Communication is the key to any successful relationship. The ability to talk openly and listen intently creates the foundation that people should strive for with their partners. As the morning sunlight crept into the master bedroom through a slight parting of the blackout curtains, a tight beam careened through the room and straight onto Fayde’s shoulder. Pain started to wake her. It wasn’t that the sun was exceptionally hot, or that the light was amplified like through a magnifying glass. No, it hurt her because she had a genetic disorder that caused her liver to create enzymes that perceived nutrients derived from natural light as hostile, which created toxicity in her body. She was quite literally allergic to the sun. Porphyria it is called. She had bought blackout curtains specifically to not allow in natural light so she could function normally throughout the day. Currently though, they weren’t doing her any good. Should she get weekly blood transfusions or the immunosuppressant drugs? Probably. But despite the recent success of her and her partner’s books, they don’t make enough to reasonably afford those kinds of treatments in America’s current healthcare system. That being the case for her, it didn’t take long for her to start moving out of the way of the light and communicated with her partner about the circumstance quite efficiently.
“Lith.” she said softly. Normally a soft sound like this wouldn’t wake her partner, the deep sleeper that he was. However, her voice always reached him, even in the depths of his sleep.
“Hmm?!” He groaned with a start, opening his eyes wide to take in the darkness of their bedroom.
“Curtain.” Was all she said.
Lith looked over to the window as he arched backwards, raising his upper half from the bed. He saw the break in the curtain and knew that he had to get up and adjust them to be closed again. He pushed back with his arms, lowering his chest, and raising his hips over his calves. Clenching his fists and flexing his muscles, a series of pops and cracks sounded from his joints and spine. Once the popping had stopped, he sat up, resting his haunches on his heels, letting the comforter slide off his back. He didn’t worry about Fayde getting mad for moving the bed linens. There were four layers of cloth over her, and the comforter was the only layer he slept under. Bringing his left palm to the corner of his chin, he pushed to the right with moderate force, rapidly twisting his neck, which erupted in several more cracks. He then repeated this motion with his right hand, getting the same result. With the upper half of his forty-year-old body loosened for the time being, he moved out of the bed and started loosening his lower half. Pushing out his pelvis and standing on his toe tips, he flexed all of the muscles from his lower back to his toes, releasing another series of cracks and pops.
He winced as his right ilium shifted again this morning against his sacrum. He’d been dealing with the growing pain in his hip for twenty years. By now, even with the nerve targeting medications and twice a year epidural injection, courtesy of Veteran Affairs, the pain could be nearly debilitating when it flared up. He had resolved years ago that limiting the exertion he put on the region would be regulated to a moderate amount, and that properly activating and controlling his muscles was paramount to not suffering.
Putting the majority of his weight on his left leg, he quietly hobbled over to the window and adjusted the curtain so that no light was coming in again. That done, and now awake for the day, he walked over to the bedside table to grab his phone. Flipping it over, he noted that it was seven in the morning.
‘Good.’ he thought. ‘An extra hour to myself before Fayde and the kids are up for the day.’
He felt around on his side of the bed for the earpiece he fell asleep with the night before. He didn’t find it on top of the sheets, nor under the comforter. Looking under his pillows, he didn’t find it there either. Grabbing the bedside table and the bed, he kneeled down and leaned to look under the bed. Turning on the flashlight of his phone, he found it near the wall, right next to their grey tabby cat, Idun.
“Good morning kitty girl.” he said in a whisper as he reached for the earpiece.
As soon as his hand began to reach under the bed, she darted off. He paid the cat no mind. She had always been skittish, even when he rescued her from the streets of New Orleans after a rare hard freeze. She was just two weeks old at the time. Now, she was an old cat.
‘What is she, sixteen now?’ He thought as he rose from his position, reminding himself to lift with his left leg.
Another pop came from his left knee as he rose. While not as severe as the pain would be from his right knee, it still hurt a bit. He had arthritis in one knee and muscular atrophy in the other leg. The VA called them Service-Connected Injuries because they stemmed from the Sciatica he got from several accidents during his time in the Army.
