Work Text:
1
The phone rings on a Sunday afternoon. Clint knows it’s Patrick because Marcy yells, “Clint! Oh Clint, it’s Patrick!” Then she’s crying too hard to answer, so she passes the phone to him and transfers her sobs of relief into a dishrag.
It’s been weeks. They have never gone this long without speaking to Patrick. A few days at a time when Patrick went camping with his buddies or the week-long vacation he took with Rachel after they graduated. They have received a single text message, the day after Patrick left without a word, the day after Rachel called and tearfully told them Patrick broke off the engagement and left only a (ridiculous) town name as clue of his whereabouts. The text message read: I’m okay. Love you, talk soon
Those six words have been their only preview into Patrick’s mindset, into why Patrick left, and it’s not much to go on.
Clint has wondered if the idea of marriage spooked Patrick, but then again Patrick has been talking about getting married since he was a little boy. Marriage hasn’t ever seemed to be a source of fear for Patrick.
Maybe the stress at work got to be too much? Patrick talked occasionally about how he didn’t really like the work he was doing, but he never said he was thinking about quitting. Clint should have paid better attention, read between the lines more.
Clint has even wondered if there might have been someone else. Maybe being on and off with Rachel all these years made Patrick afraid to get married without at least exploring a different possibility. Maybe that’s why he moved to some town in the middle of nowhere, 12 hours away.
He and Marcy have talked and talked about how to handle this call, once it finally came. Neither of them ever considered a scenario where Patrick didn’tcall. At least not out loud. Clint has gone over the possibility during sleepless nights, and he has woken up too many times to Marcy’s side of the bed empty to pretend she hasn’t been agonizing over the horrific possibility herself.
(That they failed Patrick. Did something to make him feel trapped. Or, more likely, a string of many failures that made Patrick unable or unwilling to seek counsel from them. Made Patrick feel he couldn’t call them.)
So, they both agreed they needed to keep it together when Patrick finally did call. Clint only takes a moment to calm his rapid heart beat before he answers. “Hey bud!”
“Hey Dad,” Patrick greets, and he sounds normal. Fine. He sounds relaxed. “Is this a good time?”
Clint puts them on speaker phone. “Yes, of course,” he says quickly. “You’re on speaker. Mom’s here.”
“Hi Patrick,” she says softly, and although her eyes are wet, her voice doesn’t waver. “How are you, my sweet boy?”
“I’m good,” Patrick says, like he’s surprised. “How are you both?”
“We’re fine,” Clint says. “We’re glad you finally called.”
Patrick’s quiet for a long moment, and Clint could kick himself. He’s already stepped in it, made it sound like Patrick’s done something wrong. “Yeah, I - sorry for the radio silence,” Patrick murmurs. “I just kinda needed to get settled in here.”
“No, no, it’s - it’s okay,” Clint says quickly. God help him if he’s the reason Patrick doesn’t call them for another month. “You don’t have to apologize. Like I said, we’re just glad you called.”
“Well, I’m sorry anyway,” Patrick says. There’s a beat of awkward silence and then, “So, um, I guess Rachel told you what happened.”
Clint meets Marcy’s gaze, and they share a brief instant of panic before she says, slowly, “She called, yes.”
Clint adds, “But she didn’t tell us much. Just that you’re in… Schitt’s Creek, was it? What - what brought you there?” He keeps his tone light, curious. Non-judgemental.
“Yeah, Schitt’s Creek,” Patrick confirms. Clint and Marcy listen desperately to every word, revelling in the sound of his voice as he tells them about his new boss and living situation. They exchange disconcerting looks when Patrick describes the sheer number of businesses Patrick’s new boss runs.
Patrick continues, “It’s a short-term contract, but Ray says it could be extended. And since he’s renting his spare room out to me, my living expenses are low.”
“That sounds really great,” Clint says, meeting Marcy’s teary gaze. A contract with the possibility of an extension suggests Patrick’s not in a hurry to get back. Clint clears his throat, but it does nothing to clear the lump forming. “And you’re… okay? You don’t need anything?”
“I’m okay,” Patrick replies. “Just wanted to check in.” Patrick clears his own throat, a sure sign he’s gearing up to say something he’s emotional or nervous about. Or both. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out with Rachel. Again.”
