“You’re going to marry for love?” Sheray asked.
“Oh, I loved every one of them,” Owen defended.
“Really?” When Owen didn’t respond, she shook her head. “When I married Jay, I married him for life.” She tossed the bag of hot dogs onto the counter and opened it up, taking one out. “And he believes in honesty and commitment.” She set the hot dog on the cutting board and then used the butcher knife to chop it in half. “And monogamy,” she added flatly, without smiling, as she looked at Owen.
Owen looked at Bill and made a face. When Bill turned back to Sheray, she winked and grinned before continuing with her tasks. Bill smiled to himself and returned to counting out his cash drawer.
Owen continued, ignoring Sheray’s dispensation of the hot dog. “I want someone fun and exotic and patient and—”
“—And won’t put up with your crap?” Bill interrupted.
“And won’t mind my crap,” Owen smiled. “She won’t mind that I’m a mess and that I don’t look especially great in the mornings. That I like to have a beer with the boys and watch football without her ragging on me.”
Sheray turned to Bill and mouthed silently, “Is he serious?”
Bill nodded.
“Who won’t give me a hard time for not throwing my underwear in the clothes hamper right when I take them off—or when I don’t always remember our anniversary or her birthday. Someone who will love me despite all that.”
Sheray looked at Bill, who merely shrugged again. “Maybe you should try looking online for one of them Russian brides,” she suggested.
Owen looked up and furrowed his brow again as if considering the thought. “Naw. I want her to speak English.”
“What about you, Bill? You think you’ll ever get married again?”
Bill pursed his lips. The sound of the metal door closing, resounded down the hallway, echoing into the empty room. A moment later Destiny walked from the darkened hallway into the fluorescent-lit room. Her eyes met his. A small smile crept across her lips, and his heart instantly lit up. “Yes,” he answered under his breath. “Yes, I do.”
Chapter 16
Destiny enjoyed working with Lisa and the other volunteers at the Senior Center and had decided that this was going to be her new Friday night routine. It was fun getting to know everyone, hearing their stories. No, it was more than that. Through their expressions and the tone of their voices; through the emotions wrought in their telling, she experienced their stories; learned of loves lost and discovered—felt the pain of death on the battlefield, and of finding God there in the midst of war.
So many stories. So many lives forever changed. She felt she could never listen enough to what they had to say. It was as if this was their one chance to tell their story. It almost made her sad to think how many of the veterans, although surrounded by family and friends every day, had never been asked about their own stories. How many had taken the time actually to listen what these precious veterans wanted to say? Stories that couldn’t be told in pictures, pictures that couldn’t begin to convey the real horror of what they had experienced. The real history wasn’t just the prepared abbreviated messages the media dispensed, but was in the eyes and the very souls of those men and women who had served. Those were the real stories. It made Destiny sad to think that so many of these stories would never be heard, never be written down or recorded. Memories lost forever on deaf ears.
“Grandpa!” Destiny exclaimed. Lisa had brought her grandfather with her this week, decked out in baggy shorts and a Hawaiian shirt and sporting a lei; having just spent twenty-one days cruising through the Pacific. “Don’t you look like a walking postcard!”
Grandpa lifted and shook the flower lei from his chest and winked. “Had to prove to the fellas that I got leid while I was away.”
“Grandpa!” Destiny shook her head at him.
He slowly walked through the room with her on his arm. Every few steps someone would stop him and ask about his trip. Thankfully, Grandpa was a man of few words, unless he found someone special who needed to hear the extended version.
“Good,” he’d reply to acquaintances. Or if he knew someone well, he’d respond, “It was unbelievable.” He decided to cut Destiny a break, giving her the abbreviated version. “I discovered how much I don’t want to spend two weeks with my brother and his wife in a confined space.” Grandpa held on tight to Destiny’s arm, as he pulled her closer and patted it. “It’s good to see you out, Girl,” he remarked.
Destiny leaned against him as they walked. “It actually feels good to be out,” she said sincerely.
“This place is a good start. If you can survive these guys, you’re ready for the world.” He stopped and looked her in the eyes. “You doing okay?”
Destiny nodded.
Grandpa raised her chin with his finger. “You know. I think you really are,” he smiled. “Your eyes have life in them again. I was starting to worry about you, Child.”
Destiny looked down. “Me, too, Grandpa.” She looked into his eyes again. “Me, too.”
Grandpa kissed her forehead. “I remember when I lost my Betsy. The toughest day of my life. Thought I’d crawl right down into the grave with her.” He turned her and walked slowly toward his granddaughter. “And these guys here were a lot of the reason I didn’t.” He sighed. “Them and my Lisa.” He smiled, turning to watch his granddaughter carrying plates of food for those who were unable to carry their own. “If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here.”
“I wish I’d met her.”
“My Betsy?”
Destiny nodded.
