Nothing a good service trade can’t do. I ran an electrical wire from the one transformer Yellowstone has out here to the service pole and connected it to the weatherhead. Plugging it into his meter from there was simple. Not that I expected Dirty Dan to understand any of those terms. He sat back and watched his RV come to life in awe.
In return, he promised to assist me however I needed.
Now, here we are. I snuck out around lunchtime with Dirty Dan in tow, claiming I had to grab things for dinner for our last night here.
Hiding shit from Collie is a difficult feat when there’s very little space for anything as is. Besides, nearly two weeks in, and we’ve established a bit of a routine with each other.
After we got back to camp, Dirty Dan did his worst at nearly shoving Sheila at Collie, insisting it’s their turn to run into town with another one of the wives for some toiletriesand a pair of sweatpants for Collie to wear on the plane home tomorrow.
Muddy sweats won’t do her any good. Even Dirty Dan remembers what beautiful mayhem she looked like arriving here.
Home.Just the word makes my stomach sink. I feel sick at the thought of leaving. Leaving this beautiful city and the dynamite woman who came with it.
“You sure are pullin’ out all the stops for a man who’s only been married not even two weeks.”
I jerk my head and take a momentary pause, finding Dan with an entire bag of green grapes in his hands, kicked back in the inflatable loungers I set up. “I got somethin’ on my face?” he mumbles, wiping at nothing.
I shake my head, not even trying to hide my chuckle. “Gonna miss the hell out of you, Dirty Dan. You know that?”
“Well, shit. You ain’t so bad yourself. Even though you showed up here looking like an antler hooked ya in the tush and drug ya through the swamp land. Glad to see that suit in the trash.”
“Thanks for the vivid reminder.” Once I have the legs of the screen secure, I stand back and take it in. “Think she’ll like it?” I sigh.
“Well, Mrs. Collie Voss lovesyou, so I’ll take a guess and say she’ll love it no matter what. Not because of the surprise you’ve given her, but the gesture. You got yourself a special lady there, Easton.”
Yeah…
That’s the thing—she is pretty incredible. Which is why I wanted to do something for her on our last night here.
It’s nothing crazy, and the least I could do. She deserves to have another night of happiness before heading back to reality.
And selfishly, this might just be for me, too.
Because fuck. I’m gonna miss the girl.
“Let’s hope so, Dirty Dan. Let’s fucking hope so.” I take a seat in the inflatable chair opposite him and crack open a cold beer from the cooler. “This place has been good for me.”
“Yeah,” he draws out, still chomping away on his grapes. “That’s what they all say. That’s how the mountains get ya. They pull ya in and make ya never wanna leave.”
I offer him a beer, and he shakes his head. “Goin’ on eight years sober.”
“Shit. Sorry. That’s a big accomplishment.”
He nods. “I owe it all to my woman. She met me at dirt bottom.”
Pretty sure it’s rock bottom, but I’ll go along with it.
“The good ones do it to ya, don’t they?” I counter, knowing he’s got something witty coming.
He lets out a lazy chuckle. “They sure enough do. I always tell my son, ‘If their reason for livin’ is the same as yours, then you better keep ’em. If not, let those birdies fly.’”
I let his words fester. “That’s great advice.”
“I’ve still got some common sense left in this ole’ noggin’.” He taps the side of his head, making me chuckle.
“You’re a good dude.” Meeting Dirty Dan out here was very unexpected, but offered a fresh perspective. He lives life at a slow pace and sees it for what it’s worth.
It’s easy to forget that in the busyness of everyday life.
