“Why are you looking at me like that?” Evelyn said, halting her excited rambling and touching her face nervously.
“It’s just so great to see you so happy. It looks good on you.” I say with a laugh.
She returned my smile, and it inspired an idea.
“I know I haven’t been around lately, and soon we’ll both be busy, but I want to make sure we take some time out to accomplish some of the things on your list.”
“Are you sure? I know your dad has you working some long hours,” she said with a shrug. “It was a really nice gesture, but you don’t have to go through with it. I can get around now, do some things on my own.”
“So you’re not interested in your first driving lesson?” I say in an effort to persuade her. I can already tell it's working by the way her eyes light up.
This was the first time in weeks we had been in each other's presence for more than a few minutes. Attending every meeting and photo op that my father requested was wearing me thin. In a way, I needed this too.
With a toss of my keys, I motioned toward the door and took a step forward. I knew she'd made her choice when I heard her footsteps trailing behind mine.
“Okay,now lightly press your right foot on the gas and pull out of the parking space. Easy now,” I instructed as Evelyn pulled out of the space in the empty parking lot.
We’ve been out here for almost two hours in the old abandoned 7-Eleven parking lot practicing. Evelyn was a quick learner. At first, she was terrified, and I had to convince her I wouldn’t flip out if she damaged my car. After the first forty-five minutes, she began to calm down and almost seemed to be enjoying herself.
Evelyn did as I instructed, pulled the car out of the space, then made a left turn around the lamp pole.
“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” she said with her eyes never leaving the road.
She definitely was. I could still sense some apprehension, but I was sure that with more practice, she would be ready to go on the road.
The sun was quickly setting, and I didn’t think it was a good idea to keep practicing at night, so we decided to end our lesson.
Since we hadn’t eaten in hours, I suggested we head over to Doc’s Dinner in town.
Doc’s was a roller skate car hop diner serving cheeseburgers and curly fries late at night, along with anything you could think of, as long as it was greasy. This place looked the same as it did in high school.
The retro red-and-white sign illuminated the night sky like a beacon. I watched Evelyn as she took in her surroundings. I knew from what she’s told me of her childhood that she hadn’t traveled much, so I figured that this place might be a treat for her.
As I was putting the car in park, a waitress dressed like she was in the 1950’s skated up to the car. She moved with expertise around the parked cars in a red-and-white pinstriped dress with a black scarf tied around her neck.
“Hiya, I’m Dee. Welcome to Doc’s, what can I get for you two tonight?”
“We’ll take two fully loaded cheeseburgers with curly fries, an order of hot honey barbecue tenders, and two vanilla milkshakes.”
After writing our order down in her notepad and making sure there was nothing else to add, Dee skated away.
“I hope this place lives up to the hype because I am starving!” Evelyn said clutching her stomach.
“Oh, I’m sure it will. I haven’t been here in forever, but from the full parking lot, it’s still gotta be as good as I remember.”
Turning in her seat to face me, she asked, “Did you come here a lot growing up?”
She had her full attention on me, and it made me stutter a bit, “Yeah, this was kind of the date spot when I was in high school.”
“Oh, I see,” she said with a smirk. “I can only imagine how many dates the captain of the football team brought here.”
I balked at her assumption. My life was a cliché, so why would this aspect be any different?
“Actually, I had the same girlfriend all throughout high school.”
That seemed to shock her, judging by the way her eyebrows hit the roof. I didn’t know what to make of her reaction. Did I give off the impression that I was a player? If only she knew that I barely had time to date. Work consumed the majority of my life. When I wasn’t at the station, you could find me asleep, resting up to do it all over again.
“Was it Denise?” She asked with a touch of curiosity in her voice.
