10:00 PM - The Argument
When the adults thought we kids were asleep, the argument started. It wasn't a violent argument. It was the kind you hear through walls, where the words are quiet but the silences are louder.
Manny was in his room with the door ajar, listening. I was in the guest bed with the light off, unable to sleep.
"Why does he have to come to my house?" Jay said, his voice tight. "Why can't he take Manny somewhere? A hotel, a restaurant. Anywhere but here."
"Because Manny wants to be in his house," Gloria replied. "Because his home is here. Because if Javier takes him, you'll be asking every five minutes where they are, what they're doing, why they're not back."
"And it's wrong for me to ask?"
"He's your son. But he's also his son. And Javier has the right to spend time with him without you watching."
"Javier had eleven years to spend time with him. And he didn't."
"Because he didn't know how. It's not easy for him. And you weren't a perfect father either."
The silence that followed was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"What do you mean by that?" Jay asked, his voice lower.
"I mean Mitchell is still waiting for you to tell him you're proud of him. Claire is still waiting for you to look at her the way you look at Manny. You're not perfect. Javier isn't either. But you're both here. You're both trying. And that's more than many fathers do."
I didn't hear Jay's response, but I knew Gloria's words had touched a place he didn't want to show.
11:30 PM - Pool
When I went downstairs to get a glass of water, the living room was empty. But in the basement, the lights were on.
I went down the stairs and found Jay and Javier playing pool. They weren't talking. Just playing. The balls hit, rolled, fell into the pockets with a sound that filled the silence.
Jay was focused, cue in hand, eyes on the table. Javier was more relaxed, a beer in his hand and a smile that didn't seem forced.
"You play well," Javier said after Jay sank three balls in a row.
"I've been playing for years."
"It shows. I never had the patience for this. I prefer faster things. Motorcycles, women, life."
"That's why things turned out the way they did for you."
Javier wasn't offended. "That's why things turned out the way they did," he repeated. "But it's also why I have a son who loves me. Even though I wasn't always there. Even though I wasn't the father he expected."
Jay set his cue on the table.
"You think Manny loves you?"
"I know he does."
"How do you know?"
"Because he looks at me the way I used to look at my father. With hope. Hope that this time will be different. That this time I'll stay."
"And are you going to stay?"
Javier set his cue next to Jay's. "I'm going to try. That's all I can promise."
Jay looked at him for a long time. And then, with a smile I didn't expect, he said: "You're a son of a bitch, Javier. But not as much of a son of a bitch as I thought."
Javier raised his beer. "That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me in years."
"Want to play?" Jay asked, picking up his cue again.
"Let's play," Javier said.
And for a while, there were no more words. Just the sound of the balls hitting, falling, rolling into the corners of the table.
1:00 AM - Chess
Manny was awake when I came upstairs. He hadn't been able to sleep either. He found me in the hallway with his bedroom door ajar and a chess box in his hands.
"Did you hear everything?" he asked.
"Some of it."
"My dad told Jay he was going to stay."
"I heard."
"Do you think it'll be true?"
I sat on the floor across from him. He opened the box and started setting up the pieces on the board.
"I don't know," I said. "But Jay treated him differently this time. He didn't kick him out. Didn't tell him to leave. He stayed and played pool with him."
"Jay always says words don't matter. What matters is what you do."
"Then what matters is that he stayed. He played. He didn't treat him like an enemy."
Manny moved a pawn. I moved another.
"My dad says the knight is the best piece," Manny said. "Because it can jump over others. It doesn't need anyone to clear the way."
"And what do you think?"
"I think sometimes it's good to jump. But sometimes it's good to wait. Let others clear the way for you."
"Like Jay?"
"Like Jay. Like my mom. Like you."
"Me?"
"You're here with me, playing chess. Even though you could be at home, watching TV, talking to Alex. But you're here. That's being there."
I didn't know how to respond. Words stuck in my throat, not because I didn't know what to say, but because anything I said would break the spell.
"My dad said he was going to try," Manny continued, moving another piece. "That's more than he's ever said."
"What if he can't?"
"Then I'll wait for him. Like always. But now I know he's waiting for me too. In his way. In his place."
He moved his knight. "Check."
"Your turn," he said.
I looked at the board. My king was trapped. There was no way out.
"You win," I said.
"I know," Manny said, and smiled.
3:00 AM - The Motorcycle
The sound of the motorcycle woke up the whole neighborhood.
When I went downstairs with Manny, Jay and Javier were in the entrance, faces red from the cold, with smiles of those who had done something they shouldn't. The motorcycle was running, engine roaring like a wild animal.
"Where did you go?" Gloria asked, arms crossed, with an expression I couldn't tell was anger or relief.
"For a ride," Jay said. "That's all."
"A two-hour ride?"
"There was a storm. We had to stop."
"There was no storm."
"There was a storm of memories," Javier said with a smile of pure charm. "And those you don't drive through with a windshield."
Gloria looked at him. She looked at him for a long time. And then, with a smile she couldn't hide, she said: "Come in. I'll make you something hot."
Jay looked at me, winked, and went inside. Javier stayed a moment in the entrance, looking at Manny.
"Did you play chess?" he asked.
"I won," Manny said.
"That's my son."
"Do you know how to play?"
"I know how to move the pieces. But I never had the patience to win."
"I'll teach you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," Javier repeated, and went inside.
Manny stayed a moment in the entrance, looking at the motorcycle, the night, the stars barely visible through the city lights.
"Leo," he said without looking at me. "Do you think this time will be different?"
"I think he's going to try. That's more than he's ever done."
"Is it enough?"
"I don't know. But it's a start."
Manny nodded and went inside.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
pavs007, Carla_Pratt, DaoistU2rYLz, Tiarion_34, KimuraK0
Thank you for that consistency that not just anyone has. For always reading, for being there without fail, and for every Power Stone you give me. That faithful support is what truly keeps this alive. You are very loved and very appreciated. 🫂🔥✨🙌
If you enjoyed it, leave a Review and Power Stones.
✅ Early access to 22 new chapters
Join LEGEN - DARY Level on Patreon
👉 https://[email protected]/cw/Day_bluefic
@=a
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Comment, follow, and support with power stones. 🏠🏍️✨