“Oh, my dear, she would have just loved you. You’d never have met a kinder soul. She never met a stranger, and she would do anything for anybody. My sweet, sweet Bets.” He patted Destiny’s hand. “You know Lisa’s daddy was a hard man. He was military, too. And strict. I raised him to be firm, but never raised him to be unkind. Something happened while he was away, you know?” he stated more than asked. “When he came back from Vietnam, he was a mean SOB. God forgive me for saying that about my own son, but he was outright mean. Was hard on Lisa and her brothers and sisters.” He glanced at his granddaughter. “Plain took the spirit out of some of them. Broke poor Betsy’s and my hearts to see it, but what could I do? He was a grown man.”
Destiny listened intently. It was the first time he’d talked about Lisa’s father to her.
“But not Lisa. She has an indomitable spirit. I’m so glad he never broke her. She’s the heart of the family, you know?”
Destiny squeezed his arm. “I can see where she got her character. And I think she’d disagree.” He stopped walking and looked down at her. “She’s always said that you were the heart of your family.”
He smiled down at Destiny and whispered against her cheek. “You have that spirit, too, my dear. It has always been there. I’ve seen it in your eyes.”
Destiny leaned against him and smiled sadly.
“Never let that light go out, my dear.”
Destiny nodded.
“Promise me,” he insisted.
“I promise.”
His friends, anxious to hear of his adventures, surrounded them. As Destiny released his arm, he was swallowed by the crowd. She saw him hold up his lei proudly as he began to embellish about his travels through the islands.
There was a tap on her shoulder, and she turned with a start.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Owen!”
“I promised you dinner.”
“You did.” She eyed the mound of catfish, French fries and hush puppies he was holding. “It looks delicious.”
“Fried it just for you.” Owen turned her at her elbow, steered her toward an empty table, then pulled back a chair and sat down before she did.
Destiny sat opposite him. “That was really sweet of you.”
“So, like it or not, you’re having dinner with me.”
“I guess I am.”
Owen reached ov
er and took a piece of fish from the plate, placed it on a napkin and began pulling off pieces to eat as he spoke. “I thought you could use a break. It gives us a chance to get to know each other.”
Destiny nibbled nervously on a hush puppy.
“Lisa says you’re a teacher?”
Destiny nodded as she chewed.
“You like teaching?”
“Mm-huh,” she added, stuffing a fry into her mouth.
“You like the school you work at?”
Destiny nodded again, taking a bite of fish.
“I hated school,” he began. “I did what I had to do to get my diploma and then partied all summer until I had to start college.” Owen took another bite and talked with his mouth full. “Don’t get me wrong, I know high school was important, it just wasn’t to me. At the time.” He looked expectantly at Destiny. “You want that last hush puppy?”
She shook her head, taking another bite of fish.
Owen popped the hush puppy into his mouth then proceeded to finish his train of thought, talking with his mouth full. “My parents made their expectations clear to me and my brothers. However, I knew what I wanted to do, so I just did it. I didn’t graduate at the top of my class, but I still got my degree on the wall, a good paying job, and I didn’t have to kill myself to get there.”
Destiny pulled a few napkins from the metal holder on the table, wiping her greasy fingers, then her mouth.
“I mean, I think what you do is important and all, but I think some of what they make you learn in high school is worthless. Don’t you think?” Owen said, licking his fingers. He grabbed a napkin and wiped them off.
“I believe what I do is relevant.”
“Relevant?” he interrupted. “I think it’s your job to attempt to educate, and the teenager’s job is to set his own path and determine if he’s going to go on to college, and if he is, what he needs to do to accomplish his goals.”
Destiny glared at him, stupefied. “So, you believe that a child should pick and choose what he thinks is relevant to what his goals are?”
“Absolutely,” Owen replied, smugly.
“So, what if he has no goals?”
“Then he’ll flip burgers or empty my trashcan at work,” he added, confident that his prophetic statement would enlighten her as to her waste of time. “Have you ever read 40 Alternatives to College by James Altucher?”
Destiny leaned forward as if she was interested in what he was saying. “No, can’t say as I have.”
“Well, it’s simply a reminder of the pressures kids are under to perform and test to standards that are well beyond their abilities. That they are under pressure to graduate at the top of their class and then go to college, where they just incur tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt that’s unrealistic to repay. Many of them drop out, don’t desire to go into the field in which they have a degree or quite possibly can’t find jobs in those fields.”
Destiny breathed in slowly, as she thought through what she wanted to say to this man, who was attempting to dispel single-handedly, the notion that everyone wanted to be something more. He would most definitely never be on her list of guest speakers to motivate students.
“Did it ever occur to you that for some students, the teacher is the only positive role model in a child’s life? That maybe circumstances, whether it be the family dynamics or learning disabilities or poverty, have caused them not to be able to excel or achieve?”
“That’s total BS,” Owen said, wrinkling his nose. “That’s simply an excuse. Every child has the same advantages as every other,” he proclaimed.
“What hole have you been living in?” Destiny retorted.
Owen leaned closer onto his arms. “I live in reality, Honey. You are just one of the brainwashed who believes that traditional, in any sense, is right. Traditional education, traditional employment, traditional marriage.”
Destiny chuckled for a moment, but then realized he was serious. She furrowed her brow and softened her eyes. “Thanks so much for dinner, Owen. It was really sweet of you,” she said as she stood up.
Owen sat upright, and, realizing their conversation was over, stood with her. “Well,” he stammered. “I enjoyed visiting with you. You’ve got spunk. I like that in a woman.”
