Truth Behind the Lies

You guys seriously kick ass. So glad to have gotten so many reviews!


Review Responses:
Nekosune: I'm glad you're enjoying this. Oooohhh. Okay. I think I saw something like that before on tv, except I think it was in Spain and they called it something else. Anywho :)
Anon: Do I? Well.....it's nothing deadly, but you have a right to be worried.
Sekre: Hope Shay talks to him? You'll see the outcome of that in this chapter.
maddie: Your wish is my command. ;)
bambi4real: I agree, he could've handled it better. But that's what attracts me so much to writing this story--None are the characters are perfect, which makes it that much more realistic. It was a good idea to go to Shay and talk to him, however...I wont say, I'll let you read it. No, nothing violent, but he does SOMETHING.
madlodger: Well good, I'm glad you like it. As for your review, you hit it right on the nail. Very good, you get a cookie.
CIN: Good, good. Keep reading. :)
Zillah: A new reviewer. Great. I write, you write, we're both happy, yeah?
annushka: Hahaha, I always meant to rewrite that story but have been too lazy to do so. I wrote probably 90% of that story when I was 15, I'm almost 20 now. Thanks for the review.
doesitmatter: Well here's another chapter for you.
Shelly: To tell you the truth, I hope she doesnt either, cause as far as her character goes, I don't know what will come of her. I'm up in the air with her.
Anon: Right here. You see me? lol. School. No other reason. The stuff is time consuming.


Chapter Four


Sunday morning


Shay was feeding scrambled eggs to his son and eating his own breakfast—Bryant was seated next to them—in the dining room, when they heard a ring of the doorbell. They heard Larry’s heavy footsteps walking to the front door to answer. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, um is this the Gibson residence?” Shay recognized the voice immediately. He wanted to speak to the beautiful blonde he met first at Roy’s Corner, but he couldn’t. When he first laid eyes on him, Shay just KNEW he’d be different from the rest of the townfolk. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle with a certain understanding. His tan face had showed a level of trustworthiness that Shay admired. He guessed he was wrong.

“Yea. What do you want?” The middle aged brunette asked.

“I was hoping I could talk to Shay for a few minutes.”

Larry’s eyes seemed to darken, suspicious. “What do you want with him?”

“Just to talk.”

“Do you know he’s 20 years old?”

“Yes.”

“And how old are you?”

“30.”

“What the hell do you want with a 20 year old boy?”

“With all do respect sir, your son is not a boy. Look, I made a mistake with him yesterday and I only want a chance to talk to him and patch things up with him.”

Larry glared at the blue eyed blonde standing in front of him. “Humph. Well he’s not here.” And shut the door in his face. Shay heard every word.

Randy stood on the front porch still looking at the door. He knew Shay was there. I guess he’s more mad than I thought. Sighing, Randy started to walk off the porch. But when he reached the door of his car, the front door to the house opened and he watched as Shay came outside on the porch.

“Shay.”

“You said you wanted to talk, right? Then talk.” He sat down on the top step of the porch, while Randy stood at the foot before him.

“I wanna apologize. You were right. Someone did talk to me about you.”

“And you assumed that it was all true.”

“I never assumed that it was true.”

“Well you sure as hell didn’t take it to be false, did you?”

“You don’t even know what she said to me.”

“I don’t have to. I know enough just seeing the looks on people’s faces everyday. And I saw the look on yours. I still do actually.”

Randy ran a hand through his short blonde locks and sighed. “I didn’t mean to be that way towards you yesterday. I was confused. Still am. I just wanted to know the truth.”

Shay frowned. “So you thought that you’d find the truth acting like a jerk to me?”

“What did you expect me to do, Shay?!”

“I expected you to talk to me! You’ll find no truth if you go around acting shady and distant towards me and going on hearsay like the rest of the world!”

“Then talk to me now! What’s the truth?! Help me understand!” I can’t tell him. I can’t trust him. If he was so quick to believe what some ‘woman’ told him about me, then he still believes it. It’s in his eyes. As beautiful and blue as they may look, he came here today still with a critical eye. What would be the point in telling him the truth? When Randy saw Shay duck his face into his hands and sigh, he climbed the steps and sat down far to the other side of the brunette. “Shay?”

“I have nothing to tell you.”

“You….What?”

“I have nothing to tell you.” Shay repeated, moving his hands away from his face.

Randy frowned. “I don’t understand this. You said if I wanted the truth, I should’ve talked to you. Well, I’m talking to you now. I’m opening myself up to you here.”

“Are you really, Randy? With the way you stood there all the way at the bottom of the steps and how you’re now seated so far away from me like you’re afraid you might catch a disease, I can definitely see you ‘opening up’.”

Rand sighed. “You’re reading too much into this, Shay.”

“I’m reading fine, thank you. But, I can understand your actions. You’re an All-American good boy, who’s been shown the easy life, grown up happy-go-lucky living between here and Wisconsin, and have witnessed to only the beautiful side of Plumsfield’s locals. You’ve never dealt with struggles, I can see it. You look too pristine to have made decisions in your life any harder than what you’re gonna eat for dinner. You trust these people. You trust what they tell you, whether you’ll admit it to me or not…..I can understand that though……You’ve had no reason not to. So I guess I should apologize to you instead…..Your actions yesterday and today should’ve been expected. I shouldn’t have been so shocked.”