Marcy’s shaking her head wildly, but of course Patrick can’t see it. “Sweetie, there’s nothing to be sorry for.”
Patrick’s quiet for a spell. “I broke off the engagement.”
It sounds like a confession or an appeal for forgiveness, like Patrick feels he let them down. Clint aches at the idea, and it brings forth memories of Patrick in high school, deeply apologetic when he came home with a test that didn’t say 100 on it. How he’d break down a game after a loss, too hard on himself in a manner Clint’s ashamed to think he never properly addressed. It makes Clint question whether he expressed too much pride in his son for his accomplishments, if Patrick felt pressured to only ever present that way. If Clint failed to make a clear enough distinction between Patrick’s happiness and his desire to make them happy.
“Patrick,” he rasps out, “it’s okay. We just want you to be happy.”
Patrick sounds like he’s caught a cold suddenly. “But you guys love Rachel.”
“We love you,” Marcy says. “And if you had doubts about marrying Rachel, then you did the right thing. We’re proud of you.”
It’s true. They’ve said as much to each other over late-night cups of tea, coming to the conclusion that Patrick must have left because he didn’t want to marry Rachel. There’s no shame in that. They tried to raise Patrick to be honest, to do the right thing even when it’s hard. The idea that Patrick might have married Rachel because he thought he should? Now that would have been the real shame.
Clint says that. Patrick might be a bit sniffly by the end, as is Marcy. Clint doesn’t hold back his emotions either. Patrick explains what they suspected, that he knew he wasn’t in love with Rachel and couldn’t in good conscience marry her if he didn’t feel the thing he knew you were supposed to feel. He didn’t want to stay and be tempted to get back together with her. “I care about her, but I just don’t feel the love with her that I see between you two.”
This causes Marcy to grip Clint’s hand painfully. Clint grips back, pride and relief radiating from him in equal parts. It’s comforting to hear that Patrick saw their marriage as a loving one, that they did this one thing right at least, that Patrick carries that value with him. Even though Clint has thought of Rachel as his daughter-in-law for a long time now, he would never want Patrick to marry a woman he wasn’t in love with.
When they get off the phone a while later and eat dinner, there is a lightness of spirit in the air that has been in short supply since Rachel called with the news. They head to bed after dinner, even though it’s still early.
Clint has the first peaceful rest he’s had in weeks.
2
Patrick calls again the very next day, this time on Clint’s work phone. Clint knocks over his thermos in his haste to pick it up. “Patrick!” He isn’t even remotely measured in his surprised delight.
“Hey Dad.” From just that, Clint knows Patrick is nervous. “Uh, I’m sorry to call while you’re working. Wanted to get your ear on something. Is this a bad time?”
“God no!” Clint assures him. He works from home, and can always let it go to voicemail when he needs to. “It’s a quiet day for travel insurance. No snowbirds desperate for warm weather ‘til October. Right now it’s students and independent contractors.” Patrick hums in understanding, but he sounds distracted. “What’s on your mind?”
Patrick asks how he is first, another sure sign of nerves, the stalling and the shifting of attention away while he builds himself up to what he’s nervous about. Clint imagines him at a desk in an office he’s still getting used to. He can see Patrick in his mind’s eye, sitting all the way forward, or maybe perched on the end of his desk, standing to help shake off some of the nervous energy.
“I’m good,” Clint says. “Now, come on.”
Patrick starts in a roundabout way. “So, you know I’m working as a business consultant? Well, I’ve been doing a bunch of different things for Ray, and one of them is incorporation paperwork. And David… this guy came in with a business proposal last week. I helped him with the application, and it’s a really, really good idea.”
Patrick explains the finer details, about consignment and rebranding local products under one label; Patrick is speaking quickly, overflowing with excited energy. Clint hums along here and there, pleased to hear Patrick so passionate about something. It makes him feel ashamed that he never noticed how much Patrick was going through the motions when he talked about work before. The contrast is stark.
Eventually, Patrick gets around to what he’s calling about. “So, uh, yesterday David’s business license came in, and I went by to give it to him. I ended up helping him set up the store and we got to talking, and it seems like he has a lot of business savvy, but is not necessarily a numbers guy. And I know he would be eligible for a few grants, which would help get him more start-up money. I just… I don’t know, Dad, I feel like this idea is good enough that I want to be part of it.”
