“Yeah. But the cheeseburgers make up for it.”
“They are excellent.”
“If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, which would you choose,” I ask, “onion rings or mozzarella sticks?”
“Those are the only two options?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to have to go with the sticks. What about you?”
“Same,” I say. “Onion rings are great. But the answer is always cheese.”
“Very true. What about between corn dogs and hot dogs?”
“That’s a tough call. I’m honestly not sure. Do I want the crunch of the corn or the softness of the bread? Both can come with a stupid amount of ketchup, so that doesn’t help. Which do you choose?”
He pops another fry in his mouth. “It’s truly a question for the ages. How about apple pie logs and fried Oreos?”
“I feel like I should say apple pie logs because fruit.”
“But deep down you really want the Oreo.”
“I really do. Chocolate is just so great.” I take a sip from my bottle of water. “Is there anything the human race hasn’t tried to deep fry?”
“I don’t think so.”
“It’s what separates us from the animals.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “That kid’s enjoying himself.”
I look over my shoulder to see the small child in the car next to us blowing raspberries on the window. The tongue waggling really adds something. Not something good. Just something.
“Do you want children?” I ask.
“That’s not a first date question.”
“This isn’t a date.”
His smile is there and gone in an instant. Guess you could call it rueful. “I don’t know. Maybe. With the right person. What about you?”
“Same.”
“They seem like a hell of a lot of work. Not something you just want to rush into.”
“No,” I say. “It’s a big decision. Being responsible for bringing a whole new person into the world.”
We both watch the film for a while. There’s a small chance I shouldn’t have asked such a personal question. I’m not exactly up to date with etiquette. But with him knowing the worst thing about me, it seems any boundaries are unsubstantial at best. And he did talk to me about his divorce. So, he must trust me at least a little.
The first film ends. Coming in second is an action and adventure movie. A car chase followed by a gunfight with the discovery of a lost city thrown in for good measure. I think it’s fun, though the couple sitting inside the flatbed truck in front of us get distracted. Noah and I might not be on a date, but they obviously are. And we’ve got a prime view of all their activities care of a back window.
It starts with the dude sliding his arm around her shoulders. Running his fingers through her hair and such. The way he touches her is adoring. Like she’s precious to him. And the answering tug low in my belly when he pulls on her ponytail is interesting to say the least. I lost my libido a long time ago. When the only person you allowed near your vagina for sexualpurposes turns out to be a murderous monster…yeah. It’s hard to come back from something like that. My therapist has given me many a lecture on the topic.
The couple progresses to kissing. More tongue than necessary to my mind. Though I’m probably not the best judge. I doubt my mouth even remembers how to get the job done. And by the time Ryan got arrested, he had started getting heavy handed with me. Not hitting me. Just being way too full on. Trying to take over every moment. Being physically rough with me. Another sign of him trying to control me.
One day I will find someone and do a whole lot of sexing. So much that all of the bad memories of sleeping with my ex will fade into nothing. They’ll be no more than a bad dream. Though the sexing probably won’t happen around here. I never wanted to hear how someone had hooked up with me for the novelty. That they banged me so they could have a connection to a psychopath or something. Have a sordid story to tell over drinks with friends. I might be overly sensitive. But on the other hand, people do all sorts of strange and distasteful shit for fun.
In the meantime, I might as well enjoy the show. Not the one on the screen. The one where the girl is now sitting in the guy’s lap. Her hands are in his hair and his are busy out of sight. On her breasts maybe. I check over my shoulder. Luckily the small mouthy child has fallen asleep. Sex is all good and natural and normal. But his parents may not be ready to tackle the subject just yet nor in this particular setting.