‘Damn, body is getting old. Forty going on eighty.’ He mused in his own suffering as another wincing smile crossed his face. It was a small, inner laugh. A way to keep depression at bay. ‘Gonna need the cane today it seems.’
As quietly as he could, he made his way over to his dresser and opened one of the drawers. He took out a black V-neck and put it on before closing the drawer. Opening another, he took out a pair of blue jeans and slowly put them on. He was already wearing underwear, a pair of black boxer shorts. He closed the drawer that housed several of his jeans and opened the bottom drawer, pulling out a pair of black socks. Stuffing them into his pocket, he grabbed his cane, which was propped on the side of the dresser. Quietly, he opened the door to their bedroom and closed the door behind himself. He then started moving towards the stairs.
‘Yay stairs!’ He thought to himself sarcastically before carefully making his way down to the foyer. He grabbed his boots, which were placed by the door, and walked into the living room. Sitting there was his chair. His great-grandfather’s blue velvet rocking chair. It was squeaky as all hell, no matter how often he sprayed WD-40 on it. Setting his boots to the side of the chair, he took the pair of socks out of his pocket and sat down in his chair. Bending over slowly, he put on his socks and then his shoes, lacing them tight. With a light groan and a slight strain, using his cane to help, Lith lifted himself out of his chair. He walked back into the foyer and grabbed his jacket off the coat rack that hung on the wall next to the door.
He slipped the jacket on and felt on the inside pocket. Waiting there for him were his pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He’d tried quitting several times and was finally getting to the point where quitting was fully in sight. But still, he allowed himself one cigarette first thing in the early mornings when he had time to himself. Reminding himself that this was one of those days, he opened the door to the cold and snowy winter morning. Michigan had been kind to him since his family had fled Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Ida. It may have been a rough start, but after Fayde and him had begun their writing careers, they were finally able to provide a decent life for themselves. They owned the land they lived on now, which included three houses. One for themselves. The second for Fayde’s eldest daughter and her son, Trevor, and Guidry. The third house was for Fayde’s son Enki. It had laid in waiting until last year when he finally made contact and moved into his waiting abode with no strings attached.
Stepping out onto their covered porch, Lith breathed in deep and watched as the breath let out condensated. Even though he grew up in the south, he genuinely enjoyed the frigid air. In his opinion the cold winters of Michigan were vastly better than the Summers of Louisiana. You could add more layers to keep yourself warm, but you could only take off so many until you were pushing the limits of what was legally acceptable.
He sat down on one of the wooden rocking chairs as he took out his pack of cigarettes from the inside of his jacket pocket. Grabbing one out, he put the butt of it between his lips and returned the pack and grabbed the lighter.
‘Flick’ went his thumb against the grinder as a faint hiss of propellant escaped into the sparks of flint as it instantly caught fire. The lighter was already positioned to light the cigarette in his mouth. He sucked on the butt of the cigarette, pulling the fire and the air onto it as the cherry was lit. Releasing his thumb from the depressor as he broke the seal his lips formed around the cigarette, continuing to breathe in. The fire extinguished as the fuel burned up and smoke entered his lungs again for the first time in what felt like weeks. It tasted stale, but that only served as further incentive for him to quit. Slowly he breathed out the smoke, which caught in his throat, causing him to cough.
“I really need to quit soon.” He said aloud to himself. “Think this will be the last pack.” The statement was made with resignation and determination.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a movement that stirred Lith from his musings. Looking over to Enki’s house he saw his stepson coming out onto his own porch with a cup of coffee, eyes wincing a bit. He was tall, maybe six foot tall, and had an athletic build. Dirty blonde hair cut short and professionally. He had his mother’s chin.
