Drag (eBook)

Cat’s Thing

Vincent makes it home by 7:27 PM and is feeling better about being able to get to Cat and Sue’s by 8:30 PM like he told Kaye. He is upbeat. He purchases a six-pack of Killian’s Red, a nice bottle of Merlot that he remembered Cat mentioning he liked, and had been singing along to Pearl Jam for most of the ride home. He hadn’t had enough time for the juice but not to worry—he has a secret stash for just such an occasion.

As he approaches his house—a small two-story with a basketball net attached to the garage and a porch that could use a fresh coat of paint—he is curious to see a car pulling out of the driveway. His in-laws have just backed out and are heading off in the other direction and it appears that Emmy and her babysitter Tina are both in the back.

“Strange goings-on tonight in the Kyle household,” he thinks.

Generally, this wouldn’t be an odd sighting; Emmy was due for a night of spoiling but there was no mention of the in-laws picking her up.

“Was Kaye so worried about a timely entrance tonight that she called in the troops for the early swoop-in?”

Vincent pulls into the driveway and sits there for a moment. He figures, as any man would, since the house is now theirs alone, of course there will be a little time for some sexual shenanigans.

“Kaye really does look good naked,” he impishly envisions.

“She’s going to be all jacked up on the time thing though, and I’m sure we may not be on the same page on this one.” Vincent gives himself the grin that only a man in heat would understand.

“She’ll break for a well-placed compliment and a promise of an amazing licking. Start her off right and I’ll be ok with anything that follows. Some oral, her on top, her bent over anything...shit, I’d take a hand job while she’s blow drying her hair and yelling at me.

“Way to get distracted, Vin. Now get out of the car and see how this works out for you.”

As Vincent opens the door he is convinced that, time be damned, he is getting something before they leave this house for the night...and when they get back, and maybe something in the car both ways, for that matter.

“Where’s my crazy, sexy wife? Vincent asks loudly.

“Come on, Sunshine. Let’s see what pretty thing you picked out that I can rip right off ya.

Vincent knows Kaye is there but there is no response back. “Nice, it’s going to be like this tonight,” he thinks.

These nights are always the worst. They start out shitty and progressively get to awful and sometimes can ultimately lead to a good old “WTF” Donnybrook. “Pissa...”

Vincent tosses the keys on the table and reaches into the fridge for a cold shot of Arizona iced tea. No one is within a mile of view so he slugs it right from the bottle. The table is strewn with parts of today’s newspaper and some bills and today’s mail. Emmy’s half eaten mac n’ cheese is on the counter and the dog is in the hallway, looking like he is finally going to let Vincent know what really goes on around here when he is not home.

Kaye’s voice makes an entrance: “Vincent? Can you come up here after you’re settled, honey?”

“Honey?” Vincent wonders.

Honey isn’t a word that Kaye throws around often. Now he’s really confused. The parents picking up Emmy and now, “Honey?” He grabs an apple and takes a bite, kicks off his shoes, and makes his way up the stairs. He’s not sure whether to expect Kaye naked in the tub or Kaye angry about who knows what.

His suspense is short lived.

Kaye is in their bedroom sitting on a chair by the window. She has a look on her face that gives away that something is very wrong. Vincent rolodexes his brain in a flash to what it might be and it comes right to, “Emmy!? Kaye, what is it!?”

“No, no... it’s not Emmy,” she says. “Sit down.”

“Screw sitting down! You’re killing me right now. What’s going on...what is it?”

“It’s Cat” Kaye explains. “Cat’s...”

“What!?” Vincent interrupts. “Cat’s what!?”

“Sue called me on my way home and Cat has taken off. She’s scared, Vincent. She called me in a panic.” Kaye is speaking in a consoling tone.

“She’s in a panic about what!? He’s taken off where, and what is she so worried about!?” Vincent is tense.

