“Fine, I’ll talk to her about it,” I said. I hoped I didn’t sound like a whiny 14-year-old boy, but I suspected I was failing.
“Good. And Ben? No kidding, if I come back from my European trip and ask Kitten how the prenup stuff went and she gives me a blank look, I will smack you so hard you’ll forget weeks of your life. And if you don’t sign one, get married, and it all goes to shit in a few years, I’ll represent her pro bono on the general principle that you were too stupid to have that much money anyway,” she said.
I laughed. I’d been on the receiving end of a few tough love speeches from Meg over the years, the last being two years ago when she pleaded with me to get my life in order before I seriously hurt myself. Compared to that one, this was a mild scolding.
She was right, though. There were too many things up in the air between Kitten and I considering the significant changes coming our way. School, work, and my mom had delayed them, but Kitten and I needed to pretend we were both adults and get a few things straightened out. It sucked, but it was better than procrastinating and having things come to an explosion.
That was the moment that Kitten popped into the sauna. She was soaking wet from the jacuzzi and the heat hit her and momentarily made her forget while she was in there. Then her normal brain functions kicked in.
“We’re heading inside before we turn into prunes and grab some snacks and then maybe watch a movie. Are you guys coming in or staying here?” she asked.
I glanced at Meg, who nodded her head, indicating she was done yelling at me for the moment. I used the cane to leverage myself up and headed towards her. Meg followed behind me.
“For being a brat earlier we’re going to make you watch the Flintstones,” I said. She groaned. Meg cackled.
“I was kidding! Come on!” she said.
“Tough luck, kiddo,” Meg said, walking past her. Kitten shot daggers at her because she hated that name. That meant Meg did it with some frequency.
“Is it any good? I haven’t seen it.”
Meg and I both laughed. I broke the bad news to her.
“It’s horrible,” I said, walking towards the house. “You’ll be begging us to make it stop.”
“Noooo,” Kitten whined melodramatically. “Daddy, have mercy. Please!”
I kept walking and laughing like a super-villain. Listening to Kitten beg was always a fun thing.
***
After about 15 minutes of watching the Flintstones, and listening to the girls’ pleas of mercy, we gave in and turned off the movie. It was probably just as well. I was in agony and a glance at Meg indicated that she would also like to be put out of her misery.
Meg and I got some enjoyment torturing the girls with pop culture remnants of our childhood, but we drew the line at hurting ourselves in the process. The Flintstones were over the line.
The next morning there was a lot of sleeping in and grumping. Gillian and Soo didn’t want to head back to Montreal and Meg was in no particular hurry to head back to her empty condo in Toronto with nothing to do. I would have invited her to stay, but she would never accept. She knew how much Kitten was looking forward to the week alone with me.
“Are you going to be ok by yourself in Toronto?” I asked as I walked with her to the car. There were a lot of significant changes coming her way. She was a grown woman and could handle it, but I worried. She smiled and, in a rare bit of affection, took my hand.
“I’ll be ok. I’ve got some stuff booked in Europe and a few more things I want to research. I need a few new things to wear. Plus, I have to talk to a few people about what I will do when I come back. Don’t worry about me. It’s a little scary, but I needed a good, hard shake. That’s what this is,” she said.
“Well, the shed is here if you need it,” I said.
“Asshole,” she said, then leaned in and hugged me.
Kitten was saying her goodbyes to Gillian and Soo. There were some tears. Gillian had graduated from school and things were serious with Soo. They all loved each other, but I suspected Kitten would need a new roommate in the fall. No way she was going to handle that well.
The girls came towards me and Soo immediately threw herself at me for a big hug, which I gladly accepted.
“Thank you so much for having us here this weekend, Ben. We love coming here,” she said, her face still buried in my t-shirt.
“You are always welcome and I mean that sincerely.”
I then heard a snurfing noise and she pulled back and looked at me with watery eyes. It was beyond me how her parents could kick her out. And I think I will always be grateful that I could never understand doing something so heartless.
Gillian came up and almost looked embarrassed about Soo. While her girlfriend was all big emotions and an open book, Gillian always had that wariness around her when it came to other people. We’ve known each other for a year and a half. I’d bet there wasn’t another man alive she liked more. That didn’t mean she still wasn’t sure if I would turn and hurt her at some point.
Meg and I agreed we would deeply love an hour alone in a room with the man who hurt her. But whatever he did, he didn’t finish the job. She was still a tremendously decent person and Soo did wonders for her.
“Thanks again, Ben. For everything,” she said. And then, in a huge moment for her, she gave me a small hug. I didn’t push my luck and just let her do her thing. I glanced over Gillian’s shoulder and saw Kitten holding her hands over her mouth.
“Like I told Soo, you’re always welcome when you need a break. Just let me know,” I said. She nodded and hopped in the back seat of Meg’s car with Soo, who promptly gave her girlfriend a big hug. Gillian tried to brush it off, but it was useless to try that sort of thing when Soo had her mind set on it.
“We’ll see you next weekend,” I called out to Meg, who nodded and then drove off. Kitten and I were finally alone.
“See, that weekend wasn’t so bad, was it?” She said, wrapping her arms around my waist and squeezed.
“Is there a reason you were a bitch to Meg all weekend? I’m just curious,” I said.
For a second, I thought Kitten might blow off the question, but she could see I was aggravated a bit by her behaviour. She took a second, I guess, to get the answer right.
“You’ve known Meg for 30 years. She’s your best friend. You love her and can tease her, but you’re incapable of giving her the sharp prod to get her moving. She’s been stuck in neutral since Beth died. I’m trying to get under her skin to get her moving again. I think, maybe, it finally worked,” she said.
I stopped and looked at her. She was just full of surprises.
“Wow,” I said.
“I know. I’m brilliant, right?” she grinned at me.
“Yes, you’re a clever little girl,” I said, trying to be a little sarcastic, but Kitten chose to view it as an affirmation that she was right and that I had acknowledged it. She uncoiled herself from me and got on her toes to kiss me.
“You should just listen to me about all the things. I am a very wise kitten,” she said.
“I’ll take it under advisement,” I said, which made her lick her tongue out at me.
“So what’s the plan for the rest of the week, my all-knowing little girl?” I asked.
She looked like she was giving it some serious thought, putting her hand up by her chin. Then she looked at me and grinned.
“Well, I had thought that maybe you would fuck me all week long. I mean, I’ve been stuck on a set with sexy TV stars for weeks. You gotta keep a little girl satisfied,” she said, backing away from me, knowing what my reaction will be.
“Oh, you’ll be walking weird for your first week back on set,” I said, making a lunge for her. She dodged me easily, giggled, and ran towards the house. In the process, she managed to take off her t-shirt and throw it back at me. Naturally, she wasn’t wearing a bra.
“Well then come and get me, Daddy,” she said and ran into the house.
I strolled towards the door, pulling my shirt off. It was going to be a busy week. I was looking forward to getting it started.