Seize the Day

Needless to say I receive a deluge of teasing and questions from my workmates after lunch. Word had gotten around about the group of hotties that had picked me up for lunch and Julie’s crass taunting of the guys on my return had won her a lot of fans among this rough and tumble group of construction workers. Among all the jibes and inappropriate jokes I saw more than a few jealous faces. I tell them the truth, to a point, in that they were my landlady and her relatives though even as I said it I realized how odd it sounded. Heather I’d only known a couple of days, Lily was at best an old acquaintance, and the rest of them had been perfect strangers yet here they were to meet the down and out stray that had stumbled into their circle. I take my coworkers banter with good humor. It was easy to be of good humor as I was still buzzing with positive energy, but unlike the morning it was now interwoven with a strange melancholy.

My mood is reinforced both by being put back with the framing crew after the boss hears how well I did that morning and by a general cheerfulness all around as the weekend drew near. From the older heads I pick up that weekends off was far from the norm in the industry and that we had some local bylaws to thank for them on this job. Riding this upbeat vibe the hours pass quickly and I am kept far too busy and my mind was way too occupied with learning my new trade for me to really reflect on my lunch, though the thoughts bubbled away unconsciously. Again I am invited out for beers and again I decline, to more teasing, though I do promise that I’d come out with them next week sometime.

It wasn’t until I am strolling home that I can finally give my attention to the interesting meeting that took place at the cafe. As I think back I smile at the way Heather had hovered close to me and showed me off to the others with that funny pride of hers. Though definitely awkward, it had been pretty damn cool to see Lily again and marvel at how she’d matured since graduation. Julie had been a hoot, Mia’s shy smiles had melted my heart, and even the bitchy Rebecca had a strange charm to her. Like her or not, no family was complete without a Rebecca or two.

Like the clouds parting to let through the rays of sun the reason for my conflicted mood is shines down upon me. It was an emptiness, a yawning hole in the center of my life. Something deep and fundamental. It was family!

Sitting there among Heather’s kin had rekindled memories of another time. From Rebecca and Julie’s bickering to Lily’s exasperation with her mom to Heather’s worry for her daughter’s well-being to the way they talked about the men in their clan and so much more I am reminded of moments like that with Mom and Dad and my estranged extended family. Among all the arguing and sighs and ‘Yes, Mother’s and rolls of the eyes was a bedrock of love and acceptance that only came with family. In the moment it had been wonderful, I loved how they sort of adopted me for that short time and I could not help but to lap up the second-hand familial affection so starved was I for it, but now in retrospect it made me wistful and got me thinking about everything I lost on that one tragic day.

I sigh and for a moment find myself pitying my lot once again. I had nobody and Liam had this incredible family just waiting for him to return from his adventures abroad? It just wasn’t fair! I swore to myself then that if I was ever blessed with a family so special that I would never take them for granted.

As I push down the desire I was trying so hard to deny that rose inside of me my gait gradually slows until I eventually come a stop as it finally surfaces. This family could be mine.

What I had learned over that lunch hour had recontextualized everything!

Heather’s warning to me was still valid. If she and I bonded there would be certain unbearable heartbreak in my future due to our mismatched ages and the loss of free will was a sobering thought to be sure. But she had failed to let me in on all of the extra benefits that I would receive in the meantime. Because she was this rare ‘matriarch’ type of woman I wouldn’t simply be her bonded mate, I would be a prince! Or, as Julie so bluntly put it, a ‘honey hole’, a male safe for the others to be around and do what they wanted with. Potentially I wouldn’t just be her man, but the whole damn family’s man! Needless to say that idea sent my honey fueled imagination into overdrive.

Meeting the others had also brought to light the fact that if Heather really was dead set on getting an older man in order to protect me there were still possibilities for getting on the inside of this unique family. It hurt my heart even to think about it as I wanted Heather so fucking bad, but meeting a couple of girls near my own age made me realize that Heather was not the end-all and be-all of this special breed of woman. Lily sure was looking fine and she was as friendly to me as she’d ever been despite her brother and I’s bitterness. And Mia! My fellow orphan was such a sweet and pretty woman who had clearly had some attraction to me based on her smiles, blushes, and the fact that she had offered that she could ‘take’ me if a volunteer was needed. Hell, if there was no other way I could even try for Julie. Life with her would be…interesting, but at least I’d never be alone again.

I shake my head and carry on walking as the selfishness of that last sentiment leaves me feeling ashamed. They’d given me taste of the family I was so missing and instead of being grateful I was greedily reaching for the whole buffet. For a moment there I’d let my own fantasies overwhelm my rational sense. The women, these incredible women, bonded for life. For life! This was no joke. There were no easy flings with them. Being with them meant forever. There wasn’t just my freedom to consider but theirs. Lily was on the road to being a successful doctor. She could get a WAY better class of man than me anytime she was interested in settling down. Plus she’d made it quite clear that she was not interested in me. And Mia, a genius! She deserved to have a fellow genius at her side and not my dumb, uncultured ass. Besides, her bonding with me would surely cause quakes in the family unity as Rebecca rightfully disapproved. And Julie? Nah. She seemed fun and all but I didn’t like the way she said she would get ‘fat and lazy’ as she **** her enslaved man look after her.

The more I thought about it the more I realized that Heather’s plan was the best I could realistically hope for. She would get a man of her own and be happy. I wanted more than anything for her to be happy. We could remain special friends and roommates, hopefully with benefits, at least until my unbound presence became too much of an issue for the others. Over time I could get back to my feet, establish this new job, find a girl appropriate for me, and eventually, luck willing, move on to form a family of my own. My place in this family was not to last. It was a gift from above at the precise moment that I needed it most and one that I would treasure until it came to its natural end.

Pity might have come over me again, but I just couldn’t find it within me. I had a good job, a great place to live, I’d met some super cool ladies, and if I played my cards right I might be sucking on some titties tonight! Besides, right now I had some tacos to make and share with the most beautiful woman in the world.