Page 9 of Love at a 7-Eleven

I wasn't expecting him to say that, and I had to think about the question for a second. "I'd like to hear more," I said. "I don't need to leave."

"It's a Filipino design, mostly. I've heard it looks like Samoan or Maori work as well. I think my brother sort of mixed the styles. It's a real possibility that one of those cultures does apply to me, too, but I'm not sure. I never met my dad. It applies to my brother, though. Drake's my half-brother—different dads. His dad was Filipino. Drake had a picture of him and he had a bunch of tattoos like this. I'm sure that's what gave him the idea to start drawing this stuff. I’m not sure what race I am. My mom said she thought my dad was Korean, but she wasn't sure. I met my aunt one time, my mom's sister. She said she thought my dad was from Hawaii, which would make these pretty valid. But Mom wasn't sure. I have three siblings, and she was more certain about the other dads than mine. My mom is white, American with blonde hair, but my brothers and sister are all mixed like me. She had a certain type."

"Single with four kids?"

"Yeah, but she was in and out of trouble. Then she officially left when I was a teenager. Drake took care of us, and I had a job to help with the younger two. She's back in our lives now, but that didn't happen until way later. Drake was twenty when she left, so he did what he had to do to keep us together. I think he and I both romanticized our dads. We weren't in the best situation with our mom, so it was easy to make up scenarios about how great our dads were. He drew pictures of these designs all the time before he started tattooing. That's why he's so good at it."

"What's Drake doing now?"

"He tattoos full-time now. He's good. Really booked up."

"Is he still out in Los Angeles?"

"Yes, he has a house and studio there, but he travels a third of the year, working all over the world. He tattoos famous people."

"That's amazing… look what happened… you're both making it so good."

"That's just God. We could have easily been thieves. There's an old phrase that rabbis would say… fathers either teach their children a trade or teach them to be thieves. We certainly weren't taught a trade. It's only God's grace that we're on good paths, making honest livings."

He took another sip of his drink and I did the same thing.

He smiled and said, "Drake was in the series with me as an extra. He's in there several times during my season. He also helped production with the temporary stencils on the actors who didn't have tattoos."

"I bet I've seen your brother before. I really liked that show." I thought for a few seconds about his life. "Is he a Christian? Drake, I mean."

Caleb did a double take as if my question took him by surprise. He flashed a smile "Yes, he is. As of just last year, which is amazing. I was pumped about that. My sister's the only one in my family who's not. I mean, my mom struggles, too. I don't know where she is. God is good, though. My brother, Diego, has a kid, so I can see that making her softer. I'm an uncle now, and so is Drake. We want to be there for Diego. I have good people in my life. I’m very thankful."

He paused with a little smile and it felt like the end of what he was saying. I sat on the edge of my chair, ready to stand. I took a deep breath and smiled at him. I hated to leave, but I knew Bob would be ready for him soon.

"You might honestly be the most interesting person I have ever met, and that's saying a lot because I've met a lot of people in my life. It's Caleb, right? What's your last name? I'm going to have to look up your channel."

"Caldwell, and yes, if you need to get going, then I guess it was nice meeting you."

Chapter 4

Caleb Caldwell

He had stared into those green eyes at the gas station, and somehow, inexplicably, he was looking into them again. Caleb was in the back offices of the Chicago Bears—a place where the general public was not allowed. He didn't think of anything in his life as a coincidence, and he had to wonder how and why he was seeing this woman again. He felt like he wanted her to stay with him as long as possible. He was attracted to her on a physical level, and that gave him conflicting feelings.

"I was figuring you had to go concentrate on your things," she said to him. "I had interrupted whatever you were doing in here."

"I was just biding my time until Bob's ready for me."

"In that case, I might stay and make a cup of coffee," she said with a shrug. "I was thinking about it, anyway."

"Yeah, I was thinking about it, too. I'll have some with you."

Lila stood, and Caleb got up as well. She seemed happy that he wanted her to stick around, and that gave Caleb more feelings than he expected. He loved seeing her smile. She was a captivating person. She had dark hair and green eyes, and her smile was unique and stunning. She reminded him of a cat in the best way possible. In terms of physical attraction, Caleb was feeling a significant amount. He wanted to be near her. This was unusual for him.

They went to the coffee station, and he turned and leaned against the counter while she made herself a cup.

"I'm the youngest of three," Lila said. "I've been in Chicago my whole life. I'm close to my family. My parents and one of my brothers live in the Chicago area, so I see them all the time. My other brother is in Milwaukee. He's married. I live in the city with a roommate. I recently graduated college, and I still live close to campus."

By the time she finished talking, she had taken a step to the side with her coffee so that he could access the cups. Caleb went through the motions of making a half-cup of his own. "What'd you study?" he asked.

"History."

"I like history. Do you have a certain period you specialize in?"

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