Chapter 26: Johnny

The front door’s chime warned him of a guest. He opened it. A small face appeared, bright and eager.

“Daddy!” Johnny cried, charging forward.

He dropped to one knee. His heart was warm. He pulled the boy into a tight embrace.

“My boy,” he whispered, ruffling his hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

Johnny, dark-haired and brown-eyed, looked just like his father.

His clean tapper fade, a buttoned up flannel, diamond chain on his neckband, a jean trousers and air jordan sneakers, made him look very much the cool billionaire’s kid.  

“How are you, my boy?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Johnny said. He paused.

“Daddy… I miss you.”

Nat’s chest suddenly tightened. “I know. I’m sorry I couldn’t come to your football game the other day.”

“You said you would.” Johnny said. He still felt a tinge of betrayal.

“I promise I'll make it up to you. We’ll go get ice cream tonight, okay?”

“Okay.” he beamed, his smile showing his milk teeth, an array of cowries, shining, glistening white.

He glanced down at Johnny’s toys, two action figures—Captain steel and Superman, one in each hand.

“Which flavor do you want? I’ll get your favorite.” he said

“Chocolate… no, mint-choc swirl!” Johnny declared.

He stood up, lifting his boy gently. “Alright, rocket’s fuel it is.”

He hopped towards the sofa, tossing one toy aside. Nat turned to the butler and nodded. “Pizza's fine. Use the private oven.”

He let him bring in juice and cookies, for starters, settling Johnny in front of his favorite cartoon show. The little boy sang along with the intro theme song, scrunching his face like a soldier.

“Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, ThunderCats!

Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, ThunderCats!

Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, ThunderCats!  

ThunderCats”!

Nat watched him settle into the sofa, innocent and guileless. He would not understand life, how a one woman can have you tangled in her delicate web of romance. The world felt smaller with Johnny in it.

They got ice cream at the park. He watched Johnny play slides and swings with friends while he stood at a corner.

He reached for his phone and checked the long paragraph. Nay, epistle he had sent to Zara on iMessage. No response yet.

He walked now with Johnny into the games lounge where Johnny and his friends were clustered around a miniature race track. Nat joined, cheering him on, high diving and laughing. His phone vibrated. He excused himself, answered.

“Hey Joanna” his secretary’s voice.

“Cancel all my meetings today and tomorrow. I won’t be in the firm”

“Understood Mr.Wolfe” she replied. “Everything’s rearranged”

As she hung up, she got another text from Nina:

I’m making dinner in a tight red dress, and high heels. You’ll inhale my lingerie.

He dropped the phone. Not again, bitch.

Johnny was full of excitement. He bent down and lifted him again into his arms while his friends were still playing a ball game at the corner.

“Are you having fun?” he said

He chuckled.

Nat dropped him down, they were now playing an arcade game on the screen. Dramatic characters with superpowers fighting each other. Mortal Kombat, Nat peered into the screen and saw the name.

He drove him back to Nina’s late evening.

From the back seat Johnny moaned:

“Daddy, why don’t you ever stay at home?” he asked

Greg sighed. “Work, baby. The firm demands it.”

His small voice cracked: “I want you to stay.”

Nat glanced in the rearview mirror. “I know, love. I’ll try.”

Johnny’s eyes grew hopeful. “We’ll get ice cream like this every week?”

“I Promise,”

He opened the door, Nanny Christiania helped him come down and walked him to the door.

On the driveway back home, Nat sighed. Johnny would never understand why Nina was Inhabitable, that he didn’t want to spend his life  with a woman he did not love. She would never replicate the unbridled energy of affection and boundless freedom that is felt being with Zara.

He looked at the traffic lights, amber, then green beneath the late evening sky with dark clouds. But yet, he was hopeful.