4. Miller #3
When they saw me, they all cheered. I squeezed in on the end, just as a waiter arrived with three pitchers of beer.
Someone poured me a glass and stuck it in my hand as Daria shouted, “To Miller, our secret weapon!” Everyone raised a toast, and then an animated debate broke out about how many orders of super nachos we should all get to share.
A few minutes later, Collie appeared at my side. I yelled over the noise, “Everyone, this is Collie,” and they shouted a chorus of hellos. I didn’t bother trying to introduce all of them in turn, because it would have required entirely too much yelling.
Collie was holding a baggie full of ice, and he handed me a glass of water as he said, “I have Advil in my bag. Would you like some?” I nodded, and he handed me the baggie. “The bartender was nice enough to give me this. I thought it might help to ice your shoulder.”
“It would, but I don’t think I can hold it in place.”
“I’ve got that covered.” He dug around in his bag and put a bottle of ibuprofen on the table before producing a long, black scarf. He gently touched my shoulder and asked, “Is this where it hurts?”
“A little lower.”
He quickly wrapped the scarf around my chest and shoulder and tied it off, so it was holding the ice pack right where I needed it. Then he asked, “Is that okay?”
“It’s perfect.” As he shook two pain pills into my hand, I told him, “You’re really good at this stuff.”
“Well, yeah. I spent the last decade taking care of my aunt. When she first started showing symptoms, she’d trip and fall a lot and bang herself up. I took a first aid class so I’d know how to help her.”
After I washed down the pills with some water, he pulled up a chair right beside me. Then he pointed across the bar to the axe throwing section and asked, “Are you still thinking about doing that?”
“Not after the number I did on my shoulder today. I don’t even want to throw a dart. But I’m sure a few of my coworkers are going to do it, so you could join them if you’ve decided you want to try it.”
“Oh, hell no. If I tried to throw an axe, my stick arms would rip clean out of their sockets. When the axe hit the target they’d be dangling off the handle, like two limp spaghetti noodles.”
I grinned and said, “You paint a vivid picture.”
As my coworkers began dissecting the game, play by play, he leaned against my good shoulder and closed his eyes. Sometime later, I realized he was sound asleep. That was surprising, given how loud it was in here, but apparently he was one of those people who could fall asleep anywhere.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and requested a Lyft. Then I texted Daria because she was clear down at the other end of the table, and told her I was heading out. She asked if everything was okay, and I responded: All good. Collie’s obviously exhausted though, so I’m going to take him home.
I left the ice pack on the table and collected our things, and then I woke Collie and said, “Time to go.”
When I stood up and waved to my team, one of the guys exclaimed, “You can’t leave yet! I wanted to buy you a shot.”
“Next time.”
As we made our way to the door, Collie said, “You don’t have to leave on my account.” He was holding on to the hem of my shirt, so we didn’t get separated in the crowd.
“It’s fine. It’s way too loud in here anyway.”
“I’ve been so tired lately,” he said, once we were in the back seat of our rideshare. “Even more than usual. I guess it makes sense, though. In the past few days, I emptied out my apartment, cleaned it top to bottom, packed my stuff, and drove almost seven hundred miles.”
“That sounds exhausting. Did you have any help with the apartment?”
“A little. My best friend Jeannie helped me go through my stuff and Aunt Sue’s and decide what to keep and what to donate. But she’s pregnant with her fourth kid, so I didn’t want her to do any of the strenuous stuff.”
“Her fourth, wow. Is she your age?”
“Yeah. We’ve been friends since Kindergarten. Her life is really different than mine now, but she’s happy as a knocked up clam. She always wanted a big family.”
When we got home, the cat came running—to Collie, obviously. He cooed, in a high falsetto, “Hi, honey bunny sweetie baby,” before scooping her up and kissing the top of her head.
On our way down the hall, I told him, “I’m going to heat up the leftover Chinese food for lunch. Would you like some?”
“No thanks. I think I’m going to change into something comfy and take a nap.”
“Want me to fold out the bed in the office?”
“I’m actually going to sleep in my van. It’s pretty cozy.”
Collie put down the cat when we reached the kitchen. He jogged down the stairs, took off one shoe, and propped the door open with it before disappearing into the garage.
The cat and I stared at each other for a long moment. Then she hurried down the stairs and slipped through the gap in the door.
I puttered around the kitchen for the next hour, before realizing I was waiting for Collie to finish his nap and come back inside.
Why did I miss him? I’d known him less than a day.