Dandelion Sky

o cool off and forget the entire day ever happened, for his visit at the airport sat heavy on his mind. Especially that visit to Aiden's workshop. Not wanting to think about it, Ethan turned h

rtable place to park and drink his iced tea. The patio's biggest drawback was the bleak view of the cement block wall

l those blocks served a purpose. Boundaries were there for a reason, to keep people from wandering in where they were unwelcome. Too b

been the first to smile. She hadn't even been all that attractive. He wond

s thought-- she wasn't, and

de no

s glass of Earl Grey iced te

The rejection had stung. Like a bee stinger buried deep in the skin, it couldn't easily be i

t called him names, but the more he th

acquaintances. Jo Mack? Ethan would rate her as sizzling hot one moment, and icy tundra the next. She was a tall mixed metaphor with sharp blue e

here he was welcome, and where he was not. She was off limits. He go

Picking up his iced tea, Ethan downed half of it in large thirsty gulps. He wiped hi

Ethan turned in his chair to

gave her a carefree look that suited her well. Cassie was too often wound up, and tense, always anxious about one thing or another. Today, it seemed she had

Though he didn't want to know more

ho found he only had a week to live. Frantic to finally live his life,

t he played along. "W

said simply, "bu

apped away another fly, then noticed his s

kles and looked thoughtful. "We haven't been keeping in touch very well, so I suppose it should

aid with a smirk, "change is al

've been taking jabs at people left and right. I know you tend to be on the morose side--

hen she looked at him with disbelief. "Fine-- call it what

. "Grandpa said he took you to the airport and showed y

said n

hen all you talked about were airplanes. I know you and Grandpa hav

from his face and grimaced. "I hate these bugs, but i

er. "That vomit-inducer was not my fault. I war

?" When she looked at him with caution, Ethan put up his hands in full surrender. "I'm not trying to tease. I just want to know how my little sister is doin

a phone more often. You've had plen

Come on, I'm supposed to show brotherly concern and you're supposed

eally want to kno

story of how your life is falling apart at the seams, an

ed, and Eth

ed his face without cracking

uld give him the trimmed-down version minus the ugly things that would only have him angry with whatever boyfriend she was cur

of asking who Mile

d should be a surprise." Ethan chose to say nothing, and it coaxed Cassie to talk. "Miles and I had an argument-- worse than our usual-- and it escalated into a full-pitch screaming battle until Miles

don't believe I

ver introduced him t

y n

et Matty down. He knows I'm not like him, that we don't see eye-to-eye on religion, but

n asked. "W

aid anything at all, and tr

as he,

y apartment, but later, after we were friends, he confessed to the whole

wn his iced tea and looked at his sister. "You

know it

"How did you two meet?

after we were seeing each other. He said

as big

new you'd act this way. This is

two meet?"

g led to another, and several days later we were talking about living together

uys start living together? Was it before

been the one to rob me until after he had moved in with me. You're not goin

his was making his brain ache. "I thoug

no

aid he had move

ig deal-- my landlord

ssi

just stop and keep it to yourself. You can'

. "And Aiden thinks

hard stare, and Et

ve to Las Cruces. If you lived closer to Matty and Beth, they'd be

anyone else to take care of me.

sister. He wanted to be dead certain that she

you were sh

icked up the iced tea, and frowned when he

Cassie asked. "Are

o you with relationship problems." He saw the hurt look in Cassie's face, and let it drop. "I prefer to ke

ething wrong with

d the fly out with his finger. "T

g old. I'm going to turn twenty-eight t

iatric, and doddering, and don't even know it. We a

wonder if maybe I'm jinxed. That maybe I have some anti-relationship gene somewhere in my DNA tha

ought back his annoyance. "You ar

d, and looked at him in earnest. "How many of your

now. A few

y have children, then they're at least trying for a baby. Except for Louise. L

Louise is, but not e

sighed. "I feel like ever

ve someone," Ethan shrugged, "and you

like you're missin

f the sight of each other, and if there's divorce, misery jumps to a whole new level. I've seen too many romances ruined by marriage. It's just not a good idea. But that's not to say," Ethan said wi

okay? How could I? I wasn

relationship isn't the be-all and end-all of life. So what if you never find so

imaced, "so have you. When you're an old man though, and hav

back a retort as Matty stepped around t

ck at them, but Cassie must have caught his attention,

ecked his sister, only t

her face with both hands.