When their eyes met, he raised his hand with a wave as a smile came across his face. Enki returned the wave slightly with a thin smile. It wasn’t one of ‘Oh great, stepdad.’ It was more of ‘Oh, you’re awake.’ Gentle and slightly open to conversation. Their relationship had been tenuous when they first met, both feeling like outsiders. Lith knew that Enki was mostly eager to reconnect with his mother after years of separation, and he was more than willing to encourage that rebonding of family. Lith kept his distance, trying not to impose on the young man, but gently reminding that he was there if Enki ever got in inkling to be at the very least friends. They were only twelve years apart in age after all.
After taking another drag of his cigarette, Lith began to rise from his seat when Enki held up his hand and then motioned that he would come over to Lith. Raising his cane a little, Lith smiled and nodded in thanks. He watched as Enki walked across the yard, avoiding the likely ice-covered sidewalk to the house. Enki grabbed the railing of the stairs as he carefully made his way onto the porch.
“Good morning.” Enki said as he moved to one of the several rocking chairs on the porch to take a seat.
“Good morning, Enki.” Lith said with excited inflection in his voice. He noticed that Enki’s squinting eyes were bloodshot. Looking over his face, Lith could see the veins around his temples were enlarged. “Rough night?”
“Rough morning. That easy to tell?” Enki asked.
“Yesterday was Friday, and you’re squinting with bloodshot eyes. I would say the coffee is a giveaway too, but your mom drinks it by the gallon so that could just be hereditary.” He said with a smile. Lith was trying not to come off as judgmental and figured a small joke would lighten the possibly rude observation. The last thing he wanted to do was put a further strain on their relationship.
To Lith’s relief, Enki let out a single chuckle as his smile became more sincere. “You seem to know mom pretty well.”
“Twenty years and a child. If I didn’t know your mom well by now, she would have left me by the wayside before now.” Lith said chuckling himself. Enki chuckled again with him. Lith presented it as a bit of joking wisdom but was well aware that had he fucked up any worse than he already had, that Fayde certainly would have left him by the wayside.
“Still can’t believe that mom is with someone twenty years younger than her.” Enki stated.
And there it was. A point of contention that upset the young man. Something that further pushed Lith from the possibility of being considered ‘Family’ by Enki. Unsurprisingly, it hurt a part of Lith to hear the young man say it. As much as Lith and Fayde jested to themselves about the difference in their age, they knew it didn’t matter to them. They had met when they were both adults. Lith had been home, back from the Army, for several months at the time and was feeling lost and broken. Fayde had recently gotten out of another horrible relationship with another man who hid who he really was and couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. She too felt alone and very worn down, though she would never admit it.
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Like most people in New Orleans, they met in a bar. Calling it a bar wasn’t purely accurate. It was more of a music venue that mostly appealed to the EDM crowd. Lith was working, and uses the term ‘working’ loosely now, for a DJ that decided to host an event at the bar. That DJ happened to hire Fayde as entertainment as he had done several times before. She was a stage performer of the Indian style of dance called Naga Atem. They had technically worked on a show together before, but Lith was chasing fleeting nights of fancy then, and Fayde was dating someone else at the time. But that night, he saw her. Smooth pale skin, raven black hair, piercing eyes and a tattoo that caressed her shoulders and back with powerful symbology and meaning. As soon as he saw her, Lith was enthralled.
It took Fayde a bit more time, but she eventually found him out back of the bar having a cigarette at one of the tables the owners had put out. The city had banned smoking inside of bars by that time, and this one was able to accommodate with a courtyard in the back. She noticed how his eyes lingered on her. Eyes of finely controlled desire and, to her surprise, respect. He was in dress slacks, dress shoes, a black button up shirt with a silky bright red tie with slight hint of pink, and a pauldron on his left shoulder. The pauldron was out of place, but the suit did look good on him. She loved the look of a man in a suit. His sleeves were a bit short, but most men had a tough time finding clothes that fit them exactly right. It fit him well enough.
