Who: Beau Waites and Isaac Callahan. Where: The Bar. When: 2/6/2020, before The Bar opens for the day. What: Beau airs some suspicions he has about his bosses, Isaac and Demi. Some gentlemanly bonding occurs between him and Isaac.
So he's well aware how vital a father figure is How big of a responsibility it is To be a good husband and care for your kids Papa isn't dumb, he understands what this means His dream is my dream, my dream is his dream
Beau circled The Bar, making sure he hit every item on his mental checklist needed to ensure the establishment opened properly and on time. He was only the bouncer, and a fairly new one at that, so while the list wasn’t extensive by any means, Beau took pride in his work. Besides that, he liked Demi and Isaac. Even though he had only known his employers for a short while, they were good people and Beau enjoyed both his personal and professional relationship with the pair of them.
Satisfied he had completed his tasks, Beau made his way to the private employee area just off the kitchen to avail himself of some coffee. Considering it was the day after Valentine’s day, Beau wasn’t sure what to expect from The Bar’s clientele so he figured it was best met with some caffeine in his system. Just as the pot finished brewing, Isaac pushed through the door.
“Hey man,” Beau said amiably, holding up his mug. “Just made a fresh pot. You want some?”
“I always want coffee,” Isaac responded, walking over to the counter and grabbing a mug to pour himself some. While doing his best to not drink, showing Demi some solidarity as they were trying to get pregnant, he was more addicted to coffee than ever. In the evenings, instead of a scotch or whiskey, he’d started drinking coffee to wind down for the night. It had taken him a few nights to realize he should be drinking decaf in those situations, but the habit was still formed.
“Anything get too crazy last night after Demi and I left for dinner? Seemed like we had a pretty full house,” Isaac asked, blowing on his coffee to cool it down before he took a tentative sip.
“There were a few lonely hearts looking for last minute valentines,” Beau replied carefully, trying to be kind about their clientele. Even if the idea of romance was far from his own mind, he could see how the holiday could make some people a little crazy. “But for the most part, people were just there to have a good time. No one got too rowdy and I only had to call a ride for one person. All in all, a pretty successful night.”
Beau suspected his idea of a successful Valentine’s was quite different than other peoples, his boss included.
“Did you guys have a nice Valentine’s Day? Paint the town red and all that?” Beau wasn’t one to pry so he made sure to frame the inquiry as more of a friendly question than an invasive one. Even though Beau was spending the holiday alone for the first time in years, he wasn’t the sort of person to hold other couples being happy against them. In fact, he found it lovely how obviously in love Isaac and Demi were.
Demi. Beau slapped his head. He’d been so busy talking to Isaac he’d forgotten that his manager was also likely in the building getting ready for the work day as well.
“I’m sorry, can I get anything for Demi while we’re standing here?” Beau started rifled through cabinet and drawers, looking for specific items. “We’ve got...chamomile tea, decaf coffee...there’s chilled orange juice for drinks out at the bar but seeing as it’s for the head honcho, I think we could get away with stealing some.” He opened the employee fridge and peered inside. “Seltzer water. Uh, regular water. Some half and half.” Beau picked the last item out of the refrigerator and sniffed the carton. He grimaced, closed the carton, and tossed it in the garbage. “Okay, no half and half. But everything else is good to go. Know what she might want?”
Beau was careful to mention only decaffeinated and nonalcoholic beverages. He wasn’t trying to infer anything exactly, only that he’d noticed a shift in both his boss’s drinking habits as of late. He knew what it looked like but everyone was entitled to their privacy. He was just trying to be accommodating. Mostly.
Isaac was quiet for a few long moments, eyeing Beau cautiously. The man seemed to be making quite the fuss over Demi’s beverage preferences. Isaac was probably the least jealous guy around, so it wasn’t like he thought the bouncer was trying to snag away his lady. It was more the strangeness of the whole situation. Sure, Demi was Beau’s boss but it seemed more than trying to suck up. After processing this development, Isaac asked, “Everything okay? I’m pretty sure if she wants a drink she can make it for herself. Did Demi do something to make you feel like you need to wait on her? And, most importantly, why didn’t you bending over backwards trying to offer me every beverage under the sun? Do you like Demi more than me?” The part said with an amused smirk.
“Well, of course Demi can get her own drink,” Beau replied, chuckling a bit at Isaac’s inferences. It wasn’t the first time Beau’s natural politeness and earnest desire to make people comfortable had been taken the wrong way but it did make him wonder whether he’d been off base with his suspicions about Isaac and Demi possibly expecting.
“And if she thought for one second I assumed she couldn’t do something, I’m pretty sure she’d wipe the floor with me. I just noticed she hasn’t really been drinking coffee and stuff lately and it reminded me of when…” Beau drifted off for a moment, lost in his thoughts. When it came down to it, Beau only had his own experiences with his wife to base his suspicions off of so while Isaac’s slight defensiveness made him wonder if he wasn’t onto something, Beau was just as likely to be barking up the wrong tree about the whole pregnant thing. Beau shook his head, backpedaled, and regrouped. “Anyway, I was just trying to be nice.”