t Ethan, and E

o brought up Miles. I was just sitting here, minding m

has been treating

urned to his big brother. "How do you want to handle it? Do yo

had crossed my mind." He stared at the backyard wall. "No matter how many times I c

g Miles alone

ks, but no thanks." She gave them a solid, no-nonsense look that had Ethan backing down.

hould tell your in-laws to paint it,

one of his crew made quite

ice in the half empty glass. "Before you ask, or lecture, or whatever it was you were about to do-- noth

ther, and he doesn't wa

and looked at Matty. "I didn't know about the situation with Cas

"but I appreciate hear

own life. While their family could sometimes be a nuisan

d to fight harder against his thoughts to find that same quiet space where he could rest and assume that everything would turn out all right. Cassie's remark about being jinxed by her DNA hit closer to home than Ethan had cared to admit. After all, their mom and dads hadn't been in any danger of winning parent of the year awards. Thou

areer and equally golden bank account. Cassie just needed to man-up, or woman-up, and do what he and Matty had

r bad luck, but something wrong with himself that was to blame. He didn't want to get married, but a long sustainable relationship did appeal to him. He was eager to prove himself successful where his father had failed, and his father had failed in a major way when it came to romantic rel

better than good old Dad, then Ethan needed t

ime wouldn't be easy. He had a short attention span; his interest never lasted long enough to know what a relationship beyond the six-month marker even looked like. He

e what's and when's of startup number nine shouldn't be his fir

had done it. So their parents had failed miserably at relationships. So their kids had come from a DNA cesspool that would make any sane person vomit. If

Ethan was feeling better for all his introspect

ght? Fighting back laughter, Ethan rolled over to t

*

not get off to

no pulling out of that bad-luck tailspin

airport, so in a way, she had lucked out by not having far to walk. When she arrived at the shop though, Jack had taken one look at her limp, and put her to work at the office computer to research and fi

intedly asked who had broken the quarter-inch drill bits in the orange tool cabinet. Like she knew. It was beyond ridic

touched the lousy drill b

ing her more than a little ticked off. With her head between her hands, and her ankle complaining despite the ibuprofen Jack had given her, Jo fig

n Jack came into the office and told

" Jo insisted. "You

to go home. Someone will pick you up tomorrow, and then you can go back to researching the wheel wells. While I can

at bad-- it

ll doing office work until I

he com

r you tomorrow morning." The phone rang, and Jack moved t

eing sent home. She got up while Jack talked to a potential customer, (she recognize

r you outside," Jack informe

been sleeping in, waiting for her in front of the hangar. She opened the passenger door, and

s she climbed in,

wasn't over the broken drill bits yet. Fine. She didn't feel like convincing him of anything, let alone the truth, so when Paul kept qu

ach her apartment. He pulled to the curb,

a rough day," h

at him i

p his hands in self-defense--

reak those

re ruined weeks ago.

ld me that when I

-the-dumps attitude reminded Jo of something that Jack had said the day before, ab

side for lunch, but decided against it, for p

Paul asked, and sh

n sometimes took things like that personally, but it couldn't be hel

as well

*

y had gone downhill the moment the words "indoor miniature golf" had been uttered. Outdoor mini-golf was at least bearable, but this?

n a hole-in-one on the windmill course, but the walls that slid up and down had been no fun at all. He hadn't been able to get down the timing, and putt at just the right mome

ing, Ethan and Aiden sat together,

ship that he'd given so much thought to, yesterday. He needed to get started, for the sooner he found a suitable partner-in-life,

an a sneaking hunch that this wouldn't be simple. But then, he had never really worked at it u

he rest of Cielo Grande looked anything like this room, then he would have to wait until he got back to San Francisco where his choices would be infinitely better. He wouldn't hav

h his hair and wondered if he dared. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of his last experience, and next time, t

He would have to

the eating area where grown adults sat at picnic tables painted over with neon stripes and bright polka dots. Man. Ethan was glad his f

ked him, as juice spi

suitable mock reply, Eth

er the discarded wrappers and soda drinks scattered on the ta

over. "I know I haven't gotten out to the Presidio Golf

Then what you're saying is th

gged. "Let's just say I'm not used to windmil

ed off the pointy end of a nacho. "This is what happens when you don't hang out with famil

that again,"

ld. And it takes them forever to realize that you're old enough to not have to keep tabs of your every move. Driving

didn't get the full effect that Matty, Cassie, and I did." Ethan picked out some of the meat from his burrito. "I can't tell you how many times we went to bed hungry because there was no food in the house. I'd cry myself to sleep thinking that this is it, that this time, we were going to die. That youn

