The Green Ticket (16 page)

He was calling off our date already? His parents were going to supervise us? What was the bad news?

“What bad news?” Hannah piped up, then slunk down in her chair when Carmen glared at her. Hannah’s unusual behavior wasn’t upsetting me, more making me laugh then anything. She almost seemed more nervous than me for the date.

“I was really hoping to get reservations at Bellini’s Magnifico, but they were already booked up when I called. I’ve been calling back the last two days to see if they had any cancellations, but still couldn’t get in. I’m sorry, Alex.” Henry looked so contrite that I just wanted to hug him and tell him it was okay. Would I have loved to visit the number one Italian restaurant in not only Des Moines but in Iowa? Yeah, sure. Would I survive? As long as I could still go out with Henry, that answer was a yes.

“That’s okay! I’m sure we can find another place to eat. It’s no big deal, really,” I tried to assure him.

“Maybe next time we can go there. I’ll do better on the planning,” Henry responded, flashing me a leg-wobbling grin. I heard Hannah suck in her breath. Was he really already asking me out on a second date? Our first date hadn’t even officially started!

“Well, you kids should be off. Henry, I think Bellini’s sounds like the perfect spot for your second date.” Lila winked at me, still holding my flowers. I could tell she was just as excited as I was.

Henry and I slipped out the door to a wave of good-byes from my friends and walked down the flights of stairs to reach the main entrance of Wacker. Henry held open the door for me and led me to a black SUV parked near the edge of the lot. I knew nothing about cars or trucks or SUVs, but this looked like a nice one. I was taken aback when Henry opened the car door for me too, and held his hand out for me to help me climb up and in. 

The interior had smooth black leather seats and smelled strongly of cologne. “Sorry if the smell is too much for you. I wasn’t kidding when I said I stashed cologne in here to try to help mask the booze smell. I swear the scent traveled from the house onto my clothes and into my car. I figured an abundance of spray would smell better than the disgusting alcohol.”

I laughed, settling into my seat while Henry started the engine. “No problem. I completely understand. I would much prefer this over booze.”

Henry turned and smiled at me, and I realized I would be just as happy sitting in his car in the parking lot all night if we had to. Who cared about fancy Italian restaurants? I just wanted to talk to him, be around him.

“So I guess we should figure out where we are going, huh?” he asked, pausing with his hand over the gear stick.

“I guess so,” I replied, racking my brain. Did I suggest something fancy, along Bellini lines? Something more laid back and low key? My stomach rumbled then thinking about food, and I wanted to die of embarrassment. I cringed, hoping Henry hadn’t heard it.

“Well, whatever we decide, it should be soon,” Henry said with a laugh. Of course he would hear my angry tummy.

“Sorry. Work today was extremely crazy, and I didn’t get to eat much for lunch.” I remembered munching on some carrot sticks and celery in the break room while talking to Allie about ordering more lotions. Not the most substantial meal.

“Well, let’s think of what’s close by,” Henry said, turning the heat up a bit and making sure all the vents were open. The temperatures dropped low at night, and the digital car thermometer in his rearview mirror announced it was a whopping forty-six degrees.

“Um, let me think. There’s Chinese right down the street that’s pretty good. Or a diner, Nancy’s, just a few block away. A dive bar that I could get into and drink at without a problem. Or, oh! An Applebee’s is just a few streets over. That actually sounds really good.”

“Applebee’s?”

“Is that lame? That’s a lame date spot, right?” I said, immediately scolding myself for suggesting it. What a dope.

“Not at all. I love Applebee’s. As long as you’re down for it, I’m in.”

“Really?”

He nodded, shifting gears to reverse. “Absolutely. What’s your favorite menu item there?”

“Oh, man, that’s hard. I always seem to order something different. Salad, steak, their chicken strips. They have an excellent pasta bowl with all sorts of vegetables and different noodles that would probably be my favorite. What about you?”

We continued to discuss the menu and our favorite foods in general on the short drive. I found out that Henry Landon hated chocolate (seriously!), gets craving for spinach (I liked spinach, but to crave it?) and could easily live off frozen pizza.

“I’m not kidding. I’ve been through three different Pizzazz machines since I’ve been in college. Between me and my roommates, we go through about ten or fifteen pizzas a week. No joke.”

