Page 29 of Fall Over You

BECCA

I thought you said I couldn’t ride you to pay for my truck repair

Which is it?

That tow truck driver told me “cash is good but ass is better”

TYLER

Wait what

Which tow truck driver? The guy who brought you here?

BECCA

The very same

TYLER

You should have told me

BECCA

Why? Do you still have your emergency home run derby baseball bat?

I’ll be down when Dusty can pick me up :)

The garage bay’s doors are open to let in that perfect sixty-something degree weather. It’s the season when Dad adds a sprinkle of cinnamon to the coffee pot to give it that extra autumn scent. I can hear the town’s natural bullhorns coming from down the block: Dusty and Becca breathlessly rehashing some joke they’ve probably told each other four hundred times. I’ve always been jealous of how close they are. I’m an only child, and though I couldn’t ask for more out of Dusty’s friendship, I admire how they have a built-in best friend. Makes me want to give that to Ellie someday, but in my current situation, I can’t even imagine what that would look like. What if I had another baby with someone, and it ended the same way?

By the time they stumble into the garage, Becca is fanning herself and Dusty is wiping under his eyes. They’re both red in the face and humming off their laughing jag.

“Never gets old,” Dusty says.

“Never once,” Becca agrees. “Hey, Big Daddy.”

Dusty snaps to look at Becca. “Big Daddy?”

Becca winks at me. “Yeah, that’s what his girlfriend calls him.”

“And are you his girlfriend now?” Dusty asks, face brightening.

Becca shimmies her shoulders. “He wishes. It’s ol’ Kristen from the preschool. She can’t get enough of him. But hey, actually, I can piss on the Tyler fire hydrant.” She holds up a finger before reaching into her pocket and flourishing a handful of ticket vouchers. “Can you make sure Miss Kristen gets these tomorrow? The school was already closed when I tried to drop by.”

I go to rub my temples but stop myself since I have grease on my hands. Hooray. More interactions with Kristen. “I guess.”

“Uncle Dusty!” Ellie comes charging around the counter, finally looking up from the cartoons I caved to letting her watch while I finish up. “Miss Becca!”

They crouch to receive Ellie’s hugs, answering her questions about how they’re brother and sister and how T-Bone couldn’t make it today. I prepare Becca’s ticket, hesitating above the discount line. Dad would have already knocked off ten percent and considered dropping the labor cost altogether, but I know we need the money.

But now I know Becca’s not exactly rich either. My stomach turns thinking of her going without, of taking food off her plate. I glance up to find her wiggling Ellie’s hand in her own, and I’m reminded of the priority.

Ellie’s plate is the one to fill, and while we’re doing okay in that department, it’s not always easy. But look how much Becca lights Ellie up.

Fuck it. Ten percent won’t make or break me.

I subtract it from the bill and write the total at the bottom, circling it until you almost can’t see the discounted amount.

“Easy, bub, you’ll kill that ticket,” Dusty says.