Chapter 18: Brandon
Talking to Andi Nicholsis like watching paint dry. No, that’s not it. She’s boring. Nope, that’s not it either. I try to put my finger on it. She’s totally closed off.
Why?
She has no expression on her face. Yet the lack of expression in a way is an expression. Every so often, it seems like something peeks through, but then she shuts it down. What’s she hiding?
Now it’s a side quest to find out what’s underneath, which is actually pretty interesting. I’m seeing her through a new lens. I’m not sure if she tries to hide from everyone or just me. But that piques my curiosity. I have to know. There’s something ... I can’t put my finger on it.
Maybe she’s a secret government agent. Traveling around for soccer games would be the perfect cover.
Like why would she fly all the way to Denver to see someone who wasn’t there? Wouldn’t she tell them she was coming? Who just decides to drop in on someone from three time zones away?
Or two. I don’t remember how far Denver is. The time zone thing always messes me up anyway.
“So, what were you doing on a cattle ranch? How did your flip-flops make out there?”
I glance down at my feet. I couldn’t tell you what I was wearing, but she knew. Interesting. She notices details. That’s one tally for the “Andrew is a secret spy” column.
For the record, flip-flops do not go well on the ranch. I had to borrow a too-small pair of boots while I was there. Jess got a big kick out of that one. She even texted me a picture. I think she’s going to use it to extort money out of me someday. Maybe sell it toThe Looking Glassor something.
“I was visiting my sister.”
“So in all honesty, we were both going to visit our siblings,” Andi says. “I wish that could be it. That we didn’t have to make up something else. Why can’t the truth be good enough?”
“Your brother wasn’t in Denver though? What happened there? How did you not know?” I still can’t figure that one out.
“You don’t know where in Wyoming your sister lives. How do you not know?”
Good comeback. Also, she’s answering a question with a question. I’ve seen enough thriller movies to know that’s a classic spy interrogation technique. “She just moved there.”
“Oh, so you’re not from Wyoming? Where are you from?”
Great. We’re going to do this. Cue the sympathy violins. “I grew up in Upstate New York, outside of Albany. But there’s no pro or semi-pro team there, so I started moving around a lot by the time I was in middle school.”
“Where’s the rest of your family?”
Here we go.
“My dad lives in North Jersey. My sister’s in Wyoming now. My mom’s dead.” I like to go for the shock value on that. It keeps people from asking questions I don’t want to talk about. When I put it like that, I get the uncomfortable “I’m sorries” and then people change the subject as quickly as possible.
She doesn’t placate me with pity. “Yeah, it can be tough. My brother has a terminal illness, so he’s been on a death watch his entire life. It’s why I was surprised he wasn’t there. Apparently, his new medication has not only added years to his life, but life to his years. He and his girlfriend are road-tripping.”
That was probably the last thing I expected to hear from Andi Nichols. She’s full of surprises.
“Okay, so we each have a sibling,” I offer. The sooner we find our common ground, the sooner we can figure this out and go.
