Rough Terrain (Out of Uniform 7)

“He’s really good,” Joe bragged to Canaan.

“I bet.” Canaan flashed Renzo a secret smile that said he knew exactly what he was good at.

Chest warm from that, Renzo took his turn with his twenty-five shots. The electronic cowboy rifles were nothing like the guns he used with the team, but he had ten years’ experience of aiming to fall back on, and he did all right, triggering a cascade of lights and animations as he hit targets. Joe laughed and whooped.

“You ready for your turn?” He helped Joe steady the rifle and aim, loving how Canaan cheered for Joe every time he came anywhere close to a target. Canaan was really good with him, better than Renzo had expected, but maybe he should have given Canaan more credit—Canaan was good with people of all types and seemed a natural at putting people at ease.

Coming out of the shooting game, Renzo’s dad took a turn pushing Joe. Canaan was so deep in conversation with Joe that he almost tripped, and Renzo reached out automatically to steady him.

“Whoa.” He held on a few beats longer than strictly necessary, liking the excuse to touch Canaan.

“Thanks.” Canaan’s eyes made another dirty promise for later, and Renzo found himself really hoping their room was far from his folks’.

They went into a few of the pioneer-themed shops, Renzo’s mom getting some small souvenirs for the aunts back home, most of which seemed to require consultation with Renzo as she kept up a steady stream of family news. On the path outside one shop was a costumed cartoon character that Renzo didn’t recognize, but apparently Joe did, judging by his delighted gasp. His dad was already outside, sitting on a bench with his phone, probably following some baseball game.

“I can push him out there if you want?” Canaan offered. “Then you and your mom can come out after you pay?”

“Sounds good.” Renzo offered him a grateful smile before turning back to his mom. “Joe seems to like him, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.” His mom sounded kind of distracted, and her eyes narrowed as she considered Renzo. “So...you and Canaan. Friends or...”

Her tone was curiously cautious, but Renzo’s back muscles still tightened. “Friends. And a little more. Been seeing him a few weeks now. He’s all right.”

“Ah.” She continued to study him, making Renzo shift his weight from foot to foot.

“That okay?”

“Of course,” she said, a little quickly. “It’s just been a while since you...had someone.”

“Navy doesn’t exactly leave me with a lot of dating time.” He didn’t mention that there were a number of hookups in there that she had no clue about. She didn’t need to know everything about his personal life.

“I know, angel. You’re such a good guy, putting your country and family first.” She patted his cheek. “It’s just...” Starting to say something, she seemed to change her mind, shaking her head. “Never mind. Good to see you happy. That’s all.”

Even with her saying she was cool with him and Canaan, Renzo still felt somewhat unsettled as they made their way back to the others. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but it mattered to him that she like Canaan. He wanted her to see what he did. And at that moment, watching him take Joe’s picture with the cartoon character, what he saw was one of the nicest people he’d ever known, someone who was coming to mean far more to him than he’d ever expected.

* * *

Canaan didn’t know what Renzo had been so worried about. His family was great. Even his relatively quiet dad was a good sport, going along with Joe’s and Renzo’s mother’s whims. She’d told Canaan he could call her Gina, and she had a warm, welcoming demeanor that Canaan liked. Like Joe, she took delight in all the small things at Disney—the little shops, the costumed characters, the landscaping.

Joe liked the slower-paced rides and attractions, which was fine by Canaan. A number of the rides allowed Joe to experience them right from the wheelchair, like the riverboat near Frontierland.

“Wish I could go on one of your boats,” Joe said to Renzo as they exited the ride. His way of speaking was similar to stroke patients Canaan had seen in his training—very slow and halting. But his admiration for Renzo shone through in every syllable. “Bet you look so cool in all your gear.”

“It’s not all that.” Renzo shrugged, but Canaan could feel the tension rolling off him. He might like Renzo’s family, but he was certainly getting where Renzo’s perfectionist complex had come from—they weren’t subtle in heaping expectations and hero worship on him. And Canaan got how it must be hard for Renzo, the constant reminders that Joe too should be in the military, that they should have been brothers serving together, like they’d planned.

“It says on my app that one of the carousels is wheelchair accessible,” Canaan said to distract Joe from more SEAL talk. He’d downloaded an app that Maureen had recommended for doing Disney with special needs.