Breaking their conversation, Jack walked up to the screen door and started to bang on it with small but solid hands. “Mama!” Getting up, Shay opened the screen door and let the 18 month old walk out, wearing his white with red trim pajamas. Once Shay sat back down, he crawled into his mother’s lap and plugged his two fingers in his mouth.

“I guess you’re more angry than I thought.” Randy spoke softly.

“No. I’m not angry at you anymore. I’m more angry with myself. I was fine without friends. After spending all of my school years as a loner, I’ve become well adjusted. I slipped up, opening myself to you. I knew it wouldn’t work, but yet I did it anyway.”

“So I guess I wasted both our times coming up here today. Your minds made up, so there’s nothing more I can do. I never thought it would be this hard to make a friend.” Shay was silent, holding his son as he turned around and started playing with the curls of his brunette hair.

Randy stood up. “I’m gonna go. I wont bother you anymore.” He went down the steps back onto the grass, but stopped. “But for the record, Shay, you know nothing about me.” He said in a more sympathetic tone than reprimanding. Then he left.

Once he saw the blue BMW was gone, Shay wrapped his arms around Jack and held him as you would a comfort teddy bear, tears ran down his face. Jack was totally oblivious to what was going on, but he sensed his mother was sad. Remembering what Shay or Bryant would do for him when he was upset, he gave Shay a baby kiss on the cheek and lightly patted his back.

That afternoon

After the morning he’d had, Randy was definitely not in the mood for a good time. BUT, he’d promised his cousin he’d be there and James would shoot him in the ass if he didn’t show up. Dressed in a plain but brand new dark gray t-shirt and jeans, the blonde pulled into the paved driveway of a red brick home at four o’clock on the dot, with two cases of Samuel Adams beer in the passenger seat.

He knocked on the front door and waited. There was the sound of movement through the house then a high pitch, “Mama, it’s Randy! It’s Randy!” Someone ran to the door and quickly opened it. “Randy!” the blonde nearly fell backwards as he was hugged by the nine year old boy.

“Hey Tristan.”

“Dad has been waitin’ on you. He’s got the football game on and he even pulled out his poker table.” Randy laughed.

“Okay, okay. Lay off Randy, Tristan, and let him come inside.” Said Richie in his tender voice as he walked to the door. With dark brown hair and eyes, perfect teeth, a lean shape, and a hint of Spanish mixed in for spice, Richie was quite the catch. Years and years ago, it was Randy who actually spotted Richie Vasquez one summer he spent in Virginia with James at the town’s YMCA playing basketball. Richie was playing four square and the two honey blonde cousins couldn’t keep their eyes away from him. But Randy knew with him living so far away, a relationship in Plumsfield would be down right impossible. So James jumped right on it and the two had been together ever since.

Richie took a case of beer out of Randy’s hands then hugged him. “Hey, Richie.”

“Hi, Randy. It’s good to see you. Come on inside. Tristan, take that beer from Randy and walk with me into the kitchen.”

The young 9 year old with a naturally even mix of brown with blonde highlights grabbed the case from his cousin. “Can I have one?”

“No, you can not. Randy, James is waiting on you in the den.” Said Richie then he and his son walked away.

Randy walked down the hall, basically following all the noise his cousin was making to find him. “Go baby! Go! Go! Whoo! Hell yeah! Did you see that touchdown?!”

Randy heard a tiny girl’s voice. “I don’t care, daddy.” The little diva.

“That’s alright. You care about football, don’t you Sabi?”

“Uh uh.”

Randy laughed as he walked into the den. “Leave those poor girls alone, James. They don’t care about your pitiful love for football.”

James jumped up from his spot on the couch and hugged his cousin. “You made it. It’s good to see you, Randy!”

“You too, man. I missed you. Oh my God, are those the girls? I can hardly recognize them.” Randy looked astonished at the two children who were leaning on the coffee table, coloring pictures. 5 year old Katie was a spitting image of her father; curly honey blonde hair, blue eyes, and olive skin. She was a big lover of clothes and looking good, but was as timid as a turtle to people she didn’t know. Then there was the youngest, 2 year old Sabrina. She was Richie all over; dark hair, brown eyes, olive skin, and a sweet, bright smile. She did everything Katie did and followed her everywhere. Little thing cried and cried when Katie started school.

So when Katie got up to hug Randy, Sabrina went too. Randy picked them both up. “You two have gotten so big since I last seen you.”

“I know! I just started kindergarten! And Sabi, well……um……oh she had a birthday! She’s 2 now!”

Randy smiled. “You don’t say. Well have fun in kindergarten, Katie and happy belated birthday to you, Sabrina.”

***

Same time, different place


“Gigi!” Jack said as he ran out the house to his favorite cousin’s arms. The stocky brunette with the trucker’s hat lifted the tike in the air.

“Hey there Jack. You miss me?” the boy nodded. Smiling, he held him in one arm and grabbed Shay into a hug with the other. “How ya doin’, Shay?”