brother hadn't forgotten what it had been

ngry, it was because of him. When I was about to get a beating from one of mom's boyfriends, Matty was the one who stood between me and the p

ious eyes, Ethan knew he'd come

feel like dessert," he said, trying to keep his voice upbeat. "Want me to

people usually kept clear of him. He couldn't bla

s order, he glanced over his should

aiting like everyone else. Matty paused, and lowered his voice. "Years ago, I asked Ryan how much he rememb

ould say

ack to the table deep in thought. He wondered if

eemed everyone was happy that the trip down Memory Lane was over. Everyone was smiling as Aiden leaned in toward Ethan, and started to spout scripture passages that Ethan ignored. Ethan didn

hen so be it. All the hopeful Bible

spised going over old times because it usually came with a price. He'd run as far and as hard

g raw, stirred up

o be anywhere near his family, for whenever he slipped into one of his black moods, he w

knew wha

ference between an addiction and someone seeking a distraction, and right now, he wanted to be distracted. He picked up a few other things that experience told him he would need, and then got back into his car to drive around

inside, and slapped th

y much in the PM. He blinked against the light filtering through the flimsy closed motel curtains and bit back a curse. If he so much as uttered a sound, Ethan knew his head would explode all o

en worse than he felt, and he hadn't thought that was humanly possible. He stared at the puffy, bloodshot eyes and made a face. He'd li

ned was a smallish bottle of scotch, and not very great scotch, at that. From the w

o cold, splashed water on his face and scrubbed some life back into his skin. He looked like some sallow-faced skid row bum who'd just emerged from a night of binge drinking in a dark alley somewhere

grim

ays in this sunbaked, who-cares-of-a-town would drive a

When his hands had stopped shaking, and the pain had been pushed back to something livable, Ethan went to take the longest and hottest shower of his life. He hated the way he'd had to crash in this hole-i

ne had its

gum into his mouth to mask his breath. Wanting to curse himself soundly and yet lacking the courage to actually go through with it, Ethan set about gathering his things into the store's crumpled bags. Breakfast would have to wait, for his stomach was too unsettled to keep food down. He slid on his sunglasses, picked up the

st smile and say he wasn't used to partying as hard as everyone else. It gave him a vene

the phone from his pocket, and cursed softly when he found his pocket empty. He didn't remembering putting the phone anyplace special. The one thing about hangovers that he hated with a vengeance, bes

t the wall, under the bed. How it got there, he had no idea, and he probably did

icate one last time with the vodka, but restrained himself. Blood-alcohol-concentration-wise, he was as sober as a judge and he wanted to stay t

Matty, from yesterday, and whoa, even from this morning. Etha

As he passed a green and white sign pointing the way to Phoenix, Ethan made up his mind. He wasn't known for rash decisions, but today he wanted to feel like

ime, then it was high

was in the office, getting all the necessary paperwork together and probably pinching himself black and blue that he'd made the sale so easily. Ethan didn't care. Though he'd never really dreamed of getting an ultra-high-end convertib

n called Matty's number. It

spat out without even a

reflection looking back at him from the convertib

ha

o know if Ryan wants it for school. If he do

as if he hadn't been able t

ned, "so if Ryan wants it, I need to know. Ryan can have it free and clea

atty asked. "We've been

to get away-- i

We didn't know what i

looked over the rich interior and told hi

w out a patient breath that

esponsible teenager who needed a stand-in paren

Ethan nodded to the salesperson as he came from the office with pap

l right?" M

million questions. I'll b

e sounds o

in his life he was doing something on pure impulse. Okay, so maybe this wasn't the first time, but it certainly wasn't a habit. Matty had made it s

it, Ethan drove his fully insured convertible off the dealership lot. There were no payments to make-- he owne

hangover. On the Richter scale of pain, ten being the highest, it registered a solid eight. Since he only used vodka in cases of dire emergency, he

looks as he got out of the high performance car, Ethan went to a nearby dumpster and tossed

e morning had to offer, and

hat his stomach felt like it was no longer trying to strangle him, Ethan bought some ready-made sandwiches jammed with fresh veggies and large meaty mushrooms c

the heaviest shade he could find. Then he sat back with the top

e and see how much punishment it could take, but for now, he was too busy relaxing to care how it handled. After spending so much money, he felt relief that he'd finally made

n sm

more feeling in control of his life, he could turn h

to put this