Page 21 of Boss' Obsession

“Maybe we’ll go back someday so I can show you the better parts. I mean, you’ll probably want to see your mother again. Won’t you?”

Her expression morphs into something sad and distant, so I take her hand and apologize. “I’m sorry, baby girl. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s alright. You didn’t mean to. People should be able to talk about their families without being sad about it. It’s just that my mother wasn’t a very good one. Most parents care about their kids' grades in school and show up for special events but not my mother. I once stayed home every day and she didn’t know until the truant officer knocked on the door. He had to get there around two if he wanted her conscious enough to answer the door.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. No kid should have to live like that, but I’m sure she loved you.”

“What makes you so sure about that?”

“Because she kept you and you grew up. You grew into an amazing woman, I might add.”

“Thank you. I guess she probably did love me. She just didn’t love me as much as she loved drinking and blowing all of our money.’

“Things can change. She can change. You never know what tomorrow will bring. Maybe she’ll get help.”

“Maybe.”

“Alright, maybe breakfast will bring that smile back to your face.”

“What’s for breakfast?”

“The best eggs and bagels in the world, local bacon and flapjacks with maple syrup straight from the tree.”

“That sounds amazing.”

I pull off the road and into the dusty gravel parking lot of the café. It’s been here for as long as I can remember and the menu never changes. That’s one thing you learn about the people up north. They never waste time trying to fix what isn’t broken.

As we wait for our breakfast order to be served, I tell her, “Tomorrow we should tour the city. You need to see the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Maybe a carriage ride through Central Park?”

“What about work? Don’t we have to work?”

“I don’t remember the last time I took even a day off. I think this is long overdue.”

“I love that idea. It all sounds like so much fun. Thank you.”

We finish our breakfast and move on to the next stop. It’s another childhood memory for me, but I think Beth is the type of girl who would like it regardless of her age. As I pull up to the gate, she shows me that I’m right.

“This is a petting zoo! Oh my god! Can I feed the animals too?”

“Yes, baby. As I recall, there are gumball machines filled with corn all over the place.” Her reaction fills my chest with a warmth I’ve rarely felt before. She’s so pure of heart that it’s hard to imagine someone like her existing in this dog-eat-dog world.

We stroll hand in hand from exhibit to exhibit. Beth has to stop and greet every goat, sheep, and emu along the way. She pulls out her phone and demands that I pose with each of the animals then hands it to me so I can take her picture too.

As we walk along, a memory from my childhood grips me and I lead her to its source. It’s a scarecrow with a face painted on a tin bucket for a head. I position her in front of the scarecrow and say, “Scarecrow, say hello to the most beautiful girl in the world.”

Beth blushes and shakes the scarecrow’s hay-filled hand.

“Pleased to meet you. You are very lovely,” the scarecrow replies and Beth jumps nearly two feet in the air.

“There’s a two-way radio under that bucket. I spent my entire tenth year on this earth trying to figure that out,” I tell her.

She squeezes my hand and says, “That’s so cool. I love learning these things about you.”

I let Beth choose the next stop, and she points out an antique flea market. As we walk along the rows of history, a jewelry table catches her eye. She stops to admire a vintage locket on a long chain. The front of the oval-shaped gold locket is adorned with flowers carved from pink and green stone.

“Can you imagine the craftsmanship that went into carving the stone and then attaching it to the locket? It’s so small but the intricate detailing is incredible,” she says.

I wave the vendor over. “How much?”

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