Lith was sitting in a way that suggested he wanted to be alone, but as he turned to watch her walk out of the bar, his stance opened. His leg came off his knee and he sat up straighter as he diverted his eyes and placed his hands in his lap as he looked at his phone. That was when she knew. He was a sub. In some base level of his brain, he knew that if he wanted to talk to her, he would have to wait for her to engage him first. She had an air of unapproachability. Regality. Something about her commanded attention as she walked into a room that was so unforced and natural, that words would always fail to describe exactly how she pulled it off. So began the game of cat and mouse. Fayde being the cat and Lith being the mouse. Returning to the conversation, Lith looked away from Enki and out towards the property.
“What can I say? I’m a trophy husband. She’s only here for my good looks.” he said, smiling as he took another drag of his cigarette. “No, in all honesty, it was pure chemistry. She caught my eye first and she noticed and took an interest. Then I fell willingly right into her hands. Your mother is a very smart woman.”
“Still doesn’t make sense. Why did she go after someone so close in age to her kids?” Enki said taking another sip of his coffee.
“I’m twelve years older than you, and ten years older than Treve. While we are close in age, I was not a child when she and I met. I was several years into being an adult.” Lith said and took another drag.
“You’re still closer in age to us than you are to her.” He said rather grumpily. To Enki, the logic didn’t make sense. There was still anger in him. Anger at how his mom left. Anger at how she had a new family. Her tears of regret when they finally met again nearly two decades later didn’t do him any good. Neither was his hangover headache doing him any favors. He didn’t want to be angry. His father and grandmother had told him how horrible of a mother Fayde was, especially to just abandon their family. Watching how she was with Trevor, Matia, even his nephew Guidry, it heavily conflicted with what he had been told most of his life. She was loving, caring, nurturing, simply different from what he had thought. Different from what he had been told to think of her. To top it all off, she opened herself, their home, everything to him as if he hadn’t been left with his father for the last twenty years. For fucks sake, they had a house on their property that was vacant and waiting for him. Yet still he felt like an outsider. “Maybe this isn’t a good topic for a morning hangover.”
“You’re probably right.” Lith said with a sigh. He took another long drag of his cigarette before putting it out in the empty ash tray. “Why don’t you come inside, and I’ll make breakfast.” He said as he rose from his chair. It was an offer, but also a command. Leaving things as they were and going separate ways now wouldn’t be good if Lith wanted to form a proper relationship with Enki. “Would you text your sister so she and Guidry can make their way over when they wake up.”
Enki stood and moved to follow as he took his phone out of his pocket. “Sure.” He said as he felt his stomach grumble. Putting decent food in his stomach sounded like an effective way to get the gunk he felt sitting in his stomach moving. “What are you going to make?”
“Hashbrowns, eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. Welcome to IHoP.” Lith said with a smile.
Sometime later, Fayde woke to the darkness of her room. The smell of breakfast wafted to her senses and stirred her from strange dreams. Normally she wasn’t hungry just after she woke up, but the smell of freshly cooked bacon was enticing. She sat up, removing the layers of bedding that she had made into her cocoon, and slid her legs off the side of her bed. She bent down, grabbing the two pairs of socks she left lying on the floor, and put them on.
To her, the house was always cold when Lith set the thermostat to sixty-five degrees. She would swear that her family was trying to freeze her out, but they found the cool temperature comfortable. Lith would regularly sweat when she put the temperature to seventy-five. He would leave it for a few days before eventually setting it back, but she couldn’t help switching it back every now and then.
As she walked down the hallway to the stairs, she stopped at the thermostat and changed it to her preference. Walking down the stairs, she was greeted by one of her favorite sights; her partner and her children getting the kitchen table ready for breakfast.
“Good morning my love.” Said Lith as Fayde walked into the kitchen. “Matia,” he addressed their eldest daughter, “can you fix your mom a cup of coffee?”
“Sure.” Matia said with a slight roll of her eyes.