Patrick stops talking, and Clint realizes it’s his turn to speak. “It sounds like a good business idea,” Clint agrees, still unclear what exactly Patrick’s getting at.
“But what do you think?” Patrick asks. “Should I make an offer?”
“An offer?” Clint asks, and he winces because that sounded more alarmed than he would have liked. “What, like an investment?”
“Well, not a financial one,” Patrick says. “I’d be helping him find grants, so it wouldn’t be my money. I’d be more of a business partner. Offering my consulting services. Although, I guess down the road I might end up putting up some cash, if it’s needed. David put in his own cash, to be fair.”
Clint takes all this in, rapidly organizing what Patrick has said into pros and cons. His silence seems to make Patrick nervous, because he starts speaking again. “Look,” he says, a little desperately, “I know it’s risky. I’d be getting in really early here, before it’s a for-sure thing, but I just… I feel like… Something about this feels right.”
Clint would be lying if he said he wasn’t concerned, so he decides he should at least voice it. “I mean, you mentioned it yourself - there are risks in going into business with a guy you just met, in a town you only moved to very recently.” He can sense Patrick’s about to interrupt and hastens to continue. “But, Patrick, you have good instincts. If your gut is telling you to do this, and you’ve weighed the risks, I say go for it.”
Patrick exhales a long, relieved breath. “Oh thank god, I was hoping you’d say that. Thanks for talking it out with me.”
Clint chuckles. “Well, hey, happy to be your ear. But we both knew you were gonna do it before you called me. Reminds me of the time you asked me whether you should buy the Toyota or the Honda and had a whole list of pros ready to go in case I really doubled down on the Honda.”
“Hey, I’ve had that Toyota for 13 years!” Patrick says with a loud laugh. Clint closes his eyes and smiles at the sound of it. “But yeah, I had the pro list ready to go just in case you told me it was a bad idea.”
Clint smirks. “I’m all ears if you want to go down the list.”
Patrick laughs again, then surprises Clint by saying, “Yeah, okay. I wouldn’t mind.”
Clint settles more comfortably in his chair, thrilled. “Go for it.”
“Well, first of all, his full name is David Rose. As in Rose Video Rose.” Clint gives a surprised chuckle. “I know. I’m waiting for the right moment to reveal that fun detail. The whole family actually moved here recently.”
Something snags for him, a memory. “Wait, what are they doing in Schitt’s Creek? Didn’t Johnny Rose get raided for tax evasion?”
“That wasn’t their fault,” Patrick says firmly. “Mr Rose’s business manager embezzled all their money. And Mr Rose owns the town - apparently it was one of the few assets they were allowed to keep.”
Clint hesitates, uncomfortable. Should Patrick be getting involved with a family that got raided for not paying taxes? Sure, it wasn’t his fault he had a corrupt business manager, but why didn’t Johnny Rose check if his taxes were getting paid? He weighs whether to express his skepticism, then abruptly decides not to risk it. He wants Patrick to keep calling, and Patrick sounds like he’s not interested in hearing criticism of the Roses. He’s calling the man Mr Rose.
“Did David tell you all this?” Clint asks.
“Some of it. But he didn’t have to,” Patrick says. “Ray actually told me the story with David and his entire family in earshot at the cafe.”
“Jeez,” Clint says.
“Uh huh. Ray’s a character alright.” Patrick laughs. “Oh my god, I have so many stories about Ray. On my first day, he introduced me to one of his clients and said, ‘Now, you might find jeans a bit informal for this meeting, but Patrick assures me people appreciate a business casual look these days.’”
Clint snorts and just listens as Patrick tells a slew of amusing and slightly unsettling stories about Patrick’s boss-slash-landlord, basking in the sound of his son’s voice. It hasn’t escaped him that they’re no longer talking about Patrick’s pro-list but he’s not about to point that out. He listens to every detail Patrick’s willing to offer up, grateful.
3
It’s another couple of weeks before they hear from Patrick again. He calls on a Saturday afternoon with the news that he and David are going to be opening their store soon. “It’s called Rose Apothecary. We should be ready to open by the end of the month.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Marcy says excitedly. Clint filled her in on the conversation he had with Patrick, so she’s been itching for more information, just like him. “Send us pictures; we’d love to see what it looks like!”