“Sue called about a half hour ago, hysterical. I guess they had a big fight...and they’ve been going through some problems. She said he’s been stressed at the dealership...”

Vincent is sitting on the edge of the bed with his head down, quietly listening. Kaye leans towards him still sitting in her chair.

“Vin...Sue thinks Jimmy’s going to kill himself.”

Vincent looks up to Kaye as if he isn’t surprised, even though the thought of what she just said is absurd. As he is listening to her he is being torn inside because Jimmy Catalo has been his best friend since the day they could both walk. If Jimmy had a problem that he couldn’t tell Vin, then it is Vin’s fault for letting the divide get so wide.

********************

James Joseph Catalo (Cat) was born one day before Vincent, on November 14th, 1988. They grew up two houses away from each other, and there were only a handful of days from ages two through 13 that they weren’t together doing something in school, on a team, or in the street. Maybe a pick-up whiffle ball game on the block or as teammates on the baseball, basketball, or hockey teams. They always had a competitive rivalry but they also always had each other’s back. They were true friends.

Cat was to Vin what every kid growing up should have. “Brothers in the streets,” they used to say.

As far back as kindergarten, Cat and Vin were inseparable. They would walk to school together, hang out at recess and gym together, and if anyone had a problem with one of them, well, the other was never far behind. Cat and Vin had some raucous schoolyard brawls over some serious issues, such as a stolen backpack or even once when Stevie Ragone called Vin’s mother a whale. Cat sat on him and smacked Stevie around until he was in tears screaming, “She’s not a whale! She’s not a whale...! I’m sorry! I’m sorry...she’s not a whale!”

It’s always funny for Vincent to look back picturing Cat continuing to hit Stevie until he stops saying the word “whale” at all.

After school, they would inevitably end up at one of their houses for a quick bowl of pasta. Both their moms were Italian and phenomenal cooks. Vin’s mom made the best sauce but Cat’s mom was famous for her meatballs. They could never let either of their moms know because of their culinary pride, but Cat and Vin would often steal a loaf of bread from the corner store, head to Cat’s house for the meatballs, and then run down to Vincent’s basement with a pan full of Vin’s mom sauce to enjoy a secret after-school feast.

Fast forward to middle school and a couple of pencil-to-paper answers to each other’s homework, and it is back on the street to start another ball game.

Looking back, it was amazing how much fun they had together. True friends.

Cat was a true friend who, over the past few years, Vincent has dropped the ball on. Sure, things change: getting married—they were the best man at each other’s wedding and then Vin and Kaye had Emmy. The real issue for Vincent, though, was the internal envy of Cat’s seemingly easy life. Cat had the beautiful house with the granite everything. He had the beautiful cars, always the newest models. He had his family business, and he always had the cash.

For years, Vin pretended that it didn’t bother him, but it was partly Cat’s life and ease of passed down entitlement that spurred his incessant resentment of what others have and how hard it is for him to simply get by.

Up until the death of Vincent’s mother, Marie, their families were as much alike as they were different. Although, they both put family first, Vin’s dad was a blue-collar laborer who worked very hard to provide for his family, while Cat’s dad was a third-generation owner of the family auto dealership. The Catalo’s had the summer home with the boats and jet skis, the his-and-hers matching Cadillacs in the driveway, and every toy that you could imagine.

Vincent was always very proud of how hard his dad worked, and he was never left without life’s essentials—but the ever-present sense of struggle was ingrained early.

Over the past few years, Vincent used the excuses of their changing lives to his advantage, and for the first time he began to distance himself from Cat in an effort to avoid this feeling of resentment. Cat would try to arrange tickets to a game or a beer after work but Vin would come up with some lame reason to cancel. Tonight was the first night in six months that they were actually going to get together and Cat gave it the old, “and I won’t take no for an answer.”

Vincent solemnly rises from the bed and places his hand on Kaye’s.

“Let’s get over there. You can stay with Sue and I’ll...I’ll go looking for him. Do your folks...