“It really is. Instead of trying to find another job right away, I think I want to take the rest of the month off and concentrateon my designs. I’ve been feeling pretty uninspired, so hopefully I can find my groove again.”
“You know what you need? A change of scenery.”
“You’re right,” he said. “Maybe I’ll try sketching at the park, or in a coffee shop, or?—”
“Or at the Grand Canyon, and at your friend’s house in Texas.”
“What?”
“We need to do a road trip, Kit. I was going to suggest it earlier while we were talking about your bucket list, but we got interrupted when you were called in to work. Now it feels like it was meant to be.”
He processed that for a few moments before asking, “Could we really do that?” He seemed reluctant to get his hopes up.
“Absolutely. I’ll rent us a car, or maybe an RV. We can drive to San Diego first and visit your dad, and then we’ll go to the Grand Canyon. Do you want to camp, or stay at the lodge?”
“I don’t know.”
He was clearly feeling overwhelmed, so I said, “It’s okay, we can decide later. It’s the off-season, so nothing’s going to get booked up. Anyway, after that, we can drive to Texas. What part of the state is your friend in?”
“He lives near Austin, out in the country.” He searched my eyes as he asked me, “Why do you want to do this?”
“Because I love road trips, and I also love the idea of getting to experience all of this with you.”
“What would we do after Texas?”
“Whatever we want.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Just say yes, and we can leave tonight. All we have to do is hop online and rent something, pack our bags, and hit the road.”
Kit still seemed uncertain. “I know I just got that check, but I’m not sure how much of it I should spend. What if it takes a while to find another job? I might have to make that money last.”
“I’ll pay for all of it. You won’t have to spend a dime.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“But I want to, and this trip isn’t just for you, Kit. I need it as much as you do, maybe more. With my birthday inching closer, this would be the best distraction I could imagine.”
I knew that would convince him. He had a hard time accepting good things for himself, but if it was going to benefit someone else, he was all for it. The worry line between his brows eased, and he murmured, “It feels like I’m dreaming.”
“But you can make it a reality,” I said. “All you have to do is say yes.”
“Okay. Let’s do it. We’ll visit my dad first, and go from there. He’ll be so excited. Should we surprise him, or tell him we’re coming?” He thought about it for a beat and answered his own question. “Let’s surprise him. And I like your suggestion about leaving tonight. If we’re going to do this, I don’t want to wait.”
“Great. Let’s get going, then.”
As we left the coffee shop, he took my hand. I assumed he did that because this whole thing made him nervous, and he needed reassurance. I held it securely as we headed down the sidewalk.
Pretty soon, we reached Miss Lady Jane’s and paused to read the large notice on its closed front door. It was a thank you from the club owner to the patrons, staff, performers, and the community as a whole for three great decades. He also explained that even though it was hard to say goodbye, he had to put the love of his life first.
At the bottom of the notice were two photos. The first looked like it had probably been taken in the 1980s, judging by the clothes and hairstyles. It was of two men in their late twenties, who looked happy and totally in love. The other photo was ofthe same two men in their seventies, obviously still every bit as happy and more in love than ever.
Kit said softly, “Can you imagine? They’ve had all those wonderful years together, and their next chapter is just beginning.”
He’d said that mostly to himself, but no, I couldn’t imagine it. That would never be my reality.
As I held Kit’s hand in mine, I was struck with a profound sense of loss.
