Chapter
Forty-One
Soren
The red and white striped vinyl that covered the booth bench squeaked as I sat. It was aged from having been loved for two generations by the residents of Kennedy. The entire interior of Ronnie’s Diner was red, white, and black 1950s-style decor, complete with a jukebox in the corner currently playing Randy Travis. Dad and Mom had approved moving forward with the resource center funding after meeting with Jonah and Lane two days ago. Although I could have decided without them, I wanted to include them in decisions I made with Abel’s foundation. 10 percent of the profit I made from the ranch went toward the foundation along with the nest egg Mom and Dad had used to create it. The foundation funded everything from scholarships for kids that attended Kennedy high school, to paying for rehab for those I worked with in AA and beyond. After saying goodbye to Mom and Dad this morning, they loaded up their RV and headed toward Yellowstone for a change of scenery.
George settled across from me as he picked up a menu to scan. We usually met in Lewis City, but I had reached out to him last night, and he said he thought a drive in the country sounded nice.
“Soren, how are ya doing? Who’s your friend here?” Tina asked, her apron strings wrapped around her twice because of her petite size. Tina was as much of a staple at Ronnie’s Diner as Ronnie himself. She had been working here since I was a child. Her black curly hair was piled on her head with streaks of silver throughout as she turned pointedly to George.
“I’m doing good. How are you doing? This is George.” George reached out his hand to shake hers.
“Oh, ya know, just living the dream. Pleasure to meet you, George. I’m Tina. What can I get for you guys?”
Within minutes we were eating cheeseburgers and milkshakes while I had a sneaking suspicion that Tina and George might have flirted more had I not been present, which honestly felt awkward as hell.
“How are you really doing?” George asked when Tina walked away after delivering our cheeseburger baskets. That was how conversations with George always went. He could see through the mess and wanted to know how I was genuinely doing. That was a question I wasn’t exactly sure how to answer so I went back to the beginning. I gave him a quick rundown of meeting Sawyer and how things were going for the last two months.
“She sounds like a special person,” George remarked, taking a sip of his milkshake.
“She’s the one, George, but I haven’t told her about AA. I’m scared she’ll put her walls up again when they’ve barely started to fall. I don’t know if I can handle the idea of her walking away.” George was one of the few people I was brutally honest with, and he always reciprocated.
“You call me if something goes badly, but Soren you just spent ten minutes telling me what a good woman she is. Allow her to see your faults and all. She’ll see that you’ve walked through fire to get to the other side, and if she’s as amazing as you say, she’ll love you even more for it. My Mildred loved like that before she passed, and real love can change a man,” George affirmed.
I took a seat, leaning my back against the corner of Abel’s headstone and looked toward the clouds. Right after he passed I had hated being here, but over the years, it became more bearable. There was something about the giant oak tree that provided shade over Abel’s grave that was peaceful. After talking to George about things, I had this peace that everything was going to be okay.
“Hey, bud. I miss you like always. I can’t believe you were holding out on me about Sawyer. Although, that would have been a little weird now, considering we’re dating. That’s what I came to talk to you about. Man, she’s remarkable. Sawyer’s the bravest person, and she didn’t let the shit circumstances of her life turn her bitter. She makes me want that dream I had all but forgotten. She makes me want a wife and kids. To run the ranch like Grandma and Grandpa did.” My voice dropped as my nose stung. “Man, I think I’m in love with her.” This was the closest I could get to a man-to-man talk with my brother. The wind blew around me and I watched the leaves tremble on the oak near the edge of the cemetery. The years didn’t lessen the pain of his loss, but the time did make the reality that he was no longer here more real. I had begun to accept his loss because I was more prepared for his absence. Abel being gone would always be the most excruciating thing in my life, while simultaneously being the biggest catalyst for my drive to make a difference. Because of how completely Abel loved others, it propelled me to manage the ranch with intention, to set that percentage aside every month to invest in our community and those suffering around us. I hadn’t told Sawyer about the foundation yet or how much we had done in the community in Abel’s honor, but one day I would. I’d share what a difference his life had truly made, but first I had to tell her more about my life, especially since she was becoming a piece I didn’t want to live without.
Soren:
*photo of circus tickets*
Wanna join the circus? *winky face*
Sawyer:
*GIF of a woman excitedly clapping hands*
Only if you’ll be there!