by Brown, Dick
“I would like that very much. I want to get to know him and be part of his life anyway I can, if that’s okay.”
“I would have been disappointed if you didn’t want that. Let’s go get them.”
Rick held onto Ann’s hand as they left Krider’s and walked up the block to the drug store. She didn’t seem to mind.
Chapter 62
New beginning
Rick wasn’t sure what lay ahead for him and the first girl he’d ever loved. But he was excited at the prospect of being a father. The couple entered the drug store where they had hung out as teenagers. Ricky was distant with Rick at first but polite in his interactions with the man who was his real father.
The old booths had been painted, making it harder to locate where Rick had carved his initials with Ann’s inside a heart. When he found it, he pointed it out to little Ricky.
“Ricky, look at this. I carved that here when your mother and I were in high school. We were sweethearts.”
“Mom would kill me if I did something like that,” Ricky said. Ricky looked at his mom as if asking permission to speak further. When she nodded, he said, “She told me all about you. It would have been neat to have two dads. Lots of my friends at school do.”
“I’m glad she told you about me. All good, I hope.” Rick winked at Ann. “Hey, I’m getting hungry. Is anyone else hungry? I know just the place, too. Winks makes the best barbeque and foot-long hotdogs in the state. Ricky, your mother and I used to go there after movies and football games when we were in high school. Come on, you all can be the first passengers in my brand new Jeep Cherokee.”
Ricky didn’t say anything. He just looked at Ann with hope in his eyes.
Ann crossed her arms and cocked her head. “It has been quite a while since I ate at Winks. All right. Let’s go.”
Ricky nearly jumped up to hug her.
After informing Alice of the plan—to which she gave only a half-hearted acknowledgment—they headed to Rick’s car.
“Hey, Mom, can I ride up front with, uh . . .” He turned to look at Rick. “What do I call you?”
Rick scratched his head, mulling over the words dad and father and pops in his mind. “Rick works for me.”
“Okay, can I ride up front with Rick?”
Ann smiled a yes, and he jumped in the front seat.
“Man, this is a cool car. Stereo and everything.”
Rick headed out Highway 29 toward Winks for a reunion he never believed would happen. He thought about pinching himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming when Ricky turned and asked, “How far is this place?”
“Oh, not far now. Just up the highway a little ways. Why?”
“Don’t you have a McDonald’s around here?”