“Good man. I had to do the same thing with this one.” He points to the woman. “We’ve been married now for forty-five years.”
“Oh wow, that’s incredible. How did you make it work for all this time?” Brooke leans into me.
“A lot of patience and communication,” the woman says with a snicker. “And get earplugs when he gets to the age where he starts to snore.”
“I don’t snore. She’s full of bologna.” He wraps an arm around her, and she laughs. “My piece of advice would be for you, young man. Know when to admit you’re wrong, say you’re sorry, and above all, listen to what she’s telling you not only with words, but her actions.”
“I love that.” Brooke looks up at me.
“Those are some wise words there. I’ll keep them front and center up here.” I tap my head.
“We’ll let you two get on with your day. Good luck to you.” The woman smiles and nods as they walk by.
“Thank you. Be careful on the trail. Watch for the icy patches,” Brooke calls after them, then looks at me. “How cute are they?”
I turn her to face me. “You’re cute. And I’m so happy to be here with you. Thank you for coming with me.”
“Silas, I should be the one thanking you. Every step we’ve made since Vegas, you’ve just made it so easy. And you’re really fun to be around and hang out with, so I’m feeling pretty lucky.” She lifts her shoulder and tucks her chin.
“I won’t argue with you there. You have a great husband, but honestly, I think we’re just good together.”
She has a stray hair so I tuck it back under her hat.
A shy smile spreads across her face. “I do too.” She places her hand on my cheek. “So, back to your major. Tell me why you picked biomedical engineering.”
I turn and tuck her arm around mine. “Well, it’s simple really. My dad had a heart attack, and he struggled with getting the right pacemaker. Like, his body just kept rejecting it. Not only was it painful for my dad, but the cost was insane. They had to leverage the farm, and it’s just now slowly recovering.”
“Okay, but where do you come in?”
“So, I want to help develop a machine that is more natural in materials, but also cost-effective,” I explain.
“But how are you going to do all of that with your NFL career? You won’t have a ton of time as long as you’re playing.”
She’s not wrong, but I’m going to try to find ways to continue researching.
“I’m not really sure. I may look into companies to invest in until I can give my full attention to it, once my football career is over.”
“I like that. I think it’s important to have an after-football plan. You never know what can happen. You could have a long career or a short one.”
“Well, let’s hope, for the sake of our financial future, it’s a long one.”
We both laugh.
“Whatever happens and wherever life takes you, I know you’ll be incredible. You want to know a secret?” She looks up at me with a goofy smile.
“One thousand percent yes. I want to know all of your secrets.”
“I thought you might be smarter than you let on. I’ve watched you for the last few years. And I saw that mask come on when you felt like you needed to … perform maybe?”
“So, I didn’t fool you, is what you’re telling me?”
We get to a staircase that looks a little slick, so I take the steps in front of her so she doesn’t fall, but I don’t let go of her hand as I descend.
“Maybe it’s that I could see more because I was looking.” She squeezes my hand.
I don’t look back over my shoulder at her, but I tip my head down and smile.
When we reach the falls, we find a place to sit. The stone is cold enough that I can feel it through the jeans I’m wearing, so I lift her and put her in my lap.