Her dirty blonde hair was draped over to one side of her head so that it partially obscured one side of her face, reminding both Lith and Fayde of their respective goth phases in high school. That phase followed them even now, but they had decided on their own unique hair styles long ago. Lith wore his thick, long, nearly black hair parted in the center. It was pulled back into a ponytail right now, but when it dried from the shower, it resembled a lion’s mane that extended past his shoulders. Fayde’s hair was long as well, but she kept the sides of her head shaved, and shaved the back of her head below the nape of her neck. She hated the sensation of hair on the back of her neck. Fayde’s hair was also dyed purple, which was one of her favorite colors.
“Good morning, Matia.” Fayde said to her daughter hoping to get more than a one worded response.
“Morning.” Was all Matia ordained to respond with.
Fayde walked around the kitchen table and stopped behind her son. Giving him a kiss on the head as she rested one of her hands on his shoulder, she said “Good morning, Enki.”
“Good morning mom.” he said with a groan as he continued to nurse his coffee.
“Rough night?” Fayde asked as she moved into her seat.
“Rough morning.” He responded again, mimicking the answer he gave to Lith a little while ago. “No chance for an Irish Coffee?” he asked Lith.
“Sorry bud,” Lith answered as he poured pancake batter onto a skillet. “You know we don’t keep much alcohol on hand. If you’re in the mood for a beer, I can grab one of the flavored ones I use for the beer bread.”
Enki’s stomach churned at the thought of ingesting another beer.
“Maybe just another regular coffee then.” Enki responded.
“Matia?” Lith prompted his daughter about the conversation.
“Sure.” She replied, grabbing a mug for her mother from the cabinet.
“Thank you dear.” Lith said as he flipped one of the hashbrown before removing it from another skillet.
“Thanks.” Enki mumbled as he finished his cup and slid it across the kitchen table.
It took them only a few more minutes to finish setting up the table for everyone and Lith finished making breakfast. Fayde took a joyous sip of her coffee after Matia brought it to her.
“Thank you, sweetie.” Said Fayde
“You’re welcome mom.” Matia replied as she sat back down in her seat.
“Et voila.” Lith said in a mimicry of a French accent. “Breakfast is ready.”
Lith placed the first plate in front of Fayde. It had a single pancake, two strips of bacon, and a small pile of hashbrowns on it. Lith knew that Fayde’s stomach didn’t agree with eggs, so he left them off her plate. He brought similar plates to everyone else, some of them containing an additional pancake for those with a larger appetite. Finally, he sat down at the kitten table himself with his own plate and a glass of water. The rest of breakfast passed with verbal silence until the plates were empty.
“Matia, would you go to your sister’s house with breakfast for Trev and Guidry?” Lith asked. “I expected them to be awake and have come over by now, but they might have slept in. Either way, they need to start getting ready for tonight.”
“Okay.” She said with a huff. She grabbed a couple of paper plates, transferred the food and covered them in foil before grabbing her jacket and leaving for her sister’s house nextdoor.
“So,” started Lith, “your mother and I were wondering if you’d like to come to dinner with us tonight?” he was addressing Enki, who was just starting to rise from his seat with plate in hand.
“Sure, are we eating out or something?” Enki asked.
“Yes. We’re going to La Grande Castille in town tonight.” Lith responded.
“Woah, that’s pretty upscale.” Enki noted.
“Well, I would like tonight to be incredibly special and memorable. Which also means that dress attire is required.” Lith said.
“I can manage that. When are we going?” asked Enki.
“The reservation is for seven, so we should probably leave around five thirty.” Said Lith.
“I should be done with the hangover by then.” Enki jested.
Lith placed a glass of water in front of Enki.
“Remember to rehydrate. I don’t think I need to explain the sciences of the human body and alcohol to you.” Lith said and Enki took the glass and began sipping it. “Hang out a while. I’ve got to go and do a bit more writing, but I should be ready when everyone else is.”
“Sure.” Enki said as Lith turned towards the dishes that now needed to be cleaned.
