Johnny came over and sat across the picnic table from me. We took each other in. It had been so long since we’d been together.
"You look great, Johnny. Wow."
He massaged his scruffy chin and grinned wildly. "I know right. I'm close to five full years on T. The beard is coming in nice."
"Your voice too!" I laughed. "It's so low." I lowered my voice an octave to mimic his new, testosterone-altered voice.
"I know, I love it. It's been quite the journey. Now enough about me. How are you doing?" He reached for my hands across the table and squeezed. "The last time we saw each other?—"
"I was adopting Georgie." I leaned over and petted my beloved dog's head. The silly goof let out his tongue and dropped his head to my lap for more scratches. "So... two years?"
"He was so little then! He's humongous now," Johnny teased.
"He's the only one who gets fed every day." I laughed, but he didn't join me.
"Domino," he scolded.
I rolled my eyes.
I waved off his concerns. "It's a joke, calm down. I'm fine. Seriously. Georgie and I are both are happy, healthy, and if I do say so myself, have great manes." I flipped out my hair.
"You do look good," he admitted. "Thin… but you've always been thin. I worry about you though. Always have, always will."
"Well, you don't have to, I assure you. If you keep this up, I'll never visit," I teased.
"No, you'll just keep shipping me boxes and boxes of photos." He rolled his eyes. "I'm going to need a storage unit soon just for pictures!"
I reached for my camera around my neck and quickly snapped his dazzling smile before he could get mad. I captured a look of pure surprise, and it made my heart soar. We’d have that image forever now.
"Either way, I am so happy you made it back, even if it's just for a few days. Tell me everything. Where have you been, my wandering friend?"
We spent that afternoon watching kids play in the distance, while we caught up on everything we'd been doing since we last saw each other.
"It's like a breath of fresh air. I've missed you!" I exclaimed, after we left the park. He wanted to take me to dinner, so we were off to find a place that was Georgie-friendly.
"Same here, dear." He squeezed my hand. "It feels like just yesterday when my grandma stopped the car and picked youup on the side of the highway and brought you home with us." Together, we crossed ourselves.
"Rest in peace," we both said.
"Yes, it's almost like a fever dream. She was the first person to stop for me." I'd been walking all night and was beginning to worry that I'd still be walking when the sun came up and they'd find me.
"You looked so exhausted, and we were all the exact opposite. We'd just spent the entire weekend at Risky Rush Park. Do you remember that place? Did you ever go there?" He laughed.
I pushed down the uneasiness in my belly. "Yeah, I know about that place."
"That was the last time we ever went. That place was so much fun, but jeez, I'm surprised none of us got hurt. It's a death trap."
Johnny took us to a hot dog cart and we had our fill of dogs, chips, and soda. He insisted I order a bag full of food to take with me, as I was only in town for the day, and he wanted to make sure I was okay.
"Why are you so worried about me?" I asked. "Do you know who I am? I'm Domino. I always land on my feet." I wiggled my toes in my shoes.
"Yes, speaking of, I love the new shoes. I didn't realize they made LLD hi-tops."
"You like?" I kicked my leg in the air, showing off my black, leg length discrepancy Chuck Taylor. "Special made, of course, but so worth it. And, I can mix and match." I pointed to my other foot, where I was wearing a red hi-top.
"I love it. It's so you. You must be doing well, considering the cost of them. Unless..." Johnny paused to wiggle his eyebrows and nudge me suggestively. "Did my Domino find a sugar daddy?"
I rolled my eyes. "I thought you were calling them Kings of Pentacles."
