“Sorry.My lectures on not inviting oneself haven’t clicked in with Olly yet.Son, if you have an idea, share it with me.You’re putting Venus on the spot.”
“I don’t mind,” she says again, like it’s her catchphrase when it comes to Olly.“But we can discuss it, if you’d like.”
Olly takes that as a yes and runs happy circles around us with Buster yapping in tow.
“We’ll see, Olly,” I say, rustling my kid’s sweaty head.
“We have enough veg for dinner,” Venus decides, grabbing the basket of tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, basil, and broccoli—though, if my son eats broccoli, I’ll buy a lottery ticket.“Let’s go inside and make dinner.”
Venus has apple juice for Olly, wine for us, and pre-made flatbreads with her father’s homemade sauce for the pizzas.Olly is practically giddy about cooking dinner with her.She sets him up with a cutting board and a small knife, stressing the importance of being careful and watching what he’s doing.Then, she gives him the mushrooms to chop.I offer to help, but she refuses, citing the small kitchen.
It’s strange, being sidelined.Watching Olly clumsily handle a knife also primes my anxiety.
She hands me a glass of merlot and says, “Relax, Henry.”And perhaps I am on edge.
Dinner is delicious.Prompted by Olly, she tells us about her adventures, which at first sound awkward until she relaxes into sharing them.How lemurs attacked her camp in Madagascar, looking for food.Her favorite villages in England and Scotland.Octoberfest in Germany.Witnessing bioluminescence on the beaches of Puerto Rico.Experiencing her first storm at sea.
Her eyes find mine, assuring me that she thought of me.
“See?You tell great stories,” I say.
She nods sheepishly.“Depends on the audience.”
She and Buster walk us to the Jeep when it’s time to go.
“I can’t believe you still have this car,” she says.
“I love this car.This was our first taste of freedom, you and me.Well, freedom beyond traipsing all over this place.”
She nods, amused.
“Remember the first place you wanted me to drive you?”I ask.
She rolls her eyes.“The library.”
“Yep.I’ve never been prouder,” I say, remembering that day when I raced over, dangling the keys in front of her.Dale gave me a Jeep.Can you believe it?Let’s go somewhere.I’ll take you anywhere you want.
Olly grumbles, getting into his booster seat, and rubs his eyes.“Dad, can you hurry up?”
“He’s tired.”I shrug, standing at the driver’s side door with Venus.“Thanks for a fun evening.We had a great time.”
“Me, too.”
With my back blocking Olly’s view—not that he’s looking—I lean down for a quick kiss.“Tomorrow night,” I whisper.
“Tomorrow night,” she repeats.
An awkward beat passes before she takes a step back, tugging Buster with her.
“Good night,” she says before waving to my very sleepy son in the backseat.
That night, after Olly’s abbreviated bedtime routine, I plan for the weekend.I’m desperate to spend time with her and provide irrefutable data that she’s loved and wanted.
Once my plan is in place, I transcribe some impactful stories about Venus and me into a document and send the pages to Dr.Kwon.If something more comes of it, then I’ll only go forward with Venus’s approval.
But first, I wonder if Dr.Kwon will still find these new pages compelling enough for an entire book.
When I see Dr.Kwon waiting outside of my class the next day with anI-told-you-soexpression, I have my answer.
