Suzie’s House 176: For Want of Teflon Tape

“What does Teflon tape look like?”

“It’s that white stuff on a plastic spool. It feels kind of dusty and kind of oily but not really either.”

Well, that was clear as mud. At least he knew to look for spools instead of something like a tape measure or a roll of masking tape. He picked through the tool chest, and actually found it fairly quickly. If only he could drop the solution to dealing with Gene into her palm as easily.

“Thanks.” Her wiggling fingers closed round the spool.

“About Gene, I’m thinking he just needs the same kind of love you give Ben. Be there for him however long it takes. He’s probably nervous about parental love. I mean, how old was he when his mother abandoned him?”

“He thinks around five, but doesn’t remember for sure.”

Vin nodded, though Suzie couldn’t possibly see past the pipes under the sink. “So he hardly remembers her, but he’ll have noticed that everyone else around has a mother who loves him. That’ll make a boy insecure. And then there’s his ham-fisted father, who isn’t likely to be taking up the slack. Not really. Gene must think he’s the most unlovable male in the universe.”

“Oh, I doubt it’s that bad. He’s a smart kid. I’m sure he realizes…”

“We are talking about a teenage boy, here, right? Trust me on this. He’s sure no one in the universe can be as ugly and stupid and unwanted as himself. He’s busy minding his manners right now because that’ll get him by, but I’ll bet he was acting up a lot before he fell in with Ben. It’s just like how Ben acted like the perfect little robot until you kicked him out.”

“He did not!” Suzie came out from under the sink glaring. She had a pipe wrench in her hand big enough to put a noticeable dent in his head, if she felt like putting one there. “I did not!”

“Wait” Vin held his hands up in front of him, warding off any potential blows. He carefully removed the wrench from her fingers and dropped it to the floor with a solid thunk. “You sent him off to live with his father and wouldn’t let him back in the house. That sounds like kicking him out to me.”

“That was for his own protection.” Suzie reached for the wrench.

“You sent him to a man who later cut your lawyer’s brake lines.”

“Better than letting him get taken away by the man who shot you.”

Vin could hardly argue. That whole episode still gave him nightmares, and the occasional twinge in the shoulder.

She fingered the wrench thoughtfully with a little furrow of concern between her eyebrows. “Why do you say Ben was a perfect little robot?”

“Wasn’t he? All those ‘yes ma-am’s and ‘no sir’s creeped me out. Always working on his homework as if his life depended on it. Looking back, I’d say he was terrified that you would do exactly what you did – make him live with his father.”

Suzie’s lips compressed, then frowned. She spun the little wheelie-screw type thing that made the jaws of the wrench open and close.

“You know I’m right.”

“Maybe.” She darted a glance his way, then slid back under the sink where she set the wrench to the pipes with an audible clunk.

“The point is that Gene is probably feeling the same way. For a kid who has been through as much as he has, you’d think he’d act out more, wouldn’t you? Instead, the worst thing he does is try to spend time with his own father.”

“Well,” clunk, clunk, “when you put it that way,” clunk.

“So maybe all he really needs is to know you’re serious about being his mother. Once he knows he can depend on you, that you will love him no matter what, I’m sure everything will clear up.”

She went quiet again. He hunkered down in an effort to see her face. He found her messing with the spool of Teflon tape.

“Hey, how does that stuff work anyway?”

“Oh, it’s really cool. Watch this.” She pinched off a strip of the stuff then wrapped it around the threads of the pipe. “You really can’t see well from there. Get a little closer.”

Vin leaned forward. He started to lose his balance, and put a hand down fast on the base of the cupboard under the sink and a knee on the bathroom floor, coincidentally between Suzie’s legs. Nothing was touching, and he ignored the inadvertent intimacy.

“Oh shoot. It bunched up. Let me try again.” She pulled off the first piece, pinched off another strip, and wrapped it around the same pipe threads. It instantly fitted itself to the grooves. When she ran her fingers over it, it became form-fitting.

“Wow, how does it do that? Did you add glue or something?”

“No. That’s just the way Teflon tape is. It makes a nice seal and lubricates the pipe at the same time. Great stuff.” She grabbed the dangling part of the U-joint and threaded it on.

“What exactly are the two of you doing?” Miranda’s voice came from right behind him.

Vin flinched. After everything he’d been through trying to convince her to trust him, this was not going to look good.

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