"Yea… Yea I do…" He agreed not knowing what Mr. Ellis was talking about.
"I used to buy you those blue snow cones you loved from the ice cream vendor who used to work the park. By the time we got home your lips and tongue were bluer than the color blue." Mr. Ellis smiled as he walked down memory lane remembering the times he shared with his son.
"Mom would be mad that you bought it for me, right?" Jayden guessed. He remembered the times he would stop off at the corner store and bought some snack food and his mother would be mad at him for ruining his appetite.
"That's right she would. First she would be mad because it was almost dinner time and secondly she would be mad for not bring one home for Dinah."
"And you always would answer that you didn't want to ruin her appetite too."
"Bhahahahahahahaha….. Bhahahahahaaaa… yea I always tried that old excuse and mom would never buy it… I tell you, you used to get me in more trouble with your mom…" Mr. Ellis eyes seemed brighter and it looked like years of stress had melted from his face. Jayden guessed that having someone care about you; really did make a difference in the healing process. As a matter of fact, he even felt a little lighter at being able to finally be able to spend a little time with his father getting to know the kind of life he had lived.
"Will I see you tomorrow?" Mr. Ellis asked and Jayden could hear the hopefulness, anticipation and sadness in his voice.
"I'm not sure… You know there is work." He offered as an excuse. Mr. Ellis pulled his covers to just under his chin and turned his head sideways.
"I know son… I understand…"
* * * * * * * *
Jayden left the nursing home feeling numb. Was that an improvement of what he used to feel with these encounters with his father? He didn't know how to address the man or even talk to him? Was he betraying his mom by helping Mr. Ellis or even at times finding himself having to refer to his stepmother as mom? What about his own identity as the forgotten son? How did he feel living in the shadow of his stepbrother and even pretending to be him to some degree? Damn maybe Avery was right, maybe he should seek out some psychiatric help to help himself sort out his thoughts and feelings. He needed to talk to someone to help him figure and understand what he was feeling. He needed someone to provide some clues as to what to do about his father and his feelings towards the man. For the first time since encountering his father, Jayden didn't need or want any pity sex to comfort his bruised ego and hurt feelings. What he wanted and needed was that ear to listen to that Mia had offered him months ago. He took out his cell phone.