“Yes, please.” Tyler grinned at his mother. “We’ll be back soon, Mom. Don’t burn the house down while we’re gone.”
She swatted him with a dish towel. “Go on now.”
We were laughing as we headed outside.
“Be careful,” Seraphina called from the porch.
“We will,” Tyler said.
A minute later,Tyler adjusted the mirror and moved the seat backward a few inches.
“Okay, let’s head out,” I said. “I thought we’d go north so you can get some practice without too much traffic.”
“Yeah, great.”
He backed out of the driveway with appropriate caution, checked both ways twice, and pulled onto the coastal road heading north. The afternoon light was long and golden across the headlands, catching the tops of the cypress trees and turning the ocean an azure blue. Tyler kept a reasonable speed, tracked the center line without drifting, and braked smoothly when apickup came around a curve in the opposite direction. His hands stayed at ten and two.
The road curved north along the headlands, dipping briefly through a stand of eucalyptus before opening back out to the ocean view. A hawk hung motionless over the cliff edge, working the updraft. Fog hovered offshore, a low white wall about a mile out, waiting for evening to make its move inland.
“This is a good place to learn how to drive,” I said.
“Thanks again for taking me out.”
“You’re doing great.”
“I had a class at school, so I’ve driven quite a bit. Mom just gets so nervous that she makes me nervous.”
“Maybe it’s better to have a friend teach you than your mom.”
We grew quiet as the coastal road zigged and zagged. I told him how to slow as you approached a curve and then accelerate slightly before you straightened. About ten minutes later we were at a high point with a lookout. I suggested we stop and take a break. He eased the car into the parking lot and turned off the car. We sat for a moment, taking in the view.
“Does the stuff with your dad still hurt?” Tyler asked, surprising me with the question.
“A little. But now that I’m an adult, I understand better than I did when I was your age.”
“I wonder about my dad sometimes.”
“Yeah?”
“But I won’t look for him. It would hurt my mom too much. Plus he said he didn’t want a child.”
“Your mom does pretty well, all on her own,” I said. “And you’re a great kid, so she must be doing something right.”
“Thanks. She’s the best, you know? Always strong. Works super hard. That’s why I have to look after her. She can’t do everything.”
“You’re lucky to have her, and vice versa.”
“Does it bother you that she has a kid?” Tyler asked. “Cause some men wouldn’t want a teenager in the package.”
“When you get to be my age, you realize life doesn’t always come as a simple package wrapped in a bow. Things are messy most of the time. Our job is to handle whatever comes our way with grace. Anyway, far as I can tell, you’re a bonus. An unexpected gift.”
He turned to look at me, his eyes soft. “Is that true for real?”
“For real.” I paused for a moment, looking out the window at the expanse of blue water. “When I was married, I wanted a child. Dana kept putting me off when it came to kids. In hindsight, it was probably best.”
“I always wanted a dad,” Tyler said, voice husky. “All of us kids wanted that.”
“That’s why the dating app, huh?”
