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I give him an abbreviated version of the past week, starting with seeing Jenna again and ending with me walking out on her last night.
When I’m done, he says, “I’m sorry, bud, but I’m still not seeing what the problem is. If you like her, go get her.”
“It’s complicated because me working for her brother makes us connected. If things go south, it could get ugly.”
“Shane, this town is so small you’re not going to find a single person you aren’t connected to in one way or another. Hell, it’s probably even like that with all the towns surrounding us too. So, unless you’re planning on going all the way across the great state of Tennessee, I don’t know that your excuse really holds water.”
He’s right. Everything in small towns is connected.
“It’s not just that, though,” I protest.
He crosses his arms over his chest and waits for me to continue.
Slightly embarrassed, I say, “It’s not like I’ve had a lot of experience in the relationship department. I don’t think I’ve had anything ever last more than a few weeks. I’ve had a crush on this girl for years, and I just feel like I’ll mess it up.”
“Oh, is that it?” He chuckles.
“What do you mean?” I ask. “That sounds like a big deal to me.”
“Boy, no man in this world understands what runs through a woman’s mind. No man knows how to navigate that minefield, and if they say they do, they’re full of shit.”
He makes another good point. I mean, I know how to please a woman in bed, but I don’t know shit about doing it emotionally.
“That’s not entirely helpful,” I mumble.
“I’m not an expert, Shane, but I can tell you what has, for the most part, kept me in your grandma’s good graces for over forty years.”
“I’m listening.”
He takes a step toward me and shoves his hands in his pockets. “Focus more on the little things. It’s not always about the big, grand gestures. A woman falls in love with a man in the small moments.”
“You lost me.”
“Son, do you ever wonder why every time I come home, I always bring your grandma a Coke? It doesn’t matter where I go or how long I’m gone; I always bring her home that fountain drink from the filling station because I know it will make her happy. Or when I see the trash can starting to get full, I go ahead and take it out so she doesn’t have to. I try to do little things to make her life a bit easier or better. And if you were to ask her what I got her for our 25th wedding anniversary, she wouldn’t remember, but she remembers the fact that I’m thinking about her every time I leave the house.”
I take in everything he just said and reply, “Wow, Gramps. That might be the most insightful thing I’ve ever heard you say.”
“I may not know shit about anything, but I know how to make your grandma smile,” he says with a shrug.
A gust of wind comes, and the cool air makes him start coughing. It takes him a minute to get it under control.
“Gramps, why don’t you go inside? This chilly air can’t be good for you,” I urge.
“Oh, I’ll be fine,” he replies with a wave of his hand. “I can’t go back inside unless I have something to tell your grandma.”
“Like what?”
“Like you saying you’re going to stop chopping wood and go find a way to apologize to that girl you’re sweet on.”
“And how exactly should I do that?”
He stands up and starts to walk away. “Come on, bud. I can’t solve everything for you.”
I let out a small laugh and think about everything he just said. It’s about ten minutes of me weighing all my options before I realize something.
It’s about time I get out of my damn head and stop overthinking everything. That’s what gets me into more trouble than anything.
So, I decide to stop worrying so much and instead try to find just one thing to focus on.
