Casimir fell silent, with his keys in his hand. Hutch could tell he was thinking by the way he was staring out the windshield with his brow furrowed deeper than normal.
"You know, there will be consequences to this, and lies you're going to have to tell, and keep straight." He finally spoke, his eyes filled with concern as he looked towards Hutch.
"I know," Hutch replied, adjusting himself back into his seat.
He wasn't lying either. He did know, and he was aware. He had been thinking about the reality of the situation all the way home, weighing the pros and cons, and debating the possible outcomes.
"And even though our goal is to get you back to Illimev, you understand it's not a guarantee? I'm not making any promises."
"I do. But even if all of this is for nothing, I have to try. And that means doing whatever it takes."
Casimir sighed. "But it won't be for nothing, Hutch. You can't abandon your life here regardless of your hopes for your future there. I refuse to let you use living at our place as an excuse to slack off. You're still going to have to attend school, because this is going to be considered a legitimate co-op, and you are going to have to work for those hours. That way if the worst should happen, you will still have a future here, and a good one, with real potential."
The more Casimir spoke, the more uncomfortable Hutch became, until he couldn't hold back any longer. "Okay. Wow, enough, I get it. Now could you please just stop? You're talking to me like I'm your kid and it's seriously freaking me out."
"Right, sorry," Casimir quickly remarked, rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck as he took a breath and sighed. "It's difficult to look at you and not see you as you are. And you also remind me of Julian, when he was around your age. If it makes things any better, I swear I won't give you a curfew, and I won't call your stipend an allowance."
"Oh, stop," Hutch groaned as he opened the door.
"I'll even let you stay up late and watch R-rated movies."
"Enough," Hutch huffed as he shut the door, only for Casimir to open his and call over the hood of the truck.
"And I promise not to ground you when you screw up."
Hutch lowered his head and quickened his pace towards the house, expecting to hear the truck start after he heard the door close. However, he heard a set of footsteps rapidly approaching, and turned around to see Casimir getting closer.
"What are you doing?" he questioned, in a stressed yet hushed tone.
"Coming in to meet your mother," Casimir replied, pocketing his keys.
"Oh no. No, no. No, you are not. Get back in your truck and leave," he protested, immediately blocking Casimir's path. "It's a bad time. A very bad time for a visit. Instead, how about I call you tomorrow, and we can set up some sort of schedule, work out the kinks, iron out a proper plan, really put the strategy, back in strategist for you. And in return, you leave. Like now."
"And yet, I'm getting the distinct impression that you just don't want me to meet your mother. Am I wrong?" Casimir questioned, skillfully dancing around Hutch to look back at him from the first step of the porch.
"Cas! Seriously!" Hutch frantically waved him down, practically screaming in a whisper. "I'm begging you! Now is just not a good time. Look, so much has already happened today. I really just want to go inside and relax and not think about how fucked up all of this is and how I'm supposed to explain it to her!"
"Okay, okay," Casimir replied, as he moved back towards him, his smile barely visible in the meager light provided by the fixture on the side of the house. "We can sort this out tomorrow after you've had a night to sleep on it. When the time comes though, I am going to have to meet her. I have a hard time imagining she'd believe you any other way."
"Fine," Hutch sighed, "I know I can't avoid it forever. But trust me when I tell you that tonight, just isn't the night to tell her."
"I can understand that," he remarked, setting his hands onto Hutch's shoulders in a reassuring manner. "I'm sure this is going to be a delicate situation, but I'm certain we've been through worse. Go get some sleep. We can figure out the rest of this tomorrow."
"Thank you," Hutch replied with a sigh of relief, when the door of the house swung open, causing Casimir to turn, just as Hutch stepped closer, putting them in a strange, partially hugging position.
"Hutch, what are you… doing…" Cherry paused as she stood on the porch, her silk robe hanging open, revealing her tragically small red silk pajama shorts and matching tank top, "I… should…" She pointed back inside, muttering, "Yeah, that's a good idea," before turning and going in, letting the storm door close behind her.
"Shit," Hutch groaned, smacking Casimir's shoulder, "how does this day keep getting worse?"
"Your luck does appear to have gotten worse," he replied laughing, as Hutch ran up the stairs.
Throwing open the door, Hutch followed his mom into the living room. He didn't want to imagine what his mom must have been thinking. Giving her reaction, he was certain it wasn't anything good. But even worse, he didn't know how to explain her to Casimir, and he'd just seen her barely clothed and completely unphased by that.
"Mom, I can explain," Hutch began, trying to remain as calm and composed as he could, despite hearing Casimir still chuckling by the door, having followed him inside.
"There's no need," she exclaimed, as she tossed a pack of cigarettes onto the coffee table and turned around lighting the one hanging out her mouth. Taking a drag, she shook her head at him. "I don't need… oh god!" she pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead and turned away when she noticed Casimir standing at the door. "Jules, honey, just tell me this isn't about drugs!"
"Drugs? No! What? How did you get drugs from any of this?" Hutch shook his own head completely baffled by his mother's reaction.
"I don't know!" Cherry snapped back. "You just… it's just… it looks suspicious! It's where my mind went! I heard the truck pull in the driveway. I saw you sitting out there through the window, and then the doors closing and the talking and you weren't coming inside. I didn't know what to think, so I just figured I step out and ask. And I'm sorry," she remarked as she looked in Casimir's direction, "but who the hell are you? And what are you doing with my son at this hour?"
"Oh, there is nothing for you to apologize for, Ms. Hutchinson," Casimir replied, pursing his lips as he stepped further into their home, stifling the last of his laughter and regaining his composure. "In fact, I'd like to be the one to apologize to you, because as you said, the hour is rather late. As for what was happening outside, I assure you it wasn't what it appeared to be. I had the intention of coming in and speaking with you, and inadvertently sprung the idea on Hutch, who was kindly reminding me that it wasn't a good time. I was attempting to reassure him that this was all going to work out just fine when you came out, and since things have already gone awry, you'll have to forgive me for taking up a touch more of your time. To start, my name is Casimir Salvador, and the reason I'm here is because your son was recently offered an opportunity and I had time today to follow-up with him directly. I have to say, that after spending the afternoon with him, I believe Hutch will be an excellent fit for the position that's available."
"What is he talking about?" Cherry directed her question at Hutch.
"The co-op program. I mentioned it to you before you went to work."
"Oh, right. Yes, you did. Is that what this is about?"
"That is correct. I came by earlier to give Hutch an informal interview. Given how enthusiastic he was over the position Celina insisted he was perfect for, I thought it was best if I took him out to the lab and gave him a more practical idea of what he was going to be getting himself into."
"Forgive me, I think I might have misheard you. Did you say, lab? As in laboratory?"
"You didn't mishear. That is exactly what I said," Casimir replied as Cherry, turned, and snuffed out her cigarette in the nearest ashtray. "And to clarify, this offer isn't a standard co-op position available to any student. This is an opportunity that goes well beyond the typical volunteering of hours."
"Then why my son?" Cherry questioned, sounding skeptical over what she was hearing.
"Mom, Celina, the CEO of Cascel Tower, that's his wife, and apparently, I'm related to her."