“I’m okay, Buggy.” He nearly mumbled.

Buggy made a noise. “That doesn’t sound like a very convincin’ ‘okay’.” He grabbed a chair from the porch and sat down with Jack. “Sit down and talk to me.”

“You don’t wanna see Mama first? He’s been lookin’ forward to finally seein’ you today.”

“So have I. And I will in a minute, but you’re ‘down and out’ expression looks pretty important right now. So talk, boy.”

Shay grabbed the other chair and sat himself. He sighed before he spoke. “Do you ever feel like you’re lost? Like you just don’t know what to do anymore?”

“Hell, all the time. Why?”

“Things are a mess, Buggy. An absolute mess. I mean, you know my situation.”

“I do. You have a lot on your shoulders for a 20 year old.”

“And because of that, I do a lot of wishing. I wish that Jack could grow up having a father and all the things he’d ever want….like all the other kids have. I wish for a new brain for Mama. I wish I had a relationship with my father. To have somebody to teach me things and share experiences with.”

“Have you tried talkin’ to Larry?”

Shay nodded. “Yeah. A really made an effort a few years ago when I found out I was pregnant. I was in a really down point in my life and I hoped he could be there for me. He wasn’t. I was so hurt by that, I gave up on him. I haven’t tried talkin’ to him since.”

“And Bry?”

“Mama’s been….he’s been a help AND a burden. I don’t want to say that, but I’d be lyin’ to you if I said his illness isn’t a weight on me. He’s been the only person who has helped me raise my son…..other than you of course, when you’re in town. He’s taught me things about how to parent and how to cook. Mama’s been my savior in that since. But then he’ll get days were he’s out of this world and even more worse days where he’ll be just unbearable to be around. The other week ago, he ran all over the house with a butcher knife. Yesterday, he zoned out and sat in the bath tub for over two hours.” Shay sat back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair. “I’m tired, Buggy. I’ve been tired for years. I feel like I’m the parent for the whole house. I cook the dinner for the family and pack dad’s lunch for work, I make sure mama takes his medication everyday, I have to be the one who helps him when he has his fits, and I have a baby to raise by myself.” The brunette fought the tears that were swelling in his brown eyes. “When is it going to be about ME? Do I get a life? I lost a relationship with a friend today that I’m starting to believe I screwed up on purpose.”

Buggy paused for a minute then stood up with Jack. “Come on.” Shay frowned, looking as his cousin walked back down the steps and stood near the gray Cherokee. “Get over here.” Shay got up and walked to where he was. “First thing I want you to do is wipe those tears out your eyes. You’ve told me what your problems were, you’ve vented your frustrations, now its time to do somethin’ about it.” Shay wiped his eyes and kept listening. “Don’t show weakness in front of your son, Shay. He doesn’t know what’s goin’ on, but when he’s sees you upset, it upsets him. I’m home for a good month—thank goodness—so I’ll help you. All I can cook is cheeseburgers and hotdogs but I’ll do what I can so you wont feel like you need to be home all the time. Now what I want you to do is get in this car, drive to your friend’s house, and make up.” Buggy handed Jack to a shocked Shay.

“What? I can’t….I…what about Mama? I can’t leave him…”

“Shay, your mother is ten years younger than me. I’ve been takin’ care of him since he was a baby. I know what I’m doin’.”

“But Buggy, I won’t know what to say to him. I don’t even know where he lives.”

“I drive for a living. I know where everything and everyone is. As far as what to say to him….” Buggy opened the car door. “You’ll figure something out.”

***

Late afternoon


“……and me and the linebacker collided into each other. The big brute was well over 280 lbs, and my knee cracked in two places. And BAM, there went my career as a professional football player down the drain. I talked to my coach a few weeks after that and he said that it was a shame. I could’ve—“

“…been the best runningback in NFL history.” Richie, Tristan, and Katie said simultaneously. They’d heard that story one billion times before. And everytime James would down one too many beers, he’d feel the need to tell it one more time. The story was well over ten years old.

“Ha, ha. Funny.” James said as he grabbed his beer and took a swig of it. The rest of the group were laughing.

Richie wrapped an arm around James’ neck and kissed his cheek. “Oh honey, we were just jokin’ with ya. But honestly, you know you tell that story all the time. Little Sabrina is gonna know that speech before she even figures out how to say her address. We know it by heart.”

groan. “Well, I’m stuffed.” Randy said as he rubbed his now protruding belly from the dining room table. Richie was a marvelous cook and loved to cook in excess. On top of the ribs and beer was pasta salad, macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob, and rolls. “I think I’m gonna head home and sleep this food off.”

James frowned. “Now? But the game isn’t over yet?”

“James, it’s forth quarter with 2 minutes left on the clock. The Redskins are three touchdowns behind. Face it, they wont beat the Patriots, and you’re gonna owe me $20.”

“Damn.”

Richie rolled his eyes at James and laughed. “Well do you want to take home some food, Randy? We’ve got plenty left and nobody seems to like leftovers except me in this house.”

“Sure. Thanks.” Richie walked off to the kitchen to fix Randy something to-go.