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He wore light, loose-fitting bootcut jeans and Nikes. The pants were frayed a little at the bottom and looked like something a high school or college guy would wear. He wore a plain white V-neck shirt with it. To top it off, he had on a baseball cap and eyeglasses. I wasn’t sure if the glasses were prescription or just for show, but he really didn’t look like himself at all. It was like he was a totally different person.
“Do you have any idea where you’d like to eat?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Somewhere cheap is fine. I’m really not picky at all.”
He paused for a moment, looking at me intently before he turned to face me more in his seat.
“I want to say something, and when I do, I want you do know it’s not meant to be rude or offensive in any way, okay?” I nodded and he continued. “You grew up in a small town in Indiana. Your parents did the best they could with what they had, and I will forever be grateful to them for raising you the way they did. It’s obvious they did a wonderful job.”
Well, he was half right. It was mostly Dad, though I guess I could give a lot of credit to Mom for teaching me all the ways Ididn’twant to be. So, looking at it like that, I guess both of them were responsible for me turning out halfway decent.
“I know they’re gone, and I know it’s hard for you right now, but I also want you to know this is home, too. Think of it like a divorced couple.”
I looked at him with confusion, and he laughed and waved both hands in the air, keys still in hand.
“Hold on, hold on. Gimme a chance here,” he said, still chuckling. “Your parents were separated, right?” I nodded. “Okay. So, when you went to your dad’s, you probably had one way of living, and when you went to your mom’s, you probably lived a different way, right?”
I thought about it for a moment. “Actually, yeah. I mean, that’s an understatement, but still very accurate. Night and day, really.”
He gave an exaggerated nod. “Right. So, this is kind of the same even though it’s different. You grew up with your parents and had one life, but when you’re here, you’ll live a different way. Does that make sense?”
“Is this your long-winded way of telling me I could pick a bougie restaurant, and you wouldn’t think twice about it?”
He laughed. “I mean, I wouldn’t word it likethat… More like, when you’re here you don’t have to worry about money and offending me if you want something that costs a little extra… but yes. If you want to eat at a bougie ass restaurant, let’s go. I want to give you experiences you haven’t had yet.”
I smiled. “Point taken. It’s going to take some time for me to get used to that. Still, I’m not picky. Except one thing. I don’t like Mexican food.” His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. I laughed. I was used to that reaction. “I know! I get that same lookeverytime I say it! I love pretty much anything else. Well… anything you’d find in Dukes of Hazard, USA. Obviously, I haven’t had the opportunity to try much else.”
Another laugh took him, and he shook his head. Turning, he put the key in the ignition and started it up.
“I can honestly say I love your spirit and your sense of humor. I can’t wait to get to know you better.” He put it in drive and carefully accelerated. “How about we just drive around town and see what we find?”
“That sounds good to me.”
It took about twenty minutes to get to town, and we drove around until we found a pulled pork place that looked good. He said he hadn’t been there in years, so he was happy to go. Apparently, Angela and Harper were both vegans, so he didn’t get to eat meat often. I told him he didn’t have to worry about that with me. That just meant more bacon for us.
During the entire drive there, while waiting for our food to get brought out to us, and then all the way to the park we talked about everything and nothing. He asked me about school, what living in Indiana was like, what my parents were like, about my friends. I asked him what being a politician was like, and I was surprised when he acted like he didn’t like it much. He said it was a bunch of pleasing people you’d rather punch. And sometimes, the good you sign up to do couldn’t get done because of other people standing in your way.
It sounded miserable.
I asked about his life, what he wanted to be when he was a kid, and if he planned to stay in politics his whole life. We chose safe topics and avoided anything heavy. It was nice. He seemed pretty easy going, and I loved that he was sarcastic like me. My dad was a good guy, but sarcasm wasn’t his strong suit. Every time I’d say something smart-assed, he’d take me seriously. Rick wasn’t like that. He laughed every time.
It was nice.
I hated that I couldn’t stop worrying. I just wanted to enjoy the day because, to be honest, it was the best one I’d had in a while.
As promised, we’d worn masks the moment we got into town. We looked and felt stupid since we were in the car, but we didn’t care. We knew why we wore them. He got me a solid black fitted one that wrapped around my ears and curved under my cheekbone before coming back up over my nose. It was super comfortable. His was blue.
When we got to the park, he made sure to pick an isolated area that had a lot of trees and where people didn’t really go. There was a people trail—what I quickly learned was just called a ‘trail’ outside of Columbus, Indiana—that wrapped around the area, but no one would really notice us that far out.
I grabbed the bag of food, and he grabbed a picnic basket I hadn’t noticed out of the very back of the Escalade. When we reached a spot we felt was good enough where we could safely remove our masks without being noticed, he opened the basket and pulled out a blanket before spreading it out. He helped me sit, and I pulled our food from the bag while he grabbed each of us a water bottle.
“This place is beautiful,” I said.
“It’s a really large park. There’s a nice lake over that way,” he said, pointing off behind him.
“Speaking of water, how far from the ocean are we? I’ve never seen the ocean before.” For the second time that day, his eyes widened, and for the second time that day, I said, “I know! I get the same look every time I say that, too!”
He laughed. “Okay, that needs to change. I’d take you today but walking through the sand would wear you out pretty quickly, and the wheelchair won’t work well. At least, I assume so. It’s not like I have a lot of experience pushing one at all let alone through sand. Besides, I want to take you when you can really experience it. Take off your shoes and walk through the water. A drive by would be a waste. If you’re still healing as quickly as you have been, we could go next week if you want. It’s only thirty minutes away.”