“I will, definitely,” Patrick says, sounding softly pleased. Clint’s heart pangs with love, and he wishes he could see Patrick’s face, misses him painfully.
“So, how are things going?” Clint asks. “Where are you at in the process?”
“We’re still setting up,” Patrick says. “All the orders should be ready in time, and contract negotiations are going well, so I think we’re on track.” Patrick launches off on products they’re going to sell at the store. They sit out on the back porch and soak up every detail. Without a picture, Clint’s imagination runs wild with what the store might look like. The product sounds pretty upscale. He finds himself imagining somewhere Marcy would enjoy shopping, and it doesn’t quite fit with his mental picture of Patrick and his interests.
Clint tunes back into the conversation, and Patrick’s saying, “David’s got really good business instincts; he’s… decisively indecisive, but he’s already made exclusivity deals with eight vendors, and there are five more coming on in the next few months. There’s something really fascinating and charming about him - everyone in town seems to love him, and he’s brutally honest so people trust him too.”
Over the phone, there’s the tinkle of a bell in the background, and Patrick says, “Hang on a second.” After a bit of muffled movement and indistinct conversation, Patrick is back. “Hey, sorry. We’re setting up shelving in the back room, so I should let you guys go. I’ll call soon.”
“Oh, of course,” Marcy says quickly.
“Sure thing,” Clint agrees, trying to stifle his disappointment. “Whenever you get the chance.”
There’s a muffled pause, and then Patrick says, “David says hi.”
They chorus their own hellos, and Patrick gives a final goodbye and hangs up.
“Oh, Clint,” Marcy says, resting her head on his shoulder.
He wraps his arm around her to rub her arm. “I know, Marce.”
Clint feels it too, the desire for more closeness. The need to see Patrick, to take him by the shoulders and make sure he really is okay, even though he sounds more okay than Clint’s heard him in… years, frankly.
Clint obsesses about it some more while doing yard work. He pulls up weeds along the hedges as he reflects on their last conversation, only a week before Patrick left. Patrick and Rachel came for dinner at their house, and Clint talked with Patrick in the backyard for a while after.
The truth is: Patrick didn’t seem upset. He was talkative, cracking jokes with Clint like any other evening. He didn’t tell Clint he was struggling, didn’t so much as hint that he was. He wasn’t even in one of his introspective moods, the kind Clint and Marcy used to tease Patrick about when he was younger. But god, maybe teasing Patrick about those introspective moods was telling Patrick he needed to be different, that he needed to cheer up and hide how he was really feeling.
Obviously Patrick was suffering, and that’s what really bothers Clint. Either Patrick was acting that night, or he had convinced himself he was fine until he really wasn’t anymore. Either way, how is it not Clint’s fault?
No, the real question is: why didn’t Clint see through the act? Why didn’t he notice that Patrick wasn't fine, not at all? He wants more than anything to go back to that moment (to many moments) and prod at his son, to see all the little things he missed. To have been the kind of father that cast no doubt Patrick could come to him with his struggles.
Then again, if Patrick had told him he was struggling with Rachel, would Clint have told Patrick to stick it out, that it was just another rough patch? He’s said that to Patrick before, so his track record isn’t good. Why was he always doing that? Why was he so invested in the idea of Patrick with Rachel?
And why would Patrick have opened up if he already knew what Clint was going to say?
It’s like Patrick had a pro-list for leaving that he never shared with Clint.
How could he have thought they were close? He has the sinking feeling the distance is his fault, that he left Patrick no choice but to enforce it when Clint kept encouraging Patrick to give it another go with Rachel. To wait it out a little longer at work.
It would be nice to go down and see Patrick, since it doesn’t seem likely he’ll be visiting them any time soon with how busy he’s going to be getting a brand new business off the ground. Worse, it doesn’t really seem like Patrick wants to come back.
Maybe he shouldn’t want Patrick to come back; maybe it’s selfish to want that. But he does.
He reminds himself to let Patrick lead here. Patrick will invite them in when (oh god, please when and not if) he’s ready. And if they push, he’s worried they might lose what little, precious connection they have left with him.
