41. Teddy
FORTY-ONE
TEDDY
“We’ll be back soon,” Nellie says as she hugs Midge. “I cannot wait.”
“You’ll let us know if you change your mind, though, right?” Midge asks.
“I absolutely would, but that won’t happen.”
“And you,” Midge says, pulling me down for a hug, “take care of our girl here.”
“I will.” I hug her back as tightly as she’s hugging me. “We’ll see you soon.” I release her and wave to the gathered townspeople.
Betty brought two dogs over at dawn, and they’re howling away in the truck. Kevin is looking at me like I’ve betrayed him. “Gonna be a long drive with those two,” George says, patting me on the back.
“They’ll settle down, I’m sure of it.” Nellie waves off his concerns, and I don’t have the heart to tell her that it’s probably going to be like this for the next sixteen hours.
Sixteen hours driving right through, at that.
We pull out of the gas station-liquor store-taxidermist parking lot with a lot more fanfare than we pulled in with. Both Nellie and I wave out our windows as we pull back onto the main road and head for home.
Three hours later, Nellie is looking over at me like she may murder me. “Why are they still going?” She looks back at the two huskies still chattering away.
“They’re huskies.” I shrug, reaching over with my right hand to take hers. “They talk.”
“Do they ever shut up?” she asks, looking worried.
“I’m sure they will when they run out of things to say.”
After another three hours, Nellie looks like she’s near tears.
“Do you want me to just open the door and let them out because I will? For you, I will.”
She laughs and then scolds me. “Don’t make me laugh. I’ve gotta pee so bad.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“We’re making good time, and I didn’t want to ruin it.”
“Are you going to piss your pants?”
“Possibly,” she says guiltily.
“Is that better than stopping briefly?”
She shakes her head and pouts. “I don’t want to ruin Bennett’s truck.”
“There’s a gas station in a few klicks, so we’ll stop there. I’m sure the dogs have to go too.”
“Maybe that’s why they’re so chatty,” she says hopefully.
When we arrive at the station, Nellie runs inside, and then I see her scurry out and around the building to where the bathroom is. In the meantime, I manage to get each dog out one at a time for a pee break. Both huskies are quiet after I get them back in the truck, and I think maybe Nellie was right.
Ten minutes pass, and Nellie still hasn’t come back. Another five minutes, and still no sign of her. I text her only to hear her phone ping from inside the center console. Now I’m worried so I pull the truck up to the bathroom and jump out.
“Nellie, are you okay in there?” I call through the door.
Her reply is muffled, but at least she’s able to reply.
“I didn’t hear you.” I try to turn the knob but it’s locked. “I’m going to see if they have another key, just a minute.”
I head into the station, and the guy hands a key over way too easily. What if I was some creep wanting to break into the bathroom?
“I’m coming in,” I shout as I turn the key and slowly push the door open. I keep my eyes closed though just in case there’s a situation she doesn’t want me to see.
“There’s no toilet paper,” she whimpers, and I open my eyes to see her holding an empty roll.
“Oh…I’ll just go.” I point to the door and leave again.
Shockingly the guy gives me a harder time about the roll of toilet paper than the key. His priorities are alarmingly skewed.
“How long were you going to wait?” I ask when Nellie gets back in the truck.
She shrugs. “However long it took to air dry down there?”
“Take your phone next time.”
“Ew, no. I mean it’s iffy in a normal bathroom, but a gas station bathroom? The grossest.”
“That bathroom had nothing on some of the ones I’ve seen,” I say as I pull back onto the road.
“Oh? Do tell,” she goads.
“I’d really rather not. But let me just say that a lot of people aren’t great with aim when it comes to squatting over a hole.”
Nellie shudders. “Okay, say no more.”
The silence between us on the way home isn’t like it was on the way up. For one thing, Nellie’s hand is in mine. When I look over, she’s got her head turned towards me, smiling serenely. I wonder how many smiles I’ve missed over the years. Knowing Nellie, millions.
“Question,” she says after an hour of quiet.
“Yeah?” I ask, looking over at her briefly.
“You know the song ‘Dead or Alive’ by Jon Bon Jovi?”
I chuckle. “Do you mean ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ by Bon Jovi?”
“Sure. Did you know the lyrics are about a ‘steel horse’ and not a ‘stale horse’?”
“Why would it be a stale horse and not a steel horse?”
“I don’t know, I always thought it was a song about riding a tired horse. Like it’s so tired it’s stale.”
“It’s about their time on the road. Pretty sure the steel horse is a tour bus.”
