Page 32 of Shifting Years
"Curse if people are still waiting or don't know where to look for their mate," said Todd.
There were other curses too, like mating with the wrong Alpha, but I said nothing.
"That's the thing about magic. Sometimes, you don't know if it's doing something. When you try to figure it out early, you make mistakes." Todd's face reddened, and he turned to me. "I hate this part."
"It's important. You don't wantitto happen to him, do you?"
"So, what happened?" asked Kim.
"I found what I thought I wanted."
"I was forced from my town," said Todd. "Mike had a point. My plans got me nowhere, so…" My Alpha jerked his thumb in the universal hitchhiking gesture. "After trying to be what other people wanted, it was my turn to be myself. So, I went off to find him."
"How long did it take?" asked Kim.
Todd took a deep breath, his eyes glistening. "Far too long."
***
Chapter Thirteen
December 23rd, 1971
Todd
American Pieplayed on the semi's radio as the nighttime lights of New York faded in the tall passenger mirror. Everyone else had fun with celebrations, but Ihadto get out of there. City life with its traffic, noise, and smells suffocated my soul.
Mike mentioned Dallas or New York, so I flipped a coin, and I think it landed wrong. What if I went to Dallas instead? Would I see him in those bookstores he loves so much?
We found each other twice.If I were still in my old hometown, we might have seen each other again, but staying was a bad idea.Like calling Dad.Figured letting him know I'm alive was decent. He used our conversation to say Donna was still 'hysterical' when people mentioned a fiancé she's sure she never had.
I cost him the election since the town was convinced I did something to her. Rumors ranged from anattackto giving her drugs. I'd never dothat, although I kept Mike's old acid tab.
The warm scent of steaming coffee pulled me out of my daydream. Bill was a stout Black man in his mid-twenties and eligible for Vietnam. The metallic smell from his left leg suggested an implant and a medical deferment. If the war went on much longer, he'd probably get drafted anyway.
I accepted the coffee in the nighttime chill with a thanks. Bill was the type of man my dad would have pulled over, but thisstranger picked me up in the cold. "Appreciated." I gestured to the coffee and truck.
"Well, can't leave someone out on the road before Christmas. Don't seem right." The final notes fromAmerican Pieplayed and he turned off the radio. He stared, probably wondering if I were on the run. Canada wasn't too far away.
Not quite.For the first time in my life, I did what I wanted even when I didn't know whatToddliked. So, I listened to jazz in New Orleans, swam in the Gulf of Mexico, fed alligators in Florida, and bathed in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Overall, I stayed in the bottom half of America.
"They call your number?"
His eyes suggested pure curiosity, but I've been yelled at a few times and accused of being a draft dodger. That would have made Mike laugh.
"No… at least I don'tthinkso. My father threw me out." His eyes narrowed. "He's a sheriff."
Three words gave him a world of understanding, and he nodded to himself. "Hell. Must have been something." He tappedThe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Testbook with colorful psychedelic patterns on the cover.
"A friend talked about it."
"Never heavy into LSD myself. More of a mild-stuff, sorta guy."
"Someone gave me a stamp," I said before frowning. "Didn't have the balls to use it."
With one hand steady on the wheel, he rolled up a joint and lit the end. It was both impressive and terrifying. "Suppose that means you're cool?"
Before Mike, I would've said no, but he changed me in ways I was only beginning to understand. He puffed and passed, so I politely accepted.
