“That makes two of us,” I lied as my weakly mended heart broke into pieces.
10.
November 2010
“So, this is your rodeo. Where to?” Justin asked as we climbed into his jeep.
“Well, since this is a second date and I’m not entirely sure how those are supposed to go, I thought we’d hit one of my favorite places.”
“Puget Sound?” he asked, merging into traffic.
“You definitely win brownie points for paying attention,” I commented. “No wonder all the girls like you.”
“You can thank my mom for that. I think she was afraid I’d turn out like my dad, so she preached the whole respecting-women thing. She has nothing to fear, though. Travis and I would never turn out like him. Travis is too soft-spoken to ever raise his voice to anyone, let alone a girl. And, me—I don’t know, I think maybe growing up and seeing the way my dad treated my mom, I always felt in my gut it was wrong. That girls shouldn’t be treated that way. Does that sound weird?”
“What if the girl was a total bitch?” I inquired, messing with him.
“I wouldn’t rise to the bait. I’m a lover, not a fighter.”
“What if she keyed your jeep and slept with your best friend?”
“You have a thing for Rob?” he asked, raising his eyebrow suggestively.
“Are you avoiding the question?”
“Truth? I’d probably pound my friend for sleeping with my woman, but if she’s going to cheat, she’s not the girl for me. As for keying this beauty, it would probably add character,” he said, patting the dashboard of his jeep. “What about you?”
“I don’t go out with guys long enough to cheat, so you should be safe.”
He laughed at my words as he searched for a parking spot. “Food first, or would you rather walk?”
“How about we walk for a while? Once the sun goes down it might be too chilly outside for a stroll.”
Nodding his approval, Justin laced his fingers through mine as we made our way to a path that ran along the water. He kept up a steady stream of questions as we walked. At first I felt weird divulging so much about myself, but he steadily chipped away at my defenses. He asked me all kinds of questions about Woodfalls, intrigued by the dynamics of such a small town. I thought he was going to pass out when he heard the closest art museum and Starbucks were forty-five minutes away. For whatever reason, I found it difficult to open up about my mom. I did confess how much it bothered me that she was considered the town busybody and was often ridiculed for it.
“I think we’re both natural people-watchers, but she takes it a step further. I’ve tried to explain it to her, but she laughs it off and reassures me that everyone likes that about her. I don’t have the heart to tell her how I really feel. It’s now a game in Woodfalls to see how long everyone can keep Pam from finding out something,” I sighed. “Despite what I think her flaws are, I know she loves me and I love her. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”
“It must be rough,” he said sympathetically. He draped his arm around me as a sudden gust of wind blew off the water.
“Sometimes,” I answered. I felt guilty painting such a bleak picture of my life in Woodfalls, but no one seemed to realize how hurtful all the remarks about my mom were to me. I learned early on to use dry humor and sarcasm as a shield. “What about you? Do you ever wish things were different with your father?”
“Sure, all the time when I was younger. Especially when I hung out at Rob’s house, or with some of my other friends. I used to get jealous when I’d see them interacting with their dads, who treated them like they actually mattered. My dad was like a drill sergeant. Follow orders or suffer his wrath. It was usually only verbal, at least. Me and my brother and sister all learned at a young age to avoid those moments as much as possible. He used to proudly brag that we were all so well behaved because he ran a tight ship. Truthfully, it was because he scared the shit out of us. Eventually, as I got older, he didn’t look nearly as intimidating as he did when I was five and six.”
“How did your mom even fall for him? She seems so different.”
“They were high school sweethearts. He proposed to her before he joined the Army, and they got married after he came home from basic training. Mom said she got pregnant right away, but my dad didn’t have the best experience in the service. He hated it, becoming bitter and angry. I don’t know if leaving him back then was ever a consideration. I think maybe she always hoped he would somehow change back into the man she originally fell for.”
“I’m sure she’s grateful she has you,” I pointed out. “That was a pretty solid thing you did, moving back home.”
“See, I told you I was a good guy.”
“We shall see.”
“Man, you’re tough, but I’m confident I’ll win you over. Are you ready to eat yet?”
“Sure. There’s a great little pizza place not far from here,” I answered. “That’s if you like pizza,” I joked, although I had yet to meet a guy who didn’t like pizza.
“This is your day. You call the shots,” he declared. “Lead the way.”