She makes a tiny “hmm” sound, and I look over to see her staring ahead, her face twisted in concentration. “I’ve lived my entire life singing the wrong lyrics. I wonder how many people noticed but never said anything.”
I squeeze her hand. “I’m sure no one noticed, and if they did, they didn’t say anything because it’s really cute.”
She huffs and her head thuds against the headrest. “I wonder what other lyrics I’ve been singing wrong.”
“Probably loads,” I assure her. “I’m sure we all sing the wrong lyrics all the time.” I lift her hand to kiss it and watch her face relax. “Whatever happened to that jaywalker in your hometown?”
“Edith?” she asks.
“Right, I had forgotten her name.”
“She was still jaywalking last time I checked.”
“Go Edith,” I cheer half-heartedly.
“She was uncontested in the last vote.”
“Jaywalking falling out of favor with the townsfolk?”
“Terrible benefits,” Nellie says.
“Typical.”
A large bird swoops low in front of us, and Nellie leans forward, her eyes following it as it lifts into the sky again.
“Anything interesting?”
I feel her eyes on me and look over. “Depends on what you mean by interesting.”
“Rare.”
She sits back, threading her fingers through mine again. “Just a red-tailed hawk, exceptionally common. But endlessly interesting.”
“You’re such a nerd,” I tease.
“You love it,” she says, resting our hands on her thigh.
She’s not wrong . I keep my eyes on the road ahead but allow a goofy grin to spread across my face. “Whatever happened to that guy who worked with your dad? The one who was in the UK.”
“John?”
“Yeah.”
“I haven’t talked to him in a while. God, it’s been what…” She sighs, her fingers tapping on her right thigh. “Seven months, I think. He was on a video call with my dad when I was over the one day. Calling from the middle of the Amazon, if you can believe it. But he was good, happy, still very into birds, and still very much not my boyfriend.”
“Well, that’s a fucking relief.” I grin over at her, earning a flirty little smile that has me considering pulling the truck over for a little mid-drive intermission.
Nellie has been asleep for two hours. She’d taken over driving for about five and then we’d stopped for food, and by her third yawn, I insisted she let me drive again. Kevin is curled up beside her, her hand is still in mine, and the huskies haven’t made a sound since our last stop. Alone with my thoughts, I allow myself to replay the last month.
There had been signs that Nellie wasn’t going to stick to her claim of nothing more happening. I’d catch her watching me, and she’d turn away as soon as I looked, but as time went on, her gaze would linger. I have no idea if she realized it or not, but it was a welcome change.
The first time she’d clasped her arms around me at the lake I’d been terrified of doing something that would push her away. I don’t doubt things would have gone further if I’d kissed her then, but something in me screamed that it didn’t feel right. When she kissed me in the garden, though, that was a rebirth. A fresh start that I’d been desperately wanting, and she gave it to me and then some.
Tonight we plan on crashing in my bed. While I’d obviously love to do all the things with her, I’m most looking forward to just holding her all night long. Tomorrow we’re heading to her place so she can start preparing to rent it out. She let me know a couple of days ago that she was going to take the position in Marmot Point. Her boss had informed her that it was a role still within the university program due to the partnership with the region, so she’d still be able to return to her old job later if that’s what she wanted. She hasn’t said so, but something tells me it isn’t.
“Where are we?” Nellie yawns, her hand leaving mine as she stretches and rubs her neck.
I reach over and take over neck duties, earning a long groan that takes a little too much brain power to ignore. “About two hours from Bennett’s.”
She looks back at the sleeping huskies and smiles. “They are beautiful dogs when they’re quiet. ”
“You do realize Betty’s place has mostly huskies, right? Sure you still want to do this?” I glance over at her, thinking I’d see panic. But no, she’s turned her head towards me and looks completely content.
“I think it’ll be fine if I’m not stuck in a confined space with them singing away.”
“That does make it more tolerable, yes. You being there with me will make everything more tolerable.” I glance over again, and she somehow looks even more content. Like the idea of being together chases all the worries away. A month ago this seemed like a dream that would never come true.
“Teddy?” My name is almost a whisper.
“Nellie?”
“I’m glad you got to explore the world. Even if it wasn’t with me, I’m happy for you.” Both of her hands are grasping mine. “But going forward, please take me with you.”
“You were always with me, Nellie, but next time I’ll make sure you’re right beside me.”
“I really would appreciate that.” She raises my hand to kiss my palm. “We’re really bad at—”
Nellie’s words are cut off by screeching tires and horns, and I’m momentarily blinded by headlights before the world goes black.