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“I’m sorry that your friends are meddling.”
I was surprised by that. “No, they’re not meddling. They’re helping. At least they think they are.”
“Friends like that, they’re rare. They only want the best for you, I’m sure.”
“They’re good people. Some of the best I’ve ever known. I was so scared when I came here, sad over my breakup and then leaving my home, and coming to a place where I didn’t know anyone. They were friends of friends. Then I get here and they’re so welcoming. They gave me enough space to work out my head, but then were there to talk if they thought I needed to. All of them, more than the guys where I was staying.”
“I’m happy you found them.”
“Not just them,” I said. I turned my head to look at him, and he returned my gaze. “You too. You…let me say that I love our morning runs. I know I work for you, but I do consider you a friend too.”
His smile brightened. “Well, that is one of the greatest honors of my life,” he whispered, then turned away. “You’re…special, Kanan.”
“Thanks.”
“Colby was the first to see you. Did you know?”
“No. You never told me.”
“We were in the diner, and he looked over at you, pointing. I moved his hand, telling him that wasn’t polite, but he said, Daddy, Daddy, look it! It’s Aladdin.”
He turned back to me, blushing more and I laughed. “Aladdin, huh? That’s a great compliment.”
“It is. That’s his favorite cartoon.”
I was the one that felt honored. “That’s sweet.”
“I told him that not all men with skin like yours are Aladdin, but he just laughed at me. He knew that, he said, like I was an idiot.”
“Well, adults are idiots, like it or not. I feel like an idiot around kids a lot. They’re the smart ones, you know? They live life like every day is something new, because it is, sure, but even things they know, they learn and take it inside.”
“Adults can do that too. There are firsts for us, they’re just harder to find.”
His voice gave me the feeling he meant something personally, but I had no idea what it could be. “I suppose that’s true. Very hard to find.”
“Especially if we never thought to look.”
I did, I looked over athim. “Are you okay, Rick?”
“Chandler is leaving me.”
“He told you. Good.”
“He’s asked me to help him decide where, as long as it’s not a college nearby. He wants to experience a world outside of the safety of the mountains.”
Our talk. “I’m trying to navigate him in the safest ways of handling the city. I’ll teach him everything I know, and if I think he needs more, I’ll get more people to talk to him.”
“Of course, I’m worried. I’m also just plain sad to see my baby go. He’s…we’re beginning to get close again.”
“Seems to always happen. Right before they’re taking off, they suddenly show less teeth and fangs.”
“It’s true,” he laughed. “He’s speaking with me about things, about the future. It’s crazy, but I love it. He’s worried about me, he says.”
“That you’re gonna be lonely. I know. He’s said that to me.”
“He said it to me, too. He then suggested I start to date again, and I laughed at him, at first.”
My jealousy came bubbling up from the pit of my stomach and threatened to shoot out of my mouth on a wave of word vomit. I held that back, however and said, “It could be good.”
