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“That’s shitty. I’m sorry about that.”
“That’s part of the reason I’m so happy to have a job to go to on the weekends. Being able to stash away money is the main reason, though.”
“Do you have any idea where you’d like to go to college?”
“Someplace near the coast would be nice. We went to visit my grandparents in Florida when I was around six years old. I don’t really remember it but I look at the pictures sometimes. It’s just this feeling I have, that I’m meant to be near the sand and the ocean.”
“I’ve never been to the ocean.”
“Can you swim?”
“To save myself, yeah, but not smooth like Michael Phelps or anything. Can you?”
“I took lessons when I was younger. My mother was raised in Florida, so learning to swim was an absolute necessity in her eyes.”
“So if I start floundering around in the river this summer, you’ll save me?”
“Absolutely.”
We take our leftovers to the trash. We’re heading towards the car but I don’t want to take her home just yet.“Ice cream?”
“I’m good. We can just take a drive or something. Like I said, I only have to get home at a reasonable hour so I’m not dying when my alarm clock goes off for work tomorrow morning.”
“Hmm, this no supervision thing might work to my advantage.”
“Right,” she drawls with an eye roll.
She leans back against her passenger door with her body turned towards me as I drive, no different than if she was lounging on a couch. “You’ve got your seatbelt on, right?”
“Yes, Dad, and the door’s locked.”
“Man, never guessed you’d be such a smart mouth.”
“I’m usually not. Maybe you just bring out my inner sassy chick.”
I pull into an overlook parking lot on the outskirts of town. It’s on the way home, of course, because I can’t be driving around aimlessly, wasting gas. I immediately second guess the decision, though. It’s dark out here and secluded.
“Is this all right?” She doesn’t answer right away. “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea, just, you know, with everything that happened last week.”
“I’m all right.”
I shake my head, doubting her. “Are you?”
“In this moment, right now, I’m fine.” She looks down into her lap. “I feel safer with you than with anyone else.”
My voice is hoarse with emotion when I tell her how good that makes me feel. It’s quiet between us for a minute or two. I don’t know what’s running through her mind, but I’m kind of overwhelmed in a good way, just amazed, I guess, by how good I feel. Being around her, talking about my life to someone who seems to get it, listening to her in return—I'm happy.
I go to turn the ignition off but hesitate. “Want me to leave the air conditioning on?”
“You had it on?”
Her smile eases whatever’s heavy in the air between us, and I’m grateful for it.
“Don’t even say it…I know in this junker it probably feels more like someone’s blowing warm air in your face than air conditioning.”
“I love this truck, it’s a classic.”
“I actually like being the only guy in the county who has to roll his windows down manually.”
