My phone hasn’t beeped all day, and I check it again to make sure the sound is on.
I get off the bed, grab a wrapped glass from the shelf, and walk to the bathroom. The tap is stiff, so I fill it from the bathtub faucet.
Taking a sip, I sit on the end of the bed and switch on the tv. There’s nothing on, so I flip through the channels. It’s amazing how long you can flick for, especially when you’re trying not to think about things.
I manage to watch an entire episode of Seinfeld on some high-numbered channel.
It’s now nine o’clock, and I can’t take it any longer. I thought Steel would’ve been home hours ago, he’s been there almost thirteen hours now.
The pit in my stomach is telling me one thing, the thing I’ve been trying to not face, all evening. Steel must not have sold anything, and is refusing to leave until the minute they close.
Are you coming back?
A moment later, my phone rings. It’s Steel.
“Hey,” I say.
“Goldie,” he says. There’s a lot of noise in the background, and it’s difficult to hear him.
“Is everything okay? Are you coming home,” I can’t resist any longer, “Did you sell a car?”
The only sound is of the busy bar.
“Steel?”
“No, I didn’t sell a car.”
The way he said ‘a’ gives me hope, though I might’ve misheard through the noise.
“Did you sell two?”
“I didn’t sell any cars. No one wanted to buy a car from me.”
The pit in my stomach grows bigger. I guess my baby’s going to be Canadian.
“Well, you tried,” I say, my voice flat.
“But I sold two pick-ups!”
“Shut up!” I squeal.
“Yeah, turns out the guys buying pick-ups like to see themselves as bad asses too. And there are a lot more people buying pick-ups than sports cars.”
“Holy shit, what did my dad do?”
“He was gone when I sold the first one. But he saw the whole second one, and we’ve been here celebrating at the bar ever since.”
“What the fuck? You didn’t think you should tell me? I’ve been sitting here going out of my mind.”
“Sorry, babe. We’re just trying to figure out the money side with Rob.”
“He’s there too?” Unbelievable. Why am I the last to know?
“He only got here after dinner.”
“You had dinner with my dad?”
“We shared a mountain of suicide wings.”
I give my head a shake to make sure I’m not imagining things. Steel and my dad getting along?
“I can’t believe it, am I hearing you right?”
“Everything’s good. Your dad’s actually a pretty good guy, once you get to know him.”
“What about his precious reputation?”
“He says once his buddies at the Lions Club all meet me, they’ll love me.”
Figures his reputation matters in context to his friends.
“Let me guess, you two bonded over beer.”
“Beer and the smell of success,” Steel says, laughing.
“Does this mean we’re going to Canada for two months?” I’ve never been to Canada before, and it sounds like another fun adventure — now that I know I’m coming back afterwards. Even though I’ll be five months pregnant when we get back.
“It most certainly does.”
A Touch of Evil (Steel)
It’s the end of November, and it’s been a few weeks since I sold the trucks. Carol begged us to stay for Thanksgiving plus Emily had to have some baby scans and things before we left, and Greg and I had to get all the business plan and all this other paperwork shit in order. I don’t know anything about paperwork, I just signed where they told me.
They had to create some whole back story on where I got the money from, and why I don’t have a record of having a job in either Canada or the States over the past ten years.
I don’t know what they came up with. Something about working in some Central American country that doesn’t share tax info with anyone.
Emily’s brothers are great about welcoming me, but I can’t say the same for the townies. They aren’t being vicious, from what I can tell, it’s more that their mouths can’t stop flapping about the most exciting thing that’s ever happened in the town — me.
Now we’re in Niagara Falls. Emily and I drove up, so we’d have a car. It’s only a twelve-hour drive anyway. North Carolina seems to be a day away from everywhere.
We crossed in Buffalo, because I wanted to be able to see the look on her face the first time she saw the Falls.
Now we’re sitting in our one-bedroom hotel suite at the Marriott, the fucking Marriott. Who would’ve thought I’d be staying anywhere so swanky? We even have a whirlpool and a fireplace. Emily’s parents insisted we stay somewhere nice and paid for it. Said this was a gift from them and to think of it as our honeymoon.