Destiny batted her eyes. “It’s been enlightening, to say the least.”
Owen smiled, feeling confident.
Destiny turned to leave.
“Maybe I can call you sometime,” he called after her. “We can talk some more.”
“Don’t count on it,” she said sarcastically to herself, walking as fast as she could in the other direction.
Chapter 17
Bingo ended right on time, with seconds to spare. Lisa left not long after the last game to drive her grandpa home. Destiny insisted Lisa leave. She didn’t mind staying to help in any way needed, and knew Lisa still had paperwork to do at her salon. What else did she have to do? Destiny wasn’t tired, and didn’t want to go home. Not just yet. However, to avoid running into Owen again, she worked as far away from the kitchen as possible, cleaning tables and collecting bingo cards. Thankfully, he was busy inventorying for the following week. At one point, when she caught him looking around the room, she ducked down as if picking something up from the floor, peering over the chair until she didn’t see him anymore.
“He’s gone,” a voice said, from behind.
Destiny yelped. “God, you startled me!” she exclaimed, standing, embarrassed that she’d been busted. “What is it about the men around here, sneaking up on people?”
“I wasn’t sneaking up on you,” he defended.
Destiny picked up a hush puppy from the floor and held it up for him to see as if it proved her intent all along. Bill nodded wryly. Destiny tossed it into the trashcan and, without another word, moved to the other side of the room. Bill watched her, grinning to himself. He shook his head and returned to the kitchen.
“Hey, Bill,” Owen began. “I was just about to leave. You haven’t seen Destiny, have you?”
“Destiny?” Bill asked, feigning confusion.
“Yeah, Lisa’s friend.”
“Oh, yeah, Destiny. No, I haven’t seen her,” he lied. He turned and dried off the last of the serving utensils. “So, how did your little dinner date go?” Bill mocked.
“Just fine,” Owen insisted. “She’s not very chatty, though,” he replied, almost disappointed.
“Maybe you monopolized the conversation, like usual.”
Owen crinkled his lips. “I didn’t monopolize the conversation. She was probably so awe-struck by what I had to say that she didn’t know what to say, herself.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Sarcasm,” Owen retorted. “I get it. More like misplaced jealousy.”
“Jealousy?”
“I see the way you look at her,” Owen said, sticking a toothpick between his lips. “But she’s not your type.”
Bill drew in a deep breath as he turned around, feeling his brother push his buttons, much as he had all his life. “Goodnight, Owen.”
Owen made a face, knowing he’d just been dismissed. With a final glance around the room, he overlooked Destiny, who was emptying a trash can. “Well, her loss, Owen said, more to himself than anyone else. “Goodnight,” he called to his brother’s back, as he strode down the hallway and out the door.
An hour later, after everything was cleaned and locked up, Bill walked with Destiny and three other female volunteers to the back parking lot. They walked Destiny to her car first; then the others walked together until Bill was the only one remaining. After climbing into his top-rated, safest-car-on-the-road-for-families, he started her up. Bill adjusted the temperature and then the radio before looking up. He watched through the windshield, then rolled down his window, listening to Destiny’s attempts to crank her car, only it wasn’t turning over. Bill sighed and stepped from his own vehicle. Lightly he tapped on her window.
“Jesus!” she exclaimed, as she grabbed her chest. She
drew in a breath and rolled down her window.
“Sorry,” he said, holding up his hands. “Didn’t mean to scare you,” he smiled. “Again.”
“It’s okay.” Destiny looked down at her dashboard. “I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“Here, let me give it a try.” Bill watched her slender frame slide from the seat so that he could sit down. As she brushed past him, he could smell her shampoo. Coconut Milk. He breathed it in. It was… amazing. When she turned, her eyes were on his. At first, he felt they were making a connection—what kind of connection, he had no clue. It had been a long time since he’d connected with any woman. Then he realized she was waiting, expectantly. Only not for what he was thinking. He stepped aside for her to pass, then sat down.
After several attempts at starting her car, he popped the hood and began jiggling wires and lines, then checked her oil, water, and transmission fluid. Finally, he turned to her and wiped his hands on a rag he had retrieved from his vehicle just moments before. “I’m not a mechanic,” he sighed dramatically. “But I’d say, she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”
“Great.” Destiny exhaled in frustration and took out her cell phone. “I’ll call Triple A.”
“Whoever they call will charge you extra for this hour of the night,” he said. “I only know,” he stammered, “because I had car trouble about this time a few months ago.” He looked down at his watch. “Look, let me take you home. I can drop you off, and then you can call Triple A. I’ll pick you up in the morning and bring you back by here.”
“You don’t have to go to all that trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. My daughter is at a slumber party and won’t be home until late in the morning.”
Destiny dropped her head in defeat and sighed. “I’d argue, but I don’t have many alternatives at this point.”
“Gee, I’ll try and not take that too personally.”
“Sorry. Didn’t mean it that way.”
“It’s okay,” he sighed. “Lock her up and we’ll go.”
“Will it be safe here?”
“It will be fine. The lighting is good, and no one has ever been broken into here before.”
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