Page 29 of Mr. Dangerous

12

Rob

After we finally found a parking space ona shady street a few blocks from Joe’s apartment, Naomi asked, "So have you stayed in touch with Joe?" The wind rustled her long, dark hair, and she pulled it back into a ponytail as she joined me on thesidewalk.

"Not really." In fact, Joe had sounded confused at first when I called and said,hey, it’s Rob. I’d had to clarifyDelaneybefore Joe's voice turned warm. I had felt embarrassed, then a rush of misplaced anger. It was my fault, really; I hadn't called in years. I shrugged. "But I'll be glad toseehim."

"He was always such a nice guy,” she mused as we walked back towards the apartment building we’d had to pass earlier, circling the block for a parking space. “Everything was so serious at your house. All those big parties and grown-up events, fancy clothes and best behavior. It was kind of a scary place when I was little. He would see my face and wink, and it would allseemfine."

"Yeah, tell me about it." It had been a scary place to grow up at times. Mitch had made it seem like we boys were always one screw-up away from shaming the family. Funny how that hadturnedout.

Joe had let us Delaney boys tag along with him to the hardware store or the gun shop, as if taking on four troublesome boys on top of the troublesome senior Delaney was all part of the job description. He’d planted the seeds for my future life. He taught me how to disassemble a gun, rewarded me for memorizing the gun safety rules with my first trip to the range, and taught me to use a drill and hammer as we helped him build the familysaferoom.

Now that I thought about that, my childhood seemed especiallyfuckedup.

We turned a corner, and I saw Joe sitting on the steps of a tan apartment building, reading a paperback novel. As he rose unsteadily to his feet, his hand trembling on the railing of the stairs, I felt a shock at how much Joe had aged. Joe was still tall, even more slender than before, his beard and hair silvery-gray now in contrast with his deepbrownskin.

"It's so good to see you again, Rob," Joe said warmly. He hugged me tightly with one arm, clapping my back. "You too, Naomi. You still keeping this boy out oftrouble?"

Naomi smiled, but her discomfort was evident in the stiffness of her shoulders and that attempt at a smile. I could imagine Naomi always trying to keep me out of trouble of some kind, whether it was giving me dirty looks over an unnecessarily attentive blonde at Abby's or rolling my socks into balls to pack for deployment. It was a fantasy that Iliked.

"I remember a Christmas party when you were both very little,” Joe said as he turned to pull Naomi into a hug. “Rob kept trying to unwrap the presents under the tree, and you kept telling him,no, no, those aren'tforyou!"

"That's something I'm sure I'd heard from my own mom," Naomi said with a smile. "Poor Rob. They really wereforhim."

"Nah, they were just wrapped boxes. To look cute under the tree."Joesaid.

"I was never the one on the Honor Roll,"Isaid.

"Come on up,” Joe said. We walked behind him as he shuffled up, leaning heavily onhiscane.

“You doing okay?” I asked. “The VA taking careofyou?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Bad luck. Would you believe I was hit by a drunk driver a few years ago?AfterIretired?”

Drunk drivers. The words always made me feelapang.

Joe led us into his apartment, holding the apartment door open. His living room was small but immaculate, with framed Marine Corps movie posters decorating the walls. "Can I get you something todrink?"

"I wouldn't mind a beer, if you have one," I said. "Need something to calm my nerves after having this one drive me inthecity."

"I thought SEALs had implacable nerves," Naomiretorted.

"Your driving would make the Lord himself fear forhislife."

Joe gestured to the tan leather couch and then went on to the galley kitchen at the other end of the room. "For a second, I forgot you're both old enough to drink. You still look soyoung."

"I wish I felt young," I said, settling back into thecouch.

"Corona good for you? For you,Naomi?"

"Just water for me,please."

Joe returned with two beers and a glass of icedwater.

"Do you not drink?" Iaskedher.

"That's a blunt question,"shesaid.

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