Beau rolls his eyes. “I’ve been in this parade since I was the baby Jesus. I was demoted to random kid in Jerusalem, then promoted to young adult in Jerusalem, then again to my current role of wise man with the frankincense. Which I’ve been doing for years. I could do this parade in my sleep.”
“I suppose they replaced me on Ramses.” I have mixed feelings about that...we had some good times before it all ended in catastrophic injury.
“Yeah. But I think you’re going to be part of the floats with the old people and the youths.”
“That sounds okay, actually.”
“So let’s go,” Beau whispers, slinking away from the circle around his mother, tugging me along in the great escape. I smile despite my earlier thoughts, not able to resist the mischievous little boy smile.
“Wait.” I go back behind enemy lines to save a bottle someone brought us, which is still a quarter full of sweet tea.
Beau shakes his head at me in disappointment when he sees what I risked the whole operation for. “You have a problem.”
“No,youhave a problem. You and whoever decided this much sugar should be in one drink,” I whisper defiantly, taking a big sip with no regrets.
“We’re still clear.” Beau shuffles me back to the truck. “And I can get you some of the best barbecue in South Carolina.”
“Wahoo!” This I am excited for. Barbecue is delicious and I hear the South does it really well. Even better than the North, I’ll concede.
The excitement carries me all the way through the car ride, through parking the car, and walking into the restaurant, non-injured hand tucked into Beau’s. It gets even higher when I take in all the sensations hitting me at once. First it’s the heat, hitting me like it has actual mass. In the area where they smoke the meat, smoke billows up to make the front of the restaurant hazy, and then the smell of cooking meat washes over me.
The décor doesn’t disappoint either. Neon beer signs cut through the smoke, casting interesting shadows on the well-loved wood that dominates every flat surface. Just like that bar we went to the first night.
I have good memories of that bar, and of what happened after it in Beau’s truck.
The sound of sizzling meat brings me back to the present. This is going to be a good night. And it won’t even involve sex because we’re back at the family home.
We get in line to order and Beau hands me a menu. My excitement falters a lot when I read the laminated paper. Pulled pork, pork loin, and ribs. “Is there a second part of the menu I’m not seeing?”
“Nope. This is it.”
“But where’s the brisket?”
“They don’t have brisket.”
“But how do they not have brisket?” I ask in a small voice. A disappointed one.
“We do a lot of pork-based barbecue here.” Beau’s own excitement for the date fades as he takes in my reaction.
“Oh.” This is not winning the South any points here. “But isn’t this barbecue?”
“You’re not going to be a fan of the mustard-based sauce either, are you?”
I flinch. “Wait, what?”
“I think you might prefer Texas-style barbecue. We should go somewhere else.” Beau starts to tug me back toward the door.
I waffle. I feel bad. Beau looked so excited to show me this place, so I put the brakes on. “I should give this a try.” But even I can hear the lack of conviction in my own voice and I think he’ll be able to catch on too.
“You sound like I just offered to serve you kale.”
I can’t stop the shudder that racks my shoulders. “No. Trying new things is good.” I’ve been doing a lot of that lately: sweet tea, warm Christmases, spending more than a few nights with a man, meeting a man’s family. A lot of new things. And they’ve all gone pretty well.
There’s still the panic. But also enjoyment at the slew of new things. And even though I’m still unsure about commitment, I am trying to be more open.
“I don’t think you’re going to like this.”
I move us up as the line goes forward. “I’ve adjusted my expectations accordingly.” To this not being something that is going to blow me away. But I can still enjoy it. Maybe.