“Holy shit. That is a lot of pizza. I can’t even remember the last time I had pizza.” I paused a moment to think. “Nope, can’t remember. Lila and I make a lot together, like easy pasta dishes. Carmen can make some mean enchiladas. Emma is best away from the kitchen. Hannah can do anything she puts her mind to.”

“Your friends seem really great,” Henry observed, taking a left onto Grandview Road.

“They are. I’m a lucky one,” I smiled at him, hoping he understood that I wasn’t saying I was only lucky because of my friends. I felt lucky to be on the date with him as well. “But what about you? You seem to have plenty of great friends and roommates as well.”

“I do. Peter and Max are both from Truvista. We’ve been friends for years. Have you ever been to Truvista?” I shook my head. “It’s a pretty small town. It’s impossible not to know everyone and their business. I’m glad I got out of there. I needed a bigger city. Peter and Max are good guys, though. It’s not like they’re just from my hometown so I know them that way. I’m glad they came to Kaufman. We met Kyle during the first week of orientation.”

We pulled into the Applebee’s parking lot, which didn’t look overly crowded for a Saturday night. Hopefully we had missed the dinner rush hour. “I met all the girls on campus here. I came to Kaufman alone, but I lived in Des Moines for a few years before going to school here. My sister worked at the capitol.”

Our conversation stalled as we got out of the vehicle and walked through the door. We were promptly seated at a cozy booth in the corner, which actually seemed somewhat romantic–– as romantic as an Applebee’s could get. When the waiter came by we both ordered sodas, then browsed the menu.

“Are you going to get your pasta dish?” Henry asked me, his eyes meeting mine over the menu.

“I think so. Since I mentioned it in the car I haven’t been able to get my mind off of it. What are you thinking?”

“I might go for a steak. With some onions and cheese on top.”

“Yum. Smothered steak. Sounds delicious.” We smiled at each other once again, and I thought about how goofy we might have looked to other patrons, grinning wildly at each other over menus.

Our conversation resumed after we placed our orders, and went right to the area that I was hoping would get bypassed. “So your sister worked at the capitol? How about the rest of your family–– are they from around here?”

I paused, taking a sip of my drink for an added pause. Then stayed silent a beat longer.

“Alex?” Henry prompted.

“Well, my family .... My mom passed away when I was five and my dad took off shortly after. It’s just been me and my sister for a while. And she lives in Seattle now with her husband and kids.”

“Oh.” I knew I took Henry by surprise with the abundance of information. Everyone always got surprised and flustered when I told them about my family. It was like no one had ever heard of death before or something.

“Yeah. Shucks. But we don’t have to talk about that. How is your family?” I desperately wanted to change the subject, try to make Henry feel less awkward.

“My family is fine. Parents together. I have an older brother and sister. But I’m boring. I’m sorry to hear about your mom. Was it….?” he trailed off, waiting for me to fill in the blank.

It took me a moment to respond. Usually when I tried the change-the-subject tactic, people pounced on it. But not Henry. “It was cancer. Breast cancer,” I answered softly. “By the time they found it, it was so far advanced there wasn’t much left to do except prepare. I was only five, like I said, but Alicia–– my sister–– was fifteen and more aware that she was about to lose her mom.”

“I can’t imagine what that would have felt like. It was probably so tough on Alicia. Alicia, right?” I nodded. “Alicia. Such a young age. She was probably just starting high school then. Oh, man.” Henry looked absolutely devastated, and I was in shock. Typically people respond with “oh, I understand.” No, they didn’t. Not unless they went through it themselves. It was refreshing to hear Henry say he didn’t know what it felt like. That was the truth. And to immediately pick up on Alicia’s feelings? If I was telling the story, everyone focused on me. Poor little girl who lost her mommy. I really didn’t get what was going on after she passed. I just knew Mom wasn’t there to tuck me in at night or take me for wagon rides or sing with me in the shower. I didn’t understand she was gone forever. That pain came later in life.

“Thanks, Henry. Most people try to avoid the subject because clearly it’s an uncomfortable one. Sometimes it can just be a relief to talk about it. Not try to dance around it.”

“Of course. I mean, it’s a part of you, your life, your history. You can’t change your past. I know it’s not something you would have chosen for yourself, but you still have to embrace it. It is what it is.”

