Not to criticize, but should you be looking up in the stands during games?
Vision is my hockey strength.I can see the ice well,I reply.And Evie is hard to miss.I’m not sure if it’s her clothing or her vitality.And I never look around the arena while I’m playing, only when I’m on the bench.
I pull up to a retro roadside diner on the outskirts of Duluth.It could use some paint and new signage, but it’s authentically aged.
Evie is charmed.It looks so cute,she declares, practically skipping inside.Predictably, the place is deserted since it’s the middle of the afternoon.We sit in a booth with red vinyl seats and a turquoise tabletop.
She points to the tiny jukebox in our booth.Oh, wow.I’ve always wanted to try one of these.
I’m prepared so I pull change out of my pocket and place it in front of her.Go crazy.What kind of music do you like?
Cool jazz.Like Paul Desmond, Les Young, Dave Brubeck.
I frown.Good luck with that.Anything else?
She flips through the choices, and I’m shocked by how few songs she recognizes.Our waitress comes over with menus and water.
How’re you kids doing?She’s got a mother hen vibe.
We’re fine, thanks,I reply.
Just give me a holler when you want to order.She disappears through the swinging doors into the kitchen.
Now Evie is excited by the menu.It’s like she’s never been anywhere before.Oh, I’m going to get a milkshake.I love them.
After we order, she turns back to the jukebox and finds a song she knows.She inserts coins, presses buttons and forces me to select songs too.Then Carole King’sWhere You Leadstarts to play.
Have you watchedGilmore Girls?she asks.
Maybe part of an episode or two.It’s the kind of show your girlfriend makes you watch, so I’ve escaped that.
We had a DVD set of season one.My mom and I said it was just like us.Not exactly, of course, because my dad is in our lives, but more because she was so young when she had me.We’re really close.
Now this is something I’m interested in, what makes Evie tick.And what does your father do again?
Her gaze drops to the tabletop.I told you before.He sells machine parts.
I reach across the table and take her soft hand in mine.She looks up at me, eyes wide.If you don’t want to tell me something, just say so.But don’t lie.
She strokes my hand with her thumb.I want to tell you.Really.But you know that old joke, if I tell you, I’ll have to kill you?That’s kind of my life.
Now that’s intriguing.But before I can ask anything else, our meals arrive.The waitress slides a burger platter in front of me and a small burger and a giant milkshake in front of Evie, then puts a condiments caddy between us.Anything else you need?she asks.
Not for me.This looks amazing.Thank you,enthuses Evie.
The waitress smiles.No problem, honey.
Evie sips her chocolate shake through an oversized straw, her lips puckered and her cheeks hollowed, and my mind goes immediately to something sexual.What is it about Evie, so fresh and innocent, that excites me?Maybe it’s her enthusiasm for life.She craves new experiences of all kinds—including sex if last night is any indication.It’s a total contrast to my jaded outlook.
Halfway through eating, she stops and looks around.How did you know that this is exactly the kind of place I’ve always wanted to go to?It’s straight out of a fifties movie.
I’m good at reading people.It’s a trait that makes me a good captain, knowing what makes my teammates tick.Evie is more of a challenge.
She rests her chin in her hands.I wish I could figure you out too.
Oh, I didn’t say I had you figured out yet.But an old-fashioned place seems to suit you.She seems like someone out of time.
We finish our late lunch and head out.
