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33
“Lake Erie looks amazing from up here,” Cara Knox said as she gazed out over Cleveland’s Great Lake from the balcony of Suite 1100 at the Westcott Hotel.
The sun was setting over the western horizon as the Cooper Madison leaned against the stone balcony next to Cara.
“I try to catch every sunrise and sunset out here. It reminds me of home. I used to love watching the sun set over the Gulf.”
“I don’t blame you,” Cara replied. “It’s breathtaking.”
“And peaceful…”
“Seeing it from up here reminds me of something my dad used to say,” Cara laughed. “Lake Erie is like a pitching wedge - good from about 150 yards out.”
“That’s funny,” Coop chuckled. “It definitely is not as pretty up close. The last time I was on the shore over at Edgewater Beach I almost stepped on a syringe and about a dozen used condoms.”
“That sounds about right,” Cara responded.
“Can I ask you something? That’s the second time you referred to your father as if he was no longer with us. Why?”
“Sorry, I guess it’s a force of habit,” Cara replied, “My dad is alive but in a lot of ways, the man he used to be died about 5 years ago.”
“How do you mean?”
“He was in a bad accident on the job at the Ford plant. He ended up in a wheelchair and hasn’t been the same since. It’s like he’s just given up in a lot of ways.”
“Dear Lord, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Coop replied.
“That’s why I work at Stucky’s, I’m in my senior year at CSU and money has been tight since the accident, so I work for Stucky to help out. He used to work with my dad at Ford long before the accident.”
“Do you like college?” Coop asked.
“Yeah, but I’m ready for it to be over.”
“Sometimes I wish I would’ve gone to college. Even just for a year,” Coop said as he looked out over the lake.
“Well, I think you made the right choice,” Cara laughed.
“Yeah, I know I did,” Coop relented. “But, I do feel like I missed out on a lot of stuff.”
“Well, as someone who didn’t miss out on those things, I can assure you that they weren’t as great as you might have imagined. But, I do get where you’re coming from.”
“What’s your major?” Coop asked.
“Business, but I have no idea what I’m going to do.”
“You fixin’ to take over corporate America?”
“Right now I’m just fixin’ to land an internship this winter and finish my degree,” Cara laughed, mocking Coop’s choice of progressive verb.
“I can’t help the fact you don’t know the proper way to talk,” Coop joked.
“What do you say if you’re planning on fixing something?” Cara mused.
“Well, I suppose I’d be fixin to fix it…” Coop laughed.
“I give up…”
“Please don’t…” Coop deadpanned, his words immediately signaling a shift in tone, before cracking a wry smile at Cara.