4
The phone rings around lunchtime, and the display reads Rose Apothecary. The calls have been less frequent in the last few months. It’s not enough - it’s never enough - but it’s something.
Patrick is calling to let them know they’re getting ready to launch the online store, just in time for the holiday season. The website has been given a makeover for the season as well, and Marcy rushes to grab the laptop from the office and brings it to the dining room table to pull up the site. Clint peers over her shoulder as they peruse it. “That’s lovely!” Marcy says. “Very easy to navigate. And I like the minimalist look.”
“I had nothing to do with it.” Patrick gives a warm chuckle. “That’s all David. He’s really got an eye for these things. Well, actually, David’s sister Alexis was helping him with it - she’s launching a PR company, so she offered her services for free.” He sounds amused when he continues, “It took a little longer than planned. David and Alexis had some ‘creative differences’ about colour palettes, and David got so fed up at one point that he threatened to put up a big white space with only the name of the store and credit Alexis for it, and then Alexis threatened to put up a few entries from his childhood diary. And it pretty much devolved from there. They come up with some seriously creative insults.” Clint exchanges a perplexed look with his wife, and the silence must register to Patrick because he quickly adds, “But they worked it out, and it looks amazing.”
“It does look amazing,” Marcy says. “It… sounds like David and his sister have an interesting relationship?”
Patrick laughs softly. “Yeah, that’s one word for it. They argue a lot, but they’re really close. It’s like that with his parents, too.”
“You guys must be getting pretty close, then?” Clint asks. There’s silence on Patrick’s end. “To launching the online store?”
“Uh. Yeah, pretty close,” Patrick says.
More silence.
Clint exchanges a nervous glance with Marcy. He feels like he missed a step on the stairs, faltering.
“So are you and David going to be really busy at the store? With the holidays coming up?” Marcy asks, building up to the question Clint knows she has to ask, even if he has his doubts about the wisdom of doing so.
Patrick clears his throat. Clint used to think that meant he was nervous or feeling emotional, but he’s not so sure anymore. “Well, hopefully. We're looking to really boost our sales through December and January. It’s been quiet this month, but things should pick up.”
Marcy twists her wedding band around her finger, her own nervous tell. “Patrick, do you think you’ll be able to make a trip up here over the break?”
A dreadfully long silence crackles through the line. Clint sees Marcy’s shoulders hunch forward; the silence says it all, really. “I don’t think it’ll be possible this year. David and I…” He goes quiet again, and Clint wishes he could read Patrick’s mind. Patrick sighs. “We’re gonna be really busy with the store. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, it’s alright,” Marcy says, falsely cheerful.
“We understand,” Clint adds.
There’s more silence, and Clint briefly wonders if (or maybe just hopes) Patrick is thinking about inviting them to visit for the holidays.
“Maybe I can come see you guys in the spring,” Patrick says. He sounds hopeful and genuine, but Clint’s not sure if he can accurately gauge how Patrick is feeling, not anymore. It’s been a devastating realization. “Well, I - I better go. David’s at the cafe getting lunch and I need to finish the inventory.”
They say their goodbyes. Marcy sighs when it’s just the two of them and the wistfulness again. “God, I was really hoping…”
“That he’d invite us?” Clint finishes for her. “Yeah, me too.” He gets up to start lunch.
Marcy gets to work on emptying the dishwasher. “Should we just go?” she asks, and Clint understands the desperate plea on a cellular level. “Surprise him?”
“Marce, I think…” He rinses a cucumber, then sets it down on the cutting board beside the sink. “I think if he wanted us there, he would have invited us.”
“But what if he’s waiting for us to ask?”
It’s a fair question, one that haunts him at night. But still… “I just think it’ll put pressure on him. We don’t need to add any extra pressure. If it’s what drove him away…” He focuses on chopping the cucumber, eyes stinging. “We just have to give him time.”
Marcy comes over to kiss his cheek, exhaling shakily. “Sometimes I wish you didn’t know him so well.”
“Funny,” Clint remarks dryly. “I don’t know that I do.”
5
Clint is driving home from the farmer’s market when his phone rings through the car audio system. Clint pulls over to answer, heart thumping furiously when he sees who it is. Patrick rarely calls anymore.
