“First of all, I would drink to that. I would drink an entire handle of alcohol at that. Second, why? How?”
Beau shrugs and avoids my eyes. Sure, he’s driving, so it’s also prudent, but I think he’s using that as an excuse. “I like relationships. My parents are happy together, and I want the same thing. Someone to do fun Christmas activities with and just hang around the house with. A partner.”
“But none of them have worked out yet. Hasn’t that been a lot of pain to go through?”
“Yes, there’s been a lot of heartbreak. But I know what’s possible, and the pain is worth it. And if we broke up, it probably wasn’t right anyway, so better to know that before we made a serious commitment.”
“Why the dry spell right now?”
“I’ve been getting the battery business set up. First traveling to Atlanta and then spending all the time on the business plan. It’s important to make something of my own in the family and contribute to the business. So it’s made me a bit more distracted than I usually would be and my last girlfriend didn’t appreciate it. Then there was no time to date anyone new after she broke up with me. And it’s hard to find someone in a small town.”
Aha! The city wins that one; there’s so many people to date there. But I don’t rub it in, because I’m still shocked.
“When was your last relationship?”
“Maybe high school.” I did give relationships a try once upon a time, but then he went cross-country for college, which was exactly the right choice for him, but it felt like I was being left yet again.
“Why not since?”
“Guess it’s just not good timing. I’ve always been busy with school and then work. Travel for work made it especially hard, and the effort never seemed worth it.”
“That’s a shame, because you are great company.”
“Well, obviously. Are you going to move to New York to be with the battery business full-time?” I shove the pastry in my mouth too late to stop the question from coming out.
“I don’t think I’ll ever need to. I can make trips there and they can come here when needed.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to just move there? Or commit a larger amount of time there? For a fledgling business and all that.” The pastry bite does not stop me from pressing, even though he’s confirmed my suspicions.
Beau hesitates, the most uncomfortable I’ve seen him in our acquaintance. Even more so than when I caught him bad-mouthing my art. “I wasn’t planning to move. I always expected I’d spend my whole life here. My parents made a great childhood for me, and a large part of it was growing up in our small town. But I will be visiting to keep an eye on things.”
“So you will be in the city?”
“On and off.”
Fantastic. But in sarcasm tone. That’s going to make life harder, constantly wondering if he’s around the corner, ordering street meat and hating on art that I love. Constantly being reminded that I’m too wary to commit, but I have good reason because the person that I lo—like actually does leave regularly for his home in the South.
Because I don’t love him. It would be way too early to love anyone other than a puppy, for whom the phrase “love at first sight” was invented.
The long drive ends just when I’m about to burst from all the Cheerwine I’ve drank on this trip. I got pretty excited at first when I thought Beau was handing me some adult juice in a can and then got sad when I realized it was just cherry Coke. Then happy again when I realized it was pretty good cherry Coke.
Wine or not, I drank a bunch and now I’m on a sugar high and I have to pee.
“We’re gonna meet Annabelle and the family for some snacks and then we’ll drive through the lights,” Beau says.
“Sure.” As long as there’s a bathroom somewhere near there.
Beau pulls into a spot next to another truck. Well, that describes a lot of vehicles in the parking lot. Specifically, he parks next to a gray truck with people related to him in it, and I start the long treacherous climb down from my seat.
“Hi, everyone,” I shout out as I fall three stories. Or however high up this truck is.
“Hey!” I get four responses back, even from the mini humans.
“How was the drive?” Annabelle asks.
“Good. Lots of food and liquids. So I’ll be right back.”
She sees that I’m looking around and gets the hint. She turns me around gently, giving me a light push toward the bathrooms now in front of me.
