Page 89 of Story of My Life
Cam:How the hell should I know?
Me:Well you could at least tell me where we’re going.
Cam:I repeat. How the hell should I know?
I’d hadevery intention of running home to shower and change before meeting Laura, but Cam’s curt texts annoyed me, and I decided to ride straight to her house. It was, of course, a mistake because now I was even less fit to be seen in public.
But what was done was done.
I pushed my bike up to the walkway of the white-brick two-story with classic bones and rock-and-roll touches. It sat on a whimsical garden of a corner lot a few blocks back from Main Street. There was a basketball hoop in the driveway, a birdfeeder hanging in one of the big windows next to the front stoop, and a resin dragon spitting water into a small burbling pool.
I left my bike in the grass and dragged myself up the walkway. The gothic purple front door opened before I reached the top step.
“Hey,” Laura said by way of a greeting. She was dressed casually in shorts, a tank, and Nikes—all in black. But her smoky-eye makeup, red lips, and platinum-blond hair made her look ready for some kind of fashion photo shoot.
I, on the other hand, looked like I was ready to be rehydrated with an IV.
“Thank you so much for driving,” I wheezed. “I honestly don’t think I could have pedaled another block.”
“You should really think about getting a car,” Laura observed.
“Things didn’t exactly end well with the last one,” I reminded her.
“I saw the video. I think we can both agree that Goose was more to blame.”
“Yeah, well, now I’m emotionally scarred.”
“Aren’t we all? Come on in. I’ll grab my bag and we can go.”
The small foyer opened directly into the stairs to the second floor. There was a large living room to my right and a small den that looked as if it had been converted into a cramped bedroom on the left.
Laura led the way into the dining room. I spotted a family photo gallery that looked frozen in time. Laura and her groom—a very handsome Black man in formal military uniform—danced under rows of glowing string lights in front of a band. I recognized a younger, though still teenaged, Wesley smirking at the camera as he jogged down a basketball court. Harrison mugged in frame, holding a sizable fish on the end of a line. Anda girl who had to be their sister smiled shyly from a stage in tights and a leotard.
The dining room opened into a tight but orderly kitchen. A folding table held a hot plate and electric griddle shoved up against the island in place of barstools. Clean dishes and cooking paraphernalia were stacked neatly on every available flat surface.
Laura grabbed a belt bag off a hook on the wall and slung it over her shoulder. “You want some water or maybe a second to clean up a little bit before we go?”
“I would really appreciate both,” I admitted.
“I’ll get the water. Powder room’s through there,” she said, pointing at a door off the kitchen.
“Oh my God.I had no idea that many kinds of tile existed,” I said, sagging against the leather seat of Laura’s snazzy adapted Jeep Cherokee hours later. We’d powered through tile, carpet, wallpaper, and kitchen and bathroom fixtures. I couldn’t remember half of the things I’d picked. “Do you think the swan head tub filler is too over-the-top?”
“Yes. Which is why it’s perfect,” Laura said as she transferred from wheelchair to driver’s seat.
She reached around and snatched a flyer off her windshield. It was anotherrump for chiefsign promising strict enforcement of grass height and a ban on all house paints deemed “too colorful.”
“Wow, she sure gets around,” I noted.
She rolled her eyes as she began to efficiently disassemble her wheelchair. “She probably organized a leaflet drop from acrop duster. Here, put this in the back seat,” she said, handing me the backrest.
Once the chair was stowed, Laura shut her door and glanced at her smartwatch.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. What do you say we get?—”
“Food? Please tell me you were about to sayfoodbecause my stomach has already eaten through its own lining.”
“There’s a decent place a couple blocks from here. Just don’t tell my brothers I took you there,” she said and shifted the SUV into gear.