What is he doing wrong here? Should Clint be calling him more? He’s tried, but it either goes to voicemail or Patrick answers but often seems to be hanging out with David.
Marcy calls the store to talk to Patrick. And there have been messages; Patrick sent one with a picture of the apartment he’s moving into soon, which only made Clint grumpy since it meant Patrick was putting down even more roots. Is there a girlfriend in the picture? Is that why he’s getting a place? He knows he could ask, but Patrick always seems to get cagey when Clint asks more personal questions.
There was also the picture they received last week of Patrick and David in front of the store, grinning and happy, their arms around each other in a brotherly stance. It was nice to see Patrick’s face, but it only made Clint miss him all the more.
He takes a deep breath and answers. “Hey bud.”
“Hey Dad,” Patrick says. Then he sighs. “Sorry I haven’t called. It’s… it’s been busy at the store, and I joined the baseball team here. And… yeah, just really busy lately.”
“Hey, I get it,” Clint says, his voice full of an understanding he doesn’t really feel. “I love hearing from you, but I get you’re busy. Uh, just do me a favour and be sure to check in with Mom a bit more, okay? She worries.” God, it’s wrong to use Marcy like that. “And I worry, too.”
Patrick’s quiet, then he says, touched, “Okay. I will.”
Clint clears his throat. “So, tell me about this baseball team you joined,” he prompts.
And Patrick does.
Clint pulls back on the road and makes the drive home with the voice of his son as the soundtrack. Patrick talks about his baseball team. Then he talks about David and his ‘almost terrifyingly good’ ability to upsell customers. He talks about a recent Singles Week event that the town threw, which brought a bunch of tourism and higher sales at the store. Laughing intermittently, Patrick tells him how particular David is about the store and its display organization, how he and someone named Stevie like to torture David by bringing all the ugliest items in the store to the front, to be eyesores to David’s ‘aesthetic sensibilities.’
The fond joy in Patrick’s voice as he shares these details from his life makes Clint feel deeply disconnected from his son, even as he tries valiantly to sound upbeat. He feels so out of the loop, like he’s missing something crucial.
Not a day passes where Clint wishes he hadn’t driven Patrick away with the weight of his expectations. He suspects Patrick left because Clint neglected to notice how stuck Patrick felt, how scared and unhappy he was, treading water until it was so dire the only option was to leave or drown.
Clint wishes every day that Patrick hadn’t felt compelled to start a new life, somewhere far away from them.
He hopes one day to find the strength to ask what he did wrong, what he missed. But he’s terrified to find out the answer, even as he is sure it will be, “Everything.”
+1
The phone rings while he’s getting dressed after his morning shower, so Marcy is the one who answers. When Clint emerges into the kitchen, Marcy’s laughing very hard about something, and Clint gives her a curious look.
“Oh, David, Clint’s here now,” she says, waving him over to the table. She puts the phone on speaker.
“Hi Mr Brewer,” David greets politely.
“Hi David,” he replies. “How are things?”
“Oh, well, Roland just left with our entire stock of foot cream, so it’s been a disgusting morning.” They both laugh. They know a lot of the Schitt’s Creek townies by name if by nothing else; the anecdotes they’ve heard from Patrick and David have painted quite the picture of the town mayor in particular.
“I can’t wait to meet Roland,” Marcy says brightly. “At this point, the image I have of him can’t be anything like the real deal.”
“Well,” David says, “funny you should say that. And Patrick’s going to be back from the meaningless errand I had him run any minute now, so I’ll make it quick. I was hoping you two might be able to visit next weekend for Patrick’s birthday? It’s a surprise party, which he says he’s always wanted, even though I truly do not understand the appeal of having people shout at you the moment you walk into a room. I’ve had my fill of that curating performance art. But Patrick really wants a surprise party, and I know he’d love it if you were there.”
There’s a lot to digest in what David just said at a very rapid clip. But chief among them is the notion that Patrick might want them to attend his birthday party. Clint exchanges a hopeful look with his wife. With Patrick's birthday on the horizon, they didn't dare to hope for something like this.
“Wow. We’d love to be there,” Clint says. “But… you’re sure Patrick wants us to be?”
“Of course,” David says briskly. “He talks about you both all the time and how much he misses you, and he’s always saying he really needs to make the trip to see you. So, why not bring you here?”