The next few hours passed as everyone dealt with chores before cleaning up and got ready for the evening. They all met up at Fayde and Lith’s house. Fayde wore her signature two-piece suit with red and purple accents. It was custom made, so it fit her figure perfectly. She left the top two buttons undone so no tie adorned her neck. Lith wore a similar suit in all black with a red tie. Enki and Guidry wore black suits with a white button-down shirt and black ties. Matia wore a simple black dress that stopped just above her knees while Trevor wore a long dress with a high hip parting to one side.
They loaded most of the family into an SUV while Lith and Fayde rode in a four-door sedan. The drive to the restaurant took roughly an hour and went by uneventfully. They pulled into the parking lot and met back up before heading into La Grande Castille. It was part of a collection of tall buildings in the central business district of the city. The large neon sign covered most of the front. The overhang that served as the entrance shared space with the valet for the hotel next door. They walked to the door of the restaurant and were greeted by a man in a fine pressed suit.
“Do you have a reservation?” the man asked.
“Yes.” Stated Lith. “It should be under the name Howe-Rivers.” Lith replied.
The man looked over the list until he found the name.
“Very well Sirs and Madams. Welcome to La Grande Castille. If you would follow me, I will take you to your table.” The man said as he gathered menus before walking.
The family followed him to an elevator which they all entered with the host. He pressed a button labeled R and the doors shut.
“Rooftop?” Fayde asked.
“Yes ma’am.” The man said. “We don’t normally make reservations for the rooftop lounge, but the owner is quite a fan of you and your partner’s works. We do hope you will enjoy the evening.”
Fayde looked at Lith questioningly which only got her a smile in response.
Ding!
The elevator stopped moving and the doors opened to reveal a mostly cleared bar area. Where there was once probably a multitude of small tables and chairs now sat a solitary table large enough to comfortably seat their family. Most of the rooftop was covered by red tinted glass held up by steel frames. Heaters sat in each of the upper corners, ushering warm air into the area where customers would gather for drinks and revelry. Tall iron fencing lined the perimeter of the roof so that overindulgent customers didn’t find themselves taking a three story plumet to the ground floor.
The host led them to the table where they each took a seat. Fayde sat at one end with Lith on the other, their children taking seats between them.
“Here are your menus.” Said the host “I shall have the waiter come over to take drink orders” He waved his hand as a woman approached. “If there is anything else you need, simply ask and will do our best to provide.”
“Good evening. My name is Kate, and I will be your server for the evening. What can I get you all to drink?” the woman asked.
“Coffee please.” Said Fayde.
“I’ll have a water.” Said Lith
“Coke.” Said Matia.
“Water for me too.” Said Trevor.
“Budweiser.” Said Enki.
“Coke for me as well.” Said Guidry.
“One coffee, two waters, two cokes, and a Budweiser.” Said the server waiting for any corrections or changes. When none came, she spoke again. “I’ll go and get those for everyone while you look at the menus.” She walked off to fetch their drinks.
A short while later, everyone had their drinks and meals before them, as well as a spread of appetizers.
“Before we begin this meal,” Lith started as he stood with his glass of water, “I would like to say a few words.” Everyone put down their utensils and looked at Lith “I admit that this will be very improvisational. So, I will speak from my heart.” Lith took a moment to compose himself and to slow his breathing and heart rate. “I am so glad that we are all together. That we can all enjoy evenings like this together as a family. It warms my heart to see all Fayde’s children and grandchild here at one table, living close together as a family. I have wanted this for her for an exceptionally long time. I take no generous portion of credit for us all being here. Getting to this point was a struggle, one I hope all of you will one day come to appreciate. I love all of you. You are all my children, even though I do not share blood with some of you. This past year has been a long time coming and is cause for celebration.” Lith started walking around the table, placing a hand on the shoulders of each of the children and adults he passed. When he arrived to where Fayde sat at the table, Lith took a knee. “Fayde, we have been together for twenty years. You’ve given life to three amazing children, four of which are my own blood. This has been an amazing journey, and I don’t want it to stop anytime soon. I love you. I love this Family. Fayde, will you…”