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Katy picked up on Brennon’s Aladdin pun and laughed. “Okay, that was cleaver. I’ll give you that.”
“Hmm, hmm,” Brennon said, acting chummy. “I knew it would be. Isn’t a man always cleaver.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Katy said. “So, why won’t you tell me what you and my dad talked about, Brennon? Don’t tell me what it was that you two talked about. Instead, just tell me why you won’t tell me. Why?”
Brennon laughed. “Because it was a man’s conversation.”
“A man’s conversation.” Katy shook her head.
Brennon crossed the river then turned down a side street, leading through a tight community of close houses and grand trees that canopied over the street. He looked over at Katy, wondering just how far she would go to find out about the talk he had with her father. He then patted his inside pocket – something he’d been doing for much of the day. With Katy now living with him, it’d been somewhat hard to get away to certain places. He and Katy’s friendship was so organic at this point that he truly enjoyed going just about anywhere with her, which was hard to believe in itself.
“Where are we going, Brennon?” Katy asked as she looked around at the neighborhood.
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sp; “Oh, Katy,” Brennon said, turning onto a different street – one that led back toward a park. “You didn’t forget about this place, did you?”
Katy looked around then started smiling. She was so used to going to her favorite park from the other side that coming from this side had thrown her off. She turned and looked out the back window. Downtown – its east side – glowed in the distance. Just then, there was a clearing at the side of the street Brennon had just turned onto. From here, Katy could look down the snowy river bank. A barge carrying cargo rolled down the river with the core of downtown sparkling in the background.
Katy blushed, looking over at Brennon. “Really, Brennon? You could’ve told me we were going to my favorite park. I’ve never come in from this side.”
“Yeah, I thought it might be a nice way to end the night,” Brennon said. The road curved then led to a park entrance with a large sign reaching over the center of the road. It then winded between patches of woods. Picnic tables were practically buried; the jungle gyms looked like random objects in the shadows of thick forestry. Snowdrifts pushed massive amounts of snow across the barely-plowed road. “I used to have a cousin that lived on this side of the park and we would use this entrance. I don’t think a lot of people know it’s here.”
Brennon continued driving with the winding road. Every so often, he would look over at Katy with sly eyes. He then noticed Katy’s suspicious facial expressions. “What?”
“What what?” Katy asked. “I’m wondering what you’re up to.”
“Why is it that I’m always up to something?” Brennon asked. “You act like I’m taking you back to the back of the park, out of sight of everyone and where nobody would hear your screams and cries for help to cut your body into little pieces then throw them into the river and nobody ever be the wiser.” He grinned like the class clown in high school.
“Yeah,” Katy said, looking off at a monument so covered in snow it was starting to look like a snowman. “I’m watching you, Brennon.”
Brennon laughed then pulled into the same parking lot – the very same parking space – where he and she made passionate love the first night he brought her here. When Brennon parked, he looked over at Katy. “I trust you remember this place, don’t you?”
A chuckle slipped out of Katy’s mouth. “Yeah, I remember.” She smiled. “But you’re not seriously thinking about having a repeat, are you?”
“No, no,” Brennon said, undoing his seat belt. “I was actually thinking that maybe we could take a walk.”
“Take a walk?” Katy asked, surprised. “A walk in the snowy park at….at...” She checked the time on the dashboard. “A walk in the park at nearly eleven o’clock at night? And it’s snowy?”
Brennon nodded, shrugging his shoulders. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”
Katy started rambling off reasons walking in the snowy park at this time of night would be a bad idea. Brennon simply chuckled then climbed out of the car. Shaking his head and holding back his laughter, he walked around the front of the car to Katy’s side and opened the door. Katy looked up at him with a confused look. “Brennon, are you serious?”
Light flurries fell from the sky, as any major snow had faded off earlier in the evening. “Yes, I am,” he said, stepping back and holding his arm out. “Come on, Katy. Let’s go on a walk.”
“But it’s late,” Katy said, unfastening her seat belt.
“I know what time it is, Katy,” Brennon said, smiling. “Come on… Get out of the car. I really think we need to go on this walk.”
Katy climbed out of the car, graciously accepting Brennon’s gentlemanly assistance. She griped about how absurd doing something like this was she looked over at the winding road they used to enter the park. “Well, at least it’s not really that cold...for now.”
“When I’m with you, I don’t notice the weather,” Brennon said, pushing the car door closed. “Only thing I notice is you.”
Katy’s eyes slanted toward Brennon. “Oh God… Please don’t start saying things like that. You better make sure some monster doesn’t get me out here.”
Brennon held his arm out, motioning for Katy to lock her arm in his. He chuckled. “You’ve been around those kids too long I see.”
“Yeah, well,” Katy said. “Sometimes I think they might really be on to something.” She wrapped her scarf up around her neck. “Okay, let’s go on this walk.” She glanced around. “Since I’m out of the car and it’s not that cold...at the moment.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. But I’m doing it with you, so that makes it better.”