Marcy blinks back tears, and Clint clears his throat. He doesn’t realize he’s gripping Marcy’s hand until he feels his knuckles crack with the weight of her returned grip.
“Oh, David, nothing would make us happier,” Marcy says. “Thank you for thinking of us.”
“Well, you might not be thanking me when you do finally meet Roland. Now, I can set aside a room for you at the motel, and it’s on me.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Clint says quickly, accordingly. “We’re more than happy to pay for the room.”
David makes a sound of indignation. “Okay, absolutely not. That would be一no, I’ll take care of everything; you just come and enjoy yourselves.”
Clint exchanges another look with Marcy, this one tinged with surprise at the ferocity of David’s insistence. “Well, thank you, David,” he says.
“We really appreciate this,” Marcy adds. “And if there’s anything we can do to help with一”
But before Marcy can finish, David clears his throat aggressively a few times and says, “No, I’ve told you several times, I’m not interested in changing my car insurance; please stop calling.” Marcy snorts, and Clint grins, then David says softly, “Bye.”
A tentative silence greets the end of the call, too delicate and hopeful to break with any words yet, but it’s punctured quickly enough with a text to Marcy’s phone. It’s from David, and Clint reads over Marcy’s shoulder: Crisis averted. Although now Patrick’s on the phone to the Better Business Bureau. Uh oh.
Clint reads it and lets out a laugh that feels so joyous he uses the strength of it to pull Marcy into his arms; she’s already throwing herself closer, so they meet in the middle. It’s a while before either of them can say or do anything besides let out sighs and laughs and a few tears of relief.
He hums while he prepares breakfast for the two of them. This is the opening he’s been waiting for. He feels elated, even though he knows he has a lot of work to do. When they get to Schitt’s Creek, Clint is going to sit down with Patrick, and he is going to apologize. He needs to tell Patrick that he should have been able to go to him, and the fact that he couldn’t is on Clint. That he knows he didn’t make it safe for Patrick to be himself.
Clint has to admit David was not what Clint imagined as a business partner for Patrick. He seems great, but truthfully, Clint did not expect him. He supposes it’s got to do with gender, although it’s not a nice thing to confront in himself, his own assumptions about the kind of person Patrick might go into business with. They tried not to enforce gender roles with Patrick; Marcy was really firm about that. Patrick liked all kinds of activities, and they tried to make sure Patrick knew there weren’t ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ activities. Patrick liked baseball, but he also liked cooking and gardening, and that was all okay.
He’s glad Patrick is not only in business with David, but clearly such good friends with him. It’s nice to think Patrick might be less concerned by the constraints of masculinity than those in Clint and Marcy’s generation.
He’s not arrogant enough to think that’s all on their parenting, especially considering all the ways Clint screwed up. He messed up by not being there for his son, particularly when his son most needed him. He should have been more open with his emotions; he should have made it okay for Patrick to be open about his. He suspects his failure to do so may be part of the reason Patrick hasn’t really opened up to Clint since he left for Schitt’s Creek.
Still, it’s nice to think Patrick is so open-minded, even if Clint had less to do with cultivating it than he would have liked.
“You know, it’s a good thing Patrick met David,” Clint says once they’re sitting down to eat.
Marcy smiles. “Oh, yes. He seems like a very nice man.”
“So, what should we get him, do you think?”
Marcy gives him an amused look around her mouthful of grapefruit, then wipes her mouth with her napkin. “I don’t know. Patrick’s always been really over the top with his whole ‘oh my god, Mom, how did you know’ schtick.” Clint guffaws. He can hear Patrick doing it in his head. “You always got him the really good presents,” she says. “You probably know what Patrick would like better than I do.”
“I’m not so sure,” Clint says. In a way, it seems like David knows Patrick better than Clint ever did. “But I meant, what should we get for David? He just invited us back into Patrick’s life; we’re not going there empty-handed.”
Not that a gift is enough to express his gratitude that David has opened the door for Clint to get started on building something authentic with Patrick, something without the heavy burden of expectation and projection Clint telegraphed for so long. He’s going to fully and without reservation support and get to know the son he actually has, not the son that existed in Clint’s mind for nearly 30 years.
He can’t wait to get started.