Page 10 of Beckon

Tate was convinced that if he just came tohisgroup, he’d magically be better. Like his group was somehow different than all the ones Chandler had been to.

Maybe it was because Tate was doing so much better than just existing. He was actually living. Regardless, Chandler would find out about Tate’s miracle group soon enough because he’s just made a deal to.

Chandler didn’t understand how to live, couldn’t process it. But he could redirect some energy and that’s exactly what he planned to do. He could try to make things… well, some things, right before the darkness swallowed him whole.

Tate would get his month. A month to realize Chandler was beyond saving. However, he wouldn’t wait a month to find the rideshare driver though, he would look for her on his own.

Opening his app, he scheduled a pickup for thirty minutes. He chose a restaurant in the same shopping center as the bar. In case she had an area she preferred.

After he was cleaned and dressed, he waited impatiently out front. He was reasonably sure it wasn’t her. While he may not have gotten a good look at her or her car, she didn’t strike him as a Horace.

If he had any hope of finding her before the month was up, he couldn’t tank his rating by canceling every ride that had a male-sounding driver.

While this was a miss, the ride home might not be.

As suspected, Horace was not a lady. He was a middle-aged man with a compact car and an affinity for chatter. Chandler kept his participation in the conversation to monosyllable answers. Horace carried it all the way to the drop-off.

Five stars with a nice comment and tip had Horace returning the favor.

Once seated, he realized he was actually hungry. Not just because he had to eat but he wanted to. That was new. Normally he ate the bare minimum and drank the max. Instead of the usual, he ordered a steak with all the trappings and a beer, singular.

The screams were but a whisper when he was focused on a mission. Admittedly, most of the time that mission was to get drunk enough to silence them.

“How was your dinner, sir?” the young waitress asked him.

“It was amazing, thank you.” His response shocked him. He hadn’t used the word amazing in he didn’t know how long. Let alone apply it to food. His food never had flavor, not that he appreciated anyway, but for some reason, that meal was different.

“Can I get you anything else?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to order a drink, it was reflex really, but he held back. He wanted to have his wits when she showed up to give him a ride home. “Just the check, please.”

She scooped up his plate with a nod and scurried away.

Opening his app, he requested a ride. When the name of his driver popped up, he felt a tinge of excitement.

She could definitely be a Gloria. After settling the tab, he stepped outside. His heart sank a little when a silver Kia greeted him. For some reason, he didn’t feel she drove a silver car. He wished he could remember more about the ride than a car and a female driver.

After greeting Gloria, he slid into the back seat. Gloria was a grandmother of two and her grandkids’ pictures decorated her visor. She talked about her grandkids and their sports prowess while they were stuck waiting on an accident to clear.

“Say, Gloria. How does becoming a rideshare driver work?”

Her dark, smiling eyes met his in the rearview mirror. “You thinking about signing on?” She didn’t wait for the answer before soldiering on with her reasons for driving for a locally run company versus national. She was a genuine people person with an empty nest and the grandkids two states away.

Chandler wasn’t sure how to answer her. He was not a people person, nor did he have any desire to drive people around and listen to their bullshit. What he wanted to know was how to findher.

“Do you have an office, like in the showTaxi? You all sit around razzing each other until you get a call or a virtual request. Water cooler time?” He framed it as excited curiosity.

Gloria laughed. “Nothing like that, son. I will say you look way too young to knowTaxithough. Ah, that Tony Danza. Now that’s a man that would make me look twice.”

Despite himself, Chandler chuckled. He didn’t get what he wanted, but today was not a bad day. Considering bad days were his standard issue, he’d take it. He also added it to the list of reasons he owed his rideshare driver even more. If it weren’t for her, he would’ve sat around drinking, instead he’d tasted, actually tasted food, and had a genuine laugh.

4

TAMITHA

“What are you thinking about, Mommy?”Chester’s voice broke through her daydream.

“I am thinking about how I got to spend the day with my two most favoritest people in the whole wide world. Why, what are you thinking about?”

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