Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Sometimes, Darren found it hard to get up in the morning, but not today.
It was Sunday, so the grocery store was closed and locked up tight.
It was one of the two days a week that he got to sleep in, and he usually took advantage of it.
But Chet was coming by in an hour to pick him up, and Darren needed to be ready.
He had a shift at The Pub starting at five, but he was free until then.
He put on a pot of coffee and then got dressed and shaved.
He wanted to look his best, but he really needed a haircut.
He tried to make the mop on his head look as good as possible and reminded himself to get a haircut tomorrow or else someone would complain that he was looking shabby.
In the server business, looks were important.
No one wanted to be served by a poodle with hair flopping all over the place, even if it was Northern California.
Still, he had part of the day off, and to his surprise, the coastal fog had already disappeared and the sun was out, even if the temperature was only in the fifties because of the breeze off the water.
He dressed in light pants and a dark blue T-shirt from the Point Cabrillo lighthouse.
After pouring himself some coffee, he opened the refrigerator and groaned.
He worked at a grocery store, but he needed to do some shopping on a break.
The refrigerator was largely empty, with basically a few science experiments that he’d forgotten about.
Okay, they had once been leftovers, but he chucked them out and closed the door.
He found a bagel in the freezer, thawed it in the microwave, and put it in the toaster as the doorbell rang.
He answered it and smiled when Chet came inside.
“Can I offer you some coffee? I have half a bagel if you want it.” He led the way through to the small kitchen where his grandmother once cooked.
“No thanks. I ate at the hotel, though coffee would be good.”
He poured a mug for Chet as the toaster popped. He buttered his bagel and sat down to eat. “I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes.” He hoped he wasn’t being crass.
“Take your time. They have a goat tour at eleven, and I thought we could take it. There’s plenty of time, though. It will take a little over half an hour to get there.” He sipped from the mug with what Darren could only describe as a goofy smile on his lips.
“What did you do the last few days to keep busy?” Darren asked.
Chet pointed to his chest. “I went to the lighthouse and got a T-shirt. See?” He grinned. “I also sat out there at the point and watched the sea. Whales spouted off the coast. It was pretty amazing to see. There were also a few sea lions on the rocks. I had forgotten how magical this place can be.”
“You’ve been here before?”
“Years ago. My mother and I took a trip out here. We drove Highway 1 for miles and miles. Dad was working, so it was just the two of us. We drove past all the lighthouses and down through miles of redwoods. We went through San Francisco and to Monterey and Carmel, and to Hearst Castle, where Mom paid the guide to sneak me in and let me go in the indoor tiled pool. I only got to put my feet in, but it was still pretty amazing. My mother and father were getting a divorce about that time, but my mother had a severe stroke before it was finalized, so she and dad seemed to develop a kind of peace between them. My mother lived a few years after that, but it was essentially just my father and me.” He sipped some more coffee, and Darren wondered how he could be so calm.
Talking about his mother always made Darren anxious.
He finished his bagel and put the plate in the sink. Then he drank the last of his coffee, and once Darren had finished, they headed out.
“You have a different car,” Darren said as Chet unlocked a Mercedes convertible.
“Yeah. The old one had a problem.” He slipped into the driver’s seat as Darren took his seat. “It didn’t do this.” He pressed a button, and the top retracted, letting in the sun. “Some days just beg for the top down and the wind in your hair.” Chet pulled out, and they went on down the road.
It was chilly at first, but as soon as they crossed the coastal hills and emerged from the redwoods, the temperature climbed into the eighties.
“God, this is amazing.” The sun and the breeze felt so good.
He put his hands out and let the air rush past them, making it feel as though it were floating.
Darren put on his cheap sunglasses, leaned back, and soaked in the warmth and the feeling of freedom.
They drove through Booneville and passed the fairgrounds, pulling into the drive for Penny Royal.
There were a few other cars on the lot. Chet put up the top and the windows before they climbed out and went inside. “It’s a little early for wine tasting,” Darren said.
“Of course. I arranged for a tour.” He checked in as Darren looked through the cheese and other items they had on sale.