He pointed to Isaac’s cup of joe.
“Besides, the argument could be made that me making sure there was plenty of coffee for you when you got here is a sure sign that you’re my favorite but if it makes you feel better, I’ll run down the list of drinks again just for you if you want.”
He smiled, hoping that it was enough to set them to rights after his untoward assumption. Beau felt slightly guilty that he had projected his own experiences on the young(er) couple but hopefully Isaac wouldn’t hold it against him.
Again, Isaac paused, taking in Beau’s words. When you’ve done as many witness questionings as he had, you learn a thing for two about people holding back information. What was clear was that Beau wanted to say something or ask something, but he wasn’t quite reaching his mark.
“Yeah, I think Demi could kick just about anyone’s ass. Even a big guy like you. But that’s not what you really want to say, is it? So why don’t you stop skirting around the issue and deflecting with beverage options and just say it. Or finish your thought. What’s all this been reminding you of?”
Beau frowned and sipped his coffee. In his effort to be courteous, he’d somehow managed to land himself in a sticky situation. It wasn’t exactly polite to broach the possibility of someone’s pregnancy before or during the first trimester. You don’t want to jinx by speaking of it too soon. Also, there was always the possibility that you were off the mark and you would just be insulting someone by bringing the idea up. Lastly, it wasn’t any of Beau’s business really. Even though he liked both Demi and Isaac tremendously, at the end of the day, they were his bosses. So even though he hadn’t intended to seem accusatory, that’s exactly what he’d gone and done. There was no removing the foot he’d so completely shoved in his mouth so he bit the bullet.
“I just know that when me and my wife were trying for a baby we did the same thing,” he said at long last. “No caffeine, no booze, the organic food thing. And, of course, if she was abstaining, then I was, too. Solidarity, no matter what. It was a really special time.”
His frown turned into a smile. It was harder to ward off the memories of Rae and Beau found himself quiet for a moment before he shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
“Sorry, I know you didn’t come to the kitchen to walk down memory lane with me,” he said, a bit quieter than before. Beau felt strange and slightly awkward now. He didn’t really speak of Rae with anyone other than his kids and doing so, even in passing, with Isaac made Beau feel exposed.
“I’ll, uh, leave you to your coffee and get ready to open.”
“You’re not even going to stick around to see if you’re right?” Isaac said, half amused, half confused. It felt like they’d been finally getting somewhere with this conversation only for Beau to pull back. Isaac could understand Beau’s concern of the line between boss and employee, though truth be told Demi was the real boss around here, so Beau and Isaac were probably on closer levels than the other man assumed.
And then there was the fact that Isaac knew of Beau’s kids, but not of his wife. It didn’t take a genius to realize that either they’d split up or, more plausible these days, something had happened to her after the outbreak. And that sure as hell was something Isaac could relate to. But he wasn’t about to force the other man to talk if he didn’t want to.
Beau stopped mid-stride, turning back to Isaac and offering him an inquisitive smile. Maybe he wasn’t so off base after all.
“Am I?”
He cocked his head to one side, appraising Isaac. If Beau felt like he was crossing a line by prying into Isaac’s personal business, his boss’s tease about the situation served as tacit permission to continue his busybody ways. Beau leaned against the kitchen counter, gesturing with his coffee mug.
“If that were the case, I would offer my most sincere and heartfelt congratulations. Unless it’s too early for that and then I would give you a hearty ‘right on’ and very manly shoulder punch.” He searched Isaac’s face and assessed his demeanor, trying to suss out what stage of the process he and Demi might be at.
Isaac chuckled and gave a noncommittal shrug, though with the smile on his face it was really just a silent confirmation to Beau’s suspicions. “We’re trying to get something cooking, but it’s taking a bit of time. Demi’s more stressed about it than I am, but I’m sure you’ve noticed, that’s just her personality.”
Beau had noticed a slight change in Demi’s demeanor but hadn’t recognized it as being stressed. There had been shifts in her everyday air that, now that realized what was going on in her personal life, seemed to line up a bit clearer for him. Beau had forgotten how stressful the pregnancy process could be for a couple.
“She seems to be handling it well,” Beau replied generously. “But then again, if you get stressed about trying to make a baby happen you can always mellow out by, well, uh, trying to make a baby happen.”
It was as close to alluding to sex as Beau felt like he could get away while straddling the fine line between a professional and personal relationship with Isaac.
After a sip of his coffee Isaac added, “Before the outbreak, I was married. It took us a while to get pregnant, so I was expecting this. But I hope I knock her up soon so she’ll stop freaking out.” His smile was still easy despite the reference to Callie. Talking about her and his past was easier these days.
