51 - Pop's Place

*She was my reason for coming home. She was my reason for a lot of things. – Pops*
Trigg grabbed his phone and sent a message to his wife letting her know that he was going to the club house for a little bit. She replied that she would be home in a few hours, sooner if he needed her. Or if he was drunk. Chuckling, he tucked his phone in the inside pocket and left his home office.
The living room no longer held the disaster from that morning. Camille’s newest set of encyclopedias sat in a box that would be mailed out before they left to go home. Trigg refused to pay for the carry-on fees when shipping would be cheaper.
Looking at the couple sitting next to the fireplace, he smiled. It was nice to see his youngest daughter happy. The last several years had been hard on her. She deserved some happiness. Just as her older sister upstairs did.
“Darkness.” Trigg said to the man that had come home with his baby. “Let’s get out of here for a bit.”
He watched Darkness kiss Camille. “You good?”
“Yeah. Go on.” She told him before moving off his lap and pulling a book out of the nearby box. “I have new books to read.”
He stood up and cupped her face with his big hands. “Be good, my little light.”
Grabbing his wrist as their lips came together in a gentle kiss. “Never.” She whispered as they broke apart.
Smiling down at her, he gave her a quick wink before following Trigg out to his pickup.
“We’ll take the cage.” Trigg said as he unlocked the large pickup with the fob. “So, if I overindulge, GPS can get you home. Bring me too.” He added the last part almost as an afterthought.
“Alright.” Darkness agreed as he got in the passenger seat.
Trigg got into the driver’s seat and pulled out of the double driveway. “Thought we should have a talk.”
“Yes, sir.” He agreed as they moved out of the neighborhood and headed towards the clubhouse.
“I know that Sid told you that she expected to see you here for Christmas.”
“Yes, sir.” Darkness said in the drawn-out silence. And then he sat there, nervously waiting for… he wasn’t sure. He hadn’t ever felt this nervous.
“But let’s clarify something.” He turned onto the road that the clubhouse was on. “This is a holiday. This is not you showing up on my doorstep.”
They pulled into the clubhouse parking lot, and Trigg parked in his spot. “That being said, I want to know what your plans with my daughter are.”
Before Darkness could respond, Trigg was getting out of the cab and moving towards the front door. Darkness cussed quietly at the cold as he followed the other man. Walking in he found Trigg removing a reserved sign from a pool table.
The balls were quickly racked, and pool cues picked. Trigg motioned for Darkness to break. As he did, he knocked in a striped ball and took his next shot.
“Don’t think you have to let me win just because you’re fucking my daughter.”
Trigg took the cheap shot and was rewarded with a glare that would make a lesser man retreat. But he already had his suspicions. And Sid seeing him on the floor that morning only reinforced them.
“I’m not fucking your daughter.”
“I know.” He said as he sank a double. “Want to tell me why? Or why not?”
“Because I want something with her, something I never wanted with another woman.”
His answer caused Trigg to miss his shot.
“What do you want with her?” he asked slowly.
“Everything.”
“Enlighten me on what everything encompasses.” He requested as the darker man took a shot.
“Everything shy of the white picket fence.” Came the answer as another ball was sank. “Corner pocket.”
“Why no picket fence?” the ball rolled into the pocket Darkness had indicated.
“House that I negotiated for has a chain link fence. Side pocket.” He lined up and sank the ball. “A new fence was not in the agreement. Corner pocket and corner pocket.”
Trigg shook his head as a ball sank in each of the corner pockets.
“Side pocket, final shot.”
The eight-ball rolled into the side pocket.
“Why are you sleeping on the floor?”
“Camille is young. I want her to understand that what we have is not just physical. And the first night I ever sleep with her, will be the last night she ever sleeps alone.”
“Is it getting serious with you two?” Trigg started getting the balls out for them to play another game.
“I’d say it’s been serious from the beginning.” He paused and looked around. “Who’s Grandy?”
Trigg froze. “Grandy?”
“Yeah. He says it was the same way with him and Grandy.”
“This must be what Toad feels like. You want a beer?”
“Yeah.” He racked the balls as the door opened and Celt entered with another man.
“Hey, I heard you came up.” Celt walked over and shook his hand. “This is-.”
“Timothy.” Darkness said. “Pops is glad you finally settled down. He’s proud of you. Glad you finally took the right chance. Hope that makes sense to you.”
The two men stared at him in shock.
“That’s creepy.” Celt finally said.
“How…. How…” Chance asked unsure what to ask or even how to ask.
Darkness smiled. “You don’t question it when a red headed woman with an accent says something. But you question a Cajun man?”
“No, she still creeps us out too.” Trigg admitted handing over a beer.
“Do you also see shadows and all that other shit?” Celt asked.
Darkness chuckled. “No, I’m not a seer. I hear them. My brother and I were both raised with the New Orleans voodoo. I still practice, he doesn’t.”
“I heard about Jasper.” Trigg said taking the first shot. “I don’t like him.”
“Right now, neither do I.” Darkness agreed and lined up his shot. “Side pocket.”
“OK, I take it back.” He said as two balls rolled into the pocket. “Go easy on me if you want to sleep with my daughter.”
“Fair enough.” Darkness missed his second shot.
“You play a lot of pool.” Celt observed.
“I did. Had lots of down time and there was usually a pool table.” He winked at Chance. “And Marines willing to lose their paycheck.”
“I was army.”
“Them too.”
“Don’t go against Air Force.” Chance grinned. “At pool or bowling.”
They had several games that were light and fun. It was decided that before they left, he needed to play a round at Molly’s house. It was advised that he not put any money on those games.
“Tell me about this house you’re buying.” Trigg said as he got himself yet another beer.
“Just renting. I’m doing repairs on it for rent.”
“Property is always a good investment.” Celt said as Chance lined up for a shot.
“I don’t figure I’ll be there for many more years.” Darkness admitted.
“Why not?” Chance asked moving for Trigg to take the shot he missed.
“I figure when Camille graduates, she’ll want to come home. I don’t want to sell a house or rent it so far away.”
He pulled out his phone as he talked and opened the picture that he had looked at a hundred times since he got the email earlier in the week. Handing the device to Trigg, he ignored the other two men clambering to also see.
“You asked me to be on your doorstep before it got serious. I understand that you’re not counting this visit as me being on your doorstep. But I am asking for permission to put that ring on your daughter’s finger.”
“You have a thing for black diamonds and silver?”
“I’m her Darkness, she’s my light.”
Trigg nodded. “I want her to graduate first.”
“Of course.”
“I want to know that you can take care of her. Not physically, financially.”
“I have my master plumber license and receive full retirement benefits from the navy.”
“What are your plans when you move here?”
“I’m meeting with Cookie at the Shack tomorrow.”
“What does your president say?”
“He understands.”
“You hurt her, and I’ll take care of you myself. There was a time that we were more Devils than Saints.”
Darkness nodded. Cajuns had also settled down over the years. The change wasn’t as dramatic as it was for the Saints. And just like the Saints, there were a few operations that barely skirted the law. Or were on the darker side of grey.
Trigg smiled and offered his hand to his future son-in-law. When Darkness grasped it, he was pulled in for a hug with a few back slaps.
“Get the whiskey, boys.”
Celt let out a whoop as he headed for the office and the not-so-secret stash of possibly illegal whiskey.