“It is what it is,” I repeated, feeling suddenly euphoric. This man got me. He understood me. He didn’t judge me.

“And you said your dad left? How come?”

“He left about two years after Mom died. He wrote us a note saying he couldn’t handle seeing us.” Henry’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “He really loved our mom. I mean, he
really
did. I guess he couldn’t handle the pain or the reminders of her. Both Alicia and I look so much like Mom it’s almost spooky. Red hair, green eyes. Alicia and I are even the exact height now that she was when she died. I’ve wondered sometimes if Dad got freaked when he would see Alicia in the hallway at night, wondering if he thought he saw Mom’s ghost. So he ran. He lives in Georgia now and started over with a new family. Alicia and I don’t keep in touch with him.”

Our food arrived at that minute, and the waiter carefully placed our steaming plates in front of us. “Both are really hot, so be careful,” he said. “Can I get you anything else?”

Henry and I shook our heads, rolling the silverware away from the napkin and preparing to dig in. “Wow. Another thing I can’t imagine. How does a father just walk away from his family? Didn’t he understand his kids were hurting too? They–– you–– lost your
mother.
I mean, come on.”

I dug into my pasta bowl, carefully blowing on the shells and cheese to cool it down. “I know, right? I’m really not sure I could ever find it in my heart to really forgive him. I mean, really forgive him. Sometimes I’ll think ‘oh, sure, he missed his wife.’ But Alicia and I lost our mother and father within two years of one another. I hope I am never that selfish.”

“Selfish is the perfect word. I can’t imagine my dad ever leaving our family––for anything. No matter how terrible. I guess I just realized how truly lucky I am.” Henry cut into his steak, then paused and set his fork and knife down. “In fact, remind me to call my parents after we eat. Just to say hi.”

I smiled at him, feeling my heart do a weird flutter thing.
Stop thinking love! You cannot love this guy after a first date!
“I will. It’s always nice to remind those we love how much we care about them. Alicia calls me every Sunday, no fail, just to say hi and lets me talk to the kids. I am an aunt times five, if I haven’t mentioned that.”

“Five! Wow, that is a lot of kids. I’m not an uncle yet; probably won’t be for a while as neither my brother nor sister are with anyone. They are both too career-focused than family-oriented.”

“What do they do?”

“My brother Jacob is an architect. He lives here in Des Moines and works for a large architect firm. And my sister lives in Milwaukee. She owns a few fashion boutiques.”

“Wow, that’s really neat. Lila would probably be fascinated by your sister. She loves fashion and celebrities and all that stuff.”

“Kate has told me she’s had some celebrities visit her shops. And baseball wives come in from time to time. We go up to visit her quite a bit–– Jacob and I–– and she seems to be pretty happy. And we love to watch the Milwaukee Brewers play.”

“Maybe I should plan a trip up there with the girls. I’ve never been to Milwaukee. Sounds like it could be fun.”

“Maybe we could all road-trip together. Your girlfriends, my roommates. I don’t think Peter and Hannah would have a problem with that.”

A shiver ran up my spine. A second date and now a road-trip–– to another state? Was Henry Landon really that into me, or simply yanking my chain? I found my voice. “Yeah, that would be awesome. But I thought baseball season just got over?”

“It did. Did you watch any of the World Series?”

“I watched a few games. Believe it or not, Emma actually loves sports and she watched all the games. I know she would go to Milwaukee in a heartbeat.”

“We could go maybe sometime in April. Or May. There should be nicer weather during that month. Give us all some time to save money.”

Before I could open my mouth to respond, a strange hush seemed to fall upon the restaurant. Voices dimmed, the lights dimmed, and all the hair on my arms stood at attention.  Henry was still happily cutting into his steak, people were walking around like normal, but something was happening to me. It was almost like I could feel my life changing, that I knew on a deeper level I was in the right place and the right time with the right person. Before I could react to what I was feeling, the moment was over. Everything was bright and loud and my arm hairs settled down. I gave my head a shake, trying to clear the fog. That was seriously bizarre.

“I think May sounds perfect.  A little vacation before we have to settle down and cram. I’ll talk to the girls about it tonight.” And tell Lila that I thought I was getting some of her psychic abilities.  We’d been roommates for three years; it was about time I started picking those up!