Beau was surprised by Isaac’s admission and it showed on his face. It shouldn’t be such a shocker; he’d only been in town a few months and there was a lot about his coworkers he didn’t know. Beau quickly rearranged his features into something more suitable but he couldn’t help but wonder if Callie was the former Mrs. Callahan or the late? Considering Isaac had mentioned he and his wife had gotten pregnant and Beau knew his boss didn’t have a child at home, he suspected it was sadly the latter.
“I hadn’t realized you had been married,” Beau replied, his voice turning soft despite being intensely curious. If Isaac had loved his wife half as much as Beau loved Rae, did that mean that maybe one day Beau could find the sort of happiness that Isaac had with Demi?
“How long since she…since they...?” Beau trailed off, letting Isaac fill in the blanks.
Isaac hadn’t meant to alarm Beau, but long gone were the days where he avoided the topic. Not that it was pleasant but it was something he’d come to terms with. His voice softer now, Isaac said, “Some biters got my wife Callie and our daughter Rose pretty early on. We were on our way to the Capitol building, trying to get to the shelter they said we’d be safe in, but the roads were jammed so we had to get out of the car. I don’t know what it was like up north just after the outbreak, but it was pretty bad here,” a grimace appearing on his face, recalling what happened next.
“It was bad,” was all Beau would say. Chicago was hit just as hard as Austin but his hometown had bounced back considerably quicker. The wonders a city can accomplish when not under the totalitarian dictatorship of a power-hungry mad man with a hard on for biological warfare. When he continued, Beau’s voice was somber. “But your wife, your daughter...I’m sorry, Isaac. Truly.”
“Thanks,” Isaac said quietly. Clearing his throat, Isaac continued, “Hard to believe that was almost four years ago. I--I was pretty fucked up after all that happened so I never expected to find someone else I wanted to be with. Definitely never expected to have kids again.”
Beau was quiet for a moment. Four years was a lifetime away but, somehow, at the same time, a mere blink of an eye. Lucinda was only four. It seemed like only yesterday he had held her as a newborn in his arms but, in that time, Isaac had lost everything that had mattered to him and had picked himself up and learned to love again. Isaac’s story could have been Beau’s story easily. Would his have a similarly happy ending?
“Next month, it’ll be a year since I lost Raelynn,” Beau found himself saying. His wife’s name sounded strange coming out of his own mouth. When he talked about her with the kids, it was always “your mother”, or “mom”. People knew Beau was a widower but he wasn’t sure if he’d said Rae’s name out loud to anyone since she passed.
“It’s, uh...it’s hard sometimes. All the time, actually. Being without her.” Beau was only vaguely aware of the words coming out of his mouth; they seemed to be falling out of his face by their own volition. “The kids make it easier. Being busy, working two jobs, that helps, too. But knowing you did it and came out on the other side, with someone like Demi no less, that...that helps a lot, actually. Thank you for telling me.”
Beau cleared his throat, trying to swallow the lump that had formed there.
Isaac had to give Beau a lot of credit for keeping his shit so together, given that he’d lost his wife only a year ago. Of course, having kids to care for was a lot more than Isaac had, which was why it had been so easy for him to fall into more destructive vices like drinking. After losing Callie and Rose, Isaac did just about anything to be numb after his loss. Now, though, he was happy that he had things he wanted to be fully tuned in for.
“I’m sorry about your loss, too,” Isaac said, giving Beau an understanding look. “And I’m not going to give you that bullshit line that everything will be okay. Fuck, some days are still bad for me. But things change over time and it helps. And if you’re ever having a rough time and need to talk about it, I’m always around.”
Beau inclined his head in a grateful nod.
“I appreciate you not feeding me the company line,” Beau replied with feeling. People tried to be kind when they found out he was a widower and even though they often had good intentions, they usually ended up spouting off the most banal Hallmark-variety sympathies. There was a lot of “time heals all wounds” and “keep you in my thoughts and prayers” which Beau appreciated but couldn’t remotely fathom. Isaac knew where Beau was coming from, had been where Beau was now, and had offered him kindness as well as candor. It was refreshing and actually very helpful.
“And if I’m having a rough day, it’s nice to know you’re there. I may take you up on it sometime.” He lifted his cup in a sort of salute. Determined to shake off the somber shade he’d cast over the conversation, Beau continued. “And I will repay you by offering up one of my two oldest kids as a babysitter in about, oh…” Beau trailed off, looked at his watch, and then back up at Isaac. “10 years, which is probably the next time you’ll have the energy and time to enjoy a a Valentine’s Day to yourselves once you have this baby.”
Beau smiled and gestured to the door.
“So, since you won’t let me kiss up to Demi by bringing her a whole shit ton of beverages, I should probably just impress her by being on time for the job that you all pay me for.” Beau made it to the door but turned in the archway.
“And thanks. Again.” A look passed between the two men; an understanding and perhaps a bit of a promise. That things do get bad but that there’s that shining possibility that it could, and in all likelihood, would get better...in time.