Summer Rains

Simon Caldwell sat next to his mother as she babbled about this or that to her group of uninteresting socialite friends. His father was inside doing closed doors deals with their husbands. And here he was playing entertainer to his mother, her friends, and their overzealous daughters, who just so happened to make an appearance at every function his parents held. If their ambitions weren't so obvious, he'd be a blind man. He motioned for another glass of champagne, hoping the cold, effervescent wine would help to cleanse his senses of the overpowering perfumes the women were wearing. Another point of contention: why wear so much perfume? It was bad enough that these women and a whole host of others were constantly throwing themselves at him for his wealth, but wearing this much perfume had to mean they were hiding something as well. He shook his head. "Is something the matter, Simon, dear?" his mother asked. He smiled at her and shook his head no. Despite the very clear push for him to find a girlfriend and settle down, he adored his mother. Imelda Caldwell was as loving a mother one could ask for. He had gotten his deep brown eyes and thick, black, wavy hair from her. However, as his mother often stated, that was where the similarities ended. The rest of his physique was all his dad's side of the family. At 6'6", Simon easily dwarfed most people outside of professional basketball players. His Dad wasn't much shorter than him at 6' 4". In fact, the tallest member in his family was his cousin at a whopping 6'10". He chuckled at the thought of one of these women meeting his literal bear of a cousin, only to look up and find the table occupants staring at him. Someone cleared their throat. "So Simon, Imelda tells me that you're here for the rest of the summer, is this true?" Eden. Her daughter Bethany had been trying to get in his bed since middle school. Simon suppressed a groan. "It is. Dad needs my help with some of our larger distribution warehouses. They aren't meeting deadlines for deliveries, and when they do, products are arriving damaged." Eden smiled in such a way that made him feel uneasy. "That's wonderful! I'm sure that Bethany would love to join you for lunch after one of these inspections." Eden said grandiosely. "Or I could join you." Another voice spoke up. Bethany walked up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder; he did his best not to recoil. "I have done many such inspections with my father. Usually, it comes down to not enough workers or poor management." Bethany smiled, her perfume overwhelming his sense of smell. "Don't forget about checking the loading books!" That would be Alexis, or Lexi, another who had been trying to get in his bed since high school. "Or the route maps!" Cynthia. "The driver paperwork!" Jade. Soon, it was a maelstrom of bodies, scents, and voices as the girls and their mothers surrounded him, all wanting him to choose one of them to be his. Simon couldn't breathe, and before he could stop himself, he stood abruptly from his chair, yelling, "ENOUGH!" All motion around him stilled as the women looked at him wide-eyed. He straightened himself, adjusted his tie, and turned to his mother saying "It has been a lovely meal and company with you mother," and even though it was painful to turn and look at them and say it "and ladies, but I must excuse myself. Until next time." He bowed and then made his way downstairs into the garage. The garage was cool and gave him a reprieve from the summer heat and the cloying smell of all that perfume. He walked up to his Lexus SUV and unlocked it. Sitting behind the wheel for a moment, he closed his eyes before turning on the engine and driving off. He didn't really pay attention to where he was driving as he let his mind wander. Really, women had been throwing themselves at him for his money or his looks for most of his life. He should be used to it by now. The only time he had thought someone loved him for himself was..."Don't think about her." he growled to himself. In any case, this was his life. It wasn't like he was ever going to find a love like his parents. He chuckled. Now, there was a love story! His dad had gone on a business trip with his grandfather, and his mom was an attendant on the flight. As soon as his dad saw her, without any hesitation, he took her hand, dropped to his knees, and asked her to marry him. Of course, she accused him of being drunk, but even Granddad had to admit dad was stone cold sober. Mom, after a minute, said yes, and the rest was history. Simon broke out of his reminiscing to find himself in front of a run-down park in a shabby part of town. "How did I...?" He started to ask himself, but then shrugged. He thought a minute about just driving away, but the walking path looked relaxing even though it was overgrown with grass. Besides, he REALLY needed to get the perfume smell out of his nose. So he took off his tie, unbuttoned his collar, threw his blazer over his shoulder, and sauntered over to lazily winding walking paths, letting the warm afternoon breeze blow the irritating scents away.