“Our tour is about to start,” Chet said, guiding him out back to where a staff member introduced herself as Clair.
Then she led the two of them toward the goat barn, explaining the operation.
“Where is everyone else?” Darren asked.
“This is a private tour,” Chet whispered as they entered the barn filled with young goats. Clair gave them carrots and feed, and Darren had a ball with the babies, laughing as their lips tickled his hand.
Chet stood next to him, laughing as well. Darren loved the sound, warm and filled with joy. “These guys are so cute.”
“Baby goats are like joy personified,” Clair said gently. “This is my favorite place in the farm.”
“Mine, too, I think,” Darren said, giving the little ones more carrots.
“All these are weaned goats, and we keep the older goats, the ones we milk, in the barn over there.” She took them through the milking operation and showed them the barn where the youngest mothers and goats were kept.
“Over there are the males. We keep them downwind. If you want to go over, you’re welcome to.
I usually caution most women not to. The males exhibit extreme levels of testosterone, and it fills the air.
Their pheromones are powerful. My husband and I are trying to have a baby, and… .”
“We understand,” Chet said gently, checking his watch. “If you want, you could show us how you make the cheese.”
Clair looked sheepish. “The dairy isn’t running on Sundays. But I can take you inside and give you a rundown on the various types of cheese we make, if you’d like. I can also get you set up at a table where you can choose a charcuterie board and taste some wine.”
“Sure. But could we stop by the baby goat barn one more time?” Chet said, and she grinned, taking them back to see the little ones.
“I love the way you laugh,” Chet said a while later as they sat in the shade with an amazing cheese and meat board, and their second small glass of wine for tasting.
“I always hated it.”
“No,” Chet said with a smile. “It’s genuine and joyful. And those little goats seemed to love it too.”
“That was the carrots,” Darren said. “But this was fun, and the little ones were so cute.”
Chet nodded. “They were.” He finished his glass and set it aside. “You can go ahead and have some more wine—it’s paid for. But I don’t think I should.” He spread some cheese on a cracker and took a bite. Darren watched him eat over the top of his glass.
“Why are you spending time with me?” Darren asked.
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this.
I know your friend was an ass, and you made up for that with your sizeable tip.
You didn’t need to take me to dinner or bring me here.
” He downed the last of the wine. “You don’t owe me anything, and I sure as hell don’t have anything to offer you.
I can barely keep my life together, and you have a life I can barely imagine. ”
“Hey, we’re not all that different.”
Darren snickered and rolled his eyes. “You didn’t like the car you rented so you took it back so you could get a convertible to ride through the redwoods.
I have a single car, and I use it to go back and forth to Fort Bragg for work and hope like hell it doesn’t break down.
” He set down the glass and pushed it away.
“I really need some sort of answer. I know I’m just a server, but I need to know why things happen.
Maybe it’s because when I was a kid, I never knew why anything happened.
People just made decisions, and I was stuck in their wake. ”
Chet put up his hands. “Okay. I asked you here because when we had dinner, I liked you. Yeah, the conversation was heavier than I’m used to, but do you think I tell everyone about my messed-up family?
I don’t. I never talk about it. I’ve spent my life pretending to myself and others that my life was perfect.
The guys I was with think I have this amazing life.
I don’t. Mine is as messed up as yours, just with more money, and when all you want is someone’s approval, money doesn’t mean anything.
They can just shuttle you off to more places than other people.
” He picked at the last of one of the meats, putting the pieces in his mouth.
“And you are not just a server. I don’t think you’re just… anything.”
Darren could accept that. “But I have to ask. What do you think this is?”
“It’s a day out,” Chet said. “It’s a chance for us to have fun and get out of town.
I haven’t spent this much time away from work in years.
I needed a break, and an afternoon sitting in the shade, eating a little, talking a little, seeing baby goats—what could be more fun?
And as for anything more… well, I don’t have a crystal ball.
I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or next week.
All I know is the here and now.” He stood and grabbed their glasses. “Do you want some more wine?”