Episode 253: Bringing On The Heartbreak

"No way Jess you beat me fair and square." Bowie rose from the table where he’d ‘miscounted’ here and there in a game of Snakes and Ladders. He wanted to see Jess win in all things, always. Just for the boy to be happy always. Not too much pressure when you’re out of work and haven’t started a college fund yet.

Bowie kissed his son’s head and patted his shoulder. "Time for your bath kid, then we’ll read some more of Huck Finn if you want."

"Okay." Jess smiled in his gigantic way. "Thanks for letting me win Dad."

Bowie settled on the sofa beside his bride-to-be. They seemed at their lowest point. Lower than any of the eight hundred times they’d broken up. They’d stopped talking. More obviously, stopped arguing. Stopped everything.

"I think that maybe we should tell Jess you’re not his real dad, just so he knows."

"Just so he knows." Bowie’s voice hardly came out. He coughed. A lot. "Just so when you leave you can say to him quit crying he wasn’t your dad anyway?"

She played with her socks’ cuffs. "What if it comes out, you were worried about that at the beginning well he’s a lot more well known now."

Bowie made no effort to hide the scowl on his face; to even consider that what she said had some truth to it because he knew that wasn’t her real reason.

"What Bo? Do you want me to hurt you? Do you want to hear that maybe I’m only with you because Jess loves you, that there’s somebody else?"

Episode 254: Again