Work Text:
“Now, Vinnie.” Cynthia Reed’s voice was sweet but her tone had an edge that said she was about to be a very serious adult for a moment.
“I promise, Mom. All my courses today are online. I already spoke with my professors for the day and told them I will be absent and I’ll just catch up via the lecture recording later.”
Cynthia gave her son as stern a look as she could manage through a phone screen while also trying not to break out into a wide grin. She already knew she would cave. It was her baby boy’s birthday, after all, and she would do anything for her son. “Oh, alright. I’ll be in the city by ten am. Meet you at the Supermart, sweetie.” She blew a few kisses through the phone before hanging up.
It was about nine forty nine when Cynthia pulled into the Supermart parking lot and began slowly meandering up and down the lanes looking for a spot to park. As she drove up the third lane she shook her head and slowed down, honking the horn to get her son’s attention as she rolled down the passenger side window.
“You get in that car and park it right young man.” Cynthia chastised even though her smiling face betrayed her supposed displeasure at his double parking.
“Of course, just making sure my wonderful Mom had a nice parking space right up front.” He raised his hands innocently before getting into his idling car and adjusting his parking job so she could pull into the second spot.
Once parked Cynthia hopped out of her car and met her son at the back bumper with a strong hug. “Vinnie, my baby, I missed you so much. You make sure you come home for the holidays.” She grinned as she held his face and kissed the bridge of his nose where her son’s soul mark had been since the day he was born exactly twenty two years ago. Her son grew up often wishing he had a different soul mark because everyone always thought it was a scar. Cynthia had always reassured him that his soulmate would see him one day and immediately know its not a scar and that’s the only person that matters. Still she doted on him any chance she got and made sure he knew his soul mark was as much a wonderful part of him as that magnificent brain of his.
“Mom…” Her son scrunched up his face and looked around mock conspiratorially. “We’re in a Supermart parking lot. People might hear you call me that.” He shrugged his shoulders forward in a slight hunch and she shook her head at him.
“Where’s your jacket. Gavin, honey?” she asked as they began walking into the store.
“Oh… yeah. When you go back home can you take Sriracha with you? I don’t think he likes living with me in the city.” Gavin pulled up a photo on his phone of his jacket pulled into the cats litter box and buried in the litter onto which that cat had then done his business.
“Oh!” Cynthia blinked at the ruined jacket. “No treats for him after that. But of course I can take him home with me. Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own without him?”
“I’ll be fine Mom, promise. It’s my third year of college, I have to get out on my own and start living life without all the creature comforts I’m used to. If I get a job in archeology or anthropology someday I could be traveling all over the world. I need early experience. And if Sriracha is unhappy going on this journey of independence discovery with me well then I’ll just have to make this discovery independently.” He said with a lofty grin as they stepped inside and grabbed a cart, immediately turning right to stop by the deli.
“What cheeses are we using this time, Vinnie?” Cynthia asked as she perused the cheese options.
“Havarti and brie of course.” Gavin’s instant reply came. “And, ah, that really nice sharp yellow cheddar.”
Cynthia nodded. “Alright dear, you grab the brie from the specialty cheeses down at the end.” She said before a deli worker came to the counter to greet her. “Hi, yes, could I get an entire block of Havarti and an entire block of your black wax extra sharp, please.” With the cheeses in cart the pair moved on to meats. “Bacon is a given.” She said with a sidelong look towards Gavin to see him grabbing two packs of thick cut bacon already before looking back at her.
“Of course it is, it’s bacon. You never make your loaded macaroni and cheese without the bacon. I would also like broccoli and cauliflower and ham.”
“Oh? No hamburger this year? Is this part of your independence discovery?” Cynthia joked as Gavin requested a change of ingredients. “Go ahead and pick the ham you want. If it has skin I’ll just cut it off for you, dear.”
Once the food shopping was done Cynthia led them towards the men’s clothing section. “Let’s ’s find you a new jacket.” She pulled out a few oversized warm jackets like the ones Gavin had always preferred as a growing teen. “Any of these? Or would you like to try something new? Discover your independence.” Cynthia grinned at her son who rolled his eyes and looked for a long moment at the jackets.
“Yeah, maybe something different this time. Something that says I’m going to dig up bones someday.” Gavin agreed to keep looking.
Cynthia helped her son look through the jackets but nothing seemed to fit the look Gavin was hoping for. Suddenly she snapped her fingers. “Ah! You know what, I think I’ve already got the perfect jacket in the car.” Cynthia quickly led them to the check out and smacked her sons hand away when he attempted to pay for the groceries. “Now you know I appreciate you dearly, but on your birthday you let me take care of you. No exceptions.” She aimed her index finger at him with a pointed look.
After packing their trunks with the groceries Cynthia opened the back door of her car and hauled a box from the middle of the back seat to the edge where she could rummage through it. “Yes, here. Carl had that kid with the androids over at one of the recent art functions I set up for him and the kid left his jacket. Tried to go through Carl to return it but he says the kid didn’t care for it much anyway. And I think it absolutely says Gavin Reed is going to dig up bones someday.” She grinned bright and wide as she held out a brown leather jacket with a navy cloth drawstring hood. “Try it on, try it on.” Cynthia ushered as she shoved the jacket into Gavin’s hands and watched him tug the jacket on over his long sleeve shirt. “Oh… look at you…” Cynthia gave an upside down smile as she looked over her son. “It’s perfect for you Vinnie.”
Once back at Gavin’s house Cynthia immediately got started on preparing supper and dessert. As she cooked Gavin helped by mixing the batter for her triple chunky fudge brownies. Though he claimed it was only so he could call dibs on licking the mixing spoon clean. Then, while the brownies were in the oven and the cheese sauce thickened on the stove top, Gavin and Cynthia washed and dried the used dishes together just like they always did when Gavin was growing up.
Once the food was done the mother and son duo sat at the island counter in the middle of the kitchen to eat. Gavin showed Cynthia some of the assignments he was working on and applications to a few internships he had hopes to be accepted into.
“You’ll be accepted to all of them, I’m certain. They’ll be fighting over which one can have you because you’re so brilliant the ones that miss out on you will be worse off for it.” Cynthia assured her son. “Just make sure you still come home for the holidays, Vinnie.”
“Mom…” Gavin chuckled. “You know I would never miss going home for the holidays. Can’t leave you to battle the Markson’s light display all on your own, can I?”
“You most certainly could.” Cynthia pointed out. “But then what sort of beloved son would you be to leave your poor mother like that?”
“Not the kind of son I would ever be to you, Momma.” Gavin stood and gathered their empty plates to the sink.
Cynthia knew it was nearly time to say goodbye. She had to be back home for an early morning design meeting and Gavin needed to keep his word to his teachers on doing his coursework. Still, parting ways was always hard when it had only ever been the two of them since his father left the day Gavin was born. Their hug at the door was long as they both squeezed each other tight. All too soon Cynthia was driving back home again, already missing her son with an ache in her heart. But at least Sriracha was purring in his carrier on the passenger seat so she wouldn’t be entirely alone while waiting for the holidays to come around.
But they never got their holidays. Cynthia Reed never made it home from Detroit that Monday night on October seventh, twenty twenty-four. What neither Gavin nor Cynthia had noticed while they were out enjoying their time together was that they had been spotted. Overheard by someone who would do anything to prevent Gavin and his soul mate from meeting. Someone whose car sped up behind Cynthia’s just outside the city limits, and ran her off the road into a ditch. The last thing Cynthia Reed saw was a man she recognized but hadn’t seen in exactly twenty two years, her vision upside down and blurry as the man she once loved watched her fade away.