long, passionate kiss.
He later led her to the living room.
“How about we go out to eat?”
She wanted them to be alone this evening. She shook her head.
“How about we order pizza instead?” Kelly suggested, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
Ethan couldn’t help but chuckle. “I think that’s a great idea,” he said. “I have wine to go with it.”
He went back to pick up the phone in the kitchen to order from the nearby Pizzaville.